# Progression Help Page

### Player Resources Page

- Player Resources

### For Next Session

- KRAKENBONE INSPIRATIONAL MAP: Deception island
  - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Deception_island.jpg/1200px-Deception_island.jpg
- Arc Finale:
  - Mirror that shows a roundtable in a dark room. The seats are empty, save for the central one, where a masked figure with golden eyes sit, looking at the mirror. On the wall behind the central chair on the other side hangs a huge black disc with a purple brim. While there's no nuance to the pitch black disc, you cant help but feel something in it is staring at you.
  - Nightsinger in the chair will be somewhat displeased about having to trigger the ritual early, but doesn't see it as a massive issue: “Commence the ritual. Shame it looses some of its symbolism, but no matter. There's a plan for everything. The result will be the same.”
  - These mirrors are 2-way message pair of magic items that provide both visual and audio. They are very rare and expensive to maintain, consuming a massive amount of magic whenever they transmit.
- Taverns:
  - Ink Spray Grotto
  - The Salty Siren
  - Grey Crystal?
- https://wiki.strixhab.net/en/game-master/session-notes/Session50_60/Session56_MorattiTowerNotes
- Finish Fulcrum Description
- Import Items party have found - books, magic items, other notable items.
  - Magic items they may be given by house Navara.
- NPC description for Edrian Navara, Peneli Navara. Also finish Thulrik
- NPCs they may go after for info about mage figure
  - Kazim. Fedel Getilli (info about Kazim). Shapeshifter. Blood from Assassins. Mage by sneaking through magic compounds (have masks placed somewhere - enchanted, looking, will summon creatures).
- Do Castigian Cabal Description
- Do Montar Description
- Characters:
  - Lissanta Baronti, Overgold of Arcana
    - Prob also some of the prominent arcane users. Headmistress, other 3 leaders.
    - Figure out wtf Lissanta is going to do with Ari.
  - Elena the Grin
    - Zevlor x2
  - Peneli Navara
    - Also items she might have in case party asks for it.

## Assistance Pages

- NPC Template
- Traits List
- Encountered NPCs - List of all NPCs met with short explanation of who they are.
- Faction Template
- Deity Equivalences
- Art Styles for Images:
  - https://www.portraitflip.com/blog/painting-styles-and-techniques/#:~:text=There%20are%20more%20than%2075,to%20adapt%20all%20these%20styles.
  - Oil Paintings
  - Art Nouveau
  - pastel design
  - Cinematic
  - Real-life
  - Photorealism
  - Digital Painting
  - Frank Frazetta art style
  - Digital Realism
  - Fantasy Art
  - Narrative Illustration
  - Atmospheric and Moody
  - Cinematic style (Cinematic Painting)
  - Illustrated Style
- NPC Art made are in the style of: Cinematic Painting

Party Pages:

- The Party (Campaign 1)

## Race Descriptions

- Aasimar
  - Lifespan varies depending on how much divine blood they have in them? Those with higher concentrations may even be immortal, and almost be like Devas. Aylin BG3 inspiration.
- Shifters / half-beasts / Weretouched / Moontouched / Moon-blessed
  - Most tend to worship Seni and Luura - Seni representing tranquility and Luura ferocity (Seni = Selune, Luura = Malar).
    - Seni represents tranquility, her light seen as tempering the beast within.
    - Luura represents ferocity, aiding them in the hunt and strengthening them in times of need.
    - Represent the dual nature of Half-beasts, the balance between keeping the beast at bay, and unleashing it when necessary
- Halflings
  - Most populous race that does not have what one would consider a homeland, or their own land. They always exist as a minority in others' cultures. They have no nations or large cities of their own, just small hamlets of villages.
  - In the grand evolution of things, Halflings are not the best at anything.
  - Believed that a deity (Yondalla) is actively protecting her them, twisting fates in order to protect them, which has allowed the Halflings to survive and even flourish as minorities in some areas. This consequently means that Halflings are seen as being rather lucky creatures, “as if a greater hand is discreetly tugging at fate to ensure their survival”. This concept is not bulletproof.

Moon Stuff:

- The two moons in the night sky are roughly the size of a grown man's splayed hand when held at arm's length. Seni's diameter is about 10% larger than Luura's.
  - Hold both hands sprayed at arms length, roughly shoulder width apart, and you'll have the distance between the two moons when they're the furthest apart in the sky.
- Two moons, Seni and Luura, constantly circling one another so that they constantly eclipse on another when viewed from the ground.
- Seni has a tranquil white-blue glow. It is typically associated with the Moonmaiden, and is slightly larger than Luura.
- Luura has a moss-green-like glow. The bottom right quarter of Luura appears to have been cracked open, as if blown off from the inside. The moon is covered in deep cracks from this hole, with the cracks having a deep red/orange glow. The portion of the moon that was blown off still hangs there, as if having been frozen in time just after the explosion separated them from the moon itself. Tendrils of the same yellow-red glow appear to flow from the core of Luura to these pieces, almost as if keeping them in place. Luura turns red when it it is in its full phase and eclipsing Seni. the red color fading maarks the start of the next month.
- moons are tidal locked to erach other. craacked part of luura always facing bottom part of seni.
- Luura potential image: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/92/e1/2a/92e12a3ef0cd6be4a3484078fab4341b.jpg the green one in the top right.

Magic Stuff:

- Page explaining magic.
  - Should explain why making magic items is so difficult. To make a magic ring, the jeweler must have such innate mastery and knowledge of the craft that they not only know perfectly how the materials themselves behave, but also the invisible magical fabric in the materials looks and behave, and how it changes with each change to the material itself.

# Misc Flavor Stuff

### Tales, Fables, Stories, etc

1. The Bonfire King (Nursery Rhyme) - needs link to the Bonfire King, when that page is made.
2. Skyyra Sailor Tales
3. Azura Sailor Tales

# Concalian Empire

- Concalian Culture
- Concalian Religion
- The Concalian Curse

# Marcandria

## Cultural Pages

- Marcandrian Culture - WIP.
  - Marcandrian Clothing
- Marcandrian Religion - DONE
  - Update what clothes deities are depicted to wear? So description is more in line with Marcandrian fashion?

## Factions

### Marcandrian Nobility

- Casodonia
  - Giovane Marciano di Marcandria, (Former) Monarch of Marcandria
- Rosella
  - Duchess Fioretta Ravanelli
  - Celinia Navara
  - Edrian Navara
  - Peneli Navara
  - Emmerin di Scillante

### Royal Navy / Royal Armada

### Marcenguard/Marcani Guard

### Highlander Minority?

### Joybringers of Callera

- asd

### Greenwardens of Fiori

- asd

### Meranzeum

- Desciption - Done except for Relations and Stance of Succession Crisis
- Lissanta Baroni, Overgold of Arcana
  - Rafell Besisi, Overgold of Arcana (Deceased)
  - Conciri Meranzeum
    - Institute of Wards, Sigils, Protections, and Counter Curses
      - High Abjurer Euphemia Moretti, Headmistress of the Institute of Wards, Sigils, Protections, and Counter Curses at The Conciri Meranzeum
      - Magister Eraclide Laran
      - Efrem Pozzi - One of Euphemia Moretti's apprentices.
    - Arcane Biology
      - Magister Peneli Navara
    - Transmutation
      - .
      - Gael Alacron
      - Lucon Hoz

### Chevaliers

- Members:
  - Baslan Xario, advisor of house Ravanelli, captain of the Alatrian Marcenguard

### Edict Knights/Livium Refugees

### The Vessaia

### Fulcrum

- Board of Nine:
  - Emido Vahr DiVeno
  - Endymion Benetti
  - Pelliccia
  - Gaelean de Cadro
  - Francesca Gambachini
  - Colina de la Mare
  - Zaccherio D'Ascia
  - Khiden Gaeldaire/Brightbrow, the Jewelsmith
  - Liona Ondarra
- Other:
  - Jacobe Capelli (Luferi)
  - Ridol Acolti (Fillighera)

### Wayfarer's Union

- Description
- Members:
  - Owners:
    - Paluzzi - NYI
    - Rezzori - NYI
    - De Antaneda - NYI (Cabalists)
  - Finzu
  - The Coinflipper
  - Kaszim
  - Joyala?
  - Fedell Getilli

### The Montars

- Canary Chateau
  - Locations: Chiselpine Palace (Alatri); Mockingbird (Inn part of Chiselpine Palace in Alatri)
- Ciprian Ring
  - Red Spice
- Crimson Weave
- Virtue's End
- Montars:
  - Elena the Grin

### Castigian Cabal

- Character Notes:
  - Liviana Assassin philosophy:
    - I was once like you. Suffering. Struggling. I sought deprive, and I found one who could grant it.
    - All the pain and suffering was torn away. I was shown the peace of nothingness. The beauty of oblivion.
    - I no longer remember who I once was. What I once was. All the pains of that life has been lifted from me. Unburdening me.
    - I now inflict pain, because she asks me to. Because it lets me open the way for them to end their suffering.
    - So they can see what I have seen. So they can realize what I have realized. To show the way to her dark embrace.
- Characters:
  - Giullen de Vesci

### Nightsworn Concalians

asd

### Za-Kaal

### The Fey (of the Forbidden Forest++)

- Felosial
- Thiala
- Valanthe
- Kalythra - dryad archfey
- Grandma Mary

### Pirate Faction

- Islanders and pirates have a somewhat symbiotic relationship with a mysterious sea creature they call Skyyra - whom many fear, and others believe to simply be a myth. The islanders, and the pirates, throw offerings into the Pit of Skyyra, believing that she in return protects them from enemy ships, by manipulaating the waves and making enemy ships hit the reefs.

### Unaffiliated NPCs

- Thulrik Steelfist - Combat sheet done. Character description is not.

## Locations

#### Nuin

- Gadai Forest

#### Marcandria

- The Red Forest
- Ruginwood
- Settlements
  - Alatri
  - Trisalire
  - Vessina
  - Imeresse
  - Revanna

## ChatGPT Instructions for making Marcandrian settlement and people images using Dall-E

These are instructions, or rather rules, that must be followed when creating images portraying life in Renaissance Florence.

1. These images are for a low-fantasy DnD setting where the location is inspired by renaissance Florence.
2. The image style should be as if a screenshot taken from a next-gen super high-definition fantasy game.
3. The location is Renaissance Florence. Locations can be plazas, streets, alleys, inside shops, or any other region fitting for the setting. Your prompts should specify the level of affluence the area has, i.e. if it is in a slum region, a poor area, middle-class, affluent area, noblemen's area, etc. This also goes for describing interior of buildings - include the level of affluence they belong to. If the scene takes place indoor, then the walls should either be painted or made out of wood. The same goes for interior roofs. Keep the descriptions for these simple - do not include descriptions of intricate décor or patterns (you're allowed to make some exceptions to this rule if the scene is akin to a noble's estate). Interior images, like showing the inside of a shop, are preferred to show small rooms - no massive endless halls. Most shops should only be 1 story tall, with affluent ones at most 2 story tall. Dall-E has a habit of making ridiculously high roofs, so make sure to emphasize on keeping the roofs down. 1 story tall should be at most 3 meters tall, 2 story tall at most 6 meters tall. It is also paramount that descriptions regarding the painted and wooden walls and roofs are ONLY done for indoor scenes, as Dall-E will immediately mess up the architecture if you mention it for an outdoor scene. Small and cramped areas are preferred over large open ones, both indoor and outdoor. If you're depicting a street, prefer it narrow. If you're depicting a market plaza, prefer a small one. If it's inside a shop, prefer the shop be small. However, you should also occasionally make images of larger areas, so maybe make 1 out of the typical 4 areas depict a larger scene. I want to avoid images where the location depicted just stretches on forever, like an endless street. It should have a noticeable end.
4. Men should wear doublets and hoses, with some of the renaissance style berets. Women should wear bright multi-layered dresses, where some of them are wearing either berets or wide-brimmed hats. Headwear is a big thing in this culture, so it should be a noticeable part when looking at the image. At least half, but not all, people depicted in the image should have headwear. Men wear mostly pumps for footwear, though working individual may also wear ankle-boots. Women wear pumps or mules, or ankle-boots if doing strenuous work. A minority of women also opt to wearing men's clothes, i.e. doublet and hose. This is particularly true for female minstrels and performers.
5. The center-piece of the image should be a small group of people, typically 1 to 5. They should never be posing for the image, but rather be depicted engaging in some sort of activity suitable for city life. This could be work, this could be leisure, or just about anything else you can come up with.
6. The images should display primarily humans, but also a few half-elves and dwarves. Around half the generated images should include at least one half-elf or dwarf among the center-piece group. Make sure to emphasize the dwarves as dungeons and dragons style dwarves, that are short and stocky. Dall-E tends to make them into giants if not. All races wear the same types of clothes. The people should be described as having a light-to-medium skin hue, with neutral or rosy undertones.
7. Unless the prompt specifies otherwise, the scenarios depicted should be diverse, both terms of location (within or near the city), the people, and the level of affluence the area and the people in it has. Locations could include marketplaces, bakeries, tailors, bookshops, apothecaries, inns, and outdoor settings like parks, streets, alleys, piers, and harbors.

# Items

GM Item Notes

### Books, Letters, and Writings

- (I-BL001) Letter from Celinia Navara
- (I-BL002) Letter Regarding Celinia Navara
- (I-BL012) Lucon Hoz's Tome of Arcane Research
- (I-BL014) Vessaia Pamphlets
- (I-BL020) Experimental Diary of Magister Eraclide Laran
- (I-BL021) Eraclide Laran's Letter to Duchess Ravanelli
- (I-BL028) Chronicon of Magical Disasters - Needs link to Great Disaster when that page is made. Probably also a link to the Worldwound when that page is made.
- (I-BL029) Apprentice Abjurer's Research Notes
- (I-BL030) Malpiere's Rapid Growth Experimentation - Finish this thing.
- (I-BL031) Apprentice's Diary (Moretti Tower)
- (I-BL032) Research Journal on Optimizing Fused Concalian Core's Capacity and Stability
- (I-BL033) The Concalian Curse - Players did not find
  - NOTE: Sightings of Incorpreal Creatures, and therefore also when the Conciri were founded, started in the 900's (10th century)
- (I-BL034) Concalian Containment Initiative - Players did not find
- (I-BL035) Discarded Paper about moving ritual site (Moretti Tower)
- (I-BL036) Instructions on Extracting Concalian Type 1 Construct Power Cores - Players did not find
- (I-BL037) Gospel (from Moretti's Tower) - gospel from the Castigian Cabal.
- (I-BL038) Letter to Orlog
- (I-BL039) Letter to “Privateer” Captains
- (I-BL040) The Willow Maiden (Theatre Script) - Players did not find
- I-BL041 Letter Regarding Wayfarer's Union
- I-BL042 Letter regarding Lord
- I-BL043 Letter regarding Vessaia attack at auction
- I-BL044 Letter regarding the Grin

### Magical items

- (I-MA011) Power Conduit Shard
- (I-MA019) Vanguard's Helm
- (I-MA023) Concalian Memory Crystal (#1) – Write out the Flashback scene in another page somewhere, and add a link to it from this item's page at some point.
- (I-MA024) Pendant of Courage
- (I-MA025) Warding Ring
- (I-MA026) Vanguard's Greaves
- (I-MA027) All-Purpose Tools (+1)
- (I-MA028) Pixie Dust
- (I-MA029) Heirloom of a Tramatized Fey
- (I-MA030) Amber Eye
- (I-MA031) Concalian Memory Crystal (#3) - Missing flashback scene
- (I-MA032) Veilstitch Artificers
- I-MA033 The Black Dagger - connect who the dagger will summon if you kill someone at some point.
- I-MA034 Spellsniper's Bracers - should probably fix the language to be less GPT-like at some point.
- I-MA035 Concalian Power Core Amalgamation – should probably fix the language to be less GPT-like at some point.
- I-MA036 Deva's Lost Shield – should probably fix the language to be less GPT-like at some point.
- I-MA037 Prodigy's Belt - write down side effects of trying to remove the curse, and what must be done to avoid them. Probably does damage since it drains vitality.
- I-MA038 Destitute's Embrace - should probably fix the language to be less GPT-like at some point.
- I-MA039 Concalian Memory Crystal (#2) - Write out the Flashback scene in another page somewhere, and add a link to it from this item's page at some point.
- I-MA040 Escape Artist's Wristguard
- I-MA041 Actor's Earpiece
- I-MA042 Infused Concalian Crystal Fragment
- I-MA043 Will of Concalia
- From Tower:
  - Cursed Amulet
  - Give Pixie dust an ID
  - The 3 flowers from floor 1 needs IDs and must be added to this page.
  - Concalian Power Core amalgemation from Floor 5
  - Also fix Malpiere book https://wiki.strixhab.net/HBW/Items/Books_Letters_Writings/Malpieres_Rapid_Growth_Experimentation

### Potions and other Consumables

- (I-PC027) Navara's Experimental Healing Potion
- (I-PC028) Bottle of Concentrated Magic
- (I-PC029) Morphic Prolongation Potion
- (I-PC030) De-Afflicting Potion

### Flora

- I-FL030 Flower of the Dawn
- I-FL031 Star-indigo plant
- I-FL032 Stoneshroom

### Equipment

- I-EQ001 Ancient Concalian Longsword
- I-EQ002 Ancient Concalian Shortsword
- I-EQ003 Ancient Concalian Spear
- I-EQ004 Ancient Concalian Breastplate
- I-EQ005 Dwarvenforged Warhammer
- .

### Miscellaneous

- (I-MC030) Moonstone Necklace – maybe look over again when writing Moon-blessed culture and religion pages.
- (I-MC031) Celestial Feather - Deva feather, or potentially a planetar's feather.
- as

# Random Notes to Self

I know people are sensitive about skin tone descriptions. You don't have to constantly repeat it. It's a fantasy culture, i.e. not a description of real people. Culture's have what one could consider typical characteristics, skin tones being one of these. I'm looking for a description for what the average look would be, with there of course being mentions of typical range of variation, as well as instances of people with characteristics outside these. However, it will then intrinsically be implied that these characteristics are at least in part due to the influence of another culture. There are no limitations on what players in the setting are allowed to be within different cultures, though they have to accept that their choices may not be the norm within that culture, and that unusual choices have some in-universe implications as to where these characteristics originate from.

3 times per day, resetting after long rest.

When a friendly creature within 5ft of you is hit by an Attack, you can roll one of your available Hit Dice to use your reaction to swap places with said creature, causing the attack to target

yourself instead. The attacker will re-roll the Attack Roll, now targeting you instead.

Amalgamation of Concalian Power Cores

Cairne has black spot curse - lets Cabal always know where he is

I was once like you. Suffering. Struggling. I sought deprive, and I found one who could grant it.

All the pain and suffering was torn away. I was shown the peace of nothingness. The beauty of oblivion.

I no longer remember who I once was. What I once was. All the pains of that life has been lifted from me. Unburdening me.

I now inflict pain, because she asks me to. Because it lets me open the way for them to end their suffering.

So they can see what I have seen. So they can realized. To show the way to her embrace.

The peace of nothingness

Item:

- Grants Fire Bolt Cantrip

- One per day, you may cast Fireball as a 3rd level spell.

- After using Fireball, you may not unattune to the item untill you've completed a long rest. (i.e. you cant attune, cast fireball, then unattune)

Arcane vs Divine:

- Casting arcane magic requires perfection. A tiny flaw in one's incantation and everything goes awry.

- Divine casting is somewhat simpler. it requires effort, but the divine patron tends to take care of the perfectionist details.

So long as one's bond is strong enough, and one's prayer comes through clearly, the deity will take care of the details.

# Marcandrian Geography

#### Random Names

- Eldermoor Thicket

#### Preborian Forest

- Looks untouched but at the same time like a carefully tended garden (being maintained by the Fey)

#### Oscurita Thickets

- Green Dragon - Astuzia Covert

- Hill Giant settlements - south of Green Dragon

- Goblins along river (With Worgs)

- Chokers - in caves around Goblin area - hunting for Goblins?

- Fey? (Sprites, Pixies, Darkling, Satyr, Quickling, Meenlock, Redcaps?

- Ankhegs

- Displacer beasts - likes to hunt goblins etc

- Girallon?

#### Brittlewoods

- Blights?

- Vegepygmy?

- Skeleton Beasts

#### Curogin Woods

- Shifter Tribes?

- Stirges? In the thicker parts of the woods, where the canopy darkens the ground.

- Ankhegs

- Displacer Beasts

- Redcaps? Hunting Shifters?

- Warewolves - Sometimes coming from Eirusian Highlands?

- Girallon?

-Manticores, Perytons

#### Northern Nuin (Have these woods be very wet? Lots of mushy marshland on the ground?) Gadai Woodlands

- Geographically the Gadai is the same forest as the Curogin - though the Marcandrian and Nuin portions tend to be referred to separately.
- Is an old primeval forest, with large portions being mostly untouched by civilized creatures for centuries.
- Dominated by old growth trees, some of which are centuries old, with enormous trunks and canopies, which provide shelter and habitat for various wildlife and birdlife.
- The forest floor is densely covered in undergrowth, including ferns, shrubs, and smaller trees.
- (Deadwood) Fallen and decaying trees also litter the forest floor, acting as breeding grounds for insects, fungi, and decomposers.
- Rocks and fallen trees are covered in moss and lichen, creating a lush yet ancient atmosphere.
- Rich in biodiversity, with numerous species of plants, animals (including birds), fungi, and microorganisms.
- .
- Ankhegs make their homes in the forest. They burrow through the ground in a complex mesh, that sometimes collapse, causing the trees above to topple over, creating small clearings in the forest.
- Perytons make their home in the canopies of the larger trees. Also numerous bird species among these canopies.
  - Loves particularly to hunt shifters, gnolls, and other humanoids. They find their flesh best tasting, tearing out their hearts and bringing them back to their nest to feast on.
- Girallons hunt in loose bands and family groups on the forest floors, and will climb the larger trees that can support their half-ton bodies. They make their homes either in a particularly thick canopy, where there are multiple large trees with thick intertwining branches on which they can make their home, or in cares found on the ground.
- One will find families of Hill Giants in certain pockets of the forest, easily recognizable by the amount of felled trees and more open areas. These are mostly found along the riversides, particularly close to Nuin dwarves' pastures to the forest's east, that the Hill Giants often raid to steal livestock and ale.
- A few shifters tribes also live in the forest, camouflaging their homes in the forest's dense undergrowth.
- Gnoll tribes also wander the woods - FIND DESCRIPTION FOR WHAT THEY DO.
- Other things that fit:
  - Ettercaps, and other large spiders, creating areas of the forest completely covered in web, filled with numerous victims.
  - Trolls?
  - Harpies along the mountain-passes to the Highlands, ambushing those who use them.

Very old forest. Lots of fallen trees along the ground, thick growth, and the occasional opening.

Shifter Tribes?

- Ankhegs - often hunt the Dwarves' grazing livestock.

- Ogres - hunt Dwarves' Livestock

- Hill Giants - hunt Dwarves' livestock

- Displacer Beasts

- Girallon? (Small family groups - like gorillas. Hunt Elk etc.)

- Manticores, Perytons - Coming from Highlands down to find easy prey.

- Gnolls along Spine - hunts Shifters, sometimes their bands go far enough east to trouble the dwarves. Gnolls do not settle. Only live in the wilderness, scavenging, and moving on.

#### Possibly somewhere:

- Gnolls - Curogin Woods up against spine? Competing with Shifters for territory?

- Lizardfolk in one of the rivers?

- Orc?

- Bugbears? Hunting grounds and small communities somewhere? Small community of Bugbears lording over Goblins in Thickets?

- Harpies - probably along mountain-passes

- Ettercaps

- Dryads - area where there formerly were Dryads,though they've all been murdered long ago, their old trees being but dead husks that refuse to fully rot?

- Grick - Ambush predators lurking out of sight in rocky rubble and debries, mountain passes, etc.

- Hags? Yeth Hounds serving Hags?

- Trolls - probably also serve Hag if Hag is placed somewhere

- Shambling Mound

- Hydra in lakes?

#### Animals:

- Owlbear, Ankhegs

- Pigs, Deer, owl, Snakes, Wolf, Boar, Brown Bear, Lynx, Dire Wolf, Giant Toad/Frog, Giant Spiders, Phase Spiders

- Elk, Wolverines, Badger

#### Eirusian Highlands Idea

- Vegepygmy valley - i.e. valley filled with Russet Mold, infecting everyone that enters it, killing them and raising more Vegemygmies

# Other Regions, not for this Campaign

## Desert Jewels

- use wind-catchers to cool homes. https://surfiran.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Badgir.jpg

### Isyri Desert Tribes

- Title: Daa'Ri
  - From faction made in Age of Wonders 4: Daa'Ri Shahla el-Sahli
  - Title of leader, warrior, or something similar.

### City ruled by a Noble Djinn

Desert Jewels: One run by a Noble Djinni. An extreme narcessist and megalomaniac, who lives for presentation, and for the attention and admiration of his subjects.

Will conjure magical musical instruments to play "intro music" for when he makes public appearences.

Herald: "The Supreme Sovereign. The Resplendent Ruler. The Exalted Emperor. The Dazzling Despot. The Opulent Overlord. The Peerless Potentate!"

Djinn, finishing his own introduction in a grand booming voice: KESHAM THE MAGNIFICENT(OMNIPOTENT?)!

(he appears as he says this. Fireworks he conjures goes off, with their embers turning into gold coins that rain down on the roaring crowd)

(Djinn doesn't like ugly or poor people, so he throws them out of the city. He's also obsessed with his city looking perfect, so anyone whose unable to keep

their plot looking impeccable are also thrown out)

(Maybe he throws out old people, seeing their fragile state as ugly?)

Kesham talks to himself in 3rd person. "You think your petty insult has any hold o nthe mighty Kesham?!"

he should give off the feel of Megamind's introduction: https://youtu.be/sBbN4Cjzyrw rockstar feel.

Worship of deities is outlawed in the city. One is only to worship Kesham.

Inhabitants probably obsessed with staying beautiful and avoiding getting harmed, scarred, etc.

Kesham can grant wishes, like removing scars, giving a blind person their sight back, etc. Kesham only does this when it gives him public clout - i.e. when he is sure people can see him do it.

City has statues of Kesham everywhere.

Kesham has being a showman as a personality trait?

Every boat and ship the city has is named Kesham, so its “Kesham IV”, “Kesham XXVI”, etc for ship names.

#

#

# Marcandrian CULTURE NYI

### Marcandrian Cuisine

To be inserted

### Warfare

To be inserted

### Relations with the Mystical and the Magical

#####

###### View on Celestials

Seen as servants of the gods, though their gods, allied gods, and gods who oppose the Diostri.

View on other beings

- Abberations not really understood. Seen as incomprehensible.
- Beings like dragons and krakens seen as legendary creatures, that most are happy are far away.
- Constructs seen with curiosity but skepticism - they are not common in Marcandria, so they're quite unfamiliar with them.

- Witch burning like themes etc. HOW DO THEY DEAL WITH CORPSES OF MAGICAL BEINGS? HOW DO THEY BELIEVE THEY CAN KILL THEM OR BEAT THEM?
  - i.e. what do their tales say they should do if encountering fey, fiends, undead, etc.
  - Herbologist in addition to alchemists?
- Remember view on old magical ladies etc (i.e. what do they think of for instance an old lady in the woods who offer magical concoctions that can help one) (fairytales)
- Practices when encountering magic and magical people and beings. Do they believe they must burn them? i.e. does evil spellcasters need to be burned? etc.
  - Probably believe they must be burned to be sure they cant come back - i.e. body must be destroyed. Also believe this when it comes to fiends etc? Even though destroying the body doesn't actually help for fiends? Don't fiends dissolve when they die? Have them not do that in this world? Just describe it has burning the remains to keep it vague what the remains are?
  - Also tend to burn monsters etc to get rid of any potential sicknesses they may hold?
- Fey - often romanticized in novels and theatrical plays, though in a devious manner. Often part of romantic theatre plays that end in tragedy. Most thus have the view that they are creatures that may appear friendly or loving, but that it will either very often be a trick, or it will nonetheless end in tragedy.
  - Thus often viewed with a sense of curiosity, but also something that should be viewed at a distance due to distrusting them.
  - Mention creatures like Hags - i.e. what view do they have on wise-woman, those who can offer weird concoctions to help with ailments ("lotions and potions") etc.
- Fiends are hated. Boons from a fiend seen as cheating.
  - You always draw the short straw when dealing with them. “If you draw the attention of a devil, you are almost bound to loose. Even if you say no, the devil will return with its offer when you've nowhere else to turn. Keep guidance from the goddesses, and ask them to protect you.”
  - If you resort to a devil pact, you do not deserve what you've been given.
  - Devil pacts seen as always seemingly being to the benefit of the one making them, but being detrimental to everyone around them. It will in the end turn detrimental to the one making the pact as well.
  - Thus see devils as a festering wound, a plague that only harms Marcandria. Marcandrians thus hate them - believing that when Marcandria is doing well, there'l lalways be devils looking to use people's greed to ruin that prosperity. (i.e. devil makes you do well but in doing so pushes everyone else back to square one again, then takes away everything from the one who made the deal as well.)
  - Marcandrians acutely aware that you should never sign a deal with a devil, though when you've in a situation where there seem to be no other ways out, what else can you do?
- Undead:
  - There are a lot of reasons to hate undead. The fact that many are simple flesh puppets of former loved ones. The fact that they're an upfront to nature, and to their deity Fiori. Though one of the primary reasons for the disgust when it comes to the undead is just that - they find them disgusting. Most are mindless, joyless, ugly beings, and those who are not are believed to have sacrificed many in order to gain their undead nature. (i.e. they believe they had to do something extremely detimental to others to achieve their undead nature, which is anti-progress, thus something that reduces prosperity, and thus something the Marcandrians loathe)
- Aberrations typically seen as something incomprehensible. Creatures and beings that defy logic, too strange and alien to understand.
- ALSO MENTION VIEW ON UNDEAD.
- Mention what they think of other planes? Maybe mention what they believe happens when they die somewhere? (i.e. go to the realms of the Diostri)

FEY PARAGRAPH BACKUP:

Fey often take on the role of folklore in Marcandria—some which they believe are real, some which they believe are fairytales. A beautiful naked woman luring men into her pond to drown and eat them, a hag who offer lucrative deals with potentially dangerous and hard-to-foresee consequences, a satyr whose flute forces you to dance until your feet fall off, are all examples of fey-related tales one might hear in Marcandria. If there's one prevailing thought the Marcandrians have regarding fey, it is that fey always lie. Whether mischievous or devious, whether done intentionally or just due to their innate nature, fey will always, in one way or another, seek to trick or manipulate you—be that for fun, for laughs, vindictiveness, wickedness, or for seemingly no reason whatsoever. Some fey are also unworldly beautiful, with them often being seen as dangerous seducers who'll use their allure to bring peril on those smitten by them. These types of fey are often romanticized in in Marcandrian folklore and theatrical plays. However, these romantic plays and stories always end in tragedy, with the relation the protagonist(s) had with the fey creature often being portrayed as the leading cause of these misfortunes. Fey are thus often looked at with curiosity and allure—their behaviors and perceived values are after all quite strange by Marcandrian standards—but also a great deal of mistrust.

FIEND GARAGRAPH BACKUP:

Very few Marcandrians have firsthand experience when it comes to fiends. That is, no firsthand experiences they are aware of. Very few Marcandrians knows how to differentiate the different types of fiends from one another. Most, if asked to describe what a fiend look like, will describe a regal looking tiefling, or less commonly a minotaur, with their features exasperated and made more ominous—such as a taller tiefling with huge curved horns and tail, and perhaps even wings. Tieflings and minotaurs are believed to have originally spawned from fiends, and are typically the only notion regular people have of what a fiend may look like. This connection can often negatively affect how tieflings and minotaurs find themselves treated. The devil with the silver tongue is both a tale and a warning told throughout Marcandrian society, and is often a character in Marcandrian theatrical plays.

Fiends, mostly devils, exist in Marcandrian society, though not in great numbers. They masquerade as regular citizens, pulling strings and manipulating events to lure people into their infernal contracts—a document that binds both devil and recipient to its terms, enforced by the Hells themselves, typically with the devil offering a boon or service, often sold as salvation, in return for the recipient's sold. A devil playing the role of an establishment's owner or a successful merchant will only reveal their true nature to those they are sure they'll manage to win over into signing away their soul to them. Marcandrian lore states that a devil will never directly force anyone into signing a deal. They'll never threaten to harm if one does not sign their deal, but will rather refuse to lend aid. They will, for example, never threaten to harm your child if you do not sign their contract, but they may claim to be unable to save the child—from some peril that the devil isn't directly responsible for—if they do not sign their contract.

Marcandrians believe that if a devil has set its sight on you, then their clasp is almost inescapable. They will set the stage so that they are portrayed as the best option—and often only option—for you to escape your peril. Even if initially refused, they'll simply resort to subtly and indirectly manipulate how you perceive your own reality—making sure you witness that which will, and only that which will, drive you into further desperation—until you become desperate enough to agree to sign your soul away. Marcandria, being a society that values success and wealth, also have a lot of citizens willing to sign away anything in return for wealth and status, something devils are all to happy to accommodate in return for their soul. Marcandria's obsession with perceived success, and the lengths people may go to to maintain this perception, also creates a lucrative environment for devils to find people desperate enough to be manipulated into one of their deals. This is not to mention the numerous people whose lives in general so desperate, finding themselves in such prolonged hopelessness with little with little sign of a way to ever escape it, and living so close to the edge that a devil's deal might seem as the only viable option, with the devil barely needing to do any work to convince them into signing.

Marcandrians absolutely despise fiends, and those who deal with them. This is sadly something that at times also manifests in a skepticism and distrust being like tieflings and minotaurs, who are often associated with fiends. Taking a fiend's deal in return for wealth is seen as fraud, and as an upfront to Marcandria's meritocratic foundation. Marcandrians see fiends' machinations as a drain on Marcandria's prosperity and its people's happiness, meant to steal it away in order to make people desperate enough to sign away their soul in a deal, and in doing so sign away any joy or happiness they might've enjoyed in the afterlife.

### Law Enforcement and Criminal Underworld

Security, law enforcement, and general city guard and city watch roles, are in Marcandria performed by the Marcenguard. Marcenguard is used as a collective term for city guard/watch. Each noble will have a Marcenguard under their employ to keep order and safeguard their domain, with higher ranking nobility also having the authority to demand their vassals assign part of their Marcenguard for larger operations - such as dealing with a bandit group who operates across multiple nobles' domains. Larger settlements will always have a Marcenguard to keep order and uphold the noble family's laws. Small hamlets, on the other hand, may not have a Marcenguard at all, or may opt to have a few volunteers rotate on the role.

Marcenguard are easily recognizable in a Marcandrian settlements. One will find people outside the Marcenguard who openly wear armor and weapons in a Marcandrian settlement, with mercenary groups perhaps even resulting in one seeing multiple people with matching armors. However, the settlement's Marcenguard, with their brigandine armor, embroidered and wearing the town and/or noble family's emblems, will always be the most common and recognizable out of the armed people one will see.

- Marcenguard, Cavaliers.
- Relation between governing nobles and criminal underworld (i.e. they help maintain the least bad option)
- “Unspoken agreement between the ruling nobility and the Montars, where the nobility will leave the Montars to their own devices so long as they keep the rest of the criminal underworld in check and out of view of the general public.”
- A bit about corruption. Getting caught for corruption is the fastest way to loose one's position. It is the most common way for a noble to loose their title. Marcandrians accept a bit of underhandedness, though outright corrupt behavior is hated.

Security, law enforcement, and general city guard and city watch roles, are in Marcandria performed by the Marcenguard.

- Marcenguard, Cavaliers.
- Cavaliers act as elite enforcers. Trained in Imeresse, and often swear to serve a particular noble family. Often act as a noble family's personal guard, and as the leader of the noble's Marcenguard. Other Cavaliers act as more free agents in Marcandria, being called upon by different noble families to deal with particularly dangerous adversaries, those that the Marcenguard cannot easily handle themselves.
- Relation between governing nobles and criminal underworld (i.e. they help maintain the least bad option)
- “Unspoken agreement between the ruling nobility and the Montars, where the nobility will leave the Montars to their own devices so long as they keep the rest of the criminal underworld in check and out of view of the general public.”
- “Marcandria has a thriving underworld of smugglers, counterfeiters, information brokers, privateers, thieves, and assassins. This underworld is led by kingpins, called Montars, who each control some area - be that geographical and/or type of operations. Montars form a complicated network of alliances, rivalries, and outright hostilities towards one another.”

### Some notes from Cities and Architecture

- PICTURE SHOWING FACADES:
  - https://www.visit-florence-italy.com/florence-baptistery-saint-john-florence-italy.html
  - The Baptistery of San Giovanni (Saint-John) in Florence. Use images of this building. Fits perfectly in visual design of Marcandrian exterior walls - slick with painted patterns.
- Estates, mansions, and huge buildings will sometimes have arcades and/or porticoes.
  - Buildings along the wider and busy main streets, and around plazas, also often have arcades
  - https://i0.wp.com/www.florenceisyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Palazzo-Medici-Riccardi-FI.jpg?resize=960%2C652&ssl=1
  - https://tourism.com.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/01-1.jpg
  - https://architectureofcities.com/renaissance-architecture
    - 12 shows an arcane. 21 shows rustication. Florence Cathedral's exterior walls show an example of arches and pilasters.

DELIMITER

- Estates, mansions, and huge buildings will sometimes have arcades and/or porticoes.
  - Buildings along the wider and busy main streets, and around plazas, also often have arcades
  - https://i0.wp.com/www.florenceisyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Palazzo-Medici-Riccardi-FI.jpg?resize=960%2C652&ssl=1
  - https://tourism.com.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/01-1.jpg
  - https://architectureofcities.com/renaissance-architecture
    - 12 shows an arcane. 21 shows rustication. Florence Cathedral's exterior walls show an example of arches and pilasters.
- walls typically painted. Either entire wall, or just patterns, most often a few horizontal stripes.
  - Rougher floors typically not painted. Raw texture of the bricks are instead left to be shown.
- Aside from the main streets and plazas, streets in Marcandria tend to be quite narrow.
  - Some romantic high-end areas may have back-alleys that are simply an arcane separating the two sides, with shops - often places that serve food - on both sides.

Vibrantly colored paint is then applied, often using multi-colored painted patterns to further enhance the beauty and elegance of the building.

own notes:

- Mention how smaller side streets often become specialized conclaves (especially at dead-ends) - such as red-light districts, +++. The most affluent establishments tend to be placed along the primary side road, with less affluent ones spread in the narrow alleys behind them.
- Description of gardens and parks. Arbors etc.
- Suburban area descriptions
- Relationship between architecture and society: There's prestige in being near the city's center of commerce. People thus want to be as close to it as possible, and with a lot of people wanting to be close to the city's commercial centers, its immediate surroundings tend to become incredibly densely populated.
  - Most Marcandrians that live in urban environments want to live close to the commercial centers, as it is here the majority of affluent people reside, and thus where one can find most affluent partners and customers. This becomes a self-feeding cycle, as the more people are cramped near the commercial centers, the more beneficial it is to live there from a business perspective. This also means there's status involved in being able to say you live near the commercial centers, particularly along one of the main streets or bordering one of the busier plazas.
- More Plaza description

DELIMITER

- flamboyant
- Made primarily of wood. How to get slick exterior walls: In the Renaissance period, if you wanted a slick surface on the exterior walls of a wooden house, one common method to achieve this would be to use lime plaster. Lime plaster is a traditional building material made from slaked lime, sand, and water. It was often used as an exterior finish for wooden structures to provide a smooth, durable, and weather-resistant surface. To create a slick appearance, the lime plaster would be applied in thin layers and then smoothed and polished to achieve a smooth and sleek finish. Additionally, lime plaster has the advantage of being breathable, which helps regulate moisture and prevent issues like rot and mold that could affect wooden structures over time. Lime plaster was widely used in historical construction and was an important building material during the Renaissance period. It allowed builders to protect and beautify wooden surfaces while maintaining a visually appealing and functional exterior finish.
- Tenements in Urban Environments
  - Query: What would be the equivalent to living in tiny apartments back in renaissance italy? The scenario is an urban environment where a family might live in a tiny portion of a 2-3 story building, with the building having multiple exterior staircases so that the families can access their respective appartments.
  - Answer: In Renaissance Italy, urban environments often featured multi-story buildings with shared living spaces, especially in densely populated cities. The equivalent of living in tiny apartments in this context would be residing in what were called "tenements" or "flats." Tenements were multi-story buildings where each floor or level was divided into separate living spaces or apartments. These apartments were relatively small and often occupied by individual families or tenants. They could range from a single room with basic amenities to slightly larger spaces with a few rooms. The size and quality of these apartments would vary depending on the wealth and social status of the occupants. It was common for these tenements to have shared exterior staircases or common areas for access to the different apartments on each floor. Families or individuals would live in close proximity to one another, and the living spaces were designed to make the most efficient use of available space in the crowded urban setting. Living in tenements was a typical urban housing arrangement during the Renaissance, especially in cities like Florence, Venice, and Rome, where space was at a premium, and the population density was high. These compact living spaces allowed families to reside within the city walls, close to their places of work and the social and cultural activities of urban life.
- Delimiter: Those who live in tenements vs those who have managed to afford an entire building for themselves. None of these tend to have gardens in urban environments, only having space for flower pots hanging from the windows. Upper class that own large buildings and estates, with massive gardens.
- Ruling lords and ladies tend to dedicate space in their settlements for parks, often with pergolas and arbors, as well as beautiful plazas. These have the intention of keeping the citizens happy, and to create places where they can mingle and strengthen their communal bonds. They are also meant to display the wealth and status of the settlement, and consequently, the wealth and status of the ruling family.
  - Answer: Yes, in a Renaissance town, if you, as the lord, wanted to create a dedicated open area where people could gather and enjoy themselves, it would typically be called a "plaza" or a "piazza." Both terms are used to describe public squares or open spaces in urban environments where people can congregate, socialize, and participate in various activities. The term "plaza" is more commonly used in Spanish-speaking regions, while "piazza" is the Italian equivalent and is commonly used in Italy. These open spaces were often at the center of the town or city and served as important focal points for community life, public events, markets, and social gatherings. The design and layout of the plaza or piazza could vary, but it was generally intended to be a welcoming and communal space for residents and visitors alike.

### Rituals and Rites (Marriages, which festivals and holy days exist, etc)

- Spring festival: Dedicated to Meranzi. Celebrates “first trade ships departing and arriving for the year", even though they depart and arrive year around. Also celebrates overcoming another winter, celebrating the accomplishments they had the past year. The festival also acts as a promise for the year to come.
- Summer festival: Dedicated to Callera. Height of summer → height of warmth, hence height of love and happiness.
- Fall/Harvest festival: Dedicated to Fiori.
- Consequently a lull in celebrations through winter.
- Landfall - celebrating when the first of their ancestors arrived in what is today Vessina.
- Unity Day? - celebrates the date where the signed an agreement officially creating the current structure of Marcandria.

### Demographics

### Law

- Huge and thriving black markets.

### Marcandrian Cuisine

### Geopolitics (view on other cultures)

### Domestic Politics (Interplay between the 6 regions, etc. See if this and geopolitics can be combined. Also want to talk about what each of the 6 dukedom's strengths are, what they're good at, what niches they have, etc.)

### Warfare

Mention their navy, and it's role in protecting their might merchant fleet.

Often invaded by creatures such as Orcs from the Eirusian Highlands. Mostly seen as a concern for the Brevorans.

###

### Goods and Services that can be found in a Marcandrian Market

- Firewood - usually brought in by people from outside the settlement by horse-dawn carts. Normally sold in sacks, with one having to pay for both the sack and the wood inside. Most allow one to alternatively trade in an empty sack in place of paying for a new sack, so long as the one traded in is in a comparable condition to the one being given.
- Incenses - used to improve smell
- Soap - luxury good

### Marcandria's relation to other factions and nations

123

### Marcandrian climate and geography

- General climate and geography. Temperature range, types of environments, difference from Merchant's Bay to Brevora and Mondovi. Short 1-2 sentence description of each of the 6 duchies.

### NOTES:

- Have a section for Recent Events. it should include assassination of royal family, along with succession crisis.
- Warfare: Modern Marcandria is not unaccustomed to warfare, having had numerous attempted invasions the Eirusian Highlands, and numerous battles at sea to keep their vessels safe from raiders and pirates. However, while the nobility bicker quite a lot, it rarely turns to open violence (though deadly subtle plots are not unheard of). This is mostly due to lack of ability. The Marcandrian people mostly disinterested in war and military conquest, and disinterested in the notion of glory through conquest. They are more interested in wealth and prosperity. The nobility, even if they would want to seek wars of conquest, would find it hard to find support for it among the common populace. Any such venture would have to be through paid professionals, as raising levies could cause dissatisfaction among the populace.
  - This does not mean the Marcandrians are not willing to go to war for a worthy cause, though “a worthy cause” will for the most part be limited to defensive wars, or otherwise wars to stop a hostile force from causing trouble for the Marcandrians.
  - “The Marcandrians fought many hard-won battles to secure their new homeland. Many of these were initiated to rid themselves of hostile neighbors, and in an attempt to stabilize the region. Even after the centuries of war spent expanding to the Eirusian Highlands, the Marcandrians never truly changed into a people of war. And, after these wars ended, the Marcandrians slowly turned back to who they were originally. The Marcandrians are not a people of war nor a people of conquest. …”
- Feedback from ChatGPT:
  - However, there are a few small points that could benefit from further clarity or additional details to enhance the overall narrative. For example, the section on "Marcandrian Society: A Materialistic People" mentions the prevalence of fraud and counterfeit goods but does not delve into how the society perceives and reacts to these issues. Expanding on the consequences of engaging in fraudulent behavior or the measures taken to combat counterfeiting could enrich the description further.
  - Additionally, it might be helpful to explicitly link some aspects, such as the prominence of luxury goods and the pursuit of extravagance during festivals, to the influence of the deities and cultural values mentioned earlier. This would reinforce the connection between religious beliefs and societal practices, offering a more comprehensive understanding of the Marcandrian way of life.
  - In the "Governance" section, when discussing the nobility's approach to cracking down on the criminal underworld, you can briefly touch upon their original intention to maintain law and order, inspired by Meranzi's vision of a golden future. However, the practical realities of controlling illicit activities force them to adopt a pragmatic approach that deviates from the ideals.

### CHAPTERS NOT PLACED:

- View and relationship with other cultures
- View on magic
- Noble structure and hierarchy / Politics
- Architecture
  - Also includes their extravagant facades, and that upper class' homes are often filled to the brink with art pieces.
- .
- Recent History
- Geography - brief talk about the 6 provinces etc.
  - Primary reason why the nation is kept together is because the 6 dukal houses have historically deemed it more beneficial to be part of it than being on their own. Trying to secede would also in all likelihood lead to war.
- Rituals/Rites of passage
  - How marriages work. Coming of age, funerals etc. Discussing how they work and who takes part (Marriage union done with clerics from all 3 deities, as a Union under the Diostri)