Ardoren

The Thousand Lands of Ardoren is a monarchal kingdom made up of countless smaller baronies. They have long chafed against the Kheravazan Empire, but neither nation has been willing to declare open war against the other. Perhaps the only nation comparable to the Empire in both size and military might, Ardoren is home to hosts of knights who protect their home fiercely. Although, with how many different baronies exist within the bounds of the kingdom, the land is rife with internal conflict.

A common misconception about the Thousand Lands suggests that it is staunchly anti-magic. While Ardoren does not practice magic as vehemently as most other nations do, they do have a particular fascination with the act of transmutation and alchemy. Although, some baronies do ban the use of magic, and it is far more common to see baronies who severely restrict magic instead through the use of needing specialized training from one of the very few arcane colleges within the kingdom to practice. Thusly, most mages in Ardoren are those who hold official positions in court, be it to a baron or a king or a minor lord.

Customs of Ardoren

Although each and every province, and furthermore each barony, of Ardoren are diverse and hold unique views of the world from one another, there are connective threads between each one for a wider Ardorian culture.

Hospitality

Hospitality is taken very seriously in Ardoren for twofold reasons. First and foremost, one can never truly know if a guest is truly a guest or an Honored Guest of spiritual nature. For nobility in grand cities where spirits seldom tread, it is socially hazardous and difficulty for nobles to refuse hospitality to other nobles, even if this is done unexpectedly. This is not entirely without wiggle room, however, for if a noble appears with forces of any sizeable number, that would certainly change how people view that noble being refused, as does being in times of war.

Divinity in Ardoren

Ardoren is not antagonistic towards the Alkanor as the Empire can sometimes be, but they also do not frequently worship them. The larger cities in Ardoren often do, as gods provide much structure to the lives they live in the bustling cityscapes. Most people in Ardoren, and the historical people of Ardoren dating back to the Caldani and the Kavaarthi, worship and observe the rites of the spirits. Many strange shrines and statues litter the lands of Ardoren representing different stories of these spirits and what they represent.

Ardoren also immortalizes old figures of fame or infamy as saints. Worship of the Hero Saints are far more common than observance of the Alkanor's tenants in Ardoren, especially in larger cities, though the Alkanor still has a sizable presence as the most powerful gods of Divaan.

The Shadow of Dusk

A tale of an old wolf who lost its pack and wandered aimlessly for centuries, dying a thousand times to poachers and terrified farmers, dying in each land of Ardoren, leaving old wolven bones across the entire world. This wolf, who is only known simply as Old Shadow and Mother of Bones, found another wolf, the Dusk Wolf. The Dusk Wolf and Old Shadow found kinship in one another, as the Dusk Wolf too had suffered great tragedies and lost her pack. Together, they ran the lands of Ardoren and fought for the land that had cleaved so much from their hearts, becoming protection spirits. It is said that the hounds and dogs that are popular among Ardorian lands are all descendants of these two wolves, for they fell in love among their many and great adventures in defense of the people of Ardoren.

In one of these many adventures, the two wolves rescued a young human child and protected him, who later became the first of the Corlyn royal lineage. The royal family adopted hounds into their heraldry, in no small part in respect of these two guardian wolves, after the civil war was finally quashed. From this, the Corlyns are often referred to as 'the Orphan Kings'.

But, in all the hubris of the kith, they brought thunder and fire to the wolves. The Dusk Wolf was taken from this world, taken from the Mother of Bones. The dry lands of Ardoren were watered profusely in a great flood from the tears of the wolf, and the noble spirit of protection abandoned Ardoren during a great civil war between the Kerran Province and the Crown. The Old Shadow has not been seen for centuries, and many believe she died of heartbreak. Statues of wolves are commonplace in Ardoren, with offerings of love poems, wedding gifts, adoption papers, flowers, any product of a hopeful love. A statue of two wolves together is often erected as a symbol of unbreakable love, where statues of mournful, howling, lone wolves are symbols of heartbreak and a loss of purpose.