Westemär

Westemär is at the forefront of the current conflicts, as Drakken heim was its imperial capital. When the city was destroyed, King Ulrich IV and his immediate heirs were lost. They are presumed dead, but their ultimate fate is unknown. Festering divisions between the king’s two surviving siblings plunged the nation into a ten-year-long civil war. In a cruel twist of fate, the war led to the deaths of both the king’s siblings and their heirs. Today, the political order of Westemär lies in tatters. Lacking any clear claimant to the throne, nobles ruling its duchies and cities are quickly posturing to form their own petty kingdoms — or make a bid for the throne themselves. Meanwhile, the city of Drakkenheim is a desolate urban ruin, haunted by all manner of eldritch abominations, undead monstrosities, and otherworldly demons.

Westemär

Westemär is a broken nation. After a mysterious meteor devastated the capital city of Drakkenheim fifteen years ago, the nation descended into a decade of bloody civil war. The surviving siblings of King Ulrich IV fought bitterly for the throne, but the brutal matter cost both their lives. The Civil War ended with no real victor, and no clear inheritor to the royal titles of House von Kessel.

Ravaged by conflict, the once-great nation is now fracturing into disparate smaller realms. Worse, the otherworldly contamination left behind by the falling star is slowly spreading into the surrounding lands, bringing madness and monsters to the unprepared towns and villages of Westemär. As curious mages and profit-seeking smugglers ferry delerium from the ruins of Drakkenheim to distant lands, grim veterans of the Civil War fight to retake the capital and rebuild the realm. Meanwhile, a grave religious schism has broken out amongst the common folk driven by the apocalyptic proclamations of Lucretia Mathias. No nation on the continent is in greater need for heroes, and now Westemär has become the stage upon which greater conflicts affecting the entire continent are taking shape.

Overview

Encompassing the northwestern quarter of the continent, Westemär is a rugged land of deep forests and slow, wide rivers broken up by small areas of rolling pasture and farmland. It has a moderate climate with snowy winters and warm summers, and it rains constantly in the spring and fall. The region is rich in natural resources: logging and lumber are the backbone of many villages and towns, but others lie along vast deposits of iron, cop per, and coal which feed the industry of Westemär’s cities. The Crystal Coast takes its name from the rich salt mines along its rocky northern shores, and fine quarries throughout Westemär built the nation’s many castles and fortresses. Veins of gold and silver are found within the mountainous regions to the south, though the dwarven communities in the Glimmer Mountains have long asserted their independence and make claim to the richest veins.

Population

Approximately 8 million people dwell in Westemär. Most of the population inhabit rural villages, and only about 600,000 people live in cities and large towns.

Most people living in Westemär are humans who value hard work and pragmatism. Many simply want to put the turmoil of the last ten years behind them, and are exhausted from the conflicts gripping their lands. Young people either bitterly resent the prosperity their parents enjoyed during the unrestrictive rule of the late Ulrich IV, or fight furiously to restore a glorious kingdom they’ve only ever known through stories told to them by their grandparents. Tieflings form several noble houses and are commonly encountered in larger cities, and see opportunity in the hard times of the nation. There are several halfling communities in the eastern areas of Westemär who have suffered greatly from the civil war and eldritch contamination placing great strain upon their harvests. The dwarven holds of the Glimmer Mountains and Ironhelm Ridge traditionally consider themselves self-governing city states, but look to prospecting delerium in Drakkenheim as a new avenue for industry as their old mines run dry.

Small enclaves of elves once inhabited the southwestern regions, but these communities were annihilated during the conquests of Vladimir von Drakken. Most of the surviving elves fled to the Isles of Skye; only a handful of elves remain in Westemär today.

Capital

Capital Drakkenheim was the capital of Westemär until it was destroyed fifteen years ago. Today, the nation has no true capital.

Government

Before the meteor struck, Westemär was a feudal monarchy in which rule typically passed to the firstborn child. The most recent ruler, Ulrich IV of House von Kessel, inherited a period of relative political stability. He was able to pursue leisurely interests in architecture, education, and carnal affairs instead of politics and warfare. He married a Caspian princess of House Jones, Lenore, and had three children: Leonard, Katarina, and Eliza. Ulrich IV was ten years into his reign when the meteor struck Drakkenheim. Nothing has been seen or heard of the royal couple or their children since.

In Westemär, the ruling monarch holds the title of king or queen and rules for life. Dukes ruling each province swear oaths of fealty to their monarch, and in turn hold lesser lords as their vassals. Generations of nobles have formed a web of familial connections and political alliances, and so dynastic rule has shifted several times. The monarch would mediate the many inevitable grievances which emerged between dukedoms, and from time to-time petty wars and skirmishes have broken out between two noble houses over land ownership or other disputes.

Nevertheless, succession in Westemär has seldom been a clean matter as each monarch reinvents the rules. While traditionally they would pass the crown to their designated heir — most often their eldest living offspring, regardless of gender — more than half the time the crown has not passed directly from parent to child. Illegitimate children, remarriage, children from multiple marriages, sibling rivalry, and the interconnected relationships between other noble houses mean that following the death of a monarch, there are usually several potential claimants who emerge. A stark light was cast upon these long-simmering issues when the royal family was lost in Drakkenheim. Though the fate of his direct heirs is unknown, Ulrich IV was survived by his younger siblings Mannfred and Cecilia, neither of whom were in Drakkenheim on that fateful day. The two initially cooperated to determine their brother’s fate and attempted retaking the city of Drakkenheim through military force. When these efforts failed, a feud broke out between the two over who should claim the throne. The Civil War would be the downfall of House von Kessel: neither Mannfred, Cecilia, nor their own children survived the conflict.

Lacking any clear and credible claimant to support, the nobles who sided with the divided branches of House von Kessel eventually laid down their arms and returned to their domains to lick their wounds.

Today, the realm is disintegrating, and the ruling nobles now largely operate their provinces as independent domains. They owe no fealty to any monarch. Most are simply trying to hold onto their own wealth and power, a far more feasible goal for the time being than trying to conquer their rivals or unite the nation again.

Noble Ranks

• King or Queen. The monarch of Westemär.
• Duke or Duchess. Vassals only to the monarch, each rule one of Westemär’s provinces, and usually from one of the provincial capitals.
• Count or Countess. A middle noble rank who holds a county as their domain. Most are direct vassals to a duke, but may lord over lesser nobles.
• Baron or Baroness. Rulers of smaller fiefdoms who serve higher nobles.
• Landed knights and other petty nobles may have their own manors or estates.

Commmon Ranks

• Lord Mayor. Elected mayors of cities
• Burgomaster. Elected mayors of towns
• Reeve. Commoner appointed by a noble to manage an estate or village within their lands.

Royal Council

Traditionally most of these figures were appointed by the monarch to manage the affairs of state, military, and diplomacy:

• Lord Commander. Chief military advisor to the monarch, who commands Westemär’s combined military forces during times of war.
• Archmage. This position is typically appointed by the Amethyst Academy, and is traditionally filled by a member of the Academy Directorate to counsel the monarch on arcane matters.
• High Flamekeeper. The Divine Matriarch of the Sacred Flame chooses the High Flamekeeper, and this person is traditionally a prominent cleric of the religion to offer spiritual guidance and spur righteous action.
• Spymaster. Responsible for intelligence and law enforcement, often working closely with the Lord Commander and the Chancellor.
• Steward. Chief administrative official who manages the royal household, and oversees civil matters from construction to taxation. h
• Chancellor. Manages diplomatic and international relations.

Most members of the Royal Council went missing or died when Drakkenheim was destroyed, except Lord Commander Elias Drexel.

The dukes and counts of Westemär appoint their own household staff in the model of the Royal Council. Thus, most dukes are served by a court mage and appoint their own steward to manage their affairs.

Seals of Westemär

Each of the members of the Royal Council bear one of the Seals of Westemär as their badge of office. These powerful magic items aid each official in running the affairs of state. While Lord Commander Elias Drexel still holds his badge, the remaining seals are lost in the ruins of Drakkenheim, alongside the Crown of Westemär.

Religion

It has been several centuries since the Faith of the Sacred Flame spread to all corners of Westemär. Every major city in the nation has a large and impressive cathedral devoted to the faith, tended by a high-ranking Flamekeeper and throng of acolytes. All throughout the countryside are monasteries for the clergy to live and worship, and smaller chapels are the heart of rural communities. Even the tiniest villages in Westemär keep small shrines and bonfire pits ministered by a devout member of the community.

However, the folk of Westemär are more modest and moderate in their faith compared to their neighbors in Elyria. Still, many nobles seek council from Flamekeepers. Furthermore, Flamekeepers are highly influential amongst the common folk, acting as important community leaders and elders.

Although most people in Westemär follow the Sacred Flame, amongst the three great nations of the continent, Westemär has the largest number of people who still keep the Old Faith. The laws and people of Westemär are mostly tolerant towards these ancient beliefs, and major shrines to the Old Gods are openly displayed outside several large cities, including one to Nodens near Drannsmund, another to Morrigan outside Drakkenheim, and several great cairns near Heilig.

Recently, however, Westemär has become the hotbed for a budding religious schism in the Faith of the Sacred Flame. Renegade preachers and zealous faithful heed the teachings of Lucretia Mathias and the Followers of the Falling Fire. Many prominent High Flamekeepers in major cities in Westemär have turned their backs on the Divine Matriarch, urging their flocks to take up the cause of the Falling Fire.

Military

Westemär has a feudal military structure. During wartime, a noble lord calls upon their vassals to muster an army. These vassals respond by assembling a mixed force drawn from their household guard, knights sworn to their services, and levies drawn up from either volunteer or conscripted commonfolk who dwell in their domains.

The Civil War saw the formation of numerous mercenary companies as the noble houses exhausted their own local armies. Though the war has ended, the dukes and duchesses of Westemär keep mercenary regiments such as the Steelfang Company and the Achtungwald Irregulars on retainer to bolster the security of their domains.

The most well-known military outfit in Westemär, and the only thing resembling any sort of national armed force, is the 4th Provisional Regiment to Reclaim the Capital, also known as the Hooded Lanterns.

Magic

The nobility of Westemär has a long and favorable association with the Amethyst Academy. Prior to the Edicts of Lumen, House von Drakken staunchly protected mages and mageborn. Many noble houses in Westemär have mageborn lineages, and so there was considerable resistance to the idea of disinheriting their scions when the Edicts were drawn up.

Agents from the Amethyst Academy operate small compounds in Drannsmund, Altbruke, and Geldstadt; mage towers throughout the land serve as important outposts.

Trade

Thanks to its rich natural resources, Westemär is a hub for craftspeople and industry. Guilds devoted to every major skill and trade flourish in its cities. Merchants come to Westemär to purchase fine manufactured goods in exchange for Elyrian textiles and Caspian spices. Trade by land usually proceeds from Leuchten to Elyria, Caspia, and the Free City, or from Drakkenheim towards the Eastern Vale. Naval shipping flows from Drannsmund to the Isles of Skye and other distant ports in far continents. Principal Exports: Salt, silver, iron, copper, coal, furs, manufactured goods, honey, mead, maple syrup. Principal Imports: Silk, textiles, spices, wine.