Extra Lore

The Sacred Lands

The Sacred Lands are hidden away from time and space in a remote pocket dimension. The Prophet of Now and Forever resides here, living in the Sacred City of Karai. The Sacred Lands hold the answers to questions asked by scholars and magicians for a millennium and is one of the many areas that connect the infinite planes to the Realm of the Gods. Quipnus, also known as Quipnea, was the first Magia Entour (Protector of the Planes and Defender of the Sacred Lands) and his daughter, Quelma, was the second. Eons later, the Prophet selected Aurelius Turin as Magia Entour. The Sacred Lands are populated by elves and celestials who have never held a weapon or ventured out beyond the Border, a large magical field that can teleport the user anywhere they wish to go.

The Battle of Draemagith

The Battle of Draemagith was fought between the dragons, humanoids, and Titans against the Elementals and Celestials following the Trial of Asmodeus. Asmodeus pitted the humanoids against the celestials out of boredom, who retaliated by unleashing the elementals, which became rivals to the dragons, who fought the elementals in Battle of Draemagith. The Celestials joined in, which made the humanoids' lust for blood overtake their common sense, making them join. The battle also awoke a few of the Titans, most notably the Great Titan, who joined the dragons in fighting off the Celestials, who are similar in appearance and in power to the Beings of Before. The battle ended with the gods having to intervene, banishing the Elementals back to their plane and punishing the celestials for provoking the humanoids. The only beings that the gods were afraid to punish were the Titans, whose great power sometimes outshone that of the Gods.

The Watchtowers

The Watchtowers have existed for as long as people can remember, but their origin is unknown. The Prophet of Now and Forever, along with other Beings of Before, created the indestructible monuments thousands of years ago to be used not only as a communication system between countries, but between worlds. Using a special spell (The Light of the Towers), a Magia Entour can contact the other planes in his or her sector to call upon them to send troops, supplies, etc. to help in case of an emergency, such as dark invaders or a cataclysmic event. The Watchtowers are generally run by the Greatwatch, an elite group of soldiers and knights that wear heavy cloaks to remind them of the burden they hold. Some countries elect to have their own force command their tower, while still others do not let anyone hold them, abandoning or refitting the great beacons.

The Fortress of the North

The Fortress of the North is located on a small island off the north coast of Congelatio. Its task: to defend the north at all costs. It was built after the Dragonlords invaded the region and has seen little to no renovations since; not that it needed any, for its architect was a wizard. He used his magical powers to imbue the fortress with powerful enchantments. He was a proud man so the enchantments could only be lifted if the fortress was captured. He thought it never would be because it was designed so well. And he was correct, because even to this day, it has never been captured by an opposing force (there was a successful coup, but the enchantments were not lifted). The Fortress was a rallying point during the Dark Conquest and the Great Onslaught.

The Elemental Temples of Norra

The 4 Elemental Temples surround the Land of Norra, creating a sort of diamond shape. These 4 Temples were created to represent the 4 main elements: Earth, Fire, Water, and Air. Each Elemental Temple holds a crystal containing powerful elemental magic. These crystals draw their power from a magical source relating to their corresponding element. The Fire Temple harnesses its power from Dionadair the Protector, a powerful Ancient Red Dragon, the Sky Temple from Avalon Voin the great avian warrior, the Water Temple from Veris the King of the Sea, and the Earth Temple from the Undergrowth.

The Beings of Before

The Beings of Before were a highly evolved race that lived before man and were descendants of the Great Old Ones. They built massive fortresses, cities, and other structures, including: Mycelles' Tomb, The Watchtowers, the Elemental Temples, the Fortress-City of Kal-Fel and the Sacred City of Karai. They were intelligent and human-like, but had glowing, soft-white skin and were normally bald and very tall, measuring up to three meters in height. They were also extremely magically gifted and used their abilities to build their monstrous structures that dotted the globe. The race almost died out after a devastating war with the Great Old Ones that left few survivors on both sides. The only known living Being of Before is the Prophet of Now and Forever.

The Great Old Ones

The Great Old Ones are a group of unique, malignant beings of great power. They reside in various locations on Allterra, and once presided over the planet as gods and rulers. They went into hiding after the Beings of Before came into power, since the Beings were evolved versions of the Great Old Ones. Although they were in hiding, the Great Old Ones were preparing for a Great War. When the war came, the Great Old Ones won, but there were only a handful of them left. They went into hiding again, preferring to live in structures created by them or the Beings of Before, using them as lairs to carry out their plans. Humans and other species have renamed the Great Old Ones as the Titans. Some notable ones include: The Brothers of Chaos, the Great Titan, the Siren of Odashmir, the Guardian of Light, Baltol, Yophrindoyvu, and Beruhab.

Sky Lands

Sky Lands are areas with floating islands scattered across the planet. Sky Lands are magical places and are home to a variety of magical species, many of which cannot be found on the ground. There are also places like the Kilmat Sky Rocks there are inhabited by humans, who have learned to live with the magical creatures on those islands in peace. Most Sky Islands are not larger than a football field. However, there are a few seen in Norra and Kilmat that have grown to be the size of a small city. In Kilmat there is a large School of Magic, called Juhn Dalmar, which has taught thousands of the greatest wizards in Allterra. It is known for being one of the only schools to reach full Majik Balance, meaning the school has found a way to balance all nine schools of magic.

The Empire of Kal-Fel

After they and some Githzerai fought in Shaibah Valley after finding themselves trapped on the Allterran Plane, a group of Githyanki fled up the mountains after receiving an embarrassing defeat. They were the first to discover the Fortress-City of Kal-Fel, a monumental metropolis abandoned long ago by the Beings of Before. They made the city their home, and their hidden civilization grew. Years later, the Six wealthiest citizens of the city decided it was time for Kal-Fel to reveal itself to the rest of the continent. They raised an army and used it to conquer the valleys and cities surrounding them, such as Sho-Lam and Dromdos, cities populated by Githzerai and humans. They did so with the help of a powerful magical being that was not mentioned in all of the manuscripts chronicling their conquests. Their descendants conquered the cities of Arpol and Bordis, along with several other island chains. The capital was moved from Kal-Fel to Dromdos so it could be equidistant to all of its subjects. The Gith Empire that rests beyond the Summer Sea is now one of the largest yet seclusive sovereign nations in Allterra.

The Dragonlords

The Dragonlords were a group of humanoids that used powerful magic to control Ancient Dragons. The Dragonlords, using their mounts, were able to rally hundreds of thousands to their side, using their massive forces to conquer several large areas of land, including Northern Norra, Lengmar, the Corran Ocean and the Summer Sea. They most likely could have taken over the entire world lest their infighting. The Dragonlords slowly began to turn against each other, decimating their armies with the remainder revolting. Broken and powerless, they were exiled by their former subjects to the Dragonforts they built as the seats of their power, becoming prisoners in their own homes. They made a resurgence during the Battle of Draemagith. However, they were drowned by the Marogohn of Stormhalt. The heirs of those that perished in the battle remained in seclusion for several millennia.

Grennenomardon, Tomb of the Dragonlords

Long ago, the Dragonlords ruled over an immense portion of Allterra, but they died out, drowned by the Marogohn of Stormhalt (Leviathan) in the Battle of Draemagith, fought between the Creatures of the Material and Elemental Planes. They were buried at Grennenomardon with their dragons; Vrogmath, Lord of Ice, with his white dragon Whindspar; Ulmoguam, Lord of Storms, with his blue dragon Graknis; Iphelisites, Lord of Fire, with his red dragon Arathekdron; Baloshaal, Lord of Decay, with his black dragon Jorphelkmel; and Rekophmor, Lord of Poison, with his green dragon Skorgiphilu. The Lords were also buried with their treasures and most prized possessions.

The Dragonforts (Seats of the Dragonlords' Power

Fortress of the North (Formerly known as Gaelphen Fortress) - the Dragonlord of Ice (Now ruled by the Masters of the North)

Draconspire Manor - the Dragonlord of Fire (Now ruled by the Lords of Pavadone Isle)

Dragonhold - the Dragonlord of Storms (Now ruled by the Dragonlord of Fire)

Kormenguard - the Dragonlord of Decay (Now ruled by the Keepers of Kormenguard's Keys)

Cogmoat Tower - the Dragonlord of Poison (Vacated following the War for Allterra)

Baloshaal's Domain/Shadowgate Citadel - (Technically a Dragonfort, the Domain and Citadel were Baloshaal's home until he perished and are supposedly abandoned)

Outline of the Norran Charter

Whilst smaller matters will be up to individual nations, decisions defined in the charter as "major" must come to the floor of the Norran Senate or fall under DRN control. The entire senate has more power than a king, but the kings control the non-major laws and decisions retaining to said nations. The capital will change every 100 years to a different nation's city to be fair to all members of this pact.

The Norran Senate is made up of 20 representatives of each nation, elected by the nobility of each nation. Land-owning common folk may vote for 5 senate seats in their nation, but those elected must be of noble birth or their election is considered void, and the seat will be chosen by the king of that state. All decisions made by kings may be condemned by the senate with a two-thirds majority of the senate body or the majority of the Grand Magisterium (the council of the 4 Norran Kings and Grand Magistrate). If their Royal Council (the 9 official advisors to a king) deems a condemned King's actions to be unforgivable, they can assert the condemnation with a majority vote, convicting the King and removing all his powers, transferring them to the Royal Council until it has chosen a new ruler (this ruler must be confirmed by the Senate). This is the same process used to condemn/convict the Grand Magistrate, but his conviction is left to a majority vote of the High Magisterium rather than a Royal Council.

Any legal dispute between nobility must be settled by that nation's Royal Councils. If the matter remains disputed or if it transcends national borders, the dispute is beyond the state and must be settled by the High Magisterium. The High Magisterium are the 25 magistrates that judge cases before they reach the Grand Magisterium. The High Magisterium consists of 4 magistrates each appointed by a different King, 20 appointed by the Royal Councils (5 each), and a singular magistrate elected by the Grand Magisterium and considered the Magistrate Temporalis, or replacement for the Grand Magistrate if he is to become indisposed.

A new Grand Magistrate is only elected when the previous person dies or is missing for approximately 2 years. At the necessary time, the new Grand Magistrate is selected. The Grand Magistrate is elected by the senate from 4 candidates, each given by the separate Royal Councils. Any tie in a Grand Magistrate election will be settled by the High Magisterium. The Lower Magisterium is made up of the hundreds of magistrates that work within the separate Norran nations and are the pool from which higher positions are filled.

State laws, regulations, and ordinances are passed by Kings, drafted by them or their council. Transnational laws, ordinances, and regulations are brought forth by any number of Senators (but must be seconded before deliberations can begin). Deliberations can last to a maximum of 12 hours, with 3-hour intervals separated by at least a half hour break in between. If a bill receives a majority vote it goes to the Grand Magistrate. He can return the bill with amendments or approve it. Any amendments can be stripped by the senate with a a two-thirds majority vote or it passes into law. Assuming the amendments are stripped, the bill supersedes the Grand Magistrate's authority and is passed.

If any member of the High or Grand Magisterium (excluding temporarily appointed magistrates from the lower courts) feels the Senate is overreaching its authority, they can bring their case to the High Magisterium. They have up to one hour to present their case, then it is decided whether an investigation will begin. The case must have at least one-fifth of the High Magisterium approve of the investigation. The Senate and High Magisterium must both appoint a sole representative to carry out the investigation or defend against it from their respective organizations. After the investigation is concluded, the High Magisterium's representative presents his findings and the Senate's representative is allowed a rebuttal. The High Magisterium then votes, and if a majority finds the Senate has misused powers, it is placed on suspension with any pressing matters going to the Grand Magisterium. A recall vote takes place, with all guilty seats participating. Recalls are carried out by the parties that choose the seats, and if successful an emergency election is held. The senate resumes once any, and all recall and emergency elections are completed. Any High Magistrate can be removed with a majority vote of the Grand Magisterium or a unanimous vote by the Senate.

Royal Councils must include at least one member elected by land-owning common folk and one member elected by the Nation's nobility. The king can choose if more seats are electable, and what positions electable seats hold (must hold the title of Councilor). Other council members are selected by the King and can be dismissed by him at any time. A Royal Council is made up of a:

Commander of the Armies

Commander of the Navies

Councilor of Agriculture

Councilor of Trade

Councilor of Ships

Councilor of Coin

Spymaster

Chief Magistrate (appointed by the King and chosen from their nation's Lower Magisterium)

Chief Historiographer

The following are examples of decisions and laws that are defined "major":

Declarations of war
Immigration

International relief and aid
International delegations
Anything that applies to or could affect several members of the DRN

Nations of the DRN at the signing of the Charter:

Ananora

Eremita
Nerono
Caelum

Nations can be added to the DRN via a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate and a unanimous confirmation by the Grand Council.

Nations with pending membership of the DRN:

Valindar
Dystropos

The Kings of the DRN are chosen via birthright. When they die, their closest male heir becomes King, unless stipulated differently in their will. Their heir, if appointed by will rather than birthright, must be approved by the Royal Council. Only other nobility can become King. Nobility is attained by birthright or appointment by a Lord. The ownership of land is not a necessary quality of nobility, but one must own land to vote (land documents are used to identify voters at polls).