RPG Campaigns

Giraine Other notes

I had some time to look more into Pithdaran/Seshnelan geography and politics, and thought I'd provide some clarifications that might come in handy

Seshnela is a geographic region (formerly equal to the whole kingdom in 2nd age) on the SW corner of Genertela, but also a smaller kingdom; today almost totally landlocked (See attached map), and the bastion of Rokari “one king-one church-one law-one land” ideology.

Pithdaros was a duchy of Seshnela (the Kingdom; has always been a part of the geographic region), with Nolos and Pasos, until 1618 (3 yrs ago) when they rebelled. The Quinpolic League (QL) formed from these three rebel states and their five main cities (of which Oradaros on Pithdaros is one, and a major port). The “Dark Duke” has since played cagey politics, trying to placate King Guilmarn the Fat of Seshnela while also participating in the QL. Pithdaros lacks a real navy but sports one of the most feared armies in the region, and the Duke is famous for some exotic magics he and his forces wield. So relative to Nolos and Pasos they have had an easy time so far. Nolos is continually at (land and sea) war with Seshnela, whereas Pasos tends to have pirate problems of late. The QL generally is very rich from sea trade and the king is clearly jealous of that. To make things worse, it is known he wants to take over the power from the dukes himself, replacing them with his own puppet “Paragons” (knight-nobles).

The Pithdarans mainly are Rokari but in odd ways, with more tolerance of what the Holy Rokari Church would see as heresy if they took the political risk of speaking up more vocally on it. Rokari don't love the idea of Saints much, but Pithdarans do, and revere many old “Saints” from their southern homeland in Pamaltela, most of whom are not recognized outside of Pithdaros. Their old version of the Rokari faith also has some other theological differences but your PCs wouldn't be too aware of them. Nonetheless today they share the same holy book with other Rokari: the Sharp Abiding Book.

The Ship of Life Church (SLC) is an even newer religion than Rokarism, having been founded and spread after Saint Dormal visited Nolos and Pasos (but not Pithdaros) to spread his ways of travelling the high seas and avoiding the closing. The SLC has spread to the western ports on Pithdaros lately but still is a tiny minority on the rugged Orninior coast (south/east) or inland. The Rokari church is not kind to the SLC which is an offshoot of the Rokari; like the Pithdaran mainstream version it is more tolerant of some heresies like sainthood, especially saints Eliavar and Deliam (who were martyred by Vadeli, incidentally).

Lately Seshnela is distracted by other problems on the mainland- the King not only wages intermittent war against Nolos to its south but also faces strife with the Castle Coast (once a part of the kingdom, in 2nd age) to the west and especially Safelster/Ralios (very heretical city-states, mostly non-Rokari) to the east. So far the Brithini land of Arolanit to its north has kept to itself, as those immortal Malkioni tend to do.

Your Rokari (referring here more to the modern culture than religion) castes have names taken from the Brithini and tend to wear colours showing these: peasants are called Dronari (with rural and urban sub-types; all restricted to wearing uncoloured clothes; or brown if urban and thus higher status), soldiers/knights are Horali (Wearing red), wizards/priests are Zzaburi (Wearing black or white), and lords/nobles are Talari (Wearing gold). You can add these terms by your caste on your PC sheet. Caste in Pithdaros is inherited from the mother's father, not the father as in other Rokari.

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