RIMELLION

Rimellion is a large country in the center-north of the Western continent, with Tianzhou on its southern border and unclaimed frontierland to the north. The region is ecologically very diverse, boasting mountainous taigas on its western portions, which transition to forests and cold deserts towars the east and steppes as you move south. The region, which is highly defined by its capital city, Mirradein, is mostly known for the dragons which inhabit its deepest wilderness, as well as the particular culture surrounding them. The history of Rimellion is tied strongly to these creature, as they've shaped the history of Rimellion since the very beginning of the Sixth cycle.

For one reason or another, the region that existed before Rimellion was establish was particularly devestated at the Fifth Cycle's end. As such, it took much longer for the people in this area to recover and formally establish a city. For a long time, Rimellion's people had no choice but to roam the lands, nomadic, finding their own ways to survive- until finally they settled in a central, safe location. From that point on the varied culture and value of sharing of knowledge created the basis for the future civilizations to come.

Mirradein is the capital city of Rimellion. While today it's a city of prestigious arcane colleges and extravagance, it has its roots in being a humble church dedicated to the dragon-god Callista.

It was founded in part by a few dragons whose names are now lost to time, who guided the citizens below them in the founding of the church. The dragons offered them both protection and knowledge of magic in exchange for offerings and food. Eventually, a selfish few's desire for capital outgrew their faith and admiration, and they began hunting and killing dragons to use their body and blood in wizardry and alchemy. This understandably angered those who retained their faith, and the small city began to experience some violent conflicts between the groups that wanted to hunt and those who wanted to protect dragons. Those who retained their worship were pushed out, and founded Kosnova, while the others stayed in Mirradein and went on to form the city as it exists now.

Today, Mirradein is a city wholly dedicated to the art of wizardry and the pursuit of higher knowledge. As previously stated, it is host to many, many prestigious arcane colleges that draw prospective students to the city, which is the source of a majority of Mirradein's capital. There are very few colleges in the city that allow outsiders (which are defined as citizens having lived in Rimellion for 8 years or less), but as the city values one's scholarly pursuits more than anything else, if you desire to be a highly valued and upper-class member of society putting yourself through rigorous schooling is a must. There is some opportunity for outsiders to join colleges if they pay entrance fees or have documented exceptional scholarly ability.

Mirradein's government is composed of a traditional royal family, as well as 7 councils, referred to as Courts just below them, each one ruling over a different sector of the city. At the end of every year, whichever university is considered the sector's top college is allowed to pick a representative spellcaster that then becomes a member of its respective Court. Other members of a sector's court are chosen by majority vote, and the number of members varies by the sector's population. The royal family then makes decisions in coordination with the city's wizard courts.

The seven courts are the Court of Stars, Charms, Scales, Swords, Candles, Keys, and of Gears. Many of the courts interact with each other extremely often and see some overlap between their responsibilities. The sector each court resides in is aesthetically influenced heavily by its respective court.

The Court of Stars handles old forms of spellcasting and magic associated with celestial bodies, and the sector of this court hosts a majority of the city's museums and archives. Additionally, The Sector of Stars also has an embassy for the massive underground city known as the Underdark. As such, a good amount of this sector is actually underground. This sector's patron college, which also doubles as the building where the Court of Stars meets is called The Planetarium.

The Court of Charms handles all things to do with people and being charismatic. Bardic magic, enchantments, and illusion-work all fall under the jurisdiction of this sector, as well as the city's small (but still present) number of entertainment venues. If you're a fan of music, the Court of Charms is the place to go. This court is also responsible for medical centers, and while there are hospitals in every court, doctors and nurses train attend school in this sector.

The Court of Scales (which will be delved into somewhat further later) is the largest sector of the city. It handles dragon-taught forms of magic, all facilities relating to Dragon Sports, as well as the city's justice system.

The Court of Swords is closely affiliated with the Court of Scales and handles all forms of magic associated with combat and warfare. The city guard and a majority of the city's troops are controlled by the Court of Swords.

The Court of Candles is the Court associated with strange forms of magics that could best be described as "occult". Things relating to demons or divine, supernatural creatures, or fortune-telling fall under the jurisdiction of the Court of Candles. Wizards seeking entry to Lorradein must also go through the Court of Candles to be approved for a passport.

The Court of Keys is the court most fascinated by the natural world. "Keys" is a term coined to refer to the "key elements" that create the world- fire, water, earth, and air. Alchemy is also a primary interest of the Court of Keys. Last but not least, The Court of Gears handles all things technological. This is the smallest Court and sector in Mirradein, as the city does not highly value technological innovation over arcane innovation.

A large part of Mirradein's industry is centered around dragons. Their blood, scales, and bones are powerful reagents in alchemy, and the hunting of dragons has become somewhat of a sport- especially in recent times, since the city has become subject to an increasing amount of dragon attacks. Becoming a dragon knight is on par with being a celebrity sports player, both in its pay and how the public treats them. The Sector of Scales hosts a number of stadiums where renowned dragon knights capture and fight dragons before a live audience, who watch from behind the cover of magic guards and protections. The city is criticized often for these spectacles, both for the cruelty with which they treat a creature seen by many as holy, as well as the strange way they treat their dragon knights. While dragon knights are highly respected, their dependency on their physical strength rather than intelligence makes them seen as lesser by the wizards who run the city.

Mirradein's economy is supported almost entirely by the colleges and the amenities they offer, such as the previously mentioned museums, archives, galleries, and so on. Their magic capabilities are unmatched and they engage in a large amount of trade of magic supplies. Additionally, Mirradein's mountains serve as an excellent supply of raw ore. The city maintains a good relationship with Wisteria, who is the city they do the most back and forth trade with (on the basis of a shared interest in alchemy), as well as Tillytown, whom they export metals to.

The city is run by a royal family of dragonborn that are said to have descended from the city's founding dragons. They're very keen on preserving this bloodline and maintaining their noble status, and as such put a lot of pressure on their heirs to produce children, and when they do, to produce them with other nobles of the city. The current rulers are King Yelena Ulyanova and her husband, King Rune. The current heir is Prince Emil Ulyanov.

Kosnova is a small city high in the mountains to the North of Mirradein, born from the conflict between Mirradein's dragon worshipers and those that wished to take advantage of dragons for monetary gain. The people of Kosnova are the remnants and descendents of these dragon worshippers and devout followers of Callista.

After fleeing the city, many groups decided to travel and look for a new place to call their own. Over time, many of these groups found aid from the dragons who they once paid tribute to. They received protection from these dragons, and while some groups chose to stay nomadic, most were led to an Old World temple of Callista at the tallest peak of the Krevhyet mountains where they took shelter. It was a place where dragons had been meeting for millenia, to tell stories and trade far from the eyes of mortals, beyond where most were able to go- but the secret passages through the mountains which these dragons showed their devotees led to the eventual formation of the city.

The mortals brought there began to attend to the Temple, fixing it and making it a place where they could conduct their worship and avoid the harsh weather of the Rimellion steppes. The nomadic travelers would stop there on occasion, as well- typically a few days every two months or so- to conduct a night market, where they would tell stories, trade their goods, and pay tribute to Callista before moving on.

There were four dragons instrumental in the founding of Kosnova- many of them survivors of the Fifth Cycle settlement called Alta'uol, who had once existed in the same place Kosnova now stands. While no mortals survive from that settlement (for many reasons), all dragons who live today are all either from that community or are descendents of them. These six dragons each spearheaded a certain aspect of Kosnovan life, and each has lead a group of survivors to the Kosnovan temple.

Eleya'vyet was a great black guardian dragon, affliated with the preservation of culture and knowledge. She defended the people of Kosnova with her body and blood, and founded the Library of Elyeska to her last breath. She and her mate are now deceased, but her people live within the hidden library now, rather than Kosnova proper. She is survived by her one child, Eleonora.
Vir'yaromir A blood dragon, brother to the mate of Eleya'vyet. The whereabouts of this dragon is unknown to this day, but in their prime they were a leader of crafstmanship and humanities. Their passion for music and art, and creations made by human hands follow their devotees even to this day. Many of Vir'yaromir's followers continue to be artists and craftsman, passing down centuries worth of artistic knowledge to the people within their community.
Sehr'tse was an angelic white dragon, known for her dedication to vitality. She studied medicine and methods of hunting and growing food, passionately ensuring the survival of her people and her fellow dragons throughout the years. She is still alive to this day, and the last of the founders, keeping watch over the citizens of Kosnova and continuing to act as the community's head of medicine.
Odiy'vya was the eldest of the four founders, the last dragon surviving from the Fourth cycle. He was an ancient and wise dragon, who served as a leader to the citizens of Kosnova. He passed away from old age (and as some theorize, stress) not too long after Eleya'vyet was killed.

Kosnova is very open to travelers, should they manage to find their way into the city, and enjoys being able to share what they have with outsiders. They are highly skilled craftsman and have knowledge of medicine and healing to rival Silkspire. Their religious healers as well as their doctors are some of the best in the world- there is almost no illness they couldn't heal. Additionally, they're very in tune with magic and spellcasting, as one might expect from a city associated with Mirradein in any way, and their knowledge of spellcasting comes straight from dragons. Outsiders are also invited to share in their culture- to listen to their stories, learn their songs, or even become full members of the community if they choose to settle down. However, any travelers seeking audience with the remaining dragons who run the city will be sorely disappointed until they have proven themselves trustworthy over years or even decades in some cases. If there is one thing Kosnova is guarded towards, it would be the dragons who remain in the city and the Library which holds their mass wealths of knowledge.

Kosnova is considered to be apart of Rimellion and is technically under control of the Mirradein government- however, the two cities are at odds and the capital refuses to acknowledge Kosnova often, if at all- except in the conflicts they have with one another.

Lorradein is a city built by Mirradein just about 100 years ago as a place for necromancers to go and safely practice what they've dubbed "free necromancy" in a controlled, ethical environment. Entrance and exit to this city is heavily controlled, and to get in you must acquire a rather expensive permit and "necromancy license" from the embassy in Mirradein.

A majority of people in Lorradein are simply visitors, but many are born and live there as well. There is an extreme division between the upper and lower classes in Lorradein, based mostly on your abilities and level of schooling. The lower class of Lorradein are few in number, but are horribly taken advantage of. They're barred from getting the schooling that could elevate them in society and are treated not unlike the undead fodder the city used for menial labor. Not much else is known by people outside of Lorradein other than that.

The Royals of Lorradein are mostly performative, though they are excellent necromancers and are knowledgeable on the goings-on of the city. Above the royals in status comes the word of the designated Mirradein representative that makes bimonthly visits. The current rulers are Queen Doroteya Nikolova and her husband, Vi. The heir to throne is currently Vasily Nikolov, who is extremely active in politics, often making more public appearances than his parents do.