Amroth, Past and Present

The world of Amroth is covered by a vast ocean, broken by small atolls and a single large continent.

On the north side of the continent is the small, unassuming country of Ponwei. Long led by a supremely intelligent Mage's Guild, Ponwei has long stood their ground firmly outside of most conflict. The Mage's Guild has a strict policy of neutrality, keeping the country's power and its problems to itself, dealing in trade with other nations but not much else. Ponweians prize knowledge above all else, and while all knowledge-seekers are welcome in Ponwei's libraries, some tomes are kept hidden from all but the graduates of one of the schools of Ponwei's Academy, for fear that some powerful knowledge may end up in the wrong hands. Ponwei's Academy for the Study of Theology, Alchemy, History, Arts, and Arcana. The Academy houses not only the wealth of knowledge of all of Amroth, but also some of the foremost minds on any subject one could imagine, be it transmutation, archaeology, astronomy, dance, magic, or law, just to name a few. One of the most fundamental laws in Ponwei is that weapons are never to be drawn, and that weapons are not allowed to enter any of the country's libraries. All weapons are checked at the door at all libraries without exception. Fighting in a place of learning is seen as a crime against humanity.

On the west side of the continent is the rowdy nation of Telria. It has long quarreled with people in unsettled portions of Amroth, seeking to expand its territory and test its mettle in battle. It is a monarchy over three hundred years old, with a trail of blood spanning all the way back to its inception. The Telrian philosophy is that any feat that cannot be achieved by pure willpower and strength alone is not worth striving for, and anything that cannot be built with a strong back or taken as spoils of war aren't worth leaving around. A hundred years ago, Telria, in a horrible feat of magical ingenuity, managed to destroy the entire civilization of Hilior, turning the beautiful elven forest-nation into a lifeless desert. A secretive people, elves did not often go abroad from Hilior, and so were all killed in the catastrophe. The current Queen of Telria, Janna Stoutheart, seeks to redeem her people in the eyes of the world through some means known only to herself and those she trusts. Telrians are often received poorly by Ponweians, who see them as barbaric and simple-minded.

On the east side of the continent is the democratic nation of Qonlor. Mostly concerned with keeping peace between the nations of Amroth and the settlements across the continent, this economic-minded country is the source of the Merchant's Guild of Amroth, a former group of advisors to the Grand Executor that broke off to form their own nation some fifty years ago. Qonlor's Grand Executor is a person with absolute control over the government of the nation, elected once every ten years by popular vote. Once an Executor's term has been served, they are not allowed to hold that position again. Qonlor and Ponwei trade often, with more mundane goods from Qonlor sent as payment for more precisely crafted magical goods from Ponwei. Qonlor and Telria have a tenuous treaty of peace, though Qonlor cannot condone the bloodshed that has stained Telria's past, regardless of how Queen Janna has tried to change her country.

The desert Hilior was once a lush forest, home to a peaceful nation of Elves who saved the world from a kingdom of wicked Drow by banishing their entire capital to what scholars believe must have been another plane. Eventually the Elves were destroyed a hundred years ago in a bloody war instituted by Raiyos, then King of Telria. Since then, settlements have popped up all across the desert, the most notable being the Merchants' Guild capital, Kirriah. Kirriah is the heart and lifeblood of the desert, with all major rails between all countries passing through its borders. The Guild charges a tax for all goods and people that pass through Kirriah. Run by a strange and ever-paranoid Magister, it is said that the Guild has a hand in any dealings in Amroth in which even the word "money" is spoken.

Queen Janna's quest to redeem Telria has greatly impacted the world, but is some other sinister plot in the works? If so, whose plot? The answer to these questions will come in time...