Melinya

I've been away from my blog, but I've got material I want to work on. Six nations, their cultures, and their nature.

Magic

Essentially none. There are priests, but no clerics. There are academics, but no wizards. Superstition is treated literally, as tall tales in an attempt to explain the unexplained. This isn't to say there aren't fantastical elements - there are the Alahbmahn iccu, giant centipedes that feed off minerals and heavy metals, and a strain of nonhuman heritage flows throughout the people of the six nations. Modernization has begun to rise, with the invention of gunpowder to the mad science of Axphain's medicine.

Race(s)

There are two. Humans and Half-elves. Those with elf heritage do so only through descent from a historical figure known as the All-Father. To be half-elf is to be descended from this figure; though the term is a misnomer, as one is considered a half-elf if you claim as little as 1/16th the blood of the All-Father. Culturally, being a true half or even quarter elf is to be considered "noble"; and the concentration of this heritage is plain to onlookers, from the greatly extended lifespan to lesser talents possessed by their legendary ancestor.

The All-Father

Well over two millennium ago, a mysterious figure known only as the All-Father came and conquered all of Melinya to rule as Emperor. This was the only elf the world had ever seen, and his rule was absolute. Primae Noctis was enforced throughout the great kingdoms of the Empire, thus ensuring his bloodline was spread throughout all of the royal lines throughout Melinya.

Birth of the Nine Ways

Three centuries ago, civil war broke out, and saw the death of the All-Father. As the dust settled, the people of Melinya branched off and founded their own nations in the remnants of the once-unified empire. Naturally, this was not to remain stable, as the names and borders of the original nine nations have shifted. Three of them, in fact, have fallen and their people and territory were claimed by the victors.