Old Ardensis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ardensis 1400 BGS

Ardensis is an ancient realm, on the border of Pelagra and Toris, and in between the Borderlands and Etherea Astralis, one of the Realms of the ethereals. In this ancient version of Ardensis the world is all taken over by men and dwarves, everywhere you go in Ardensis humans have set their mark and are in the process of taming the land.

Most commoners in Ardensis make a living from farming, fishing, forestry or from goods processing, trade or entertainment. There are also significant military forces spread around the continent for young men to pursue a career. In the greater towns and cities there are formal administrations, and law enforcement, depending on the ruling faction but in most rural areas people define the law as they see fit. The soil is rich in most areas of Ardensis and the fish in oceans and wildlife in the forest is still abundant. Life in the country is hard but rewarding for those not shy of hard labour. Most economies are based on taxes, taxes for protection, usually depending on the ruler's appetite for conquests and power. While people in the Allbrek Trade Union pay almost no tax, the Elixian citizens pay almost half their earnings in taxes. Ardensis at this time is a place of zero magic, well it's not completely gone from the world, but an industrious place like Ardensis, densely populated, has little use for elves, wizards or magical creatures. Where magic often creeps in over the passing of time, it seemed to seep out of Ardensis instead, little by little drop by drop, and whatever little magic there had been in Ardensis before man took over, was now long gone. Strangely enough there are still lots of pagan beliefs around, that whisper about strange magical creatures or places of eye-watering beauty, gods that were so mighty and powerful that is was hard to conceive where they had gotten such ideas, but it all remained stories to people of Ardensis, something to tie them together over the bonfires at night, not really a faith that penetrated their hearts or minds, they had their own lives to worry about, they were busy.

 

 

The dominaing main factions are:

 

Elexian Empire

 

Llaene Kingdoms

 

Ebrian Union

 

Revian Alliance

 

All four factions are at relative peace with each other and life in Ardensis is industrious and lively.

A number of smaller alliances exists most of them formed up to serve as protection against the major factions.

 

Albrek Trade Alliance

 

Other factions

 

Sovereigns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Major mountain ranges

Major Mountains Ranges of Ardensis

 

The greedy Emperor

It was a fine clear morning, the sky was azure blue and the flags were out in force all over Medera Castle, the Estates and the Noble Residencies and even some in the commoners regions, a sight to behold and lift the spirit of any man, the King's Tribute Day was going to be a splendid feast indeed. The king looked at this, a frown on his clouded face, he was in a vile mood and in no mood to be celebrated. Emperors's Tribute was about conquest, a lengthy celebration of his lineage and the conquests that had led to today's empire, the "ever embracing empire", his father had called it. But he was out of things to embrace or conquer, he had no lands to claim, and name after him, no loot, nothing to pillage, no large gallery painting of war and conquests, depicting him. All he had was a legacy and right now it weighed heavily on his shoulders. It gnawed at his very soul and the man his father had tried to mould him into, and he was desperate. He was almost 30 years old, he had done absolutely nothing with those 30 years, the historians couldn't even make up good stories from his merits, mostly bedroom stories, the conquest of lady companionship. He'd led a sheltered life for his first 26 years, not that his father intended him to grow weak, but his father was gone most of the time and not really present when at home. Then his father hadn't come home and he was suddenly the man with the crown, he was King Ulfell the Fourth and he didn't have a clue. Now, 5 years later he was wiser, much wiser, but nowhere near in control of his generals and armies and his wisdom mostly originating from discoverings all the duties and rules, hidden as well as public, that he could break inside this very court. He slowly learned the do's and don'ts in court simply by trial and error, he still had no idea how to be a king or indeed an Emperor to real people outside Medera castle. ...