The main setting on Palisade is the city-state of Fastheld, a 9500 square mile area completely surrounded by a wall called the Aegis. They are a medieval society, separated into six social classes and ruled by Emperor Talus Kahar XIV. Magic exists in this setting, though society fears it greatly. They have a strong central religion called the Church of True Light, some of whose faithful are able to protect society from magic-users via the production of anti-magic fields. The Imperial military is called the Emperor's Blades.
Contents
Timeline
Geography
The territory within the great Aegis wall, comparable in size to the state of Maryland, is divided into five districts. These are called the Palace District, the Forest District, the Market District, the River District and the Shadow District. The four larger districts - Forest, Market, River and Shadow - form a rough circle around the central Palace District.
The River District, which is bisected by the east-west flow of the Fastheld River, is north of the Palace District. The Lightholder River winds south from its meeting place with the Fastheld River at Darkwater Junction, past the Shadow District sitting west of the Palace District, through the Lightholder Crossroads in the shadow of Caryas Hill and Fastheld Keep, then south through the Palace District into the Forest District.
The Forest District is south of the Palace District. The Market District is east of the Palace District, just south of where the Fastheld River ends at Providence Inlet.
The Palace District is the seat of power for the entire realm of Fastheld. The Emperor rules from the castle atop Caryas Hill. The Imperial Thoroughfare forms a sort of spidery road network from Lightholder Crossroads, heading south toward the Forest District, northeast toward the River District, west toward the Shadow District and southeast toward the Market District. The Palace Road leads due north from Lightholder Crossroads, over a bridge that spans the Lightholder River, and then winds up Caryas Hill to the palace proper.
The Forest District, south of the Palace District, is roughly bisected by a north-south Imperial Thoroughfare, which runs about parallel with the Lightholder River to the east. This district is the primary power base for the six Noble Houses, which control several major townships in the region. However, some small towns, such as Apple Village, are fairly independent, home to freelanders with allegiance to no one Noble House.
Roads dedicated to the Noble Houses branch off from the Imperial Thoroughfare. The northernmost section of the Forest District sees Lomasa Road stretching west from the Imperial Thoroughfare, while Kahar Road leads east. Further south, Zahir Road winds west while Nillu Road works its way to the east. And, in the southernmost section of the district, near where the Lightholder River ends in a reservoir that's near the base of the southern Aegis, Mikin Road leads west and Seamel Road heads off to the east.
Townships associated with the Noble Houses are located along these major roads. So, traveling down Seamel Road will lead people eventually to the town of Silkfield, while Mikin Road eventually finds its way to the brushy mesa that's home to Light's Reach. While most of the roads are fairly easy to navigate, Zahir Road - the route to Hedgehem and Fanghill - is a single notable exception. It is a byzantine affair, with many confusing twists and turns. Learning the route requires patience and concentration.
The River District, north of the Palace District, sees a mix of noble-controlled townships and freelander holdings. The Imperial Thoroughfare leads into the district near the Nillu-controlled town of Hawk's Aerie. River Road leads from Hawk's Aerie to the docks along the Fastheld River and then to Fastheld Bridge, which spans the Fastheld River and connects Hawk's Aerie to the Aegis Road. The Aegis Road runs parallel to the north shore of the river, from the soldier-populated town of Road's End beneath the western Aegis, past the Church of True Light's bastion known as Sun's Keep, through the Mikin-controlled town of Wedgecrest and the Lomasa-controlled town of East Leg. There, the road shifts southeast, becoming Market Road as it passes the Kahar-controlled town of Eastwatch and approaches the Market District to the south.
The Market District, east of the Palace District, is the commercial heart of Fastheld. It's home to auction houses, a sprawling bazaar, headquarters of the major guilds, and the Fahral Mikin Trade School. Roads lead west to the Palace District, north to the River District and south to the Forest District.
The Shadow District, west of the Palace District, is a walled section within the western region of the walled city-state. It's a grim, miserable place. The scum and detritus of Fastheld accumulate in the ramshackle quarters of this area, whose most distinguishing landmark is probably the massive landfill that serves as an exclamation point on the condemnation of the Shadow District as the dumping ground of Fastheld. The impoverished, the landless, the moneyless, the ruthless - all make their nasty existence within the Shadow Wall. Only one road leads out of the district, and it is regularly guarded by the Imperial Watch. That road leads east from Shadow Gate into the Palace District.
Perhaps the easiest way to think of the realm is as a wheel. The Aegis is the rim, with the Palace District as the hub. The top of the wheel is dominated left to right by the River District. The bottom of the wheel is dominated left to right by the Forest District. A smaller piece of turf right of the hub is home to the Market District. The Shadow District takes up a modest amount of territory left of the hub.
It is possible to walk upon the Aegis and around its inner base, but it takes days to do so on foot. It is a significantly faster prospect on horseback. Trusty steeds are a favored mode of transport in the realm of Fastheld, but they require stabling and feeding. Some citizens prefer to spend Kahar Imperials to charter carriages, which can carry them to specific destinations within each district or, at the interdistrict stops, they can hire carriages to go to an entirely different district.
The Fauna of Fastheld roam from one end of the realm to the other.
Districts
Palace District - The political heart of the walled city-state of Fastheld, the Palace District is also located in what is effectively the geographic center of Fastheld. The Imperial Thoroughfare and Lightholder River bring travelers from the outer districts to the central township of Lightholder Crossroads. North of the crossroads, beyond Lightholder Bridge, the Palace Road leads up Caryas Hill to Fastheld Keep.
Forest District - The southern portion of Fastheld is the primary stronghold of the city-state's noble houses, with thriving townships and majestic keeps along the Imperial Thoroughfare and Lightholder River.
River District - The northern portion of Fastheld is the secondary stronghold of the nobles houses, with bustling communities and keeps along the Fastheld River, Aegis Road and Market Road. The River District also is home to a major installation of the Church of True Light, known as Sun's Keep.
Market District - The eastern portion of Fastheld is a thriving merchant quarter where craftsmen and other purveyors ply their wares. The Market District also serves as home to Fastheld's major merchant guilds.
Shadow District - The western portion of Fastheld isn't a very nice place. In the age before the First Wildling War and the rise of the Aegis, the Shadow District actually stood as the original city of Fastheld. But after a plague, quarantine, and ultimate genocide to prevent the plague’s spread four hundred years ago, it has since become a festering hive of thieves, cutpurses and brigands.
Townships
- Emperor’s Blades: Road’s End
- Freelander: Apple Grove
- Imperial Seat: Lightholder Crossroads
- Kahar: Aegisport, Eastwatch, Marble Grove, Vozhdya
- Lomasa: East Leg, Elkmont, Westwatch
- Mikin: Light’s Reach, Southwatch, Wedgecrest
- Nillu: Hawk’s Aerie, Nillu’s Lode
- Seamel: Seamel Valley, Silkfield
- Zahir: Fanghill, Hedgehem, Northwatch, Wildling Reach
Culture
Social Classes
Peasant – Those that reside within the Aegis who do not have citizenship papers, typically residing in the Shadow District. They have fewer rights than pets do, and can be abused and/or killed at will without Imperial reprimand, though the Church frowns upon this. Fastheldians receive peasant status for a variety of reasons, including excommunication, banishment from a noble house, a noble declaring they’ve violated their contract of vassaldom, as well as being born to a peasant mother.
Vassal – A Fastheldian is a vassal either due to being born to a vassal mother, or being a peasant who enters into a deal with a noble to serve in indentured servitude until they are able to raise a certain amount of money to pay the noble for their freedom. While they receive citizenship papers (and thus are protected against capital crimes), they are effectively slaves, often for multiple generations. They serve as the vast majority of a noble’s workers and staff.
Freelander – A Fastheldian is considered a freelander if they are either born to a freelander mother or are a vassal that pays off their debt to a noble, and they are not a member of a merchant’s guild. While they are able to end their employment to a noble at will, they also are obligated to no benefits from being under a noble’s care, and are subject to several laws dictating their proper behavior towards nobles.
Merchant – A merchant is a freelander who has obtained membership in a merchant’s guild, either by paying a fee and signing a contract with a guild or by being bequeathed a membership from a dead relative. They have greater economic and social rights than a freelander in their dealings with nobles, and send representatives to both the Corona and the Imperial Council.
Noble - A Fastheldian is considered a noble if their mother was a noble, they are not an immediate member of the Imperial Family by marriage or blood, and they do not hold a position in the Imperial Council. They have many advanced rights over merchants and lower classes, and even have the ability to bestow citizenship to peasants via the institution of vassaldom. They exist in four subclasses, from least to greatest: Baron, Viscount, Earl/Count, and Duke. A baron is a noble that does not own land, while a duke is the leader of his or her House.
Royal - A Fastheldian is a royal by virtue of being an immediate member of the Imperial Family by marriage or blood, or by holding a position in the Imperial Council. Royals are effectively above the law, and are only subject to the will of the Emperor.
Politics
Houses
House Kahar - The most revered of noble houses, Kahar is represented by a wildcat on a field of royal blue. This is the noble house that yielded the line of emperors. The Kahars are solid, practical strategic thinkers and warriors. They are particularly good with horses and other animals, and they are steadfastly averse to and superstitious toward supernatural elements. All Kahar males suffer some physical defect or ailment due to the Shadow curse of a Wildling that gouged Emperor Talus Kahar I. Kahar mothers *never* bear children with Shadow-Touched abilities.
House Lomasa - Generally hale and jovial by nature, House Lomasa is known for its tenacious devotion to the Kahars and its propensity for grand celebrations. If a major tournament, party or holiday feast is in the offing, it is a safe bet that a Lomasa will play a critical role in planning it. Cooks and craftsmen by trade, the Lomasa bloodline has occasionally produced children with Shadow-Touched abilities. Lomasa is represented by a bull on a field of brown.
House Mikin - Where the Kahar family is beloved and revered, House Mikin is often despised and feared. Priests, healers and truthseekers by trade, the Mikins have served at the Emperor's side for centuries, guarding against threats from the Shadow-Touched. Although Mikin mothers occasionally give birth to children with the touch of the Shadow, those offspring and the mothers who bear them are quickly killed in an effort to cull that poison from the bloodline. The Mikins are cold-blooded and merciless in their zealous desire to eliminate the Shadow from their realm. Mikin is represented by a mongoose on a field of black.
House Nillu - Indifferent to most political maneuvering, House Nillu has built its heritage by digging into the ground beneath Fastheld and finding motherlodes of valuable ores, then developing the means to refine and use those ores to craft sturdy weapons, armor and other goods. They are a fairly stubborn family, given to resist any significant change - especially if it might upset the status quo within one of their industries. They prefer to leave others alone and be left alone, to count their profits and ignore the sly machinations of other houses. The Nillu bloodline has, on occasion, yielded Shadow-Touched offspring. Nillu is represented by a bear on a field of gray.
House Seamel - Once a lesser house of farmers and forest guides, the Seamels rose to greater prominence with the union of Emperor Talus Kahar XIV and Empress Freia Seamel. Although this has helped raise the prestige of House Seamel, it has created no small amount of strife between the Seamels and other houses - including the Kahars. Other houses are resentful of the elevation of House Seamel, and those within House Seamel have their own load of resentment toward the Kahars and other houses who seek to put them in their place. In the past, Seamel mothers have given birth to children with Shadow-Touched abilities. Seamel is represented by a man on horseback upon a field of green.
House Zahir - Unlike the Mikins, who are quite open with their loathing and spite for those who stand against them (particularly the Shadow-Touched), the Zahirs are keen to mask their enmity beneath a veneer of civility and solicitude. They are known as the House of Vipers - attractive, alluring, elegant, and deadly as six drops of nightslider venom in herb tea. They are fond of politics and intrigue, and masters of the keeping - and strategic sharing - of secrets. They often dabble in trades that involve information, from bonded couriers to pamphleteering. The Zahir bloodline has been known to produce the occasional Shadow-Touched offspring. Zahir is represented by a raven on a field of violet.
Religion
The state-sponsored (and only) religion of Fastheld is the Church of True Light, an orthodox religion focused on a nebulous force called the Light, which urges its followers to preserve Truth, Honor and Toil in their daily lives, and to work against the influence of the Shadow. Services are held daily at dawn and dusk, lasting half an hour. Most adherents go to religious services at least twice a week, typically including one dawn and one dusk.
Military
The Emperor's Blades provide a hardened core of professional soldiers. While small in number (5000-6000 troops), they act as a cohesive combined arms force in crises, man the Aegis against the Wildling threat and patrol vital Imperial roadways. Most of the day to day policing, especially in cities, non major roads and the countryside is done by the various House Guards, Guild Militia (for the Merchant district) and local constabularies (for smaller hamlets and villages). However, the entirety of the Shadow District is under the purview of the Emperor's Blades.
See also Fastheld Military.
Consumables
Calendar
The world on which we dwell is orbited by six moons. The blue moon is known as Herald. The crimson moon is known as Dayhunter. The green moon is known as Stormwatcher. The violet moon is called Serpent’s Eye. The two whitegray moons are called the Torches.
Ten months a year, five weeks a month for eight months - six weeks a month for two months, seven days a week.
The months are called:
- Whistlewind
- Bleakdreary
- Stormclaw
- Greening
- Seedwarming
- Kilning
- Huntsmoon - Six weeks
- Harvest - Six weeks
- Lightfading
- Shadowreach
The days are called:
- Lanternglow
- Riverstretch
- Cointaking
- Shadowwatch
- Willowwalk
- Fealty
- Idleforge