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Titan (Patronage Supplement)

2013-05-18T22:46:21Z

Green Dragon:

== Titans ==

{{PatronageRace
|Snapshot=Both contemplative and cruel, the Titans rule the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]] from their Mist-enshrouded temples, ordering their ogre and goliath servants to deal with all trespassers with the utmost belligerence.
|Patron=Titan
|Noble=Ogre
|Base=Goliath
|Realm=[[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]]
}}

[[File:Titan.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Helios as Personification of Midday by Anton Raphael Mengs. One of an ensemble of four paintings with personifications of the times of day intended as supraportas for the boudoir of Maria Luisa of Parma, Princess of Asturia, now in the Palacete de la Moncloa as part of the Patrimonio Nacional, Madrid. Oil on canvas, 192 x 180 cm.|The Titans use wondrous powers to observe the mortals below.]]

The Titans are a Patron race of enormous stature, dwelling deep in their Realm, the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]]. A Titan might be any large creature that is not already included in another class of Patron, which is larger than Large in size, and which is an appropriate encounter at the epic tier of play. The Titans created the noble race of ogres as well as their smaller cousins, the goliaths. The tall peaks of the Ochre Mountains stretch into the [[Mists (4e Environment)|Mists]] themselves. There, in secluded temples, the Titans contemplate their mysteries, while their ogre and goliath servants tend to their needs and defend their Realm.

== Ogres ==

This noble race of creature actually encompasses any Large-sized intelligent natural humanoid, including ogres, trolls, and others. They serve their Titan Patrons as guardians, surveyors and supervisors of the goliaths who roam the countryside. Ogres who leave the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]] are generally in search of action to sate their bloodlust and are easily diverted to serving unscrupulous masters.

==== Prominent Ogres ====

'''Mazdak:''' An 18th century philosopher who preached in favor of social justice and against immortality. The only ogre ever exiled from the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]].

== Goliaths ==

The goliaths are the base race serving their Titan Patrons. They roam through the vales and peaks of the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]] surveying their Patrons' demesnes and reporting to the noble race of Ogres who then pass the word to the Patrons in their Mist-shrouded mountaintop Aeries.

It is a peaceful life, and most goliaths remain happily in the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]], but the more restless goliaths will venture into the Free Kingdoms of [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]], [[Verdant (4e Environment)|Verdant]], [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]], [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]] and even as far as the [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] in search of adventure.

==== Prominent Goliath ====

* '''Cyr:''' He vanquished [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Ghilan|ghilan]] '''Nebu''' the [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)|dragonslayer]], founded the City of Artifice and the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Middle Empire|Middle Empire]], the first empire in Patronage. He also commissioned the creation of a legendary artifact: the First Throne.
* '''Daria:''' Cyr's granddaughter was the first mortal to transcribe a code of laws, which still form the basis of most laws in the Free Kingdoms today.
* '''Waros:''' Daria's son tried to consolidate all the Dragonslands under his rule, awakening the slumbering [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)|Dragons]], who razed Artifice and destroyed the Middle Empire.
* '''Nikos:''' The [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|'''Lucinda''''s]] champion, he became the founder and first emperor of the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]].
* '''Shapur:''' A mighty emperor of the Second Empire, who captured the Immortal [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Deva|Deva]] and [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empress]] '''Xalia'''.
* '''Hormizd:''' Shapur's son negotiated a mighty ransom for Xalia's release. It was so dear that Xalia declared another war to retrieve it.
* '''Bahra:''' Hormizd's daughter was tortured by three days by the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophagi]] trying in vaid to find Hormizhd's Ransom.
* '''Ardasha:''' The founder of the [[Ardashid Dynasty (Patronage Supplement)|Ardashid Dynasty]].
* '''Yazdegerd:''' Great emperor of the Second Empire who oversaw the creation of the Wall (now Walls Road) that protected the Empire from invasion for almost a millennium.
* '''Peroz:''' Puppet of the lich '''Efthal''' and first Emperor of the [[Efthali Dynasty (Patronage Supplement)|Efthali Dynasty]].
* '''Buzurg:''' The founder of [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]].
* '''Ghiya:''' Queen of Midhaven who was deposed by [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]] and exiled for 20 years before her triumphant return.
* '''Sejean the "Great":''' The current king of [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]].

----
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (DnD Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category: Patronage Setting]]

Titan (Patronage Supplement)

2013-05-18T22:45:01Z

Green Dragon:

== Titans ==

{{PatronageRace
|Snapshot=Both contemplative and cruel, the Titans rule the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]] from their Mist-enshrouded temples, ordering their ogre and goliath servants to deal with all trespassers with the utmost belligerence.
|Patron=Titan
|Noble=Ogre
|Base=Goliath
|Realm=[[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]]
}}

[[File:Titan.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Helios as Personification of Midday by Anton Raphael Mengs. One of an ensemble of four paintings with personifications of the times of day intended as supraportas for the boudoir of Maria Luisa of Parma, Princess of Asturia, now in the Palacete de la Moncloa as part of the Patrimonio Nacional, Madrid. Oil on canvas, 192 x 180 cm.|The Titans use wondrous powers to observe the mortals below.]]

The Titans are a Patron race of enormous stature, dwelling deep in their Realm, the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]]. A Titan might be any large creature that is not already included in another class of Patron, which is larger than Large in size, and which is an appropriate encounter at the epic tier of play. The Titans created the noble race of ogres as well as their smaller cousins, the goliaths. The tall peaks of the Ochre Mountains stretch into the [[Mists (4e Environment)|Mists]] themselves. There, in secluded temples, the Titans contemplate their mysteries, while their ogre and goliath servants tend to their needs and defend their Realm.

== Ogres ==

This noble race of creature actually encompasses any Large-sized intelligent natural humanoid, including ogres, trolls, and others. They serve their Titan Patrons as guardians, surveyors and supervisors of the goliaths who roam the countryside. Ogres who leave the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]] are generally in search of action to sate their bloodlust and are easily diverted to serving unscrupulous masters.

==== Prominent Ogres ====

'''Mazdak:''' An 18th century philosopher who preached in favor of social justice and against immortality. The only ogre ever exiled from the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]].

== Goliaths ==

The goliaths are the base race serving their Titan Patrons. They roam through the vales and peaks of the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]] surveying their Patrons' demesnes and reporting to the noble race of Ogres who then pass the word to the Patrons in their Mist-shrouded mountaintop Aeries.

It is a peaceful life, and most goliaths remain happily in the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]], but the more restless goliaths will venture into the Free Kingdoms of [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]], [[Verdant (4e Environment)|Verdant]], [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]], [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]] and even as far as the [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] in search of adventure.

==== Prominent Goliath ====

* '''Cyr:''' He vanquished [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Ghilan|ghilan]] '''Nebu''' the [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)|dragonslayer]], founded the City of Artifice and the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Middle Empire|Middle Empire]], the first empire in Patronage. He also commissioned the creation of a legendary artifact: the First Throne.
* '''Daria:''' Cyr's granddaughter was the first mortal to transcribe a code of laws, which still form the basis of most laws in the Free Kingdoms today.
* '''Waros:''' Daria's son tried to consolidate all the Dragonslands under his rule, awakening the slumbering [[Dragons (Patronage Supplement)|Dragons]], who razed Artifice and destroyed the Middle Empire.
* '''Nikos:''' The [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|'''Lucinda''''s]] champion, he became the founder and first emperor of the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]].
* '''Shapur:''' A mighty emperor of the Second Empire, who captured the Immortal [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Deva|Deva]] and [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empress]] '''Xalia'''.
* '''Hormizd:''' Shapur's son negotiated a mighty ransom for Xalia's release. It was so dear that Xalia declared another war to retrieve it.
* '''Bahra:''' Hormizd's daughter was tortured by three days by the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophagi]] trying in vaid to find Hormizhd's Ransom.
* '''Ardasha:''' The founder of the [[Ardashid Dynasty (Patronage Supplement)|Ardashid Dynasty]].
* '''Yazdegerd:''' Great emperor of the Second Empire who oversaw the creation of the Wall (now Walls Road) that protected the Empire from invasion for almost a millennium.
* '''Peroz:''' Puppet of the lich '''Efthal''' and first Emperor of the [[Efthali Dynasty (Patronage Supplement)|Efthali Dynasty]].
* '''Buzurg:''' The founder of [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]].
* '''Ghiya:''' Queen of Midhaven who was deposed by [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]] and exiled for 20 years before her triumphant return.
* '''Sejean the "Great":''' The current king of [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]].

----
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (DnD Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category: Patronage Setting]]

Titan (Patronage Supplement)

2013-05-18T22:44:23Z

Green Dragon: links

== Titans ==

{{PatronageRace
|Snapshot=Both contemplative and cruel, the Titans rule the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]] from their Mist-enshrouded temples, ordering their ogre and goliath servants to deal with all trespassers with the utmost belligerence.
|Patron=Titan
|Noble=Ogre
|Base=Goliath
|Realm=Ochre Mountains
}}

[[File:Titan.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Helios as Personification of Midday by Anton Raphael Mengs. One of an ensemble of four paintings with personifications of the times of day intended as supraportas for the boudoir of Maria Luisa of Parma, Princess of Asturia, now in the Palacete de la Moncloa as part of the Patrimonio Nacional, Madrid. Oil on canvas, 192 x 180 cm.|The Titans use wondrous powers to observe the mortals below.]]

The Titans are a Patron race of enormous stature, dwelling deep in their Realm, the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]]. A Titan might be any large creature that is not already included in another class of Patron, which is larger than Large in size, and which is an appropriate encounter at the epic tier of play. The Titans created the noble race of ogres as well as their smaller cousins, the goliaths. The tall peaks of the Ochre Mountains stretch into the [[Mists (4e Environment)|Mists]] themselves. There, in secluded temples, the Titans contemplate their mysteries, while their ogre and goliath servants tend to their needs and defend their Realm.

== Ogres ==

This noble race of creature actually encompasses any Large-sized intelligent natural humanoid, including ogres, trolls, and others. They serve their Titan Patrons as guardians, surveyors and supervisors of the goliaths who roam the countryside. Ogres who leave the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]] are generally in search of action to sate their bloodlust and are easily diverted to serving unscrupulous masters.

==== Prominent Ogres ====

'''Mazdak:''' An 18th century philosopher who preached in favor of social justice and against immortality. The only ogre ever exiled from the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]].

== Goliaths ==

The goliaths are the base race serving their Titan Patrons. They roam through the vales and peaks of the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]] surveying their Patrons' demesnes and reporting to the noble race of Ogres who then pass the word to the Patrons in their Mist-shrouded mountaintop Aeries.

It is a peaceful life, and most goliaths remain happily in the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]], but the more restless goliaths will venture into the Free Kingdoms of [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]], [[Verdant (4e Environment)|Verdant]], [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]], [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]] and even as far as the [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] in search of adventure.

==== Prominent Goliath ====

* '''Cyr:''' He vanquished [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Ghilan|ghilan]] '''Nebu''' the [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)|dragonslayer]], founded the City of Artifice and the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Middle Empire|Middle Empire]], the first empire in Patronage. He also commissioned the creation of a legendary artifact: the First Throne.
* '''Daria:''' Cyr's granddaughter was the first mortal to transcribe a code of laws, which still form the basis of most laws in the Free Kingdoms today.
* '''Waros:''' Daria's son tried to consolidate all the Dragonslands under his rule, awakening the slumbering [[Dragons (Patronage Supplement)|Dragons]], who razed Artifice and destroyed the Middle Empire.
* '''Nikos:''' The [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|'''Lucinda''''s]] champion, he became the founder and first emperor of the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]].
* '''Shapur:''' A mighty emperor of the Second Empire, who captured the Immortal [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Deva|Deva]] and [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empress]] '''Xalia'''.
* '''Hormizd:''' Shapur's son negotiated a mighty ransom for Xalia's release. It was so dear that Xalia declared another war to retrieve it.
* '''Bahra:''' Hormizd's daughter was tortured by three days by the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophagi]] trying in vaid to find Hormizhd's Ransom.
* '''Ardasha:''' The founder of the [[Ardashid Dynasty (Patronage Supplement)|Ardashid Dynasty]].
* '''Yazdegerd:''' Great emperor of the Second Empire who oversaw the creation of the Wall (now Walls Road) that protected the Empire from invasion for almost a millennium.
* '''Peroz:''' Puppet of the lich '''Efthal''' and first Emperor of the [[Efthali Dynasty (Patronage Supplement)|Efthali Dynasty]].
* '''Buzurg:''' The founder of [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]].
* '''Ghiya:''' Queen of Midhaven who was deposed by [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]] and exiled for 20 years before her triumphant return.
* '''Sejean the "Great":''' The current king of [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]].

----
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (DnD Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category: Patronage Setting]]

Wild Forest (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:37:01Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Wild Forest.jpg|thumb|upright=2|The Wild Forest. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Geography ==

The Wild Forest separates the [[Fey Realm (Patronage Supplement)|Fey Realm]] from the rest of Patronage. It is cut off by the construction of the Iron Road by its northern neighbor, [[Ironguard (Patronage Supplement)|Ironguard]]. To the east, the hungry nation of [[Nidvalar (Patronage Supplement)|Nidvalar]] raids the Wild Forest for lumber and other raw materials for their clockwork creations.

[[File:Wild Forest.png|thumb|left|alt=By Louis Rhead (1857 – 1926) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons|The Wild Forest is home to all manners of races, but most are thieves and brigands.]]

== Government ==

There is no government to the Wild Forest; each faction governs itself. It is a lawless and violent area.

== Culture ==

[[Juzhian Age (Patronage Supplement)#Ferroclasty|Ferroclasty]] is very strong in the Wild Forest, even amongst constructs like the warforged. However, equally important is self-reliance and autonomy, two qualities that all denizens of the Wild Forest share in abundance.

== History ==

Once territory that supposedly belonged to the Fey Realm, a rebellion by disaffected [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Elves|elven]] and [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Goblins|goblin]] servants forced the Fey themselves to retreat deeper into their Realm, ceding this lush forest to their erstwhile subjects. Since that time, the Wild Forest has become home to all manner of races, including [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|dwarves]], elves, [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|genasi]], goblins, [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|halflings]], [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|humans]], [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|ravin, shedim]], and [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Warforged|warforged]]. The Clockwork Circle is known to meet here, wedged as it is between [[Nidvalar (Patronage Supplement)|Nidvalar]], [[Ironguard (Patronage Supplement)|Ironguard]], the [[Fire Mountains (Patronage Supplement)|Fire Mountains]] and the [[Fey Realm (Patronage Supplement)|Fey Realm]]. It was here that the legendary '''Buka''' and '''Hara''' first discovered how to create the warforged, and where the elves '''Gamaliel''' and '''Muhajiel''' plotted the creation of the [[Caliphate (Patronage Supplement)|Caliphate]]. Although the forest can be harsh, it has abundant resources and has been the beginning of many an epic tale.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Savage Sound (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:36:48Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Savage Sound
|Monarch=No rule
|Resident=Varies
|Heraldry=None
|Capital=None
|Races=Aquatic, sea-compatible, and overland creatures
|Neighbors=[[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]], [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]], [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]], [[Fey Realm (4e Environment)|Fey Realm]], [[Mists (4e Environment)|The Mists]], [[Nidvalar (4e Environment)|Nidvalar]], [[Wild Forest (4e Environment)|Wild Forest]]
|Products=natural exploitation products.
|Snapshot=This saltwater sea is home to all manner of unsavory calamities.
}}

== Geography ==

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Savage Sound.jpg|thumb|left|upright=4|The Savage Sound. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

The treacherous salty waters between [[Mongrel Island (4e Environment)|Mongrel Island]] and the mainland's southern shore, this Sound is home to pirates and savage [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|shedim]]. Even the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophagi]] are known to ply these seas in massive dreadnaughts manned by the fiercest aquatic shedim. The waters are home to massive fish and sea monsters. Even so, the southern shore is also plied by legitimate merchants ferrying trade between [[Nidvalar (4e Environment)|Nidvalar]], [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]], the [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] and the [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]]. For those willing to brave innumerable dangers, the lure of profits is hard to resist.

[[File:Savage Sound.jpg|thumb|alt=By Preveza1538 at en.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons|The piratical ships of the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophagi]] have begin plying the Savage Sound, attacking merchants and travelers on the once peaceful waters.]]

== Government ==

The high seas have no government. Every ship is governed by its captain.

== Culture ==

The maritime culture is typical of other cultures: obey the captain or be keelhauled.

== History ==

Historically, the Savage Sound protects the mainland from the Anthropophagi, and preserves the privacy of Mongrel Island. Few people seek to change this status quo.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Dead March (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:35:18Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Dead March.jpg|thumb|upright=2|The Dead March. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Geography ==

Located north of the [[Nereid Sea (Patronage Supplement)|Nereid Sea]], east of [[Winteren (Patronage Supplement)|Winteren]], east as well as south of the [[Ochre Mountains (Patronage Supplement)|Ochre Mountains]], and west of [[Duat (Patronage Supplement)|Duat]] the Dead March is a brackish mire, which is populated with free-roaming undead, and temperate forests and alpine tundras covering its northern mountains. The northern mountains are not high enough for [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)|Titan]] temples. Need the Titans intervene they would without a problem, much like at New Dragonseye. Duat, on the other hand, has little desire to expand into more northern terrain. So many citizens already die from their winters. For this reason the northern mountains are frequented by dangerous creatures. Summer throughout the Dead March is cold, although the stagnant water in the mire unfreezes. During winter snow covers the mountains as well as the mire where the water freezes. Rivers flow from the Ochre Mountains and Duat only to stop flowing in the mire. The water slowly trickles into the Nereid Sea where the water overtakes the mire making the southern islands of the Dead March. Nothing lives in the march but, occasionally, hordes of undead will pour forth terrorizing the population that lives in eastern Winteren and [[Midhaven (Patronage Supplement)|Midhaven]] many times reaching the Bone Road, giving the Bone Road its name.

[[File:Dead March.jpg|thumb|left|alt=By Sergey Miloradovich (1851 — 1943) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons|Tsar '''Yuri''' led his people across the treacherous Dead March to found [[Winteren (Patronage Supplement)|Winteren]].]]

== Government ==

The undead of the Dead March are ungovernable.

== Culture ==

The undead of the Dead March crave living flesh.

== History ==

The Dead March was supposedly created as a repository for undead that were no longer useful. Rogue necromancers would conduct experiments in the March, abandoning their failed experiments to languish with the other animate corpses. The March is a festering wound in Patronage, but nobody appears to have the power to eliminate it.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
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[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Blackscale Swamp (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:35:15Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Blackscale Swamp.jpg|thumb|upright=2|The Blackscale Swamp. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Geography ==

This vast marshy swamp on the border of [[Caliphate (Patronage Supplement)|Caliphate]], [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Dragonseye]], [[Ironguard (Patronage Supplement)|Ironguard]], and [[Nidvalar (Patronage Supplement)|Nidvalar]] has, since the days of Lucinda, been home to the reclusive [[Dragon_(Patronage_Supplement)#Sparti|sparti]], once the base servants of their [[Dragon_(Patronage_Supplement)|Dragon Patrons]]. Without a sparti guide the Blackscale Swamp is treacherously deadly, with all manner of exotic creature and hazardous terrain. Even with a sparti guide the Blackscale Swamp is treacherous indeed. Armies have disappeared within the Swamp and the only non-sparti known to travel within the swamp with any success is the great Eternal Elf '''Gamaliel'''. However, to what purpose is his alliance with the sparti, only he could say. Many have been in portions of the swamp and lived by navigating the few nearly stagnant rivers which flow southwestern into Nidvalar and then into the [[Savage Sound (Patronage Supplement)|Savage Sound]]. Here is where one can find sparti in their struggle to survive, and some reason that this is the only place they have civilized.

[[File:Blackscale.jpg|thumb|left|alt=This image or recording is the work of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee, taken or made during the course of an employee's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.|The Blackscale Swamp has an eerie beauty, but is forbidden to most outsiders.]]

== Government ==

The sparti tribes each have their chieftains who rule them. On an irregular basis, any chieftain may call for a conclave of all the tribes, either to forge a peace or to deal with a common threat to the Swamp.

== Culture ==

When their nobles, the [[Dragon_(Patronage_Supplement)#Halflings|halflings]], overthrew the Patrons, driving them forever from Patronage, the sparti refused to participate and retreated to the Blackscale Swamp. To this day, their enmity for the halfling race is unceasing and it is the only area in all of patronage where halflings cannot safely travel. The sparti are reclusive and little is known about them other than that they are fierce warriors. Many of their kind have become expert alchemists, relying primarily on the unusual flora found in their swamps. Others have been known to train wyrms and wyverns as mounts and pets. It is rare, but not unheard of, for a sparti to leave the Blackscale Swamp in search of fortune or glory. Some even follow obscure legends and myths that surround the fate of their Patrons.

== History ==

The sparti have a strict policy of noninterference with the outside world, except for one odd exception. The Eternal Elf Gamaliel appears to have the respect of the sparti, for they allow him to move his armies through the swamp without hindrance or harassment.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
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[[Category:User]]
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Barrens (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:35:11Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage The Barrens.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|The Barrens. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Barrens
|Monarch=No rule
|Resident=Varies
|Heraldry=None
|Capital=None
|Races=Forest suited creatures
|Neighbors=[[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]], [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]], [[Verdant (4e Environment)|Verdant]], [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]]
|Products=wood and raids
|Snapshot=The pine tree covered Barrens, is home to all sorts of rebels and their laboratories.
}}

[[File:Barrens.JPG|thumb|alt=By SeppVei (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons|The Barrens are a forbidding land that have sheltered exiles, criminals, and refugees for thousands of years.]]

== Geography ==

Along the border of [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]], [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]], [[Verdant (4e Environment)|Verdant]], and [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]] is an enormous pine forest.

== Government ==

Those who dwell in the Barrens are well known as being hostile to any form of governance.

== Culture ==

For most of recorded history, the Barrens have been a place of refuge for those hunted and sought after by the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]]. Many a rebellious organization has hidden here and plotted against a regime. The dense foliage makes it difficult to send armies within and the residents know many ways to defend themselves against forces many times their size. The Barrens are also home to many exotic and fearsome creature.

== History ==

Currently, the Barrens are best known as home to great archlich '''Efthal'''. Many a necromancer will travel to the Barrens to find this master and study at his bony feet. However, the [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Efthali|Efthali]] only occupy a small part of the Barrens and most of it is still wild and unexplored. Rumors of hidden dragon hordes and brigands' gold still draws fortune-seekers to the Barrens, and often to their doom.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Winteren (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:34:22Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Winteren
|Monarch=Tsarina Vasa II
|Resident=Wintreni
|Heraldry=Argent, with bars or within sable
|Capital=Frostwall
|Cities=Alebon, Giiun, Icy Hold, New Dragonseye
|Races=Ghilan, goliaths, halflings, half-orcs, humans, orcs
|Neighbors=Barrens, Dead March, Midhaven, Nereid Sea, Ochre Mountains, Verdant
|Products=Roots, herbs, salt, salted meats, stone, fish, fur, wool.
|Snapshot=Founded by ghilan fleeing Duat, they were converted from necromancy by the goliath of the Ochre Mountains and instead enslaved the human population to sow their fields.
}}

== Geography ==

Winteren is surrounded mostly by Patrons and wild lands. To the east is the [[Dead March (Patronage Supplement)|Dead March]] and the [[Nereid Sea (Patronage Supplement)|Nereid Sea]]. To the north is the [[Ochre Mountains (Patronage Supplement)|Ochre Mountains]] and to the southwest the [[Barrens (Patronage Supplement)|Barrens]]. The Bone Road runs from the capital of Frostwall to [[Midhaven (Patronage Supplement)|Midhaven]], and the White Road runs from Frostwall, along the Ochre Mountains and into [[Verdant (Patronage Supplement)|Verdant]]. The land is rocky and hard to farm, even with the [[landbond (Patronage Supplement)|landbond]], and the winters are long and unforgiving. Only root vegetables, and some hardy varieties or rye and wheat can be grown in this climate. The Wintreni make a brisk economy out of the wool from their flocks of woolly rams, and furs from the giant creatures that live in the foothills of the Ochre Mountains the goliaths allow them to explore.

Frostwall is a large city with a number of palaces and mansions where the noble elite spend the summer and winter months. During the harvest season in autumn and the planting season in Spring, the boyars return to their estates to ensure that the serfs are acting properly and to ensure their serfs won't starve during the long winters. For the most part, other than the Winteren Army, which patrols the lawless borders of the Barrens and Dead March, ensures that the White and Bone Roads are safe, and the serfs bound to their fiefs, most citizens of Winteren dwell in Frostwall, or the new port city of Icy Hold.

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Winteren.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|Winteren. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

Icy Hold had been a small fishing village for much of Winteren history. But in the century since the end of the Winteren Civil War it has become the center for Winteren trade along the [[Nereid Sea (Patronage Supplement)|Nereid Sea]]. All caravans coming north from Midhaven pass through Alebon (and Tsarina's tax collectors). The city has a growing port and the citizens are rediscovering their heritage of shipbuilding. During the spring and summer, when this portion of the Nereid Sea is not frozen, goods from all over the Free Kingdoms, and even from as far away as the [[Alabastrian Empire (Patronage Supplement)|Alabastrian Empire]], can be found.

== Government ==

Winteren is a ruled by a monarch known as a "tsar" or "tsarina". Like a traditional monarch, she delegates her holding to lesser nobles known as "boyars". Almost all of these nobles are of the [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Ghilan|ghilan]] race, with only a handful of [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)#Golaiths|goliaths]], [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Orcs|orcs]], and [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Half-Orcs|half-orcs]] gaining the privilege. Winteren, however, has a second branch of government: the "anointers". The anointers are exclusively goliaths trained in the use of the landbond rituals. Only they are allowed to create landbonds, and nobles must have an anointer present when a lesser noble is granted title, or the anointers will remove the landbond and reduce both liege and vassal to serfs. Although only goliaths can be anointers, the anointers have created a separate group -- the Acolytes -- who have learned to have faith in the will of the [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)|Titans]] and serve the community as priests and ministers.

Serfdom is an integral part of the economy. There are almost no yeoman who till the land, the status of commoner being reserved for merchants, clerks, and the nobles' personal armies. The serfs are almost entirely [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|human]], descendants of those who were enslaved when the ghilan first arrived centuries ago. Serfdom is a hereditary state for humans, but not for other races. Thus, a discredited ghilan noble may be reduced to serfdom, but he knows that his children will be born free, and have a chance at possibly even reacquiring noble title if they acquit themselves well in the service of a boyar.

The anointers also serve two other important purposes. First, they seek out escaped serfs. There is a significant wandering [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|halfling]] population and amongst them a significant portion are hostile to any form of serfdom. The [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Ramhead Rangers|Ramhead Rangers]] are also active in the area. The anointers are always seeking out such agents and seeking to return serfs to their demesne.

Second, the anointers are charged with pursuing and prosecuting necromancers. Tsar '''Yuri''' agreed to abandon necromancy when Winteren was founded, but many ghilan (and others) continue to practice it in secret. Their proximity to the Barrens means there is an active movement of [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Efthali|Efthali]] in Winteren. The anointers are charged with finding necromancers and executing them. Their jurisdiction is unlimited in this regard, and they even instigated a Civil War in Winteren in pursuit of these duties. The anointers answer only to their internal counsel, and are not even subject to the rule of the tsar.

== Culture ==

Winteren is a harsh world. Cold long bitter winters rule this region. Undead constantly pour out of the Dead March, and bandits form the Barrens. The people are hard, but proud of their ability to survive under such harsh conditions. They are know as fearsome fighters and devout followers of the [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)|Titans]] under the tutelage of the anointers and acolytes. Almost all of Winteren consider themselves worshipers of the Titans and regularly attend church service where the Titans' virtues are praised and extolled.

Religion is not the only diversion for Wintreni. The Wintreni are said to drink as hard as any [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|dwarf]], dance as fiercely as any [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Elves|elf]], and sing as raucously as any [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|Shedu]]. Halflings, despite their antipathy to Wintreni serfdom, are welcome as travelers and storytellers. It is said that Wintreni are a crust of ice over hearts of flame.

== History ==

{| class="infobox" style="clear:left"
! style="background: #CC9933; text-align: center;" | '''Monarchs of Winteren'''
|-
| style="font-size: 10px; text-align: left;" |
Tsar Yaro I (2265-2342) 
Tsar Imir (2342-2375) 
Tsar Yuri I (2375-2407) 
Tsar Drei (2407-2426) 
Tsar Volod (2426-2462) 
Tsar Yuri II (2462-2487) 
Tsar Yaro II (2487-2496) 
Civil War (2496-2578) 
Tsar Yovan I (the "Rich") (2578-2590) 
Tsar Simeon (2590-2602) 
Tsar Yovan II (the "Meek") (2602-2609) 
Tsarina Mitya (2609-2639) 
Tsarina Vasa I (2639-2675) 
Tsarina Vasa II (2675-present) 
|}

=== The Founding ===

Over 400 years ago, a ghilan warlord named Yuri led his people out of [[Duat (Patronage Supplement)|Duat]] for reasons that are murky. Some say he grew weary of the war and sought only peace. Some say he foresaw the return of the [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)|Shinigami]] and sought freedom. Some say he was humiliated in battle and sought redemption. Whatever the reason, the journey was treacherous. He took several thousand Duatans through the heart of the Dead March. Many of them were destroyed by undead. Many others froze to death (and then rose as undead). When he finally emerged in the free lands, only one in three of those who began finished the journey.

He arrived and immediately sought to start his new kingdom. But to do that, he would need laborers. Ghilan are not farmers -- they require [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Wights|wights]] to do their menial labor. As fortune would have it, Yuri emerged form the Dead March at the site of "New [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Dragonseye]]" a city of humans who had founded a new homeland in the frozen waste to hide form persecution. Although the humans outnumbered the ghilan 10 to 1, they were peaceful and had few means of defense. Yuri and his men besieged the town and conquered the inhabitants without losing a single man. They built an enormous altar and prepared to sacrifice the humans and turn them into undead servants for Yuri's New Duat.

But just as the sacrifices were prepared, the ghilan saw an army of goliaths emerge from the Ochre Mountains. The goliaths were well-armed and outnumbered the small ghilan force. These goliaths would not be defeated as easily as the humans. Yuri and his boyars parleyed with the goliaths. The true contents of their discussion are unknown, but many philosophers and storytellers have crafted their own version. At the end of the discussion, Yuri and the boyars unanimously announced the humans would be spared. The ghilan would abandon the old necromantic ways of the Shinigami and follow the new vibrant ways of the Titans. The humans would not be killed. They would be enserfed, not in a New Duat, but in a Free Kingdom of Winteren. The goliaths would remain in Winteren to counsel the ghilan in this new way of living, to oversee their humans serfs, and to advise the tsar.

=== The Efthali Tsar ===

And that is how matters stood for over 200 years. The ghilan nobles and goliath anointers created a new society, melding the cultures of Duat and the Ochre Mountains. Trade increased and Winteren stood peaceful. However, not all ghilan appreciated the change. Some ghilan grumbled that necromantic skill was the means for a lowborn ghilan to become a noble. By banning the dark arts, the boyars had created a system where their children were guaranteed to rule, and the lowborn would always remain little better than a serf. Some continued to practice the old ways in the dark, being seduced by the whispers and promises of the Efthali. The anointers did what they could to combat it, but the ghilan had a valid complaint -- there was no social mobility. Slowly, the Efthali seeped even into the noble ranks, among second-born children at first, into the officers of the military, and then into the tsar's own family.

Tsar '''Yuri II''' had two sons, '''Yuri''' (named after him) and '''Yaro''' (named after Winteren's founder). As second-born son, Yaro earned the highest military rank in the Wintreni Ice Guard, an elite unit. But he craved the throne. His brother was an undisciplined wastrel, spoiled from youth, and the knowledge that his accession to tsardom was secure. Yaro's ambitions brought him to the attention of the Efthali, and Yaro soon proved to be a devoted member. When Yuri II died, Yaro arranged for Efthali assassins to kill his brother as well, making it appear that he died in a spat with one of the many human serfs he had taken for a harem. Yaro was crowned Yaro II, but even as he ruled, he kept his Efthali connections a secret for now.

Over the next quarter-century, Yaro II worked to promote Efthali. He framed or discredited boyars who were not sympathetic to him. many of them were indeed incompetent, but some were suspicious of the tsar's true nature. He even managed to corrupt some anointers, who he kept close as advisers, to insulate himself. Despite his efforts, his dark nature was becoming more clear. People whispered of the mysterious disappearance of Yaros enemies. Others said they saw strange apparitions in the tsar's palace. Some anointers were not convinced by their colleagues' assurance, amongst them the central counsel of anointers. They began to investigate the tsar in secret.

Eventually, after 25 years, the truth was discovered when a goliath anointer named '''Khail''' and his human and half-orc acolyte aides, accompanied by a halfling thief, snuck into the palace and witnessed the tsar conducting necromantic rights with his goliath anointers and none other than the vile lich '''Efthal''' himself. The anointers raised a hue and cry and liberated all of the righteous boyars that had been placed in serfdom by Yaro. In a lightning strike, the same goliath Khail managed to capture and slay Yaro, sending the nation sliding into civil war. He and his allies then fought Efthal to a standstill, forcing him to flee back into the Barrens. But the damage had been done.

[[File:Winteren.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Apollinary Vasnetsov [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons|A Wintreni village in autumn.]]

=== Civil War ===

The civil war lasted 82 years and during this time no monarchical landbond could be established. Not all of the forces arrayed against the anointers were necromantic. Some of them were new boyars who did not follow Efthal but did not want to lost the noble status they felt they legitimately earned. Not all of the anointers were righteous. Many were simply deposed boyars who wanted to return to the privileged despotism of their youth, with no regard for the welfare of their subjects.

The war was savage. Because of the lack of agriculture, many ghilan returned to raising wights to serve as their armies. The anointers felt helpless to stop the spread of necromancy, and many saw the tendrils of Efthal everywhere, and wondered whether a civil war had been the lichs' plan all along.

The civil war ended mostly after all of the original boyars and "false boyars" had died. In 2575, the council of anointers had finally purged the Efthali influence from their ranks. They called a peace conference among all the ghilan who laid claim to boyarship. After years of negotiations, a new compact was arranged. All those whose descendants had been named boyar either by Yuri II or Yaro II would be named boyar in the new Winteren, if they renounced all necromancy and gave the anointers full reign to investigate any allegations of necromantic practice, and would require anointer approval for any change in a landbond. Those boyars (on both sides of the war) who had employed wights were summarily executed by the anointers. The remaining boyars chose '''Yovan''' as their tsar, a wise and shrewd ghilan who somehow managed to have no enemies on either side, and never a whiff of allegations of necromancy.

=== Yovan's Peace ===

Yovan quickly organized Winteren and restored the dilapidated palaces and capital. The land, which had been fallow for almost a century, blossomed with one of the best harvests Winteren had ever seen. The young nation of Midhaven had just been founded, and desperately needed allies and trade. Yovan obliged. He built ports on the Nereid Sea and began construction of the Bone and White Roads. His 22-year reign was prosperous and made him the second most-popular tsar after Yuri.

That peace has lasted about a century an Winteren continues to prosper. Although still plagued by undead from the Dead March, necromantic cults from the Barrens, and the occasional threats from [[Ironguard (Patronage Supplement)|Ironguard]] or the [[Caliphate (Patronage Supplement)|Caliphate]], it is generally at peace.

Winteren has received something of a black eye in the most recent Dragonseye War, in which it did not even participate. The human '''Rickard''', who has become Archduke of [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Dragonseye]], was once a serf in Winteren, who escaped with his sister, a potent prophetess, and the aid of halflings. If this was not bad enough, it is well known that Rickard is a supporter of the Ramhead Rangers, and has sponsored several daring liberation of serfs and their repatriation to Dragonseye. Winteren will not stand for this interference in their kingdom. It is the most outspoken opponent of this "Dragonseye experiment". Tsarina '''Vasa II''' has ordered the anointers to conduct an internal purge to determine how Rickard could have escaped and then ascended to a position of nobility and to stop these Ranger raids.

Winteren has recovered from the civil war of last century and is now strong, vibrant, and powerful. They are pressuring their neighbor Midhaven to renege on their agreement with Dragonseye and to reduce that city to rubble once more. It is said that Vasa II has had an extra-heavy pair of irons built for Rickard, which she plans to use when subjecting him to her personal enserfment.

== Adventure Seeds ==

=== Heroic Tier ===

* '''Heroes of the Anointers:''' The Anointers have discovered another conspiracy growing amongst the boyars. Is it necromancy? The heroes must investigate.
* '''Heroes of the March:''' Undead are swarming into Winteren from the Dead March and the heroes must save innocent lives and stop their destruction.
* '''Heroes of the Mountains:''' Creatures from the Ochre Mountains descend into Witeren. Some say it is a punishment from the Titans. The adventurers are asked to keep people safe and travel to confront the Titans, see what is really going on, and return safely with the information.

=== Paragon Tier ===

* '''Efthali and Equality:''' The nobility retrench to prevent lower classes from advancing, allowing the Efthali to again recruit followers. Is their a third way that does not require castes or undead? Can the heroes supply that way? Is the whole situation going to change once the Efthali have gained power? How can the adventurers keep Winteren safe from the Dead March and itself? Must they consult with other Free Kingdoms?
* '''Halflings and Harrowings:''' A determined group of halflings is emancipating serfs and assassinating boyars, leaving the emancipated serfs starving with no means of support. Whatever the heroes' thoughts on serfdom– they can't support starvation, and they are asked to bring the halflings to justice and organize the citizens.
* '''Gold and Iron:''' Midhaven is Winteren's largest trading partner. When they raise tariffs, the Wintreni call for war. The heroes are asked to find other trading partners for Winteren and help fight against Midhaven and other Free Kingdoms. Can the adventurers confront the situation before it escalates? Can they convince Midhaven to lower their tariffs? Only the heroes can prevent carnage between two of the continent's wealthiest powers.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Verdant (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:32:05Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Verdant
|Monarch=King Kazu II
|Resident=Verdench
|Heraldry=Vert, oni
|Capital=Evergreen
|Cities=None
|Races=dwarves, elves, genasi, goblins, goliaths, half-orcs, orcs
|Neighbors=Barrens, Fire Mountains, Green Lands, Minia, Ochre Mountains, Winteren
|Products=lumber, iron, marble, tin
|Snapshot=Honor-bound hardy followers of a reclusive Oni.
}}

== Geography ==

Verdant is located in the frigid northwestern corner of the Free Kingdoms, nestled in between the [[Fire Mountains (Patronage Supplement)|Fire]] and [[Ochre Mountains (Patronage Supplement)|Ochre Mountains]] and between the [[green Lands (Patronage Supplement)|Green Lands]] and the [[Barrens (Patronage Supplement)|Barrens]]. While its neighbors [[Minia (Patronage Supplement)|Minia]] and [[Winteren (Patronage Supplement)|Winteren]] suffer harsh winters, it is believed the presence of the [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)|Oni]] known as the '''Immortal''' in its land blesses the nation with comparatively mild and short winters. The capital of Evergreen is centered around the tent of the Immortal, which is itself in the middle of a mile-diameter courtyard, which is ringed with a massive wall to preserve the Oni's privacy. To the north around the lake has burgeoned into a large trade center for trade along the green river. A lot of the goods from the rest of the Free Kingdoms are brought in along the White Road and then shipped south along the green river through the tents along the lake.

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Verdant.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|Verdant. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Government ==

The Immortal is the titular head of state, but has retreated from public view in recent decades, preferring to leave the management of the nation to its monarch. At this point, the monarch is allowed to choose its successor, and the Immortal only intervenes if it appears the monarch has chosen unwisely or has chosen a successor that will be unpopular with the Verdench at large.

Verdant does not have many layers of nobility. The monarch governs all Verdant in the name of the Immortal, and delegates individual fiefs to various lords and ladies. There is no third tier of nobility. Most of the plebeian population of Verdant are yeomen, but enserfdom is permitted as punishment for individuals who bring dishonor to themselves or their families. This dishonor can be worked off by a set time as a humble serf, after which the dishonor is considered purged.

Verdant is not well-populated and the estates throughout the land leave much of the land fallow, only nominally managed by the nobles. Farms dot the countryside in a thin line around the White Road and the Green River. Straying more than a few days travel from these high traffic areas leads to areas dominated by foul beasts and monsters or the creatures of the Barrens.

== Culture ==

Honor is considered paramount in Verdant, even over the letter of the law. The Immortal founded Verdant, in part, to study the concept and elements of honor. Over the centuries, the Immortal has recognized various codes of behavior for people engaged in almost every aspect of society. Over the centuries, these codes have become more and more rigid, and various self-appointed doyens monitor individual Verdench to ensure they adhere to the strict honor codes governing their professions.

Honor is not merely a personal concept, but a communal one. Acting honorably brings pride and repute to one's family, one's companions, and one's community. Acting dishonorably besmirches those same people. This encourages everybody to keep one another acting honorably and to intervene when someone begins to stray from the path. Within a community, the honor one affords one another is considered very important. Honor debts (when one person has shown less honor to a person than that person has shown the first) are taken very seriously. Children, for example, have an honor debt to their parents that obligates them to care for their parents in their old age. A serf's labors are considered to show honor to the serf's liege until eventually, the liege is bound by honor to emancipate the serf, thus erasing the honor debt.

Verdench spend much time dwelling and contemplating the honor debts they owe others and others owe them and determining ways to bring balance to the honor they owe and are owed. A person who owes many people honor debts may be considered weak of spirit, cowardly, incompetent, or simply untrustworthy. However, a person who is owed many honor debts may be considered haughty, imperious, and prideful. A Verdench will consider themselves in an ideal state when they neither owe nor are owed an honor debts. However, someone who goes too long without incurring or earning honor debt may be considered to be too reclusive and uninvolved and may eventually find themselves a hermit or ostracized. Managing one's honor debt is a lifelong process.

Honor is treated a little differently in the commercial north around the lake. There, honor is measured mainly by your commitment to a deal, even after circumstances change such that adhering to the deal brings great personal cost. Many merchants who adhere to such a bargain are revered and much sought after as a business partner, for association with such an honorable merchant brings prestige. Some merchants who are seen to renege on an ill-considered deal will abandon the lake in shame (albeit with profits intact).

== History ==

{| class="infobox" style="clear:left"
! style="background: #CC9933; text-align: center;" | '''Monarchs of Verdant'''
|-
| style="font-size: 10px; text-align: left;" |
Queen Tsune (2488-2494) 
Queen Sugu (2494-2502) 
King Také (2502-2516) 
Queen Yasu (2516-2539) 
Queen Kira (2539-2558) 
King Kuni (2558-2583) 
Queen Naga I (2583-2584) 
Queen Naga II (2584-2588) 
King Taka (2588-2589) 
Queen Kira I (2589-2608) 
Queen Kira II (2608-2617) 
Queen Mitsu (2617-2645) 
King Mochi (2645-2673) 
King Kazu (2673-2675) 
Queen Nori (2675-2691) 
King Kazu II (2691-present) 
|}

=== The Immortal ===

The Immortal left verdant many centuries ago, intrigued by the philosophical notions being contemplated by the great philosophers of the age. At first, the Immortal traveled the world, in various disguises, speaking with philosophers or their students. After centuries of travel, the Immortal returned to the borders of the Green Lands. It is unclear whether the Immortal chose to stay in the Free Kingdoms, or if the other Oni forbade him to return. Either way, the Oni settled on the border of the Barrens, within sight of his homeland, and taught.

Any [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Orcs|orc]] or [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Half-orcs|half-orc]] who fled the Green Lands could find a home with the Immortal. There, the Oni taught the exiles how to shed their formerly martial ways and find a new life in the Free Kingdoms. He taught them about agriculture and manners and, most of all, honor. These exiles then spread this knowledge to other peoples. Eventually, people of all races came to study this concept of honor at the feet of the Oni. The used the wood of the Barrens to build a community around the Oni's tent, and called the place "Evergreen".

Over time, the Oni's concept of honor became more sophisticated. The Immortal discerned different requirements of honor for different professions. He also discerned different honor requirements base don one's relationship to your family and neighbors. The Immortal spoke of these requirements often, and the people would transmit them to one another orally.

[[File:Verdant.jpg|thumb|left|alt=The copyright holder of this work released this work into the public domain via Wikimedia Commons.|Verdant art and architecture is often serene and striking, and is designed to flow with nature.]]

=== Tsune and Ranshi ===

By about 200 years ago, Evergreen was a burgeoning city, and there were so many people, that only a small proportion of them could ever gain access to the Immortal and his teachings. Two of those lucky few were an [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Elves|elf]] named '''Tsune''' and an orc named '''Ranshi'''. Tsune began writing down the words of the Immortal and distributed it to the people who did not have the time or the influence to attend the Immortal's lectures. Ranshi, however, spoke out against this practice. He claimed that orcs and half-orcs had a special bond with the Oni, as he was their Patron, and that his lectures conveyed meanings directly into their souls that could not be recorded in written words. Many orcs and half-orcs began listening to Ranshi's own lectures and retelling of the lessons of the Immortal and confirmed that they felt something stir wthin them that was ineffable and indescribable. Those who were not orcs and half-orcs, however, supported Tsune's efforts because this was the only way they could learn to follow a path of honor.

The two groups clashed frequently. It was becoming clear that Evergreen was too populous to be run haphazardly by the Immortal. They needed a leader with structure. The two obvious candidates were Tsune and Ranshi, and the conflict between the two camps was growing increasingly violent.

Then, one day in 2488, Tsune emerged alone from the Immortal's tent. Everyone felt the change. The Immortal had relinquished its landbond, and transferred it to Tsune. She stated that she was anointed the queen of a new kingdom of Verdant, an honorable kingdom for all peoples.

Ranshi decried the crowning. It was performed in secret in the dead of night, and that did not seem honorable at all. The Immortal would not emerge from his tent. While most people accepted Tsune's reign, the Pure Land Sect did not. In private, Ranshi revealed that he had a dream the night Tsune was crowned. Tsune is in league with another Oni, and together they attacked the Immortal. The Oni in the tent is not the Immortal. The true Immortal visited him in a dream. He is resting, recuperating, and he will return to oust the Immortal and all those who supported Tsune's usurpation.

=== Immortal and Civil War ===

A century after Tsune's accession, the Pure Land Sect believed their day had come. An Oni left the Green Lands with an army of orcs and half-orcs. They were joined by loyal members of the Pure Land Sect, led by its leader, a half-orc named '''Hojo'''. After three years of near constant campaigning, they reached Evergreen and slew Queen Taka II. They surrounded the sacred tent of the Immortal and went inside.

Only Hojo lived to tell of what happened when these two Oni met, and he was driven mostly insane. From what can be determined, the two Immortals spoke to one another in a language only they understood and then began fighting. All of the invader's troops, and any remaining residents of Evergreen were devastated and destroyed in the battle that ranger throughout the city. The battle raged for three days, and when it ended, one of two Immortals had died. Hojo's last words to the Pure Land Sect was that neither of these were the true Immortal. The true original Immortal had been slain by Tsune. Each of the two Oni were manipulating Verdant for their own purposes, and it was up to the Pure Land Sect to avenge the Immortal's murder and protect the Free Kindgoms from an invasion from the Green Lands.

However, the Pure Land Sect was devastated by the battle in Evergreen, and would not be able to reconstitute itself for decades. In the meantime, several powerful lords who were on their estates when the Immortals fought, and thus escaped the massacres, began to vie for the monarchy of Verdant. Some of them agreed with Hojo that the Immortal was a fake, some claimed that the Immortal was true and had won, and some claimed the Immortal was true and had lost. The Immortal simply reconstituted his tent in Evergreen and waited to see who would emerge victorious. One orc, King '''Taka''', governed briefly, ignoring the "false Immortal" and yet powerless to overthrow him. In addition, try as he might, he was unable to generate a landbond without the Immortal's consent. Two years later, with Verdant on the verge of starvation, he was defeated by Queen Kira, who attended the Immortal in his tent, washed his feet and gave her obeisance. She emerged from the tent with a monarchical landbond, and Verdant was whole and at peace once more.

=== Nori and Kazu ===

Verdant has been relatively peaceful since. The Immortal is rarely seen outside his tent, but makes occasional appearances on the accession of a new monarch. About 20 years ago, there was a peasant uprising against a lord who refused to honor the honor debt he owed his serfs. Queen '''Nori''' converted the lord into a serf and the leader of the serfs into his liege. 23 years later, that serf became King '''Kazu II''', taking on the name of Quen Nori's father and predecessor in honor of the woman who raised an honored serf to a monarch and reduced a dishonorable lord to a serf.

== Adventure Seeds ==

=== Heroic Tier ===

* '''Heroes of the Hinterlands:''' Creatures roam the fallow fields of Verdant. Many more are coming from the Barrens than is usual. Can the heroes determine why so many dangerous creatures are in Verdant?
* '''Heroes of Honor:''' The heroes trod the honorable paths of their classes, when a mysterious mentor tests to see if they have the resolve to stay true to their beliefs as they are confronted by dangerous scenarios. Is the mentor really who he says he is? The heroes must find their true honor while preserving their lives.
* '''Heroes of the Honorless:''' The heroes have been framed for an honorless act they did not commit. Can they restore their reputations before the nobles that they find are framing them asks for their heads?

=== Paragon Tier ===

* '''Barrens:''' The adventurers find that The Barrens are home to many Verdench who flee dishonor. Recently, a demagogue has arisen who has fashioned the dishonored into an army and who claims they can recapture their honor by defeating Verdant's honor.
* '''Green Lands:''' Another rogue Oni organizes to topple the Immortal. Armies of orcs and half-orcs sweep into Verdant to weaken their defenses. Can the adventurer's save Verdant?
* '''Pure Land Sect:''' The Pure Land Sect schemes to expose the Immortal as a fraud. Recently, they have been infiltrating the Immortal's personal guard. Could a coup be far away? Are the Immortals safe? Can the adventurers save the Immortals and their honor?

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Oncia (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:31:58Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Oncia
|Monarch=Queen Oncia
|Resident=Oncians
|Heraldry=Argent, wings or
|Capital=Downlach
|Cities=Ani, Fuin, Jien, Ker
|Races=deva, eidolons, ghilan, halflings, humans, ravin, shedim
|Neighbors=Alabastrian Empire, Caliphate, Carraway, Chisel, Savage Sound
|Products=fish, fruit, olives, oil, salt, and vegetables
|Snapshot=Renegade Alabastrians and shadowy manipulators
}}

== Geography ==

Oncia sits on the southern shores of the [[Nereid Sea (Patronage Supplement)|Nereid Sea]], with its ally [[Carraway (Patronage Supplement)|Carraway]] to the west, and its implacable enemy the [[Alabastrian Empire (Patronage Supplement)|Alabastrian Empire]] to the east. To the south, both the [[Caliphate (Patronage Supplement)|Caliphate]] and [[Chisel (Patronage Supplement)|Chisel]] have scores to settle with Oncia.

Oncia is hilly country spotted with vegetable farms and orchards. The seaside contains numerous fishing communities, as well as white salt beaches where the residents can gather salt for resale across Patronage.

Along the river that cuts through the eastern parts of the kingdom, are Fuin and Ker. These cities date back to the period when the Alabastrian Empire governed this region. Fuin is located in the plains and is mostly farm land. For this reason, it is considered a center for smugglers, which Oncia either encourages or ignores. Ker, however, is a small city that survives on river trade of Oncia and also some farming. It is known, however, for the nests of griffins and hippogriffs that migrate there regularly. Horses are not considered safe in the vicinity and by necessity, Hippogryph has become known as a location to acquire all manner of exotic steeds.

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Oncia.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|Oncia. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Government ==

'''Oncia''' founded and runs Oncia alone. She has lesser nobles and magistrates to govern the provinces she sets forth throughout her domain, but her word and her word alone is law. She has made no provision for her succession, and her death would likely spell anarchy and war as her neighbors clamber to divide her territories.

== Culture ==

Under Oncia's tutelage, her eponymous kingdom is a repository of culture and learning. She tries to govern under the principles of nobility and chivalry first taught by '''Juzhian''', the one-time Emperor of Alabastria. However, such nobler pursuits appear to be against her true nature. Oncia is a scrapper by experience, often on the run, with enemies at every side. She is shrewd and calculating and manipulative and that culture, too, has pervaded her kingdom. Oncians can be polite and mannered to strangers, but there are daggers behind every back, and Oncians do not hesitate to take avdantage of a weakness presented to them.

== History ==

=== Loyal Alabastrian ===

Oncia was once the second in command of the Alabastrian Empire. She was one of a handful of [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Deva|deva]] the [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)|Avatars]] trusted with the [[Ritual of Remembrance (4e Ritual)|Ritual of Remembrance]]. She was the most trusted lieutenant of the first Empress, '''Xalia'''. After a brief falling out, she was also the second in command to Emperor Juzhian, and entrusted with the eastern half of the Empire. When '''Xarlem''' killed and succeeded Juzhian, he saw Oncia as a threat. When the Caliphate's armies surrounded her, he refused to sen Imperial troops to relieve her. When [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Loyalists|Loyalist]] assassins tried to invoke the [[Ritual of Decadence (4e Ritual)|Ritual of Decadence]] upon her, Xarlem sent no aid. Each time she survived with only her wits and her formidable magical powers.

Three centuries after Xarlem acceded to the throne, Oncia had given him no reason to doubt her loyalty to the Empire. Although some had approached her about overthrowing Xarlem, she refused to consider treason, and often had the plotters arrested and executed. But Xarlem's paranoia would not be sated.

=== Exile ===

Finally, when Gamaliel's armies overran Downlach, Xarlem sent no aid to her again. She managed to escape in hiding with the aid of the [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|halfling]] queen. For a hundred years, Oncia remained in hiding, fleeing from the Caliphate, from Emperor Xarlem's assassins, and from the Loyalists. Over this time, she made contacts and allies in the [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Order of the Compass|Order of the Compass]], the [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#The Testament|Testament]] and among the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|shedim and ravin]].

When she was ready, her plan was executed flawlessly. She and her allies reconquered Downlach and all six of the Lucindan Cities. She executed a simultaneous war against the Caliphate and Alabastria that left both of them unprepared and reeling. In her wake, the nations of Oncia and Carraway were formed.

[[File:Oncia.jpg|thumb|alt=Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, in public domain.|A view of Downlach from one of its many estates.]]

=== The Dance of Kingdoms ===

Remarkably, Oncia managed to convince Alabastria and the Caliphate that the other party was responsible, causing them to go to wat with one another and leave the nascent kingdoms to their own devise. After that resolved, the Caliphate was too busy with [[Ironguard (Patronage Supplement)|Ironguard]] and Alabastria too busy with [[Duat (Patronage Supplement)|Duat]] (thanks, no doubt to Oncia's machinations) to deal with the renegade nations for almost two centuries.

When Ironguard fell to civil war, the Caliphate could finally turn its attention to Oncia. General '''Gamaliel''' besieged Downlach for six years without success. These were hard times in Downlach, and many believed the Immortal Queen finally had no place to run. But then just as suddenly Ironguard Warlord '''Temur''' attacked Sarrun, forcing Gamaliel to break the siege to save his brother '''Muhajiel'''. Oncia was saved once more (and many speculate what Oncia offered Temur in return for his bold invasion).

Forty years later, Temur's strength begins to wane, and Gamaliel returns to besiege Downlach once more. The siege lasts five years, until the [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Dragonseye]] War begins. Gamaliel leaves Downlach, but maintains a sufficient force to continue to starve the Oncians into submission. Despite a solid blockade around the capital, Queen Oncia somehow manages to appear with her retinue on the battlefield at Downlach, just as, so the rumors say, the Nereid Sea begins to boil and flood. When negotiations occur with the young [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|human]] '''Rickard''', she takes a hand in those negotiations, securing an end to the siege of Downlach as part of the uneasy peace. Oncia appears to be one of the few allies that Dragonseye has. However, all Oncia seems to have done is buy her own vulnerable nation a little more time. Alabastria and/or the Caliphate could invade at any time. Chiseli assassins of the Loyalists still wish to end her immortal life. And her kingdom has become worn and weary from siege after siege. The future of her kingdom appears dim.

== Adventure Seeds ==

=== Heroic Tier ===

* '''Heroes of Immortality:''' The Cult of Nine Truths conspires in the shadows to kill deva. The heroes must stop them.
* '''Heroes of the Undercity:''' Oncia has had a maze of tunnels built beneath Downlach to smuggle goods past any blockade, and for escape. But monsters have taken up residence within and the heroes must clear them out before they are needed once again.

=== Paragon Tier ===

* '''Alabastria:''' The Empire sends an army to absorb the renegade district again. Can the heroes thwart the Empire's intentions?
* '''Avatars:''' The heroes discover an ancient Avatar mountain, the only one known to exist outside the Alabastrian Empire– and it appears the temple is still active. Could an Avatar still be alive? Is Oncia safe? Should the temple be destroyed? The adventurers actions will likely be noticed by the Alabastrian Empire. Are the Free Kingdom's safe?
* '''Caliphate:''' Gamaliel is making another push to starve Downlach into submission. Can the heroes break the blockade and save the capital?

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Nidvalar (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:31:49Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Nidvalar
|Monarch=Prime Minister Hafnir
|Resident=Nidvalari
|Heraldry=Sable, cog argent
|Capital=Foundry
|Cities=Almtrae, Hik, Jentrop, Logging
|Races=Dwarves, elves, genasi, goblins, goliath, half-orc, humans, orc, ravin, shedim, warforged
|Neighbors=Caliphate, Ironguard, Savage Sound, Wild Forest
|Products=constructs, ironworks, coal, manufacturing
|Snapshot=Masters of the enchantment of constructs
}}

== Geography ==

Nidvalar is a small kingdom on the shores of the [[Savage Sound (Patronage Supplement)|Savage Sound]], wedged between the [[Wild Forest (Patronage Supplement)|Wild Forest]] (from which they gather most of their timber and raw materials) and the [[Caliphate (Patronage Supplement)|Caliphate]]. To the north, across the Iron Road, is [[Ironguard (Patronage Supplement)|Ironguard]]. The lands of Nidvalar are often black with soot spewing forth from the arcane foundries in the capital.

== Government ==

The government is run by the Assembly, a council comprised of any citizen who can demonstrate the ability to create a permanent construct and who was trained by another recognized member of the Assembly. The Assembly meets every third month of the year, or if the Prime Minister requires a special session. The day-to-day management of the nation is handled by the Prime Minister, a member of the Assembly appointed for life (or impeachment).

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Nidvalar.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|Nidvalar. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Culture ==

In Foundry, the ability to make constructs is everything. It determines your powers, your status and your success, because the constructs control most aspects of like in Foundry. They are the servants (and, as regards the [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Warforged|warforged]], the slaves). Constructs till the soil, mine the coal, chop the timber, and defend the borders. And the Assemblymen who make the constructs control the constructs. All other citizens both enjoy the fruits of the constructs' labors, but must also defer to the authority of the Assemblymen. All jobs of citizens of Nidvalar are related in some way to the manufacture, operation, and maintenance of the constructs.

== History ==

{| class="infobox" style="clear:left"
! style="background: #CC9933; text-align: center;" | '''Prime Ministers of Nidvalar'''
|-
| style="font-size: 10px; text-align: left;" |
Buka and Hara (pre-Assembly) (2586-2606) 
Hara (2606-2625) 
Buka (2625-2654) 
Devon (2654-2656) 
Vira (2656-2672) 
Devara (2672-2674) 
Mallik (2674-2696) 
Hafnir (2696-present) 
|}

=== Founding Foundry ===

Foundry, the capital of Nidvalar, was once called Southbar, the southernmost anchor point for a massive wall that separated the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]] from the [[Alabastrian Empire (Patronage Supplement)|Alabastrian Empire]]. It was the first city conquered by the Ferroclasts, as they began to create their Caliphate. The Caliphate destroyed the wall and enforced a strict ban on all worked metal. This led the Kingdom of Ironguard to wage war on the Caliphate, eventually resulting in the liberation of the city and its inclusion in Nidvalar.

Meanwhile, the Wild Forest, which had once been the haven of [[Juzhian Age (Patronage Supplement)#Ferroclasty|Ferroclasts]], was becoming a refuge for people escaping the tyranny of both Ironguard and the Caliphate. Amongst the refugees was '''Buka''', a dwarf who fled Ironguard to avoid conscription into its legions, and '''Hara''', an elven wizard who rejected ferroclasty. Together, they unlocked the secrets of making constructs. But the meager resources of the Wild Forest was insufficient for their vision of world where labor was performed by artifacts and people became a world of artisans.

When Ironguard was beset with a century of internal fighting, Hara and Buka, and their disciples, created an army of constructs and took over the city of Southbar. They renamed it Foundry and called the surrounding lands Nidvalar. They repelled successive attempts by the Caliphate and Ironguard to reconquer their possessions.

After the war period had ended, Hara and Buka began to bring their vision to fruition. They refused to become monarchs. Instead, they fashioned a legislative Assemblage from the arcanists and wizards under them. The two enjoyed almost complete respect, and while they were nominally Prime Ministers, they were so well-respected that the Assemblage was often nothing more than a rubber stamp for their desires.

=== Assembling Circles ===

Except for one instance. During Ironguard's Civil War, a general named '''Ulanganqara''' came to Nidvalar and sought to purchase or hire a construct army. He pledged wealth and an alliance with Nidvalar. Buka urged the Assemblage to approve the purchase, and all seemed like it would go as planned. Then a charismatic young member of the Assembly named '''Demetrius''' made an impassioned speech in favor of Nidvalar neutrality. He warned that Nidvalar's strength lay entirely in its exclusive knowledge of constructs. This general may have good intentions, but if his advisors could study the constructs, they could replicate it and then Nidvalar would be destroyed. Demetrius swayed the Assembly, and it represents the first time the Assembly rejected a request from Hara or Buka, the Founders. Buka accepted the defeat graciously (and the general ultimately lost his bid to rule Ironguard), but he did not forget the slight.

Eventually, Hara and Buka retired to their estates to experiment in solitude, leaving the Assembly to govern. In their absence, however, the Assemblage began bickering amongst themselves. The privileged position of membership in the Assembly led to a growing problem of corruption and cronyism. The most ambitious and corrupt of these officials was a man named '''Devon'''. When he maneuvered, almost openly, to purchase the position of Prime Minister, Demetrius stood in the town square and made another impassioned speech against corruption. The speech unified those who were not cronies of Devon. The Assembly stood at a standstill, deadlocked. The tie vote was only broken when Hara and Buka arrived in Foundry from their estates and voted for Devon. Demetrius was stunned. He blamed Buka for being vindictive over the vote against sale of construct armies to outsiders. Devon pronounced that Demetrius had spoken sedition against the Founders and ordered him exiled. Demetrius left, with many of his own followers, and he founded the [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Clockwork Circle|Clockwork Circle]], a society of renegade construct builders.

Hara returned to her estate, but Buka chose to remain in the city. While there he observed the corruption that had taken over the Assembly. After ten years, he intervened. Under his orders, Devon was arrested for corruption, tried, and executed. His cronies were also punished. A new Prime Minster was appointed and Buka oversaw the reformation of the Assembly. Satisfied, he now left the Assembly, for parts unknown. Some say he went to visit Demetrius in the Wild Forest, but Demetrius refused his apologies. In exile, Demetrius became consumed with the notion of revenge. He will not rest until the walls of Foundry come tumbling down.

=== Scheduled Maintenance ===

Buka and Hara still make occasional forays into Foundry, just to ensure that the Assembly does not fall into corruption again. However, for now, the Assembly appears to function properly. But the Assembly is always a hotbed of schemes and politics, and resentment amongst the non-Assembled, and among the warforged slaves continues to grow. Demetrius' Clockwork Circle works to liberate the warforged, and works towards the day when the Foundry is dismantled and the Clockwork Circle rules Nidvalar.

== Adventure Seeds ==

=== Heroic Tier ===

* '''Heroes of Assembly:''' A member of the Assembly, who is also an ally of the heroes, has gotten into a shadow war with another member. He needs guards to stop the assassins sent after him, even as they are asked by the Assembly to unearth proof behind the attacks.
* '''Heroes of Forge:''' An experiment gone wrong has caused a construct to run rampant in the streets. The adventurers must stop it before more people are killed and it overruns the town.
* '''Heroes of Iron:''' A caravan bringing precious ore to Foundry has been lost. The adventurers are asked to find out what happened to it.

=== Paragon Tier ===

* '''Clockwork Circle:''' The heroes discover a plot by the Clockwork Circle to blow up the Assembly!
* '''Sabotage:''' Ferroclasts from either the Wild Forest or the Caliphate have been sabotaging forges around Nidvalar. The heroes must put an end to the sabotage. Their success is met with support and they are asked to stop the attacker's once and for all with support from Nidvalar's construct militia.
* '''Warforged:''' A conspiracy of warforged, led by a spellcasting warforged who claims to have the ability to make warforged of its own that are superior to Nidvalar's constructs, are ready to demand they be recognized as leaders throughout Nidvalar. With the adventurers stand with the warforged or the kingdom, and who will win when the situation escalates?

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Minia (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:31:39Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Minia
|Monarch=King Sejean
|Resident=Minian
|Heraldry=Gules, two bend sinister azure
|Capital=Ramhead
|Cities=Fishpost
|Races=Elves, dwarves, genasi, goblins, goliaths, halflings, half-orcs, humans, ogres, orcs
|Neighbors=Barrens, Fire Mountains, Green Lands, Ironguard, Midhaven, Verdant, Winteren
|Products=nothing
|Snapshot=Rebelling from Ironguard and Midhaven, the "nobles" of Minia refuse to Landbond with the land, leaving the kingdom free, but starving.
}}

== Geography ==

Minia is a small nation in the shadow of the [[Fire Mountains (Patronage Supplement)|Fire Mountains]] and [[Green Lands (Patronage Supplement)|Green Lands]]. To the south is the menacing [[Ironguard (Patronage Supplement)|Ironguard]]. To the east is the menace of [[Midhaven (Patronage Supplement)|Midhaven]]. To the north, their only ally, [[Verdant (Patronage Supplement)|Verdant]]. The interior of Minia is rocky and wild, and travel is treacherous and slow because of the lack of Landbonds. Even the Iron Road has begin to crumble, and the [[Barrens (Patronage Supplement)|Barrens]] are beginning to encroach once more on its fields. The ancient capital of Ramhead is becoming overgrown with greenery.

== Government ==

Minia has a king, chosen by the aging elf '''Onggye''' the Beloved. Currently that King is the [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)#Golaiths|goliath]] '''Sejean''', a wise and learned man who lives in the palace of Ramhead surrounded by one of the largest libraries ever accumulated in the Free Kingdoms. (It is said only the great library in Aerie in the [[Alabastrian Empire (Patronage Supplement)|Alabastrian Empire]] is larger, and some think Sejean's collection beats that one as well. While there are a number of noble families, descended from the Emirs and Pashas who remained after the [[Caliphate (Patronage Supplement)|Caliphate]] left the region centuries ago, they have no holdings. Rather they live on their diminishing wealth, as they struggle to fulfill the dying wish of their founder, '''Min'''.

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Minia.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|Minia. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Culture ==

Minia is a starving and desperately poor kingdom. Without the [[Landbond (Patronage Supplement)|landbond]] farming and ranching is virtually impossible. The people live as quasi nomads, foraging wild fruits and flowers, and hunting wild animals. The entire population is wild and sparse. The only population center, the capital of Ramhead, is overgrown with vines and weeds, populated by the noble families and their servants, as they struggle to find a solution to Min's Riddle. Central among these researchers is Onggye the Beloved, the leader of the almost cult-like society of Minia. The Minians treasure their self-reliance and are hotile and suspicious of outsiders. They will brook no suggestions that they should accept the yoke of a landbond, and any criticism of Min, Onggye, or Sejean will lead quickly to violence.

== History ==

{| class="infobox" style="clear:left"
! style="background: #CC9933; text-align: center;" | '''Monarchs of Minia'''
|-
| style="font-size: 10px; text-align: left;" |
Queen Min (2601-2624) 
Queen Onggye (the "Beloved") (2624-2638) 
King Han (2638-2639) 
Queen Ingya (2639-2642) 
Regent Onggye (2642-2668) 
King Sejean (the "Great") (2668-present) 
|}

=== Background ===

The area that is now Minia has a long and honored history. originally, it was the site of the Secret City of Ramhead, home of the famous [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Ramhead Rangers|Ramhead Rangers]], a knighthood who liberated people from slavers. With the help of the Caliphate, they overthrew the corrupt [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]]. The Caliphate appointed many of the luminaries from Ramhead as new nobles when the Caliphate occupied the lands that once had been the Second Empire.

Then Ironguard found and destroyed Ramhead and the Rangers. Ironguard exposed it to the world and absorbed its territory into Ironguard. Then Ironguard went to war against the Caliphate and drove it from all the lands that had once been the Second Empire. Ironguard dethroned the nobles of the Caliphate and forced them to live as commoners, working the land under the yoke of the lowest of landbonds. However, as the strength of Ironguard's founder, '''Chingiz''', began to wane, the nobles rebelled. Led by '''Buzurg''', they drove the dwarves from their lands. With the help of halflings, they threw off their landbonds and formed Midhaven.

Buzurg, however, sought to be a dominating king replacing the dwarved of Ironguard, but no less of a tyrant. Buzurg was a nobleman who traced his lineage to the Second Empire. He had no love of the philosophies of the Caliphate, or the freedoms enshrined in the glories of the Rangers. Many of the nobles who descended from the Caliphate were uncomfortable with Buzurg, but saw little alternative. Someone would have to be bonded to the land.

[[File:Minia.jpg|thumb|left|alt=This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Fg2 at the English Wikipedia project|One of the few structures in Ramhead that is kept well-maintained. Without [[Landbond (Patronage Supplement)|landbonds]], overgrowth often takes over even a large estate in a matter of months.]]

=== Foreground ===

One elf disagreed. Her name was '''Min''' and she said she saw a different path, one never before seen in Patronage. She recalled the history of Ramhead. She noted that the Rangers lived in this city for millennia, one with nature. She believed the Rangers had a way to live off the land that did not require a landbond. She rallied the other nobles who sympathized with her and broke away from Buzurg. With a mighty ritual, she increased the size of the Green River, which ran out of the [[Ochre Mountains (Patronage Supplement)|Ochre Mountains]], through the Barrens and cut through Midhaven. That prevented the Midhaven landbond from crossing the river. Then she used the same ritual on the Red River, which flowed east from the Fire Mountains. This prevented Ironguard rituals from crossing north. Then she sent her lieutenant (and some say lover), Onggye, to entreat with the '''Immortal''' who ruled Verdant. The Immortal decreed that it would not expand south into the new Free Kingdom of Minia.

Fifty years after Minia's founding, Min was dying of old age. She left her kingdom in the hands of Onggye. She gathered all the nobles of Ramhead to her and told them secrets, secrets that confirmed heir commitment to discovering the secrets of the Rangers. Onggye held the monarchy for fourteen years, but did not like the burden of leadership. She needed to continue her research. She appointed Han as King, but he fell ill and died. Then '''Ingya''' ruled for three years. Ingya was driven insane by the burden of running a kingdom without a landbond. She was caught and tried for treason when she attempted to cast a ritual bond. Onggye ruled again for three years as "regent" while she sought a successor. She finally chose the goliath Sejean, who has ruled ever since.

Fifteen years into his rule, Sejean was faced with an invasion from Ironguard. '''Temur''' had gathered 60,000 troops, likely more soldiers than there were individuals in all of Minia. Temur's advance was stopped, however, by a massive earthquake that buried half of his army under mudslides form the Fire Mountains. Nobody knows whether this was a fortuitous coincidence or the results of the Minian nobilities research into the Primal Arts. Either way, Minia's neighbors have given the kingdom a wide berth, letting it starve itself into submission rather than trying to conquer it by force.

== Adventure Seeds ==

=== Heroic Tier ===

* '''Heroes of Riot:''' Desperate from hunger, peasants congregate in Ramhead and demand food. The adventurers must find a source of food for them before they ask for assistance from outside states and destroy the city.
* '''Heroes of Ritual:''' A Minian ritualist trying to discovery the Ramhead Rangers' ability to thrive without a landbond needs the adventurers to locate some rare ritual components.
* '''Heroes of River:''' The river than Min used her primal magic to expand has become a haven for strange river beasts. The heroes must subdue the beasts and figure out how to make the river safe for trade and travel once again.

=== Paragon Tier ===

* '''Ironguard:''' Ironguard is making a concerted push to raze Ranhead for a second and final time.
* '''Midhaven:''' Midhaven's armies are ready to make another attempt to reunite their kingdoms.
* '''Pure Land Sect:''' This racist sect of orcs and half-orcs sees an opportunity in Minia's weakness and seek to overrun the land.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Midhaven (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:31:33Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Midhaven
|Monarch=Queen Jaha
|Resident=Midhavener(s)
|Heraldry=Azure with fess gul, crown or over chain sable of five interlocking links, over orb argent
|Capital=Artifice
|Cities=Cesmin, Diea, Fesn, Mon, Outpost to Efthal, Port Artifice, Port Siel, Tib, Xia
|Races=Elves, dwarves, genasi, ghilan, goblins, goliaths, halflings, half-orcs, humans, ogres, orcs, ravin, shedim, warforged
|Neighbors=Barrens, Dragonseye, Ironguard, Minia, Nereid Sea, Verdant, Winteren
|Products=amber, beadwork, cider, fur, glasswork, resins, silver, timber, and rye
|Snapshot=Liberated from the shackles of thousands of years of imperial rule, the Free Kingdom of Midhaven protects the Northern Kingdoms from encroachments by its imperial neighbors to the south, and keeps the Northern Kingdoms from advancing southward.
}}

== Geography ==

Midhaven is in the midst of its "young siblings", the Free Kingdoms of the North: [[Minia (Patronage Supplement)|Minia]], [[Verdant (Patronage Supplement)|Verdant]], and [[Winteren (Patronage Supplement)|Winteren]]. It controls the western shore of the [[Nereid Sea (Patronage Supplement)|Nereid Sea]], and casts a wary, protective gaze at [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Dragonseye]]. To the south, its open border with [[Ironguard (Patronage Supplement)|Ironguard]] is a constant source of insecurity. Midhaven, however, is blessed with natural bounty. It has acres and acres of fresh fertile fields, as well as the entirety of the [[Barrens (Patronage Supplement)|Barrens]] for lumber and other resources. It has a temperate climate and moderate weather. Only the unstable politics of the region -- and thousands of years of unsatisfied vendettas among its citizens -- keep it from being the haven its founders intended.

Midhaven has massive ports, but some are ancient and Port Artifice, for example, cannot accommodate the largest newest ships from [[Winteren (Patronage Supplement)|Winteren]], [[Carraway (Patronage Supplement)|Carraway]], and [[Alabastrian Empire (Patronage Supplement)|Alabastrian Empire]]. The must go to Port Artifice, once a sleepy village that has grown fat with trade from the prosperous Winteren. Port Artifice has constructed new ports that accommodate any ship that plies the Nereid Sea. Port Artifice has also been aggressive in rooting out piracy among the islands off the coast and have lobbied extensively for Letters of Marque from the Queen allowing them to take the fight directly to the pirates, and even as far as [[Duat (Patronage Supplement)|Duat]] (since most pirates hail from that Realm).

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Midhaven.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|Midhaven. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Government ==

A regal kingdom, Midhaven drew upon thousands of years of Imperial rule when establishing its government. Well-known as the epitome of bureaucratic efficiency, the Midhaven government is a force with which to be reckoned. The various nobilities are carefully cataloged by rank and demesne, and a variety of protocols are expected to be followed during the course of any official act. Clerks and satraps abound and few nobles can manage anything without an extensive court.

Most of these regal powers have been impoverished by centuries of rule from Ironguard, which imposed a dwarven order on the land, and spent much of its occupation trying to break the backs of the noble families, with limited success.

Artifice, the capital, is an ancient city and one of the first in Patronage. It sits in the middle of Midhaven. Some believe the use of Artifice as the capital is too reminiscent of the days of the Second Empire, which still has negative connotations, and would like to move the capital north to Fesn, a city which mostly deals in the lumber trade.

== Culture ==

Midhaven is as cosmopolitan a kingdom as the world has seen. Almost every mortal race can be found here in some numbers, except the distant [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Deva|deva]] and [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Eidolons|eidolons]], and the [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Wights|wights]]. Somehow, Midhaven manages these disparate races, affording them each an equal opportunity to manage estates, conduct business and access to the law. Informally, however, old prejudices run deep. Antipathy to [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|dwarves]], [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Elves|elves]] and [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Goblins|goblins]] runs high, since this land was only recently a part of Ironguard and the [[Caliphate (Patronage Supplement)|Caliphate]]. Dwarves hate elves, and [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Orcs|orcs]] and [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Ghilan|ghilan]] clash over northern politics. [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|Humans]] and [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Warforged|warforged]] are almost universally seen with disdain, and it is almost with relief that so many humans have fled Midhaven for the new Kingdom of Dragonseye. Still, the nobility at least make a token effort to treat everyone with a semblance of equality, at least insofar as necessary to keep peace in their counties.

Midhaven's capital, Artifice, is one of the oldest cities in Patronage and it is dotted with the ruins of the preceding empires that failed to hold it. Trade along the Nereid Sea forms an important part of Midhaven's economy. Most of its port towns specialize in shipbuilding, thanks to their proximity to Fesn and Mon which supply them with lumber. Xia specializes in fishing and large-game sea creature hunts, and it exports whale oil and other rare commodities from the hunts across Patronage. Tib is a heavily fortified and very cosmopolitan port city, and the center for trade, potentially, throughout Patronage. Port Siel is a growing mercantile center that manages to trade with Ironguard, Minia, and Dragonseye, as well as arranging for more trade from even more distant locales. Many of the established families in Artifice look upon Port Siel's increasing wealth with envy and concern.

== History ==

{| class="infobox" style="clear:left"
! style="background: #CC9933; text-align: center;" | '''Monarchs of Midhaven'''
|-
| style="font-size: 10px; text-align: left;" |
King Buzurg I (2591-2606) 
Queen Uwa (2606-2624) 
Queen Jawa (2624-2632) 
Queen Ghiya (2632-2660) 
Queen Wala (2660-2661) 
King Buzurg II (2661-2665) 
Queen Uwa II (2665-2671) 
Queen Mona (2671-2672) 
King Buzurg III (2672-2674) 
King Buzurg IV (2674-2682) 
King Iskander (2682-2688) 
Queen Jaha (2688-present) 
|}

=== Buzurg's War ===

When the Ironguard Warlord '''Chingiz''' died, his nation had occupied the lands in and around the ruins of Artifice for more than 80 years. The descendants of the once noble families who governed these lands under the Caliphate, and before that under the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]] were proud and had never forgiven the dwarves for forcing them from their seats and replacing them with military appointments. With Chingiz' death, Ironguard fell into decline and the noble families rose up to reclaim their demesnes. The Caliphate was distracted by a dispute with the southern kingdom of [[Nidvalar (Patronage Supplement)|Nidvalar]], and the neighboring kingdoms of Verdant was engaged in the Immortal War. Seven years later, a [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)#Goliaths|goliath]] named '''Buzurg''' led his armies into the City of Artifice, laid claim to it, and declared himself king of Midhaven. He traced his ancestry to the old kings of the [[Ardashid Dynasty (Patronage Supplement)|Ardashid Dynasty]].

=== Buzurg and Uwa ===

Buzurg immediately began using his martial prowess to subdue and subjugate the other noble families and recognize his authority in Midhaven. To a large extent, he was successful, particularly in the commercial communities of Dragonseye and along the Bone Road, which valued security and wealth over their own martial independence. In the east, however, Buzurg was opposed by an elf named '''Min'''. Her ancestors traced their lineage to the Caliphate, and she refused to accede to someone who appeared to be trying to resurrect the Second Empire (or perhaps to create a third). Other like-minded nobles rallied to her banner, and the western half of the region was inflamed in war. In the end, Minia and Midhaven separated, and defeated, Buzurg spent his remaining years governing a kingdom that constituted only half of the empire of his dreams.

Buzurg was succeeded by his daughter '''Uwa'''. She proved to be a more eager administrator than her father and placed the young kingdom on a solid financial footing. Using tariffs from, the communities along the Nereid Sea, and lumber from the Barrens, she built stronger roads and ports and increased the wealth of her populace. For thirty years after Minian succession, Midhaven knew prosperity and peace.

[[File:Midhaven.jpg|thumb|left|alt=This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired, via Wikimiedia Commons.|This mosaic of King '''Buzurg''' is one of the few representations of the founder of the kingdom.]]

=== Temur and Ghiya ===

And then came '''Temur'''. The dwarf was angling to succeed Chingiz as Warlord of Ironguard (which he eventually did). To rally his people and reclaim the fading glory days of his kingdom, he reconquered Midhaven, driving Queen '''Ghiya''' into hiding in the Barrens for twenty years. But Ghiya never gave up hope. At the end of her days, she saw that King Temur was himself getting old and tired. He had neglected the management of his northern lands. The Province of Midhaven had become a dumping ground for the incompetents of Temur's legions.

Ghiya led her troops against the Ironguard armies and drove them southward. She declared the Kingdom of Midhaven independent once more. Two years later, she died, peacefully, resting on the Jade Throne in a restored Artifice, having fulfilled all the promises of her subjects. Well, almost. Ghiya had recaptured all of former Midhaven, except for the key port city of Dragonseye. The port city was captained by a dwarf named '''Molug''', who had been exiled there as a drunk and coward, but he seemed to find his nerve during Ghiya's restoration. He rallied his ragtag troops, quelled internal rebellion (by bringing the Midhaven noble families there), and repelled numerous efforts by Midhaven to reconquer the city. Molug lived in Dragonseye his entire thirty-year career.

=== Iskander and Jaha ===

Meanwhile, the kingdom once again knew security, though not peace. The goliath monarchs of Midhaven fell victim to inbreeding and insanity. King '''Buzurg IV''' was almost sociopathic, forcing nobles to solve disputes through "honor combat", that was little more than butchery and would result in both disputants' families being tortured if they did not entertain the king with a bout. Finally, a [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|genasi]] lord named '''Iskander''' could bear it no more. He rallied the lesser nobles to his banner and slew Buzurg IV on the battlefields outside Artifice. (Ironically, Buzurg IV died in single combat against Iskander.) He restored the nobility as it has existed before Buzurg IV, ad when he died, his daughter '''Jaha''' became queen. Just as Iskander is often called the "Second Buzurg", Jaha is often described as the "Second Uwa".

When the dwarf Molug finally died, Queen Jaha saw a final opportunity to reunite all the lands of Midhaven. She raised a giant army and marched on the city. Temur responded with his own legions and both [[Carraway (Patronage Supplement)|Carraway]] (encouraged by [[Oncia (Patronage Supplement)|Oncia]] and the [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#order of the Compass|Order of the Compass]]) and the Caliphate saw an opportunity to capture this strategic port. This became known as the Dragonseye War, and it ended in a way no participant would have imagined. As the four armies clashed, the waters of the Nereid Sea began to boil and overflow. Only the appearance of a human named '''Rickard''', and his ragtag court was able to stop the swelling seas. It also stopped the war, and after intense negotiations, Rickard was named Archduke of Dragonseye. Midhaven recognizes the Archduke, but did not relinquish its claims to that land. Neither did the Caliphate, Ironguard, or Carraway. Now, the four powers watch and wait to see if the young kingdom can hold the prize it so dearly won.

== Adventure Seeds ==

=== Heroic Tier ===

* '''Heroes of Ruin:''' Midhaven is dotted with the ruins of previous empires. Many have been pillaged, but secret caches of treasure– and danger are being found all the time.
* '''Heroes of Shipping:''' With the longest coastline of the Free Kingdoms, the Midhaven Navy is primarily responsible for keeping shipping lanes free. They are even empowered to conscript adventurers for discrete tasks of a particularly dangerous nature.
* '''Heroes of Tolerance:''' Racial tensions run high in Artifice, possibly the most racially diverse city in all Patronage. When a prominent halfling, and trader among the various races, is murdered, the heroes must discover the murderer before the city devolves into a race war.

=== Paragon Tier ===

* '''Ironguard:''' The legions of Ironguard seek to reclaim their lost territory in Midhaven and only the adventurers can stop them.
* '''Minia:''' Minian rebels have been raiding for food along the border, claiming to be acting as the reborn Ramhead Rangers. The adventurers are sent to deal with them.
* '''Winteren:''' Winteren accuses Midhaven of operating a secret passage for human slaves to escape to Dragonseye. The adventurers must investigate these allegations and somehow convince Winteren not to invade.

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{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
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Ironguard (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:31:26Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Ironguard
|Monarch=King Temur
|Resident=Ironguarder(s)
|Heraldry=Gul, two crossed hammers
|Capital=Legionhome
|Cities=Arlm, Fepri, Legionpost, Mal, Northbar, Qisp, Southbar, Tenpin, Vels
|Races=Dwarves, genasi, halflings, half-orcs, humans, orcs, warforged
|Neighbors=Caliphate, Dragonseye, Fey Realm Fire Mountains, Midhaven, Minia, Nidvalar, Wild Forest
|Products=barley, beer, iron, oats, and steel
|Snapshot=Created to stop the threat of Ferroclasty, Ironguard has been an ominous and fierce dwarven empire.
}}

== Geography ==

Ironguard is surrounded by savage wild lands, Patrons, and enemies of its own creation. Created in the shadow of the [[Fire Mountains (Patronage Supplement)|Fire Mountains]] to the west, it is bounded by the wild lands of the [[Blackscale Swamp (Patronage Supplement)|Blackscale Swamp]] and [[Wild Forest (Patronage Supplement)|Wild Forest]]. To the east is its nemesis, the [[Caliphate (Patronage Supplement)|Caliphate]]. In a ring around Ironguard are more Free Kingdoms, [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Dragonseye]], [[Midhaven (Patronage Supplement)|Midhaven]], [[Minia (Patronage Supplement)|Minia]], and [[Nidvalar (Patronage Supplement)|Nidvalar]], spun off from territory it once controlled. These kingdoms are understandably hostile to Ironguard, and with good reason. Ironguard plans to reconquer each of these lands, and finally extinguish the Caliphate and its misguided philosophy of [[Juzhian Age (Patronage Supplement)#Ferroclasty|Ferroclasty]]. It also shares a border with the [[Fey Realm (Patronage Supplement)|Fey Realm]]. The location of Ironguard is one of constant war from neighboring realms and kingdoms, and campaigns are always uncertain here.

Ironguard consists primarily of fertile verdant fields, the large Lake Tenpin, and a swamp. The foothills of the [[Fire Mountains (Patronage Supplement)|Fire Mountains]] are temperate rainforests which are home to fierce creatures. Clouds which do not drop too much rain come from the [[Nereid Sea (Patronage Supplement)|Nereid Sea]] east and through sublimation drop most of their water in the foothills of the Fire Mountains. The mining which happens in these foothills is heavily guarded and many times requires military campaigns to be successful. The [[Mists (Patronage Supplement)|Mists]] make there way into Ironguard from the [[Fey Realm (Patronage Supplement)|Fey Realm]] causing disruption when they occupy parts of Ironguard. Summer in Ironguard is hot, humid, and rainy in the western temperate rainforests. The temperature gets colder as one gets further away from the Fire Mountains leading to long and warm summers in the eastern reaches. Winter is mild and sees the same temperature variations between regions. Snow is a rare occasion. Lake Tenpin's drainage leads to the Red River and trade is mostly done by watercraft in Ironguard. The Iron Road's northern limits are in disrepair due to [[Minia (Patronage Supplement)|Minia]], however they are a major traffic artery throughout Ironguard. The eastern hills drain west to Lake Tenpin, and here less farming happens. Not only are the hills harder to farm then the plains, the nearby swamp cannot be farmed.

Ironguard's cities are little more than expanded forts that house various legions and their slaves and industries. King Temur reorganized the legions recently, housing a separate legion in each of the kingdom's cities. His own Gold Legion dwells in the capital of Legionhome, and also mans Mal, the distant southern outpost on the border of the Fey Realm. The Silver Legion guards Legionpost, a sprawling complex where most of the kingdom's siege engines are constructed. The prestigious Iron Legion mans Southbar, charged with keeping the Wild Forest contained. The Bronze Legion mans Northbar, and is the center for a growing trade with Nidvalar (as well as an illicit trade with their enemy the Caliphate and the Blackscale Swamp). The Brass Legion governs Qisp while the Copper Legion governs Fepri. To the north, the Mithril Legion in Vels guards the kingdom's borders. It is currently the largest legion and the busiest. The Quicksilver Legion in Tenpin in the center of the kingdom is charged with continual preparedness; they must answer immediately to support any other legion that requires assistance. Arlm houses the Plumbum Legion, which has general charge of the northern border. Finally, the Stannic Legion in Mal is charged with keeping the other legions well equipped with weapons and armor. They lead the mining expeditions into the foothills of the Fire Mountains to obtain the precious iron and other materials the legions require to maintain their readiness.

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Ironguard.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|Ironguard. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Government ==

Ironguard is nominally a kingdom, but truly a military dictatorship. Who ever controls the legions controls the Kingdom. The only two acknowledged kings of Ironguard are '''Chingiz Ironbearer''', the founder of Ironguard and anointed by the Elementals to rule, and '''Temur the Hammer''', a mighty warrior who defeated many rivals and won the loyalty of all the Legions through brilliant military maneuvering and fierce martial abilities. He rules the kingdom as a military operation, as Chingiz did before him. His royal court is a war council, run by his loyal generals and representatives of each of the legions. However Temur grows old, as Chingiz did before him. People fear that if Chingiz dies without passing power to an heir that Ironguard will endure more decades of chaos and in-fighting as it did in the prior interregnum. Military administration determines who serves in the military and who does not. In times of need they normally enlist more personnel and in times of less need they normally release the less able soldiers to make their own livings.

== Culture ==

Ironguard is a martial nation. Every freeborn child of Ironguard is assigned to a legion as soon as they are old enough to hold a weapon. They are rigorously trained with military discipline, loyalty to legion and king. They are carefully monitored, assigned tasks and positions relative to their demonstrated abilities, and earn advancement through displays of honor, valor, and competence. One's heritage has no bearing on one's position in society. Your parent may have been officers or bakers, and you could still rise to lead legions. King Temur himself is the child of a blacksmith and a minor officer who was discharged with dishonor.

Ironguard allows slavery. Slaves are usually the result of conquest, although Ironguard permits the purchase of slaves from elsewhere in order to shore up gaps in labor. Most freeborn do not farm land, and so slave labor is used in most agricultural pursuits. Still, any slave can earn his freedom through acts of honor and bravery (through few get the opportunity), and it is considered dishonor to mistreat one's slaves.

Ironguard also abhors Ferroclasty. It was created with the purpose of destroying the Caliphate and Ferroclasty and that tradition runs deep in the bones of every loyal Ironguarder. An offshoot of this attitude is a general hostility to [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Elves|elves]], [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Goblins|goblins]], [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|shedim, and ravin]], the most common adherents to the philosophy. These races, not coincidentally, along with [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|humans]], are also the most common enslaved races.

By far, the most common race in Ironguard is [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|dwarves]], followed by [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|halflings]]. In fact, by tradition, these two races cannot be enslaved. Other races have joined the ranks of the freeborn, including humans, [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Warforged|warforged]], [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Orcs|orcs]], [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Half-Orcs|half-orcs]], [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)#Goliaths|goliaths]], [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|genasi]], and even some [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Sparti|sparti]].

== History ==

{| class="infobox" style="clear:left"
! style="background: #CC9933; text-align: center;" | '''Monarchs of Ironguard'''
|-
| style="font-size: 10px; text-align: left;" |
King Chingiz (2491-2585) 
King Temur (2645-present) 
|}

==== Chingiz Ironbearer ====

The advent of Ferroclasty and the founding of the Caliphate apparently caused some consternation among the [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)|Elementals]] of the Fire Mountains. After decades of discussion, the Elementals anointed Chingiz Ironbearer, a dwarf bred and raised for the purpose, to lead tens of thousands of dwarven warriors from the Iron Mountains to crush the Caliphate. Chingiz spent some time organizing this dwarves into seven legions named after iron, gold, silver, copper, tin, quicksilver, and lead, the seven celestial metals. Chingiz himself took charge of the Iron Legion, and appointed his most trusted generals to lead and organize the others.

Chingiz' first campaign was against the secret city of Ramhead, home of the [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Ramhead Rangers|Ramhead Rangers]]. The city was virtually undefended and, believing its secrecy to be sacrosanct, unprepared. The city was conquered and razed, and its inhabitants enslaved at prizes of war. This appearance shocked the Free Kingdoms, and particularly, the Caliphate.

The seven legions battered the Caliphate mercilessly, expanding northward to the southern border of the [[Barrens (Patronage Supplement)|Barrens]], eastward to shores of the [[Nereid Sea (Patronage Supplement)|Nereid Sea]], and southward to the [[Savage Sound (Patronage Supplement)|Savage Sound]]. During this period, Chingiz founded the capital city of Legionhome in the foothills of the Fire Mountains though he rarely dwelt in his own palace, preferring his field tents. Chingiz was unstoppable, virtually undefeated, and would easily have ended the Caliphate if not for the weakness of old age.

By the time Chingiz had beaten the Caliphate across the Walls Road, he was getting old and feeble. The Caliphate's rulers are ageless elves but Chingiz was a dwarf, and the Elementals had not seen fit to grant him immortality. However, Chingiz refused to acknowledge his impending mortality even as his original generals each died in battle or of infirmity. Finally, '''General Gamaliel''' managed to strike Chingiz with a debilitating blow. His forces managed to retreat and secure his body, but he was dying, beyond the help of his healers. The army trekked back across the kingdom to Legionhome, where Chingiz died of his wounds, without naming an heir.

==== The Interregnum ====

Without a leader, the seven legions began to bicker among themselves. The Iron Legion elected a young dwarf as a new leader, but with the mandate that he not replace Chingiz. He and his successors stationed the Iron Legion in Legionhome and oversaw the management of the Legions' estates, but he refused to support any of the other six Generals in their bids to succeed Chingiz. What followed was 60-year period period of civil war as legion turned on legion.

Almost immediately, enemies of Ironguard capitalized on the kingdom's anarchy. Renegades from the Wild Forest conquered Southbar, and made it the capital of a new kingdom of Nidvalar. Six years later a goliath led a slave revolt in northern Ironguard, retaking the City of Artifice and creating the Free Kingdom of Midhaven. The Caliphate retook the Walls Road and began retaking its lost territory.

Slowly, the legions began to defeat one another. In 2615, a dwarf named Temur took control of the Copper Legion, which had already gained the allegiance of the Silver Legion and the Legion of Lead. Meanwhile an older general named '''Ulaganqara''' was in charge of the Gold Legion, and quickly subdued the Quicksilver Legion, and the Tin Soldiers. Temur and Ulaganqara faced each other several times, but always to a standstill. At one point Ulaganqara sought to purchase a new legion of warforged from Nidvalar. In return, as King of Ironguard, he would renounce all claims to the kingdom and establish a permanent alliance with him. This offer was refused.

Finally, Temur understood that even if he defeated Ulaganqara he would not truly rule unless he had the loyalty of the legions he was now facing. He saw that the legions were becoming camps and had forgotten their initial purpose. While Ulaganqara was in the south entreating with Ironguard's enemy Nidvalar, Temur drove his legions north and engaged in battle against Midhaven, reconquering the land for Ironguard. The news that Ironguard had retaken Midhaven electrified the populace. After decades of reports of territories being lost to the Caliphate and upstart kingdoms, this created hope and pride in Ironguard once more. Then, Temur cleverly recruited officers from each of Ulaganqara's legions and named them rival generals of their respective legions. This allowed soldiers to leave their current legion but honorably rejoin the same legion under Temur's banner. Ulaganqara drove north to confront Temur, but as he traveled, he found his armies losing men with every march as they left to join Temur. The defection of Ulaganqara's own consort, '''Regala''', to become the rival general of Temur's Gold Legion cemented his defeat. By the time Temur and Ulaganqara faced once more his army was but a mere shell. Still, pride would not allow Ulaganqara to accept surrender. He charged the field with his most loyal soldiers and was slain in personal combat with Temur. Temur honored Ulaganqara with a funeral and entombment befitting a general of the field, and placed his name on the monument to the generals of the Gold Legion in Legionhome.

==== King Temur ====

King Temur was crowned King of Ironguard in 2645. He immediately declared that he would reconquer all of Ironguard's lost territories, beginning with the Caliphate. He drove the Caliphate back across the Walls Road, and pressed them almost to the gates of the capital of Sarrun.

However, Temur had spent most of his youth fighting Ulaganqara. He was already an old man by the time he became king. His weakness is already beginning to show only 50 years into his reign. In 2655, a goliath named '''Ghiya''' retook the territory of Midhaven, and Temur could not respond immediately as he was embroiled in his war with the Caliphate. Eventually, in 2697, he could ignore the threat no longer, and when Midhaven drove towards Dragonseye to cut Ironguard from its only port on the Nereid Sea, it responded. The Caliphate and Carraway both sent troops to Dragonseye. [[Winteren (Patronage Supplement)|Winteren]] pledged its support for Ironguard against their common enemy of Midhaven and sent its own troops.

The Battle of Dragonseye was fierce but inconclusive. Reports say that during the battle Ironguard and Winteren were crushing all three armies when suddenly the seas began to boil and overflow. It began to swallow all of the armies when a young human named Rickard arrived with an army of halflings, escaped Wintreni slaves, and '''Queen Oncia'''. He or his sorcerers calmed the seas and called a parley. During the parley a truce was negotiated between the Caliphate, Winteren, Ironguard, Midhaven, [[Oncia (Patronage Supplement)|Oncia]], Carraway, and the newly formed [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Archduchy of Dragonseye]]. For a time, anyway, King Temur would have to delay the reconquest of all that Ironguard had lost.

Back in Legionhome, Temur contemplated the future of his kingdom. Can the old dwarf accept his own mortality and appoint an heir to avoid another interregnum? Will he make a last push to reconquer all that Ironguard has lost? Some say, that Temur disappeared into the Fire Mountains for a month after the Battle of Dragonseye, seeking the counsel of the Elementals. If they allowed him entrance to their Forges, and if they offered him any advice or even immorality, only Temur can say.

== Adventure Seeds ==

=== Heroic Tier ===

* '''Heroes of the Legion.''' The heroes are assigned to a legion and are sent to quell a slave revolt in their area.
* '''Heroes of the Road.''' Bold wild elves are attacking convoys along the Iron Road and the heroes must stop them.
* '''Heroes of the Wall.''' Walls Road is the subject of a tenses standoff between Ironguard and the Caliphate when both claim the other of a dishonorable attack. Only the heroes can discover the truth.

=== Paragon Tier ===

* '''Blackscale.''' Lizardfolk from Blackscale have been marauding along Walls Road, but have only been taking armor and iron weapons, which they have always eschewed? Why do they want iron? Is this a provocation? Have they had a falling out with the ferroclast Caliphate? In any case the situation needs to be resolved.
* '''Minia.''' In the lands bordering Minia, the landbonds have been dissolving. Is this an attack by the Minians? Is it the result of one of their primal invocations gone wrong? The adventurers need to confront the situation making sure that they can return alive to Ironguard to inform them of Minia's intentions.
* '''Nidvalar.''' Constructs from Nidvalar have been attacking convoys. Is it a rogue agent, as Nidvalar's Assembly claims? Is it the Clockwork Circle? Or is this a devious feint by Nidvalar to test Ironguard's resolve? Securing the convoys is the first priority, and then making sure that the situation is amended is what Inronguard needs.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Dragonseye (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:31:17Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Dragonseye
|Monarch=Archduke Rickard
|Resident=Dragonseyemen
|Heraldry=Azure, an eye sable open in a ring of eight suns or.
|Capital=City of Dragonseye
|Races=Dwarves, eidolons, elves, genasi, ghilan, goblins, goliath, halflings, half-orcs, humans, ogres, orcs, shedim, ravin, warforged
|Neighbors=Carraway, Caliphate, Ironguard, Midhaven, Nereid Sea
|Products=armor, bronze, copper, fish, incense, and fruit
|Snapshot=After centuries of ruin, Archduke Rickard occupied Dragonseye in the name of his beaten race of humans to be a new beacon for a new age.
}}

== Geography ==

On the shores of the [[Nereid Sea (Patronage Supplement)|Nereid Sea]] Dragonseye is a single city-state surrounded by hostile and suspicious neighbors. Only [[Midhaven (Patronage Supplement)|Midhaven]] appears to offer any real support to the small city, and then only insofar as it is a useful buffer between it and the [[Caliphate (Patronage Supplement)|Caliphate]]. The land around the city is arable and could eventually be plentiful. However, the history of this area is rife with war and bloodshed which led to Dragonseye being salted to prevent colonization. '''Rickard''' and the [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Dodecians|Dodecians]] are working to solve this pressing matter. Most people make their living by fishing or manufacturing goods bought through trade on the Nereid Sea only to sell them again. Winter is mild and trade as well as fishing is able to continue with only a slight increase in the fishers deaths and a decrease in the number of traders frequenting Dragonseye.

== Government ==

Rickard is the first monarch of Dragonseye. He was installed in an alliance with Midhaven and the enigmatic [[NPCs_(Patronage_Supplement)#Queen Oncia|Queen Oncia]] against the encroachment of the Caliphate and [[Ironguard_(Patronage_Supplement)|Ironguard]] into the area. His land has been styled an "Archduchy" so that Rickard could not claim superiority or even equality to the monarchs of the other Free Kingdoms. Many humans see this (rightly) as an insult. Even in freedom, humans are perceived as a lesser race.

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Dragonseye.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|Dragonseye. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Culture ==

Humans are used as slaves in the [[Alabastrian Empire_(Patronage_Supplement)|Alabastrian Empire]], [[Winteren_(Patronage_Supplement)|Winteren]], and [[Ironguard_(Patronage_Supplement)|Ironguard]]. Only in [[Minia_(Patronage_Supplement)|Minia]] and Midhaven are humans completely free, and even there, they are perceived as a lesser race, orphaned, [[Patronless_(Patronage_Supplement)|Patronless]], created without purpose. When Rickard was named Archduke, slaves began fleeing their masters to come to Dragonseye, the new homeland for humans. Along with them were smatterings of other races, seeking refuge form oppression and misery. These are hard people, but hopeful. They are uncultured, mostly illiterate, highly superstitious, but brave, hardy, and willing to die for their dream of liberty and security.

== History ==

The History of Dragonseye is really the history of the [[Patronless_(Patronage_Supplement)#Humans|human race]].

=== The Twelve ===

According to legend, the population of humans when they first appeared was only twelve. These twelve may not have been true individuals, but rather archetypes or even descriptions of groups of individuals with similar characteristics. They claim to have originally hailed form the [[Fire Mountains (Patronage Supplement)|Fire Mountains]], but their record includes no encounters with [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)|Titans]], [[Elemental_(Patronage_Supplement)#Genasi|genasi]], or [[Elemental_(Patronage_Supplement)#Dwarves|dwarves]], leading many to discount this origin. The "Twelve" as they are known, were:

* '''Ashra''' the Huntress
* '''Benjin''' the Wright
* '''Dani''' the Midwife
* '''Gada''' the Artisan
* '''Yosef''' the King
* '''Juda''' the Queen
* '''Lev''' the Fisher
* '''Naphtha''' the Dowser
* '''Reuen''' the Reaper
* '''Saachar''' the Soldier
* '''Simeon''' the Magician
* '''Zebula''' the Wise

The Twelve were supposed to have found themselves in the midst of Dragon territory. The ''Dodecon'' tells of their harrowing journey, avoiding halfling spies and sparti warriors, until they reached the shores of the Nereid Sea. There they founded the settlement of Dragonseye, so named, because they lived in the veritable eye of the Dragonlands.

=== The First Dragonseye ===

Dragonseye grew from a small settlement to Patronage's first city in a very short time. Knowing that this settlement would not remain hidden from Patron eyes for long, the last surviving of the Twelve, Simeon the Magician, instructed his Disciples on the construction of a Great Wheel which would protect Dragonseye from the Patrons who would surely seek the destruction of their [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)|patronless race]]. Then Simeon passed on to the next world.

Simeon's disciples did as instructed, and the Wheel operated beautifully. Its operation is only described in poetic terms in the ''Elemiad'', but it is credited from stopping attacks from [[Fey_(Patronage_Supplement)#Goblins|goblins]], [[Titan_(Patronage_Supplement)#Goliaths|goliaths]], [[Dragon_(Patronage_Supplement)#Sparti|sparti]], and [[Anthropophage_(Patronage_Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|shedim]]. Dragonseye appeared secure for now.

However, where brute force would not work, the Patrons learned that more subtle means could be useful. Dragonseye had become known as a refuge from Patron excess. The city was soon full of races of all sorts. This allowed the Patrons to send spies into Dragonseye to learn what they could.

There came a time when a corrupt king took the throne. King '''Yosea''' was a vain king, and feared death, and he sought a way to gain the immortality of the Patrons. The [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)|Fey]] discovered this and they made a dark deal. They would grant him immortality but he in turn would give them the secrets of the Wheel. Yosea agreed to the dark pact and the City of Dragonseye was surprised by a massive goblin raid. In the raid Yosea's own Queen '''Zebel''' was abducted, a terrible unspoken toll for dealing with the Fey.

Yosea's daughter, '''Davra''', had suspected her father was entreating with the Fey but could not imagine he would sell his own people for immortality. She managed to stop Yosea before he could permanently dismantle the Wheel. Yosea escaped, but Davra, now Queen, managed to save Dragonseye. She rebuilt the City and kept it safe from Patron incursion for another generation.

The dream of Dragonseye, however, would not last forever. The conquest of Dragonseye became an obsession for the mortal races loyal to their Patrons. This upstart orphan race was an insult to the hegemony of the Patrons. While many Patrons seemed to grow to accept the existence of a small Dragonseye settlement, many of the lesser races would not.

One such man was the [[Shinigami_(Patronage_Supplement)#Ghilan|ghilan]] warlord '''Nebu'''. Nebu pored over the stories of the goblin raid and discerned a weakness in the Wheel. He built a mighty navy and sailed across the Nereid Sea. With an army of [[Shinigami_(Patronage_Supplement)#Wights|wights]], the necromancer attacked the peaceful city in the middle of the night. Utterly surprised, Nebu managed to decimate the inhabitants and convert them into wights. The residents of Dragonseye had to flee the city for their lives. Victorious, Nebu dismantled the Wheel.

=== Lucindan Dragonseye ===

After Nebu's conquest, Dragonseye was ruined and its human residents scattered through the Dragonslands, exiled for 250 years. The halfling '''Empress Lucinda''' was tutored by the human wizard '''Aris''' and was an ally to the race. When she divided her empire in three, she gave the eastern half to her human advisor '''Antigone'''. The western border of the [[Dead Kingdoms_(Patronage_Supplement)#Eastern Kingdom|Eastern Kingdom]] was the newly restored city of Dragonseye. Humans were finally allowed back into their city.

The independence of Dragonseye was short-lived. Another realm created by Lucinda, the [[Dead Kingdoms_(Patronage_Supplement)#The Southern Empire|Southern Empire]], craved a port on the [[Nereid Sea_(Patronage_Supplement)|Nereid Sea]], and Dragonseye was precariously connected to the Eastern Kingdom. The Southern Empire invaded and occupied the city. The humans remained loyal to their human monarchs and for their loyalty the Southern Empire persecuted and, eventually, exiled them. Dragonseye was once again free of human residents. When the [[Dead Kingdoms_(Patronage_Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]] took Dragonseye from the Southern Empire, they allowed limited human return.

=== Alabastrian Dragonseye ===

150 years later these humans revolted from the Second Empire and won brief independence for the city. However, a hundred years later, the [[Alabastrian Empire_(Patronage_Supplement)|Alabastrian Empire]] conquered the city, using it as a base for its continued incursions into the Second Empire. During this tumultuous period, two humans started rival movements.

'''Josephine''' was a prophetess, and widely reputed to be the most powerful prophetess ever to live. Some call her the "Thirteenth," after the "Twelve" original humans of Dragonseye. She taught that the ancient sacred texts of the ''Dodecon'' and ''Elemiad'' contained secret rituals that could be used to rediscover the Ancient Wheel of Dragonseye and create a new haven for humans. Her followers became known as Dodecians, although many humans who follow the lessons of Dodecon, but don't follow Josephine, call these followers the Josephinians.

'''Jonnan''' was a warrior who briefly served the Alabastrians as a slave and a gladiator. He claims that on his final battle before earning his freedom he had a vision of a large [[Dragon_(Patronage_Supplement)|dragon]] arising from the floor of the arena, breathing a river of flame that burned all the invaders from Dragonseye, allowing the humans to reign once again. He founded the Order of the Dragon, which was dedicated to forcing the Alabastrians to leave at the edge of a sword. According to legend, he possessed the mighty [[Evararm (4e Equipment|Evararm]], slayer of immortals. Many other legends are attributed to him.

Both groups had initial great success. Josephine was said to have worked several miracles and to have had incredible powers of prophecy. Her followers managed to work many of those miracles on their own, and, reportedly, made great strides in reconstructing the Wheel. Jonnan's warriors managed to carve out a quarter of the city free of Imperial influence.

Neither group, however, would outlast their founder. The Empire eventually send an inordinate number of troops to surround Jonnan's Quarter. Every man, woman and child within the Quarter was slaughtered, and the entire area was razed to the ground. It is said that Jonnan was heard in a fierce argument just before the Empire entered his quarters and that a dragon was seen fleeing Draonseye just as the soldiers arrived. Josephine was arrested on charges of necromancy, tortured in an unsuccessful effort to make her publicly confess her guilt and then executed.

The legacies of Jonnan and Josephine live on. Numerous human rebellions have adopted Jonnan's banner over the centuries, attempting to retake the city. The Dodecians continue to meet in secret places, poring over the prophecies of their sacred texts and trying to reconstitute the Wheel. These movement have had a profound effect on the pride of the Patronless humans, filling them with purpose and inner strength, but it has also engendered a distrust of humans, particularly among those nations that occupy the ruins of Dragonseye, and have served as a justification for a number of measures that discriminate against this peculiar race.

Alabastria occupied Dragonseye for 200 years. At the end, the cost of human resistance was greater than the benefits of a port city so close to their operations in the Second Empire. But rather than abandon the city, in 1386, the Empire razed it to the ground, and forced the human inhabitants to scatter throughout the Free Lands.

=== Efthali Dragonseye ===

Nearly 500 years later a human named '''Khosra''' took the throne of the Second Empire. She allowed other humans to begin to rebuild the shattered city. However, it quickly became apparent that the lich Efthal intended to corral humans in the city where he could perform necromantic experiments on them in secret. Within three years Efthal had gathered the humans he wanted for his experiments and his puppet Khosra ended free Dragonseye and razed all the buildings the new colonists had rebuilt.

Over the years, other kingdoms rebuilt parts of Dragonseye. But the rebelliousness of humans, and their connection to Dragonseye, was a matter of public record. No ruler would allow humans to repopulate the city again. Humans attempted to create new Dragonsye movements elsewhere such as [[Oncia_(Patronage_Supplement)|Oncia]] and what would become [[Winteren_(Patronage_Supplement)|Winteren]], but were met with persecution. The reading of the Doedecon and Elemiad were banned, books burned, and prophets persecuted.

[[File:PatronLogo.JPG|thumb|This image was used by the early [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Dragonseye]] settlers as a pictograph to represent all the lands of Patronage, but has come to be seen as a symbol for Dragonseye itself.]]

=== Dragonseye in the North ===

The darkest days of the diabolical [[Efthali Dynasty_(Patronage_Supplement)|Efthali Dynasty]] came just before its destruction. In a desperate effort to find a new ritual to counter the mighty magic of the Caliphate, '''Efthal''' engaged in all manner of nefarious experiments. He had found that humans were particularly malleable to his brand of necromancy, and he had his death lords herd as may humans as possible in pens so that he could experiment upon them.

Some humans on the fringes of the Second Empire heard the rumors of the pens. Many refused to believe the rumors. Efthal was surely not that evil. But many more understood the truth. The decided that they had to leave the Empire. Those to the south fled to the Alabastrian Empire, where they were welcomed. But those to the north had no such recourse. Instead, they fled into the wilderness, first into the Barrens, and then, when Efthal's men began to burn the forests down, further north to the very foothills of the [[Ochre Mountains_(Patronage_Supplement)|Ochre Mountains]].

There, in 1990, the humans founded a small settlement which they named "New Dragonseye". After the fall of the Second Empire the Caliphate decided to leave this fledgling community alone, with the understanding that they would not try to recapture "Old Dragonseye", which was now under Caliphate control. The humans readily agreed.

Slowly, New Dragonseye became a haven, a beacon, for persecuted humans throughout Patronage. Although occasionally beset by ogre and goliath attacks from the mountains, or ghilan and wight attacks from the Dead March, the new nation endured peacefully for two and a half centuries.

In 2265, the dream came to a dreadful end. The ghilan warlord '''Yaro''' had become disillusioned with the ways of [[Duat_(Patronage_Supplement)|Duat]]. The [[Shinigami_(Patronage_Supplement)|Shinigami]] had retreated from the world, and warlords fought warlords for no purpose and no honor. Yaro led his tribe through the dangerous Dead March to the promise of a free kingdom. When he arrived on the far end of the Dead March, his people weary and starving, his people despaired. They knew of no means of survival without wight automatons for menial labor, but their serats had not survived the passage. When Yaro came upon New Dragonseye, he had his answer. He conquered the humans of New Dragonseye and prepared to slay them and turn them into wights.

The demise of humanity was halted by an invasion of [[Titan_(Patronage_Supplement)#Ogres|ogres]] and [[Titan_(Patronage_Supplement)#Goliaths|goliaths]]. These creatures had seen the destruction wrought by the lich Efthal. They would not allow such necromancy to be used in the foothills of their Patron Realm. Yaro met with a representative of the Titans. Some say, he was invited into one of the Titan's strongholds in the peaks of the Ochre Mountains. At the end of the conference, an agreement was reached. The humans would be enslaved, and the ghilan would forsake necromancy. The Titans would send goliaths to act as judges and guardians to both help them control their human slaves and to ensure no necromancy was being used. This compact formed the Free Kingdom of Winteren, but spelled the end of New Dragonseye.

=== Dragonseye Reborn ===

When the Free Kingdoms of [[Carraway_(Patronage_Supplement)|Carraway]], [[Ironguard_(Patronage_Supplement)|Ironguard]], [[Midhaven_(Patronage_Supplement)|Midhaven]], and the [[Caliphate_(Patronage_Supplement)|Caliphate]] engaged in a pitched battle in the ruins of Dragonseye some reportedly saw the seas begin to boil, as legend states had happened before the [[Leviathan_(Patronage_Supplement)|Leviathans]] entered their slumber. The motion momentarily caused a lull in the battle when Rickard, an unknown human and former Wintreni slave, led a ragtag band in between the two armies. Rickard brought the sides together. The meeting lasted for a month, and was attended by '''General Gamaliel''' of the Caliphate, '''King Temur''' of Ironguard, '''Queen Jaha''' of Midhaven, '''Queen Giane''' of Carraway, and '''Queen Oncia'''. When it ended, a fragile armistice had been reached, and the armies withdrew, acknowledging Rickard as the new Archduke of Dragonseye. Notably, however, the armistice was signed only by Rickard. Each of these nations retained their historic claims on Dragonseye, but the fragile politics of the age made it undesirable to expend the effort to keep it. Rather, they were content, for now, to allow Rickard to possess it rather than their more pressing enemies. This state of affairs will assuredly not last long. Richard has led many humans back into Dragonseye. Although the salted land restricts framing, the offer of a free human kingdom has lured many humans living in Winteren's New Dragonseye to return to Dragonseye.

== Adventure Seeds ==

=== Heroic Tier ===

* '''Heroes of Emancipation'''. Halflings have liberated a mass of Wintreni slaves and are trying to get them to Dragonseye. But the Wintreni army is hot on their heels. Can the heroes get to the caravan in time and sneak the slaves into Dragonseye?
* '''Heroes of History'''. In the ruins of Old Dragonseye, a strange tomb is found and heroes are needed to explore it.
* '''Heroes of Prophecy'''. Dragonseye has become a magnet for all manner of human prophets, many of whose prophecies contradict one another... until many of the prophecies concern a young band of adventurers. All the prophets agree: the heroes have an important job to do.

=== Paragon Tier ===

* '''Invasion.''' Armies again converge towards Dragonseye. The nations only hope is that a sneaky band o adventurers can sow dissension and perhaps get the armies to attack one another.
* '''Nereids.''' Voidyanoi arrive on the shores of Dragonseye with a warning. The boiling of the seas was the first of several signs. Dragonseye will fall unless there are heroes prepared to risk their lives to save it.
* '''Politics.''' A spy is in Dragonseye. The heroes must uncover the spy and his employer before he brings plans for the city's defense to their armies.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Chisel (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:31:10Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Chisel
|Monarch=King Ammad III
|Resident=Chiseli
|Heraldry=Per pale gules and sable, a chevron countercharged
|Capital=Corren's Stand
|Cities=Corren, Qinpe, Tispto
|Races=Eidolons, ghilan, halflings, humans, shedim, ravin
|Neighbors=Alabastrian Empire, Caliphate, Oncia, Savage Sound
|Products=cloth, barley, honey, wax, and wool. Chisel mines the hills for iron with which to make steel weapons and armor, but little of this is exported.
|Snapshot=A rebellious breakway nation from the Alabastrian Empire, in its heyday, it rivaled its parent in size. Slowly, however, it has yielded acre after acre to the Empire, until now only Corren's Stand and a thin path to the Savage Sound remains.
}}

== Geography ==

Chisel is a hilly and rocky land with rivers running from its northern mountains and the southeastern hills of [[Caliphate (Patronage Supplement)|Caliphate]] to the [[Savage Sound (Patronage Supplement)|Savage Sound]]. Farming this land takes extensive work, and the operable farms last for generations in families. The winters are cold and harsh and only hills offer support from the winds which ravage across the Savage Sound. Chisel is nestled (some would say squeezed) in between the [[Alabastrian Empire (Patronage Supplement)|Alabastrian Empire]] to the east and the Caliphate to the west. To the north sits the [[Carraway (Patronage Supplement)|Free Kingdom of Carraway]], with whom sporadic hostilities erupt.

== Government ==

Chisel is nominally a monarchy, but in practical terms, it is run by gang families. The current monarch, '''Ammad III''' has ruled Chisel with an iron fist for the last quarter-century merely because his family is more extensive than the others and because he crushes any who might oppose him. However, the in-fighting that plagues Chisel has allowed its enemy, the Alabastrian Empire, to slowly reconquer most of its territory. As age begins to take its toll on the [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Eidolons|eidolon]] king, his political enemies wait, and most of the populace fears the Empire will send its own armies to attend the king's funeral.

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Chisel.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|Chisel. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Culture ==

Chisel is a diverse community, but one's influence in it is defined mostly through family loyalty. Unsurprisingly, the families are often distinguished by race, although family squabbles have generally divided even races against one another. There is a strong concept of honor and strength in Chisel. Duels are common, and blood runs in Corren's Stand on a daily basis. Occasionally, a leader will rise who can unite, briefly, the various families against a common threat. Invariably, that common threat is the Alabastrian Empire. Chisel once had been a part of the Empire until '''Corren''' made her fabled stand. But the memory of Corren has long since faded. Her family line perished and people wonder if King Ammad still has what it takes to keep Chisel secure.

== History ==

160 years after the destruction of the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#Sarrun Empire|Sarrun Empire]] Alabastria was still suppressing revolt. They had destroyed the Empire's monuments, burned its books, and destroyed its paintings. The names of its rulers had been forgotten, but resentment to the Empire still lingered. When a small drought-ridden village was unable to make its annual tribute to Aligon '''Emperor Juzhian''' saw this as a sign of nascent rebellion. Both '''Oncia''' and '''Xarlem''', his best generals were otherwise engaged, so he sent the ambitious '''General Enzhou'''. Enzhou wanted to make an impression and he did so by brutalizing the populace. Even by Imperial standards, the brutality was striking. It inspired a true rebellion, led by a ravin named '''Corren''' and her allies. Corren and six individuals began raiding the Imperial stores to feed the hungry and poor in the countryside. Enzhou spared no resource to find them. Finally, he cornered Corren's Band in a barn. Unbelievably, the six adventurers held the Imperial Army at bay for five days. During this time, word spread of the band's heroism and a peasant army rose, surrounding the Imperial forces. A massive battle ensued in which the barn in which the Band was hiding in was burned to the ground. The peasants then overran Enzhou, burning him in that barn. Remarkably Corren survived, though badly burned, and founded Corren's Stand as a free city. The Charred Queen, as she was known, spent the next 22 years liberating much land from the Alabastrian Empire, until she was cruelly slain by the Emperor's champion Xarlem (who is now Emperor himself).

[[File:Chisel.jpg|thumb|alt=The copyright holder of this work released this work into the public domain via Wikimedia Commons.|The familial fortresses at Corren's Stand are built to withstand attacks from even the formidable [[Alabastrian Empire (Patronage Supplement)|Alabastrian Empire]].]]

Over the next century and a half, there was uneasy peace between Chisel and Alabastria, as Alabastria dealt with problems in [[Duat (Patronage Supplement)|Duat]]. During this peace, the diverse kingdom divided along racial lines. Corren left no heirs, and often the crown was possessed by the strongest warrior, or by that warrior's heir, if he or she could hold it against all rivals.

In 2123, Emperor Xarlem decided he had been patient with the upstart kingdom for too long. He appointed a succession of generals to recapture Chisel. A succession was needed, because Chiseli assassins became quite adept at assassinating the [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Deva|deva]] officers. However, Chisel is a small Kingdom, and plagued by perpetual in-fighting. Over the next 500 years, Chisel lost all the cities it had captured from the Empire. Emperor Xarlem very much wants to eviscerate this symbol of defiance against Imperial reign which he also sees as a relic of the forgotten Sarrun Empire. Many hope for a new Corren to rise and lead the kingdom to a new age. Some whisper apocalyptically that Corren herself will rise like a phoenix from the ashes to save her kingdom. But more believe there will be no respite and Chisel, like the Sarrun Empire before it, will be erased from the pages of history.

{| class="column" style="width: 100%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-
| style="width: 100%;" align="center"|
=== Royal Dynastic Houses of Chisel ===
|}
{| class="column" style="width: 100%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-
| style="width: 23%;" align="center"|
'''I 
House of Mohad '''
(2306-2397) 
----
King Baxter (2306-2311) 
Queen Tasha (2311-2356) 
King Ali (2356-2396) 
Queen Ibra (2396) 
King Ishaq (2396-2397) 
| style="width: 31%;" align="center"|
'''II 
House of Movar '''
(2397-2519) 
----
Queen Mumina (2397-2413) 
King Joseph (2413-2433) 
King Mamser (2433-2449) 
King Nanser (2449-2464) 
King Tanser (2464-2474) 
King Mackley (2474) 
Queen Adele (2474-2477) 
Queen Yaiya (2477-2479) 
Queen Idra (2479-2482) 
King Rashan (2482-2492) 
King Ali II (2492-2498) 
Queen Marta (2498-2516) 
Queen Oola (2516-2519) 
| style="width: 46%;" align="center"|
'''III 
House of Marina '''
(2519-present) 
----
Queen Jacoba (2519-2536) 
Queen Josephine (2536-2557) 
Queen Thebeta (2557-2558) 
King Rabbert (2558-2560) 
King Uthman (2560-2581) 
King Hasnally (2581-2598) 
King Pharis (2598-2609) 
Queen Saida (2609) 
King Ali III (2609-2611) 
Queen Uma (2611) 
Queen Halima (2611-2612) 
Queen Zayyan (2612-2616) 
King Pharis II (2616-2622) 
Queen Zayyan II (2622-2624) 
King Labbas (2624-2634) 
Queen Musa (2634-2636) 
Queen Zayyan III (2636) 
King Ammad (2636-2637) 
King Ammad II (2637-2643) 
King Pharis III (2643-2647) 
King Aziz (2647-2648) 
Queen Oola II (2648-2649) 
King Uthman II (2649-2669) 
King Ammad III (2669-present) 
|}

== Adventure Seeds ==

===Heroic Tier===

* '''Heroes of the City.''' As political tensions rise, intra-House assassinations become unbearable. The heroes must broker peace among the Houses before they destroy themselves.
* '''Heroes of the House.''' The heroes are members of or affiliated with a House. They are tasked with protecting the House's interests against a rival House... by any means necessary.
* '''Heroes of the Sound.''' Alabastria blockades the small nation. The heroes must run the blockade and get much needed supplies to Corren's Stand.

===Paragon Tier===

* '''Alabastria.''' Alabastria invades! The surprise attack leaves Corren's Stand defenseless. The heroes must hold back the entire army, much like Corren of old.
* '''Caliphate.''' The Caliphate's assistance has always come at a price, and now they want to cash in -- the Caliphate wants to absorb Chisel as a district, and impose Ferroclasty. If they refuse, the Caliphate is now willing to let the Empire overrun the nation. The heroes must find a third path to allow Chisel to maintain its independence.
* '''Starshine Hills.''' Monsters from the hills have been attacking mining caravans. The heroes must put an end to the attacks.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Carraway (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:31:03Z

Green Dragon:

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Carraway
|Monarch=Queen Giane
|Resident=Carrawegian(s)
|Heraldry=Azure, lion rampant and hart rampant
|Capital=Lucinda
|Cities=Beskri, Biw, Cui, Deltroth, Entam, Linst, Liv, Peq, Posnil, Qempn, Rose, and Ruoste.
|Races=Deva, eidolons, elves, goblins, halflings, humans, shedim, ravin
|Neighbors=Blackscale Swamp, Caliphate, Dragonseye, Nereid Sea, Oncia
|Products=Crafts, fish, linen, lampoil, olives, and ships.
|Snapshot=Created by the great ravin Caraw, Carraway is a haven for shedim and ravin, where other races are tolerated and closely watched.
}}

== Geography ==

Carraway is a hilly country dotted with fruit orchards, olive groves, and deciduous forests and has a southern temperate forest. It is mostly a subtropical climate with mild winters and long, warm, dry summers. Only in the southern reaches do harsh freezing conditions occur. The northern rivers flow to the [[Nereid Sea (Patronage Supplement)|Nereid Sea]] while the southern rivers flow to the [[Savage Sound (Patronage Supplement)|Savage Sound]]. Bordered on the north by the Nereid Sea, the native [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|shedim and ravin]] have taken the maritime expertise they learned on the Savage Sound and adapted it to make them the dominant shipping power in Patronage.

Carraway has five neighbors. To the east is [[Oncia (Patronage Supplement)|Oncia]], their ally in arms, and the [[Alabastrian Empire (Patronage Supplement)|Alabastrian Empire]]. They have a mutual bond of trade and security with Oncia since Carraway has pledged to defend Oncia against invasion from the [[Alabastrian Empire (Patronage Supplement)|Alabastrian Empire]] and Oncia has pledged to aid Carraway against [[Caliphate (Patronage Supplement)|Caliphate]], their southwestern neighbor. [[Chisel (Patronage Supplement)|Chisel]] lies to the south of Carraway. To the west the fledgling neighbor of [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Dragonseye]] struggles to survive. Carraway regards this neighbor warily as it has become a refuge for escaped human slaves.

The cities of Carraway are graced with history and natural beauty. Lucinda was one of the first cities, named after the famed Empress Lucinda, and it contains stores of relics of history and art. To the west, the city of Rose is currently home of the Knights of the Compass, and they dominate city politics, allowing to operate almost as an independent city-state. To the east, Biw is a center of trade across the Nereid Sea and boasts one of the largest markets in all the Free Kingdoms. The cities of Cui, Linst, and Ruoste sport expansive orchards and farms providing figs, dates, and precious olives that are traded across the lands of Patronage.

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Carraway.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|Carraway. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Government ==

Carraway is governed by a Peerage. Every person who has received a noble [[Landbond (Patronage Supplement)|landbond]] meets every three years to discuss the state of affairs for the Kingdom. The state of affairs approves new landbonds and, if needed, appoints new monarchs. The Monarch nominally governs all of the Peers, but of course such actions are a matter of politics as the Peerage may choose to remove a Monarch who is too active against the Peers. The Peerage approves all taxes and tariffs, all permanent changes to landbonds, and raises any armies needed for defense of the Kingdom. Still, as they meet only every three years, the monarch is in full control of the Kingdom when the Peerage is not in session.

Over the years, the monarchy has accrued more and more power, and some of the Peers have begun to suggest that instead of a monarch, Carraway appoint a Prime Minister as is done in [[Nidvalar (Patronage Supplement)|Nidvalar]]. However, this movement has not gotten a lot of support particularly since most Peers harbor secret desires to one day become Monarch of Carraway and do not want to merely be Prime Minister of Carraway.

== Culture ==

Although nominally a nation dedicated to freedom, slavery is recognized and tolerated, particularly of [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Human|humans]], [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Elves|elves]], and [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Deva|deva]]. [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|Halflings]] are not enslaved, due to the Halfling Monarch's assistance in founding Carraway, as well as the common belief that enslaving halflings will bring a terrible curse on the populace.

Free Carrawegians are a rebellious, noisy lot, who revel in loud celebrations and violent confrontations. Although they adore their monarchs, they tend to obey the law more in the breach, and most port towns of Carraway are havens for smugglers and pirates.

== History ==

{| class="infobox" style="clear:left"
! style="background: #CC9933; text-align: center;" | '''Monarchs of Carraway'''
|-
| style="font-size: 10px; text-align: center;" |
Ravin Dynasty
|-
| style="font-size: 10px; text-align: left;" |
Queen Caraw (2444-2464) 
King Gelo (2464-2499) 
King Marco (2499-2540) 
King Gugle (2540-2560) 
Queen Nicole (2560-2578) 
King Vanni (2578-2599) 
|-
| style="font-size: 10px; text-align: center;" |
Shedim Dynasty
|-
| style="font-size: 10px; text-align: left;" |
Queen Frenza (2599-2608) 
Queen Nicole II (2608-2615) 
Queen Nicole III (2615-2627) 
King Crispo (2627-2651) 
Queen Gia I (2651-2672) 
King Vanni II (2672-2687) 
Queen Gia II (2687-2691) 
Queen Giane (2691-present) 
|}

Three hundred years ago, the Caliphate dominated the lands south of the Nereid Sea. The Alabastrian Empire was weakened, distracted by the continuing rebellion of [[Chisel (Patronage Supplement)|Chisel]] and the invasions of [[Duat (Patronage Supplement)|Duat]]. '''Oncia''' was in hiding, protected by the [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Order of the Compass|Order of the Compass]] and the Halfling Queen, allies she had cultivated over the years. During her exile, she befriended a ravin named '''Caraw'''. Caraw was once nearly promoted to Emir in the Caliphate for her leading of several campaigns against the Alabastrian Empire. However, in one campaign, it is said, she was leading a fleet of ships in a raid on the City of Downlach, when a storm struck and her fleet was wrecked. She managed to survive with a handful of companions only to be captured by the Alabastrian Empire and imprisoned in Downlach. The Empire reportedly tried to ransom her, but the Caliphate refused to pay the ransom they demanded. While negotiations continued, Oncia and the Halfling Queen executed a daring raid and freed Caraw from her cell.

Shortly thereafter, Caraw began working against both Caliphate and Empire. She recruited many shedim and ravin to the cause. That cause was creating a new haven for her kind along the Nereid Sea. Along with Oncia's sorcerous powers and her multitude of contacts, the two began a rebellion that struck the Caliphate as they were preoccupied with [[Ironguard (Patronage Supplement)|Ironguard]]. Caraw personally led dozens of battles, holding both the Caliphate and the Alabastrian Empire at bay. She allied with Chisel and Ironguard against their common enemies. Finally, in the year 2444, she declared the Free Kingdom of Carraway, while she personally witness the reinvestiture of Oncia as Queen of her kingdom in Downlach, the city where it all began.

The next 150 years were spent cementing the kingdom's place in the world. Caraw's grandson, King '''Marco''', negotiated a truce with the Caliphate, wherein the Caliphate agreed to cede their claims to the territory and Carraway agreed to aid the Caliphate in its ongoing dispute with Ironguard and to ensure that no iron goods would be imported into the Caliphate (this move angered Ironguard, and the kingdom has had a rocky relationship with the dwarven race ever since). Over time, trade along the Nereid Sea augmented by good relations with the Order of the Compass, Oncia, and the Halfling Monarchs ensured a period of prosperity and stability for the kingdom.

At the end of the 26th century, Queen '''Vanni''' died without any heirs. Several cousins of the late monarch began disputing one another for the crown. Many feared this would lead to civil war, and rumors of invasions from the Caliphate or Empire grew. In the end, a young shedim named '''Frenza''' called a convocation of all holders of the [[Landbond (Patronage Supplement)|landbond]]. In it, she called for peace among her kind, and she declared that this group, the Peerage, should rule. The Peerage agreed and appointed her Queen. But upon her death, rather than anoint Frenza's daughter, the Peerage met again and chose a Ravin named '''Nicole''' (who became Nicole II). This new mode of selecting a monarch became known as the Shedim Dynasty, because of its foundation with the Shedim, and the time before Frenza became known as the Ravin Dynasty, as all the monarchs had been ravin. Since then, the peerage has always selected a Shedim or Ravin as monarch (even though there are other races as Dukes and Counts in the Kingdom).

== Adventure Seeds ==

===Heroic Tier===

* '''Heroes of the Hoard'''. Carraway exists in what used to be the Dragonslands. The heroes find an old treasure map to one of the Dragons' legendary hoards. Is it still there? Are the Dragon's traps still active? And what creatures have made residence there since the Dragons' departure?
* '''Heroes of Port'''. Pirates from the Nereid Sea are plundering Carraway's ports, and the Peerage is too disorganizaed to fortify the militia. A guild of merchants wants to hire you to stop the pirates.
* '''Heroes of the Rose'''. The Order of the Compass is looking for new recruits to scout out the conspiracies of the Patrons. Do you hav what it takes to defend the realms?

===Paragon Tier===

* '''Ferroclasts'''. A ferroclast cult is operating in secret in the city, undermining and sabotaging, to make ready for a new invasion by the Caliphate. Can the heroes stop them in time?
* '''Peerage'''. Someone is murdering members of the Peerage and the Lucindan authorities are unable to fined any leads. The heroes are asked to find the assassin or assassins.
* '''Race Riot'''. When Queen Giane dies, the two candidates to replace her are divided among racial lines, with ravins supporting one candidate and the shedim the other. When arguments become violent it may be up to the heroes to help resolve the conflict before outright civil war erupts.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Caliphate (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:30:32Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=The Caliphate
|Monarch=Muhajiel the Prophet
|Resident=Ferroclast(s)
|Heraldry=Vert, orb argent on two pallets tenné
|Capital=Sarrun
|Cities=Api, Areetm, Boelm, E'mi, Hal, Halm, He'mpth, Jistn, Mesm, Osplm, Pantesi, Ponm, Qilti, Ralmi, Rs'im, and Telp.
|Races=Elves, goblins, halflings, humans, shedim, ravin
|Neighbors=Blackscale Swamp, Carraway, Chisel, Dragonseye, Ironguard, Nidvalar, Oncia, Savage Sound
|Products=horses, ink, leather goods, paper, salted meat, wheat, and wine
|Snapshot=Founded by the Eternal Elves Muhajiel and Gamaliel centuries ago, this Caliphate promotes education, the arts, and an unceasing violent war against the use of wrought iron, which are considered the root of all evils in this world.
}}

== Geography ==

Much of the Caliphate consists of rolling fertile plains dotted with the occasional temperate forest, clear spring lake or river, and soft rolling hillsides. The terrain is ideal for agriculture, and the Caliphate is an abundant supplier of grains. The southern forest is higher then the surrounding terrain and gets extremely cold and snowy in winter. In other areas winter is not as harsh. Rivers which start in the southern forest first flow north to the rivers which flow through the plains then south to the [[Savage Sound (Patronage Supplement)|Savage Sound]]. Rivers more to the north flow north through [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Dragonseye]] into the [[Nereid Sea (Patronage Supplement)|Nereid Sea]]. The Caliphate has several natural borders that afford it some protection. To the south is the Savage Sound which, despite being plied by pirates and brigands and offering ravaging winds, is usually a secure border. To the west is the treacherous [[Blackscale Swamp (Patronage Supplement)|Blackscale Swamp]], its [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Sparti|sparti]] residents nominal allies of General '''Gamaliel'''.

The Caliphate is bounded on the north by the [[Carraway (Patronage Supplement)|Free Kingdom of Carraway]], which was once a province of the Caliphate. Hostilities between the nations are not uncommon as the Caliphate would like to restore that territory to its own, affording the Caliphate access to the rich ports of the Nereid Sea. To the northeast is the [[Oncia (Patronage Supplement)|Free Kingdom of Oncia]]. Although there is deep personal animosity between the Caliph and Queen Oncia, this is a personal matter. Politically, the Alabastrian Empire is a common enemy for them. To the east is the [[Chisel (Patronage Supplement)|Free Kingdom of Chisel]], which affords a good buffer against the Alabastrian Empire, and the Caliphate gives this small nation what assistance it can. However, it now appears to be a losing battle, as Chisel cedes a little territory every year. To the southwest is the [[Nidvalar (Patronage Supplement)|Free Kingdom of Nidvalar]]. This small kingdom is a thorn in Caliphate's side, spewing forth ironworks and constructs. Only its determined neutrality in the ongoing conflict between the Caliphate and [[Ironguard (Patronage Supplement)|Ironguard]] has saved it from a full-scale invasion. To the northwest sits the young [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Free Kingdom of Dragonseye]]. The Caliphate is wary of this young kingdom of humans. If it proves weak, it may be easy access to the [[Nereid Sea (Patronage Supplement)|Nereid Sea]]. If it proves strong, it may be a threat best dealt with early.

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Caliphate.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|The Caliphate. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Government ==

Caliph '''Muhajiel''' runs the government as a benevolent tyrant. Only his brother operates as any sort of counterbalance to his edicts, and Gamaliel hardly ever contradicts his brother. Muhajiel has appointed most magistrates in the kingdom, as well as administrative satraps to oversee daily administration of the domestic needs of his subjects. Gamaliel has been given free reign to oversee and organize the armed forces, appointing officers and coordinating troop deployments. It is often said that Gamaliel is the true power in the Caliphate for he could easily overthrow his brother. However, Gamaliel always been fiercely loyal to his brother. Moreover, the Caliph is revered almost as a Patron to his people. A war between the brothers would surely destroy all they have built together.

Below the Caliph are a series of emirs who manage individual emirates within the Caliphate. These emirs hold absolute power within their borders, subject only to the Caliph himself. Gamaliel, who maintains no title and has never undergone the [[Landbond (Patronage Supplement)|Landbond]], often patrols the emirates to ensure that emirs are not abusing their subjects. Occasionally, Gamaliel has removed a wayward emir by hanging him. Emirs may appoint individual lesser nobles to manage parts of the emirates, but most rely on viziers and courtiers.

== Culture ==

The Caliphate is blessed with a number of prosperous cities. To the north some of Deltroth, Ponm, Hem'ptn, and Telp sit in the midst of vast fertile plains that supply the Caliphate with much of its grains and grapes, and they export their excess production to their allies. Ralmi sits just outside the Starshine Hills and is nestled between two main rivers. Here, the gem-mining and quarry operations of the Caliphate are coordinated, with precious stones, and marble and granite blocks refined and then shipped southward to the port cities, or westward to the capital of Sarrun. Sarrun is a well-fortified city and once the gleaming jewel of Patronage. Stone is the capital's main building material, with more important buildings made up of precious and rare constructions, granite and marble adorn the capitals avenues and streets, but the luster has faded over the centuries as the kingdom has entered its long slow decline. Finally, the port cities of Pantesi and Osplm transport goods from across the Savage Sound, providing much needed revenue, as well as have extensive fish and salt industries.

The Caliphate values creative endeavors. Partly this is due to the elven influence of its founders, who appreciate art and entertainment. Partly, it is a necessity of their doctrine of [[Juzhian Age (Patronage Supplement)#Ferroclasty|Ferroclasty]], which forbids the use of worked iron. Without metal plows, swords, and armor, many tasks become very difficult and it is only with the clever application of craft and magic that the Caliphate competes with its iron-using rivals.

The lack of iron also means that the Caliphate portrays itself as breezy and easy-going. Flowing robes replace restrictive bodices and pantaloons. Long ornate turbans replace short woven hats. Poetry is luxuriously long. Concerts are intricate and extensive. To many people, time itself moves more slowly in the Caliphate. However, this should not be seen as a sign of weakness. When called upon, the Caliphate can muster quickly. Most of the Ferroclasts believe themselves to be living in a paradise. They firmly belief that iron is the cause of all evil, and they will work quickly to stamp out any threat to their lifestyle.

== History ==

=== Origins ===

The history of the Caliphate is a history of two brothers. It is not known whether Muhajiel and Gamaliel were born in the [[Fey Realm (Patronage Supplement)|Fey Realm]] or in the [[Wild Forest (Patronage Supplement)|Wild Forest]]. The earliest accounts of them are as full-grown elves. Nothing is known of their parents, and whether they have had any siblings (they have no known children). The elves first appear with Muhajiel announcing his theory of Ferroclasty in the early nineteenth century. The idea caught on quickly, thanks to Muhajiel's passionate speeches, and he quickly garnered a large following among the residents of the wild forest. This movement would likely have gotten nowhere without Gamaliel, who had a knack for organization and strategy. Moreover, the brothers appeared to be ageless. Even the long-lived elves do not live as long as Muhajiel and Gamaliel. Nobody knows why and the brothers have offered no explanation.

=== Foundation ===

In 1885, the city of Sarrun was still mostly rubble. Eight decades ago, the Alabastrian Empire razed the city, virtually erasing the memory of the Empire it once housed. Isolated on the edge of the Empire, it was lightly garrisoned when the Ferroclasts struck, killing the Alabastrians and taking over the city. The Caliphate was born.

Emperor Juzhian made some token efforts to keep the city, but when it became clear that the Caliphate had no intention of resurrecting the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#Sarrun Empire|Sarrun Empire]], the Alabastrians considered it abandoned. The Ferroclasts quickly restored the edifices in the city and brought it to new heights of glory. It was strategically located near rivers large enough for small watercraft and to trade on the Savage Sound. As the population grew, the Eternal Elves faced the question of whether to expand eastward into the Albastrian Empire or westward to the Second Empire.

It is said that the brothers had resolved to conquer the Alabastrian Empire when they were visited by a Ramhead Ranger and a human prophetess named Aira. Nobody knows what transpired in that tent but the four of them, but whatever Aira said must have been persuasive. The brothers chose to go west.

=== Conquering the Wall ===

The biggest problem with the plan was that the Second Empire was protected by an enormous wall. However, the Ferroclasts had left the bulk of their cult in the Wild Forest, planning to ferry them to Sarrun once the Caliphate was secure. Instead, Gamaliel ferried himself back to the Wild Forest and raised a second army. Combining this smaller force with the might of the Ramhead Rangers, the army attacked and sacked Southbar (now known as Foundry) from the undefended western face. When the city fell, the gates to the West were open, and the Caliphate owned territory on both sides of the wall.

The brothers methodically went northward. Gamaliel controlled the armies on the west of the wall, and Muhajiel controlled the armies on the east. Muhajiel's magic outmatched the necromancy of the [[Efthali Dynasty (Patronage Supplement)|Efthali Deynasty]] at every battle. Slowly, one by one, each fort on the Wall was captured. After a century of fighting, the Caliphate conquered Northbar.

The brothers then turned their sights on the imperial capital of Artifice. By this time, Efthal saw that the brothers could not be stopped. He fled into the Barrens and allowed the Second Empire to fall. The Caliphate now controlled more territory than any empire that preceded it.

[[File:Caliphate.jpg|thumb|alt=By Bahawalpuri (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons|The architecture and art of the Caliphate is often grand, elegant, and stunning.]]

=== The Golden Age ===

For more than 400 hundred years, the Caliphate managed its lands in peace. It allowed the Ramhead Rangers to pursue Efthal in the Barrens. Meanwhile, the Empire pursued the arts and sciences. In the Alabastrian Empire, the noble and refined Juzhian had been assassinated and replaced by Emperor '''Xarlem'''. As the Alabastrian Empire grew darker, the Caliphate became the shining beacon of civilization for Patronage and many thousands of people flocked to its borders, eschewing iron in exchange for peace.

In 2314, Emperor Xarlem ordered '''Oncia''' to reconquer Sarrun and thus consolidate all the lands that once belonged to the Alabastrian Empire. Oncia's attack was uncoordinated, and, say some, reluctant. Gamaliel crushed her army, and although she escaped Gamaliel's counterattack left the Caliphate in charge of all the land north to the shores of Nereid Sea, and east to the original borders of the Avatarlands. Oncia escaped to the ruins of Dragonseye. While there she and her honor guard discovered an item called the "Compass Rose". They founded the [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Order of the Compass|Order of the Compass]], and secretly worked to restore Alabastrian control over the southern shore of the Nereid Sea. Gamaliel hunted Oncia mercilessly, but she and the Order of the Compass managed to sneak from one ruined city to another.

In the end, Alabastria proved to be more of a nuisance than a threat to the Caliphate. The Caliphate consolidated its control over these additional lands. It also destroyed the Wall, replacing it with the Walls Road. The Caliphate appeared stronger than any rival, a beacon of civilization and culture, heralding a new, never-ending golden age. But no golden age lasts forever.

=== Ironguard ===

In 2440, a new enemy appeared. Chingiz Ironbearer and his Ironguard destroyed the Ramhead Rangers in their once secret city. But the true goal of Chingiz was to destroy Ferroclasty, the philosophy on which the Caliphate was formed. Shortly after the appearance of Chingiz, Oncia, and an army of malcontents funded by the Empire conquered the city of Lucinda. While they spread their rebellion to other cities, Emperor Xarlem made a bold attack on the capital Sarrun itself. Gamaliel was forced to cede territory to Oncia in order to maintain control of the capital and save his brother. Shortly thereafter, Ironguard was founded and promptly began devouring the Caliphate's western holdings, sacking Southbar in the beginning of the 26th century.

Over the last two centuries, the Caliphate has steadily ceded territory to Ironguard in the west. Ironguard's gains emboldened the Caliphate's eastern enemies. Oncia regained her city of Downlach and reformed her eponymous kingdom. She also aided rebels along the Nereid Sea who founded Carraway. Although Gamaliel's strategic mind is as sharp as ever, even he cannot outwith two massive empires. While Ironguard and Albastria have suffered their own setbacks the Caliphate struggles to maintain its identity and position of prominence. Presently, it controls only the capital of Sarrun and a dozen or more emirates. If either Ironguard or Alabastria were to make a concentrated effort to crush this once great kingdom, the Caliphate would likely cease to exist.

== Adventure Seeds ==

=== Heroic Tier ===

* '''Heroes of Ferroclasty'''. The Caliph traditionally allows its emirs great autonomy within their demesne, relying on their dedication to the ideals of Ferroclasty to ensure their righteous behavior. As the Caliphate's power wanes due to incursions by Ironguard, Dragonseye, and Carraway, many emirs stray from the righteous path. They entreat with foreign powers, hoping to preserve their privileges if the Caliphate is conquered, or they war with their fellow emirs, trying to consolidate power and perhaps even challenge the Eternal Elves themselves. Many have fallen to decadence, secretly purchasing iron weapons, or abusing their subjects in an attempt to increase their wealth. Some, particularly those in the south near the Savage Sound and Mongrel Island, have even fallen to the lure of Anthropophagic Cults. The heroes could be adventurers who travel through the Caliphate uncovering treacheries of disloyal emirs and standing up for dedicated Ferroclasts and the ideals of the Caliphate. By the end of the heroic tier, the heroes may have caught the attention of Eternal Elves themselves, who seek their assistance in restoring the Caliphate to its former glory.
* '''Heroes of Monster-Slaying'''. Large swaths of the Caliphate are no better than Wild Lands. Monsters plague the countryside, arriving from the Blackscale Swamp, Starshine Mountains, and the Savage Sound. Emirs are always looking for adventurers for hire to control these marauding beasts. In addition to monsters, gangs of lawless goblins who once dwelt amidst the ruins of Dragonseye roam the northern emirates.
* '''Heroes of Ruin'''. The Caliphate sits on the ruins of numerous empires. The Second Empire, the Southern Empire, the Sarrun Empire, and the Alabastrian Empire all controlled this land at one point in history. Ancient magic and power still lie hidden within many ruins, and brave heroes may seek out these treasures. However, powerful agents may want these secrets hidden. In addition to the monsters that typically inhabit ruins, heroes would have to avoid Alabastrian agents, rival treasure-seekers, and many Societies, including the Testament, and the Loyalists, who may be guarding their own past.

=== Paragon Tier ===

At paragon tier, the heroes may be acting as agents of the Caliphate itself. The Caliph has many enemies that seek its destruction:
* '''Carraway''': The nation of Carraway broke away from the Caliphate and has aggressively been stamping out Ferroclasty. The current Queen Mrawr often styles herself as the new Dyarch in the style of the lost Southern Empire, and she may wish to move her capital to Sarrun, which was founded by that Southern Empire. She has the support of the powerful Oncia and the Order of the Compass. Heroes of the Caliph may be sent on missions to sabotage the Compass Rose, to destroy the forges of Carraway's armies, and to otherwise harry Carrawegian troops.
* '''Dragonseye''': This upstart kingdom is led by the powerful Archduke Rickard and his sister, a potent oracle. They also have the support of the human Dodecian cult. In a Caliphate-based Paragon tier, Rickard may be aggressive in re-establishing the Eastern Kingdom of old, which would include some of the northern territory in the Caliphate. Heroes of the Caliph may be sent to infiltrate the Dodecian cults operating within the Caliphate, to ferret out the source of the humans' oracular powers, and invade the city-state of Dragonseye itself.
* '''Ironguard''': The Caliphate's greatest nemesis, this nation of militaristic dwarves exists solely to destroy the Caliphate and Ferroclasty everywhere. It has slowly recovered form a devastating Civil War, and it is only a matter of time before they raise another army of dwarves to crush the Caliphate. The dwarves are always engineering new iron monstrosities to unleash on the Caliphate, and Heroes of the Caliph will be asked to hunt out and seek these mighty iron siege engines before they can wreak havoc on the peaceful Caliphatist population.
* '''Time''': The Eternal Elves are not truly eternal. They used advanced alchemy to lengthen their lifespan, but not Gamaliel and Muhajiel have entered their winter phase, and the limits of what they can accomplish with alchemy. The Heroes of the Caliph must work with the aging brothers as they try to secure their legacy and prepare the Caliph to survive without its Prophet or its General. The Heroes of the Caliph will have to usher in a new Golden Age of Ferroclasty and show the world that it is not the elves who are eternal, but the Caliphate and all it stands for.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:29:12Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Ochre Mountains
|Monarch=None
|Resident=Giants
|Heraldry=None
|Capital=None
|Races=Goliath, ogres, Titans
|Neighbors=Dead March, Duat, Green Lands, Verdant, Winteren
|Snapshot=The Patron Lands of the contemplative Titan Patrons, and their goliathan and ogrish subjects.
}}

== Geography ==

Spanning the northern edge of the continent, beyond which are only the [[Mists (Patronage Supplement)|Mists]], the Ochre Mountains are taller than any other peaks in the continent, often reaching into the clouds and the [[Mists (Patronage Supplement)|Mists]] themselves. The slopes of the mountains are dotted with rams, lynx, bears, pine trees, and other wildlife of the north, as well as, of course, ogres, goliath, and their [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)|Titan Patrons]].

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Ochre Mountains.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|The Ochre Mountains. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Government ==

The Titans dwell in massive stone temples located on the highest peaks. There they engage in deep philosophical contemplation. Unlike other Patrons, the Titans recruit their [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)#Goliaths|goliath]] and [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)#Ogres|ogre]] subjects, allowing the subject to choose at whose Patron's feet they will seek enlightenment. However, no goliath or ogre would achieve adulthood before choosing a Patron mentor. Such individuals would become outcast and cut off from any [[Landbond (Patronage Supplement)|landbond]] with the Ochre Mountains, a fate most ogres and goliaths native to the mountains feel would be worse than death.

[[File:Ochre Mountains.jpg|thumb|alt=This file is in the public domain because it was created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted".|The Ochre Mountains are a natural wonder, both serene and forbidding.]]

== Culture ==

The Ochre Mountains are a place of quiet contemplation and deep philosophical debates. The Titans act more as teachers and priests than as governors or gods.

== History ==

The Titans have acted infrequently in the world. Once, they allowed a goliath to leave the mountains to vanquish the rogue [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Ghilan|ghilan]] '''Nebu''' and found the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Middle Empire|Middle Empire]]. Once, they allowed an ogress named "Mazdak" to leave the mountains and preach her Truths to the world. And once, they intervened to prevent the ghilan '''Yaro''' from introducing necromantic rule to [[Winteren (Patronage Supplement)|Winteren]], instead convincing them to enslave the indigenous [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|human]] population as slaves.

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Nereid Sea (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:29:05Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Nereid Sea
|Monarch=No rule
|Resident=Varies
|Heraldry=None
|Capital=None
|Races=Aquatic, sea-compatible, and overland creatures
|Neighbors=[[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]], [[Carraway (4e Environment)|Carraway]], [[Dead March (4e Environment)|Dead March]], [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]], [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]], [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]], [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]]
|Products=natural exploitation products.
|Snapshot=The vast freshwater sea of the slumbering Leviathan Patrons and their terrifying aquatic subjects.
}}

== Geography ==

In the northern half of the continent, this massive freshwater sea is home to the slumbering Leviathan Patrons and their aquatic subjects. The sea is currently a medium of trade for many of the lands that border it, including [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]], [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]], [[Carraway (4e Environment)|Carraway]], [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], and the [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]]. The sea is also plied by ghilan pirates and raiders from [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]].

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Nereid Sea.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|The Nereid Sea. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

The Nereid Sea is plagued by storms and foul winds that run south from the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]]. In the winter, northern reaches of the sea are covered in ice. During this time, the native inhabitants are presumed dormant, though some ice fishers have reported seeing large shadows snaking just under the ice. After the thaw, however, the sea becomes rampant with traders and pirates willing to brave the storms, the voidyanoi, and the rumors that the Leviathans will soon wake, in pursuit of traders' gold.

== Government ==

There is no government on the high seas.

[[Image:Pontian seaside.jpg|thumb|The Nereid Sea as seen from the shores of [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]].]]

== Culture ==

The maritime culture of Patronage is similar to many maritime cultures. You obey the captain and if the voyage succeeds, he pays you well.

== History ==

In the earliest histories there are stories of the Nereid Sea roiling to a boil, or threatening to overrun the shores and flood the world. These are generally considered old wives' tales.

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Mongrel Island (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:28:55Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Mongrel Island
|Monarch=Unknown
|Resident=Mongrel(s)
|Heraldry=None
|Capital=None
|Races=Anthropophagi, ravin, shedim
|Neighbors=Savage Sound
|Products=None
|Snapshot=The Patron Land of the Anthropophagi, where they and their shedim hunting parties stalk and devour the ravin bred to give them sport.
}}

== Geography ==

A large island located in the midst of the [[Savage Sound (Patronage Supplement)|Savage Sound]], little is known of its geography. Those few who have traveled to its shores and returned report thick jungles, impossibly tall grasslands, rocky hills, and monumental crevasses. This geography is ideal for the favored sport of the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophagi Patrons]] who govern the island: hunting the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|ravin]].

Hurricanes assault the island throughout the autumn. These conditions do not appear to give the Anthropophagi any pause. If they choose to hunt a ravin nothing will stop the hunt.

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Mongrel Island.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|Mongrel Island. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Government ==

The Anthropophagi Patrons of the island control their [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|shedim]] subjects like a huntsman controls his hounds. They are well-treated, trained, and bred for expertise, and then let loose on their chosen prey. The ravin dwell in the middle of the island, huddled together in small mobile settlements, ready to bolt at the first sign of a hunting party. These settlements are usually family-based with little organization or hierarchy.

== Culture ==

[[File:Mongrel Island.jpg|thumb|alt=This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired, via Wikimedia Commons|The [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophagi]] and their [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|shedim]] servants delight in the savage hunts that ravage the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|ravin]] residents of Mongrel Island.]]

The only culture of this island is survival of the fittest. The ravin survive on wits and luck, the shedim survive by pleasing their masters, and the Anthropophagi sit atop the food chain and grin.

== History ==

The Anthropophagi once controlled much land in the southern half of the mainland, until the [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|halfling]] empress '''Lucinda''' vanquished them and drove them across the [[Savage Sound (Patronage Supplement)|Savage Sound]]. Since then, the Anthropophagi have appeared only a handful of times on the continent, once to destroy and torture one of the Middle Emperors, and again to help destroy the wall after the Ferroclasts conquered the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]].

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Green Lands (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:28:45Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Green Lands
|Monarch=None
|Resident=Greenlanders
|Heraldry=Varies by company
|Capital=None
|Races=Half-orc, Oni, orc
|Neighbors=Fire Mountains, Minia, Ochre Mountains, Verdant
|Products=None
|Snapshot=The Patron Land of the Oni, where their orc and half-orc subjects wage unending war.
}}

== Geography ==

The Green Lands, located in the northwestern corner of Patronage, as the name implies, is a verdant land, though very little of it is actually farmed. Rather, the terrain an odd assortment of jungles, meadows, swamps, forests, grasslands, and brushland. The terrain is grouped with no cognizable rhyme of reason because these lands are not created by the natural wend and weave of erosion, rivers, and weather, but by the will of the [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)|Oni Patrons]] who govern the Realm. They have created a patchwork of various terrains in order to better challenge themselves in their eternal wargames.

The Oni conduct their maneuvers in relative peace, sheltered to the south and east by mountains, and to the west and north by [[Mists (Patronage Supplement)|Mists]]. Only a narrow pass between the [[Fire Mountains (Patronage Supplement)|Fire]] and [[Ochre Mountains (Patronage Supplement)|Ochre Mountains]] allows access to the Free Kingdom of [[Verdant (Patronage Supplement)|Verdant]], itself rumored to be governed by a rogue Oni.

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage The Green Lands.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|The Green Lands. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Government ==

The Oni each command their own armies of [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Orcs|orcs]] and [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Half-orcs|half-orcs]] from secluded bases throughout the Realm. They throw these armies at one another in complicated well-executed maneuvers and then retreat to their bases once more to replenish the slain. It is unclear what the Oni gain from these maneuvers; perhaps, they merely enjoy the spectacle. It is not believed that the Oni ever take a direct hand in the battles, and there is only one legend of two Oni ever facing off against one another, but over what nobody can say.

== Culture ==

The Oni's subjects are arranged in military regiments, and military discipline is the culture of the Green Lands. Orcs and half-orcs exist to serve their Oni warlords, and to rise in the ranks through displays of valor, courage, and skill. The worst crime in the Green Lands is disobedience and the punishment for almost any crime is death or, worse, exile to the anarchic Free Kingdoms.

== History ==

Despite their belligerent nature, the Oni have interfered in the lands beyond the Green Lands infrequently. When the settlement of [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Dragonseye]] was first founded, some ambitious Oni known as '''the Immortal''' led its army across the Dragonslands to crush it, only to be stopped by the power of the city's Great Wheel.

After the [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|halfling]] Empress Lucinda destroyed the [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)|Dragons]] and vanquished the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophagi]], she turned her sights on the Oni of the Green Lands. However, her armies rebelled before they engaged the armies of the Oni. Neverthless, shortly thereafter, orcs and half-orcs began to desert their companies and their Oni for the relative freedom of the Free Kingdoms. According to those stories preserved from that time, in preparation for Lucinda's invasion, the Oni had begun to impose draconian levels of discipline, even torturing their own soldiers, not or disloyalty, but merely for not meeting ever-increasingly impossible standards of behavior.

[[File:Green Lands.jpg|thumb|alt=This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired, via Wikimedia Commons.|The Green Lands shape themselves to the wills of their [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)|Oni]] masters.]]

Three hundred years after Lucinda's disappearance (about 1,500 years ago), a massive exodus of orcs and half-orcs flooded the Free Kingdoms from the Green Lands. Few of the exiles would speak of what had occurred, but as best as can be determined, there had been a civil war in the Green Lands. One Oni had apparently instructed her troops to directly attack another Oni. The troops could not bring themselves to do this and they broke ranks. The Oni sent other loyal troops to slaughter her army, which was then set upon by the troops of the Oni she intended to assassinate. Most of the orcs and half-orcs were slaughtered, but some of them fled into the wilderness at the feet of the Fire Mountains, and founded the secret city of Ramhead.

A thousand years ago, an Oni led his troops outside the Green Lands and occupied a new territory. This Oni also called himself the "Immortal", although it is not clear whether this is the same Immortal who assaulted Dragonseye. The Oni directed his troops to experiment and explore new fighting styles, which had been developed in the Free Kingdoms. The Immortal also explored the connection between martial prowess and mental states of mind. This land would eventually be recognized as the Free Kingdom of Verdant.

The Oni remaining in the Green Lands seemed remarkable sanguine about the defection of one of their own until 2488, when the Immortal appointed an elf, '''Queen Tsune''', to rule Verdant. Shortly thereafter, an orc named Ranshi founded the [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Pure Land Sect|Pure Land Sect]], a group dedicated to cleansing Verdant and all the lands between the [[Barrens (Patronage Supplement)|Barrens]] and the Green Lands of any race other than orc or half-orc. Ranshi claimed that the Immortal was a false Oni, and that he had received a vision from the true Oni that they would soon arrive to reclaim Verdant as part of the Green Lands.

A hundred years later, a lone Oni did reportedly leave the Green Lands. Verdant sent armies to stop it, but the Oni countered every force sent against it. The Oni cast a spell to enshroud the lands around the Immortals' tent in darkness. Witness report hearing the sounds of battle and of argument in a strange unknown language. The battle, known as the Immortal War, raged for three months with no rest or respite. Finally, the darkness lifted and only one Oni remained standing -- the Immortal. The Immortal had slain a fellow Oni. This was the first Patron to be slain since halfling '''Queen Evara''' slew an [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)|Avatar]] with the [[Evararm (4e Equipment|Evararm]], and the first Patron known to have been slain by a fellow Patron. The Immortal lifted the Oni's lifeless body and carried it hundreds of miles into the Green Lands. It is said he wept with every step. The Immortal returned to his tent shortly thereafter and returned to his passive oversight of Verdant.

The Oni of the Green Lands have not interfered in the Free Kingdoms since.

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Fire Mountains (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:28:37Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Fire Mountains
|Monarch=Elementals
|Resident=Fire Mountainmen
|Heraldry=None
|Capital=None
|Races=Dwarf, Elemental, genasi
|Neighbors=[[Fey Realm (4e Environment)|Fey Realm]], [[Green Lands (4e Environment)|Green Lands]], [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]], [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]], [[Verdant (4e Environment)|Verdant]]
|Products=Items of enchantment and wonder
|Snapshot=The volcanic range of the Elemental Patrons, and the forges tended by their [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|genasi]] and [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|dwarves]].
}}

== Geography ==

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Fire Mountains.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|The Fire Mountains. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

Towering high above the Free Kingdom of [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]], [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]], and [[Verdant (4e Environment)|Verdant]] to the east, the [[Green Lands (4e Environment)|Green Lands]] to the north, and the [[Fey Realm (4e Environment)|Fey Realm]] to the south, the [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)|Elementals']] Realm is a towering spine of volcanic mountains. All of the highest elevations consist of active volcanoes. Over time they have surpassed even some of the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]] in height. Where plants can grow through the basalt they do so in alpine tundras. As the basalt recedes in the lower elevations temperate rainforests are prevalent, especially in the south and mostly in the east, because of the sublimation the Fire Mountains facilitate. In the temperate rainforests many rivers begin their journeys', most notably the Red River. Some of these rivers are large enough by the time they reach the borders to be navigated by watercraft. The other forests, and especially the northern forests, are temperate mixed forests because of the lack of intensive sublimation or because of the interactions with the unnatural [[Green Lands (4e Environment)|Green Lands]]. The inhabitants dwell underground safe from the eruptions and warmed by vents carrying foul-smelling air warmed by lava. The lower elevations are inhabited by fierce creatures, given free range by the Elementals, discouraging anybody from trying to spy on their well-hidden smithies.

== Government ==

The Elementals control the mountain range. Each Elemental dwells in its own forge buried somewhere in a mountain bearing that Elemental's name. Within the forge, the [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|genasi]] and [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|dwarven]] subjects toil away, mining and manufacturing wondrous artifacts for their Patrons. Each forge is run differently. Some are run with rigid efficiency. Others more closely resemble free-wheeling laboratories rather than forges. Some forges have only a few score inhabitants, while others run for miles through tunnels in their mountain and house tens of thousands of subjects.

== Culture ==

Craftmanship is the culture of the Fire Mountains. Every subject has a purpose; a job. Most genasi and dwarves do not have proper names per se. they are simply known by the acumen of their craft and their position at the forge. Service to the Patron is the only duty, and pride in one's handiwork the only refuge.

[[File:Fire Mountains.jpg|thumb|alt=This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.|The Fire Mountains are in a state of constant turmoil from quakes, eruptions, smoke, and monsoon-like deluges.]]

== History ==

The forges of the Fire Mountains burned in solitude for millennia. While it is rumored that the [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|humans]] were an early creation of the forges that escaped, few people believe such tales. The Elementals rarely emerged from their mountain refuges and have never been known to trod any lands beyond the Fire Mountains. Over the years, however, individual [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|genasi]] or [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|dwarves]], escaping some real or perceived injustice, have fled into the Free Kingdoms, but the Elementals seem to have made no effort to recapture them, using the existence of the Free Kindogms as a pressure valve to release unmanageable or incompetent servants.

This changed 200 years ago, when the [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] was founded on a philosophy of [[Juzhian Age (Patronage Supplement)#Ferroclasty|Ferroclasty]]. In a forge, a dwarf named '''Chingiz''' sought and obtained leave of his Patrons to raise an army of dwarves and destroy the iron-breaking empire. He traveled from forge to forge, recruiting dwarves, and some genasi, to his cause. He gathered an army 10,000 strong. They destroyed the Caliphate's steadfast ally, the [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Ramhead Rangers|Ramhead Rangers]] (many of whom were descendants of dwarves and genasi previously escaped from the Fire Mountains) and founded the [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Free Kingdom of Ironguard]]. The Caliphate is only a shell of what it once had been, thanks to relentless efforts of Chingiz and his successors.

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Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:27:57Z

Green Dragon:

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Alabastrian Empire
|Monarch=Emperor Xarlem
|Resident=Alabastrian
|Heraldry=Argent, griffin gules rampant
|Capital=Aligon
|Cities=Abalel, Ablibo, Agenol, Alceor, Aldago, Amnode, Apnido, Arfort, Ariges, Arnafa, Artiro, Asledph, Asmelo, Aspalo, Azpama, Efafes, Elmara, Enpagi, Ermale, Ernole, Esegme, Inodab, Inofan, Li'igan, Lingef, Lintom, Lisdon, Lumapo, Lumaza, Mamgal, Milges, Minpol, Nagole, Napsen, Naspol, Obogel, Onefon, Ormila, Ornogo, Ragiop, Ragles, Ranglo, Ris'fli, Rorges, Utmono, Uzh'dana, Uzh'nab,
|Races=Deva, eidolon, ghilan, halfling, human, ravin, shedim
|Neighbors=[[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]], [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]], [[Nereid Sea (4e Environment)|Nereid Sea]], [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], [[Savage Sound (4e Environment)|Savage Sound]]
|Products=glass, steel, wool, linens
|Snapshot=Created by the departing Avatar Patrons, the Alabastrian Empire is ruled by Xarlem, one of the few remaining Immortal Deva.
}}

== Geography ==

The Alabastrian Empire is located in the southeastern corner of the continent between the northeastern shore of the [[Savage Sound (4e Environment)|Savage Sound]] and the southeastern shore of the [[Nereid Sea (4e Environment)|Nereid Sea]]. To its north are the lands of [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] and to the west are the Free Kingdoms of [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] and [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]]. The Empire itself is a land of fertile verdant fields, lakes, rivers, swamps, temperate forests, with alpine tundras dotting its tall mountains. The mountains are unusual in that they stand alone in the field, with no hills or other geography. They are each considered sacred to those who call Alabastria home. There were once 50 mountains in all in the lands that the Empire once occupied. The city of Downlach is presently in [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], and Ynepor is in [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]]. Each mountain is named after one of the original [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)|Avatar Patrons]] of the Realm. Atop each mountain is a sacred temple dedicated to that Avatar and a city named for that Avatar surrounds the mountain. In winter the southern Alabastrian Empire gets extremely cold and the mountains are almost impassable. Northern areas are less effected by seasonal climate changes.

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Alabastrian Empire.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|The Alabastrian Empire. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Government ==

The Alabastrian Empire is controlled by Emperor '''Xarlem''', a [[Avatar_(Patronage_Supplement)#Deva|deva]] who has received the [[Ritual of Remembrance (4e Ritual)|Ritual of Remembrance]], which allows the deva to reincarnate will full memories of his past lives. Xarlem is the third to hold the crown. He rules with the advice of the Imperial Senate which designates one representative from each sacred city (except Downlach and Ynepor, of course). Only the Senate can levy taxes, but given the absolute control of the Emperor over the Imperial army, this has proven to be a weak check on the Emperor's powers. Each city is also run by a local Governor, which is appointed by the Emperor and approved by the Senate.

== Culture ==

The Alabastrian Empire has a long and proud tradition. Dominated as they are by deva, they have long memories and complicated and ornate ritualistic customs. They are militaristic and expansive. They rue the day their Patrons left them and believe that only by placing the Free Kingdoms under their benevolent rule will their Patrons ever agree to return and restore the utopian society they believe the Avatarlands once to have been.

== History ==

Before, the Empire, the Realm was known as the Avatarlands and governed by the Patrons. After an Avatar was killed by the halfling queen '''Evara''' and her magic sword [[Evararm (4e Equipment)|Evararm]], the Avatars began to retreat from the world, ordering the construction of the 50 cities and their temples. After the construction of the last temple, the Avatars entered their temples and were never seen again. Only the holiest of Deva priests are even allowed into the inner sanctum of these temples today. The last act of the Avatars was to appoint the deva '''Xalia''' as the first empress of the Alabastrian Empire.

=== Xalian Age ===

This age lasted from 1216 to 1725.

==== Conquest of the Southern Empire ====

Xalia's first order of business was to expand control over her Empire. She saw the chaotic Free Kingdoms as the greatest threat to the stability of Patronage and her fledgling empire. The Avatars had already absorbed the human [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Eastern Kingdom|Eastern Kingdom]] into its territory, so she set her sights on the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Southern Empire|Southern Empire]], a dyarchy ruled by a husband and wife. She seduced the king '''Mnemon XIV''', and convinced him to depose his queen, '''Filia XIII''', for plotting against him. Mnemon XIV appointed Xalia the new queen. She adopted the name Filia XIV, as was custom in the Southern Empire. 15 years later, when Mnemon XIV died of old age, Xalia annexed the Southern Empire into her own.

==== The Second Empire ====

Having pacified the Southern Empire, Xalia turned her attention further west, but her efforts were less successful. In the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]], she put pressure on the leaders to foster their prince '''Phratakes''' to study at the fabled colleges in Aligon. There, he became thoroughly "endeavored" and, with his deva adviser '''Muso''', attempted to unite the Second and Alabastrian Empires. However, his people would not abandon their independence, and they overthrew Phratakes and sent him to die in exile. After this, the Empire ceased any policy of intervening directly in the Second Empire. A shaky peace endured for 250 years.

==== Rebellion in Dragonseye ====

Meanwhile, in the Alabastrian Empire's westernmost port of [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]] (conquered from the Second Empire), the humans living there began to revolt from Alabastrian rule. Two separate revolts arose simultaneously. The Followers of the Dragon, led by the human rebel '''Jonnan''', took up arms against the Empire, believing themselves to be the "living embodiment of the Great Wheel". The Dodecians, led by the human prophetess '''Josephine''', were a mystical sect who believed that the human epics, the Dodecon and Elemiad had hidden prophecies in those texts foretold the eventual restoration of the Free City of Dragonseye (which would be ruled by humans and free of outside influence). The Empire arrested and executed Jonnan and Josephine. The execution seemed to end the Followers of the Dragon and drove the Dodecians into hiding.

However, seventy years later, another rebel, claiming to be Jonnan reincarnated, restarted that rebellion. This second Jonnan was caught and executed seven years later. However, sixty years after that, a third Jonnan appears and the rebellion begins anew. Finally, in 1386, after the loss of much blood and treasure, Empress Xalia ordered the entire city of Dragonseye to be razed to the ground, and its inhabitants scattered. This meant that the Empire abandoned any territory on the western shore of the [[Nereid Sea (4e Environment)|Nereid Sea]], but it did end the human rebellions. Dodecian cabals continued to operate in secret throughout the Empire, and the Empire banned the ''Dodecon'' and ''Elemiad''. Although this did not end the movement, it did quell any attempts to recolonize [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]].

==== Ransom ====

Withdrawal from [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]] signaled to the Second Empire that the Alabastrian Empire was weakening. '''Emperor Shapur''' began attacking Alabastrian ships and port cities. Xalia raised and personally led a mighty armada to quell these privateers, but a storm caused her ship to wreck and she was captured by the Second Emperor and kept prisoner in his city of Aligon.

A power struggle then erupted between '''Oncia''' and '''Juzhian''', two of the other Immortal Deva selected by the Avatars, as to who would rule the Empire. [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] wished to invade, while Juzhian sought to negotiate a peace. Juzhian eloquently argued that unceasing war would eventually weaken the Empire to the point where it would collapse. The Empire had no true grievance with the Second Empire beyond the return of Xalia. Let the west deal with the west and Alabastria with the east. In the end, the other deva supported Juzhian. He negotiated a peace for Xalia's return which included a ransom. The details of this ransom are unknown, but when Xalia discovered the price of her freedom, she immediately summoned her entire military strength and invaded the Second Empire to recover it. However, by then, Shapur had died, the ransom was lost. Xalia razed Artifice to the ground, but eventually left the Second Empire without her ransom.

Conflict between the Second and Alabastrian Empires continued until 1650, when Emperor '''Yazdegerd''' took advantage of the Alabastrian Empire's new enemies to the North to begin construction of a massive wall between the two.

==== Trouble to the North ====

While the Empire was preoccupied with the Second Empire to the west, they neglected their northern border. Ghilan and wights from [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] had always harried settlements and ships along the border, but in the 17th century, the attacks were more frequent and bloodier. In 1633, Duatan armies forced the Empire to abandon the city of Ynepor, the first time an Alabastrian Temple had to be abandoned. In 1660, Duatan armies traveled all the way to Aligon and sacked the city. They sacked it again in 1705.

Xalia personally led armies to recapture Ynepor and drive the invaders back. What the world didn't know was that after the fall of Ynepor, Xalia had become rakshasa. Reputedly it occurred when her scouts reported that in the captured city of Ynepor, the old Avatar Temple was ruined and defaced. Her rakshasa form was fearsome and potent, and she was able to drive the Duatans back. but it was also fatal. In 1725, a Duatan blade found its mark. The Empress Xalia died.

[[File:Alabastria.jpg|thumb|alt=This image from PD Photo.org has been released into the public domain by its author and copyright holder, Jon Sullivan. Uploaded from Wikimedia Commons.|The architecture and art of the Alabastrian Empire is studded with representations of their [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)|Avatar Patrons]].]]

=== Juzhian Age ===

This age lasted from 1726 to 2050.

==== Succession ====

Once again, a power struggle erupted between [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] and Juzhian. Juzhian pointed out that this was the fruition of his own prediction that unceasing wars would weaken the Empire. The deva debated for many months. Finally, Juzhian took the crown when the great general '''Xarlem''' changed his support from Oncia to Juzhian. Oncia accepted the devas' pronouncement and became a loyal supporter of Juzhian. The price for Xarlem's support was heavy. Juzhian anointed Xarlem with the [[Ritual of Remembrance (4e Ritual)|Ritual of Remembrance]], making Xarlem the newest Immortal Deva.

==== Rapprochement ====

True to his word, Juzhian attempted to negotiate peace with his enemies. To the north, he agreed to formalize the borders, and even to allow Ynepor to remain in Duatan hands. To the east, the eastern territories had broken away from the Empire and founded the Sarrun Empire. Juzhian offered to recognize this upstart kingdom in exchange for peace. For sixty years, Juzhian attempted to negotiate peace. During this time, Juzhian formalized the laws of the Empire, as well as it system of banking, its system of governance. By all accounts, he was a wise and just ruler. His reign is remembered as a golden age for deva and eidolons. Great monuments of architecture, art, music, and magic were produced. Peace reigned within its borders, and the people were prosperous.

However, in foreign policy, rapprochement was a complete failure. New chieftains of the Duatans refused to honor the border treaties entered into by prior chieftains. They continued to attack and sack Alabastrian cities and ships. In the east, the Sarrun Empire came under the sway of the zealotry of the [[Juzhian Age (Patronage Supplement)#Nine Truths|Cult of the Nine Truths]]. They hunted down and killed many of the remaining Immortal Devas. After sixty years, he had enough.

==== Juzhian's Double Strike ====

Juzhian ordered [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] to end the Sarrun Empire and Xarlem to end the Duatan terror. In lightning strikes, Xarlem killed every chieftain in southern [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] within six years. Oncia conquered Sarrun and reincorporated it into the Empire within 13. The strikes were so unexpected, in both its precision and brutality, that no power dared to oppose Juzhian's Empire for another 170 years.

However, Xarlem was changed by his campaign in [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]]. It is unclear what he witnessed there, but he became convinced that Duat would need constant monitoring to remain pacified. He and his Imperial armies remained in and around the Duatan border for rest of the Juzhian Age. These lands become known as the "Borderlands".

==== Chisel ====

The price of peace, however, was a brutal oppression of the occupied territory. The remnants of Cult of the Nine Truths made their way to a small city, whose original name is lost to history. The Cult's philosophy never really took hold in this city, but its anti-Imperial attitude did. Anybody dissatisfied with the Empire would find their way to this city. In 1961, the movement garnered the attention of Juzhian, who sent a general to quell the rebellion. He brought overwhelming force against a movement led by a ravin named '''Corren'''. Corren's band held out for thirty days in a battle known as Corren's Stand, which rallied enemies from throughout the Empire to arrive and destroy the general's army.

Corren did not survive, but her movement did, founding the [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Free Kingdom of Chisel]]. For the next century, Chisel's armies grew in strength and power, beating back the Alabastrian Empire. Juzhian sent general after general with armies to stop the onslaught. All of them were assassinated or defeated in battle. Due to a falling out with Oncia (a betrayal many said led to Juzhian becoming rakshasa), who was now safely ensconced in Downlach, he would not grant [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] the troops to handle the matter herself. Instead, she recalled Xarlem from the Duatan border. Xarlem protested, insisting the Duatan border remain defended. Juzhian insisted. Xarlem took his armies to Aligon, executed Juzhian, and declared himself the third emperor. (Oncia, a political outcast at this point, mutely accepted the new Emperor.)

=== Xarlemi Age ===

This age lasted from 2050 to the present, circa 2697.

==== Duat ====

Forty years into his reign, the borderlands rebelled. Xarlem deftly manipulated them into becoming the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]] with no allegiance to [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]]. This complicated political strategy kept the border secure for a century, until Warlord '''Otto''' conquered the Border Kingdom, but as Otto too had no allegiance to greater Duat, and he boded his time.

After Otto died, Xarlem invaded the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]] and annexed it to the Alabastrian Empire. That lasted seventy years. However, insurgencies, funded by powers in [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]], continued to grow. Eventually, Xarlem overran the Border Kingdom and began dismantling [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)|Shinigami]] mounds to demoralize the populace. Instead, it inspired a new rebellion, led by '''Otto II''', who drove Xarlem back. Xarlem, however, managed to get what he wanted when the peace treaty with Otto II ensured that the Border Kingdom would have no allegiance to Duat.

After Otto II died, Xarlem continued to manipulate the powers in the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]], ensuring they fought one another, rather than the Empire, and that they did not ally with powers still in [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]]. This preserves the border for 230 years. During this time, Xarlem needs to take direct action in Duat only twice.

In 2520, three tribes conquer the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]] and announce their hostility to the Empire. They wage an open war, repelling the Imperial troops. However, during this time, the tribes also splintered into seven groups. Exhausted by rebellions, Xarlem is unable to hold the Border Kingdom. But, to Xarlem's fortune, the seven chieftains mysteriously disappear. The remaining chieftains state they now serve the Shinigami, but the Shinigami have been silent for thousands of years. For now, Xarlem bides his time.

==== Civil War ====

Shortly after his coronation, Xarlem announced a series of recaptures against [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]], but never took part in them personally. Rather, he left other generals to invade and die on the fields of the east. Xarlem concentrated on the border with [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]].

Meanwhile, the rise and expansion of the [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] introduces a new player into Patronage politics. While the Caliphate was mostly directed westward, towards [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]] or the Second Empire, which it eventually dismantled, the armies of '''Muhajiel''' occasionally conquer Imperial lands as well. [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], who was then in charge of eastern Imperial lands, continually requested more troops to deal with the threat, but Xarlem could spare no more troops, between the Reconquests and the Duatan campaigns.

Eventually, Xarlem decided to abandon the west to the [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] to concentrate on [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] and [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]]. He ordered [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] to abandon Downlach. She refused, claiming that it was vital to the security of all the Patronage lands that she remain in Downlach perpetually. When Xarlem threatened to have her executed, she renounced all ties to the Empire, all claims to the throne, and declared Downlach and the surrounding territories to be the Free Kingdom of Oncia. Unable to spare more resources to prevent the split (and having already decided to abandon those lands to the Caliphate), Xarlem reluctantly tolerated Oncia's rebellion, and he turned his attentions back to Duat and Chisel.

About 200 years ago General '''Zhalfa''' finally turned the tide of the war in [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]]. His strategic genius became quickly apparent, as he cut off Chisel's supports from its other cities, conquering one by one. In 2500, Zhalfa announced that he was ready for the final invasion of Chisel. However, he demanded that Xarlem first award him with the [[Ritual of Remembrance (4e Ritual)|Ritual of Remembrance]]. Xarlem refused and Zhalfa took his armies and turned on the Emperor in what became known as the Alabastrian Civil War. It took nearly a half-century of cat and mouse before Xarlem finally cornered and executed Zhalfa.

His armies already in the east, Xarlem then turned on [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], conquering it briefly. But he could not hold it because both [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] and [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]] would take advantage of the chaos to retake land lost long ago to Alabastrian forces.

==== Current Affairs ====

A century ago, Xarlem concluded that his Empire could not handle the [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]], and [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] fronts. For the past hundred years, he has been forced to ration his resources without bankrupting his Realm, merely to maintain the territory the Empire currently holds. This defensive posturing has slowly drained the vibrancy from the Warrior-Emperor. He is not a man accustomed to inaction. In recent years, he has receded from the public, making few addresses and few appearances. Rumors abound that Xarlem has become rakshasa, and it is only a matter of time before he dies forever. Already, other luminaries are posturing to replace him. A large contingent believes that Oncia, the only other surviving Immortal Deva, must replace him. Others look forward to a time when all the deva are gone, and the eidolons will govern. (Already, several eidolons have been named governors and generals.) Xarlem is silent about these maneuverings.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)

2013-05-18T22:27:37Z

Green Dragon:

{{Campaign Setting Rating|4}}

[[File:Man vs Patron.jpg|thumb|250px|alt=Frontispiece of Brown, Abbie Farwell (1902). "In the Days of Giants: A Book of Norse Tales" Illustrations by E. Boyd Smith. Houghton, Mifflin & Co. Image is in the public domain.|A noble few aspire for the day when the lesser races find their own path, a path of independence and freedom from the tyranny of the patrons. Many have tried, and all have been squashed by the might of the Patrons. Who would dare to overthrow the gods?]]

Patronage is where the "gods", such as they are, walk the earth amongst their subjects. These are not gods in the conventional sense. Rather, they are immensely powerful immortal creatures, with great knowledge and ruthless ambition. The lesser races cower in their presence, either hoping for their Patrons' benevolence, or dreading their Patrons' malevolence.

== Mechanical Notes ==

Patronage is atypical of many campaign worlds created for Dungeons & Dragons in several respects. The major differences are detailed briefly below:

'''Godless:''' There are no gods or primal spirits in Patronage. Rather, the world is dominated by the "Patrons", powerful beings akin to gods, but who walk the earth in physical form. Because the cosmology is so different from the default "Points of Light" setting in 4th edition, it may be confusing on how to build a back story for a warlock, or for a primal or divine class, I have a short article on [[Power Sources (Patronage Supplement)|translating character concepts and power sources into the Patronage Campaign Setting]].

'''Universal:''' Just as there are no gods, there are also no alternate planes. Patronage exists on one continent on one world. While there are pocket dimensions (and thus ''bags of holding'' and rituals of ''rope trick'' ), there is no cosmology, no Astral Sea, no Feywild, no Elemental Chaos, etc. Therefore, any ritual or power that involves travel to another plane will not operate. (Eladrin and other forms of teleportation however, work fine) Players should be careful about selecting Paragon Paths and Epic Destinies that would normally grant transdimensional powers. Instead of planes, there are realms on the world where creatures from those planes dwell. These are physical places, and can be reached through conventional means.

'''Reclassified Races:''' While pretty much any playable race can fit in Patronage, each race (except humans and warforged) is grouped into one of 18 categories of "noble" and "base" races. (The Patrons are not playable races, rather they are groupings of all the epic-tiered intelligent creatures that might exist in the game). When people refer to a character's race in-game, they will refer to this classification. For example, both gnolls and kenku are considered to be breeds of "[[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|shedu]]", the noble race created by the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|anthropophagi]]. Characters will refer to these characters as "shedim" (the plural of shedu), and treat them as if they came from the same race.

'''No Interbreeding:''' One consequence of the racial classifications is that half-orcs, half-elves, and any other races that are described as an offshoot of parents of different race breed true in Patronage. They are not the result of mating between two individuals of different races. In fact, in Patronage, races are unable to interbreed. An elf who marries a human will bear no offspring from the union. However, two creatures who are different breeds within the same race can interbreed, and the result could result in a child of either parents' breeding. For example, if a gnoll and a kenku (both considered shedim) mate, the offspring could be either a kenku or a gnoll. The mating, however, would not result, for example in a breed of shedu that is of neither parent (such as a shifter).

'''[[Landbond (Patronage Supplement)|Landbond]]:''' The lands of Patronage are unusually hard to farm, and were inhospitable when first created (or found as some speculate) by the Patrons. The Patrons developed the [[Landbond (Patronage Supplement)|landbond rituals]] to support agriculture. Landbonding binds a ruler to the land, but the link allows the land to be farmed by those who swear fealty to the monarch. The ritual helps to preserve a feudal system, a result the Patrons no doubt intended.

'''Setting-Specific Mechanics:''' There are also several new mechanics designed for Patronage in the following categories:

* [[Character Backgrounds (Patronage Supplement)|Backgrounds]]
* [[Disease (Patronage Supplement)|Diseases]]
* [[Magic Item (Patronage Supplement)|Magic Items]]
* [[Monster (Patronage Supplement)|Monsters]]
* [[Rituals (Patronage Supplement)|Rituals]]

'''Tier-Based Design:''' Patronage is designed so that adventures can easily be categorized by tier. Adventure seeds can be found throughout Patronage's environments.

* ''Heroic adventures'' usually take place within a single Free Kingdom or Wild Land, or on behalf of a [[Society (Patronage Supplement)|society]]. Adventurers, of course, may travel where they will, but an entire heroic phase of a campaign could be held within any of the Free Kingdoms or Wild Lands.
* ''Paragon adventures'' usually take place either within a Patron Realm, or in the form of conflict between the Free Kingdoms or [[Society (Patronage Supplement)|societies]] within the Free Kingdoms. Paragon adventurers should have sufficient power and renown to deal directly with the powers who control the Free Kingdoms and societies.
* ''Epic adventures'' usually take place in the form of conflict either among Patron Races or between the Patrons and the Free Kingdoms. Epic adventurers should have already reshaped the mortal realms of the Free Kingdoms and can now take the fight directly to the Patrons themselves.

== The Patrons and Their Subjects ==

According to accepted history, the Patrons created the World of Patronage and all living creatures within it. Philosophers and historians generally accept that there were, or are, nine Patron races. There are some who say the Patrons came from elsewhere, and found this land and populated it. If that is true, then it informs one of the question: from where did they come?

The Patrons divided their servile races into those noble races that could be entrusted with discretion and authority, and those base races that were built for more menial or dangerous tasks. In actuality, the nine noble races and the nine base races (one for each Patron) are each groupings of many races. Mysteriously, some races, without any ties to a Patron have appeared. Scholars are uncertain from where these races came and what their appearance portends. The Patrons have been silent about these new "wild" races, which concerns the scholars all the more.

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! style="background:#CC9933" width="50px" align="left"|'''Patron'''
! width="100px"|[[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophage]]
! width="100px"|[[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)|Avatar]]
! width="100px"|[[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)|Dragon]]
! width="100px"|[[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)|Elemental]]
! width="100px"|[[Fey (Patronage Supplement)|Fey]]
! width="100px"|[[Leviathan (Patronage Supplement)|Leviathan]]
! width="100px"|[[Oni (Patronage Supplement)|Oni]]
! width="100px"|[[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)|Shinigami]]
! width="100px"|[[Titan (Patronage Supplement)|Titan]]
| width="100px" align="center"|[[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)|'''None''']]
|-
| style="background:#CC9933"|'''Noble'''
| [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|Shedu]]
| [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Deva|Deva]]
| [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|Halfling]]
| [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|Genasi]]
| [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Elves|Elf]]
| [[Leviathan (Patronage Supplement)#Deep Ones|Deep One]]
| [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Orcs|Orc]]
| [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Ghilan|Ghilan]]
| [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)#Ogres|Ogre]]
| [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|Human]]
|-
| style="background:#CC9933"|'''Base'''
| [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|Ravin]]
| [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Eidolons|Eidolon]]
| [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Sparti|Sparti]]
| [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|Dwarf]]
| [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Goblins|Goblin]]
| [[Leviathan (Patronage Supplement)#Voidianoi|Voidianoi]]
| [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Half-orcs|Half-orc]]
| [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Wight|Wight]]
| [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)#Goliaths|Goliath]]
| [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Warforged|Warforged]]
|}

== Places and Organizations ==

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage.jpg|thumb|center|upright=5|Patronage. The Patronage Map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]]]

Those places where the Patrons still hold dominion are known as the "Realms", while those places where the Patrons have retreated or disappeared, and are currently dominate by the noble and base races are called the "Free Kingdoms". The [[Mists (4e Environment)|Mists]] are the mysterious fog that bounds the perimeter of Patronage.

{| class="column" style="width: 100%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-
| style="width: 20%;" |
'''Realms'''
: ''Where the Patrons govern, or where mortals govern in name of their Patrons.''
* [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]]
* [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]]
* [[Fey Realm (4e Environment)|Fey Realm]]
* [[Fire Mountains (4e Environment)|Fire Mountains]]
* [[Green Lands (4e Environment)|Green Lands]]
* [[Mongrel Island (4e Environment)|Mongrel Island]]
* [[Nereid Sea (4e Environment)|Nereid Sea]]
* [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]]
| style="width: 20%;" |
'''Free Kingdoms'''
: ''Where the mortal races govern independent of the Patrons.''
* [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|The Caliphate]]
* [[Carraway (4e Environment)|Carraway]]
* [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]]
* [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]]
* [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]]
* [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]]
* [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]]
* [[Nidvalar (4e Environment)|Nidvalar]]
* [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]]
* [[Verdant (4e Environment)|Verdant]]
* [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]]
| style="width: 20%;" |
'''Wild Lands'''
: ''Where you go when you want to escape both Patrons and Monarchs.''
* [[Barrens (Patronage Supplement)|The Barrens]]
* [[Blackscale Swamp (4e Environment)|Blackscale Swamp]]
* [[Dead March (4e Environment)|Dead March]]
* [[Mists (4e Environment)|The Mists]]
* [[Savage Sound (4e Environment)|Savage Sound]]
* [[Wild Forest (4e Environment)|Wild Forest]]
| style="width: 20%;" |
'''[[Society (Patronage Supplement)|Societies]]'''
: ''Some groups of people transcend political and geographic boundaries.''
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Clockwork Circle|Clockwork Circle]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Dodecians|Dodecians]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Efthali|Efthali]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#The Loyalists|Loyalists]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Order of the Compass|Order of the Compass]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Pure Land Sect|Pure Land Sect]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Ramhead Rangers|Ramhead Rangers]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#The Testament|Testament]]
| style="width: 20%;" |
'''[[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)|Dead Kingdoms]]'''
: ''Throughout history, numerous kingdoms have come and passed from this world, but left their indelible mark upon it.''
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Middle Empire|Middle Empire]] (711-771)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#Lucindan Empire|Lucindan Empire]] (914-927)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Eastern Kingdom|Eastern Kingdom]] (927-1104)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Southern Empire|Southern Empire]] (927-1234)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]] (927-2010)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Free City of Ramhead|City of Ramhead]] (ca. 1494-2481)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#Sarrun Empire|Sarrun Empire]] (1727-1802)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]] (2093-2606)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Nothern Reach|Northern Reach]] (2150-2659)
|}

== History ==

Historians generally separate the history of Patronage into six ages, though history often reveals itself to be incapable of such bright lines.
{| class="column" style="width: 100%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-
| style="width: 25%;" align="center"|
I
----
'''[[Innocent Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Innocent Age]]''' 
1-670 
''From the arrival of the Patrons to the first Dragon Slaying''
| style="width: 9%;" align="center"|
II
----
'''[[Lost Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Lost Age]]''' 
671-913 
''From the loss of one Patron to the loss of a Patron race''
| style="width: 11%;" align="center"|
III
----
'''[[Chaotic Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Chaotic Age]]''' 
914-1216 
''As the Patrons withdraw, new Empires emerge''
| style="width: 19%;" align="center"|
IV
----
'''[[Xalian Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Xalian Age]]''' 
1217-1725 
''Without Patrons, legendary heroes rise amidst young empires''
| style="width: 12%;" align="center"|
V
----
'''[[Juzhian Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Juzhian Age]]''' 
1726-2050 
''From war and chaos come philosophies for justice, chivalry, and peace''
| style="width: 24%;" align="center"|
VI
----
'''[[Xarlemi Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Xarlemi Age]]''' 
2051-present/2697 
''The rise of the Free Kingdoms''
|}

----
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}}
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Setting]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Duat (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:26:44Z

Green Dragon:

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Duat
|Monarch=Unknown
|Resident=Duatan
|Heraldry=Tenné, mound sable
|Capital=None
|Cities=Gidp, Grilk, Kes, Klur, Meldrn, Mound Invas, Mound Im, Mound Lism, Mound Sable, Mound Sepr, Mound Templar, Mound Ties, Mounds of the Shinigami, Télir, Ynepor
|Races=Eidolon, ghilan, wight
|Neighbors=Alabastrian Empire, Dead March, Nereid Sea
|Products=Beer, grain, ships, wood
|Snapshot=The land where the undead labor as serfs, and barbarian lords and necromancers rules tribes nominally loyal to their Shinigami Patrons.
}}

== Geography ==

Duat is located on the northeastern border of the [[Mists (Patronage Supplement)|Mists]]. The [[Alabastrian Empire (Patronage Supplement)|Alabastrian Empire]], which lies to the south, is its only civilized neighbor. The [[Nereid Sea (Patronage Supplement)|Nereid Sea]] and the [[Dead March (Patronage Supplement)|Dead March]] make up its western border.

Duat consists of the [[Dead March (Patronage Supplement)|Dead March's]] foothills and swamps where powerful and fearful creatures frequent. Its land around the [[Nereid Sea (Patronage Supplement)|Nereid Sea]] is mountainous temperate forests with coastal towns. Inland it is a land of arctic tundra or is hilly and rocky. Only around the southern reaches do fertile verdant fields make up the landscape. The rivers flow through large lakes only to get caught in the Dead March or into the Nereid Sea. The northern reaches reach very low temperatures and snow drifts make up the landscape in winter. Only for a few months can the northern reaches be farmed. Here people mostly hunt to survive and cut down trees in the summer months to stay alive throughout the winter. The mountains around the Nereid Sea make inland trade more difficult, however the rivers help. This mountainous region has been most useful in wars to protect their borders. The snow falls all the way south to past the mountains in winter, and only in the surrounding low lying areas is more extensive farming possible in the summer months. The [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)|Shinigami]] patrons of Duat ordered the use of [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Wights|wights]] to perform the menial labor needed to produce the food the [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Ghilan|ghilan]] need to survive. Even with [[Landbond (Patronage Supplement)|landbonds]] this land is difficult to farm.

== Government ==

Duat has no formal governance. The ghilan are divided into various tribes, usually named after various scavengers and predators that supervise their wight servants and raid other tribes and the Alabastrian Empire for other material needs. There are a handful of port cities that supply ships and trade but their primary purpose is to provide a launching point for ghilan raiding parties to ply the Nereid Sea as pirates and raiders, plundering all of the Free Kingdoms that border these waters. Nominally, the chieftains of the ghilan tribes have pledged their support to the Shinigami patrons, but they have been utterly silent for many centuries.

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Duat.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|Duat. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Culture ==

Duat is a culture based on the frequent use of necromancy. Captives in war are slain and turned into zombies or skeletons to perform the backbreaking menial labor needed to be able to farm the hard lands of Duat. Undead are used in every aspect of life, from farming, mining, to even basic crafts. This frees the ghilan to more noble pursuits, such as waging war and plunder. The ghilan society places a high value on honor and a low value on life. They believe their Shinigami patrons dwell deep beneath the earth, where the Mists seep forth, and that they are sustained by the blood of their enemies as it seeps into the ground.

== History ==

=== The Days of Loyalty ===

The history of Duat is one of never-ending warfare amongst the ghilan tribes. Even when the Shinigami were active in the world, the ghilan were encouraged to fight and spill blood in ritualistic combat and outright warfare.

=== Nebu, the First Betrayer ===

When the [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|humans]] first founded [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Dragonseye]], it was a ghilan named '''Nebu''' who brought Duat's warfare across the Nereid Sea and into the Dragonslands. After Nebu refused the Shinigami's orders to return to Duat, the Shiniagmi began to interact directly with the ghilan less and less frequently. At first, the Shinigami only interacted with chieftains and necromancers. It was during this time that the Shinigami made a treaty with the human '''King Philip''' of the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Eastern Kingdom|Eastern Kingdom]] against the [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)|Avatars]], only to betray Philip to those Avatars. Many speculate that the Shinigami and the Avatars had always planned that alliance and subsequent betrayal.

The Shinigami then continued as things had always been, barely cognizant of the world beyond Duat, and turning a blind eye to the steady trickle of disaffected ghilan who had been migrating across the Nereid Sea beyond the reach of the Patrons.

=== Efthal, the Second Betrayer ===

Six centuries after their betrayal of King Philip, the Shinigami assign a young necromancer named '''Efthal''' to advise a young and relatively unimportant chieftain named '''Margor'''. Under Efthal's guidance, Margor increases the size of his army, and wins battle after battle against his fellow ghilan. Ten years after Margor and Efthal's partnership, the pair attack the Alabastrian city of Ynepor along the Duatan border, sacking the city, and desecrating its temple. The Shiniagmi did not authorize this attack, and they ask Margor and Efthal to attend them at one of the sacred Mounds. Instead, Margor and Efthal build a fleet of ships and occupy an island off the coast of Duat. From there, they begin a campaign of piracy against settlements along the Nereid Sea, both in and out of Duat. All attempts by the Shinigami and others to apprehend Efthal and Margor were in vain.

Thirty years later, Margor and Efthal raid the Alabastrian Empire again. This time, however, they take a horde of ghilan and wights deep into the Empire and sack the capital Aligon. Again, they desecrate its temple. However, when they finally return with their booty to Ynepor they are met by a cast army of wights, ghilan, and, it is said, three Shinigami. In the battle Margor is slain and the ghilan and wights scattered, but Efthal manages to flee. The next year, Efthal stands on top of a Sacred Mound and, in front of a legion of Shinigami, demands that the Shinigami afford him entrance. Nothing happens. Efthal is neither allowed within, nor is he destroyed for his insolence. Eventually, the crowd scatters and Efthal leaves.

Nothing is heard from Efthal for several decades, under he appears in the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]], and becomes one of the most infamous men ever to walk upon the world. But his story in Duat is done.

[[File:Duat.jpg|thumb|alt=Webber, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. This file obtained from Wikimedia Commons.|The Mounds of the [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)|Shinigami]] are in various states of disrepair, but are still a source of veneration amongst those who live in Duat.]]

=== The Days of Betrayal ===

It is also at this point that the Shinigami retreat from the world. They leave the tribes ungoverned and unmanaged. The necromancers and chieftains must make their own plans and their own decisions. While some ghilan war chiefs cling to the old ways, without the shinigami, many feel no need to war against their fellow ghilan. Rather, they become pirates and raiders, sacking the Alabastrian Empire, or the coastal towns along the Nereid Sea.

Some ghilan attempt to unify Duat with ghilans ruling instead of Shinigami. More than 400 years after the Shinigami retreat to their Mounds, the warlord '''Harald''' briefly founded the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Northern Reach|Northern Reach]]. At around the same time, the warlord '''Otto''' unifies southern Duat against Alabastrian incursion in an area to be known as the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]]. Neither of these realms lasts long without a charismatic warlord to guide them.

Over the centuries, many other warlords and warladies attempt to unify Duat, with some success, but never lasting success.

=== Margreth, the Last Betrayer ===

Over 50 years ago, '''Warlady Margreth''' defeated the two largest tribes in Duat to re-found the Northern Reach. Until recently, she governed this area, as a genuinely respected leader, almost in the mold of the monarchs of the Free Kingdoms. Twelve years ago, she marched an army into the Mound at the center of her holdings. She returned declaring the Mounds to be empty. She announced herself to be the new Shinigami overlord of Duat and built a massive castle atop the mound. The castle lasted one year. Then, say survivors, the Mound came alive and swallowed the massive castle, including Margreth, her entire family and the bulk of her forces. Since that day, the Mounds of Duat have hummed with an eerie noise.

At the same time, in the south, the land once known as the Border Kingdom was dominated by seven chieftains who split their time fighting one another and the Alabastrian Empire. When the Mounds cam alive, the seven chieftains agreed to a truce and made a pilgrimage to a Mound in order to seek the advice of the Patrons, if they indeed had returned. Nobody knows what occurred in the Mound, but only three warlords returned. It is said they were drastically changed by the experience. They would not state what happened, except to say that they now serve the Shinigami, and that soon all Duat will be unified once more. That three, once bitter rivals, now act like brothers, working together to unite the ghilan and wights under the Banner of the Mound. Despite their efforts, the Shinigami have not yet physically returned (although some people claim to have seen visions of them during near-death experiences and have been granted amazing arcane powers thereby).

----
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Fey Realm (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:26:33Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Fey Realm
|Monarch=The Kings and Queens of the Seasonal Courts
|Resident=Faerie
|Heraldry=Lozengy, gules and vert, and either holly leaf pendent proper (spring), sun in splendor or (summer), gourd tenné pendent (autumn), or bear erect sable (winter)
|Capital=Earrach, Foghar, Gamradh, and Samradh
|Cities=I'ém, Ilena, Mina
|Races=Elf, Fey, goblin
|Neighbors=Fire Mountains, Savage Sound, Wild Forest, Ironguard
|Snapshot=The Realm of the capricious Fey Patrons, rarely (and almost never willingly) visited by residents of the Free Kingdoms
}}

== Geography ==

The Fey Realm is located at the southwestern corner of Patronage and consists of lakes, meadows, rivers, rolling hills, temperate mixed forests, temperate rainforests, and verdant plains. It is bounded by the [[Fire Mountains (Patronage Supplement)|Fire Mountains]] to the north, [[Ironguard (Patronage Supplement)|Ironguard]] to the northeast, the [[Wild Forest (Patronage Supplement)|Wild Forest]] to the east, the [[Savage Sound (Patronage Supplement)|Savage Sound]] to the south, and the [[Mists (Patronage Supplement)|Mists]] to the west. The Winter Court rules from the city of Gamradh in the foothills of the Fire Mountains. The Summer Court has a palace outside Samradh on the shores of the Savage Sound. Earrach, the City of Spring, houses the Spring Court on the western side of the Fey Realm (some say, the city once was located in the Wild Forest, but had to be relocated by the Fey when the Wild Forest went wild some time during the [[Lost Age (Patronage Supplement)|Lost Age]]). Finally, the Autumn Court dwells in Foghar, the Autumn City at the easternmost end of the Realm. The Fey Realm occasionally is enshrouded by the [[Mists (Patronage Supplement)|Mists]], and even traveling through the streets can be difficult for mortals who have not been properly enchanted by the Court.

The weather in the Fey Realms is as capricious as its courts. In the southern lands severe storms from the [[Savage Sound (Patronage Supplement)|Savage Sound]] dump rain in the summer and snow in the winter. These storms provide freezing temperatures in winter, and leave swaths of clouds heading toward the [[Fire Mountains (Patronage Supplement)|Fire Mountains]] all year round. As the clouds reach the Fire Mountains sublimation occurs, creating a temperate rainforest in the northern reaches of the Fey Realm. The temperate rainforest reaches a little south of I'ém. The Summer Court works with the weather to help prevent tropical cyclones and other natural disasters when they can. The rivers in the northern reaches head towards the [[Nereid Sea (Patronage Supplement)|Nereid Sea]] while the southern rivers head towards the [[Savage Sound (Patronage Supplement)|Savage Sound]].

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Fey Realm.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|The Fey Realm. The map's scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Government ==

The [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)|Fey]] govern their Realm with a combination of deadly politics and capricious tyranny. There are four Courts in the Realm, each named after a season, and each centered in one of the four capital cities of the Fey Realm. Each Court is governed by a King and Queen, who rule jointly over their domain. Only two Fey may freely travel in any domain, known only as the Wild Fey, and they answer to no monarch. Otherwise, the courts of the Fey are filled with [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Elves|elves]] and [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Goblins|goblins]] currying favor from their Patron, as the Fey Courts quietly attempt to outmaneuver one another in an unending, unnerving, and eternal game of give and take.

== Culture ==

The Fey Realm rule makes arbitrary tyrants, sometimes benevolent, sometimes malevolent, but always capricious. Much of the day-to-day management of the Realm is left to the most trusted amongst the servile races who rule their fiefdoms in the name of their Patron. But the primary role of any subject of the Fey Realm is to entertain their Patron. Every elf or goblin is expected to have some talent in performance, whether singing, music, comedy, acrobatics, or simply as the butt of a joke (the so-called rumps). Art is the only pastime in the Fey Realm, but it is only jovial and merry to the Patrons and their favored mortals. To everyone else, it is a dark terror.

The 54 Fey have been further immortalized in the playing cards that make up much of the games in Patronage. The thirteen Fey of each seasonal court as divided into four suits (Summer = Diamonds, Spring = Hearts, Autumn = Clubs, and Winter = Spades), and the two Wild Fey are the wild cards decorated in motley.

[[File:Fey Realm.png|thumb|alt=Kate Greenaway [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons|The Fey Realm is a place of mystic enchantment and wonder.]]

== History ==

The Fey Realm generally keeps to itself. Occasionally a Fey, bored with the neverending politics and puppetry of manipulating their servile races, will venture through the Mists in order to wreak havoc in the lives of the commonfolk. However, such revels rarely affect the machinations of kings, and become the stuff of fairy tales and children stories.

One exception occurs early in the history of the world. When the [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|humans]] first rules [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Dragonseye]], they were protected by a Great Wheel that prevented the Patron Races from interfering with them. Many Patrons had attempted to crush the young patronless kingdom with spells and armies, but to no avail. The Fey were more subtle. They waited for a weak leader, and found it in '''King Yosea'''. The King was desperately fearful of mortality, and the Fey promised him immortality in exchange for a piece of the Wheel. He agreed, and the Fey stole away not only that piece, but also Yosea's '''Queen Zebel'''. With the Wheel partially dismantled, the Fey then sent an army of goblins to destroy the City. Yosea disappeared during this fight but his daughter, '''Queen Davra''', mustered the city's inhabitants to repel the attack and, apparently, managed to repair the Wheel despite Yosea's sabotage. After that effort the Fey Realm again retreated to its borders and left the wild races to their own devices.

----
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Duat (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T22:26:06Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Duat
|Monarch=Unknown
|Resident=Duatan
|Heraldry=Tenné, mound sable
|Capital=None
|Cities=Gidp, Grilk, Kes, Klur, Meldrn, Mound Invas, Mound Im, Mound Lism, Mound Sable, Mound Sepr, Mound Templar, Mound Ties, Mounds of the Shinigami, Télir, Ynepor
|Races=Eidolon, ghilan, wight
|Neighbors=Alabastrian Empire, Dead March, Nereid Sea
|Products=Beer, grain, ships, wood
|Snapshot=The land where the undead labor as serfs, and barbarian lords and necromancers rules tribes nominally loyal to their Shinigami Patrons.
}}

== Geography ==

Duat is located on the northeastern border of the [[Mists (Patronage Supplement)|Mists]]. The [[Alabastrian Empire (Patronage Supplement)|Alabastrian Empire]], which lies to the south, is its only civilized neighbor. The [[Nereid Sea (Patronage Supplement)|Nereid Sea]] and the [[Dead March (Patronage Supplement)|Dead March]] make up its western border.

Duat consists of the [[Dead March (Patronage Supplement)|Dead March's]] foothills and swamps where powerful and fearful creatures frequent. Its land around the [[Nereid Sea (Patronage Supplement)|Nereid Sea]] is mountainous temperate forests with coastal towns. Inland it is a land of arctic tundra or is hilly and rocky. Only around the southern reaches do fertile verdant fields make up the landscape. The rivers flow through large lakes only to get caught in the Dead March or into the Nereid Sea. The northern reaches reach very low temperatures and snow drifts make up the landscape in winter. Only for a few months can the northern reaches be farmed. Here people mostly hunt to survive and cut down trees in the summer months to stay alive throughout the winter. The mountains around the Nereid Sea make inland trade more difficult, however the rivers help. This mountainous region has been most useful in wars to protect their borders. The snow falls all the way south to past the mountains in winter, and only in the surrounding low lying areas is more extensive farming possible in the summer months. The [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)|Shinigami]] patrons of Duat ordered the use of [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Wights|wights]] to perform the menial labor needed to produce the food the [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Ghilan|ghilan]] need to survive. Even with [[Landbond (Patronage Supplement)|landbonds]] this land is difficult to farm.

== Government ==

Duat has no formal governance. The ghilan are divided into various tribes, usually named after various scavengers and predators that supervise their wight servants and raid other tribes and the Alabastrian Empire for other material needs. There are a handful of port cities that supply ships and trade but their primary purpose is to provide a launching point for ghilan raiding parties to ply the Nereid Sea as pirates and raiders, plundering all of the Free Kingdoms that border these waters. Nominally, the chieftains of the ghilan tribes have pledged their support to the Shinigami patrons, but they have been utterly silent for many centuries.

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Duat.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|Duat. The scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Culture ==

Duat is a culture based on the frequent use of necromancy. Captives in war are slain and turned into zombies or skeletons to perform the backbreaking menial labor needed to be able to farm the hard lands of Duat. Undead are used in every aspect of life, from farming, mining, to even basic crafts. This frees the ghilan to more noble pursuits, such as waging war and plunder. The ghilan society places a high value on honor and a low value on life. They believe their Shinigami patrons dwell deep beneath the earth, where the Mists seep forth, and that they are sustained by the blood of their enemies as it seeps into the ground.

== History ==

=== The Days of Loyalty ===

The history of Duat is one of never-ending warfare amongst the ghilan tribes. Even when the Shinigami were active in the world, the ghilan were encouraged to fight and spill blood in ritualistic combat and outright warfare.

=== Nebu, the First Betrayer ===

When the [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|humans]] first founded [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Dragonseye]], it was a ghilan named '''Nebu''' who brought Duat's warfare across the Nereid Sea and into the Dragonslands. After Nebu refused the Shinigami's orders to return to Duat, the Shiniagmi began to interact directly with the ghilan less and less frequently. At first, the Shinigami only interacted with chieftains and necromancers. It was during this time that the Shinigami made a treaty with the human '''King Philip''' of the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Eastern Kingdom|Eastern Kingdom]] against the [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)|Avatars]], only to betray Philip to those Avatars. Many speculate that the Shinigami and the Avatars had always planned that alliance and subsequent betrayal.

The Shinigami then continued as things had always been, barely cognizant of the world beyond Duat, and turning a blind eye to the steady trickle of disaffected ghilan who had been migrating across the Nereid Sea beyond the reach of the Patrons.

=== Efthal, the Second Betrayer ===

Six centuries after their betrayal of King Philip, the Shinigami assign a young necromancer named '''Efthal''' to advise a young and relatively unimportant chieftain named '''Margor'''. Under Efthal's guidance, Margor increases the size of his army, and wins battle after battle against his fellow ghilan. Ten years after Margor and Efthal's partnership, the pair attack the Alabastrian city of Ynepor along the Duatan border, sacking the city, and desecrating its temple. The Shiniagmi did not authorize this attack, and they ask Margor and Efthal to attend them at one of the sacred Mounds. Instead, Margor and Efthal build a fleet of ships and occupy an island off the coast of Duat. From there, they begin a campaign of piracy against settlements along the Nereid Sea, both in and out of Duat. All attempts by the Shinigami and others to apprehend Efthal and Margor were in vain.

Thirty years later, Margor and Efthal raid the Alabastrian Empire again. This time, however, they take a horde of ghilan and wights deep into the Empire and sack the capital Aligon. Again, they desecrate its temple. However, when they finally return with their booty to Ynepor they are met by a cast army of wights, ghilan, and, it is said, three Shinigami. In the battle Margor is slain and the ghilan and wights scattered, but Efthal manages to flee. The next year, Efthal stands on top of a Sacred Mound and, in front of a legion of Shinigami, demands that the Shinigami afford him entrance. Nothing happens. Efthal is neither allowed within, nor is he destroyed for his insolence. Eventually, the crowd scatters and Efthal leaves.

Nothing is heard from Efthal for several decades, under he appears in the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]], and becomes one of the most infamous men ever to walk upon the world. But his story in Duat is done.

[[File:Duat.jpg|thumb|alt=Webber, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. This file obtained from Wikimedia Commons.|The Mounds of the [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)|Shinigami]] are in various states of disrepair, but are still a source of veneration amongst those who live in Duat.]]

=== The Days of Betrayal ===

It is also at this point that the Shinigami retreat from the world. They leave the tribes ungoverned and unmanaged. The necromancers and chieftains must make their own plans and their own decisions. While some ghilan war chiefs cling to the old ways, without the shinigami, many feel no need to war against their fellow ghilan. Rather, they become pirates and raiders, sacking the Alabastrian Empire, or the coastal towns along the Nereid Sea.

Some ghilan attempt to unify Duat with ghilans ruling instead of Shinigami. More than 400 years after the Shinigami retreat to their Mounds, the warlord '''Harald''' briefly founded the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Northern Reach|Northern Reach]]. At around the same time, the warlord '''Otto''' unifies southern Duat against Alabastrian incursion in an area to be known as the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]]. Neither of these realms lasts long without a charismatic warlord to guide them.

Over the centuries, many other warlords and warladies attempt to unify Duat, with some success, but never lasting success.

=== Margreth, the Last Betrayer ===

Over 50 years ago, '''Warlady Margreth''' defeated the two largest tribes in Duat to re-found the Northern Reach. Until recently, she governed this area, as a genuinely respected leader, almost in the mold of the monarchs of the Free Kingdoms. Twelve years ago, she marched an army into the Mound at the center of her holdings. She returned declaring the Mounds to be empty. She announced herself to be the new Shinigami overlord of Duat and built a massive castle atop the mound. The castle lasted one year. Then, say survivors, the Mound came alive and swallowed the massive castle, including Margreth, her entire family and the bulk of her forces. Since that day, the Mounds of Duat have hummed with an eerie noise.

At the same time, in the south, the land once known as the Border Kingdom was dominated by seven chieftains who split their time fighting one another and the Alabastrian Empire. When the Mounds cam alive, the seven chieftains agreed to a truce and made a pilgrimage to a Mound in order to seek the advice of the Patrons, if they indeed had returned. Nobody knows what occurred in the Mound, but only three warlords returned. It is said they were drastically changed by the experience. They would not state what happened, except to say that they now serve the Shinigami, and that soon all Duat will be unified once more. That three, once bitter rivals, now act like brothers, working together to unite the ghilan and wights under the Banner of the Mound. Despite their efforts, the Shinigami have not yet physically returned (although some people claim to have seen visions of them during near-death experiences and have been granted amazing arcane powers thereby).

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
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Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)

2013-05-18T22:22:12Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{Campaign Setting Rating|4}}

[[File:Man vs Patron.jpg|thumb|250px|alt=Frontispiece of Brown, Abbie Farwell (1902). "In the Days of Giants: A Book of Norse Tales" Illustrations by E. Boyd Smith. Houghton, Mifflin & Co. Image is in the public domain.|A noble few aspire for the day when the lesser races find their own path, a path of independence and freedom from the tyranny of the patrons. Many have tried, and all have been squashed by the might of the Patrons. Who would dare to overthrow the gods?]]

Patronage is where the "gods", such as they are, walk the earth amongst their subjects. These are not gods in the conventional sense. Rather, they are immensely powerful immortal creatures, with great knowledge and ruthless ambition. The lesser races cower in their presence, either hoping for their Patrons' benevolence, or dreading their Patrons' malevolence.

== Mechanical Notes ==

Patronage is atypical of many campaign worlds created for Dungeons & Dragons in several respects. The major differences are detailed briefly below:

'''Godless:''' There are no gods or primal spirits in Patronage. Rather, the world is dominated by the "Patrons", powerful beings akin to gods, but who walk the earth in physical form. Because the cosmology is so different from the default "Points of Light" setting in 4th edition, it may be confusing on how to build a back story for a warlock, or for a primal or divine class, I have a short article on [[Power Sources (Patronage Supplement)|translating character concepts and power sources into the Patronage Campaign Setting]].

'''Universal:''' Just as there are no gods, there are also no alternate planes. Patronage exists on one continent on one world. While there are pocket dimensions (and thus ''bags of holding'' and rituals of ''rope trick'' ), there is no cosmology, no Astral Sea, no Feywild, no Elemental Chaos, etc. Therefore, any ritual or power that involves travel to another plane will not operate. (Eladrin and other forms of teleportation however, work fine) Players should be careful about selecting Paragon Paths and Epic Destinies that would normally grant transdimensional powers. Instead of planes, there are realms on the world where creatures from those planes dwell. These are physical places, and can be reached through conventional means.

'''Reclassified Races:''' While pretty much any playable race can fit in Patronage, each race (except humans and warforged) is grouped into one of 18 categories of "noble" and "base" races. (The Patrons are not playable races, rather they are groupings of all the epic-tiered intelligent creatures that might exist in the game). When people refer to a character's race in-game, they will refer to this classification. For example, both gnolls and kenku are considered to be breeds of "[[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|shedu]]", the noble race created by the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|anthropophagi]]. Characters will refer to these characters as "shedim" (the plural of shedu), and treat them as if they came from the same race.

'''No Interbreeding:''' One consequence of the racial classifications is that half-orcs, half-elves, and any other races that are described as an offshoot of parents of different race breed true in Patronage. They are not the result of mating between two individuals of different races. In fact, in Patronage, races are unable to interbreed. An elf who marries a human will bear no offspring from the union. However, two creatures who are different breeds within the same race can interbreed, and the result could result in a child of either parents' breeding. For example, if a gnoll and a kenku (both considered shedim) mate, the offspring could be either a kenku or a gnoll. The mating, however, would not result, for example in a breed of shedu that is of neither parent (such as a shifter).

'''[[Landbond (Patronage Supplement)|Landbond]]:''' The lands of Patronage are unusually hard to farm, and were inhospitable when first created (or found as some speculate) by the Patrons. The Patrons developed the [[Landbond (Patronage Supplement)|landbond rituals]] to support agriculture. Landbonding binds a ruler to the land, but the link allows the land to be farmed by those who swear fealty to the monarch. The ritual helps to preserve a feudal system, a result the Patrons no doubt intended.

'''Setting-Specific Mechanics:''' There are also several new mechanics designed for Patronage in the following categories:

* [[Character Backgrounds (Patronage Supplement)|Backgrounds]]
* [[Disease (Patronage Supplement)|Diseases]]
* [[Magic Item (Patronage Supplement)|Magic Items]]
* [[Monster (Patronage Supplement)|Monsters]]
* [[Rituals (Patronage Supplement)|Rituals]]

'''Tier-Based Design:''' Patronage is designed so that adventures can easily be categorized by tier. Adventure seeds can be found throughout Patronage's environments.

* ''Heroic adventures'' usually take place within a single Free Kingdom or Wild Land, or on behalf of a [[Society (Patronage Supplement)|society]]. Adventurers, of course, may travel where they will, but an entire heroic phase of a campaign could be held within any of the Free Kingdoms or Wild Lands.
* ''Paragon adventures'' usually take place either within a Patron Realm, or in the form of conflict between the Free Kingdoms or [[Society (Patronage Supplement)|societies]] within the Free Kingdoms. Paragon adventurers should have sufficient power and renown to deal directly with the powers who control the Free Kingdoms and societies.
* ''Epic adventures'' usually take place in the form of conflict either among Patron Races or between the Patrons and the Free Kingdoms. Epic adventurers should have already reshaped the mortal realms of the Free Kingdoms and can now take the fight directly to the Patrons themselves.

== The Patrons and Their Subjects ==

According to accepted history, the Patrons created the World of Patronage and all living creatures within it. Philosophers and historians generally accept that there were, or are, nine Patron races. There are some who say the Patrons came from elsewhere, and found this land and populated it. If that is true, then it informs one of the question: from where did they come?

The Patrons divided their servile races into those noble races that could be entrusted with discretion and authority, and those base races that were built for more menial or dangerous tasks. In actuality, the nine noble races and the nine base races (one for each Patron) are each groupings of many races. Mysteriously, some races, without any ties to a Patron have appeared. Scholars are uncertain from where these races came and what their appearance portends. The Patrons have been silent about these new "wild" races, which concerns the scholars all the more.

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! style="background:#CC9933" width="50px" align="left"|'''Patron'''
! width="100px"|[[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophage]]
! width="100px"|[[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)|Avatar]]
! width="100px"|[[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)|Dragon]]
! width="100px"|[[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)|Elemental]]
! width="100px"|[[Fey (Patronage Supplement)|Fey]]
! width="100px"|[[Leviathan (Patronage Supplement)|Leviathan]]
! width="100px"|[[Oni (Patronage Supplement)|Oni]]
! width="100px"|[[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)|Shinigami]]
! width="100px"|[[Titan (Patronage Supplement)|Titan]]
| width="100px" align="center"|[[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)|'''None''']]
|-
| style="background:#CC9933"|'''Noble'''
| [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|Shedu]]
| [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Deva|Deva]]
| [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|Halfling]]
| [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|Genasi]]
| [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Elves|Elf]]
| [[Leviathan (Patronage Supplement)#Deep Ones|Deep One]]
| [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Orcs|Orc]]
| [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Ghilan|Ghilan]]
| [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)#Ogres|Ogre]]
| [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|Human]]
|-
| style="background:#CC9933"|'''Base'''
| [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|Ravin]]
| [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Eidolons|Eidolon]]
| [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Sparti|Sparti]]
| [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|Dwarf]]
| [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Goblins|Goblin]]
| [[Leviathan (Patronage Supplement)#Voidianoi|Voidianoi]]
| [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Half-orcs|Half-orc]]
| [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Wight|Wight]]
| [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)#Goliaths|Goliath]]
| [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Warforged|Warforged]]
|}

== Places and Organizations ==

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage.jpg|thumb|center|upright=5|Patronage. The scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]]]

Those places where the Patrons still hold dominion are known as the "Realms", while those places where the Patrons have retreated or disappeared, and are currently dominate by the noble and base races are called the "Free Kingdoms". The [[Mists (4e Environment)|Mists]] are the mysterious fog that bounds the perimeter of Patronage.

{| class="column" style="width: 100%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-
| style="width: 20%;" |
'''Realms'''
: ''Where the Patrons govern, or where mortals govern in name of their Patrons.''
* [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]]
* [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]]
* [[Fey Realm (4e Environment)|Fey Realm]]
* [[Fire Mountains (4e Environment)|Fire Mountains]]
* [[Green Lands (4e Environment)|Green Lands]]
* [[Mongrel Island (4e Environment)|Mongrel Island]]
* [[Nereid Sea (4e Environment)|Nereid Sea]]
* [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]]
| style="width: 20%;" |
'''Free Kingdoms'''
: ''Where the mortal races govern independent of the Patrons.''
* [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|The Caliphate]]
* [[Carraway (4e Environment)|Carraway]]
* [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]]
* [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]]
* [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]]
* [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]]
* [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]]
* [[Nidvalar (4e Environment)|Nidvalar]]
* [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]]
* [[Verdant (4e Environment)|Verdant]]
* [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]]
| style="width: 20%;" |
'''Wild Lands'''
: ''Where you go when you want to escape both Patrons and Monarchs.''
* [[Barrens (Patronage Supplement)|The Barrens]]
* [[Blackscale Swamp (4e Environment)|Blackscale Swamp]]
* [[Dead March (4e Environment)|Dead March]]
* [[Mists (4e Environment)|The Mists]]
* [[Savage Sound (4e Environment)|Savage Sound]]
* [[Wild Forest (4e Environment)|Wild Forest]]
| style="width: 20%;" |
'''[[Society (Patronage_Supplement)|Societies]]'''
: ''Some groups of people transcend political and geographic boundaries.''
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Clockwork Circle|Clockwork Circle]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Dodecians|Dodecians]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Efthali|Efthali]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#The Loyalists|Loyalists]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Order of the Compass|Order of the Compass]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Pure Land Sect|Pure Land Sect]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Ramhead Rangers|Ramhead Rangers]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#The Testament|Testament]]
| style="width: 20%;" |
'''[[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)|Dead Kingdoms]]'''
: ''Throughout history, numerous kingdoms have come and passed from this world, but left their indelible mark upon it.''
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Middle Empire|Middle Empire]] (711-771)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#Lucindan Empire|Lucindan Empire]] (914-927)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Eastern Kingdom|Eastern Kingdom]] (927-1104)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Southern Empire|Southern Empire]] (927-1234)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]] (927-2010)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Free City of Ramhead|City of Ramhead]] (ca. 1494-2481)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#Sarrun Empire|Sarrun Empire]] (1727-1802)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]] (2093-2606)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Nothern Reach|Northern Reach]] (2150-2659)
|}

== History ==

Historians generally separate the history of Patronage into six ages, though history often reveals itself to be incapable of such bright lines.
{| class="column" style="width: 100%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-
| style="width: 25%;" align="center"|
I
----
'''[[Innocent Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Innocent Age]]''' 
1-670 
''From the arrival of the Patrons to the first Dragon Slaying''
| style="width: 9%;" align="center"|
II
----
'''[[Lost Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Lost Age]]''' 
671-913 
''From the loss of one Patron to the loss of a Patron race''
| style="width: 11%;" align="center"|
III
----
'''[[Chaotic Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Chaotic Age]]''' 
914-1216 
''As the Patrons withdraw, new Empires emerge''
| style="width: 19%;" align="center"|
IV
----
'''[[Xalian Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Xalian Age]]''' 
1217-1725 
''Without Patrons, legendary heroes rise amidst young empires''
| style="width: 12%;" align="center"|
V
----
'''[[Juzhian Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Juzhian Age]]''' 
1726-2050 
''From war and chaos come philosophies for justice, chivalry, and peace''
| style="width: 24%;" align="center"|
VI
----
'''[[Xarlemi Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Xarlemi Age]]''' 
2051-present/2697 
''The rise of the Free Kingdoms''
|}

----
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}}
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Setting]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T21:51:09Z

Green Dragon: scale caption

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Alabastrian Empire
|Monarch=Emperor Xarlem
|Resident=Alabastrian
|Heraldry=Argent, griffin gules rampant
|Capital=Aligon
|Cities=Abalel, Ablibo, Agenol, Alceor, Aldago, Amnode, Apnido, Arfort, Ariges, Arnafa, Artiro, Asledph, Asmelo, Aspalo, Azpama, Efafes, Elmara, Enpagi, Ermale, Ernole, Esegme, Inodab, Inofan, Li'igan, Lingef, Lintom, Lisdon, Lumapo, Lumaza, Mamgal, Milges, Minpol, Nagole, Napsen, Naspol, Obogel, Onefon, Ormila, Ornogo, Ragiop, Ragles, Ranglo, Ris'fli, Rorges, Utmono, Uzh'dana, Uzh'nab,
|Races=Deva, eidolon, ghilan, halfling, human, ravin, shedim
|Neighbors=[[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]], [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]], [[Nereid Sea (4e Environment)|Nereid Sea]], [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], [[Savage Sound (4e Environment)|Savage Sound]]
|Products=glass, steel, wool, linens
|Snapshot=Created by the departing Avatar Patrons, the Alabastrian Empire is ruled by Xarlem, one of the few remaining Immortal Deva.
}}

== Geography ==

The Alabastrian Empire is located in the southeastern corner of the continent between the northeastern shore of the [[Savage Sound (4e Environment)|Savage Sound]] and the southeastern shore of the [[Nereid Sea (4e Environment)|Nereid Sea]]. To its north are the lands of [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] and to the west are the Free Kingdoms of [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] and [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]]. The Empire itself is a land of fertile verdant fields, lakes, rivers, swamps, temperate forests, with alpine tundras dotting its tall mountains. The mountains are unusual in that they stand alone in the field, with no hills or other geography. They are each considered sacred to those who call Alabastria home. There were once 50 mountains in all in the lands that the Empire once occupied. The city of Downlach is presently in [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], and Ynepor is in [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]]. Each mountain is named after one of the original [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)|Avatar Patrons]] of the Realm. Atop each mountain is a sacred temple dedicated to that Avatar and a city named for that Avatar surrounds the mountain. In winter the southern Alabastrian Empire gets extremely cold and the mountains are almost impassable. Northern areas are less effected by seasonal climate changes.

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Alabastrian Empire.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|The Alabastrian Empire. The scale is based on the average medium [[4e Races|race's]] walking speed.]]

== Government ==

The Alabastrian Empire is controlled by Emperor '''Xarlem''', a [[Avatar_(Patronage_Supplement)#Deva|deva]] who has received the [[Ritual of Remembrance (4e Ritual)|Ritual of Remembrance]], which allows the deva to reincarnate will full memories of his past lives. Xarlem is the third to hold the crown. He rules with the advice of the Imperial Senate which designates one representative from each sacred city (except Downlach and Ynepor, of course). Only the Senate can levy taxes, but given the absolute control of the Emperor over the Imperial army, this has proven to be a weak check on the Emperor's powers. Each city is also run by a local Governor, which is appointed by the Emperor and approved by the Senate.

== Culture ==

The Alabastrian Empire has a long and proud tradition. Dominated as they are by deva, they have long memories and complicated and ornate ritualistic customs. They are militaristic and expansive. They rue the day their Patrons left them and believe that only by placing the Free Kingdoms under their benevolent rule will their Patrons ever agree to return and restore the utopian society they believe the Avatarlands once to have been.

== History ==

Before, the Empire, the Realm was known as the Avatarlands and governed by the Patrons. After an Avatar was killed by the halfling queen '''Evara''' and her magic sword [[Evararm (4e Equipment)|Evararm]], the Avatars began to retreat from the world, ordering the construction of the 50 cities and their temples. After the construction of the last temple, the Avatars entered their temples and were never seen again. Only the holiest of Deva priests are even allowed into the inner sanctum of these temples today. The last act of the Avatars was to appoint the deva '''Xalia''' as the first empress of the Alabastrian Empire.

=== Xalian Age ===

This age lasted from 1216 to 1725.

==== Conquest of the Southern Empire ====

Xalia's first order of business was to expand control over her Empire. She saw the chaotic Free Kingdoms as the greatest threat to the stability of Patronage and her fledgling empire. The Avatars had already absorbed the human [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Eastern Kingdom|Eastern Kingdom]] into its territory, so she set her sights on the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Southern Empire|Southern Empire]], a dyarchy ruled by a husband and wife. She seduced the king '''Mnemon XIV''', and convinced him to depose his queen, '''Filia XIII''', for plotting against him. Mnemon XIV appointed Xalia the new queen. She adopted the name Filia XIV, as was custom in the Southern Empire. 15 years later, when Mnemon XIV died of old age, Xalia annexed the Southern Empire into her own.

==== The Second Empire ====

Having pacified the Southern Empire, Xalia turned her attention further west, but her efforts were less successful. In the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]], she put pressure on the leaders to foster their prince '''Phratakes''' to study at the fabled colleges in Aligon. There, he became thoroughly "endeavored" and, with his deva adviser '''Muso''', attempted to unite the Second and Alabastrian Empires. However, his people would not abandon their independence, and they overthrew Phratakes and sent him to die in exile. After this, the Empire ceased any policy of intervening directly in the Second Empire. A shaky peace endured for 250 years.

==== Rebellion in Dragonseye ====

Meanwhile, in the Alabastrian Empire's westernmost port of [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]] (conquered from the Second Empire), the humans living there began to revolt from Alabastrian rule. Two separate revolts arose simultaneously. The Followers of the Dragon, led by the human rebel '''Jonnan''', took up arms against the Empire, believing themselves to be the "living embodiment of the Great Wheel". The Dodecians, led by the human prophetess '''Josephine''', were a mystical sect who believed that the human epics, the Dodecon and Elemiad had hidden prophecies in those texts foretold the eventual restoration of the Free City of Dragonseye (which would be ruled by humans and free of outside influence). The Empire arrested and executed Jonnan and Josephine. The execution seemed to end the Followers of the Dragon and drove the Dodecians into hiding.

However, seventy years later, another rebel, claiming to be Jonnan reincarnated, restarted that rebellion. This second Jonnan was caught and executed seven years later. However, sixty years after that, a third Jonnan appears and the rebellion begins anew. Finally, in 1386, after the loss of much blood and treasure, Empress Xalia ordered the entire city of Dragonseye to be razed to the ground, and its inhabitants scattered. This meant that the Empire abandoned any territory on the western shore of the [[Nereid Sea (4e Environment)|Nereid Sea]], but it did end the human rebellions. Dodecian cabals continued to operate in secret throughout the Empire, and the Empire banned the ''Dodecon'' and ''Elemiad''. Although this did not end the movement, it did quell any attempts to recolonize [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]].

==== Ransom ====

Withdrawal from [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]] signaled to the Second Empire that the Alabastrian Empire was weakening. '''Emperor Shapur''' began attacking Alabastrian ships and port cities. Xalia raised and personally led a mighty armada to quell these privateers, but a storm caused her ship to wreck and she was captured by the Second Emperor and kept prisoner in his city of Aligon.

A power struggle then erupted between '''Oncia''' and '''Juzhian''', two of the other Immortal Deva selected by the Avatars, as to who would rule the Empire. [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] wished to invade, while Juzhian sought to negotiate a peace. Juzhian eloquently argued that unceasing war would eventually weaken the Empire to the point where it would collapse. The Empire had no true grievance with the Second Empire beyond the return of Xalia. Let the west deal with the west and Alabastria with the east. In the end, the other deva supported Juzhian. He negotiated a peace for Xalia's return which included a ransom. The details of this ransom are unknown, but when Xalia discovered the price of her freedom, she immediately summoned her entire military strength and invaded the Second Empire to recover it. However, by then, Shapur had died, the ransom was lost. Xalia razed Artifice to the ground, but eventually left the Second Empire without her ransom.

Conflict between the Second and Alabastrian Empires continued until 1650, when Emperor '''Yazdegerd''' took advantage of the Alabastrian Empire's new enemies to the North to begin construction of a massive wall between the two.

==== Trouble to the North ====

While the Empire was preoccupied with the Second Empire to the west, they neglected their northern border. Ghilan and wights from [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] had always harried settlements and ships along the border, but in the 17th century, the attacks were more frequent and bloodier. In 1633, Duatan armies forced the Empire to abandon the city of Ynepor, the first time an Alabastrian Temple had to be abandoned. In 1660, Duatan armies traveled all the way to Aligon and sacked the city. They sacked it again in 1705.

Xalia personally led armies to recapture Ynepor and drive the invaders back. What the world didn't know was that after the fall of Ynepor, Xalia had become rakshasa. Reputedly it occurred when her scouts reported that in the captured city of Ynepor, the old Avatar Temple was ruined and defaced. Her rakshasa form was fearsome and potent, and she was able to drive the Duatans back. but it was also fatal. In 1725, a Duatan blade found its mark. The Empress Xalia died.

[[File:Alabastria.jpg|thumb|alt=This image from PD Photo.org has been released into the public domain by its author and copyright holder, Jon Sullivan. Uploaded from Wikimedia Commons.|The architecture and art of the Alabastrian Empire is studded with representations of their [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)|Avatar Patrons]].]]

=== Juzhian Age ===

This age lasted from 1726 to 2050.

==== Succession ====

Once again, a power struggle erupted between [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] and Juzhian. Juzhian pointed out that this was the fruition of his own prediction that unceasing wars would weaken the Empire. The deva debated for many months. Finally, Juzhian took the crown when the great general '''Xarlem''' changed his support from Oncia to Juzhian. Oncia accepted the devas' pronouncement and became a loyal supporter of Juzhian. The price for Xarlem's support was heavy. Juzhian anointed Xarlem with the [[Ritual of Remembrance (4e Ritual)|Ritual of Remembrance]], making Xarlem the newest Immortal Deva.

==== Rapprochement ====

True to his word, Juzhian attempted to negotiate peace with his enemies. To the north, he agreed to formalize the borders, and even to allow Ynepor to remain in Duatan hands. To the east, the eastern territories had broken away from the Empire and founded the Sarrun Empire. Juzhian offered to recognize this upstart kingdom in exchange for peace. For sixty years, Juzhian attempted to negotiate peace. During this time, Juzhian formalized the laws of the Empire, as well as it system of banking, its system of governance. By all accounts, he was a wise and just ruler. His reign is remembered as a golden age for deva and eidolons. Great monuments of architecture, art, music, and magic were produced. Peace reigned within its borders, and the people were prosperous.

However, in foreign policy, rapprochement was a complete failure. New chieftains of the Duatans refused to honor the border treaties entered into by prior chieftains. They continued to attack and sack Alabastrian cities and ships. In the east, the Sarrun Empire came under the sway of the zealotry of the [[Juzhian Age (Patronage Supplement)#Nine Truths|Cult of the Nine Truths]]. They hunted down and killed many of the remaining Immortal Devas. After sixty years, he had enough.

==== Juzhian's Double Strike ====

Juzhian ordered [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] to end the Sarrun Empire and Xarlem to end the Duatan terror. In lightning strikes, Xarlem killed every chieftain in southern [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] within six years. Oncia conquered Sarrun and reincorporated it into the Empire within 13. The strikes were so unexpected, in both its precision and brutality, that no power dared to oppose Juzhian's Empire for another 170 years.

However, Xarlem was changed by his campaign in [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]]. It is unclear what he witnessed there, but he became convinced that Duat would need constant monitoring to remain pacified. He and his Imperial armies remained in and around the Duatan border for rest of the Juzhian Age. These lands become known as the "Borderlands".

==== Chisel ====

The price of peace, however, was a brutal oppression of the occupied territory. The remnants of Cult of the Nine Truths made their way to a small city, whose original name is lost to history. The Cult's philosophy never really took hold in this city, but its anti-Imperial attitude did. Anybody dissatisfied with the Empire would find their way to this city. In 1961, the movement garnered the attention of Juzhian, who sent a general to quell the rebellion. He brought overwhelming force against a movement led by a ravin named '''Corren'''. Corren's band held out for thirty days in a battle known as Corren's Stand, which rallied enemies from throughout the Empire to arrive and destroy the general's army.

Corren did not survive, but her movement did, founding the [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Free Kingdom of Chisel]]. For the next century, Chisel's armies grew in strength and power, beating back the Alabastrian Empire. Juzhian sent general after general with armies to stop the onslaught. All of them were assassinated or defeated in battle. Due to a falling out with Oncia (a betrayal many said led to Juzhian becoming rakshasa), who was now safely ensconced in Downlach, he would not grant [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] the troops to handle the matter herself. Instead, she recalled Xarlem from the Duatan border. Xarlem protested, insisting the Duatan border remain defended. Juzhian insisted. Xarlem took his armies to Aligon, executed Juzhian, and declared himself the third emperor. (Oncia, a political outcast at this point, mutely accepted the new Emperor.)

=== Xarlemi Age ===

This age lasted from 2050 to the present, circa 2697.

==== Duat ====

Forty years into his reign, the borderlands rebelled. Xarlem deftly manipulated them into becoming the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]] with no allegiance to [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]]. This complicated political strategy kept the border secure for a century, until Warlord '''Otto''' conquered the Border Kingdom, but as Otto too had no allegiance to greater Duat, and he boded his time.

After Otto died, Xarlem invaded the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]] and annexed it to the Alabastrian Empire. That lasted seventy years. However, insurgencies, funded by powers in [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]], continued to grow. Eventually, Xarlem overran the Border Kingdom and began dismantling [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)|Shinigami]] mounds to demoralize the populace. Instead, it inspired a new rebellion, led by '''Otto II''', who drove Xarlem back. Xarlem, however, managed to get what he wanted when the peace treaty with Otto II ensured that the Border Kingdom would have no allegiance to Duat.

After Otto II died, Xarlem continued to manipulate the powers in the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]], ensuring they fought one another, rather than the Empire, and that they did not ally with powers still in [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]]. This preserves the border for 230 years. During this time, Xarlem needs to take direct action in Duat only twice.

In 2520, three tribes conquer the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]] and announce their hostility to the Empire. They wage an open war, repelling the Imperial troops. However, during this time, the tribes also splintered into seven groups. Exhausted by rebellions, Xarlem is unable to hold the Border Kingdom. But, to Xarlem's fortune, the seven chieftains mysteriously disappear. The remaining chieftains state they now serve the Shinigami, but the Shinigami have been silent for thousands of years. For now, Xarlem bides his time.

==== Civil War ====

Shortly after his coronation, Xarlem announced a series of recaptures against [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]], but never took part in them personally. Rather, he left other generals to invade and die on the fields of the east. Xarlem concentrated on the border with [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]].

Meanwhile, the rise and expansion of the [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] introduces a new player into Patronage politics. While the Caliphate was mostly directed westward, towards [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]] or the Second Empire, which it eventually dismantled, the armies of '''Muhajiel''' occasionally conquer Imperial lands as well. [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], who was then in charge of eastern Imperial lands, continually requested more troops to deal with the threat, but Xarlem could spare no more troops, between the Reconquests and the Duatan campaigns.

Eventually, Xarlem decided to abandon the west to the [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] to concentrate on [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] and [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]]. He ordered [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] to abandon Downlach. She refused, claiming that it was vital to the security of all the Patronage lands that she remain in Downlach perpetually. When Xarlem threatened to have her executed, she renounced all ties to the Empire, all claims to the throne, and declared Downlach and the surrounding territories to be the Free Kingdom of Oncia. Unable to spare more resources to prevent the split (and having already decided to abandon those lands to the Caliphate), Xarlem reluctantly tolerated Oncia's rebellion, and he turned his attentions back to Duat and Chisel.

About 200 years ago General '''Zhalfa''' finally turned the tide of the war in [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]]. His strategic genius became quickly apparent, as he cut off Chisel's supports from its other cities, conquering one by one. In 2500, Zhalfa announced that he was ready for the final invasion of Chisel. However, he demanded that Xarlem first award him with the [[Ritual of Remembrance (4e Ritual)|Ritual of Remembrance]]. Xarlem refused and Zhalfa took his armies and turned on the Emperor in what became known as the Alabastrian Civil War. It took nearly a half-century of cat and mouse before Xarlem finally cornered and executed Zhalfa.

His armies already in the east, Xarlem then turned on [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], conquering it briefly. But he could not hold it because both [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] and [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]] would take advantage of the chaos to retake land lost long ago to Alabastrian forces.

==== Current Affairs ====

A century ago, Xarlem concluded that his Empire could not handle the [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]], and [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] fronts. For the past hundred years, he has been forced to ration his resources without bankrupting his Realm, merely to maintain the territory the Empire currently holds. This defensive posturing has slowly drained the vibrancy from the Warrior-Emperor. He is not a man accustomed to inaction. In recent years, he has receded from the public, making few addresses and few appearances. Rumors abound that Xarlem has become rakshasa, and it is only a matter of time before he dies forever. Already, other luminaries are posturing to replace him. A large contingent believes that Oncia, the only other surviving Immortal Deva, must replace him. Others look forward to a time when all the deva are gone, and the eidolons will govern. (Already, several eidolons have been named governors and generals.) Xarlem is silent about these maneuverings.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Fire Mountains (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T21:43:52Z

Green Dragon:

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Fire Mountains
|Monarch=Elementals
|Resident=Fire Mountainmen
|Heraldry=None
|Capital=None
|Races=Dwarf, Elemental, genasi
|Neighbors=[[Fey Realm (4e Environment)|Fey Realm]], [[Green Lands (4e Environment)|Green Lands]], [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]], [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]], [[Verdant (4e Environment)|Verdant]]
|Products=Items of enchantment and wonder
|Snapshot=The volcanic range of the Elemental Patrons, and the forges tended by their [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|genasi]] and [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|dwarves]].
}}

== Geography ==

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Fire Mountains.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|The Fire Mountains.]]

Towering high above the Free Kingdom of [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]], [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]], and [[Verdant (4e Environment)|Verdant]] to the east, the [[Green Lands (4e Environment)|Green Lands]] to the north, and the [[Fey Realm (4e Environment)|Fey Realm]] to the south, the [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)|Elementals']] Realm is a towering spine of volcanic mountains. All of the highest elevations consist of active volcanoes. Over time they have surpassed even some of the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]] in height. Where plants can grow through the basalt they do so in alpine tundras. As the basalt recedes in the lower elevations temperate rainforests are prevalent, especially in the south and mostly in the east, because of the sublimation the Fire Mountains facilitate. In the temperate rainforests many rivers begin their journeys', most notably the Red River. Some of these rivers are large enough by the time they reach the borders to be navigated by watercraft. The other forests, and especially the northern forests, are temperate mixed forests because of the lack of intensive sublimation or because of the interactions with the unnatural [[Green Lands (4e Environment)|Green Lands]]. The inhabitants dwell underground safe from the eruptions and warmed by vents carrying foul-smelling air warmed by lava. The lower elevations are inhabited by fierce creatures, given free range by the Elementals, discouraging anybody from trying to spy on their well-hidden smithies.

== Government ==

The Elementals control the mountain range. Each Elemental dwells in its own forge buried somewhere in a mountain bearing that Elemental's name. Within the forge, the [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|genasi]] and [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|dwarven]] subjects toil away, mining and manufacturing wondrous artifacts for their Patrons. Each forge is run differently. Some are run with rigid efficiency. Others more closely resemble free-wheeling laboratories rather than forges. Some forges have only a few score inhabitants, while others run for miles through tunnels in their mountain and house tens of thousands of subjects.

== Culture ==

Craftmanship is the culture of the Fire Mountains. Every subject has a purpose; a job. Most genasi and dwarves do not have proper names per se. they are simply known by the acumen of their craft and their position at the forge. Service to the Patron is the only duty, and pride in one's handiwork the only refuge.

[[File:Fire Mountains.jpg|thumb|alt=This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.|The Fire Mountains are in a state of constant turmoil from quakes, eruptions, smoke, and monsoon-like deluges.]]

== History ==

The forges of the Fire Mountains burned in solitude for millennia. While it is rumored that the [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|humans]] were an early creation of the forges that escaped, few people believe such tales. The Elementals rarely emerged from their mountain refuges and have never been known to trod any lands beyond the Fire Mountains. Over the years, however, individual [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|genasi]] or [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|dwarves]], escaping some real or perceived injustice, have fled into the Free Kingdoms, but the Elementals seem to have made no effort to recapture them, using the existence of the Free Kindogms as a pressure valve to release unmanageable or incompetent servants.

This changed 200 years ago, when the [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] was founded on a philosophy of [[Juzhian Age (Patronage Supplement)#Ferroclasty|Ferroclasty]]. In a forge, a dwarf named '''Chingiz''' sought and obtained leave of his Patrons to raise an army of dwarves and destroy the iron-breaking empire. He traveled from forge to forge, recruiting dwarves, and some genasi, to his cause. He gathered an army 10,000 strong. They destroyed the Caliphate's steadfast ally, the [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Ramhead Rangers|Ramhead Rangers]] (many of whom were descendants of dwarves and genasi previously escaped from the Fire Mountains) and founded the [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Free Kingdom of Ironguard]]. The Caliphate is only a shell of what it once had been, thanks to relentless efforts of Chingiz and his successors.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Fire Mountains (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T21:42:39Z

Green Dragon: links

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Fire Mountains
|Monarch=Elementals
|Resident=Fire Mountainmen
|Heraldry=None
|Capital=None
|Races=Dwarf, Elemental, genasi
|Neighbors=[[Fey Realm (4e Environment)|Fey Realm]], [[Green Lands (4e Environment)|Green Lands]], [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]], [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]], [[Verdant (4e Environment)|Verdant]]
|Products=Items of enchantment and wonder
|Snapshot=The volcanic range of the Elemental Patrons, and the forges tended by their genasi and dwarves.
}}

== Geography ==

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Fire Mountains.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|The Fire Mountains.]]

Towering high above the Free Kingdom of [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]], [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]], and [[Verdant (4e Environment)|Verdant]] to the east, the [[Green Lands (4e Environment)|Green Lands]] to the north, and the [[Fey Realm (4e Environment)|Fey Realm]] to the south, the [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)|Elementals']] Realm is a towering spine of volcanic mountains. All of the highest elevations consist of active volcanoes. Over time they have surpassed even some of the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]] in height. Where plants can grow through the basalt they do so in alpine tundras. As the basalt recedes in the lower elevations temperate rainforests are prevalent, especially in the south and mostly in the east, because of the sublimation the Fire Mountains facilitate. In the temperate rainforests many rivers begin their journeys', most notably the Red River. Some of these rivers are large enough by the time they reach the borders to be navigated by watercraft. The other forests, and especially the northern forests, are temperate mixed forests because of the lack of intensive sublimation or because of the interactions with the unnatural [[Green Lands (4e Environment)|Green Lands]]. The inhabitants dwell underground safe from the eruptions and warmed by vents carrying foul-smelling air warmed by lava. The lower elevations are inhabited by fierce creatures, given free range by the Elementals, discouraging anybody from trying to spy on their well-hidden smithies.

== Government ==

The Elementals control the mountain range. Each Elemental dwells in its own forge buried somewhere in a mountain bearing that Elemental's name. Within the forge, the [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|genasi]] and [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|dwarven]] subjects toil away, mining and manufacturing wondrous artifacts for their Patrons. Each forge is run differently. Some are run with rigid efficiency. Others more closely resemble free-wheeling laboratories rather than forges. Some forges have only a few score inhabitants, while others run for miles through tunnels in their mountain and house tens of thousands of subjects.

== Culture ==

Craftmanship is the culture of the Fire Mountains. Every subject has a purpose; a job. Most genasi and dwarves do not have proper names per se. they are simply known by the acumen of their craft and their position at the forge. Service to the Patron is the only duty, and pride in one's handiwork the only refuge.

[[File:Fire Mountains.jpg|thumb|alt=This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.|The Fire Mountains are in a state of constant turmoil from quakes, eruptions, smoke, and monsoon-like deluges.]]

== History ==

The forges of the Fire Mountains burned in solitude for millennia. While it is rumored that the [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|humans]] were an early creation of the forges that escaped, few people believe such tales. The Elementals rarely emerged from their mountain refuges and have never been known to trod any lands beyond the Fire Mountains. Over the years, however, individual [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|genasi]] or [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|dwarves]], escaping some real or perceived injustice, have fled into the Free Kingdoms, but the Elementals seem to have made no effort to recapture them, using the existence of the Free Kindogms as a pressure valve to release unmanageable or incompetent servants.

This changed 200 years ago, when the [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] was founded on a philosophy of [[Juzhian Age (Patronage Supplement)#Ferroclasty|Ferroclasty]]. In a forge, a dwarf named '''Chingiz''' sought and obtained leave of his Patrons to raise an army of dwarves and destroy the iron-breaking empire. He traveled from forge to forge, recruiting dwarves, and some genasi, to his cause. He gathered an army 10,000 strong. They destroyed the Caliphate's steadfast ally, the [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Ramhead Rangers|Ramhead Rangers]] (many of whom were descendants of dwarves and genasi previously escaped from the Fire Mountains) and founded the [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Free Kingdom of Ironguard]]. The Caliphate is only a shell of what it once had been, thanks to relentless efforts of Chingiz and his successors.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Mists (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T21:35:09Z

Green Dragon: links

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage.jpg|thumb|upright=2|Patronage. Notice the surrounding mists.]]

The Mists are a mysterious fog that surrounds Patronage. What is known about the Mists is speculation. The Mists are most commonly encountered at the edges of the world, the far borders of the Patrons' Realms. When one enters the Mists distance seems to lose meaning. No matter how far one walks, he will exit relatively near where he entered.

Some scholars speculate that the Mists make up the planets northern and southern latitudes, somewhere around 80-90° N and 80-90° S. They also speculate that the Mists make up a wide meridian of around 20°. How the Mists remain in the same locations is considered a phenomenon like glaciers in the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]].

[[File:Mists.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Caspar David Friedrich [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons|The Mists might surprise a traveler at any time and any place. Traveling in it is perilous and to be avoided at all costs]]

Other scholars believe that the mists were created by the [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)|Dragons]] to punish other patrons. They still make up northern and southern latitudes, however somewhere between 50-60° N and 50-60° S and two wide meridians. The rest of the planet is the Dragons'. It is theorized that the disappearance of so many patrons' in so short a time created the Mists as the result. See also the [[Verdant (Patronage Supplement)#Immortal and Civil War|immortal battle]].

In any case the Mists prevent mortals from discovering whether there are worlds beyond the one they know. Because of the Mists, others believe there is nothing more to the world than what they perceive. However, some rare scholars believe there is more to this world, but that the Patrons created the Mists to protect either the mortals, the Patrons or the world beyond. The Mists pervade Patronage in many ways.

'''About:''' The Mists have been known to appear in the middle of Patronage as small patches of arcane fog that transport people from one end of Patronage to another. The Mists retain the terrain of the surrounding countryside after appearing, and beasts seem to travel through the Mists without incident. Few have yet been able to learn to manipulate these Mists (some [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Elves|elves]] can teleport short distances by calling on the power of the Mists), but it is well-known that the [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)|Fey]] have mastered the art of traveling about Patronage in this fashion.

'''Above:''' Moreover, those who have attempted to fly or levitate to a height beyond the highest peaks of the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]] find themselves quickly surrounded by Mists and unable to ascend further. It is said that the [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)|Titans]] themselves have constructed their temples in the peaks that are always surrounded in the Mists, and their meditations therein give them insights that no others possess. The Mists coalesce around the traveler, even on a cloudless day.

'''Below:''' The [[Leviathan (Patronage Supplement)|Leviathans]], so the legends tell, sleep in the midst of the Mists below the [[Savage Sound (4e Environment)|Savage Sound]], and their dreams infect all around them. The Mists have been found underground, preventing mining at a significant depth. The Mists put an end to mining operations that encounter them, and mining which mostly happens in the [[Fire Mountains (4e Environment)|Fire Mountains]] and the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]] is stunted when their mines end up in the Mists.

'''Within:''' It is said the Mists can reach the metaphysical world as well, sending people into a trance as their consciousness if drawn out by the Mists. Some speculate this is the source of the [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|human]] ability to prophesy. Other believe that this is where our consciousnesses go when we dream.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Barrens (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T21:00:59Z

Green Dragon: links

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage The Barrens.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|The Barrens.]]

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Barrens
|Monarch=No rule
|Resident=Varies
|Heraldry=None
|Capital=None
|Races=Forest suited creatures
|Neighbors=[[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]], [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]], [[Verdant (4e Environment)|Verdant]], [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]]
|Products=wood and raids
|Snapshot=The pine tree covered Barrens, is home to all sorts of rebels and their laboratories.
}}

[[File:Barrens.JPG|thumb|alt=By SeppVei (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons|The Barrens are a forbidding land that have sheltered exiles, criminals, and refugees for thousands of years.]]

== Geography ==

Along the border of [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]], [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]], [[Verdant (4e Environment)|Verdant]], and [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]] is an enormous pine forest.

== Government ==

Those who dwell in the Barrens are well known as being hostile to any form of governance.

== Culture ==

For most of recorded history, the Barrens have been a place of refuge for those hunted and sought after by the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]]. Many a rebellious organization has hidden here and plotted against a regime. The dense foliage makes it difficult to send armies within and the residents know many ways to defend themselves against forces many times their size. The Barrens are also home to many exotic and fearsome creature.

== History ==

Currently, the Barrens are best known as home to great archlich '''Efthal'''. Many a necromancer will travel to the Barrens to find this master and study at his bony feet. However, the [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Efthali|Efthali]] only occupy a small part of the Barrens and most of it is still wild and unexplored. Rumors of hidden dragon hordes and brigands' gold still draws fortune-seekers to the Barrens, and often to their doom.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Template:PatronageKingdom

2013-05-18T20:53:34Z

Green Dragon: float

{| class="infobox" style="float: right;" width="300"
! style="background: #CC9933; text-align: center; font-size: 14px" | '''{{{Kingdom|Sample}}}'''
|-
| style="font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" |
----
''{{{Snapshot|Nothing to say?}}}'' 
----
'''Monarch:''' {{{Monarch|Anarchy!}}} 
: '''Residents:''' {{{Resident|Sampler}}} 
: '''Heraldry:''' {{{Heraldry|None}}} 
: '''Capital:''' {{{Capital|None}}} 
: '''Other Cities:''' {{{Cities|None.}}} 
: '''Races:''' {{{Races|None}}} 
: '''Products:''' {{{Kingdom|Sample}}} is known for {{{Products|nothing}}}. 
----
'''Neighbors:''' {{{Neighbors|None}}} 
|}

[[Category: Patronage Setting]]

Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)

2013-05-18T20:47:31Z

Green Dragon: links

{{Campaign Setting Rating|4}}

[[File:Man vs Patron.jpg|thumb|250px|alt=Frontispiece of Brown, Abbie Farwell (1902). "In the Days of Giants: A Book of Norse Tales" Illustrations by E. Boyd Smith. Houghton, Mifflin & Co. Image is in the public domain.|A noble few aspire for the day when the lesser races find their own path, a path of independence and freedom from the tyranny of the patrons. Many have tried, and all have been squashed by the might of the Patrons. Who would dare to overthrow the gods?]]

Patronage is where the "gods", such as they are, walk the earth amongst their subjects. These are not gods in the conventional sense. Rather, they are immensely powerful immortal creatures, with great knowledge and ruthless ambition. The lesser races cower in their presence, either hoping for their Patrons' benevolence, or dreading their Patrons' malevolence.

== Mechanical Notes ==

Patronage is atypical of many campaign worlds created for Dungeons & Dragons in several respects. The major differences are detailed briefly below:

'''Godless:''' There are no gods or primal spirits in Patronage. Rather, the world is dominated by the "Patrons", powerful beings akin to gods, but who walk the earth in physical form. Because the cosmology is so different from the default "Points of Light" setting in 4th edition, it may be confusing on how to build a back story for a warlock, or for a primal or divine class, I have a short article on [[Power Sources (Patronage Supplement)|translating character concepts and power sources into the Patronage Campaign Setting]].

'''Universal:''' Just as there are no gods, there are also no alternate planes. Patronage exists on one continent on one world. While there are pocket dimensions (and thus ''bags of holding'' and rituals of ''rope trick'' ), there is no cosmology, no Astral Sea, no Feywild, no Elemental Chaos, etc. Therefore, any ritual or power that involves travel to another plane will not operate. (Eladrin and other forms of teleportation however, work fine) Players should be careful about selecting Paragon Paths and Epic Destinies that would normally grant transdimensional powers. Instead of planes, there are realms on the world where creatures from those planes dwell. These are physical places, and can be reached through conventional means.

'''Reclassified Races:''' While pretty much any playable race can fit in Patronage, each race (except humans and warforged) is grouped into one of 18 categories of "noble" and "base" races. (The Patrons are not playable races, rather they are groupings of all the epic-tiered intelligent creatures that might exist in the game). When people refer to a character's race in-game, they will refer to this classification. For example, both gnolls and kenku are considered to be breeds of "[[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|shedu]]", the noble race created by the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|anthropophagi]]. Characters will refer to these characters as "shedim" (the plural of shedu), and treat them as if they came from the same race.

'''No Interbreeding:''' One consequence of the racial classifications is that half-orcs, half-elves, and any other races that are described as an offshoot of parents of different race breed true in Patronage. They are not the result of mating between two individuals of different races. In fact, in Patronage, races are unable to interbreed. An elf who marries a human will bear no offspring from the union. However, two creatures who are different breeds within the same race can interbreed, and the result could result in a child of either parents' breeding. For example, if a gnoll and a kenku (both considered shedim) mate, the offspring could be either a kenku or a gnoll. The mating, however, would not result, for example in a breed of shedu that is of neither parent (such as a shifter).

'''[[Landbond (Patronage Supplement)|Landbond]]:''' The lands of Patronage are unusually hard to farm, and were inhospitable when first created (or found as some speculate) by the Patrons. The Patrons developed the [[Landbond (Patronage Supplement)|landbond rituals]] to support agriculture. Landbonding binds a ruler to the land, but the link allows the land to be farmed by those who swear fealty to the monarch. The ritual helps to preserve a feudal system, a result the Patrons no doubt intended.

'''Setting-Specific Mechanics:''' There are also several new mechanics designed for Patronage in the following categories:

* [[Character Backgrounds (Patronage Supplement)|Backgrounds]]
* [[Disease (Patronage Supplement)|Diseases]]
* [[Magic Item (Patronage Supplement)|Magic Items]]
* [[Monster (Patronage Supplement)|Monsters]]
* [[Rituals (Patronage Supplement)|Rituals]]

'''Tier-Based Design:''' Patronage is designed so that adventures can easily be categorized by tier. Adventure seeds can be found throughout Patronage's environments.

* ''Heroic adventures'' usually take place within a single Free Kingdom or Wild Land, or on behalf of a [[Society (Patronage Supplement)|society]]. Adventurers, of course, may travel where they will, but an entire heroic phase of a campaign could be held within any of the Free Kingdoms or Wild Lands.
* ''Paragon adventures'' usually take place either within a Patron Realm, or in the form of conflict between the Free Kingdoms or [[Society (Patronage Supplement)|societies]] within the Free Kingdoms. Paragon adventurers should have sufficient power and renown to deal directly with the powers who control the Free Kingdoms and societies.
* ''Epic adventures'' usually take place in the form of conflict either among Patron Races or between the Patrons and the Free Kingdoms. Epic adventurers should have already reshaped the mortal realms of the Free Kingdoms and can now take the fight directly to the Patrons themselves.

== The Patrons and Their Subjects ==

According to accepted history, the Patrons created the World of Patronage and all living creatures within it. Philosophers and historians generally accept that there were, or are, nine Patron races. There are some who say the Patrons came from elsewhere, and found this land and populated it. If that is true, then it informs one of the question: from where did they come?

The Patrons divided their servile races into those noble races that could be entrusted with discretion and authority, and those base races that were built for more menial or dangerous tasks. In actuality, the nine noble races and the nine base races (one for each Patron) are each groupings of many races. Mysteriously, some races, without any ties to a Patron have appeared. Scholars are uncertain from where these races came and what their appearance portends. The Patrons have been silent about these new "wild" races, which concerns the scholars all the more.

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! style="background:#CC9933" width="50px" align="left"|'''Patron'''
! width="100px"|[[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophage]]
! width="100px"|[[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)|Avatar]]
! width="100px"|[[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)|Dragon]]
! width="100px"|[[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)|Elemental]]
! width="100px"|[[Fey (Patronage Supplement)|Fey]]
! width="100px"|[[Leviathan (Patronage Supplement)|Leviathan]]
! width="100px"|[[Oni (Patronage Supplement)|Oni]]
! width="100px"|[[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)|Shinigami]]
! width="100px"|[[Titan (Patronage Supplement)|Titan]]
| width="100px" align="center"|[[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)|'''None''']]
|-
| style="background:#CC9933"|'''Noble'''
| [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|Shedu]]
| [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Deva|Deva]]
| [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|Halfling]]
| [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|Genasi]]
| [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Elves|Elf]]
| [[Leviathan (Patronage Supplement)#Deep Ones|Deep One]]
| [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Orcs|Orc]]
| [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Ghilan|Ghilan]]
| [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)#Ogres|Ogre]]
| [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|Human]]
|-
| style="background:#CC9933"|'''Base'''
| [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|Ravin]]
| [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Eidolons|Eidolon]]
| [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Sparti|Sparti]]
| [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|Dwarf]]
| [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Goblins|Goblin]]
| [[Leviathan (Patronage Supplement)#Voidianoi|Voidianoi]]
| [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Half-orcs|Half-orc]]
| [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Wight|Wight]]
| [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)#Goliaths|Goliath]]
| [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Warforged|Warforged]]
|}

== Places and Organizations ==

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage.jpg|thumb|center|upright=5|Patronage.]]

Those places where the Patrons still hold dominion are known as the "Realms", while those places where the Patrons have retreated or disappeared, and are currently dominate by the noble and base races are called the "Free Kingdoms". The [[Mists (4e Environment)|Mists]] are the mysterious fog that bounds the perimeter of Patronage.

{| class="column" style="width: 100%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-
| style="width: 20%;" |
'''Realms'''
: ''Where the Patrons govern, or where mortals govern in name of their Patrons.''
* [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]]
* [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]]
* [[Fey Realm (4e Environment)|Fey Realm]]
* [[Fire Mountains (4e Environment)|Fire Mountains]]
* [[Green Lands (4e Environment)|Green Lands]]
* [[Mongrel Island (4e Environment)|Mongrel Island]]
* [[Nereid Sea (4e Environment)|Nereid Sea]]
* [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]]
| style="width: 20%;" |
'''Free Kingdoms'''
: ''Where the mortal races govern independent of the Patrons.''
* [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|The Caliphate]]
* [[Carraway (4e Environment)|Carraway]]
* [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]]
* [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]]
* [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]]
* [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]]
* [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]]
* [[Nidvalar (4e Environment)|Nidvalar]]
* [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]]
* [[Verdant (4e Environment)|Verdant]]
* [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]]
| style="width: 20%;" |
'''Wild Lands'''
: ''Where you go when you want to escape both Patrons and Monarchs.''
* [[Barrens (Patronage Supplement)|The Barrens]]
* [[Blackscale Swamp (4e Environment)|Blackscale Swamp]]
* [[Dead March (4e Environment)|Dead March]]
* [[Mists (4e Environment)|The Mists]]
* [[Savage Sound (4e Environment)|Savage Sound]]
* [[Wild Forest (4e Environment)|Wild Forest]]
| style="width: 20%;" |
'''[[Society (Patronage_Supplement)|Societies]]'''
: ''Some groups of people transcend political and geographic boundaries.''
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Clockwork Circle|Clockwork Circle]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Dodecians|Dodecians]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Efthali|Efthali]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#The Loyalists|Loyalists]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Order of the Compass|Order of the Compass]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Pure Land Sect|Pure Land Sect]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Ramhead Rangers|Ramhead Rangers]]
* [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#The Testament|Testament]]
| style="width: 20%;" |
'''[[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)|Dead Kingdoms]]'''
: ''Throughout history, numerous kingdoms have come and passed from this world, but left their indelible mark upon it.''
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Middle Empire|Middle Empire]] (711-771)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#Lucindan Empire|Lucindan Empire]] (914-927)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Eastern Kingdom|Eastern Kingdom]] (927-1104)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Southern Empire|Southern Empire]] (927-1234)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]] (927-2010)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Free City of Ramhead|City of Ramhead]] (ca. 1494-2481)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#Sarrun Empire|Sarrun Empire]] (1727-1802)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]] (2093-2606)
* [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage_Supplement)#The Nothern Reach|Northern Reach]] (2150-2659)
|}

== History ==

Historians generally separate the history of Patronage into six ages, though history often reveals itself to be incapable of such bright lines.
{| class="column" style="width: 100%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-
| style="width: 25%;" align="center"|
I
----
'''[[Innocent Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Innocent Age]]''' 
1-670 
''From the arrival of the Patrons to the first Dragon Slaying''
| style="width: 9%;" align="center"|
II
----
'''[[Lost Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Lost Age]]''' 
671-913 
''From the loss of one Patron to the loss of a Patron race''
| style="width: 11%;" align="center"|
III
----
'''[[Chaotic Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Chaotic Age]]''' 
914-1216 
''As the Patrons withdraw, new Empires emerge''
| style="width: 19%;" align="center"|
IV
----
'''[[Xalian Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Xalian Age]]''' 
1217-1725 
''Without Patrons, legendary heroes rise amidst young empires''
| style="width: 12%;" align="center"|
V
----
'''[[Juzhian Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Juzhian Age]]''' 
1726-2050 
''From war and chaos come philosophies for justice, chivalry, and peace''
| style="width: 24%;" align="center"|
VI
----
'''[[Xarlemi Age (Patronage Supplement)|The Xarlemi Age]]''' 
2051-present/2697 
''The rise of the Free Kingdoms''
|}

----
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}}
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[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Setting]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Fire Mountains (Patronage Supplement)

2013-05-18T20:45:56Z

Green Dragon: Green Dragon moved page Fire Mountains (Patronage Supplement) to Fire Mountains (4e Environment): id

#REDIRECT [[Fire Mountains (4e Environment)]]

Fire Mountains (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T20:45:36Z

Green Dragon: Green Dragon moved page Fire Mountains (Patronage Supplement) to Fire Mountains (4e Environment): id

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Fire Mountains
|Monarch=Elementals
|Resident=Fire Mountainmen
|Heraldry=None
|Capital=None
|Races=Dwarf, Elemental, genasi
|Neighbors=Green Lands, Fey Realm, Ironguard, Minia
|Products=Items of enchantment and wonder
|Snapshot=The volcanic range of the Elemental Patrons, and the forges tended by their genasi and dwarves.
}}

== Geography ==

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Fire Mountains.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|The Fire Mountains.]]

Towering high above the Free Kingdom of [[Ironguard (Patronage Supplement)|Ironguard]], [[Minia (Patronage Supplement)|Minia]], and [[Verdant (Patronage Supplement)|Verdant]] to the east, the [[Green Lands (Patronage Supplement)|Green Lands]] to the north, and the [[Fey Realm (Patronage Supplement)|Fey Realm]] to the south, the [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)|Elementals']] Realm is a towering spine of volcanic mountains. All of the highest elevations consist of active volcanoes. Over time they have surpassed even some of the [[Ochre Mountains (Patronage Supplement)|Ochre Mountains]] in height. Where plants can grow through the basalt they do so in alpine tundras. As the basalt recedes in the lower elevations temperate rainforests are prevalent, especially in the south and mostly in the east, because of the sublimation the Fire Mountains facilitate. In the temperate rainforests many rivers begin their journeys', most notably the Red River. Some of these rivers are large enough by the time they reach the borders to be navigated by watercraft. The other forests, and especially the northern forests, are temperate mixed forests because of the lack of intensive sublimation or because of the interactions with the unnatural [[Green Lands (Patronage Supplement)|Green Lands]]. The inhabitants dwell underground safe from the eruptions and warmed by vents carrying foul-smelling air warmed by lava. The lower elevations are inhabited by fierce creatures, given free range by the Elementals, discouraging anybody from trying to spy on their well-hidden smithies.

== Government ==

The Elementals control the mountain range. Each Elemental dwells in its own forge buried somewhere in a mountain bearing that Elemental's name. Within the forge, the [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|genasi]] and [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|dwarven]] subjects toil away, mining and manufacturing wondrous artifacts for their Patrons. Each forge is run differently. Some are run with rigid efficiency. Others more closely resemble free-wheeling laboratories rather than forges. Some forges have only a few score inhabitants, while others run for miles through tunnels in their mountain and house tens of thousands of subjects.

== Culture ==

Craftmanship is the culture of the Fire Mountains. Every subject has a purpose; a job. Most genasi and dwarves do not have proper names per se. they are simply known by the acumen of their craft and their position at the forge. Service to the Patron is the only duty, and pride in one's handiwork the only refuge.

[[File:Fire Mountains.jpg|thumb|alt=This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.|The Fire Mountains are in a state of constant turmoil from quakes, eruptions, smoke, and monsoon-like deluges.]]

== History ==

The forges of the Fire Mountains burned in solitude for millennia. While it is rumored that the [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|humans]] were an early creation of the forges that escaped, few people believe such tales. The Elementals rarely emerged from their mountain refuges and have never been known to trod any lands beyond the Fire Mountains. Over the years, however, individual genasi or dwarves, escaping some real or perceived injustice, have fled into the Free Kingdoms, but the Elementals seem to have made no effort to recapture them, using the existence of the Free Kindogms as a pressure valve to release unmanageable or incompetent servants.

This changed 200 years ago, when the [[Caliphate (Patronage Supplement)|Caliphate]] was founded on a philosophy of [[Juzhian Age (Patronage Supplement)#Ferroclasty|Ferroclasty]]. In a forge, a dwarf named '''Chingiz''' sought and obtained leave of his Patrons to raise an army of dwarves and destroy the iron-breaking empire. He traveled from forge to forge, recruiting dwarves, and some genasi, to his cause. He gathered an army 10,000 strong. They destroyed the Caliphate's steadfast ally, the [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Ramhead Rangers|Ramhead Rangers]] (many of whom were descendants of dwarves and genasi previously escaped from the Fire Mountains) and founded the [[Ironguard (Patronage Supplement)|Free Kingdom of Ironguard]]. The Caliphate is only a shell of what it once had been, thanks to relentless efforts of Chingiz and his successors.

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{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Landbond (Patronage Supplement)

2013-05-18T20:28:17Z

Green Dragon: links

{| class="infobox" style="align: left;"
! style="background: #CC9933; text-align: center;" | '''Glossary'''
|-
| style="font-size: 10px; text-align: left;" |
----
'''Abdication:''' The privilege to terminate one's own landbond. 
'''Affinity:''' The privilege that connects a bondholder and fief. 
'''Bondholder:''' An individual subject to a landbond. 
'''Bondsman:'''1 A plebeian landbond created by enserfdom. 
'''Bondsman:'''2 A bondholder subject to bondsman landbond. 
'''Conquest:''' The only way a monarch's fief may expand. 
'''Coronation:''' The ritual that creates a monarch. 
'''Custodianship:''' The privilege to receive knowledge of one's fief. 
'''Deposition:''' The ritual that severs a landbond. 
'''Dissolution:''' The privilege to sever a vassal's landbond. 
'''Enfeoffment:''' The privilege to create a vassal's landbond 
'''Enserfdom:''' The ritual that creates a bondsman. 
'''Extinguishment:''' The termination of a landbond. 
'''Farming:''' The privilege to allow agriculture on the fief. 
'''Fief:''' The territory to which the bondholder is bound. 
'''Freeman:''' An individual who is neither slave nor subject to a landbond. 
'''Hide:''' About 120 acres, the smallest amount of land that can be bound. 
'''Liege:''' A bondholder superior to another bondholder. (See "vassal".) 
'''Mentorship:''' The privilege to receive knowledge of one's vassals. 
'''Monarch:'''1 The most superior landbond. 
'''Monarch:'''2 A bondholder subject to the monarch landbond. 
'''Noble:'''1 A patrician landbond created by enfeoffment. 
'''Noble:'''2 A bondholder subject to a noble landbond. 
'''Patrician:''' A bondholder subject to a viceroy, noble, or monarch landbond. 
'''Plebeian:''' A bondholder subject to a bondsman or yeoman landbond. 
'''Privilege:''' The powers granted by a landbond. 
'''Rule:''' The privilege to command a plebeian vassal while in the vassal's fief. 
'''Transfer:''' The privilege to transfer a landbond to a willing freeman. 
'''Vassal:''' A bondholder subordinate to another bondholder. (See "liege".) 
'''Viceroy:'''1 A patrician landbond created by enfeoffment. 
'''Viceroy:'''2 A bondholder subject to a viceroy landbond. 
'''Yeoman:'''1 A plebeian landbond created through enfeoffment. 
'''Yeoman:'''2 A bondholder subject to the plebeian landbond. 
|}

In the real world, agriculture is relatively simple. First, you till the land, overturning the soil and removing the stones. Second, you sow the seeds and hope for rain. Third, you reap the harvest. In Patronage, however, none of this is possible unless the land has been bonded to at least two people: a patrician and a plebeian. Agriculture is impossible without a class of rituals known as "landbonds". Without the landbond, stones move back into the plows’ path, seeds refuse to take root, and no domesticated plants will grow. Without the landbond, people can survive only through foraging and shepherding. In the Free Kingdoms, only [[Minia (4e Environment)|Minia]] has attempted to survive in such a manner, and that decision has left its entire population on the verge of starvation.

== Generally ==

Here are some general rules that apply to landbonds:

* '''Contiguity:''' No bondholder may ever possess more than one landbond at a single time. A bondholder’s entire fief must be contiguous. Territories separated by a body of water larger than about 100 yards are not considered contiguous.
* '''Exile:''' If a patrician with no viceroy is absent from a fief for more than a year, or if a viceroy is absent from a fief for only a second, the patrician’s landbond extinguishes.
* '''Extinguishment:''' If a patrician landbond extinguishes, whether by abdication, death, dissolution, exile, or otherwise, all subordinate patrician landbonds extinguish a year later unless a successor to the late patrician accedes to the landbond (if noble), or is crowned (if a monarch).
* '''[[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|Halflings]]:''' Halflings may never be subject to a landbond (willingly or otherwise). Some halflings who join the secret society called the [[Society (Patronage Supplement)#Testament|Testament]] may have learned the ability to extinguish landbonds.

== Privileges ==

[[File:Coronation.jpg|thumb|left|400px|alt=By unknown Polish [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons|The coronation of the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Eastern Kingdom|Eastern Kingdom]]'s Queen '''Persa''' was considered a watershed moment for the [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|human race]].]]

A landbond grants certain powers and privileges to the bondholder. Not every landbond grants every privilege.

*'''Abdication:''' Any bondholder except a bondsman may choose to relinquish the bond at any time.
* '''Affinity:''' Every bondholder but a viceroy is connected to the fief on a spiritual level. This manifests as a feeling akin to homesickness or even love. Affinity causes the personality of the bondholder to match the geography of the fief, and vice versa. The more noble the bond, the more effect the bondholder has on the fief. The mode subordinate the bond, the more effect the fief has on the bondholder. A yeoman bound to a dark moor may become more morose, while a yeoman bound to a sunny dell may become more optimistic, and a person bound to craggy hills may become cranky and irascible. A generous monarch will find his fief to be more generous, while a cold duchess may find her duchy to suffer chillier winters.
* '''Custodianship:''' Every patrician receives a constant stream of information from the fief, usually in the forms of prophetic dreams or visions. Not every detail is revealed. Usually, only major changes, such as natural disasters or invasions, are transmitted.
* '''Dissolution:''' Patricians may sever a vassal's landbond at any time.
* '''Enfeoffment:''' Monarchs and nobles may create vassals bound to a portion of the bondholder's fief. The smallest amount of land to which a bondholder may be appointed is a single hide (about 120 acres). This is the amount of land that a single farmer can till; it will provide enough food to sustain a single family, and sufficient surplusage to allow the farmer to pay taxes and perhaps make a small profit besides (assuming no drought, flooding, pestilence, marauders, etc.).
* '''Farming:''' Any land to which a plebeian is bound may be farmed. The plebeian must take an active hand in the farming, though it is unclear how active that involvement must be. It seems to vary from fief to fief. The plebeian understands intuitively how much contribution is required.
* '''Mentorship:''' Patricians know immediately is a vassal's landbond is severed, as well as the cause. For bondholders with many vassals, this information is an almost constant buzzing in the back of the bondholder's mind. For a lesser noble with only a few hundred yeomen, this information can be invaluable in managing the fief.
* '''Rule:''' Every vassal must obey their lieges whenever the liege can be heard, and the liege is within the vassal's fief. If more than one liege is present, the command of the superior liege controls.
* '''Transfer:''' Any bondholder but a bondsman or monarch may transfer that landbond to a freeman, if the freeman and all lieges to that bondholder consent to the transfer.

== Bondholders ==

=== Patrician ===

[[File:Adoubement.jpg|thumb|300px|alt=Edmund Blair Leighton [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons|Enfeoffment of a nobleman is often a solemn affair.]]

==== Monarch ====

'''Privileges:''' Abdication, Affinity, Custodianship, Dissolution, Enfeoffment, Mentorship, Rule.

A monarch has no liege. All landbonds flow from that primary patrician bond, which is created through a ''coronation'' ritual. Each kingdom may have its own term for the monarch. Most call the monarch a "king" or "queen". The [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] uses "caliph", the [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]] uses "emperor" or "empress", [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]] uses "warlord", [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] uses "chieftain" or "chieftess", [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]] uses "grand duke" and [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]] uses "grand prince" or "grand princess".

Other landbonds can be expanded with the consent of a vassal’s liege, but monarch’s landbond can only expand through conquest, by conquering territory adjacent to the monarch’s fief and incorporating it. Conquest does not require an additional coronation. Somehow, the land intuits when it has been conquered and how the boundaries of the respective fiefs need to be redrawn.

The monarchical landbond cannot be transferred. Rather, when a monarch dies, a successor must receive a ''coronation'' ritual. The fief of any direct vassal of the prior monarch (i.e., any vassal whose only liege is the monarch) who does not consent to the coronation will not be included in that liege’s territory. Such a vassal will continue to have no liege, and if this state continues for a year, the liegeless vassal's landbond will extinguish. (Often, such vassals will abdicate their landbond and immediately have a coronation cast upon them making them monarch over that fief, assuming of course that they are confident they have the consent of their own lieges.

==== Noble ====

'''Privileges:''' Abdication, Affinity, Custodianship, Dissolution, Enfeoffment, Mentorship, Rule, Transfer.

For a patrician with large amounts of territory, the burdens of affinity, custodianship, and mentorship can be overwhelming. However, these effects can be tempered if lesser patricians are appointed to manage a portion of the patrician's fief. That vassal then shoulders much of the burden of the privileges of affinity, custodianship, and mentorship that would otherwise fall on the patrician.

Nobles are created through enfeoffment, which requires no ritual caster. The liege merely touches the freeman and, if the freeman consents, the recipient is granted the landbond. Any subordinate nobles who would become vassals to this newly enfeoffed noble may accept the new liege, or abdicate the landbond.

All nobles must have a liege. (Only monarchs have no liege.) If a the landbond of a noble's liege extinguishes, the extinguished liege's liege becomes the noble's liege. If there is no superior liege, the noble's landbond will expire within a year unless the noble finds a new liege. Alternately, the noble can have a coronation ritual cast so that the noble becomes a monarch. However, the monarch loses any fiefs of the monarch's patrician vassals who do not consent to the coronation. Unless properly negotiated, the monarch may end up will a much smaller fief than the patrician had as a noble.

Each kingdom has its own terms for nobles. Most use "duke", "duchess", "baron", or "baroness". The [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] uses "emir", "sultan", and "sultana". The [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]] uses "satrap". [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]] uses "consul" and "proconsul". [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]] uses "boyar".

==== Viceroy ====

'''Privileges:''' Abdication, Custodianship, Dissolution, Enfeoffment, Mentorship, Transfer.

Patricians must often leave their fiefs, to serve their liege, to fight in wars, or to travel on diplomatic missions. In order to prevent the extinguishment of their landbond through exile, a patrician may use enfeoffment to appoint a "viceroy" to oversee the fief in their absence. A viceroy cannot be appointed to less territory than the entire fief. The viceroy gains all the privileges of the liege except Affinity and Rule. Without Rule, the viceroy's only leverage against lieges are any armies under the viceroy's command, and the threat of dissolution of the liege's landbond. However, with respect to bondsmen, the latter is no threat at all. Thus, viceroy's must be very sensitive to the possibility of slave revolts.

The added complication of being without affinity to the land often strains relations between other bondsmen and the viceroy, as the viceroy's personality is often incongruous with the personality of the other bondsmen, and often in subtle ways the viceroy may not immediately understand. Serving as a viceroy can be a complicated affair, and it is unsurprising that viceroys are often portrayed as the villain in many romantic tales.

The existence of a viceroy prevents the patrician’s own landbond from dissolving due to exile as long as the viceroy remains in the fief. However, if the viceroy leaves the fief, for even an instant, the viceroy's landbond extinguishes. If the liege has been absent form the fief for more than a year at that moment, or does not return to the fief within that time, the liege's landbond extinguishes as well.

=== Plebeian ===

==== Yeoman ====

[[File:Plowman.jpg|thumb|left|400px|alt=Landscape with a Plowman (ca. 1860) by Théodore Rousseau, work is in public domain|A yeoman works his fief.]]

'''Privileges:''' Abdication, Affinity, Farming, Transfer.

A yeoman bond is created through enfeoffment, just like any noble bond. The yeoman often identifies himself or herself by the rank of the person who granted the bond (i.e., the king’s yeoman or the countess’s yeoman), and these distinctions occasionally have legal significance, even if the liege subsequently appoints a lesser noble to oversee the yeoman's duties. A yeoman can never be bonded to more than a single hide of land and no hide of land can have more than one yeoman.

It is customary that, in return for the yeoman landbond, the yeoman must often pledge service to the liege. This service varies from fief to fief. It almost always involves the payment of rent, but may also involve services to be rendered to the liege, including military service, or assistance to be rendered in public works such as irrigation or fortification. It may also require the yeoman to provide labor (often the yeoman’s child) to work the liege’s manorial estates for part of the year. These obligations are often spelled out at the creation of the yeomanship. Most importantly, however, the yeoman is expected to farm the land, so as to ensure that the monarchy does not starve.

A yeoman’s bond never dissolves due to exile, regardless of how long the yeoman is away, although the feelings of homesickness and longing are always present. However, the fief of an absent yeoman cannot be farmed, so the yeoman's absence will eventually attract the attention of one of the yeoman’s lieges and the liege may decide to dissolve the absent yeoman’s bond. There is usually no legal penalty imposed on a derelict yeoman beyond loss of the landbond.

[[File:Serf.png|thumb|400px|alt=Costumes of Slaves or Serfs, from the Sixth to the Twelfth Centuries, collected by H. de Vielcastel, from original Documents in the great Libraries of Europe. Project Gutenberg text 10940).|Images of serfs from the [[Efthali Dynasty (Patronage Supplement)|Efthali Dynasty]] of the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]].]]

==== Bondsman ====

'''Privileges:''' Affinity, Farming.

The least desirable landbond belongs to the bondsman. Only a bondsman can be bonded to the land unwillingly, through a ritual known as ''enserfdom''. The bondsman landbond is particularly onerous because it prevents the bondsman from ever leaving the fief. A bondsman who leaves the fief immediately fall ill and die within a month. Moreover, the bondsman’s liege can immediately determine the direction that the bondsman has traveled beyond the fief, making the bondsman’s recapture relatively easy.

While there are few benefits to the bondsman, the bondsman’s liege gains several benefits. First, there is no limit to the number of bondsmen that can be bonded to a single hide of land and a bondsman can be bonded to as much as ten hides of land, provided those hides are contiguous. This means that many people can farm a single hide, allowing for more produce. Second, the liege need not worry about the bondsman abandoning the land. Third, the liege (although not the liege’s viceroy) has the ability to command the bondsman as long as the liege remains within the bondsman’s fief.

The bondsman landbond, however, does present problems to a liege. Most crucially, as the bondsman cannot leave the fief, the bondsman cannot supplement the liege’s armies, as can a yeoman. Nor can the bondsman offer other services at court or on the liege’s manor. Finally, as the liege’s viceroy does not have the power to command a bondsman, the liege must worry about peasant revolts whenever the liege travels beyond the liege’s own fief. For these reasons, only the [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]], [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]], [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]], and [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]] make use of bondsmen for agriculture.

A more common use of this landbond is to detain prisoners. However, the minimum amount of land to which a bondsman may be bound is one hide. Thus, one cannot be made bondsman to a prison cell. However, making criminals into bondsmen has proven effective to limit the risk of prison escapes, as long as a sympathetic halfling does not liberate the bondsman prematurely.

== Rituals ==

{| class="column" style="width: 100%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-
| style="width: 33%;"|
; [[Landbond Coronation (4e Ritual)|Coronation]]:
The ritual that creates a monarch.
| style="width: 34%;"|
; [[Landbond Deposition (4e Ritual)|Deposition]]:
''The ritual that can sever a landbond even against the bondholder's wishes.''
| style="width: 33%;"|
; [[Landbond Enserfdom (4e Ritual)|Enserfdom]]:
''The ritual that creates a bondsman, even unwillingly.''
|}

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{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category: Patronage Setting]]

Society (Patronage Supplement)

2013-05-18T20:06:57Z

Green Dragon: links

In addition to the various nations and races of the Free Kingdoms, there are several societies and knighthoods throughout the Patron Lands.

[[File:Society.jpg|thumb|1000px|alt=By Pehr Hörberg (1746-1816) (www.auktionsverket.se) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons|Many societies must meet in secret, hiding from the authorities that seek to destroy them.]]

== Clockwork Circle ==

This exclusive fraternity of celestial casters is the only group outside [[Nidvalar (4e Environment)|Nidvalar]] who knows the secret to the creation of clockwork armies. The Clockwork Circle is even more secretive than Nidvalar, sharing its secrets only after members have apprenticed with masters for at least a decade. A summer elf known as '''Demetrius''' currently leads the group – which is mostly comprised of elves and dwarves, with some other races – and their express goal is to conquer the Free Kingdoms with clockwork armies and make themselves the lords.

== Dodecians ==

Almost entirely composed of humans, the Dodecians believe that the only place they will ever be truly free is in their own ancestral lands of [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]]. The Dodecians have two ancient texts that they believe tell the origins of the human race. The first, the Dodecon, tells the story of the "[[Dragonseye (4e Environment)#The Twelve|Twelve]]", the dozen humans to escape the [[Fire Mountains (4e Environment)|Fire Mountains]], throw off the shackles of their [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)|Elemental]] oppressors and found the free city of Dragonseye. The second book, the Elemiad, describes the "Wheel of Man", a relic of unsurpassed power, that held the Elementals and other foes of Dragonseye at bay, until one of the Twelve betrayed the others. Both books are full of obscure prophecies that the Dodecians believe predict the return of the Wheel and the full glory of Dragonseye.

== Efthali ==

Over eight centuries ago, the ghilan necromantic lich known as '''Efthal''', who had ruled the Second Empire for 150 years, disappeared in the wake of an invasion by the [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]]. For a time it was believed that Efthal had been slain, but that was not the case. Efthal remains in hiding, some believe deep in the [[Barrens (4e Environment)|Barrens]]. Many a necromancer has sought out his counsel and tutelage, and these pupils are known as the Efthali. The Efthali are enigmatic. In return for unheralded necromantic powers, they must do their master’s bidding. Nobody knows what Efthal’s plan may be, but it can be assumed to be quite malevolent.

== The Loyalists ==

An offshoot cult of followers of the [[Juzhian Age (Patronage Supplement)#Nine Truths|Nine Truths]] of the great philosopher '''Mazdak'''. Followers of the Nine Truths have no formal organization or hierarch. But the Loyalists do, for they adhere to a very specific goal: ending immortality. This cult concentrates on the philosophy's belief that all things should be temporary and that people must accept their mortality. The Loyalists take this belief and apply it to any creatures who are immortal or ageless, including all Patrons, as well as the Eternal Elves '''Muhajiel''' and '''Gamaliel''', the Immortal Deva Queen '''Oncia''' and Emperor '''Xarlem''', and the lich-king '''Efthal'''. The cult is not political in nature, even though its goals will effect vast political changes throughout Patronage. They are simply zealous in their devotion to the Nine Truths and indifferent to the political havoc their actions may wreak on the world at large.

== Order of the Compass ==

This knightly order was originally created by Emperor '''Xarlem''' to protect travelers in the [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]]. However, the Order separated itself from the Empire and now protects travelers throughout the Free Kingdoms and is composed of numerous races. Universally respected, they employ healers, fighters and engineers to keep the roads in good repair. Their main Chapterhouse is in the town of Rose where it protects the [[Compass Rose (4e Equipment)|Compass Rose]], but they have smaller Chapterhouses in most towns and cities in the Free Kingdoms and Alabastrian Empire.

== Pure Land Sect ==

An [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Orcs|orc]] named '''Ranshi''' founded this sect, which is dedicated to cleansing all land west of the White River and north of Artifice of any race but orcs and [[Oni (Patronage Supplement)#Half-Orcs|half-orcs]]. They are quite militant and often gather large armies to try add to the holdings of the [[Green Lands (4e Environment)|Green Lands]].

== Ramhead Rangers ==

This newly reconstituted order is based on an ancient secret order of warriors that raided slaver caravans and liberated the slaves. The order is comprised of all races, particularly [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|halflings]], and [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|humans]] although [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|dwarves]], [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|genasi]], [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)#Ghilan|ghilan]], [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Deva|deva]], and [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)#Eidolons|eidolons]] – the races most likely to keep slaves – are viewed with suspicion. Originally centered in [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The City of Ramhead|Ramhead]], it is thought that the resurrected order now plans its raids from Artifice, capital of [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]].

== The Testament ==

This society is comprised of [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|halflings]] and their loyal companions. Probably centered in [[Carraway (4e Environment)|Carraway]], this secretive faction dedicates itself to enforcing the final pronouncements of the halfling Empress '''Lucinda''': that halflings shall obey the Halfling King or Queen and that no halfling should ever rule over outsiders. Much of this final pronouncement is self-enforcing, as Lucinda has cursed her people so that they can never be burdened (or privileged) with a [[Landbond (Patronage Supplement)|landbond]]. However, the Testament also ensures that no halfling may rule indirectly. Many halflings have married patricians, or serve as advisors, or have joined other knightly orders that do not suffer the landbond. The Testament ensures that these halflings do not rule over any who do not share halfling heritage. The Testament is, in effect, the secret police of the halflings. Any halfling who seeks title will need to deal with them and they are not known to negotiate or compromise. The current Halfling Queen refuses to speak publicly about the Testament, claiming it is a “family” matter not to be discussed with outsiders.

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{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category: Patronage Setting]]

Savage Sound (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T19:24:55Z

Green Dragon:

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Savage Sound
|Monarch=No rule
|Resident=Varies
|Heraldry=None
|Capital=None
|Races=Aquatic, sea-compatible, and overland creatures
|Neighbors=[[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]], [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]], [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]], [[Fey Realm (4e Environment)|Fey Realm]], [[Mists (4e Environment)|The Mists]], [[Nidvalar (4e Environment)|Nidvalar]], [[Wild Forest (4e Environment)|Wild Forest]]
|Products=natural exploitation products.
|Snapshot=This saltwater sea is home to all manner of unsavory calamities.
}}

== Geography ==

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Savage Sound.jpg|thumb|left|upright=4|The Savage Sound.]]

The treacherous salty waters between [[Mongrel Island (4e Environment)|Mongrel Island]] and the mainland's southern shore, this Sound is home to pirates and savage [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|shedim]]. Even the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophagi]] are known to ply these seas in massive dreadnaughts manned by the fiercest aquatic shedim. The waters are home to massive fish and sea monsters. Even so, the southern shore is also plied by legitimate merchants ferrying trade between [[Nidvalar (4e Environment)|Nidvalar]], [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]], the [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] and the [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]]. For those willing to brave innumerable dangers, the lure of profits is hard to resist.

[[File:Savage Sound.jpg|thumb|alt=By Preveza1538 at en.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons|The piratical ships of the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophagi]] have begin plying the Savage Sound, attacking merchants and travelers on the once peaceful waters.]]

== Government ==

The high seas have no government. Every ship is governed by its captain.

== Culture ==

The maritime culture is typical of other cultures: obey the captain or be keelhauled.

== History ==

Historically, the Savage Sound protects the mainland from the Anthropophagi, and preserves the privacy of Mongrel Island. Few people seek to change this status quo.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
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[[Category:User]]
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Nereid Sea (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T19:23:25Z

Green Dragon: links

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Nereid Sea
|Monarch=No rule
|Resident=Varies
|Heraldry=None
|Capital=None
|Races=Aquatic, sea-compatible, and overland creatures
|Neighbors=[[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]], [[Carraway (4e Environment)|Carraway]], [[Dead March (4e Environment)|Dead March]], [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]], [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]], [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]], [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]]
|Products=natural exploitation products.
|Snapshot=The vast freshwater sea of the slumbering Leviathan Patrons and their terrifying aquatic subjects.
}}

== Geography ==

In the northern half of the continent, this massive freshwater sea is home to the slumbering Leviathan Patrons and their aquatic subjects. The sea is currently a medium of trade for many of the lands that border it, including [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]], [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]], [[Carraway (4e Environment)|Carraway]], [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], and the [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]]. The sea is also plied by ghilan pirates and raiders from [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]].

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Nereid Sea.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|The Nereid Sea.]]

The Nereid Sea is plagued by storms and foul winds that run south from the [[Ochre Mountains (4e Environment)|Ochre Mountains]]. In the winter, northern reaches of the sea are covered in ice. During this time, the native inhabitants are presumed dormant, though some ice fishers have reported seeing large shadows snaking just under the ice. After the thaw, however, the sea becomes rampant with traders and pirates willing to brave the storms, the voidyanoi, and the rumors that the Leviathans will soon wake, in pursuit of traders' gold.

== Government ==

There is no government on the high seas.

[[Image:Pontian seaside.jpg|thumb|The Nereid Sea as seen from the shores of [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]].]]

== Culture ==

The maritime culture of Patronage is similar to many maritime cultures. You obey the captain and if the voyage succeeds, he pays you well.

== History ==

In the earliest histories there are stories of the Nereid Sea roiling to a boil, or threatening to overrun the shores and flood the world. These are generally considered old wives' tales.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
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[[Category:User]]
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Savage Sound (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T19:17:35Z

Green Dragon:

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Savage Sound
|Monarch=No rule
|Resident=Varies
|Heraldry=None
|Capital=None
|Races=Aquatic, sea-compatible, and overland creatures
|Neighbors=[[Mists (4e Environment)|The Mists]], [[Fey Realm (4e Environment)|Fey Realm]], [[Wild Forest (4e Environment)|Wild Forest]], [[Nidvalar (4e Environment)|Nidvalar]], [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]], [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]], [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]]
|Products=Varies
|Snapshot=This saltwater sea is home to all manner of unsavory calamities.
}}

== Geography ==

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Savage Sound.jpg|thumb|left|upright=4|The Savage Sound.]]

The treacherous salty waters between [[Mongrel Island (4e Environment)|Mongrel Island]] and the mainland's southern shore, this Sound is home to pirates and savage [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|shedim]]. Even the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophagi]] are known to ply these seas in massive dreadnaughts manned by the fiercest aquatic shedim. The waters are home to massive fish and sea monsters. Even so, the southern shore is also plied by legitimate merchants ferrying trade between [[Nidvalar (4e Environment)|Nidvalar]], [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]], the [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] and the [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]]. For those willing to brave innumerable dangers, the lure of profits is hard to resist.

[[File:Savage Sound.jpg|thumb|alt=By Preveza1538 at en.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons|The piratical ships of the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophagi]] have begin plying the Savage Sound, attacking merchants and travelers on the once peaceful waters.]]

== Government ==

The high seas have no government. Every ship is governed by its captain.

== Culture ==

The maritime culture is typical of other cultures: obey the captain or be keelhauled.

== History ==

Historically, the Savage Sound protects the mainland from the Anthropophagi, and preserves the privacy of Mongrel Island. Few people seek to change this status quo.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Savage Sound (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T19:05:02Z

Green Dragon: links

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Savage Sound.jpg|thumb|upright=5|The Savage Sound.]]

== Geography ==

The treacherous salty waters between [[Mongrel Island (4e Environment)|Mongrel Island]] and the mainland's southern shore, this Sound is home to pirates and savage [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|shedim]]. Even the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophagi]] are known to ply these seas in massive dreadnaughts manned by the fiercest aquatic shedim. The waters are home to massive fish and sea monsters. Even so, the southern shore is also plied by legitimate merchants ferrying trade between [[Nidvalar (4e Environment)|Nidvalar]], [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]], the [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] and the [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]]. For those willing to brave innumerable dangers, the lure of profits is hard to resist.

[[File:Savage Sound.jpg|thumb|left|alt=By Preveza1538 at en.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons|The piratical ships of the [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)|Anthropophagi]] have begin plying the Savage Sound, attacking merchants and travelers on the once peaceful waters.]]

== Government ==

The high seas have no government. Every ship is governed by its captain.

== Culture ==

The maritime culture is typical of other cultures: obey the captain or be keelhauled.

== History ==

Historically, the Savage Sound protects the mainland from the Anthropophagi, and preserves the privacy of Mongrel Island. Few people seek to change this status quo.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T19:02:21Z

Green Dragon: links

{{PatronageKingdom
|Kingdom=Alabastrian Empire
|Monarch=Emperor Xarlem
|Resident=Alabastrian
|Heraldry=Argent, griffin gules rampant
|Capital=Aligon
|Cities=Abalel, Ablibo, Agenol, Alceor, Aldago, Amnode, Apnido, Arfort, Ariges, Arnafa, Artiro, Asledph, Asmelo, Aspalo, Azpama, Efafes, Elmara, Enpagi, Ermale, Ernole, Esegme, Inodab, Inofan, Li'igan, Lingef, Lintom, Lisdon, Lumapo, Lumaza, Mamgal, Milges, Minpol, Nagole, Napsen, Naspol, Obogel, Onefon, Ormila, Ornogo, Ragiop, Ragles, Ranglo, Ris'fli, Rorges, Utmono, Uzh'dana, Uzh'nab,
|Races=Deva, eidolon, ghilan, halfling, human, ravin, shedim
|Neighbors=[[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]], [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]], [[Nereid Sea (4e Environment)|Nereid Sea]], [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], [[Savage Sound (4e Environment)|Savage Sound]]
|Products=glass, steel, wool, linens
|Snapshot=Created by the departing Avatar Patrons, the Alabastrian Empire is ruled by Xarlem, one of the few remaining Immortal Deva.
}}

== Geography ==

The Alabastrian Empire is located in the southeastern corner of the continent between the northeastern shore of the [[Savage Sound (4e Environment)|Savage Sound]] and the southeastern shore of the [[Nereid Sea (4e Environment)|Nereid Sea]]. To its north are the lands of [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] and to the west are the Free Kingdoms of [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] and [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]]. The Empire itself is a land of fertile verdant fields, lakes, rivers, swamps, temperate forests, with alpine tundras dotting its tall mountains. The mountains are unusual in that they stand alone in the field, with no hills or other geography. They are each considered sacred to those who call Alabastria home. There were once 50 mountains in all in the lands that the Empire once occupied. The city of Downlach is presently in [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], and Ynepor is in [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]]. Each mountain is named after one of the original [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)|Avatar Patrons]] of the Realm. Atop each mountain is a sacred temple dedicated to that Avatar and a city named for that Avatar surrounds the mountain. In winter the southern Alabastrian Empire gets extremely cold and the mountains are almost impassable. Northern areas are less effected by seasonal climate changes.

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Alabastrian Empire.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|The Alabastrian Empire.]]

== Government ==

The Alabastrian Empire is controlled by Emperor '''Xarlem''', a [[Avatar_(Patronage_Supplement)#Deva|deva]] who has received the [[Ritual of Remembrance (4e Ritual)|Ritual of Remembrance]], which allows the deva to reincarnate will full memories of his past lives. Xarlem is the third to hold the crown. He rules with the advice of the Imperial Senate which designates one representative from each sacred city (except Downlach and Ynepor, of course). Only the Senate can levy taxes, but given the absolute control of the Emperor over the Imperial army, this has proven to be a weak check on the Emperor's powers. Each city is also run by a local Governor, which is appointed by the Emperor and approved by the Senate.

== Culture ==

The Alabastrian Empire has a long and proud tradition. Dominated as they are by deva, they have long memories and complicated and ornate ritualistic customs. They are militaristic and expansive. They rue the day their Patrons left them and believe that only by placing the Free Kingdoms under their benevolent rule will their Patrons ever agree to return and restore the utopian society they believe the Avatarlands once to have been.

== History ==

Before, the Empire, the Realm was known as the Avatarlands and governed by the Patrons. After an Avatar was killed by the halfling queen '''Evara''' and her magic sword [[Evararm (4e Equipment)|Evararm]], the Avatars began to retreat from the world, ordering the construction of the 50 cities and their temples. After the construction of the last temple, the Avatars entered their temples and were never seen again. Only the holiest of Deva priests are even allowed into the inner sanctum of these temples today. The last act of the Avatars was to appoint the deva '''Xalia''' as the first empress of the Alabastrian Empire.

=== Xalian Age ===

This age lasted from 1216 to 1725.

==== Conquest of the Southern Empire ====

Xalia's first order of business was to expand control over her Empire. She saw the chaotic Free Kingdoms as the greatest threat to the stability of Patronage and her fledgling empire. The Avatars had already absorbed the human [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Eastern Kingdom|Eastern Kingdom]] into its territory, so she set her sights on the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Southern Empire|Southern Empire]], a dyarchy ruled by a husband and wife. She seduced the king '''Mnemon XIV''', and convinced him to depose his queen, '''Filia XIII''', for plotting against him. Mnemon XIV appointed Xalia the new queen. She adopted the name Filia XIV, as was custom in the Southern Empire. 15 years later, when Mnemon XIV died of old age, Xalia annexed the Southern Empire into her own.

==== The Second Empire ====

Having pacified the Southern Empire, Xalia turned her attention further west, but her efforts were less successful. In the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Second Empire|Second Empire]], she put pressure on the leaders to foster their prince '''Phratakes''' to study at the fabled colleges in Aligon. There, he became thoroughly "endeavored" and, with his deva adviser '''Muso''', attempted to unite the Second and Alabastrian Empires. However, his people would not abandon their independence, and they overthrew Phratakes and sent him to die in exile. After this, the Empire ceased any policy of intervening directly in the Second Empire. A shaky peace endured for 250 years.

==== Rebellion in Dragonseye ====

Meanwhile, in the Alabastrian Empire's westernmost port of [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]] (conquered from the Second Empire), the humans living there began to revolt from Alabastrian rule. Two separate revolts arose simultaneously. The Followers of the Dragon, led by the human rebel '''Jonnan''', took up arms against the Empire, believing themselves to be the "living embodiment of the Great Wheel". The Dodecians, led by the human prophetess '''Josephine''', were a mystical sect who believed that the human epics, the Dodecon and Elemiad had hidden prophecies in those texts foretold the eventual restoration of the Free City of Dragonseye (which would be ruled by humans and free of outside influence). The Empire arrested and executed Jonnan and Josephine. The execution seemed to end the Followers of the Dragon and drove the Dodecians into hiding.

However, seventy years later, another rebel, claiming to be Jonnan reincarnated, restarted that rebellion. This second Jonnan was caught and executed seven years later. However, sixty years after that, a third Jonnan appears and the rebellion begins anew. Finally, in 1386, after the loss of much blood and treasure, Empress Xalia ordered the entire city of Dragonseye to be razed to the ground, and its inhabitants scattered. This meant that the Empire abandoned any territory on the western shore of the [[Nereid Sea (4e Environment)|Nereid Sea]], but it did end the human rebellions. Dodecian cabals continued to operate in secret throughout the Empire, and the Empire banned the ''Dodecon'' and ''Elemiad''. Although this did not end the movement, it did quell any attempts to recolonize [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]].

==== Ransom ====

Withdrawal from [[Dragonseye (4e Environment)|Dragonseye]] signaled to the Second Empire that the Alabastrian Empire was weakening. '''Emperor Shapur''' began attacking Alabastrian ships and port cities. Xalia raised and personally led a mighty armada to quell these privateers, but a storm caused her ship to wreck and she was captured by the Second Emperor and kept prisoner in his city of Aligon.

A power struggle then erupted between '''Oncia''' and '''Juzhian''', two of the other Immortal Deva selected by the Avatars, as to who would rule the Empire. [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] wished to invade, while Juzhian sought to negotiate a peace. Juzhian eloquently argued that unceasing war would eventually weaken the Empire to the point where it would collapse. The Empire had no true grievance with the Second Empire beyond the return of Xalia. Let the west deal with the west and Alabastria with the east. In the end, the other deva supported Juzhian. He negotiated a peace for Xalia's return which included a ransom. The details of this ransom are unknown, but when Xalia discovered the price of her freedom, she immediately summoned her entire military strength and invaded the Second Empire to recover it. However, by then, Shapur had died, the ransom was lost. Xalia razed Artifice to the ground, but eventually left the Second Empire without her ransom.

Conflict between the Second and Alabastrian Empires continued until 1650, when Emperor '''Yazdegerd''' took advantage of the Alabastrian Empire's new enemies to the North to begin construction of a massive wall between the two.

==== Trouble to the North ====

While the Empire was preoccupied with the Second Empire to the west, they neglected their northern border. Ghilan and wights from [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] had always harried settlements and ships along the border, but in the 17th century, the attacks were more frequent and bloodier. In 1633, Duatan armies forced the Empire to abandon the city of Ynepor, the first time an Alabastrian Temple had to be abandoned. In 1660, Duatan armies traveled all the way to Aligon and sacked the city. They sacked it again in 1705.

Xalia personally led armies to recapture Ynepor and drive the invaders back. What the world didn't know was that after the fall of Ynepor, Xalia had become rakshasa. Reputedly it occurred when her scouts reported that in the captured city of Ynepor, the old Avatar Temple was ruined and defaced. Her rakshasa form was fearsome and potent, and she was able to drive the Duatans back. but it was also fatal. In 1725, a Duatan blade found its mark. The Empress Xalia died.

[[File:Alabastria.jpg|thumb|alt=This image from PD Photo.org has been released into the public domain by its author and copyright holder, Jon Sullivan. Uploaded from Wikimedia Commons.|The architecture and art of the Alabastrian Empire is studded with representations of their [[Avatar (Patronage Supplement)|Avatar Patrons]].]]

=== Juzhian Age ===

This age lasted from 1726 to 2050.

==== Succession ====

Once again, a power struggle erupted between [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] and Juzhian. Juzhian pointed out that this was the fruition of his own prediction that unceasing wars would weaken the Empire. The deva debated for many months. Finally, Juzhian took the crown when the great general '''Xarlem''' changed his support from Oncia to Juzhian. Oncia accepted the devas' pronouncement and became a loyal supporter of Juzhian. The price for Xarlem's support was heavy. Juzhian anointed Xarlem with the [[Ritual of Remembrance (4e Ritual)|Ritual of Remembrance]], making Xarlem the newest Immortal Deva.

==== Rapprochement ====

True to his word, Juzhian attempted to negotiate peace with his enemies. To the north, he agreed to formalize the borders, and even to allow Ynepor to remain in Duatan hands. To the east, the eastern territories had broken away from the Empire and founded the Sarrun Empire. Juzhian offered to recognize this upstart kingdom in exchange for peace. For sixty years, Juzhian attempted to negotiate peace. During this time, Juzhian formalized the laws of the Empire, as well as it system of banking, its system of governance. By all accounts, he was a wise and just ruler. His reign is remembered as a golden age for deva and eidolons. Great monuments of architecture, art, music, and magic were produced. Peace reigned within its borders, and the people were prosperous.

However, in foreign policy, rapprochement was a complete failure. New chieftains of the Duatans refused to honor the border treaties entered into by prior chieftains. They continued to attack and sack Alabastrian cities and ships. In the east, the Sarrun Empire came under the sway of the zealotry of the [[Juzhian Age (Patronage Supplement)#Nine Truths|Cult of the Nine Truths]]. They hunted down and killed many of the remaining Immortal Devas. After sixty years, he had enough.

==== Juzhian's Double Strike ====

Juzhian ordered [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] to end the Sarrun Empire and Xarlem to end the Duatan terror. In lightning strikes, Xarlem killed every chieftain in southern [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] within six years. Oncia conquered Sarrun and reincorporated it into the Empire within 13. The strikes were so unexpected, in both its precision and brutality, that no power dared to oppose Juzhian's Empire for another 170 years.

However, Xarlem was changed by his campaign in [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]]. It is unclear what he witnessed there, but he became convinced that Duat would need constant monitoring to remain pacified. He and his Imperial armies remained in and around the Duatan border for rest of the Juzhian Age. These lands become known as the "Borderlands".

==== Chisel ====

The price of peace, however, was a brutal oppression of the occupied territory. The remnants of Cult of the Nine Truths made their way to a small city, whose original name is lost to history. The Cult's philosophy never really took hold in this city, but its anti-Imperial attitude did. Anybody dissatisfied with the Empire would find their way to this city. In 1961, the movement garnered the attention of Juzhian, who sent a general to quell the rebellion. He brought overwhelming force against a movement led by a ravin named '''Corren'''. Corren's band held out for thirty days in a battle known as Corren's Stand, which rallied enemies from throughout the Empire to arrive and destroy the general's army.

Corren did not survive, but her movement did, founding the [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Free Kingdom of Chisel]]. For the next century, Chisel's armies grew in strength and power, beating back the Alabastrian Empire. Juzhian sent general after general with armies to stop the onslaught. All of them were assassinated or defeated in battle. Due to a falling out with Oncia (a betrayal many said led to Juzhian becoming rakshasa), who was now safely ensconced in Downlach, he would not grant [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] the troops to handle the matter herself. Instead, she recalled Xarlem from the Duatan border. Xarlem protested, insisting the Duatan border remain defended. Juzhian insisted. Xarlem took his armies to Aligon, executed Juzhian, and declared himself the third emperor. (Oncia, a political outcast at this point, mutely accepted the new Emperor.)

=== Xarlemi Age ===

This age lasted from 2050 to the present, circa 2697.

==== Duat ====

Forty years into his reign, the borderlands rebelled. Xarlem deftly manipulated them into becoming the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]] with no allegiance to [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]]. This complicated political strategy kept the border secure for a century, until Warlord '''Otto''' conquered the Border Kingdom, but as Otto too had no allegiance to greater Duat, and he boded his time.

After Otto died, Xarlem invaded the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]] and annexed it to the Alabastrian Empire. That lasted seventy years. However, insurgencies, funded by powers in [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]], continued to grow. Eventually, Xarlem overran the Border Kingdom and began dismantling [[Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)|Shinigami]] mounds to demoralize the populace. Instead, it inspired a new rebellion, led by '''Otto II''', who drove Xarlem back. Xarlem, however, managed to get what he wanted when the peace treaty with Otto II ensured that the Border Kingdom would have no allegiance to Duat.

After Otto II died, Xarlem continued to manipulate the powers in the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]], ensuring they fought one another, rather than the Empire, and that they did not ally with powers still in [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]]. This preserves the border for 230 years. During this time, Xarlem needs to take direct action in Duat only twice.

In 2520, three tribes conquer the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]] and announce their hostility to the Empire. They wage an open war, repelling the Imperial troops. However, during this time, the tribes also splintered into seven groups. Exhausted by rebellions, Xarlem is unable to hold the Border Kingdom. But, to Xarlem's fortune, the seven chieftains mysteriously disappear. The remaining chieftains state they now serve the Shinigami, but the Shinigami have been silent for thousands of years. For now, Xarlem bides his time.

==== Civil War ====

Shortly after his coronation, Xarlem announced a series of recaptures against [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]], but never took part in them personally. Rather, he left other generals to invade and die on the fields of the east. Xarlem concentrated on the border with [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]].

Meanwhile, the rise and expansion of the [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] introduces a new player into Patronage politics. While the Caliphate was mostly directed westward, towards [[Ironguard (4e Environment)|Ironguard]] or the Second Empire, which it eventually dismantled, the armies of '''Muhajiel''' occasionally conquer Imperial lands as well. [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], who was then in charge of eastern Imperial lands, continually requested more troops to deal with the threat, but Xarlem could spare no more troops, between the Reconquests and the Duatan campaigns.

Eventually, Xarlem decided to abandon the west to the [[Caliphate (4e Environment)|Caliphate]] to concentrate on [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] and [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]]. He ordered [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]] to abandon Downlach. She refused, claiming that it was vital to the security of all the Patronage lands that she remain in Downlach perpetually. When Xarlem threatened to have her executed, she renounced all ties to the Empire, all claims to the throne, and declared Downlach and the surrounding territories to be the Free Kingdom of Oncia. Unable to spare more resources to prevent the split (and having already decided to abandon those lands to the Caliphate), Xarlem reluctantly tolerated Oncia's rebellion, and he turned his attentions back to Duat and Chisel.

About 200 years ago General '''Zhalfa''' finally turned the tide of the war in [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]]. His strategic genius became quickly apparent, as he cut off Chisel's supports from its other cities, conquering one by one. In 2500, Zhalfa announced that he was ready for the final invasion of Chisel. However, he demanded that Xarlem first award him with the [[Ritual of Remembrance (4e Ritual)|Ritual of Remembrance]]. Xarlem refused and Zhalfa took his armies and turned on the Emperor in what became known as the Alabastrian Civil War. It took nearly a half-century of cat and mouse before Xarlem finally cornered and executed Zhalfa.

His armies already in the east, Xarlem then turned on [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], conquering it briefly. But he could not hold it because both [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] and [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]] would take advantage of the chaos to retake land lost long ago to Alabastrian forces.

==== Current Affairs ====

A century ago, Xarlem concluded that his Empire could not handle the [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]], [[Chisel (4e Environment)|Chisel]], and [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] fronts. For the past hundred years, he has been forced to ration his resources without bankrupting his Realm, merely to maintain the territory the Empire currently holds. This defensive posturing has slowly drained the vibrancy from the Warrior-Emperor. He is not a man accustomed to inaction. In recent years, he has receded from the public, making few addresses and few appearances. Rumors abound that Xarlem has become rakshasa, and it is only a matter of time before he dies forever. Already, other luminaries are posturing to replace him. A large contingent believes that Oncia, the only other surviving Immortal Deva, must replace him. Others look forward to a time when all the deva are gone, and the eidolons will govern. (Already, several eidolons have been named governors and generals.) Xarlem is silent about these maneuverings.

----
{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)

2013-05-18T18:42:07Z

Green Dragon:

== Shinigami ==
{{PatronageRace
|Snapshot=Lords of Death, the Shinigami rule [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] from their hidden mounds, giving orders to their Ghilan warlords and necromancers, and their potent wight servants.
|Patron=Shinigami
|Noble=Ghilan
|Noble Breed=Dhampir, Shadar Kai, Revenant, Shade, Vryloka
|Base=Wight
|Realm=[[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]]
|Cities=Ynepor
}}

[[File:Shinigami.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Gustave Doré’s illustration of Lord Alfred Tennyson’s “Idylls of the King”, 1868.|In the [[Innocent Age (Patronage Supplement)|Innocent Age]], the Shinigami were often found observing the bodies of the recently dead.]]

The Shinigami are a Patron race consisting of intelligent undead creatures appropriate to be encountered at the epic tier of play. These creatures might be any sort of intelligent undead, including liches and vampires. However, as far any scholar can determine, these undead creations have no hint of a previous life. They appear to have been eternally undead. They created the noble race of ghilan, as well as creating the wights. [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] is their Realm of the dead, where the Shinigami hold sway from their deep warded tombs hidden under cryptic mounds.

== Ghilan ==

==== Generally ====

The ghilan are the name for the shadow-based races in Patronage. They are the noble race created by the Shinigami to serve them. Many ghilan are warlords and necromancers who lead armies of wights. The Shinigami are known for fierce in-fighting, so many of these wars are internecine in nature. Many ghilan, over the millenniums, have emigrated into the Free Kingdoms, eschewing a life of necromancy.

Ghilan are most common in [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]], where they serve their Shinigami Patrons still. Ghilan are also the dominant race in [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]], and can also be found in lesser numbers in [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]] and [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]].

==== Prominent Ghilan ====

* '''Nebu:''' A 7th century Ghilan warlord who raised a navy and, with his army of ghilan and wights, razed the human settlement of [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Dragonseye]] and broke their fabled Wheel. Shortly thereafter he invaded the Dragonslands and when confronted by one of the Dragon Patrons, he slew it in a mighty battle, which constitutes the first record death of a Patron. This caused the Dragons to retreat briefly form the world. The [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)#Goliaths|goliath]] '''Cyr''' created a [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Middle Empire|Middle Empire]] in its place, and then besieged Nebu in the ruins of Dragonseye. Vastly outnumbered and cut off form [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]], Nebu held off the Empire's armies until he died of natural causes. His army surrendered shortly thereafter.
* '''Harald:''' A mighty warlord who founded the Northern Reach.
* '''Margor:''' A warlord of a minor Duatan tribe, with the advice of Efthal, he quickly grew to dominate the region, sacking the [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian]] City of Ynepor and desecrating its sacred temple, and act that caused Empress '''Xalia''' to become rakshasa.
* '''Efthal:''' The most powerful mortal necromancer Patronage has ever seen. He granted himself undead immortality, conquered an Empire, lorded over a population for centuries, and then disappeared into the [[Barrens (4e Environment)|Barrens]] where he still teaches his disciple the darkest of arts.
* '''Haaken:''' A mighty warlord who reunified the Northern Reach.
* '''Margreth:''' A necromancer who planned to make herself a new Patron, when her mighty castle was swallowed by the mound upon which it had been built.
* '''Djamasp:''' A disciple of Efthal, installed briefly as Emperor before being killed by the [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|human]] '''Khosrau'''.
* '''Yaro:''' The ghilan who abandoned necromancy and led his people through the [[Dead March (4e Environment)|Dead March]] to his promised land [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]]. He made an alliance with the goliaths of the area, and abandoned necromancy by enslaving the local humans to perform the menial tasks normally conducted by mindless zombies and skeletons.
* '''Otto:''' A great ghilan warlord who conquered the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]] and then held the mighty [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]] at bay.
* '''Otto II:''' No known relation, but he also conquered the Border Kingdom and then secured a treaty that kept the Border Kingdom neutral between [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] and the [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]] for more than 200 years.
* '''Vasa II:''' The current queen of [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]].

== Wights ==

Wights are intelligent undead that serve the Shinigami Patrons and their ghilan masters. Any undead that is not an appropriate encounter for epic tier of play might be described as a wight. In Patronage some Wights are created from the souls of other races, but some believe themselves to be created entirely from the Shinigami ''ab initio'', being "born", as it were, undead.

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{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category: Patronage Setting]]

Shinigami (Patronage Supplement)

2013-05-18T18:40:42Z

Green Dragon: links

== Shinigami ==
{{PatronageRace
|Snapshot=Lords of Death, the Shinigami rule Duat from their hidden mounds, giving orders to their Ghilan warlords and necromancers, and their potent wight servants.
|Patron=Shinigami
|Noble=Ghilan
|Noble Breed=Dhampir, Shadar Kai, Revenant, Shade, Vryloka
|Base=Wight
|Realm=Duat
|Cities=Ynepor
}}

[[File:Shinigami.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Gustave Doré’s illustration of Lord Alfred Tennyson’s “Idylls of the King”, 1868.|In the [[Innocent Age (Patronage Supplement)|Innocent Age]], the Shinigami were often found observing the bodies of the recently dead.]]

The Shinigami are a Patron race consisting of intelligent undead creatures appropriate to be encountered at the epic tier of play. These creatures might be any sort of intelligent undead, including liches and vampires. However, as far any scholar can determine, these undead creations have no hint of a previous life. They appear to have been eternally undead. They created the noble race of ghilan, as well as creating the wights. [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] is their Realm of the dead, where the Shinigami hold sway from their deep warded tombs hidden under cryptic mounds.

== Ghilan ==

==== Generally ====

The ghilan are the name for the shadow-based races in Patronage. They are the noble race created by the Shinigami to serve them. Many ghilan are warlords and necromancers who lead armies of wights. The Shinigami are known for fierce in-fighting, so many of these wars are internecine in nature. Many ghilan, over the millenniums, have emigrated into the Free Kingdoms, eschewing a life of necromancy.

Ghilan are most common in [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]], where they serve their Shinigami Patrons still. Ghilan are also the dominant race in [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]], and can also be found in lesser numbers in [[Midhaven (4e Environment)|Midhaven]] and [[Oncia (4e Environment)|Oncia]].

==== Prominent Ghilan ====

* '''Nebu:''' A 7th century Ghilan warlord who raised a navy and, with his army of ghilan and wights, razed the human settlement of [[Dragonseye (Patronage Supplement)|Dragonseye]] and broke their fabled Wheel. Shortly thereafter he invaded the Dragonslands and when confronted by one of the Dragon Patrons, he slew it in a mighty battle, which constitutes the first record death of a Patron. This caused the Dragons to retreat briefly form the world. The [[Titan (Patronage Supplement)#Goliaths|goliath]] '''Cyr''' created a [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Middle Empire|Middle Empire]] in its place, and then besieged Nebu in the ruins of Dragonseye. Vastly outnumbered and cut off form [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]], Nebu held off the Empire's armies until he died of natural causes. His army surrendered shortly thereafter.
* '''Harald:''' A mighty warlord who founded the Northern Reach.
* '''Margor:''' A warlord of a minor Duatan tribe, with the advice of Efthal, he quickly grew to dominate the region, sacking the [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian]] City of Ynepor and desecrating its sacred temple, and act that caused Empress '''Xalia''' to become rakshasa.
* '''Efthal:''' The most powerful mortal necromancer Patronage has ever seen. He granted himself undead immortality, conquered an Empire, lorded over a population for centuries, and then disappeared into the [[Barrens (4e Environment)|Barrens]] where he still teaches his disciple the darkest of arts.
* '''Haaken:''' A mighty warlord who reunified the Northern Reach.
* '''Margreth:''' A necromancer who planned to make herself a new Patron, when her mighty castle was swallowed by the mound upon which it had been built.
* '''Djamasp:''' A disciple of Efthal, installed briefly as Emperor before being killed by the [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|human]] '''Khosrau'''.
* '''Yaro:''' The ghilan who abandoned necromancy and led his people through the [[Dead March (4e Environment)|Dead March]] to his promised land [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]]. He made an alliance with the goliaths of the area, and abandoned necromancy by enslaving the local humans to perform the menial tasks normally conducted by mindless zombies and skeletons.
* '''Otto:''' A great ghilan warlord who conquered the [[Dead Kingdoms (Patronage Supplement)#The Border Kingdom|Border Kingdom]] and then held the mighty [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]] at bay.
* '''Otto II:''' No known relation, but he also conquered the Border Kingdom and then secured a treaty that kept the Border Kingdom neutral between [[Duat (4e Environment)|Duat]] and the [[Alabastrian Empire (4e Environment)|Alabastrian Empire]] for more than 200 years.
* '''Vasa II:''' The current queen of [[Winteren (4e Environment)|Winteren]].

== Wights ==

Wights are intelligent undead that serve the Shinigami Patrons and their ghilan masters. Any undead that is not an appropriate encounter for epic tier of play might be described as a wight. In Patronage some Wights are created from the souls of other races, but some believe themselves to be created entirely from the Shinigami ''ab initio'', being "born", as it were, undead.

----
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category: Patronage Setting]]

Wild Forest (Patronage Supplement)

2013-05-18T18:30:03Z

Green Dragon: Green Dragon moved page Wild Forest (Patronage Supplement) to Wild Forest (4e Environment): id

#REDIRECT [[Wild Forest (4e Environment)]]

Wild Forest (4e Environment)

2013-05-18T18:29:48Z

Green Dragon: Green Dragon moved page Wild Forest (Patronage Supplement) to Wild Forest (4e Environment): id

[[File:4e Campaign Setting Patronage Wild Forest.jpg|thumb|upright=2|The Wild Forest.]]

== Geography ==

The Wild Forest separates the [[Fey Realm (Patronage Supplement)|Fey Realm]] from the rest of Patronage. It is cut off by the construction of the Iron Road by its northern neighbor, [[Ironguard (Patronage Supplement)|Ironguard]]. To the east, the hungry nation of [[Nidvalar (Patronage Supplement)|Nidvalar]] raids the Wild Forest for lumber and other raw materials for their clockwork creations.

[[File:Wild Forest.png|thumb|left|alt=By Louis Rhead (1857 – 1926) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons|The Wild Forest is home to all manners of races, but most are thieves and brigands.]]

== Government ==

There is no government to the Wild Forest; each faction governs itself. It is a lawless and violent area.

== Culture ==

[[Juzhian Age (Patronage Supplement)#Ferroclasty|Ferroclasty]] is very strong in the Wild Forest, even amongst constructs like the warforged. However, equally important is self-reliance and autonomy, two qualities that all denizens of the Wild Forest share in abundance.

== History ==

Once territory that supposedly belonged to the Fey Realm, a rebellion by disaffected [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Elves|elven]] and [[Fey (Patronage Supplement)#Goblins|goblin]] servants forced the Fey themselves to retreat deeper into their Realm, ceding this lush forest to their erstwhile subjects. Since that time, the Wild Forest has become home to all manner of races, including [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Dwarves|dwarves]], elves, [[Elemental (Patronage Supplement)#Genasi|genasi]], goblins, [[Dragon (Patronage Supplement)#Halflings|halflings]], [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Humans|humans]], [[Anthropophage (Patronage Supplement)#Shedim and Ravin|ravin, shedim]], and [[Patronless (Patronage Supplement)#Warforged|warforged]]. The Clockwork Circle is known to meet here, wedged as it is between [[Nidvalar (Patronage Supplement)|Nidvalar]], [[Ironguard (Patronage Supplement)|Ironguard]], the [[Fire Mountains (Patronage Supplement)|Fire Mountains]] and the [[Fey Realm (Patronage Supplement)|Fey Realm]]. It was here that the legendary '''Buka''' and '''Hara''' first discovered how to create the warforged, and where the elves '''Gamaliel''' and '''Muhajiel''' plotted the creation of the [[Caliphate (Patronage Supplement)|Caliphate]]. Although the forest can be harsh, it has abundant resources and has been the beginning of many an epic tale.

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{{4e Environments Breadcrumb}} 
{{4e Campaign Settings Breadcrumb}} → [[Patronage (4e Campaign Setting)|Patronage]]
[[Category:4e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Patronage Setting]]

Savage Sound (Patronage Supplement)

2013-05-18T18:29:18Z

Green Dragon: Green Dragon moved page Savage Sound (Patronage Supplement) to Savage Sound (4e Environment): id

#REDIRECT [[Savage Sound (4e Environment)]]