Eolda

General
Eolda is a seat of a human-based empire, located in the northern end of Southern Rythalion and ruled by the emperor Virius di Eolda. His dynasty has ruled Eolda since it changed from a Magocracy to a Monarchy without magic. Of course, its name is derived from the royal family, and is the only one of the realms of Rythalion were magic is banned by law (certain clerics and paladins are exempt). Its strength of arms is solely relying on its army and its military forces as well as its advances in technology. Its three generals, Katarina Pharitas, Lisbeth von Edelberg and Ignacius Leloresan are battle hardened warriors who have spent time around most of Rythalion and are famous for their battle prowess as well as tactics and strategies.

Eolda has felt the effects of the Scarring the most out of all places in the world second to Ule which sank to the bottom of the ocean. For this, use of magic is forbidden in the empire and most common people are afraid of wizards and sorcerers. Arcane magic is especially forbidden and its casting is one of the most serious crimes someone can commit.

Racism and xenophobia is very common in Eolda as well, since the Empire has promoted that for many centuries and has greatly favored humans, but that does not mean that all people are like that. There are some rare cases that welcome foreign folk into their towns and taverns though, and opportunity for work does exist for foreign people; mostly in the form of mercenary work. There are various Guilds that fulfill that part and who theoretically recruit various races in their ranks be it human, dwarf, tiefling or any race. What social obstacles people of such races will encounter is another story.

Though mercenary work is plentiful and common, rare instances of people that do not call themselves mercenaries and instead use the term adventurer are given a wide berth. People don’t respect adventurers and they call them spineless cowards who can’t be honest and brave enough to be a mercenary, instead preferring to be disloyal rogues who can’t help anyone but themselves and that they can only be trusted to save their own hide in the end.

Half-breeds are also held in contempt in Eolda and are mostly ostracized from society due to the fact that the majority of half-breeds cannot give birth and because of their shady parentage.

Religion in Eolda consists of a pantheon of gods, some of which are venerated and in other human and mixed societies and cultures. They worship gods such as Calthi the Goddess of Summer, Meadows and Agriculture, Annalyon the God of Light, Truth, Honor and Protection, Lasentia the Goddess of Lust, Passion and Hedonism among other deities. Clerics and paladins of churches and various divine orders are expected to carry an insignia of said church/order and are also expected have an official document signed by a count that shows they are authorized to cast spells within the law. Clerics and paladins that do not belong to a church or order recognised by the Empire and/or do not possess an official document stating they are clear, are seized upon detection and their sentence is decided by a count or by an appointed judge.

Organised crime is also very prominent in Eolda; shady organizations plotting behind the scenes, gangs fighting for territory, poachers and slavers and of course the Black Market.

The native language that is spoken in Eolda is dubbed Eoldan and it is a mix of Common, Luari and Nashir.

Technology in Eolda
Since arcane magic is punishable by persecution and/or death in Eolda, technology is used in some instances in order to either counter magic or replace it altogether. Although somewhat rare, firearms such as pistols are manufactured by artificers and can be found at certain shops in Eolda at prices that most common people cannot afford. Firearms are also used by special forces of the military as well as enforcers who are highly trained in their use.

Technology has other forms as well, one of which is Clockworks. Clockworks are mechanical constructs created by gnome tinkerers and specialized artificers, and are usually of average human height. They come in many forms and are used as scouts, guardians and as weapons. Emperor Virius di Eolda personally funded creators of Clockworks and in exchange he and the military became very good customers. However, the Clockworks’ usage is in recluse as they are very unpredictable in the sense that they malfunction often as their manufacture progress still has quite a ways to go and is very expensive. Clockworks exist in small numbers in places such as in military bases, forts, a few guard outposts around the realm, in the towers of the Counts and of course in the Imperial Palace. Some unlawful organizations buy them in the black market and use them as sentries and guards in their bases as well. Clockworks see their most use in the hands of the Unravelers since they are especially effective against magical threats.

Another technological achievement is the successful production and maintenance of airships. Airships are fairly new in Eolda since the first functioning airship was made two years ago. They function through technology and magic both, although the general populace believes magic has nothing to do with them. The Empire only has four airships so far but even four of them are a force to be reckoned with.

Dragon's Bolt Mercenary Guild
A very successful guild of mercenaries created 816 years ago by a halfling named Wes Karpador and his associates. During its long history the guild has since passed to other personages after Wes Karpador sold it and it became its own entity. It is since controlled from the shadows by the ancient vampire wizard Leila Valentia whose existence is known only to a very few select high ranking members of the guild such as the Guildmaster. However, even these select high ranking members don’t know her by name and only refer to her as the Overseer. Only the Guildmaster knows her true identity. The guild has halls all over Eolda and is the biggest, most famous and trusted mercenary guild in the Empire. It was first funded in the town of Kanesidy all these centuries ago and nowadays its headquarters are located in Amol Inris. The guild got its name from the first job that made it famous, in which Wes Karpador and his associates slayed a dragon that was terrorizing the countryside for years by way of bolt of lightning. The head of this huge dragon still graces the wall above the fireplace in the guild headquarters, although they have since been moved to Amol Inris.

The Veil
Another organization controlled by Leila Valentia. This one has no public face and it was created by Leila herself. Its members are comprised by people skilled in stealth and subterfuge and many other shady individuals. Every member of the Veil wears a magical black veil that covers the face when stealth is needed. Unknown to agents, Leila can track each black veil and their owner as long as they are in the same Plane of Existence as Leila. One of the Veil’s uses is that it completes contracts that Dragon’s Bolt could not or cannot complete behind the scenes (sometimes for the reason of law implications) but does so mostly with the expertise of assassins rather than mercenaries. They do this behind the scenes and then give credit to the Dragon's Bolt guild; one of the reasons why the guild has its great reputation. It has other various purposes depending on the needs and orders of Leila (like informants, assassins or spies), but the general idea remains that they act in secrecy and are involved with much of Eolda’s underworld. They also control a large portion of the Black Market. Leila has plans of expanding the Veil's network to other realms in Rythalion as well.

The Unravelers
They are an order created by the very first Emperor of the Empire for the sole purpose of rooting out magic users in the country and in this day and age answer to Emperor Virius. They utilize a number of means in their disposal for their missions such as the usage of firearms or the deployment of Clockworks. Ironically (or hypocritically as some would say) they also use magic as many members of the Unravelers are spellcasters trained to track and combat magic. This is the one of the very few ways to legally be a spellcaster in Eolda (besides approved clerics and paladins). When the Unravelers capture a mage, they either send them to Prison Island or execute the individual on sight. However, execution would seem kind to those actually sent to Prison Island, as the Unravelers use the prisoners to perform top secret magical experiments of various kinds, torturing the individuals until they get results for their Project Hybrid. Some don’t survive them. These experiments are funded by Emperor Virius in order to create a race of hybrid soldiers that can adapt to any environment for the purpose of invading other countries.

Karpador Enterprises
A company that was founded 811 years ago by the creator of Dragon's Bolt Merenary Guild, Wes Karpador. In fact, the guild was a business venture in order to amass money quickly enough for Karpador to build his own artisan company. Seeing as mercenaries were a quick, easy and profitable sell, Karpador utilized circumstances and acquaintances to succeed in making Dragon's Bolt successful. That in turn made him enough money to open up his dream company. Right now, Karpador Enterprises is an artisan's company where they make pretty much anything. The company is dominant in the northwestern Eolda and most of the furniture of nobles, to cook utensils, to garden accessories is made there. After Karpador's death eons ago, the company passed in his kin and now it is run by Eleira Karpador and her husband. They have in turn expanded the company's horizons by also making and selling weapons and even magic items under the table. For this last venture they have opened up shops in the Black Market and their business is swelling. The Karpadors are also trying to buy back Dragon's Bolt, however their offers are always turned down.

Clan Lendu
A vampire clan who has lost a tremendous amount of power after the Scarring. After the deaths of its Lord and Lady, loss of almost all of its clanholds all over Eolda and a broken alliance with the drow, Clan Lendu experienced a schism which resulted in a mass exodus of many of its members and the creations of other clans outside of Eolda. There were also stragglers who refused to be in a clan and instead chose to act alone, whereas a few found their way in the Veil under the employment of Leila Valentia. Nowadays, Clan Lendu remains the only vampiric clan in Eolda but it is merely a husk of its former self and past glories.