The Resurgent Dream
20-09-2004, 06:37
Those nations familiar with the smaller of the two nations in the Isles of Mists know that it is styled the Empire of the Resurgent Dream and that it's sovereign is styled Her Imperial Majesty, the High Queen. To those who only deal with the central government, this may seem odd. An empire? Why? The Resurgent Dream is no longer a tiny nation but it is hardly one of the great powers of the world, in population, technology, or martial force, nor does it claim to be. The Resurgent Dream is not an imperialist nation. On the contrary, it offers only peace to its neighbors. So why an empire?
The truth is that the Resurgent Dream is made up of six separate kingdoms. While all are nominally under the rule of High Queen Corrina, almost all laws are passed by the local kings and queens. Five of these leaders are loyal vassals of the Empire, ruling according to the prevailing standards of justice. The sixth kingdom, that of Eleanor ni Ailil, is, to put it lightly, of a darker bent. A frozen land pf harsh snow and ice, Eleanor's vassals rule their subjects from fortress like castles, resting their might on the sword. Law is lax so long as the queen's might is not directly challenged, and the kingdom is filled with brigands and monsters, assassins and thieves. Rumor has it some of them work in the employ of Eleanor's court, a rumor it is dangerous to spread around.
Word is out in Eleanor's kingdom of Wintermore, word that someone unnamed seeks to hire a kidnapper. They want a specialist, not a mercenary or an assassion pdoing an extra job by brandishing guns about and issuing threats, but a real kidnapper, used to working with drugs and clothes and restraints. The price is a million dross, no more and no less, and the buyer wants a foreigner for the job. It will be a strange job for someone from most nations, interacting in a land containing many magical beings, kidnapping one of the fairy races, working in a nation with few to no cars, guns, or other modern devices.
The truth is that the Resurgent Dream is made up of six separate kingdoms. While all are nominally under the rule of High Queen Corrina, almost all laws are passed by the local kings and queens. Five of these leaders are loyal vassals of the Empire, ruling according to the prevailing standards of justice. The sixth kingdom, that of Eleanor ni Ailil, is, to put it lightly, of a darker bent. A frozen land pf harsh snow and ice, Eleanor's vassals rule their subjects from fortress like castles, resting their might on the sword. Law is lax so long as the queen's might is not directly challenged, and the kingdom is filled with brigands and monsters, assassins and thieves. Rumor has it some of them work in the employ of Eleanor's court, a rumor it is dangerous to spread around.
Word is out in Eleanor's kingdom of Wintermore, word that someone unnamed seeks to hire a kidnapper. They want a specialist, not a mercenary or an assassion pdoing an extra job by brandishing guns about and issuing threats, but a real kidnapper, used to working with drugs and clothes and restraints. The price is a million dross, no more and no less, and the buyer wants a foreigner for the job. It will be a strange job for someone from most nations, interacting in a land containing many magical beings, kidnapping one of the fairy races, working in a nation with few to no cars, guns, or other modern devices.