Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- atlas:three_kingdoms [2013/02/19 19:49]
galacticcmdr
+++ atlas:three_kingdoms [2021/12/03 23:36]
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-====== Three Kingdoms ======
-===== Statistics =====
-===== History =====
-===== Geography =====
-===== Politics =====
-==== Foreign Relations ====
-==== Military ====
-===== Economy =====
-===== Demographics =====
-==== Religion ====
-==== Magic ====
-===== Culture =====
-===== Holdings =====
-<div class="story">
-<p>Jewel continued to move among the marketplace crowd, nicking
-a purse when the opportunity presented itself. She was new to Valparia and had
-to establish her reputation with the local guild before they would allow her to
-work the larger jobs &mdash; plus it was never good to forget the basics. Just as she
-was ready to leave the market, her inner pouches already filled with purses,
-she spotted a very heavy purse dangling from some rich old man.</p>
-<p>She moved in smoothly, seemingly to
-only care about the angel’s bracelet she was considering purchasing. Just after
-she paid for the bracelet she turned to leave and cut his purse strings in the
-same motion. However, instead of moving into the crowd she as hit by a shock as
-the sound of hundreds of bees went off in her head &mdash; Damn! The pouch was
-spell-sealed.</p>
-<p>She dropped the pouch and moved as
-quick as she could through the crowd, ducking as she moved to hide herself
-below his vision. She had nearly reached the safety of a nearby alley when an
-inky black form stepped from the shadow. The ink melted off to reveal the old
-man with the spell-sealed purse &mdash; Double Damn Tyrin’s luck! He didn’t just
-purchase the purse in the market he was a magician.</p>
-<p>What followed was a long game of
-cat-and-mouse, with Jewel playing the unfortunate position of the mouse. Each
-time she found someplace she could use to escape &mdash; him, or some of his shadow
-creatures, would appear before her. She was really sweating the notion of
-getting caught; especially considering the first punishment for theft was
-public canning.</p>
-<p>She was just about out of places to
-go when she spotted a small alchemical shop and hit upon an idea. She looked
-around and couldn’t find her pursuer anywhere. She dug into her newly acquired
-wealth and purchased what she needed from the gnome working the stand. She put
-all of the powders into a bit of runepaper tightly wrapped it together. Jewel
-turned, spotted a likely alleyway, and headed towards it.</p>
-<p>As she neared the alley she saw the
-magician again step from the shadows, but before he get out completely Jewel
-bought out the packet, closed her eyes, and threw its contents into a nearby
-forge. The runepaper immediately burst into flame, igniting the contents in a
-brilliant pyrotechnic display. Even with her eyes closed Jewel was nearly
-blinded and stumbled down the now clear alley.</p>
-<p>Two years later Jewel still thought
-back to that first episode in the market. She never knew what became of that
-magician, but he never found her again. She had learned much about how to
-distinguish a spelled item and had never made that same mistake again. Her
-quick thinking had earned her a solid reputation within the guild.</p>
-<p>Of course, the guild would never
-award the token of master cutpurse to someone that didn’t learn from her
-mistakes &mdash; and Jewel loved the new brass token than hung from her braid. That
-also meant she had a government permit for &quot;Independent Acquisition of Goods&quot;
-to cover her theft and &quot;Distribution Seller&quot; to allow her to fence any items.
-Once everything was signed, approved, stamped, and paid for &mdash; Jewel knew who
-were the real thieves in this city.</p>
-</div>
-<div id="material">
-<h1><a name="Intro">Introduction</a> <a href="#top" class="btt">Back to Top</a></h1>
-<h1><a name="Geo">Geography</a> <a href="#top" class="btt">Back to Top</a></h1>
-<h1><a name="Gov">Government</a> <a href="#top" class="btt">Back to Top</a></h1>
-<h1><a name="Cul">Culture</a> <a href="#top" class="btt">Back to Top</a></h1>
-<h1><a name="Econ">Economy</a> <a href="#top" class="btt">Back to Top</a></h1>
-<h1><a name="Mil">Military</a> <a href="#top" class="btt">Back to Top</a></h1>
-<h1><a name="Nei">Neighbors</a> <a href="#top" class="btt">Back to Top</a></h1>
-<h2>Nation</h2>
-<p>If there were something resembling a large mixing pot of the various races anywhere in
-the realms it would have to be the Three Kingdoms. The largest community of
-elves, dwarves, orcs, and jundari found anywhere outside of their homelands are
-settled into this area. While this has created some tension, overall, it has
-kept any xenophobic mindset from ruling this critical area.</p>
-<h3>History</h3>
-<p>During the height of the Xianese invasion there was no army strong enough in the
-Realms to turn back their attack. The Irillian army was collapsing, and the
-majority of the elven army was preparing to siege the Irillian’s main religious
-city when the attack started. The distrust between Ellendar and Stoneheart kept
-dwarven armies nervous, and tied up the rest of the elven army on their
-northern border. The area that would become Dakar, were nothing more than a few
-large tribes &mdash; they had no unifying leader.</p>
-<p>As things in the south became more
-desperate Kagon, Clanleader of the Bonecrushers, William, leader of the last
-independent tribe in Dakar, and Murian, Warleader of the Northern Army, forged
-an alliance. This &quot;Treaty of Three&quot; said that all signatories must come to the
-common defense of other nations. A combined army of elves, dwarves, and human
-immediately began a forced march south.</p>
-<p>The Xianese were within hours of conquering the city of Valparia,
-on the western coast of the Caragan Sea &mdash; and the combined army was still
-several days’ march from the battle. In an act of supreme courage the five most
-powerful human magicians agreed to go immediately to the defense of Valparia,
-the elven army that conquered the city and the remains of the Irillian garrison
-were currently defending the city.</p>
-<p>When they arrived they immediately
-threw their combined strength into battle. They turned the tide of the battle
-for several hours in favor of the defenders, until the &quot;Child of Zarn&quot; arrived.
-This huge creature tore through the defenders, pushing aside their attacks as
-people push aside ants. Exhausted from the effort of magical combat; nonetheless,
-the magicians went to fight this monster. With the last of their strength, the
-magicians attacked the creature and banished it, and themselves, to the lower
-planes.</p>
-<p>So demoralized was the Xianese army
-that it didn’t attack the city for two days. However, on the dawn of the third
-day the arrival of two more Xianese armies tripled the size of the attackers.
-Just as their battle horns signaled the attack, the lead dwarven infantry fell
-upon their flanks. Supported by elven archers and human calvary, they tore a
-huge hole in the Xianese army. Their spirits raised by the arrival of their
-allies, the defenders threw open the gates and rushed out to strike their own
-blood against the Xianese.</p>
-<p>After three days of bloody fighting
-the Xianese army had routed off the field. Skirmishers were drawn up to harass
-them so they couldn’t reform their army behind their lines. Less than ten
-percent of the men that comprised the strength of the Xianese army made it back
-to the lands their masters controlled. It would be many generations before the
-Xianese could ever mount another attack of this size.</p>
-<p>That night William, Kagon, and
-Murian met with Antonio, who commanded the Irillian garrison, and Lauriel,
-warleader of the elven army stationed at the city, and set down their plans for
-the region. William wanted some land where his people could live free from the
-Dakarians. Kagon and Murian both agreed that the best agreed that the best way
-to ensure peace and to hold back another Xianese invasion was to give William
-the territory west of the Caragan taken from the Irillian Empire.</p>
-<p>All of the magicians that sided
-with William, and most of the Dakarian magicians, decided to stay in the newly
-founded Three Kingdoms. The Dakarian magicians had seen their influence with
-the people decline over the years as the Dakarian nobility grew in power. They
-still remembered the words of Dakar and why they originally traveled south —
-surely the Xianese were the great evil they were sent to stop. The Three
-Kingdoms would always oppose Xian with the last drop of its blood.</p>
-<h3>Land</h3>
-<p>The Three Kingdoms controls the territory running nearly the entire western shore
-of the Caragan Sea. The only other nations to have a presence on this coastline
-are the Elven City of Mordkina to the north, and the Dolmar Protectership to
-the south. This is in marked contrast to its width, which in only a four
-hundred kilometers at its widest point.</p>
-<p>Unlike the other lands that were conquered by the Xianese, their priests never got a
-chance to work their slash and burn campaign upon the lands now called the
-Three Kingdoms. This means the Three Kingdoms has maintained the lush rolling
-hills that are the hallmark of the western most lands of the Realms.</p>
-<p>The land is very fertile, making it
-exceptional for farming and herding. There are enough trees to support an
-extensive logging industry, with elven foresters ensuring that too many trees
-are not harvested. Small rivers and feeder lakes are scattered around, most of
-them flowing into the Caragan, and kept constantly fed by underground springs.
-However, that is one of the few problems &mdash; there are a great deal of gemstone
-mines, but the ground is so loose and moist that even the dwarves only mine a
-few areas.</p>
-<h3>Major Cities</h3>
-<p>Why William called this nation the Three Kingdoms is a mystery, but there are some
-scholarly guesses. The most discussed reason is in reference to the three major
-cities that comprise the nation. Each city is the capitol of one of the three
-states that comprise this nation. However, when William took control of the land,
-Valparia was the only true city &mdash; the others were nothing more than extensive
-garrison forts near some villages.</p>
-<p>A second reason could be in
-reference to the three original rulers of those cities-states. William took
-Valparia and declared it the true capitol of the Three Kingdoms. He gave
-Antonio command of the northern garrison, whose troopers renamed the fort in
-honor of their commander. Lauriel was given command of the southern garrison &mdash;
-who renamed it according to an ancient elven peacemaker.</p>
-<h4>Antino</h4>
-<p>The most northern city in the Three Kingdoms, this city still looks very much like
-the garrison fort it grew from. The dwarven stoneworkers that built the walls
-and larger garrison consider it some of their best work outside of the
-Stronghold. The granite was brought in from the Stronghold rather than using
-the more inferior kind found farther south.</p>
-<p>Except for the &quot;Mystic Swords&quot; most the best soldiers and mercenary troops are housed
-in Antino. While this may seem strange to keep them in one place, Antino has
-the best training facilities and weapons masters of anywhere in the Three
-Kingdoms. Therefore, even those garrison troops stationed elsewhere rotate
-through Antino for their advanced training.</p>
-<h4>Summerset</h4>
-<p>This summer city easily tops Valparia for simple square footage of space, but most
-of that is spent in parks and gardens. The building resembles most open and
-pasture concepts, with even the smaller townhouse have a central garden. This
-has become so popular than many of the new engineers in the south are
-duplicating the efforts used here.</p>
-<p>In addition, most of the best artists, writers, and scholars with the Three
-Kingdoms have flocked to this city. Unlike other cities, Summerset, does not
-levy taxes against its citizens pursuing enhancement of the arts. This one law
-brings the tax base of business to almost nothing &mdash; blacksmiths have become
-Steel Artists, while tanners are non-traditional painters.</p>
-<p>To keep this, easily abused law, somewhat under control the taxmen visit each
-business once a year to document that business contribution to the art and beauty
-of the city. Those found wanting are not only taxed, but fined heavily to representing
-themselves as true artists.</p>
-<h4>Valparia</h4>
-<p>The largest city in the Three Kingdoms, Valparia serves as the royal seat. Although
-each state is given some freedom to govern itself, the King or Queen that sets
-upon the throne can override their decisions. Valparia is actually in two
-sections. The first section is the old city that was mostly destroyed by the
-&quot;Child of Zarn&quot; It is considered a very dangerous area and only those without
-homes stay overnight within its crumbling walls. The newer part of the city was
-built in honor of King William.</p>
-<p>Valparia has an unnaturally deep port, created by several magicians that can support the
-huge dromands. In addition, the wizards created weather barriers large enough
-to support many small businesses that serve a captain’s need. Aside from this,
-Valparia is well known as having the largest elven population outside of
-Ellendar. There are several city blocks that have been given over to the elves
-as an area of slightly modified self-rule.</p>
-<h3>Landmarks</h3>
-<h4>The Obelisk</h4>
-<p>This white marble obelisk juts at a small angle from the top of a rather steep hill.
-It appears to have no chipping marks, age lines, and is resistant to all forms
-of damage. Although the obelisk sits atop the ground, nobody has been able to
-tip it over &mdash; this is especially interesting because the slight angle should
-make the task easier. Neither the dwarves nor elves know when the Obelisk was
-constructed; although the elven history makes references to the strange obelisk
-in their oldest writings.</p>
-<p>The
-obelisk stands just a bit over two meters tall, with a wide base that
-tapers towards the tip. There is gold inlayed lettering on each side that reads
-off the direction of each cardinal point. Above this is some sundial-type of
-system that doesn’t appear to work.</p>
-<h4>Port of Valparia</h4>
-<p>Technically the port is considered part of the city, but it is so unique that it has become
-a major landmark. Located on the southern most tip of the city, the port is one
-of the largest on the Caragan. However, what really make this port unique is
-that it is the deepest port anywhere on the realms. There has been no magical
-or mundane method that has determined where the bottom is located. Every effort
-to locate the bottom has found nothing.</p>
-<p>What is known is that something is down there. Any attempt to send an elemental or
-magically protected mortal has resulted in the creature never returning. The
-merfolk that inhabit the inner sea won’t go very deep &mdash; considering the place
-to be a spot of great hunger. To date, whatever is down there has never upset
-the ships that maek port here. </p>
-<h3>Neighbors</h3>
-<h4><a href="Dakar%20Kingdom.htm">Kingdom of Dakar</a></h4>
-<p>As former subjects of the crown of Dakar, they are typically referred to as
-traitors and a nation in rebellion to the true crown. Dakar has long claimed
-the line of King William to a fraudulent charlatan that led his people astray
-rather than join the one proper Dakarian Kingdom. Still, that is Dakar’s
-written policy &mdash; in reality a great deal of trade passes between the two
-nations.</p>
-<p>Dakar sees the Three Kingdoms as a good partner to trade with that doesn’t threaten
-its borders. The Three Kingdoms could never mount an army that could attack
-Dakar with any chance of success. Even with the support of the magician’s
-academies they would still fail to conquer Dakar.</p>
-<p>The Three Kingdoms use their trade
-with Dakar as an attempt to normalize relations with their northern neighbor.
-While many of the first settlers still have distant family in Dakar, the
-intervening generations has blurred any family loyalty. Most of the trade use
-to travel through Antino, until Dakar gained control of the Valley of the Sun,
-which controls the area where the Zun River empties into the Caragan.</p>
-<h4>Dolmar Protectorship</h4>
-<p>The relationship with the Dolmar Protectorship has been very strained from the
-beginning. The territory they control that borders the Caragan was originally won
-from the Xianese by the blood of those who live in the Three Kingdoms; however,
-before they could settle there the Free States set up their own border forts on
-this territory.</p>
-<p>Rather than go to war after their
-campaign against the Xianese, the Three Kingdoms signed a comprehensive peace
-and trade plan with the Free States. They sold the land to the Free States in
-exchange for broad privileged trading rights and a tariff free corridor through
-the Protectorship. This allows merchants of the Three Kingdoms a trade route to
-the Free States without the Protectorship collecting any tax.</p>
-<p>The Protectorship and Three
-Kingdoms have so little direct trade that their ruling parties rarely talk to
-each other &mdash; certainly they never have official visits. The problem is that the
-Protectorship’s only exportable good is trained soldiers, which they are not
-allowed to train anyone that doesn’t serve the Free States. Secondly, the
-Dolmar Protectorship is only allowed to import goods from the Free States.</p>
-<h4><a href="Ellendar.htm">Ellendar</a></h4>
-<p>There is no nation, elven or otherwise, that enjoys a closer relationship with
-Ellendar. The people of the Three Kingdoms came to the aid of Ellendar when it
-was near destruction by the Xianese. The Three Kingdoms have the largest population
-of elves found anywhere outside of the realms. In fact, many elven scholars
-travel to the Three Kingdoms to talk with their city kin.</p>
-<p>This gives the Three Kingdoms almost an exclusive trading deal with Ellendar. This
-means that merchants from the Three Kingdoms are typically the only other
-people to sell elven goods. Since Ellendar dislikes conducting the small
-business of trade with nations they still do not trust, this works for the
-benefit of all concerned. Ellendar trade more to the Three Kingdoms than they
-could normally purchase, and the Three Kingdoms can resell those goods for
-considerable profit.</p>
-<h4><a href="Free%20Cities.htm">Free Cities</a></h4>
-<p>The Three Kingdoms have a very productive relationship with the Free States. A
-majority of their trade is sent to them, and much of Dakar’s trade with the
-Free States passes through their roads or docks. This amount of trade has made
-both countries very wealthy.</p>
-<p>The Free States export ore and rare delicacies to the Three Kingdoms, while
-importing many high-priced alchemical items and scholarly works. One of the
-most popular of wealth among the merchants and craftsmen in the Free States is
-the use of small alchemical items. Trinkets that ward off rain, fire starters,
-and other small works of art are the sign of the newly rich.</p>
-<p>However, the dangerous nature of alchemical items keeps them from becoming too common.
-Many of them can only be used for a very short time before they become unstable
-or burn out. The Free States raised the tax tariff very high to compensate for
-their dangers. This has the added side effect of greatly increasing the price,
-making it more profitable to sell an item in the Free States that the Three
-Kingdoms.</p>
-<h4><a href="Irillian%20Empire.htm">Irillian Empire</a></h4>
-<p>Like Dakar to the north, Irill has made several strongly worded comments through
-visiting ambassadors that they would like the return of their traditional land
-to Irillian control. Some of the oldest ruling houses in Irill still consider
-the western bank of the Caragan to be their land; even through they conquered
-it from the elves during the first Irillian Empire.</p>
-<p>Aside from this saber rattling, there is a great deal of mutual trade and military
-alliances. While the Caragan separates them, both nations have been threatened
-by the Dakarians. Their alliance mostly deals with retaining control of the Zun
-delta to keep the Dakarian navy out of the Caragan during times of war.</p>
-<p>However, most of the best treaties concern trade. The Three Kingdoms has some of the
-most unique trade found anywhere in the realms. In addition to a strong respect
-for their alchemical goods, they are also the only nations to trade elven
-goods. The Irillians have the largest network of trade roads, deep ports and
-expansive navy, and the largest trading houses. It’s a form of mutual increases
-in wealth.</p>
-<h4><a href="Xian.htm">Xian</a></h4>
-<p>The creation of the Three Kingdoms was for the sole purpose of defeating the
-Xianese invasion and destroying their ability to threaten their neighbors. This
-precludes any sort of mutual dialog very difficult when one nation only exists
-to destroy another. There are some small token trades just in the name of
-making contact, but tend to be overshadowed by each nation positioning
-themselves for their own defense.</p>
-<p>The Three Kingdoms have entire committees devoted to analyzing everything that is
-known about Xian society, specifically their religion and military. This is
-done in an effort to predict when and where they will attack. This ongoing
-committee’s findings have lead to a great increase in the size of the military
-during their peak religious holidays.</p>
-<p>The running joke along the border is that the only trade between these two nations
-trade is spies, agents, bandits, and fanatical warriors. This grew from the
-huge number of &quot;independent,&quot; but extremely well equipped, bandits that make
-cross-border raids.</p>
-<h2>Culture</h2>
-<p>The magicians that fled their waning influence in Dakar had the most influence on
-the growth of culture in the Three Kingdoms. They saw the way the greed of the
-nobility undercut the true purpose of any society, often resulting in laws
-being passed not based on need, but for the benefit of the nobility. For this
-reason, the magicians created a council that would rule the Three Kingdoms. To appease the nobility, they would be the only members sitting on the ruling
-council &mdash; but the magicians knew they would lose interest in time and leave the
-real day-to-day rulership to others. As long as every noble received their
-proper tithe few wanted to actually rule their lands.</p>
-<p>This has created a culture with nobility, but without the rule of nobles. The first
-act of the council was to draw up a list of the rights for each of it citizens.
-This would stop most of the rampages the nobility have on society, for they
-could no long just beat someone in the street for any reason &mdash; they must bring
-them before a court of law.</p>
-<p>This list also included the right
-to independently publish, to worship the deity of choice, and the right to a
-court hearing of illegal acts. Over time this list has expended to the point
-that the creation of lawyers were necessary to understand the law. No matter
-how backwards this seems to the natural rule of nobility, the people of the
-Three Kingdoms have been known to fiercely defend their rights.</p>
-<h3>Populace</h3>
-<p>The people of the Three Kingdoms take a great deal of pride in their nation and its
-accomplishments, including all of their laws. They relish their independence
-from the oppressive nature of nobles, even as they wade through the thousands
-of minor laws that govern their lives. Some would find this very strange, but
-to someone from the Three Kingdoms anything else would be uncivilized.</p>
-<p>Most of the populace is Realm humans; although there is a great deal of non-human races
-and other human stock. The largest elven community outside of Ellendar is
-located with the Three Kingdoms. The last census taken of the people showed
-that just slightly more than half of the population are humans, while the rest
-are of some non-human race, with elves commanding over fifty percent of the
-non-humans.</p>
-<h3>Rulers</h3>
-<p>While it would seem that the ruling houses control each city, this is not true. In
-reality, the government controls the city and the ruling houses act as
-rubberstamps for their policy. It’s true that only a single member from each
-ruling house staffs the highest council of the government, but this council is
-mostly just for show. Nominally they control the direction of the government,
-but there is little doubt that if something should go wrong with the government,
-there is little they could do to stop it.</p>
-<h4>Guardians</h4>
-<p>This is the title bestowed upon the rulers of Antino and Summerset. It basically states
-that the ruler of each of these states is responsible for protecting the
-nation. The ruler of Antino is typically called the Guarding of the North,
-while the ruler of Summerset is the Guardian of the South. In recent years,
-this title has actually been given to the military marshal in command of each
-city’s army.</p>
-<h3>Economy</h3>
-<p>The Three Kingdoms have a great deal of trade goods that flow through their ports.
-This is wealth is further enhanced by the only trade route west of the Caragan
-runs through all three of their major cities. The cities maintain this road in
-excellent condition, including the addition of hostels along the route, as it’s
-a major source of tax revenue.</p>
-<p>To further increase their wealth, the land is so fertile the Three Kingdoms can
-export a great deal of grain and meat, they are second only to the amount of
-food Dakar exports; although meat from the Three Kingdoms is considered far
-superior, which is reflected in the higher cost.</p>
-<p>Overall, their economy is expanding at a very healthy rate with a mixed bag of imported
-goods, exported food, and tax revenues from the ports and hostels.
-The Three Kingdoms is not as rich as Dakar
-or Irill, but it has enough money to provide for its defense and care for its
-people.</p>
-<h4>Bureaucracy</h4>
-<p>Some would say the number one employer within the city is the massive bureaucracy
-that maintains a stranglehold over the economy. Originally started by the
-ruling houses as a method to keep control of each segment of the population, it
-has grown until it’s the bureaucracy that has control over the ruling houses.
-This government is the largest employer in the city, running everything from
-tax collection to license branches.</p>
-<p>The government ensures that each ruling house gets their proper tithe from the
-taxes, pays the people that work for them, then doles out the remainder of the
-money to different special causes according to their established budget. Some
-of this goes to building housing for the poor, government buildings, loans to
-the banks, and entitlements to special interest groups.</p>
-<p>To further supplement the governments spending they can issue interest bonds to
-the ruling houses and more wealthy merchants. These get paid back over a long
-time with additional interest payments &mdash; its not much interest, but it is
-guaranteed.</p>
-<h4>Committees</h4>
-<p>Some would say the plethora of committees and councils is a pox upon the entire
-nation, while others would argue that they stop the slid into barbarism. There
-are easily hundreds of committees and sub-committees within each of the major
-city. In addition, most of these committees are comprised of members drawn from
-various guilds and organizations.</p>
-<p>If you wish to do just about anything within the city there are typically two or more
-guilds that will offer you membership &mdash; and at least a few committees that you
-must obtain permits from, including yearly updates. Each of these guilds has a
-fee that they use to support the people that lobby the committee on your
-behalf. Then each committee requires the payment of a filing fee, then an
-additional permit fee if the application is accepted.</p>
-<p>This adds a great deal to the cost of any business, but maintains the number of each
-business that can operate legally within the city. This also has the side
-effect of keeping many of the businesses honest, as a few honest complaints
-from a buyer could get their permit revoked. In general, its considered a good
-policy that has grown way out of control.</p>
-<h3>Military</h3>
-<h4>Golden Lions</h4>
-<h4>Mystic Swords</h4>
-<h3>Religion</h3>
-<p>In a similar fashion as Irill, the Three Kingdoms have not established any official
-religion; instead, allowing worship of just about any religion. While not every
-religion currently has a temple or shrine located in the city, this is
-typically due to their petition being trapped somewhere in committee.</p>
-<h4>Religious Council</h4>
-<p>This committee is comprised of one member from each of the established religions.
-When a new religious figure wishes to construct a temple within the city or
-surrounding area they must petition the council. If, after a great deal of
-consultation, the council agrees to the petition they will turn the petition
-over to the ruling house with their approval.</p>
-<p>If approved the new religion can then begin construction of their temple,
-according to the plans drawn up by a certified engineer of the state in
-accordance to the needs of the religion, which were submitted in their initial
-proposal. This means that it can be a very expensive process to start a new
-religion; however, those religion backed by a considerable following can be
-easily found within the city.</p>
-<h3>Magic</h3>
-<p>Magic is very much a part of everyday life in the Three Kingdoms. Although there are
-more academies in the Free States, most of these are located in remote areas of
-that nation. In the Three Kingdoms, the magical academies are built within the
-city proper. The three major cities have anywhere form two to six different
-academies, with many smaller shops scattered about where masters teach their
-apprentices.</p>
-<h4>Alchemy</h4>
-<p>However, after some dangerous incidents the sale of alchemical items is restricted to
-the general populace. There is a magician’s council that advises the ruling
-house on who should be given licenses to sell magically enhanced goods. These
-licenses are very expensive and greatly restricted in number, but there is
-still a long waiting list to obtain one. If any seller is seen breaking the
-laws then their license is revoked and they are banished from the Three
-Kingdoms.</p>
-<p>This may seem like a harsh policy, but the crafting of alchemical items is not only
-dangerous to the enchanter but can be quite dangerous to anyone nearby. Each of
-the three cities has such a heavy concentration of people than any mistake by
-the enchanter could devastate the city. For this reason, each city has an
-Alchemist’s Guild that serves as a self-regulating body and holds a permanent
-seat on the magician’s council.</p>
-<h4>Magician’s Council</h4>
-<p>This council is responsible for advising the ruling houses about matters of a
-mystical nature. While most of the houses employ their own magicians as
-advisors, the council acts as an independent body representing the majority of
-the magicians within the city.</p>
-<p>The council is comprised of one
-member from each of the established academies, one member that represents all
-of the independent magicians, and one member representing the Alchemist’s
-Guild. Chairmanship of the council is rotated every three years between each of
-the members of the council.</p>
-{{tag>nation western_realms miran}}