The Ludic Lands

It is a world at war. Four Nations, once coexisting in peace, all vie for control of the other two, hoping to control all of the Ludic Lands.
== Major Kingdoms ==
* The Card Kingdom- The land with the largest territory, this place was ruled by King Coronam, until he was found dead in his bedroom with his own dagger in his head. Since then, several of the members of the four major families have engaged in backroom dealing and courtly intrigue for control of the whole kingdom.
** The rule of succession is not hereditary by family: at the time of a current High King or High Queen passes, there is a meeting of the four major families called the Council of Gin. In it, the elite members of the four major families choose a successor by election with a 2/3rds majority. Council members (which include the four major houses and their families) are nominated or nominate themselves for position in the High Rulership by a secret ballot. If no successor is chosen by the first vote, the Council continues, with oral arguments and and potentially bribes/dealmaking for another week until a vote is held, and so on until a successor gets a 2/3rds majority.
* The Chesslands- On the Western side of the Dicey Mountains relative to the Card Kingdom are the Chesslands, which are divided in half. One side is a bright grassland, ruled by Queen Hellen, and the other side is a dark forest, ruled by King Dunkan. The two have entered into an uneasy alliance as they try to invade the Card Kingdom.
* The Checkered Democratic Republic-the land which is north of both the Card Kingdom and the Chesslands, it is a massive theocratic totalitarian hive mind, a corrupt authoritarian regime where all must subsume their identity to the "Kings" else they face their own destruction. The current dictators are setting their sights on the lands to their south, knowing that the instability gives them a chance to add more souls to their collective.
* The Isle of Parcheesi- an Island to the south of the Checkered Continent, they are a major trading partner with the Checkered Continent, known for their spices and fancy mathematical textbooks. They are ruled by a council of four factions, which each control one corner of the island. Every four years, they hold a friendly competition, where each faction's best athletes race to the top of their volcanic mountain, Mount Haz.
== Major Figures ==
=== The Card Kingdom ===
==== House Heart ====
A house originating in the southern coastal region, with their sigil being a golden heart on a crimson background. Their house motto: Without love, we are nothing. Their capital city is a massive trading port called Amorresburg.Their most recent administration was popular with the commoners, as it was a time of good harvests and relative security. It's a shame that King Coronam died under suspicious circumstances...
* High King Coronam- A very charismatic leader, he won the support of the Council of Gin at 16 and ruled for thirty peaceful years. He was beloved by the commoners because of his reputation for always listening to their worries, and his sympathy towards their plights. He often devoted his time, energy, and, most importantly, the crown's funds towards improving the lives of the people with investments in housing, education, and medicine. The end result is a severely irritated aristocracy and a somewhat depleted central bank, but a happier, healthier, and more educated public. He married a poor cobbler's daughter for love at twenty, and had several happy years of marriage with her, and several children. He died with his dagger in his head. Rumor has it among the aristocrats that it was his wife who did it, but most who knew the two of them knew that the queen was shocked and devastated by Coronam's death. 
* High Queen Soel- Coronam's beloved wife. She married Coronam at 18, after working in a shoe store frequented by royalty for her whole life. The two met when Coronam needed new riding boots, and hit it off immediately. She's adored by the commoners, and hated by the aristocrats (who see her as an upstart). 
* Prince Erasmus- Coronam and Soel's oldest son, he grew up believing himself to be a shoo-in candidate for High King after his father. He is handsome, and adored by the public due to his family and outward appearance of charm. He's actually kind of an arrogant jerk in person, impulsive, selfish, and hot-headed. 
* Princess Philomena- High King Coronam's oldest daughter, she was the one most expected to fulfill the typical ideals of the princess--being beautiful, demure, and marrying a prince in order to bring peace between two of the four houses. However, she did not do these things. She was more interested in learning to fight than learning to sew, and was unafraid of speaking her mind, even to her parents. Coronam appreciated her bluntness, but Soel cracked down on her hard, out of fear of being improper. Eventually, this led to a massive schism between her and the rest of the family. After a massive and very public dispute between her and Soel, she left the Heart estate for good, and moved North to the Riverlands. She became very good friends with several of the House Diamond Princesses, especially Princess Odette and Princess Fortuna. 
* Sister Amadea- Coronam and Soel's third child (by only minutes, as she is twins with Prince Amadeus). She and her twin brother were born on the summer solstice, and, as tradition in the Card Kingdom demands, this meant that they are to be "drawn into the hand" of the church. As a result, both her and her twin brother Amadeus were taught by the local clergy in the hopes that they may become Bishops in the faith when they come of age and can Choose. She herself loves the outreach she can do for the people she can do as a Bishop, but mislikes the fact that female Bishops are expected to take vows of chastity and silence, unlike their male counterparts. 
* Brother Amadeus- Sister Amadea's twin brother, likewise promised to a life in the clergy. Also like his sister, he is against being forced into the church, but this time it is for a different reason. He has a secret love affair with Prince Griffith of House Spade, and the church tends to frown upon homosexuals and homosexual relationships. 
* Prince David- The oft forgotten youngest child of King Corornam and Queen Soel, he was a sickly child in his youth, and as a result spent less time than his siblings in the public world, and less time training with the master-at-arms, but more time in his room with a wide variety of books. Out of all his siblings, he is perhaps the one whose attitude and philosophy most resembles that of his father (because he spent more time inside watching his father conduct court than his siblings), but he is unlikely to secure the support of the Council of Gin because he is much shyer and less-charismatic than his father, not to mention less handsome. Nonetheless, someone had put his name forward as an option in the rulership nominations. 
==== House Diamond ====
A wealthy house of traders, who live along the Poker River. Their sigil is an emerald on a blue background, to signify their connection to both money and trading. They are nouveau riche, having only recently been given noble status due to loyal service to the previous administration, that of High Queen Bella of House Club. Their motto: Money doesn't buy happiness, but it helps. 
* King Opulentus- An old man, who has worked very hard to ensure his family's rise to power. This included making alliances and deals with several houses, one of which (the alliance with House Club that gave them noble status), involved marrying Queen Bella's overly ambitious younger sister Zelda, in the hopes that such a marriage would lower her status and put her out of the way. Unfortunately, that was a match made in heaven, as their combined ambition made them excellent partners in crime, if not especially happy. He's applied in the Council of Gin, and has put forward the names of his most accomplished daughters as a safety option. This, however, is a foolish plan, for all of his daughters are at least as smart and accomplished as he is, and will not just sit idly by and be his puppet-queen.
* Queen Zelda- the ambitious former member of House Club, she has been a co-conspirator in House Diamond's rise to fame. Her marriage with Opulentus is not based on love per se, but rather a mutual greed and shared goals. The two play off each other well, as Opulentus is a very good deal-maker and planner, but often thinks too long term, where Zelda is more directly focused on the day-to-day and more of a military leader.
* Princess Odette- A very rich trader of exotic foods and spices, she is one of the most sought-after brides because of her wealth and foreign connections, despite her being rather plain in appearance, and quite stout from years and years of trading in luxurious foods (she has to assess whether or not her food is of good quality, correct?). She rebuffs all marital suitors deliberately, though, because she does not intend to give up control of her businesses to any man. Opulentus has put her name forward in the Council of Gin, yet she doesn't seem especially interested in ruling, being overall more satisfied with the vast amount of riches and power she has in her economic role, and actually thinks having political responsibility would ultimately limit her ability to do what she wants. 
* Princess Meera- Treasurer of the Card Kingdom's National Bank, she is one of the most feared women in the kingdom because she is in charge of levying taxes. With a stroke of her quill, she can (and has) turned rich men into paupers. At her beck and call are an army of "tax collectors" (really very large military men who intimidate subjects into giving them tax money). As a person, she's actually rather kind, generally willing to forgo taxes on people who cannot afford them (after all, what's the point in squeezing blood from a stone?). But heaven help you if you pretend to be impoverished to avoid paying taxes. She is a contestant in the Council of Gin, but she is unlikely to get far, as nobody likes a tax collector.
* Princess Fortuna- A real estate broker, she runs many of the most popular restaurants, inns, and houses of ill-repute throughout the Card Kingdom. She is also applying to be ruler in the Council of Gin, against her parents' wishes. Apparently, they had a falling out ages ago, rumor has it that it was something about a girl.
* Princess Edaline
* Princess Juliette
* Princess Helga- Opulentus's unambitious cousin, she mostly just lays around, borrowing and spending everyone else's money. She is a notorious gossip and rumor-monger, which makes her a threat to...well pretty much everybody, as most everyone has a skeleton or two in their closet. Will do or say almost anything for the right price.
==== House Spade ====
A house from the central plains region, House Spade makes a majority of food crops for the Card Kingdom. In recent times, their house has fallen on hard times, because their involvement in the war with the Checkered Democratic Republic has deprived them of their most promising young noble (Prince Sylvester) and much of their family's wealth. As a result, they live much more similarly to and among the commoners in their realm. Their sigil is a stag with a shovel in its teeth. Their motto: Reap what you sow. They have a long history of connections with House Heart, and are resentful of House Diamond, who they see as upstarts who have not earned what they have. Their current leader, Queen Spadia, hopes to gain the crown to get the power she feels her family is long since owed.
* Queen Spadia- She is an old woman, a lady of the people, one who worked every day in the fields with her people. For decades she left the ruling of her region to her son, until her son, King Sylvester, left to defend the northern border from the Checker Raiders. With her grandchildren being all too young to rule (and her other son being too unwilling), she reluctantly began to rule in House Spade again, bitter at the neglect the crown had given her family, in leaving them to defend the borders without aid. Even High King Coronam, who she respected, was unable to spare people to defend that border. Now she wants the High Queenship, in order to protect her family from the evils of the Checkers.
* Prince Arnold- The brother of Sylvester and second son of Queen Spadia, he had no interest in rule, being more interested in the arts of poetry and song. Spadia appreciated and fostered his love of art, believing that it was a suitable occupation to keep her second son out of trouble, but it left him deeply unqualified to rule when Sylvester was captured and "converted" (killed) by the Checkers.
* Prince Alfred-Sylvester's older son, he is fourteen years old. While his father was away fighting in the border disputes, he was primarily raised by Queen Spadia, helping her tend the wheat and maize fields. By all accounts he's a kindhearted child, but he's not especially bright. He struggles to read (which is not uncommon among the commoners, but scandalous for the noble class), and is incredibly literal in his speech, often confused by the metaphors and double-speak used by nobles to conceal their true intentions. Someone has put him up for contention in the Council of Gin, but it certainly wasn't him or Queen Spadia.
* Prince Merrick-The younger of Sylvester's two children, he is twelve years old, and, unlike his older brother Alfred, is incredibly well-educated and intelligent...about matters of farming and agriculture. He and his older brother are inseparable, and he tutors his brother in reading and writing discreetly, because it is after all, embarrassing to all concerned that Prince Alfred relies on Merrick's skill, and further that the finances of House Spade have fallen to the point that they cannot afford an outside tutor. 
* Prince Griffith- Prince Arnold's older (illegitimate) son, he is nineteen years old and something of the black sheep of the family. He shows little interest in working to improve the lot of House Spade, instead spending most of his time at court with various amusements--which further distances himself from his frugal and practical family members. He is very pretty, and seemed to only be concerned with living a life of pleasure, working as a poet laureate in King Coronam's court. Since Coronam's death, he has been struggling to find a place to fit in, but fortunately, Brother Amadeus of the wealthy church continues to fund Griffifth's art.
* Prince Florian- Prince Arnold's younger son (seventeen), his only child born of Alfred's late wife Daisy (who tragically died giving birth to Florian). He has all of his father's charm, and Queen Spadia's pragmatism, but since a young age there was something off about him. When he lived at Spade Manor, pets would go missing, and be found later horribly maimed and killed. Whispers would circle about his cruelty, but nothing definitive has come of it, as whenever anything would get close to an accusation would arise, one commoner that he knew would come forward, claiming he did it. Whatever the truth of these circumstances are, it seems a lot like Prince Florian at minimum has a bad influence on those around him. He has applied in the Council of Gin.
==== House Club ====
A House from the mountainous northlands, they are the most martial of the Houses, and have most often ruled the Card Kingdom. They had a three-time streak as rulers of the Card Kingdom, only (semi-)recently interrupted with the surprise election of the charismatic ruler Coronam of House Heart. Their sigil is a black bear wielding swords on a red-and-blue checkered background. Their motto: For Honor and Glory, we fight.
* King Gladius- The current leader of House Club, he was best friends with (and battled side by side with) Prince Sylvester until he was killed in an ambush of the Checkers. Gladius was forced to watch as Sylvester was converted into the Checkish faith, a process (called Kinging) wherein one is forcibly integrated into the hive mind and their individual self dies. He is united with Queen Spadia in wanting to bring the whole nation into the border disputes with the Checkers. He actually does NOT want the crown for himself, although several of his children have put their names in the Council of Gin as contenders for the High Monarchy.
* Princess Alexandra- The oldest of Gladius's children, she trained with a secretive order of stealthy assassins in her youth, mainly to learn the art of spying and subterfuge. She is one of the most dangerous people in the Card Kingdom, firstly because of her web of spying that gives her more knowledge of the secrets of the other houses than anyone else, and secondly because she's essentially a spy-ninja person. She's applying for the High Rulership, and many think she will win because nobody wants to cross her. Rumor has it she knows who killed King Coronam. Another rumor is that she killed him.
* Prince Andreas- A "privateer" who goes around the ocean with his fleet of warships, raiding coastal cities in everywhere except the Card Kingdom. He's lost one arm and an ear in sea-battles, giving him a ragged, coarse look, which isn't helped much by the fact that constant sea travel leaves him permanently smelling of ocean spray (read: fish feces) and old lemons, not to mention his penchant for crude jokes and colorful language. He's applied for the Council of Gin, and is a serious contender, despite his image, because of his naval power and wealth accumulated from years of piracy.
* Prince Garrick
* Princess Marcia
* Princess Matilda
==== Jokers, or unaffiliated nobles ====
There are some nobles who are not related to the four noble houses of the Card Kingdom. These were often derogatorily referred to as Jokers, as their political system makes them both ineligible for rulership and unable to even vote. Most of these are unimportant fawners or various people with more money than sense, but a few have risen into key advisory roles to the noble Houses, eventually turning the term "Joker" into a semi-official title meaning "right-hand man" or "administrator/secretary", especially in the phrase "Court Joker". The most accomplished of these are the Houses Melancholic and Sanguine. Here house denotes not a familial relationship, but rather a certain school or philosophy of leadership. To join either house requires several years of education at their schools, either University of Melancholy in the Cold North or Sanguine College on the Southern Coast. The two Houses are rivals, and diametrically opposed in their philosophies of rulership.
House Melancholic: Led by the extremely straight-laced and serious Dean Sable, they are a class of nobles who have chosen to act as advisors, administrators, and lawyers. They emphasize quiet, stern leadership and are criticized by their rivals in House Sanguine for being overly blunt, stingy, and gloomy. Jokers from this house are identifiable by their simple black robes, austere living, and by a small badge they wear on their lapel in the shape of a crescent moon. 
* Dean Sable- a tall, thin, man, who in his younger days advised a previous generation of nobles. Now, in his old age, he runs a school for bureaucrats who share his philosophy, called the University of Melancholy. His students nicknamed him "Old Doom and Gloom" and he doesn't seem to have a lot of people who call him friend, but nevertheless his school is well-run and efficient, and so are the administrations of the rulers who followed his philosophy. Currently graduates of his college sit at the right hand of many members of Houses Spade and Club.
House Sanguine: Led by the ostentatious and flamboyant Dean Rufus, they are a class of nobles who have chosen to act as advisors. They emphasize confident, outward-looking, and Public Relations-oriented leadership, and are criticized in House Melancholic for being wasteful and too brash for their own good. They are recognizable for their bright, stylish red robes, and by a small badge they wear on their lapel in the shape of the sun.
* Dean Rufus- A short, stout man, who in his younger days advised a previous generation of nobles. Now, in his old age, he largely enjoys life and reminisces about the good old days, when not taking the time to run Sanguine College. He has a lot of stories about his younger years, and many nobles who remember him as a friend (conveniently forgetting the incredible influence he had on them). Sanguine College has a better reputation than the University of Melancholy, but is much more prone to financial instability due to a lot of parties and an intense amount of outreach and spending. The rulers who follow Rufus's philosophy tend to be beloved icons of the populace and nobles alike, although are more likely to be spendthrifts. Currently many graduates of his college advise nobles in Houses Heart and Diamond.
=== The Chesslands ===
On the Western side of the Dicey Mountains relative to the Card Kingdom are the Chesslands, which are divided in half. One side is a bright grassland, ruled by Queen Hellen, and the other side is a dark forest, ruled by King Dunkan. The two have entered into an uneasy alliance as they try to invade the Card Kingdom.
* The Darkwood Forest
**King Dunkan- the king of the dark forest of the Chesslands. Cautious to a fault, he tends to watch and wait for others to make their moves before deciding on his own. His wife was a noted warrior who died tragically on a scouting mission in the Checkered Democratic Republic.
**Lord Crow
**General Equestris
**Archbishop Askewn
* The Palegrass Plains
**Queen Hellen
**Lord Bricknail
**General Sinistrious
**Archbishop Oblique
=== The Checkered Democratic Republic ===
The Cult of Checkism- All citizens of this country are expected to follow the ancient religion of Checkism. They worship their rulers with a zealotry which goes beyond fanatical. As part of their worship, they have to every day consume a potion, which joins their souls into the hive mind of the collective. Some refuse to drink, but they are the ones that the kings try to track down and eliminate personally. For the past century, there was a schism in the church, between the Cult of the Eternal Flame and the Cult of the Endless Void. Each had a collective hive mind and was trying to subsume the others. Eventually, the war ended as enough members of each sides were subsumed into the collective of the other that their ideological differences faded away. Now the reformed Cult of Checkism has turned its sights on the rest of the world, with one overarching goal: to return the world to its natural state of nonexistence.
=== The Isle of Parcheesi ===
An Island to the south of the Checkered Continent, they are a major trading partner with the Checkered Continent, known for their spices and fancy mathematical textbooks. They are ruled by a democratically elected council of four factions, which each control one corner of the island. Every four years, they hold a friendly competition, where each faction's best athletes race to the top of their volcanic mountain, Mount Haz. About a century ago, Mount Haz erupted, which changed the northern half of the island drastically.
==== The Faction of Morada (members are called Moradans) ====
They control the Southeastern corner of the island, with their capital city Amarillion being a major exporter of spices, as well as a popular tourist destination due to their laxity when it comes to gambling and prostitution laws. Many of the world's wealthy vacation here, to sample the local cuisine and the local entertainments. When it comes to policy, the Moradans faction advocates for a libertarian concepts of governance, as well as a lassiez-faire approach to economic governance.
==== The Faction of Verida (members are called Veridians) ====
They control the Southwestern corner of the island, with their capital city Arborizad being in the middle of a large jungle. The major economy of this area comes from various products which come from the jungle trees, including paper, wood, fruits, coffee, and chocolate. In order to maintain the natural environment which they rely on for their continued survival, the Veridians advocate for regulation of the economy, although they, like the Moradans, believe in individual liberties.
==== The Faction of Ahzule (members are called Ahzulons) ====
They control the Northeastern corner of the island, with their capital city Aguadim being a big coastal city. The last eruption of the volcano (about a century ago) hit this corner of the island especially badly, resulting in much of the land being dominated by very dark (yet very fertile) volcanic soil. Most of this part of the island is farmland, and very rural. Ahzulons are pretty stringently religious, and their political party advocates for strict moral legislation to support traditional religious and family structures (at the expense of anyone who isn't exactly like those in power), but often votes for low taxes and less economic regulation to support the farmers. 
==== The Faction of Vermelho (members are called Vermelhons) ====
They control the Northwestern corner of the island, with their capital city Rojas being the major industrial power of the region, deriving much of their innovation from geothermal power sources. For a while this part of the island was controlled by a large pro-industry party, but they were eventually overthrown after the industrial workers got a bit too pissed off at their exploitation. Since then the Vermelhons have seized the means of production within their own region, and advocate for use of governmental power to radically redistribute the wealth within the society, and to root out enemies of their revolution.