Kingdom of Tarot

## History

In ancient times, the region was split between several minor human kingdoms with strong ties to the fey. However, when the Khenomeric Empire expanded into the region, many of these kingdoms were enthralled by the possibilities that the Khenomeric’s magic represented. This allowed the Khenomeric Empire to turn the kingdoms into a series of vassals fairly easily, but tensions remained between those that favored an academic based approach to magic, and those that used fey magic.

The City of Ouroboria quickly became a major center of learning within the Khenomeric Empire. There, scholars without magical abilities themselves started experimenting with various materials, some with magical properties, some without. This led to all sorts of advancements in the field of alchemy. Many in Ouroboria will in fact claim alchemy was invented in their city, though many parts of the world have their own alchemic traditions that were well developed before any meaningful transfer of knowledge from Ouroboria occurred.

Following the Battle of Empires, the Khenomeric Empire turned its back on magic. Deprived of their main reason for joining the Khenomeric Empire in the first place, the kingdoms of the region quickly rebelled, and thanks to the fact most other vassals in northeast also rebelled, never faced any meaningful retaliation for doing so.

For a time, the petty kingdoms bickered among themselves, but that changed when Zaccariah Oddo rose to power in the city of Ouroboria. A genius politician and theologian as well as an alchemist, he created the Elemental Codices by merging the region’s various religions together with the “four elements” principles popularized by Eliphas Ensatti, plus some traditions and superstitions associated with the popular card game Tarot.

The “Kingdom of Tarot” led by Zaccariah conquered all of its current territory, as well as had many vassal states in the surrounding region. However, Zaccariah’s successors maintained his obsession with symbology, but without his political or theological savvy. The Kingdom turned inwards for a long while and the many independent kingdoms were reorganized into just four (excluding Ouroboria and certain outlying vassals) and certain identities enforced onto them based on Zaccariah’s obsession with the four elements. Among the changes were cities being renamed, alchemists in different areas being forced to focus on certain topics, and large but impractical buildings being constructed, like the massive ring wall around Ouroboria and its surrounding farmland. Not all of these changes were impractical though, as it helped reinforce the loyalty of key individuals and organizations to the new nation.

In recent times, the Kingdom of Tarot has suffered a string of losses against the young but powerful Avangar Empire. Although still fairly powerful in their own way, the Kingdom of Tarot remains hamstrung by factionalism, overspecialization, and hidebound thinking.

## Government

The overall ruler of the Kingdom is the Venerable Hierophant, who, in theory, is the supreme authority in all matters including theological, scholarly, arcane, political, and military. In practice though they tend to be long time alchemists, and although many are also very knowledgeable in theological, arcane, and a wide range of scholarly subjects, they tend to leave the rest to advisors.

Below the Hierophants are four sets of kings and queens (equals in theory), with each set ruling over one quarter of the kingdom (excluding Ouroboria). Confusingly, both Tarot, and its four component nations are known as kingdoms.

Reporting to each set of kings and queens are several organizations and individuals that are sometimes more powerful than their respective kings and queens. This includes one powerful “mythical guardian” and one alchemic order per kingdom, plus several unique organizations per kingdom like the Navy for Cups, the Mining Guild and Banking Guild for Coins, the War Engineers of the Kingdom of Swords, and the Wandmakers Guild of the Kingdom of Wands.

The royal families award noble titles to those in their favor, but although many such titles are hereditary, being a noble comes with little power unless said noble is appointed to a position of power or works/buys their way up the ranks of one of many powerful organizations.

The Alchemist’s Guild is arguably the most powerful faction. It is split into four Orders, with an unofficial fifth dominating Ouroboria. Each Order is restricted to certain alchemic techniques, and are expected to operate out of one province. Each Order’s philosophy is somewhat based on pre-existing stereotypes for the kingdom they are based out of. It is an odd system, but helps ensure the dominance of Ouroboria, and close ties between the Alchemist’s Guild and existing factions in each kingdom.

## Economy

The Kingdom of Tarot is famous for its large numbers of skilled alchemists, and the wide range of alchemic materials found in the region. However, its has never achieved its hoped for dominance of the global alchemic economy as most nations have their own alchemists and new recipes get out sooner or later. Tarot does export certain relatively common alchemic products in bulk, and high end items will always fetch a high price regardless of where they were made.

Each kingdom has its own specializations where guilds churn out large quantities of products, while a branch of the alchemic order researches new innovations. Resource extraction is also somewhat divided by kingdom, with most fishing occurring in Cups, most woodcutting in Wands, etc.

Despite its reputation for regional overspecialization, most folk in Tarot live pretty mundane lives as farmers, herders, and low-end artisans.

## Foreign Relations

### Florinth

They are the nation they have the closest ties to culturally, economically, and politically.

### Avangar

They dislike them due to past abuses, and now controls several old vassals of Tarot while forcing Tarot itself to pay significant tribute.

### The Astromancers

They have friendly relations with Tarot, mostly via the Kingdom of Swords.

### The Princedom of the Platinum Strait

A major trading partner, who is also trying to free Tarot from Avangar’s influence by various means.

### The Golden Sea of Wheat and the Orange Marquisates

Significant trading partners, as is Vilga, despite the occupation of Vilga by Avangar.

### The Harmony Goddess’ Realm

This somewhat strange realm appeared out of what was once dense forest not long after the Kingdom of Tarot formed. Tarot has long worried about what the true goals of the Harmony Goddess are, but they remain a mystery.

### The Scatomancers

A strange off-shoot of the Alchemist’s Guild who became obsessed with feces, and later travelled to Grobianismus where they promptly went insane (or more insane). The Alchemist’s Guild considers them a joke, though is aware that some of them have mastered powerful magic.

### Lunatik Nine

Tarot probably could take this oversized slum easily, but why bother?

### Sealed Grove

The inhabitants of Tarot have long ago figured out that the Sealed Grove should be avoided.

## Geography

The geography of Tarot varies by kingdom, but generally the north is flat and fertile while the south is more mountainous and barren.

### Kingdom of Cups

The Kingdom of Cups is good quality agricultural land, with its many fields separated by countless lakes, rivers, and forests.

### Kingdom of Coins

The northern portion of the Kingdom of Coins is also mostly fields, but the southern portion is more mountainous.

### Kingdom of Swords

The Kingdom of Swords is primarily mountainous, but with many flat plateaus as well. Herding is more viable than farming here.

### Kingdom of Wands

The Kingdom of Wands has the oddest geography, with several volcanoes in the south, and the north being dry fields and forests which are prone to burning.

## Demographics

### Humans

Humans make up most of the population. Most of them belong to the same strange Westerling offshoot that Florinthians come from, though their fey blood isn’t quite as strong. Many along the north coast have at least some Northmen ancestors, and many in the Kingdom of Swords and some in Ouroboria have at least some Khenomeric blood (usually from Interior Horse Nomadic peoples).

### Dwarves

Dwarves are fairly common in the southern parts of the kingdom, particularly in the Kingdom of Coins. Their culture is fairly similar to the western dwarves, but there are some minor differences like architectural style, clothing, cuisine, etc.

### Fey

Fey are not uncommon though vary by area. Almost all are allied in some way to one of the four “mythical guardians”, who in turn swore oaths to protect a particular sub-kingdom of the Kingdom of Tarot. Fey include merfolk, melusines, and sentient whales (allied to the The Great White One), horned behemoths and centaurs (Titanicus), harpies, fairies, and sentient eagles (The Thunder Bird), and fire sprites, phoenixes, and imps (The Salamander King). There are also nymphs, dryads, and pixies who serve Libeia Fire-Hair, the unofficial fifth mythical guardian who protects the inland portions of the Kingdom of Cups plus Ouroboria itself.

### Dragons and Drakes

The Kingdom of Wands is one of the few places one can still find dragons, however, they are weak offshoots who have more in common with wyverns, wyrms, and drakes than the divine dragons of Bronzar. They are all in some way tied to the “Salamander King”, a three headed red dragon. As the Salamander King is one of four mythical guardians of Tarot (the rest of whom are faerie lords), and is also served by certain fey, many in Tarot and the surrounding nations treat the dragons as fey as well.

### The New Guardians

Some factions of the Alchemist’s Guild, particularly in Ouroboria and the Kingdom of Coins, distrust the fey and dragons, and have attempted to make their own guardians like golems, homunculi, or freakish fusions of various creatures known as chimeras.

## Religion

Tarot is home to an odd mix of religions including bits and pieces taken from the Khenomeric Empire, various faerie lords, Northmen gods, and dwarven gods, among others, while many of the scholarly orders and artisan guilds are fairly secular. In order to tie all these elements together, Zaccariah created the Elemental Codices, which wove the various cultures of the region into four simplified sets of creeds.

### Creed of Water

Associated with water dwelling faerie lords (Great White One and Libeia Fire-Hair) and northmen oceanic gods (Rusalochka and Legoluboy), as well as Kagal, the most innovative of the Khenomeric Pantheon. The Creed of Water is a flexible one that values the hardy stoic nature of the northmen sailor as much as the friendly warmth of a half-nymph or the reckless intuition of an urban potion maker. The massive whale-like faerie lord known as the Great White One is the Kingdom of Cup’s official mythical guardian, but the Water Nymph Queen Libeia Fire-Hair (sister of Aphiria of Florinth) is nearly as powerful, and her pet newt helps guard Ouroboria itself.

### Creed of Earth

Associated with the lumbering brute Titanicus, the dwarven gods, and perhaps the Khenomeric god of death Uruc as well. It is a cautious, slow moving creed, though oddly enough, when in a tight place, overthinking is frowned upon and intuition valued over logical reasoning. Titanicus is the mythical guardian of the Kingdom of Coins, but he is inscrutable, spends most of his time in the Golden Sea of Wheat or completely absent from this world and is therefore not seen as a reliable guardian or something worthy of worship. Many humans involved in mining, crafting, fighting, or alchemy in the Kingdom of Coins worship the dwarven gods instead, and some may also follow Uruc.

### Creed of Air

Associated with Thunder Bird, the Guardian of the Mountain and Khenomeric/Nomad god of Kartaluk. It is a warlike creed, but not as dark or grim as the Creeds of Earth or Fire. Instead, life is celebrated, extroverted traits valued, and decisions are made with a clear head, not confused with emotion or darkened with nihilism. The Thunder Bird is a large faerie lord who takes the form of a roc, and is often seen as an avatar of the Nomad god Kartaluk.

### Creed of Fire

Associated with the Salamander King. It is a dark creed, associated with a need for dominance and a tendency for sensation for the sake of sensation. The Salamander King is an odd individual whose history is murky. People in the region tend to see him as just another faerie lord like the other mythical guardians, but those more knowledgeable in the ways of dragons see him as perhaps an outcast divine dragon, or perhaps a powerful demon associated with Althazzar. The Salamander King followers were expanding aggressively around the time the Kingdom of Tarot was founded, and some think the Elemental Codices were partially an excuse to bring him into the fold.

## Military

The Kingdom of Tarot has a fairly large and well equipped army that is held back by mediocre moral, a nepotism riddled officer class, and poor coordination between the armies of each of the four kingdoms.

### Kingdom of Cups

As the most populous kingdom, Cups has the largest army as well as the only navy. Its navy is well respected, perhaps due to its Northmen roots, seahorse knights, or powerful alchemic weapons, but the army is seen as prone to putting appearance over function, with its shiny copper armor, elaborate banners, and fancy parades not quite making up for its questionable combat record.

### Kingdom of Coins

The Kingdom of Coins also has a decent sized army, though many of them (both humans and dwarves) would rather be mining, farming, crafting, or trading than fighting. Coins is experimenting with clay golems and some say darker creations, but so far they are mostly used for defensive purposes.

### Kingdom of Swords

The Kingdom of Swords arguably has the best army, most of which is mounted on horses or gryphons. It benefits from high moral, a strong warrior culture inherited from the Nomads, and the fact that many of its alchemists and mages are combat oriented.

### Kingdom of Wands

The Kingdom of Wands is also quite dangerous, but are also rather unreliable and insubordinate. Some worry that their true loyalties are more to the Salamander King than to the Hierophant.

## The Four Kingdoms

### Kingdom of Cups

A seafaring nation with many port cities and a strong navy. Their main element is that of Water. Their heraldry is a blue melusine on a white and red background. "Listen to your gut" is their main Principle.

#### Ruler

King Paracelsior, co-ruling with Queen Mariam.

#### Economy

Common professions besides alchemy include glassblowing, fishing, shipbuilding. Main exports include glass jars and vessels, fish, warships, potions, tinctures, medicine and poisons.

#### Alchemy

The Alchemical Specialities include tinctures, liquids, potions, poisons and medicine, while their signature alchemical apparatus is Retort. Popular alchemist familiars are snakes, flying axolotls and air breathing muray eels, among others. Their alchemical artifact is the Caduceus; a staff that cures various plagues, and Aesculapius; a staff that turns water into blood and can transform into a poisonous snake.

#### Mythicals

Their mythical allies are The Seafolk of the Melusine; mermaids with two tails that lactate milk with healing properties and blood that can poison the mind. The Seafolk live in the underwater city of Alka, north of the Kingdom of Cups. The mythical guardian is a giant white whale with a horn on its forehead that it uses to ram and sink attacking fleets.

### **Kingdom of Coins**

A mountain people, with cities carved and built inside of mountains. Their magnificent architecture is particularly renowned. Their main element is Earth. Their heraldry is a black Homunculus inside a white jar with a yellow nutrient solution before a dark brown background. "Don't Overthink" is their main Principle.

#### Ruler

They are ruled by King Trismegistus, together with his wife, Anna Agricola.

#### Economy

Common professions besides alchemy include geology, coin printing, mining and trade. Main exports include currency, precious stones and metals, geodes, ores and crystals.

#### Alchemy

The Alchemical Specialities include metallurgy, transmutation of metals and cupellation, while their signature alchemical apparatus is the Scale. Popular alchemist familiars are homunculi, toads and mole-lizards, among others. Their alchemical artifact is the Libra of Cupella; a scale that shows mass instead of weight.

#### Mythicals

Their mythical allies are Clay Golems, made inside Mount Loew, aswell as the dwarves living and working inside the Goldcoin Mountain range. The mythical guardian is a behemoth with two large tusks, said to be the ancestor of the behemoths used by the wheatfolk in the west. He usually sleeps inside a giant cave in Mount Yob.

### **Kingdom of Swords**

The Kingdom of Swords is perched on top of a mountain range above the clouds. It's main element is Air. Its heraldry is a yellow eagle on a white background. "Don't make hasty decisions" is their Principle.

#### Ruler

Their ruler is King Agrippa, who's co-ruling with his wife Andrea Villanova.

#### Economy

Common professions besides alchemy include smelting, crafting, bow making and arrow making. Main exports include warmachines, swords, bows, arrows, star maps and books.

#### Alchemy

The Alchemical Specialities include astronomy, astrology and vaporization, while their signature alchemical apparatus is the Telescope. Popular alchemist familiars are owls, ravens and pelicans, among others. Their alchemical artifact is the Ballista of Berthelot; a machine that almost never misses.

#### Mythicals

Mythical allies are giant eagles living in the Needle Mountains and the mythical guardian is a Roc nesting on the highest of the Needle mountains.

### **Kingdom of Wands**

One half Rocky a wasteland with volcanic activity, the other half a mostly burned forest. It's main element is that of Fire. Its heraldry is a red salamander on a yellow background. Sensation is their main Principle.

#### Ruler

King Flamel, married to Queen Bara Urbigeria.

#### Economy

Common professions besides alchemy include blacksmithing, charcoal production, wand making, woodcutting. Main exports include weapons, charcoal, wands, wood.

#### Alchemy

The Alchemical Specialities include smelting, burning and refining, while their signature alchemical apparatus is Athanor. Popular alchemist familiars are salamanders, imps and small dragons, among others. Their alchemical artifact is the Eternal Flame; a flame on a stick that never goes out.

#### Mythicals

Mythical allies are Phoenixes that nest in the charcoal forest, and the mythical guardian is a three headed Red Dragon living below a Volcano called "the Salamander King".