A Comprehensive Guide to Fernside

#### The Calendar

Despite having 12 months and 366 days in a year, it can easily become rather confusing to follow the current date in Fernside. Each month is named for a central star that can be observed from the point of equinox at the southern point of The Peninsular. The months are as follows:

Janeris, Febtarus, Mart, Apris, Met, Jule, Justus, Ortus, Sestis, Octox, Novem, Finn.

Each month has 30 or 31 days except Febtarus which only has 29. Every 101 years there is a leap year with 368 days (those being Febtarus 30th and 31st). The stars that each month get their name were said to be titled after **12 Celestials** that **The Church of the Sacred Flame** believe originally walked the planet. The names were given by **The Wise**, a group of wizard astrological cartographers who went on to found The Stargazers Commune.

#### The Year

While different cultures and communities are said to follow and title years by their own means, the most universally recognised naming convention is that which The Holy City imposed, following each year as titled by His or Her Majesty of The Holylands. The years are as follows:

Current - The 112th year of His Majesty - King Humphrey Francis Baynard Laurent

1st - 111th year of His Majesty - King Humphrey Francis Baynard Laurent

1st - 93rd year of His Majesty - King Raymus Albert Hale Laurent

1st - 92nd year of His Majesty - King Stanton Tey Power Laurent

1st - 102nd year of Her Majesty - Queen Bridget Esme Donna Laurent

1st - 13th year of His Majesty - King James Michael Laurent

1st - 70th year of His Majesty - King Alexandro Horris ("The Horrible") Laurent

and so on... There are rumours to the south of years being named for what they most notably represented, and titles being voted on in some countries to the West.

#### Holidays

There are many holidays celebrated throughout Fernside and its surroundings some of these include:

Finn 25th - Naasness Day - A celebration of the day Naas lit the eternal flame, Naasness Day is also the day Farther Thankmass rides his sleigh (pulled by his 9 warthogs) and delivers gifts to all the children who put their boots outside. Farther Thankmass' warthogs are called 'Rasher, Porker, Hamsir, Pigsin, Piglet, Sower, Swineo, Mudbin and Piggy the trufflesnout Warthog.

Febtarus 30th and 31st (every 101 years) Leap Year Holidays - every 101 years there are an extra two days in Febtarus and those days are an international holiday.

Febtarus 14th - Bernard Day - Saint Bernard was once a very good boy who was said to, tail wagging, bring a bone to those he wished to court... Many centuries later the tradition of gifting the one you wish to be romantically involved with has continued on Bernard Day, however most people opt to gift flowers or sweets rather than bones...

#### Currency

Each country take their own currency (usually in gold) into account, with their own figure heads or political figures detailed on the 'top' side, and other details like map outlines or notable symbols on the 'bottom' side.

In the peaceful country of Fernside, the top side of gold currently in rotation features the outline of Lord Oliver Philbert, master of Obsidian City. Whereas the bottom side features a map of Fernside with some notable points faintly titled with symbols such as a harp near the city of Zey Perry and a hammer near the city of Wrench. Currency from Fernside once depicted other past figure heads and lords such as **Master Paul**, once a nobel of Obsidian City, though once he passed away most of the gold in circulaiton was melted down to create and depict the new Lord. Some coins remain in circulation with famous figure heads like The Great Orcish Chef **Gargoogara** who founded Fernside in The Holylands name. In Fernside the copper piece is 30 millimetres, a silver piece is 25 millimetres and a gold piece is 20 millimetres.

In The Holyland, currency is called Golden Power, Silver Justice and Bronze Hope. To the south there are rumours of a barter system of old.

#### Countries Known

The people of Fernside and its surroundings have attempted to map the entire planet, but it has proven to be an incredibly difficult process. While only so much land is known about and understood by scholars, it is universally acknowledged that there is much more out there, perhaps beyond comprehension. There are a total of 14 recorded countries and territories known to the people of Fernside.

Fernside is an island country, believed to be situated just north of the equator of the planet. Directly to its west is **The Unforgiving Sea**, almost completely impenetrable and incredibly dangerous. Few have sailed it and returned and nobody has made it to the other side. As of yet, the promise of land to the West is not one that has been fulfilled.

The Holylands are a country which makes up the largest recorded continent by the people of Fernside. North of Fernside it expands in every direction until it too meets **The Unforgiving Sea** to the west. North of the Holylands The Unforgiving Sea connects to the west and is also rather treacherous and to the east, The Holylands trails south into The Peninsular.

The Peninsular or Elven Peninsular was once a large and beautiful country, that now lies in ruin and decay.

The Southerlands (or Savage Lands) exist south of Fernside, despite being a rather treacherous journey, some adventurers have been able to make the journey south, though it remains largely unexplored. Most that is known about it is perilous.

Mortford is a smaller island country tucked below Fernside, it is home to many Orcs and elves, and maintains 'the ways of old'.

All other recorded countries include (from largest to smallest):

Staint, Opal Island, The Stingray Enclave, Horizon, White Rabbit, Thorn, Digwin, The Luxury Isles, Pip.

#### Giant Steps

Not too far to the east lies The Giant Steps, a large a formidable wall the crosses land and ocean from the north to the south. No adventurers have made it across in recorded history and it remains the largest obstacle for explorers who want to know what lies beyond. It it believed to be formed form rock formation under the seabed millennia ago though there are fantastical stories aplenty involving gods and their grudges.

#### Taxes

Mandatory, monetary contributions are requested by local government entities across Fernside, with the Finances Master assisting the lord of Obsidian City with regulations and programming. While amounts may vary, within and around most cities nobel families will mandate corporations based on scale, with sales tax increasing for larger entities. Smaller corporations who do not meet the threshold will only be asked to pay their brick and mortar rent. 90% of tax revenues finance government activities, including public works and services such as roads and schools, or programs such as Social Security and medicine. The remaining 10% goes towards nobilities fees and amounts can vary.

Prior to its occupation by the army, the city of Lydia had 40% of tax revenue directed towards the development of schools and research, but has since joined other major cities with approximately half of revenue going to the army. Each city is to pay a collection of revenue to Obsidian Cities "Holy Restorative Fund" (HRF) but details remain top secret as to what this includes.

Of the 10 regions of Fernside all but 1 have mandatory tax laws, the one exception being The Mystic Forests (The Stargazers Commune).

#### The Regions of Fernside

Fernside is made up of 10 recognised regions, each represented by a council member in The Council of Fernside. The 10 regions are as follows:

1. Capital - Obsidian City
2. Utensillis - Kolander
3. Zey Perrian Territories - Zey Perry
4. Occupied Territory - Lydia
5. Northern Colonies - The Bends
6. Northern Domain - Athlete's Foot
7. Southern Domain - Wrench
8. Rugged Bluff
9. Pristine Waters
10. Mystic Forests - Stargazers Commune

#### The Council of Fernside

Each region in Fernside is represented by a council member in Fernside's Council. It is the job of the council to meet and resolve conflict when it arrises, however the council have not met in decades as there is strong tension between certain members. Most of the council members are nobilities but there are some notable exceptions. The Council of Fernside's members are as follows:

1. Capital - Lord Oliver Philbert
2. Utensillis - Lord Dewey Blender
3. Zey Perrian Territories - Lord Martimus Greenmorn
4. Occupied Territory (Lydia) - General Ace Mckraken
5. Northern Colonies (The Bends) - Lady Sarah Cresswell
6. Northern Domain (Athlete's Foot) - Lady Helena Stratton
7. Southern Domain (Wrench) - Lord Enyo Snow
8. Rugged Bluff - Miss Thurmere Silverstone
9. Pristine Waters - Miss Anya Vinogradov
10. Mystic Forests (Stargazers Commune) - Representative (Wallace Wyoming)

While the arcane masters of The Stargazers Commune hold no political presence by technical means, they are offered a representative as it is believed many leaders fear their power and wish for peace and amity. The representative holds most of the same rights in council, with only a few exceptions as the members of the area have made it clear they don't wish to be involved in politics for the most part.

##### The Forgotten Region

While The Empty Plains lie across the boarders of The Mystic Forests and The Rugged Bluff and isn't (by jurisdictional standards) recognised as its own region - it is important to note there are those who think it should stand as its own region, as some believe there once stood a great city there. However as of present time there are nothing but ruins.

#### Astronomy

**Saxum** (as the planet is officially known as by astronomers) is positioned two thirds away from what is believed to be the centre of the **galaxy belt**, and orbits the Sun which lies in the centre of the belt. The galaxy belt has an omnidirectional orbit around the sun, with Saxum completing its Orbit in 366 days from west to east (as observed from the northern most point of the world). This makes the sun rise in the east and set in the west, and has the planet appearing to rotate counterclockwise. Which Saxum is believed to be a large planet, a lot of what has been discovered about its nature has been inferred by scholars and astrological cartographers without exploring the planet beyond The Giant Steps.

Many major consolations and asterisms have been observed from across Fernside, especially The Stargazers Commune. Originating with **The Wise**, who millennia ago discovered the **Nebula Forte**, the axis point in the planets largest dip - with the widest expanse of sky able to be observed from Fernside. Nebula Forte expanded for hundreds of thousands of kilometers from a north western point near The Holylands to a south easterly point somewhere past the Giant Steps.

From Nebula Forte planetology was born as it is believed by scholars there could be more than one planet in the galaxy belt - though none have been observed. The 12 central stars that are visible from the equinox point as well as from Fernside are as follows: Janeris, Febtarus, Mart, Apris, Met, Jule, Justus, Ortus, Sestis, Octox, Novem and Finn. Each of these stars forms as part of an observable constellation known as a **Birth Signal**.

##### Birth Signals

Birth Signals are a forecast of a person's future, typically including a delineation of character and circumstances, based on the relative positions of the stars and planets at the time of that person's birth. A persons Birth Signal is determined at birth, and it takes a fairly powerful Seer to uncover all the elements of one. There are 14 possible Birth Signals and they are as follows:

1. The Dog (Janeris 2nd - 31st) loyal, kind and brave.
2. The Horse (Febtarus 1st - 29th) sturdy, smart and sensible.
3. The Wolf (Mart 1st - 31st) strict, strong and survivor.
4. The Badger (Apris 1st - 30th) cunning, careful and curious.
5. The Raven (Met 1st - 31st) thoughtful, inspired and free.
6. The Turtle (Jule 1st - 30th) clam, wise and complex.
7. The Hyena (Justus 1st - 31st) honest, jovial and proactive.
8. The Elk (Ortus 1st - 31st) adaptable, diligent and creative.
9. The Cat (Sestis 1st - 30th) charismatic, humble and graceful.
10. The Fox (Octox 1st - 31st) sly, clever and alluring.
11. The Olwbear (Novem 1st - 30th) ambitious, reliable and powerful.
12. The Newt (Finn 1st - 30th) unwanted, unwarranted and underprepared.
13. The Dragon (Finn 31st) - Term - Being born on the last day of the year some believe to mean you'll bring hardship to your family.
14. The Phoenix (Janeris 1st) - Comm - Being born on the first day of the new year some believe to mean you'll bring new beginnings and peace to your family.

#### The Moons of Saxum

From Saxum's surface 2 moons are observable; **'Asfar** - The Yellow Moon, is the larger of the two, and **'Ahmar** - The Red Moon, the closer and smaller of the two. It is said 'Ahmar has the stronger pressure despite being the smaller, and is what controls the tides and Saxum's atmospheric pressure with its gravitational pull. 'Asfar however is said to release the control in people subject to the effects of lycanthropy and similar diseases. The two moons have different rotation speeds, both on their axis' and in orbiting Saxum. 'Asfar rotates around at a much slower rate than 'Ahmar, making it appear to not spin at all, while 'Ahmar spins much faster, pulling closer to the planet at times than at others.