The Kingdom & High Courts of Meridia

A kingdom conglomerate of races, though humans make up a dominant percentage of the overall population. The kingdom has spent most of its almost three centuries of reign keeping a tightly contained civilization that was wary and fearful of what lay beyond its walls. Only recently has war necessitated the kingdom expand to seek allies, and in the vacuum of the war’s end, expansion has become a national endeavor. Simultaneously, the exploration of the surrounding lands has revealed ruins and relics from the Cold Dark, and even the ancient Age of Artifice Arcana. With recently shifted leadership in the passing of King Broghdoff Greystone to his wife Isilda, the kingdom faces many potential paths it can take in its future as a nation.

## Regions

* Central Meridia, the human-based but multi-ethnic expansionist society that dominates the region
* Frostgreen Forest (Tel'Darin Forest), the evergreen wood that houses elven society for northern Manaris
* Benali Jungle, the wild jungles to the south, filled with savage animals and orcs
* Staggerpeak Mountains (Khaz-Merda), the towering mountains that make up the entire western Meridian horizon
* Mirelurk Swamp, the fetid bogs and wetlands at the southern feet of the Staggerpeaks, home to dark and horrific monstrosities
* Skywalk Plateau, an anomalous shelf that drops into a hitherto unexplored forest that stretches into the east

## Notable Cities

* Avalon - capital city and seat of the current monarchy of Queen Isilda Greystone
* Jorha - an outpost town erected by the Ministry of Exploration on the edge of the Benali Forests
* Gildenwheat -
* Brigsby -
* Lumberton -
* Callum
* Telha - outpost town erected by the Ministry of Expedition at the  southern edge of the Tel’Darin Forest
* Merha - outpost town erected by the Ministry of Expedition near the Skywalk Plateau

## Government

#### (From "Welcome to the World" early draft)

The developing medieval kingdom of Meridia has developed relatively peacefully in solitude, tucked between leagues of thick forests, bogs and swamps, jutting mountains and the sheer drop of a high plateau. Meridia is a monarchy, with Queen Isilda Greystone currently Queen Regent since King Broghdoff Greystone’s passing seventeen years ago. Meridia’s various aspects of government are divided into Ministries, each one writing laws and overseeing management of the kingdom’s corresponding assets, with the Queen as de facto Supreme Judge and High Minister of them all:

* Ministry of Justice
* Ministry of Commerce
* Ministry of Expedition
* Ministry of Magic
* Ministry of Natural Philosophies

### The Monarchy

The primary authority on matters of state, law, and war, the presiding King or Queen of Meridia operates as the active leader of the kingdom until death or they are succeeded by a capable enough heir. Currently, the monarchy is commanded by Isilda Greystone of the Greystone Family, acting as Queen Regent until Princess Selina marries. Even with the apparent fracturing of centralized power in the recent formation of the Ministries, the Queen Regent continues to act as the final decision maker and commander in matters of the high court.

### The Ministries

At Isilda Greystone’s command, the responsibilities and oversight of national matters were fractured into pertinent Ministries, each headed by their own High Minister. The High Ministers still answer to the Crown, but are largely allowed to operate in an independent capacity, so long as their services continue to fuel the kingdom. While this has driven national progress tremendously over the last fifteen years and has allowed the proliferation of centralized wealth, it has also created a discontented lower class that is exploited as a lucrative source of labor.