Arnes

**Arnes** is the main country—the *raska* ("crown")—of the Maresh Empire. Its capital is Red London.

## Geography

Arnes is an island and the Red-world equivalent of Great Britain in Grey London's world. Unlike the United Kingdom and Makt, Arnes is warm throughout the year because of the Red world's abundance of magic.

While there is a large overlap between Arnes' and the United Kingdom's flora, some plant species are unique to Arnes. For example, there are sky blue sunflowers in Arnes. Acina is a plant with dark purple leaves and a white round bloom; its leaves are good for pain.

## Culture

### Religion and beliefs

In Arnes, the highest power is magic, not God, and it is revered and worshipped because of the notion that magic resides in everything and is the "essential essence that runs through the world." Some even believe that magic "governs the flow of power to people."

Arnesian saints are priests from myth and history who displayed great power and capabilities with their ability to balance the elements.

Furthermore, Arnesians do not believe in Heaven and Hell like Grey-worlders do. Instead, they believe that when someone dies, their magic separates itself from the body and returns to the flow of magic; earth then reclaims the body. Nothing remains of the person they once were. Arnesians also burn their dead instead of burying them.

#### Origin of the Magician

Arnes believes that people can wield magic because they are made of two brothers, one of which was mortal and the other magic.

The brothers were not blood-related; the mortal brother came from a mother and was made of flesh, blood, and bone, whereas the magic brother came from a river and was made of silt, sun, and autumn leaves. At first, the brothers did not get along because they were opposites: The magic brother was steady and closed-up, and the mortal brother was passionate and caring. They considered the other weak and themselves strong, but eventually realized that none of them was weak; they simply had different strengths.

To become more alike, they made a thread out of the mortal brother's blood and the magic brother's power. The brothers bound themselves together, and their powerful thread of love never broke. Since then, people are made out of both blood and magic.

### Festivities

The Summer Feast is observed annually. On that day, everyone wears white, though individual family colors may be incorporated, e.g. in the trim or accessories. To celebrate, the royal family hosts a party in the Grand Hall of Soner Rast.

## Languages

*Main article: Arnesian*
Arnes has two official languages: English, also known as "High Royal" or "Royal," which is considered the language for royalty and nobility, and Arnesian which is the language of the common folk.

Apart from those two, several other languages and dialects are spoken in Arnes. One of them is Kas-Avnes, a rare border dialect.

## Currency

Arnes' currency is *lin*, *lish*, and *rish*. *Lin* has the lowest value; it is a red coin with a star on one side. *Lish* is of higher value than a *lin*, and is a silver coin. *Rish* is the highest-value coin; it is gold and usually only carried by nobles.

Lin are akin to the United Kingdom's shilling, and ten lin make one lish.

## Known towns

List of towns located on the Arnesian main island.

* **Disan:** A town a day's journey away from Red London.
* **Red London:** The capital.

## Known rulers

Arnes has been ruled by the Maresh dynasty for over a century:

* King Nokil Maresh †
* King Maxim Maresh †
* Queen Emira Maresh †
* **King Rhy Maresh**

## Trivia

* General
* Etymology

* Arnesians typically have dark hair. However, Arnesians living in the northern edge of the country often have copper hair.
* While the exact marriageable age is unknown, it is either 17 or younger.

- "Arnes" is pronounced like "arms" with an "n" instead of an "m."

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *A Darker Shade of Magic*, X: One White Rook, IV
2. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, IV: White Throne, II
3. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, XI: Masquerade, III
4. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, VI: Impostors, III
5. ↑ "A Spectrum of Worlds" — Tor/Forge Blog
6. ↑ "In Red London, the highest power isn't God, but magic. Their relationship with magic is one of reverence and worship, fueled by the notion that magic is in everything, but also is the thing outside, the unquantifiable but essential essence that runs through the world and, depending on your beliefs, governs the flow of power to people (i.e. some citizens believe that magic chooses who to make powerful–a concept Kell has trouble accepting)."
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr)
7. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, X: One White Rook, II
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 *A Gathering of Shadows*, III: Changing Tides, II
9. ↑ "In this system, there are priests–those who possess the ability to balance the elements and enhance nature and choose to dedicate their lives to the balancing of magic on a greater scale–and the saints are priests from myth and history who possessed extraordinary prowess in this way. This is NOT to be confused with Antari, who are in their own rights mythical/blessed/aven.
Interestingly, Antari magicians and priests both possess the ability to speak to all elements, but Antari cannot balance them–they are a flood where nature requires a steady rain to flourish."
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr)
10. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, VIII: An Arrangement, I
11. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, Bonus short story: "Brothers"
12. ↑ *A Universe of Wishes*: "A Royal Affair", III
13. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, IV: Londons Calling, I
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 *A Gathering of Shadows*, II: Prince at Large, III
15. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, I: The Traveler, III
16. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, I: The Traveler, I
17. ↑ *Shades of Magic* Collector's Editions — Arnesian Glossary
18. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, IV: Londons Calling, I
19. ↑ *A Conjuring of Light*, I: World in Ruin, IV
20. ↑ *A Universe of Wishes*: "A Royal Affair", I
21. ↑ "Arnes = like Arms but with an N"
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr)

1. ↑ The date/month is not given. However, because Alucard's birthday (June 1) has not passed yet in *A Royal Affair*, the Summer Feast likely takes place in May.