Life in Théah

## Diversity in Théah

The biggest diﬀerence between the people of Théah and the people of Europe is diversity. The Vaticine Church teaches that all men and women are equal in the eyes of the Creator, regardless of where they were born and what they look like. Because of this diﬀerence, cultural migration has occurred with far greater regularity in Théah than Europe. That means a wider degree of people born in one country living in another.

   Nations still have a general identity—people from Inismore tend to have pale skin, blue eyes and red hair—but exceptions are everywhere. Most impor-tantly, the Théans do not see them as exceptions. Were you born and raised in Inismore? Then, you’re Inish. Were you born and raised in Ussura? Then, you’re Ussuran. While Théah is far from a cultural melting pot, there are those who have lived in the Nations for gener-ations who are descendant of people from faraway lands. You can ﬁnd every skin tone in every Nation.

## Nations

The current Nations of Théah represent the whole of the civilized world—as far as the Théans are concerned. A more detailed description of each can be found in the Théah chapter.

* Avalon: Green and enchanted, this union of three kingdoms has recently risen to the forefront of Théan politics.
* Castille: Headquarters of the Vaticine church, this fertile Nation recently fought oﬀ an invasion—their western neighbor, Montaigne, wished to seize their rich farm-lands and plentiful mines.
* Eisen: A proud land recovering from a thirty-year war. A Nation of veterans, Eisen is also a land of horrors let loose by three decades of mass murder.
* Highland Marches: To the north of Avalon are men and women made strong by a harsh land. The Highlanders’ greatest desire is freedom at any cost.
* Inismore: The Emerald Isle is the rebellious, misbehaving little brother of Avalon, led by a king who may be immortal and is more than certainly mad.
* Montaigne: One of Théah’s most powerful Nations, leading the world in art and culture even as its Emperor crushes the populace beneath his thumb.
* Sarmatian Commonwealth: Two Nations bound by a single crown, the Commonwealth is a democratic monarchy where all people are equal, even kings.
* Ussura: A Nation torn between two ambi-tious rulers who will do anything to drag their Nation into the future, no matter the cost.
* Vestenmennavenjar: A Nation of raiders and warlords who conquered the world’s economy by hammering their swords and spears into coins.
* Vodacce: The former cradle of civilization, now split between seven Merchant Princes whose complex schemes reach every corner of the world.

Each of these Nations is developing a national iden-tity: a sense of country beyond the preferences of the nobility or monarchs. Ordinary people now think of themselves as Eisen or Montaigne and will ﬁght to maintain what they see as their cultural heritage and national security.

## The Seven Seas

There are seven seas surrounding Théah. The ﬁrst, the Trade Sea, is found around Avalon and Vesten. It is known for its shallow waters and the unnerving tendency of the tides to make reefs appear to move. Experienced captains in these waters have run aground on reefs that they swear were not there the day before. Aside from this phenomenon, the Trade Sea is relatively safe.

The second sea is found near Avalon and Montaigne, and is called the Widow’s Sea for all the sailors lost during pirate attacks and the bloody War of the Cross. A healthy population of sharks and sirens make the Widow’s Sea more treacherous than the Trade Sea, not to mention the sudden fog banks and inexplicable appearances of a phenomenon known as “sea mirages.” Often, ships are sighted, only to disappear as the viewer draws nearer, like a mirage in a desert.

The third sea is just oﬀ the coast of Castille, and is often referred to as “the Vaticine Gulf ” or La Boca del Cielo. Its deep, cold waters make an ideal breeding ground for the whales that swim there, protected by the fearsome subspecies known as leviathans. These beasts are up to three times as large as a normal whale, and possess a much more aggressive disposition. This sea is also thick with pirates, notably the Brotherhood of the Coast. Sailors who frequent La Boca del Cielo circulate rumors of Estallio, an enormous serpent that feeds on the leviathans. For a creature of such reputed size, it seems odd that no conﬁrmed sightings exist.

The fourth sea is called the Numanari Approach, so named after the Numanari Islands to the south. It lies to the southeast of Vodacce, near the Crescent Empire. For centuries, Church-maintained garrisons on the Vodacce keys prevented access to this sea, but the newly independent Numa has declared the Approach to be open to all, reviving trade between Théah and the Empire…and attracting pirates aplenty.

The ﬁfth sea sits between Vesten and Eisen, called “The Maw.” It got its name from old Vestenmennavenjar traders who, when they saw the ﬁrst accurate maps, believed their land looked like the head of a dragon. Hence, the name. It is one of the most highly guarded seas in Théah, thanks to the abundant coins of the Vendel League. The Vendel League hires mercenary ships to guard the waters—most of them ex-pirates paid oﬀ to hunt their former brethren.

The sixth sea is known as the Avalon Strait—or the Montaigne Straight, depending on which side you happen to be on. Traﬃc between Avalon and Montaigne is highly guarded by Elaine’s Sea Dogs. The Avalon Strait is the fastest route from Southern Théah to its Northern waters, but it also requires “sailing taxes” enforced by Avalon ships. Sailing all the way around the Avalon Isles adds days to your trip…and frequently puts you in the direct line of “pirates” from both Avalon and Vestenmennavenjar. Best to just pay the tax and get on your way.

Lastly, many sailors speak of a place where the sun and moon shine in the same sky, where the stars go backward and the waters turn to silver. This “seventh sea” is the source of much discussion within Théah’s scholarly community. Sailors tell stories of sailing the silvery waters for days with no sign of land in sight until ﬁnally, the sky and waters suddenly snap back and the ship is thousands of miles oﬀ course.

A recent archæological discovery may hold the key to the Seventh Sea. The Explorer’s Guild is calling it an “alchemical compass,” and they believe that the Syrne used it to sail the mysterious sea. If their claims are true, it could open the door to a new world.

### Théah’s Courts

Across Théah, while the peasants toil in the ﬁelds and the merchants trade at the stands, as duelists assume their stances and soldiers advance at one another across open ﬁelds, a diﬀerent kind of war rages within the resplendent forums of Théah’s nobles. It is a cease-less game of polite intrigue, where a slip of the tongue can forfeit a province and the wrong gesture can end a career. It is the world of Théan politics, and it is not a pretty place.

Montaigne, Vesten and Avalon presently have the most traﬃcked courts. Their tremendous ballrooms and meeting halls, designed and built to impress, allow the nobles and their guests just enough privacy to feel comfortable, but never enough to be safe. The courts of the Castillians are much smaller, open-air events, which focus more on community than conspiracy. The courts of the Eisen and Ussurans, who are not as interested in international aﬀairs, tend to be small. Vodacce courts are busy with intrigue and politics, as gaudy and extravagant as the Montaigne courts, but slightly more exclusive. Meanwhile, in Sarmatia, the courts usually regulate themselves to issues of state rather than celebration.

Court can be a draining experience. It takes the average noble courtier four to ﬁve hours to get dressed; they are literally sewn into their clothes. Every courtier employs ﬁve to six handservants who follow them about, tending to their every whim.

Fashion and dialogue govern the daily ebb and ﬂow of courtly life. Everyone knows who the best-dressed or most eloquent people at court each week are, some-times before they arrive. Trends come and go with the seasons, and those who have not managed to arrive with the right clothing can be shunned, or even ridi-culed, for their inattention.

An example of a trend that has remained fashionable for some time is being seen with a small reading book, even by those who cannot read—illiterate nobles have their books read to them, employing servants for that purpose. Some are bound like normal volumes, while others are sheaves of folded paper, called “quartos.” They contain picture stories, hymns, excerpts of other texts and fairy tales.

Nations employ courtiers and ambassadors for many reasons, primarily to prevent wars. With all the constant—and often unintentional—slights committed between Nations at this point, it becomes almost essential for courtiers to actively pursue peace at court to prevent the outbreak of open hostilities. Of course, as can be seen by the recent Montaigne inva-sion of Castille, this practice is not always successful, but continues regardless.

The other primary reasons for courts in Théah are power brokering, arranging marriages and gaining favor with other nobles. After all, a good party always leaves visitors in happy spirits—and less likely to cause turmoil.

### Honor

Modern Théan concepts of honor descend from the classical ideals of chivalry immortalized in the old Avalon romances of knights and kings. These notions are dying; the sun is setting on chivalry for the last time. Those who still cling to these ideals are known as “gentles,” or, more cynically, “romantics.”

The fall of chivalry began with a Montaigne knight named Bastion. During the 1460s, he was considered the pinnacle of chivalry. He was honorable and noble, and the ladies swooned when he spoke to them. Then one day in battle, a peasant armed with an arquebus shot him in the back and he died, drowned in the blood that seeped into his punctured lung. The thought that spread, unspoken, across Théah was, “Bastion was a man of honor, and all it earned him was a painful death.”

The average Théan looks out for himself ﬁrst, his friends and family second, and everyone else not at all. This doesn’t mean that Théah is constantly immersed in schemes and plots, only that most people have better things to worry about, such as getting enough food to eat and making sure their roof will keep out the rain. Chivalry is a pastime for those rich enough to aﬀord it. It is sneered at by many, and romantics are often branded as old-fashioned dreamers who cannot look reality in the eye.

But all hope is not yet lost. Romantics are the last people in Théah to conduct business with a hand-shake and a spoken promise before a contract—that alone should win them the admiration of even the strongest cynics. There are those who still see them as shining knights on white steeds, and prefer to take all their business to the few who remain.

#### A Gentle’s Word

A gentle does not break his word. Ever. The ﬁrst time he breaks a promise, it brings into question any promise he makes in the future. On the other hand, having a positive reputation means you are as good as your word: reliable, trustworthy and admired.

By the same token, he is very particular about when and to whom he gives his word. Only a lowborn dog would hold a gentle to any pledge made while he was in his cups, though a gentle would probably honor it regardless. A true gentle will die before breaking his word, for it is his bond and his soul; some, caught in pledges that would destroy their family, have committed suicide rather than dishonor themselves, but this is rare.

If a gentle breaks her word, the repercussions upon her business and lifestyle would be disastrous. Her friends would cease to associate with her, her business associates would abandon her or start demanding written contracts for everything (an intolerable insult to any gentle) and her income would dwindle to nothing as her reputation was dragged through the mud.

Often, a gentle swears promises on an item of partic-ular personal importance, such as his grandfather’s sword or his mother’s pendant; the implication is that if the promise is broken, the ancestor associated with the item will know.

#### Reputation

A gentle’s reputation is one of his most prized posses-sions. He will go to extreme lengths to prevent it from being sullied. Anyone who besmirches his good name can expect a challenge to the blood; anyone who publi-cally disgraces him, a duel to the death. His word is tied to his reputation, and if one is harmed, the other suﬀers as well. Thus, accusing a gentle of lying is a slur upon his good name, while accusing him of lying in public is tantamount to publicly disgracing him.