The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III

## Setting

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III takes place in the Holy Kingdom of Roble, one of the major human nations in the New World.

The Holy Kingdom occupies a peninsula to the northwest of the Re-Estize Kingdom. It is bisected by a huge wall called the Great Wall, which protects the northern regions from demi-human threats. The story is set shortly after a devastating war with the powerful demon Jaldabaoth and his demi-human army.

Much of the action occurs in and around the Holy Kingdom's capital city of Hoburns. Located in the northwest of the country, Hoburns suffered less damage than cities further east during Jaldabaoth's invasion. It is an important center of trade and politics for the Holy Kingdom.

Other key locations include:

* Kalinsha - A fortress city along the Great Wall that bore the brunt of the demi-human assault. It remains in ruins even after the war's end.
* The Great Wall - A huge border wall manned by the Holy Kingdom's army to defend against demi-humans. Scavengers now loot remnants just beyond it.
* Mercia - A port city where the protagonist Liam once lived as an orphaned child.
* Canta - A port city in the Holy Kingdom's south that survived the war relatively intact.

The southern nobles and cities like Canta and Debonei escaped the worst of the war. They now hold enormous power over the recovering northern territories. Resources flow south to north, enriching the southern nobles.

After the war, the Holy Kingdom is in a state of political, economic, and spiritual turmoil as the people struggle to recover. But the policies enacted by King Caspond to accelerate revival carry dire unforeseen consequences.

## Plot

* King Caspond enacts new economic policies aimed at increasing productivity to speed the kingdom's recovery. These policies cause dangerous competition and behavior changes among nobles and commoners alike.
* With the Royal Army sent to conquer the northern wilderness, noble factions exploit the policies to gain power in the capital. Wealth and worth become defined by productivity.
* Spiritual and moral corruption spreads as people become obsessed with numbers and self-interest. The social fabric deteriorates.
* Liam, an operative from the Sorcerous Kingdom, joins the understaffed Holy Order to investigate the situation.
* He infiltrates organizations to uncover how nobles are controlling resources and profiting from price increases.
* Liam and Remedios Custodio realize they face a war against the combined power of nobles and commoners acting in self-interest.
* Unable to directly act against the establishment, they resort to small acts of nuisance to disrupt operations.
* They hope the returning navy will recognize the decay gripping the kingdom and force change. But the Temples support the king's policies.

## Main Characters

* Liam - A rogue operative investigating problems in the Holy Kingdom for the Sorcerous Kingdom.
* Remedios Custodio - A famous paladin working with Liam to uncover issues facing the Holy Order.
* Marquis Bodipo - A noble concerned about the damage being done to the kingdom.

Carla - Remedios' maid, who helps them understand the downstream impacts of the policies.

## Themes

* The corrupting influence of obsessive productivity and greed.
* The insidious danger of policies that incentivize selfishness and competition.
* The difficulty of fighting entrenched power structures acting in self-interest.
* Maintaining moral courage in the face of social and spiritual decay.
* The need for wise leadership that considers human nature and social impacts.

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III takes place in the Holy Kingdom of Roble, one of the major human nations in the New World.

The Holy Kingdom occupies a peninsula to the northwest of the Re-Estize Kingdom. It is bisected by a huge wall called the Great Wall, which protects the northern regions from demi-human threats. The story is set shortly after a devastating war with the powerful demon Jaldabaoth and his demi-human army.

Much of the action occurs in and around the Holy Kingdom's capital city of Hoburns. Located in the northwest of the country, Hoburns suffered less damage than cities further east during Jaldabaoth's invasion. It is an important center of trade and politics for the Holy Kingdom.

Other key locations include:

* Kalinsha - A fortress city along the Great Wall that bore the brunt of the demi-human assault. It remains in ruins even after the war's end.
* The Great Wall - A huge border wall manned by the Holy Kingdom's army to defend against demi-humans. Scavengers now loot remnants just beyond it.
* Mercia - A port city where the protagonist Liam once lived as an orphaned child.
* Canta - A port city in the Holy Kingdom's south that survived the war relatively intact.

The southern nobles and cities like Canta and Debonei escaped the worst of the war. They now hold enormous power over the recovering northern territories. Resources flow south to north, enriching the southern nobles.

After the war, the Holy Kingdom is in a state of political, economic, and spiritual turmoil as the people struggle to recover. But the policies enacted by King Caspond to accelerate revival carry dire unforeseen consequences.

## Key Events

* King Caspond enacts new economic policies - To speed recovery, Caspond institutes policies promoting productivity above all else. This lays the foundation for many problems to come.
* Royal Army sent to conquer the north - Caspond dispatches the Royal Army to conquer wilderness between Roble and Re-Estize. This allows factions to consolidate power in their absence.
* Noble factions exploit policies for power - Royalist and other noble factions use Caspond's policies to gain wealth, control resources, and increase their influence.
* Corruption and decay spreads - Obsession with productivity gains causes dangerous competition, hoarding of resources, and spiritual decay.
* Liam investigates for the Sorcerous Kingdom - Liam goes undercover to uncover how nobles are profiting from the situation and controlling resources.
* Remedios and Liam ally - Unable to directly act, they resort to minor disruptions of the establishment's operations.
* The coming of the navy - As decay grips the kingdom, the navy's impending return after 3 years away sparks hopes they can force change.

## Key Developments

* Economic turmoil - Resources flow from south to north, enriching southern nobles. Shortages, soaring prices, inequality, and desperation result.
* Social decay - Society embraces vain pursuits in the quest for status. Self-interest and greed lead to the deterioration of social bonds and values.
* Political instability - Factions vie for power and control in the absence of the Royal Army. The policies create an environment ripe for exploitation.
* Moral corruption - With the Temples supporting Caspond and no moral leadership to curb excess, spiritual decay accompanies society's decline.
* Popular complicity - Commoners support the nobles providing their security and livelihoods, becoming complicit in the decay to protect their own interests.
* Entrenched establishment - The combined interests of nobles and commoners acting in self-interest create an extremely entrenched establishment that seems impossible to challenge.