Lumir

**Lumir** is one of the Western nations. Lumir is a kingdom which is split into numerous fiefdoms ruled by lords who pay tribute to their king. Among the western nations, Lumir is known for its powerful army and its knights.

## Culture

The citizens of Lumir are mostly poor peasants and farmers. This lower caste is protected from monsters and foreign nations by a small caste of knights. The knights are sworn to a code of chivalry (although some follow it only loosely) and are generally looked up as heroes to by the peasants. The knights in turn serve a lord who funds them and provides them with resources needed for adventuring. In exchange, the lords get a share of the treasure from the adventuring and boast about the strength of the knights in service to them for fame.

Knights and peasants alike revere bravery and acts of valor. As such, the major literary works of the country are epics about the heroics of knights. As a show of bravery, many knights enter jousts and tournaments, which are popular among the citizens of Lumir. Tournament winners often receive money and fame in exchange for tournaments, and some knights have even built their reputations and fortunes around winning tournaments rather than through heroics.

Knights wield a variety of weapons, however every knight carries a sword for ceremonial purposes. This is the sword with which they were knighted, whether they use this weapon or not in combat is not culturally important. Knights often alternate from guard duty for towns, military service for their lords, and questing after beasts and into foreign lands.

Citizens typically follow The Church of The True Creator. While pagan religions are not strictly outlawed, they are often shunned from main society as they are seen as strange and unenlightened.

## Magic

Mages are rare in Lumir, although the few that exist are highly respected, and often recruited by lords or knights to aid in adventures. Magical items are more common, as many knights have enchanted weapons, armor, or relics.

Because mages are rare, healers tend to heal via potions or non-magical medicine rather than simply casting healing spells on those who come to them.

## Enemies

A few peasants and stragglers who were fed up with their place in society have decided to instead travel to the mountains and frontiers and live as nomads and barbarians. While barbarians will occasionally attempt to raid a village, they are inevitably defeated by knights. As such, barbarians tend to only attack lone knights, unguarded caravans, or travelers who have ventured far into the frontier without support. Barbarian tribes may often war with each other. While many barbarians are thought of as uneducated, some barbarian tribes still see the value in education.

The mountains are filled with many dangerous creatures including giants and goblins. The forests have many dangerous creatures, including giant insects and bizarre creatures that are a mixture of plant and animal.

Additionally, dangerous and powerful beasts, such as gryphons and chimeras, roam the country and frontier. These beasts are often hunted by knights as quests. In the past, dragons were often hunted as quests by the exceptionally brave and exceptionally foolish. However, dragons have not been seen in hundreds of years.

Lords may occasionally clash over land or for other small feuds. In these cases, knights in service to the lords may fight. While the code of chivalry the knights take requires them to protect civilians, some knights may attack peasants and merchants to hinder the resources of a lord they are at war with. As such, travelers may be caught in the crossfire.

Because knights patrol the roads, the more settled parts of Lumir are relatively safe for travelers.