Dag-mar

### Geography

Dag-Mar lies along the coast of Virdia stretching from the Crudisbarac Mountains to the North to The jungles of Heilong in the south. Warm winds from south keep Dagmar a mostly temperate landscape along it's costal plains. The western edge of Dag-Mar is hilly and mountainous with many tributaries and streams running from the mountains. The hills, made up of Granite and limestone, are rich with silver and are heavily mined leading to many open quarries and abandoned mines. The central plains are given to farmland and Towns are situated close to the sea.

### People and Government

Dagmar has a unique governmental system. Often attributed to the Dwindling the early years of Dag-mar were full of strife. Several clans formed and fought each other for control of the country with the young being constantly driven to compete. This became the norm with constant warfare breaking and restructuring the country. That changed when Ecclesia went on the First Crusade in an effort to bring Dag-mar under their holy empire. Dag-Mar, lacking unity and a structured military, was pushed back to the coast. In the end it was the great hero Abel Vasconcelos which united the clans and created The Covenant, a contract between different clans formally referred to as Guilds that they would no longer engage in open war. The Guilds, finally united, drove back the Ecclesia Crusade and actually drove into Ecclesia lands in an attempt to conquer their neighbors. Spurred on by the discovery of silver in the hills of Dagmar and the acquisition of foreign mercenaries Abel's counter assault almost captured Gloria Deo, the capital of Ecclesia. They may have been successful if Abel hadn't been assassinated under mysterious circumstances. The Guilds fell apart and Ecclesia was able to regain their captured lands. Since then there have been several crusades and the borders between the two countries are ill defined.

After the First Crusade the flow of silver from mines continues to grow. The Guilds began to fight in a quiet war over lands containing mines. Well funded Bandits and Hoodlums began to plague the country. As things grew worse it was just a matter of time before the covenant would be broken. It was then that came to be known as Jespin's Gambit. Jespin, the then leader of the Scarlet Fox guild, bet his most valuable mine against three other mines on a contest of champions. The battle between these contestants was legendary and, as far as anyone can tell, fair. Even more astounding Jespin won against the other Guild and the contest was accepted. After this event the practice of guilds betting on games of chance became common practice and the great coliseum in Lutpela Gloria was built.

##### List of Guilds

* **Scarlet Foxes -** Currently run by Hua Fang, the beautiful flower. She was a disgraced noble from Heilong, exiled from her home country. She joined the Foxes and using cunning, guile, and blood, working her way up to the top. Her contacts with Heilong have provided her many skilled mercenaries in her stable and the forces have become known as a guild that works from the shadows.
* **The Broken Mind -** Run by Qubrossk, an Illithid, The broken Mind has a tendency to get members to their stables that had previously rejected their offers. They also own a great number of slaves who are strangely devoted to the guild. Also the Guild likes to use champions suffering from the Dwindling sometimes as fodder and sometimes whipped into a frenzy.
* **The Silver Throne -** Sat on by an Amnizu named Malbile. Malbile uses actual demonic pacts to secure combatants to his stable and he is known to indulge in great shows of wealth and excess. Often considered the most powerful of the Guild leaders he never the less distains open conflict himself.
* **Union Boys -** As the name suggests, the union was formed by a coalition of slaves and miners seeking restitution and revenge against their masters. They were going to be wiped out by the Dragon Teeth, when a clever man named Tomás managed to get the Union accepted as a guild. Thus protected by the Covenant the Union grew to into a full fledged guild with the most members. It is currently controlled by a Goliath named Kazarhak "Dawnchaser" Geaniano a strong believer in the Way of Glory
* **The Dragon's Teeth -** The teeth belong to Syrax, a a blue Dragon, who moved in and created the guild from nothing. She is most often willing to get into the ring herself and for obvious reasons has never lost. She views members of her stable as her possessions and guards them with a dragon's fury.

### Religion

Dagmar has a plethora of religions. Generally the guilds don't care what religion you follow as long as you obey, but when religions tend to get to large guilds slap them down. Towns in Dag-Mar tend to be full of a jumble of half formed religions and crazy sects. There is only one religion which is embraced by the Guilds a religion practiced almost exclusively by gladiators called the *Way of Glory.* The Way of Glory uses the "7 truths" a section of tenants to encourage it's followers. The rich tend not to take up the religion, but it appeals to warriors and slaves who must fight.

1. People are already dead. Their lives given to pointless safety and banal hedonisms.
2. Death comes for us all. Our deaths are predetermined and inevitable
3. Life is only found on the razors edge. Only when facing death do we know life and ourselves.
4. In contest we find value. When a contest is fair the better being prevails
5. In humility we find our weakness. In loss we find what we must improve
6. Our death is in our hands. Only a foe greater than us can take our life.
7. In death we find peace. The more glorious the death the greater our reward

Because of the tenants of the Way of Glory followers tend to devote themselves to the practice of combat. Some rush headlong into impossible odds feeling that that will give them a glorious death. Others seek to prove themselves great and seek better and better foes.