Science and technology

> "In the enchanting tapestry of a medieval realm, where magic is intertwined with the ingenuity of the human mind, technology and science bloom like flowers of a wondrous garden. Here, amidst towering castles and cobblestone streets, ingenious contraptions and alchemical marvels harmonize with the mystical arts. It is a realm where gears turn with the grace of enchantment, and discoveries ignite the fires of imagination, bridging the realms of possibility and propelling us into a future steeped in ancient wisdom and visionary innovation."
>
> "Siege and Battlements", A Conquering of Soothereos, Pholiosopher Landyal

The developmental level of science and technology in Soothereos, and the known world as a whole, is roughly comparable to real-life late medieval levels.

## General

The technology level in their society more or less matches late medieval Europe, i.e. right before the use of gunpowder and cannons revolutionized medieval warfare and brought it into the Early Modern era.

Magic is as prevalent in the world as ever, though the original intent and purposes of it—as well as the more naturally-inclined uses for it—has since been lost, the practice has never died down. [MORE INFORMATION WILL NEED TO GO HERE EVENTUALLY FROM THE MAGIC WIKI]

Science and technology have not significantly advanced in the past several centuries. Recorded history is indeed vastly longer in the fantasy world than in real-life. Written history in Soothereos began with the Andal Invasion many thousands of years ago during the Era of Heroes, albeit much of this is fragmentary and biased. Even so, while the general rule holds that gunpowder has not been discovered, there is not a one-for-one correspondence between the technology level in the real-life Middle Ages and the fantasy world of Soothereos. For example, certain medical knowledge is much more advanced and accurate in Soothereos than it was in the Middle Ages (partially because certain discoveries in history have been accidental, i.e. penicillin, not the culmination of a long aggregation of previous discoveries). The people in Soothereos and beyond are also capable of producing vast feats of architecture, such as the Helmarans Watergates in Los Cerith, without the use of magic at all.

While this might seem incongruent with the otherwise static medieval level of technology in Soothereos, much of real-life medical knowledge was discovered purely through trial and error (or even by accident, such as the discovery of antibiotics). The pholiosophers might not know the underlying, theoretical reasons behind illnesses (what bacteria and viruses are), but they have accumulated a more advanced level of functional medical knowledge for practical purposes, such as what herb mixtures will heal infections, better surgical procedures, etc.

## Military technology

*Main article: Armament*

Military technology in Soothereos and the rest of the world is loosely comparable to the kinds used during the real-life Hundred Years' War and Wars of the Roses. Crossbows are prevalent, though they have not superseded longbows, which are also quite common on the battlefield (again, much like the 1400s in real-life northwestern Europe). Various kinds of advanced siege weapons such as catapults are employed. Horse cavalry are widely used, and some regions of Khoroth were known to use mounted elephants, though the practice ended after the Plight of Sixteen. Heavy cavalry, using mounted knights in full plate armor, is a mainstay of the battlefield, though they are more commonly fielded by the wealthier regions of Soothereos(i.e. Atholnar or Pelopay), while the poorer kingdoms (such as Belhelm) make do with chain mail instead of full plate armor. Many armies frequently make use of different kinds of mercenaries.

Hallowed Steel is a type of metal forged from an expensive and precious white mineral called Aasirine, found in the deep depths of the world. When treated to become a metal, it's prosperities are extraordinary, honing to be a tremendously strong material with resistance to Worldweaving. The knowledge of how to create Hallowed steel is kept mostly to the Smithing Guild, allowing them a nigh complete monology over its production and price, at least in the Five Kingdoms.

Gunpowder does not exist in the medieval fantasy world of Soothereos. They do possess Wildfire, a highly flammable and explosive, napalm-like substance: the Alchemists' Guild refuses to divulge how wildfire is created, but claim that it is done with magical spells (a claim dismissed by others, particularly the pholiosophers). Even so, Wildfire is similar to real life "Greek fire", which was actually used by the Byzantine Empire in medieval times, and thus was actually a technology known to medieval peoples (and thus not entirely out of keeping for a medieval setting). Many animals have been used for war efforts, including the like of dragons, but usage of war animals is far and few between due to the animalistic nature of them.

### Ships

*Main article: Ships*

From great war galleys, such as "The Mother," the flagship of the Avlyrran fleet that sailed under Veryis the Conqueror during his Plight of Sixteen, to lineships, like "The Twins," two powerful lineships named after the twin kings Valayin I and Maegar I. The numerous ships of many different kinds sail the waters around Soothereos and beyond, though staying close in shallow waters, as far-distance seafaring has not been perused yet. Some ships belong to pirates or can be hired as sellsails in wars.

## Currency

*Main article: Currency*

Several different types of **currency** are used in the world's various economies.

The Five Kingdoms have a uniform system of coinage based on the "Goldpiece" coin. The different nations of the world rely on a different system of currency. In the continent of Helsve, The Five Kingdoms have a uniform system of coinage based on the "Goldpiece" coin. Prior to the Plight of Sixteen, several different currencies were in use. Cultures that did not use coins traded in goods but often used metal bars or ingots as a substitute.

In fact, the first coinage was likely invented by the tribal peoples of Atholnar and originally developed out of very small, elaborately shaped metal bars and later medals and amulets which were originally given away as tokens. Highest banking institution in Soothereos, the Crescent Bank.

The first quasi-official to official currency was established after the Plight of Sixteen and the establishment of the Five Kingdoms.

### Coinage Exchange Rate

Its relation of value is 1 goldpiece = 4 goldpennies, 1 goldpenny = 4 silverpieces, and 1 silverpiece = 4 silverpennies, with the exception of the copperpenny, which is 25 copperpennies = 1 silverpenny.

## Books and writing

Different societies have their own writing systems. The main one encountered is the one used for the Common Tongue of the Homines throughout the world. The Andals introduced the first full writing system to Soothereos when they invaded the continent and established it as their own. Some forms of Old Tongue and quasi-writing systems were in use from the few intelligent species of the gods during the Era of Great Kinds.

Soothereos uses both "parchment" (made from animal skins) and "paper" (made from wood pulp). This is not incongruous to the setting: paper was introduced to real life Western Europe as early as the twelfth century, though it did not surpass use of parchment for many centuries. Generally, parchment was still used for important documents - legal charters, important diplomatic messages, etc. - while paper was a cheap, less durable alternative. Given that Soothereos is loosely based on England and France and the many wars that struck between them, it is not contradictory that their society uses a mix of paper or parchment for different tasks. Paper seems to be often used for more common tasks: the messages sent via the raven network are described as being written on little scrolls of "paper" - paper is thinner and lighter than parchment so it is probably easier to roll, easier to fit more writing on each roll, and easier for the birds to carry.

More important hand-delivered messages tend to be written on parchment, particularly royal decrees from Throes Peak. Most if not all books are made out of parchment, not paper: books are usually commissioned or hand-copied and thus more like luxury items, so anyone commissioning one will have it made of high quality. They don't have cheap mass-produced paper books.

No mention has been made of printing press technology, and it apparently doesn't exist in Soothereos (and probably not in the rest of the world either). The printing press was only introduced in real-life Medieval Europe in the mid-1400s and took time to be implemented, again matching the general historical period of the setting. It is unknown if other societies use earlier forms of printing, such as wood-block printing, etc.

*See also "Texts"*
* *The Lineages and Histories of the Great Houses of Soothereos*
* *An History of Veryis the Conqueror and His Plight of Sixteen*
* *An History of Siege and Battlements in Soothereos*
* *The History of the Greater and the Lesser Houses*
* *Poisoners Compendium*
* *The Faithful and the Fallen: Religious Conflict from the Septals and Septs*
* *Shallow Gold: The Crescent Bank*
* *An History of What is now and What is to be: Soothereos*
* *An Compendium of Whispering Forests*
* *Medicae i Epidemiologi*

## Songs

*See also "Songs"*
Songs are a token of tradition all across the world, weaving tales of heroism, love, and ancient legends. Passed down through generations, these melodic creations evoke emotions, spark imaginations, and capture the essence of regions rich cultural heritage. From epic ballads recounting valiant battles to haunting melodies that speak of lost loves and forgotten realms, these songs carry the weight of history and the power to transcend time. Whether performed in grand halls or around campfires, these enchanting compositions resonate in the hearts of all who hear them, forever intertwining the magic of music with the tapestry of our medieval world.

* "Swept through Raven eyes"
* "Sword of Destiny's Fateful Dance"
* "A Khorothian Old Wives Tale"
* "Serenade of Starlit Skies"
* "Windswept Valor and Noble Heart"
* "Lament of Heroes, Fallen and Cold"
* "Enchanted Embrace of the Enchanted Isle"
* "All Cheer the Drunken King"

## Games and events

*See also "Games"*
Games, sports, board games, etc.:

* Tablut - a board game
* Tournaments - in Soothereos
* Feasts of Rhoynar - a yearly event in Pelopay
* Harvest Festival - a yearly event in Soothereos
* Festival of Lights - a yearly event in the North
* The Wandering Market - an unannounced event in the South
* Carnival of Masks - an event in Uneers and Atholnar

## Measurement

Measurements in the Five Kingdoms are given in imperial measurements. As they are a medieval society, their systems of measurements, weights, and coinage grew haphazardly out of local customs instead of any rational basis.

For weight, "pounds, tons, and ounces" are used to measure them. These are also non-metric units, as "kilograms" do not exist as a unit in Soothereos.

Smaller distances can be measured in yards.

## Animals and plants

*Main article: Animals and plants*

Several notable animal and plant species exist in Soothereos and the known world. Some of these have no real world counterparts, but many are based on ice age megafauna which did exist in real-life, but went extinct thousands of years ago. On the whole, it is very unusual to encounter animals that are significantly different than encountered in real-life medieval Europe and the Near East. A few animals have no one-for-one counterpart with real life ones, i.e. alpaca lions are common animals, somewhere in size between an actual lion and an alpaca but not exactly like either.

**Animals**

* Dragons -
* Direwolves – a larger cousin of regular wolves
* Horses - A common animal bred all over Soothereos, commonly used as methods of transport.
* Krakens - massive cephalopods that stalk the world's oceans. So rare that they are largely held to be mythical, though sailors occasionally report seeing them.
* Ravens - trained messenger-ravens are used as part of a widespread communications network that links all of the major cities and holdfasts in the Five Kingdoms.
* Alpaca Lion -
* Cardinal Tetra Dog -
* Spiny Lobster Dragon -
* Mantis Drake -
* Mothra -
* Mossback -
* Silkmoth Cat -
* Sky Whale -
* Thunderbird -
* Wolf -

**Plants**

* Kindred tree- a species of deciduous tree found all over the world, of whose woods magical properties are used to create a weavers Kindred. They produce only one seedling and are highly sacred to many communities.