Lore

Norland, the year 2898 since the creation of the world.

Two hundred years have passed since the great Crimson Empire perished in the flames of the religious war. Its former provinces have become the barbaric kingdoms, kept from mutual destruction only by the all-powerful Church of Holy Sophia.

While the holy prophets speak of the impending end of the world, in one of the small kingdoms, a dream of the birth of a new empire is taking shape...

Loving Family

The primary religious, economic, and military organization in the world. It is led by the Matriarch (spiritual leader) and the Strict Father (leader of Inquisition). Located in the impregnable stone castle known as the Stone of Faith. Only the Loving Family can produce Gold coins and Holy Rings.

Stone of Faith

A massive, impregnable stone castle on a mountain, surrounded by water, in which the Matriarch sits on the Crimson Throne and serves as the head of the Church of Mother Sophia. Once the citadel of the Crimson Empire, the fortress passed to the Loving Family during the War of the Sacred Flame. Inside the Stone of Faith there are shelters where selected noble families can survive the Great Purification.

Great Purification

It is preached that despite the great mercy of Mother Sophia and the care of the Loving Family, over time people increasingly violate the commandments and fall into sin and heresy. In the name of her love for humanity, Mother Sophia raises wild barbarian tribes that come and destroy the cities of these fallen creatures. Only the righteous survive, saved by the Loving Family, who admits them into the Stone of Faith, where they can endure several centuries of Dark Ages. Afterward, the gates open, and the Great Cycle begins again with the construction of a new Crimson Empire.

Church of Mother Sophia

The dominant religion with significant power. The supreme body of the church is the Loving Family, led by the Matriarch. The church maintains a personal presence in all major cities of Norland through its bishops. The dogma of the church is described in the sacred books "Revelations of Sophia" and "Testimony of Truth".

Revelations of Sophia

A book of revelation written in a mysterious and symbol-filled language, spoken from the perspective of Mother Sophia herself. The book provides a vast field for interpretation, highlighting the following symbols as key elements: fire, key, and duality.

Testimony of Truth

The sacred book of the Church of Mother Sophia. Contains eschatology and basic canons intended for a wide range of believers. The book addresses questions about the history of creation and the prediction of the world's demise, as well as commandments for subjects of the faith. Among the commandments is a prohibition on building structures of stone taller than a person's knee and the preaching of obedience. Furthermore, the book interprets the logia of Sophia's Revelation to justify holy war against any heresy, laying the foundation for Church fanaticism and the establishment of the Inquisition. It was written by Matriarch Jadwiga in the second half of the 27th century, shortly before the conclusion of the War of Sacred Flame, and served as a stringent response to the radicalism of Cainism.

Matriarch Jadwiga

The legendary Matriarch of the Church of Mother Sophia at the end of the Crimson Empire. Under the leadership of Jadwiga, The Loving Family emerged victorious in the War of Sacred Flame and, through the Charter of Humility, laid the foundations of the modern world order. Matriarch Jadwiga authored the Testimony of Truth and was the first Matriarch on the Crimson Throne.

Crimson Empire

Once developing from a small colony of Tanaya in the west, the Crimson Empire, thanks to innovations in military and bureaucratic affairs obtained from Makha, eventually swallowed up half of Norland, displacing the indigenous inhabitants of the central plains - Varns - and putting another local people, the Kaiden, into its service. Shortly after rapid expansion came the Golden Age, whose balance remained constant: the empire is ruled by Tanaya, the few Makha engage in culture and philosophy in their old semi-independent cities, the Kaiden live on the border, defending it and earning their living through military service, while the Varn reside in the east, providing food supplies to the growing population through trade. However, centuries of balance were disrupted by the heresy that sprouted in the Makha cities - Cainism - and the subsequent War of Sacred Flame marked the end of the unified Empire, giving rise to the so-called New Kingdoms. Only thanks to the titanic efforts of the Church of Mother Sophia, the world did not descend into a prehistoric level, and for many centuries now, a new balance has been maintained, upheld by the Matriarch and the priests of the church.

War of the Sacred Flame

A war between the Church of Mother Sophia and the heretical Cainite sect that took place from 2652 to 2692. The Church and the Emperor turned a blind eye to the Cainite heresy for a long time after it first emerged in the cities of the Makha. But after several years of aggressive preaching, when riots and arson of Holy Sophia temples began throughout the west, the empire responded with repression, and the heretical cities rebelled in kind, inciting a vast war between the two sects. The war went on with varying success until 2691, when the emperor Maximilian died in battle, leaving no heirs. The empire was on the brink of complete chaos and destruction when the Matriarch Jadwiga ascended to the Crimson Throne. Seeking an end to the war, she promised amnesty and independence to the rebellious provinces in exchange for access to their cities by the Holy Inquisition and proposed a new structure for the region's monarchies. The heretics agreed, and the Charter of Humility was signed, laying the foundation for the modern structure of the world. The charter set a limit on the amount of noble titles each kingdom would have access to. As for the heretics, some of them went to the Impassable Mountains in the south, where over time, they degenerated into the tribes of marauders, while others, along with the prophet Michael, retreated to the wild north forest and eventually disappeared.

Charter of Humility

A document signed by the barons of the Crimson Empire and the Loving Family, which laid the foundation for the modern structure of the world. It marked the end of the Crimson Empire, as it granted independence to the barons of their provinces, which came to be known as the New Kingdoms. Their borders were recognized as inviolable and indivisible. On the other hand, to maintain peace, the barons agreed to open their gates to the Inquisition and limit the number of titles held by lords to reduce conflicts among the heirs to the throne. The Loving Family also retained control of the Stone of Faith, an impregnable imperial fortress, where since then, successive Matriarchs have sat on the Crimson Throne.

New Kingdoms

The former provinces of the Crimson Empire have been ruled for two hundred years by the noble houses of Norland. The borders of the kingdoms are defined in the Charter of Humility and are therefore not subject to revision, though vassal and alliance relationships between kingdoms are possible.

Noble houses

Several families of lords who govern cities and hold lordly titles. Many such houses trace their lineage back to the time of the Crimson Empire, and the signatures of their ancestors are found on the Charter of Humility. The Loving Family ensures that no noble house gains too much power and challenges its authority.

Cainism

A heretical doctrine from the late era of the Crimson Empire. While the teachings of Mother Sophia consider her brother Cain as the first murderer and an evil antagonist against her benevolence, Cainists claim instead that Cain was the benevolent god, who stood against Sophia's dominion and perished at her hands while defending humanity from her oppression. Cainists consider the strength of human will as the primary virtue and reject many of the moral norms of Mother Sophia's teachings. Originating on the outskirts of the Crimson Empire, Cainism was spread by the prophet Michael, who claimed to have received revelations from the dead god Cain and wrote the Secret Book of the Dead. As a result of the subsequent War of Sacred Flame, Cainism was destroyed, and Michael was banished to the northern forests, where his trail was lost. However, the empire could not withstand the forty years of devastating religious war, and it disintegrated into numerous New Kingdoms ruled by noble houses. This is the state in which Norland finds itself today.

Prophet Michael

Of Makha origin, the prophet Michael was born when the War of Sacred Flame had been raging for 20 years. He made a brilliant career in the imperial church and was involved in the development of the Testimony of Truth, which laid the foundation for fanatical dogmatism and the Inquisition. In 2685, Michael was sent to one of the rebellious cities of the Cainites with a mission to create a secret society of fanatics for the Church of Mother Sophia. After several years, the mission was deemed unsuccessful, but instead of returning to the fold of the Loving Family, Michael himself converted to Cainism and soon became its leader, becoming a key figure in the war against the Church. In 2691, his heretical forces defeated Emperor Maximilian in the Battle of the Great Stone, forcing the Loving Family to flee to the imperial castle, now known as the Stone of Faith. However, after signing the Charter of Humility in 2692, he was betrayed by his comrades and fled into the northwestern forests, where he disappeared. Some apocryphal documents suggest that Michael always remained loyal to the Church, and his sudden conversion to Cainism, as well as his miraculous disappearance in the end, are part of a larger scheme.

Secret Book of the Dead

This book, written by the prophet Michael, comprises the primary doctrine of Cainism. It claims that Mother Sophia is an evil goddess who keeps humans enslaved. Her brother Cain once challenged her to free humanity, but she killed him. However, in death, Cain found freedom in the Velvet Darkness, from whence he revealed himself to Michael and instructed him to record his words and reveal them to the people. The book asserts that the Church of Mother Sophia controls people with its doctrine of submission and its prohibition on stone structures higher than knee-level. Cainists believe this allows the Loving Family to be completely invulnerable in Norland's only stone fortress, the Stone of Faith, and at any moment, they can annihilate any settlement that falls out of favor, and when the Great Purification comes, expedited by the prohibition against independent fortification, the Church holds all the power and preserves those who will continue to support its domination. Cainists believe the only way to end the Great Cycle is by rebelling against Mother Sophia.

Marauders

At the end of the War of Sacred Flame, the surviving Cainites and deserters fled to the Impassable Mountains in the south, where they found refuge and became unreachable by the Church. Over the years, they degenerated into a wild tribes, but they always retained their old faith. They also retained their skills in the production of weapons and armor and their hatred of the New Kingdoms. Despite their high combat skills and fairly good equipment, without which survival in the mountains is impossible, the marauders are afraid to attack the cities of Norland head-on. Instead, they make raids frequently when they learn about an ongoing war, rightly counting on easy prey. Marauders attack defenseless villages and imprison everyone, taking them away into the mountains. Nobody knows what happens to these unfortunate souls afterward. The Church of Mother Sophia warmly blesses the destruction of any marauder squads.

Unholy Horde

An extremely aggressive and dangerous people who follow the heresy of the Dead God. After Cainism was defeated within the New Kingdoms during the War of the Sacred Flame, the prophet Michael was banished to the northern forests, where he continued to preach his heresy outside society. The tribes embraced the Dead God and have grown significantly stronger in recent years. Now, they are ready to bring death and destruction to all of Norland, as their faith demands.

Dead God

The later teachings of the prophet Michael, which were adapted for the pagan tribes of the northern forests and develops his cult to an extreme form. It is the religion adhered to by the Unholy Horde. This contradicts traditional Cainism, as it preaches the very death of civilization that Cainism sought to prevent. According to the doctrine, the Velvet Darkness into which Cain fell after his death at the hand of Mother Sophia is a space of tranquility and will, the only place beyond the control of this rigid goddess. To be free from the endless cycles of rebirth in this world of suffering, the human soul must go there. This can be done by calling upon the Dead God Cain at the moment of death. Thus, proper death is seen as a gift of liberation to be sought. Adepts of this cult practice human sacrifice and ritual suicide. The "proper" killing of infidels is considered a special virtue, as it signifies the salvation of the soul from under the power of Sophia. The men and women of the Horde are all strong warriors trained from childhood who are not afraid to die. This makes the raids of the Unholy Horde, which are religious feats for the cultists, especially dangerous. During their raids, they not only kill everyone and burn cities but also make a special effort to destroy books that they consider abominations, which they believe the Church uses to control people. Adherents wear masks that help them deal with excessive emotions and attachments.