A large empire occupying most of the central part of the Oceania continent. This empire is several thousand years old  and the land it occupies is huge. (2000 miles east to west, 1500 miles north to south) The Setab family has been the rulers since its founding, but the blood of the family has long since run thin. Overall this Empire is in a state of decline. The once perfect Central Trade Road (stretched from coast to coast) has fallen into disrepair, with long stretches hardly more then a pot hole filled dirt trail now. The Legion which used to patrol the road has deteriorated into common militia who are a shadow of the past.

The Setab family has also suffered a fall. Through bad luck, inbreeding, assassinations, and other factors the family line has gone from visionary to petty ruler-ship. Some twenty years ago, Emperor Caier (pronounced Care) Setab decided that a war would be of benefit to the Empire. It was his thought that it would increase tax revenue, bolster the army, and allow him to gain control over the Empire again. The Lord Governors who managed the seven provinces of the Empire had pretty much paid only token attention the Emperor for the past several generations, and they acted much as their own Kingdom.

So for two years Caier Setab issued summons to the Lord Governors, began drafting all males ages 14-25 into the military and then required the Governors to send him 20% of their military. His Precept was an ambitious man known as Bale Gaithan. His story is told elsewhere, but Bale was ruthless and efficient, and he made sure that the Emperor was getting the best of the troops, not the green or infirm.

The two years passed, and the Emperor had a large standing military. This force was draining the imperial coffers dry, but the time for expansion was approaching. Enter the Mageocracy.

The Mageocracy is described below, but in summary their lands are rich with minerals and reputed magic. They have a small standing army, and are often regarded as quacks and charlatans to the uninitiated. They seem to be a land ready for conquest. Their mountainous terrain had saved them in the past, they really weren’t worth the trouble to conquer and occupy while the Empire was at its zenith. For years now though greedy Nobility from the Empire had eyes on the precious gems and minerals that lay untouched in many of the mountains there. After all they would really be doing them a favor by bringing civilization to their barbaric mountains.

The time then was right for conquest and a rebirth of the Great Empire. Troops were moved, and the largest army perhaps ever assembled stood ready. The command was given, and the conquest began. At first the only difficulty was moving that many troops. Long supply trains were needed and the logistics of the operation was daunting, but the Empire truly had some great minds, and now they were putting their talents to use.

The first battle occurred and the border guard of The Mageocracy was swept aside with small resistance. The troops were in good spirits and worked with steady efficiency. A few more battles were fought, with the same results. At this pace The Mageocracy would be conquered in a matter of weeks. All were asking why they hadn’t done this earlier, as it would return the Empire to its former glory and truthfully The Mageocracy would notice very little change in their day to day lives.

Meanwhile, the ruling council of The Mageocracy was deep in debate. There were some who really didn’t care if the Empire came in, they might even improve the lives of the Savants studying here. What matter are gems and metals? There were plenty for all, and it would take generations for the Empire to learn the secret tunnels and passages throughout this land. Not to mention the magical keys and protections guarding many of the passages. There were things deep in some of these places better left alone. Woe to those who disturbed such creatures!

The other side of the argument had Savants ready to unleash a magical storm upon the armies. There would be permanent damage, the extent of which people were not even sure. Better to die fighting then to live as slaves to The Empire they said. Still though, there were whispers about the Scorching that had occurred long years ago, when the very mountains glowed red with fire and heat, and every creature was wiped from this land. That price was too great to pay.

Still a third group said they had a solution. What about The Nether? Many Savants could bend the waves of magic to their will, and reach beyond this world. In a place called The Nether, resided creatures of great strength and power. They could be summoned and controlled, and bent to the will of the caster. These fiends could be used to fight the battles. No lives would be lost, and a slain fiend simply returns to the Nether. True, fiends when uncontrolled relished humanoid flesh and bones, but there were risk to any plan, were there not?

After days of debate, the council had ruled out the middle solution, the Scorching, as the magical power needed create such as storm was Lost Magic. The few who could wield that magic were unwilling to pay the price for uncertain results.

This left Diplomacy or the Nether. The council sent representatives to talk to Bale Gaithan. What happened that day is not clear; both sides claim the other attacked first. What is known is Bale was severely injured by a magical blast that killed Savants and Empyreans alike.(The Empyreans were the name taken by Emperor Setab’s personal guard. They are detailed elsewhere.) To a man the Savants were killed. Both sides claimed treachery by the other, and there were cries for blood. Peace it seemed was no longer an option.

The council of the Mageocracy met again. Short members now, as several of their best were killed at the fateful peace conference. Blood was running hot, and a near unanimous decision was made to begin summoning an army of fiends. The Savants worked their magic day and night, and long past the point of exhaustion. The fabric of reality was warped and twisted to the point of breaking. An uneasy feeling came over the Empire’s army that caused the hair on the back of the necks to rise up. Something was just wrong, so they said.

That “something” was the army of fiends that even now was boiling up through the caverns and passages under the mountains. Creatures of all shapes and sizes were coming through rifts, to be bound by Savants. Some though would not participate, and they either locked them selves away or even switched sides, sadly a few were killed by their brothers for objecting too loudly.

When the fiend army was large enough, they were turned loose on the Empyreans. Hidden passages opened, and even the shadows came alive. Sentries were killed with nary a scream, and sleeping camps were set upon. The massacre was quick and complete, but certainly not painless. The fiends seemed to savor the death of a foe, and would extend the agony as long as they could.

Even the fiends were not completely controlled. They would often fight with their brethren, killing fiend or human. Only the Savants who held charms against them were protected. Protected from most that is, the larger fiends could ignore the pain of the charms and overcome the wills that bound them. Thus many weaker Savants were killed by their own army.

As word of this turn of events reached Bale Gaithan, he hastily retreated. Gathering the forces he had left, he made for the border of the Empire. “Fools he thought, that army you defeated these few days was but an advance group of the Empire. Fiends or not we will crush the life from these so called wise men, and pay them back for their treachery.”

The retreat was on, but the Mageocracy was not done. It was time to go from sheep to wolves…. With their army of summoned fiends, who were self sustaining, able to eat their enemies, animals, and pretty much anything they can find at hand, the offensive was on. In a few short nights they swept deep into the Empire, literally killing every living thing in their way. But then two things happened.

First, the deeper the fiends went into the Empire, the weaker they became. Going too far and they simply died. Some type of Lost Magic was at work, here. Corruption Magic had been frowned upon, but not illegal in the Empire for ages, but summoning fiends had been a high crime, much like treason. When the Emperor’s blood had been true, his family had commanded Lost Magic. It was now known why fiends had not been summoned in the Empire.

Secondly, the fiends began to adapt to this land. When they were slain, and there were bodies near by, sometimes they possessed the body! The life was gone from the corpse, but it was still able to move about and possessed many of the abilities of the fiend. Eventually the flesh would rot away, but powerful fiends could remain in the rotting corpse indefinitely. These creatures were horror stories from the past, and called Undead. The rumors of the Necropolis across the sea could in fact be based on truth then.

The Undead were not under the control of any Savants, and had an even greater hunger for the living. Soon pockets of them were out of control, feeding on the living and then moving on. They did not seem affected by the Lost Magic that weakened the Fiends.

The battle raged on, and soon the Mageocracy pulled their troops back. They set up a blockade along the entire southern border of the Empire. The Empyreans regrouped, and sent troops to deal with the Undead that remained behind. A stalemate was reached. The Emperor had an accident shortly there after, and Bale Gaithan assumed command until a “suitable” member of the Emperor’s Blood family could be found.

Nearly 20 years have passed and still status quo remains. Bale Gaithan is Emperor in all but name, the fiends still block all passages south (except for the very brave or foolish who attempt to sneak past), ice packs block the ocean to the north, and Coral Gate, The Pearl of the South, Southern Capital of the Empire, continues to do what it does best. Survive.

The Mageocracy (The Savant Lords)

Wisemen, shamen, witches, wizards, and charlatans too. These are the people who make up the Mageocracy. This diverse group lives in a mountainous area on the southern border of the Setab Empire. They have a bad reputation, and likely well deserved. They seek knowledge of magic. Lost Magic to be more specific. To this end they delve deep into the caves and tunnels of the Scorched Mountains (named because of the magical firestorm which wiped all life from several of the mountains, the cause of which is long forgotten.) It is believed that a magical race inhabited the mountains before man arrived here, because Artifacts and Relics of astounding power have been found simply left in caves, so people would believe anyway.

The Mageocracy only allow people who can manipulate reality to earn the right to live in their lands. All others are slaves, servants or visitors. They are led by council, which meets when needed, and runs the country very loosely.

The inhabitants run the gamut in terms of morals and beliefs, but some of the more radical will summon creatures called Fiends to bend to their will and serve many functions. Fiends are discussed elsewhere.

Fiends

Fiends are magical creatures summoned from a place called The Nether. The most powerful Savants are said to be able to travel and survive there, but very little record of what exists there is to be found. Fiends are found in all shapes and sizes, and varying abilities and intelligence, much like people. One thing they all have in common is a hatred for those who summon them and bind them, and a taste for warm blood. It is said that they are able to absorb the blood both as a physical food and some type of spiritual essence, for they crave the blood of the most powerful adventurers as a rare feast. It is also said Fiends savor the blood of someone who is in their death throes above all others.