Castille

Culture

At the pinnacle of the Castillian social ladder are the King and Church, which are considered equal— although there is currently some debate about this among the nobility, as many refuse to acknowledge the rule of a boy over the Church. Next come Grandes who retain land—and therefore produce for the country’s economy—and then those without land. The Grandes are divided nto three classes. The highest nobles are those with direct familial connections with the King. The second tier consists of nobles with land and title. Finally, the third tier, the hidalgos, includes those with title but no land. Castille has a great number of disenfranchised nobility since the War of the Cross ended twenty years ago. They have not recovered still. Since the War of the Cross and the surprise invasion from Montaigne, much of Castille’s nobility has lost its standing and its land. Most of it was snatched up by the Church. Because of these factors, Castillians do not consider social status—save that of such folk as the High King or Hierophant—to be of much concern. Seeing a noble selling his sword for coins, drunk in the local tavern, reduces the mystique of landed title. For generations, the life of a commoner in Castille had been easier than in most Nations. Plenty of schools, hospitals and other services provided by the Church made the Castillian peasant class one of the most privileged in all of Théah. The most important aspect of Castille’s social structure is the family. There is no such concept as “extended family” in Castille. Cousins are family. Uncles are family. Second cousins twice removed are family. The family traces its heritage back to a single founder—almost always a matriarch—and keeps a picture of her in the house. Those with the means usually purchase smaller portraits to wear around their necks. The Castillians know, deep in their hearts, that as long as a person has their blood in his veins, he is a member of the family. No matter what his sins, he will always have a place in the family. Only the most unforgivable sins—the murder of a family member or the like—will force a family to use its most dreaded punishment: ostracism. Until the Montaigne invasion, the two classes of themselves in very different ways. The peasants are typically very happy and outgoing, which can be seen in the zest of their daily festivities. Unless directed differently by their employers, they only work four or five hours at a time, taking a long break in between shifts for siesta, a time for rest and friendly sport. Though many in Théah point to this as a sign of sloth, few doubt the Castillians’ fervor. Horse parades, street dancing, sermons, bands and contests of skill and daring dot the streets of Castille’s cities and villages during siesta. While the nobility have always remained above such activity, they have the same Castillian blood burning in their veins. They are known to be very regimented and proper, dedicated to appearances. They are well educated, and have always spent their time appreciating fine art and listening to fine music. Though they have consorted with the peasantry before, they have never joined in their celebrations. Never before now. The inordinate number of displaced Grandes within Castille, driven from their homes by the war, find it hard to adapt to their new circumstances, and many find the lifestyle of the lower classes appealing. Those in a position to entice their land-holding brothers and sisters arrange private gatherings of the nobility, but others have even been found enjoying the company of their lessers within their own homes. The Church has so far remained quiet about this odd situation. This is mostly due to the fact that they are unsure how it affects the Castillian public as a whole. History has bred the instinct that mixing the classes is wrong, but the spirits of the people seem to be at an all-time high since the invasion, as if it were a blessing in disguise.
Black and fiery colors form the basic theme for all Castillian clothing. This results in a dark base color with trim, sigils and other adornments in passionate shades of yellow, orange and red. The Castillians consider dress a badge of honor and deportment,so style and pattern tend to change from one finca to another. Even the poor regularly acquire small amounts of dyed cloth to stitch into their outfits somewhere. In their case, this is not meant to imply royal status or flair, but simply that they are proud to be Castillian. Traditional Castillian male garb includes the sombrero (a hat, usually wide-brimmed), short, close-fitting vests, snug pants and a cummerbund. Leggings are often worn on finca, where the legs must be better shielded. When traveling or at social gatherings, scarves, gloves, cuffs and collars are also worn. Embroidery, metal studs, buttons and buckles are the main decorative accents. Young, unmarried women tend to stand out in Castille—their clothing is mostly white or cream—but they often wear colorful kerchiefs. As women age, their fashion embraces a powerful mix of brilliant designs as they grow older and settle down. Married women wear a great deal of color. Crimsons, bright blues, and dark greens are common, accented— by the nobles—with black. The skirts are full with strands of colored beads draping downward. They tie their hair in elaborate coifs with many small and medium-sized braids, hanging down over their necks in woven loops.

Public Agenda

Knowing Castille’s history, you would think the nation would be a fragmented mess. Foreign incursions have pitted its inhabitants against one another— tribe against tribe, ducado (duchy) against ducado, Théan against Crescent, Inquisitor against heretic, Vaticine against Objectionist. The people’s relationship with their government is similarly divisive. Castille has fallen from a scientific and economic pioneer to a limping, wounded and bankrupted nation. The Inquisition has taken the King and sent many into hiding. Nevertheless, the people cleave together in spirit, faith and identity. They have supported one another through war and loss, worshipped together despite vast differences and said to every other nation: all these things, different as they may seem, are Castille. In the 13th Century, when the Third Prophet moved the seat of the Vaticine Church to Castille in an explosive conflict with the Crescents called the Moonshadow War, he divided Castille into ducados. He granted noble titles to the officers of the Blazing Blade, his army. Each of the five noble houses which had served the Prophet bravely and loyally became a ducado’s Gran Duque or Gran Duquesa—or simply “Grande.” Unity is the key to Castille’s recovery. Working together, Castillians will reclaim the safety, security and glory lost over the past hundred years. But Castillian unity is also the key to Cardenal Esteban Verdugo’s plan to subjugate Théah and then the world to his Inquisition. It is up to your Heroes to determine which of these outcomes lies in store for Castille.

Assets

Currency

The Castillian economy is supported mainly by its prolific farming, lumbering and mining efforts. Together they represent better than ninety percent of the export revenue for the country, and supply nearly all of the resources required by those within its borders. The excess is either tithed to the Church, stored within the King’s coffers or devoted to projects of national interest. This highly productive situation stems mostly from the Church of the Prophets and their methodical administration of Castille’s natural resources. All lands are studied and all resources catalogued; they track flora, fauna and mineral deposits with painstaking precision. Recaudadores, or “tax collectors,” interact directly with the Grandes. Should any fail to provide their required minimum, the recaudadores must both report it to the King (or, because of recent circumstances, the Church) and find a way for the Grande to make amends. This can take the form of a percentage of the Grande’s lands, or a gift of equal value to the Crown, such as the hand of a favored son or daughter or a service to either the King or the Church. It is rare that a Grande refuses to accept the terms of a failed contract with the recaudadores, but when it happens, “armed reconciliation” may be used—soldiers arrive at the Grande’s finca and demand compensation or the immediate surrender of his lands. Lastly, over one-third of the country and its rich farmland was utterly destroyed by Montaigne’s military in the last four years. The forethought of the Church has staved off a crisis, but they did not plan for the sudden explosion of disenfranchised Grandes whose lands and holdings are now worthless. Many in Castille hope to see those nobles compensated for for the damage wrought by the Emperor’s forces, but there is little hope that the Sun King will suddenly regret his military adventures. The national coin is the doubloon, which is highly regarded for exchange in all nearby countries. The Guilder is also becoming a standard within the country—much to the chagrin of neighboring Vodacce merchants.

Military

When Montaigne invaded four years ago, an unprecedented number of volunteers flocked to join Castille’s army, but their numbers were sorely tested over four years of intense fighting. Now, Castille struggles to maintain a sufficient standing force, especially around key areas south of the Dracheneisen Mountains and east of the Frothing Bay. Castille’s navy, devastated by the loss of the Castillian Armada, struggles to patrol and defend its waters. It is well known that Castillians fight with their hearts and souls as much as their bodies and minds, but many in the military are slowly losing hope that they can adequately defend their country if the Emperor decides to again attack. In addition to their capable soldiers, Castillians rely heavily on military technology. The Castillian fortresses possess wheeled cannons and tracked cannon rings used to change the direction of the gun, technology that is much faster than lifting and carrying cannons into position. Advances in chemistry have developed a higher grade of gunpowder, allowing for a greater explosive charge using less powder. By far the greatest innovation of the military, however, was the recent use of prepacked powder charges for muskets. These charges allow Castillian musketeers to do away with their clumsy powder horns. They can now load and fire significantly faster than other Théan soldiers. Further experiments are being conducted to create measured powder charges for cannons.

History

A Castillian is as traditional as he is willful. To understand the person, you must first understand his traditions. Everything begins with family, and family begins with the mother. The nomadic tribes who first settled Castille could only trace lineage through maternal lines. Paintings on cavern walls show elder matriarchs serving as chieftains, seeking marriage and alliances with other large, well-provisioned tribes. Placing women, especially mothers, on pedestals may seem attractive compared to Castille’s misogynistic neighbor Vodacce, but the weight of expectations and preconceived gender roles brings its own headaches. Castille was the first Vaticine nation in Théah. In the early days of the Vaticine church, when Emperor Corantine’s Empire stretched far and wide, the southern reaches of Castille hosted Vaticine churches. While the history of the Empire’s occupation of Castille is suspect, no one denies that the people of Castille have been Vaticine since the first Prophet, and the church has always been a large part of their life. A Castillian who can claim an unbroken lineage to the first Vaticines in Castille never ceases to remind you of the fact. To this day, a Castillian displays public and fervent performance of his faith, to show his solidarity with his neighbors and the Vaticine Church. To an outsider, one identifies with Castille; to another Castillian, one identifies with one’s ducado. The ducados evolved from the five kingdoms that formed when the Old Empire dissolved—Aldana, Torres, Zepeda, Soldana and Odisea. Unwilling to risk their lives in the chaos at him in Vodacce, soldiers stranded in Castille threw open their castrum gates. They comingled with Castillian tribes, and in the south, Ifrian seafarers and settlers. To the rest of the world, a Castillian is devoted to Castille. But to another Castillian, she is a patriotic Aldanensa, Torreña, Zepedana, Soldanensa or Odisean, proud of her ducado’s dialect, history, character and culture. She is perhaps derisive towards neighboring ducados and certainly enjoys the friendly rivalry each area has against the other. Understanding and controlling these regions’ relationships has always been the key to ruling Castille. Let them do as they please, and they fragment into independent countries, each one internally strong but too small to resist outside pressure from larger powers. But, roll them into a single indivisible entity, and the regions’ individualistic character and history of autonomy makes them stubborn, restive and rebellious.

Demography and Population

Vaticine City

The Vaticine Island has been inhabited since well before the Numanari Empire invaded and controlled Castille. High, rocky cliffs characterize most of its coastline, occasionally punctuated with viable harbors. The cliffs are easily defensible against approaching ships, making the Vaticine Island a choice prize in conflicts between coastal peoples. It changed hands between Numa, the Crescent Empire, Castille and Vodacce every few years of its history until the Third Prophet settled there during the Moonshadow War. The island prooved a choice location to launch a war across all of Théah. The tribes inhabiting the Vaticine Island raised sheep and farmed wheat, supplementing those staples with oats, barley, olives and grapes. Artisanal cheeses made from local sheep’s milk and sold off the island at an appalling markup—primarily in Vodacce, Ifri and Castille—are one of the island’s most famous exports.

Ducado de Soldano

Ducado de Soldano is Castille’s largest ducado, and the agricultural heartland of the country. Soldano was the last of the old Castillian kingdoms to acquiesce to Crescent interlopers, but has always resisted Crescent influence. In fact, many nobles from elsewhere in Castille, fleeing Crescents, resettled in northern Soldano or Torres until the Third Prophet. When the Blazing Blade swept in, they conquered Soldano first, even though it was farther from the Third Prophet’s home base than others. Soldano’s enthusiastic military support led the Prophet to ennoble many locals, such that four out of every five Soldanensa are hidalgos. Haciendas, Castillian versions of the Vodacce villa rustica, appeared in Soldano and then spread throughout Castille. These expansive, self-sufficient agricultural estates produce olive oil, wine, cereals and livestock. Most have at least one workshop for a carpenter, blacksmith or similar. Farther from cities, they may also have chapels, warehouses, even mines in the highlands. Vodacce influence on Castillian architecture persists in the atrio, an enclosed yard within a residential building, which features herb gardens, decorative plants, fonts of water, and open spaces for parties or duels to the death. Within this peaceful, decorated space, expatriates used to pretend they still lived at home in Vodacce. It was on Ducado de Soldano land that Castille’s army finally halted the Montaigne advance. Montaigne sustained heavy losses trying to cross the heavily defended Sophie du Lac River, then wasted still more resources chasing Castillian guerrillas into the northern forest. When l’Empereur finally sounded the retreat, his armies fled to transport ships on the western coast rather than pulling back through Ducado de Torres. Soldano has become a symbol for Castillian defense—a fact which smarts to many Torreña, who gave so much so that Soldano could have a victory. Proximity to Eisen has made Soldano a natural haven for Castillian Objectionists. The local Grande, Diego Ruiz, has publicly declared his opposition to such Objectionists and pledged that the Inquisition has the full cooperation of his government in rooting them out. Practically speaking, he has neither the inclination nor the ability to distinguish local Objectionists from Eisen-influenced Castillians.

Ducado de Aldana

Aldana’s bountiful coastline and warm weather made it Castille’s first settled region. In 1257, the Third Prophet installed the northwestern Casa de Aldana to replace the Crescent-friendly former Grandes. Abounding in open terrain and good harbors, Aldana is the capital of the Castillian equestrian tradition and the most economically stable in a financially troubled country. Horses, decorated horse-drawn calesas and fine leather saddles from Aldana used to be in great demand, back when more Castillians had the money for that kind of transportation. These days, the calesas are not so colorful anymore, since they are often full of Inquisitors. In addition to Castillians, Crescents and Ifrians, Tamatama nomads are more populous in Ducado de Aldana than in other regions. The Tamatama originated as a caste of traveling entertainers on a subcontinent far to Théah’s southeast, spreading across Crescent territory and into Théah over the course of centuries. They make a reliable living traveling from festival to festival and noble court to noble court, learning local songs and dances before performing them at their next stop.

Ducado de Torres

Bordering Montaigne to the west, Eisen to the north and el Ducado de Soldano to the southeast, the northwestern region (once called Bagaudak until about forty years ago) features high mountains on the Montaigne border and the coast near San Juan, with light forest everywhere else. The locals were shepherds, ranchers, vintners, fishers and foresters, with close cultural ties to Montaigne. But the War of the Cross and the Montaigne invasion devastated the region. Mountain citadels, the origin of the name “Torres,” replaced picturesque highland villages, hastily constructed and just as hastily cast down. The sleepy countryside became battlefields salted with the blood of people forced to fight whether they wanted to or not. Divided loyalties tore families apart as some rushed to defend Castille and others refused to fight Montaigne soldiers they considered to be their own blood. The once-large family of the Grande de Torres in particular has been decimated. Many of their noble sons and daughters launched into combat before they were ready, willing or able. Ducado de Torres proves particularly hospitable to society’s personae non gratae. Théans without the means to book passage to Aragosta or Fort Freedom can venture into the warzone that is Ducado de Torres, in order to avoid whomever is looking for them. There, they become petty warlords, ruling over ruined towers. Barcino is the best known and best reputed of these citadels, but many others dot the war-torn wastelands.

Ducado de Zepeda

At a glance, Zepeda is not much to look at. The picturesque islands in the northeast would be lovely places to build sumptuous estates or fish were they not swarming with pirate galleys. The mountains in the heartland are forbidding and barren. The Vagabundo Swamps in the south were actually named not for the masked vigilante, but for the traveling riverboat folk who pole from one end to the other keeping bees and catching fish, snails, shellfish and frogs—though the depths of the swamp are rumored to hide El Vagabundo about as often as Sandoval Forest. Yet these mountains are the jewel in Castille’s crown. Some of Théah’s finest iron short of dracheneisen comes from these highlands. Zepeda is one of the most modern and technologically advanced of the ducados, with Rioja and the mountains nearby rumored to be lousy with secret Invisible College laboratories. A Zepedana engineer can find work anywhere in Castille, renowned for her work ethic, forthright sense of humor and knack for jury-rigging ingenious devices.

Odiseo (Ducado de Gallegos)

The march of history brought most of Castille closer together with every passing era; but the southern peninsula of Odiseo just grows stranger and stranger. The Castillian crown has always coveted the revenue and resources from Odiseo’s dense highland forests and extensive coastline replete with natural harbors. While the other kingdoms of Castille have put aside their differences, subordinating their individual characters in the greater Castillian identity, Odiseo remains an outlier. Welcome to the land where the only natives are foreigners. Odiseo’s seafaring tradition is Théah’s most robust. The country is mostly coastline, and the inland hills are densely forested with diverse species of chestnut, oak and pine. Odiseo has always been at the forefront of nautical technology: as soon as anyone built any kind of ship anywhere else, some damn fool Odisean started thinking about how he could get his own. The port cities in Odiseo (which is all of them) abound in foreign goods and foreign faces; if you brave the pickpockets and the press of the crowd, you can find Cathayan silk, Nahuacan feather work and Khemetic cotton, along with some pretty great stories about how they got here. The power struggles that have washed over Castille have affected Odiseo somewhat differently. hile the other four Kingdoms of Castille resisted alliance with the Crescent Empire, King Fúlvio V of Odiseo married an Amazigh princess and invited her to rule alongside him. His nation did not mind, and Princess Tajeddigt was good at her job. She and her successors built up enough goodwill that when the Third Prophet marched into Odiseo, the locals were resistant—the Prophet ordered them to bring out anyone who did not believe in him, but they refused. The Prophet stormed home, empty-handed. World travel has made the Odisean into an adaptable and mannerly person; yet his nation-within-anation has always existed on the edge of independence, even in the periods of greatest Castillian unity. Northern Castille’s greater military might and greater supply of iron ore would damn Odiseo in any kind of land war—at least, now that the ducado has no Crescent support. During the War of the Cross, the Rex Castilium increased taxes and commandeered ships for an Armada, which Odiseo advised against. A new independence movement caught fire in Odiseo, one which advocated reaching out to Ifrian powers for help against a Castillian army, busy in the far north. Officially, Odiseo’s seat of government is Lisso, on the northern coast, a city that covers a pair of peninsulas, which point towards Ducado de Aldana’s southern shore. The ineffectual Governor Carlos Pérez rules here, though few Odiseans seem to have noticed. To Odiseans, the real capital is San Felipe. Odiseo’s Grande, Uxía Serafin, no longer has politicalpower like the other Grandes. When the Odisean independence movement gained enough traction to scare the late King Aldana, he appointed Governor Carlos Pérez to rule Odiseo. Mostly, everyone ignores him, and Serafin does as she pleases in San Felipe. With Cardenal Verdugo centralizing more power around his Inquisition, she has become Castille’s most powerful regional leader. A noted wit and polyglot whose letters and essays appear in Katabanic, Castillian, Odisean and occasionally even Numanari, she entertains a bevy of eager suitors from all corners of the Widow’s Sea, from Numanari senators to Vendel financiers. If you are a gambler, the odds right now favor the highborn Amazigh adventurer Ihsan al-Ibādi, the rumored heir to a notable emirate in North Ifri. Such a match would have significant implications for Odiseo’s relationship with North Ifri and Castille.

Military

The Castillian Army

Until 1618, Castille’s jinete (cavalry) was its most famous troop type. Mounted on warhorses from Aldana, she could fight as heavy cavalry like Théan knights or as light cavalry like a Crescent lancer and horse archer. The infantry was nothing to speak of. Enter the tercios. Organized and drilled with geometric precision, these new troops consisted of veteran soldiers, hardened as mercenaries abroad or marines in combat on the Widow’s Sea. Many battle-scarred former pirate or notorious bandit went inland to take the King’s doubloon, attracted by promise of amnesty, a lavish salary and the opportunity for hidalgo status. A tercio's facility in using many different weapons—long pikes, modern flintlocks, short swords and shields—to support one another devastated Montaigne’s cavalry. His efficiency in battle led Eisen and others to adopt similar types of units, though Castille’s were always the fiercest and most deadly. While everyone in Théah feared Castille’s front-line soldiers, one of the nation's greatest strengths was almost unknown to anyone outside the army. These were the galenos, who drew upon Castille’s considerable medical and scientific knowledge as combat medics. This individual used a cross of alchemical and scientific approaches, making her combat medicine the quickest and most efficient in all of Théah.

A Costly Endeavor

The tercios' early success bought false hope for Castille. Overconfidence pushed the army further afield into Eisen, and soon the ground forces were stretched thin. Supply trains stretched from Castille into Eisen, but keeping those safe proved both difficult and costly. The longer the war raged, the more resources Castille devoted to the fight. Additionally, Cardenal Verdugo viewed the tercios' success as a threat. Many of the trained fighters in the tercio units were cutthroats and bandits, turned military soldiers. During the war, Cardenal Verdugo secretly ordered hundreds of Inquisition agents to sabotage the flow of food, armaments and medical supplies to the front lines. Eisen and Montaigne forces mysteriously obtained maps and battle plans that enabled surgical strikes against baggage trains. Slowly, Verdugo isolated the Castillian army. Three decades of unproductive war far from home drained Castille’s treasury and morale, the nation's early advantage becoming a frustrating deadlock. The Castillian Armada, a massive fleet of warships, was the nation's last hurrah, built largely on credit in hopes that a subjugated Avalon would pay off the debt. It did not. Bad weather and the Sea Dogs sank the ships. Every tercio waited for compensation, which never came. When Montaigne invaded, the crown called on tercios again, with promises of land and riches for staving off invasion. Some believe Verdugo instigated the invasion, while others credit l’Empereur with enough strategic wit to see that Castille was failing. Either way, as the invasion forces turned away, a tercio once again looked towards his nation for payment he knew by now would never come. Many deserted, and had Montaigne known the half of it, it would have never recalled its troops. Over time, Castille went from the richest, most advanced Théan nation to the most impoverished and indebted. The final added insults to injury were King Salvador Aldana’s death and Cardenal Verdugo’s removal of King Sandoval to Vaticine City.

Religion

Since the seat of the Church of the Prophets was moved to Castille in 1257, the country has been the example for piety in modern Théah. It brings the Castillians a great amount of political influence, which garners Castille additional diplomatic posts in all the major cities of the world. Along with those benefits came a great responsibility—to uphold the blessed image of the Prophets, and act in accordance with the many edicts of their Church. It has not been easy. Since the time of the Third Prophet, the Church’s stance on forgiveness and mercy has shifted. As the years passed, that stance shifted even more. Finally, within the last ten years, the gathering threat of the Inquisition has turned into a storm. Castille is held firmly within its grasp, a fact that High Inquisitor Verdugo does not want to change any time soon.

Foreign Relations

Avalon

Due to the “heathen” activities of the present Queen of Avalon, Elaine, there is a great deal of animosity between Castille and the island kingdom. But even the spiteful Concilio de la Razón is not willing to act against her at this time, content instead to support her enemies and wait for her to fall from grace.

Eisen

The armored lunatics of Eisen have proven themselves a threat in the past, but one look at their ruined lands and teetering rulership is enough to dispel the possibility for another invasion from the north.

Montaigne

The Montaigne currently bear the brunt of Castille’s scorn for foreigners of all sorts. Prior to their invasion, no military troops except those directly controlled by the Castillians themselves had set foot upon Castillian soil for six hundred years—a very long time for hatreds to brew, as many Montaigne soldiers who served on the frontlines of the war would attest.

Pirate Nations

With the destruction of the Castillian Armada and little hope in sight for the Nation to put another fleet to sea, the Brotherhood of the Coast and the Buccaneers may provide some limited defense against the Sun King’s ships.

Sarmatian Commonwealth

Many within Castille look at the recent development of Golden Liberty as a progressive step forward. Some have even mentioned Castille should follow in the Commonwealth’s footsteps. But the prevailing powers in Castille rejected such a ridiculous idea. The Commonwealth is backwards—like most Eastern Théan Nations—and has no idea of progress. They are trying to recapture the great days of the Numanari Republic…days which are clearly nothing more than myth. And there is no point in chasing myth.

Ussura

Castillians travel far less than most, and those who do are rarely interested in the vast plains and deep forests of the Ussurans. Outside of standard diplomatic relations, religious pilgrimages and matters of continental war, the two countries have had very little to do with one another.

Vestenmennavenjar

“Of all the crooked con men of the world, we hate the Vesten the least.” Beyond this statement—made by the late King of Castille—nothing can be gleaned of the relationship between these two distant nations.

Vodacce

Between the animosity of the Church divisions and the constant quarreling between the pompous nobles of both countries, castillian relations with Vodacce are at an all-time low. The most recent demands by Vodacce merchants and inflammatory statements of their Cardinals have only served to worsen the tension along the Vaticine Gulf, and the Grandes have begun to call for additional patrols to ensure their safety.

“Castillians live their lives as they play their guitars: with unbridled passion and relentless precision.” — Lady Sophie de Lac

Maps

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  Castille

  Founded by one of the oldest of the Old Empire’s families, Castille has been shaped by many forces. It shared an alliance with the Crescent Empire, warred with Avalon and Montaigne, and currently houses the heart of the Vaticine Church. However, despite hundreds of years of invasions—military and otherwise— the heart of Castille has never changed. It was, is and always will be a nation devoted to its people.

Founding Date

297 AV

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Capital

El Alcázar

Demonym

Castillan

Leader

King Salvador Aldana

Head of Government

El Concilio de la Razón

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Power Structure

Confederation

Economic System

Traditional

Currency

The national coin is the doubloon, which is highly regarded for exchange in all nearby countries. The Guilder is also becoming a standard within the country—much to the chagrin of neighboring Vodacce merchants.

Legislative Body

El Concilio de la Razón

El Concilio de la Razón is the highest governmental power in all of Castille. Eight cardenales sit on El Concilio: one from each ducado, one from the “Ducado de Ultramar” (the Castillian colonies in the New World), one from the Sandoval family and one representing Vaticine City. Members of the Concilio are a mix of Heroes and Villains and may show up to help or hinder Heroes moving through Castille.

El Cardenal de Ciudad Vaticinia

Nagore Loyola represents Vaticine City. Mentored in the Maxentine Seminary by the Cardenal’s lover, Inquisitor Loyola is the closest thing Cardenal Verdugo has to a protégée. She replaced him as Vaticine city's representative after the Hierophant died. She has one major weakness: she genuinely likes King Sandoval. She doesn’t just make decisions for him; she ensures that he understands what she does and why. It is only a matter of time before someone goes above her head and reports her actions to her mentors, and she prepares for that by gathering as many allies as possible.

El Cardenal del Ducado de Ultramar

Itzamatul of Tzak K’an represents the New World, a position which requires him to keep up with many different countries and a great deal of information. An ardent convert and a talented writer, he is an extreme rarity in the Vaticine world, a popular Cardenal. The people genuinely like him, opening up to him where they might hide from other Church officials. On those rare occasions when the Inquisition needs to defuse a situation with grace, Itzamatul is the best man for the job…if he can find time in his schedule.

El Cardenal del Ducado de Torres

The youngest member of El Concilio, Emilio Crespo de Torres has led the Inquisition’s new campaign to syncretize pagan figures with Vaticine saints. When Torres stubbornly resisted the Inquisition’s efforts to eliminate Castillian paganism, Crespo suggested a softer approach. He decided to convince Torreños that the old gods and their favorite saints are one and the same. The work is slow, but Emilio seems to enjoy roaming the Castillian countryside looking for converts.

El Cardenal del Ducado de Zepeda

Jafet Moreno de Zepeda is the most violent and extreme of the Inquisitors. A reformed pirate, he led the Prophet’s Sword—the militant branch of the Inquisition—in violent raids on the Inquisition’s most feared enemies until he lost the use of his legs in combat with a bruja. A quiet man with glowering eyes, which never seem to blink, he is always quick to remind El Concilio that the only sure way to eliminate a threat is to see it die before you. He is not one to tangle with and is likely to cause problems for Heroes who attempt to move against the Inquisition.

El Cardenal del Ducado de Aldana

Pastora Losa de Aldana, a respected judge in the Prophet’s Hourglass, who has sent many a heretic to a fate harsher than he deserved, intends to retire within the year, with Cardenal Verdugo's blessing. She served the Inquisition faithfully for seventy years and wishes to spend her remaining years with her grandchildren and her hobbies (painting pewter soldiers, mostly). With her seniority, she could appoint anyone she pleases to her vacated seat. She does not have anyone in mind, and she is looking for the right bribe to make her final decision.

El Cardenal del Ducado de Soldano

Patricia Abana de Soldano is the Cardenal most concerned with temporal matters. She comes from a family that has maintained the same gorgeous hacienda and bountiful fields since the beginning of Castillian history. She is one of the few members of el Concilio who is not a member of the Inquisition. A fact that chafes on Cardenal Verdugo, but he is loath to remove her when the people respond so well to her. She maintains that the best way to earn the people’s loyalty is to make the Church indispensable to their daily lives—an approach made particularly effective by distributing food or medical care in these trying times. Someone with her ear could certainly direct aid to places in the most need.

El Cardenal del Ducado de Gallegos

Fátima Campos de Gallegos is the newest appointment to El Concilio. She was a Bishop when Cardenal Verdugo hand-picked her over outrage from the Archbisops from her region. He was more interested in her ability as a spy, having worked for King Aldana in Gallegos. Verdugo’s move did little to placate the already volatile ducado, and Fátima walks a fine line with church officials from her home. Fátima’s instinct is never to trust anyone—an approach that has transitioned poorly to politics. She hasn’t quite gotten the hang of making potent connections or reaching across the aisle in the much more complicated political climate of Vaticine City. However, she has assembled secret dossiers on all the other members of El Concilio “just in case.” She might not be sympathetic to King Sandoval’s position, but she is loyal. She could be a potent ally in bringing down the Inquisition, if she had enough motivation.

El Cardenal de Familia Sandoval

Modesto Mejía de Sandoval is an eccentric from the Sandoval Forest, with a shrub-like hairdo and beard and a rustic manner of dress. He once belonged to an obscure and small religious order, but after it disbanded, he entered the Inquisition…or, at least, that is what he tells people. The truth is that Inquisitor Mejía is a busgosu—a goat man. Under his messy hair are two short horns, and under his voluminous robe are goat legs. As a youth, like many busgosus, he loved to play cruel pranks on humans, the last of which involved dressing up as a priest and preaching a false gospel to unsuspecting Vaticines. To his great surprise, he proved a prodigy at sermonizing, inadvertently converting not only many humans, but also himself. Like Itzamatul, he is a well-liked Inquisitor, though more of a speaker than a writer. While he hides in plain sight, he has gotten in way over his head and fears discovery. He would happily abdicate his position if someone could help him escape without notice.

Deities

• The Prophets

Location

Théah