Magisterium of Fealand

The heartland of a long-dead ancient empire, known for its master artificers, brilliant magewrights, and powerful wizards.

Stepping down the cobbled streets of Nishima, still wet from last night's rain, the merchants are just beginning to open. The capital city's stone buildings tower over the streets below as wizards, magewrights, clockmakers, and artificers set up shop in Cthaana Square. As mid day approaches, palanquins carried by golems and guarded by warforged soldiers shoulder through a lunchtime crowd equal parts ausrani and caisheni. Visible in the distance on a bluff in the middle of the city are the towers of Nishima University, the oldest and largest of the many Feanese colleges.

Origins

First Settlements

The first permanent setllements in the world were the palace complexes of Ancathra's draconic conquerors beginning two hundred thousand years ago. Within a few thousand years, two proper fortress-cities were founded.
In a deep valley high in the Tanatran Mountains, gnomes found refuge from the Five Emperor-Dragons. They used illusions to hide their valley from being seen from above and carefully guqrded the paths through the mountains. The city of Tanatra was founded then. It is the oldest true city in the world, almost 200,000 years old.
A few thousand years later the fey royalty of the Sylvan Kingdom of Cernoa began concentrating their forces at the crossroads that would become the city of Mathghamein. As Cernoans flocked to the military encampment seeking protection from the dragons' armies, the crossroads camp quickly (and chaotically) became the second true city in the world.
Sixteen thousand years ago, the palaces of the dragon emperors were torn down in the course of the Thousand Year Rebellion and the Last Uprising and for more than ten thousand years, the survivors of the draconic occupation were content to live in semi-nomadic caravans.
The first permant post-revolution settlement was Cinr in what would be ancient Alousia. Cinr's example was copied quickly, spreading to other ausrani caravans. Within a few hundred years, ausrani towns began to thrive, often in wetlands or river deltas. One of the earliest was Nishima, soon to become the capital of Goddossea, the other large ausrani kingdom of the Golden Age besides Alousia.

Magisterium of Godossea

Fealand was once the heartland of the ancient Magisterium of Godossea, and is the only place where the Godossean language is still widely spoken. The Magisterium governed what is now Fealand, Cernoa, and eastern Halaan.
The ancient Godosseans were renowned for the power and versatility of their mages, especially their magical creations. Godossean magic items are still highly sought after. After the Empire’s collapse in Year 0, the Feanese continued that magical experimentation, becoming masters at crafting golems, summoning elementals, and making magically-powered siege engines and artillery. They also created life, when in the year 623 A.C., the first warforged were created by crossing treants with earth elementals and iron golems.
While the Magisterium's collapse is said to have been in the year 0, it was decades before it fully broke up. First to secede was the ancient fey homeland of Cernoa, which reclaimed its independence within a few years of the fall of Alousia. A few decades later, the elven principality of Halaan would break from the empire, forming a racial caste system in their new kingdom, as well as a violent elven supremacist ideology. The final piece of old Godossea is Fealand. The new nation kept the old imperial capital of Nishima, but changed its name in honor of the Godossean war hero Feas.

The Halaanic Wars and the Founding of Fealand

The human Feas and his elven druid wife Issandr heroically led the final assault that drove back the Halaanese at the end of the Halaanic Wars in 297 A.C. Issandr survived, and their grandchildren would soon found the nation of Rhean. Feas, however, was killed. Credited with ending the Halaanese invasion, Feas became a hero of the southern remains of Godossea, and within a few years of the war's end, the remains of the Magisterium were renamed Fealand.

Government

The Magisterium of Fealand is divided up into six (formerly seven) Magistries. Each Magistry is governed by a Magister, who is always one of the most powerful arcane magic users in Fealand. An archmage, master artificer, archsorcerer, or even a powerful bard can be elevated to the position of Magister by majority vote of the other Magisters. A Magister serves for life.
Continuing a tradition that began in ancient Godossea, this council of Magisters also elect the country's sovereign - the Incantor - who also serves for life. While the Magisters have formal control over who ascends to the Incantorship, dynasties do form. The current Incantor is the feyblooded half-elf Heskia Sorayan.
Heskia's father was the half-fey, half-elf Ethiric Sorayan, who served as Incantor for well over a century. Ethiric's mother Ohna of Jairin was a fey sorcerer-witch from the Magistry of Crawn, which is closest to the fey homeland of Cernoa and therefore has a significant fey population. Ohna was elected Incantor decades before her son was born to the Godeskan Magister Araen Sorayan.

• Ohna of Jairin (Incantor 809-1053) - Magister Araen Sorayan of Crawn
• Eithric Sorayan (Incantor 1053-1186) - Maeren Tolshaan of Jenrike
• Heskia Sorayan (Incantor 1186-present) - Magister-General Tantaro Onashian of Godeska

The Magistries

The Magisterium of Fealand is divided up into six (formerly seven) Magistries. Each Magistry is governed by a Magister, who is always one of the most powerful arcane magic users in Fealand.
The six current Magistries are:

• Magistry of Abrassa
• Magistry of Bhaskium
• Magistry of Crawn
• Magistry of Emirith
• Magistry of Godeska
• Magistry of Ossea

The seventh, the Magistry of Encroa was destroyed by migrating hordes of goblins, bugbears, hobgoblins and monsters coming out of the Tarqan Plains to the east. A large part of eastern Fealand has been overrun. The area is called The Hajeir.

History

Since the end of the Halaanic Wars 900 years ago, the magisterium has flourished. While never able to reunite the old Godossean territories, Fealand has maintained a powerful alliance with the Sylvan Kingdom of Cernoa to the north. Both share a border with the expansionist, elven-supremacist Empire of Halaan, which provides a constant threat of invasion. Many rightly assume that if it weren't for the alliance between Fealand and Cernoa, Halaan would have conquered the the South centuries ago.
The Feanese military is composed of the usual ausrani and caisheni soldiers found throughout the South. Uniquely, Fealand's forces also includes regiments of warforged eldritch knights, legions of golems, chained elementals and their famous spellcannon artillery.
The Feanese military establishment is a cornerstone of the Southern Covenant. While other nations provide troops and material (notably Nymera and Rhean), most of the important fortresses are found in Fealand, notably Castle Falconshield. This castle near the Halaanese border serves as the international home of Covenant forces.

Arcano-Military-Complex

While most people assume the Magisters have full control of the country, and while it is true they hold all the formal power, there are other forms of power to be had. Having been at war either to the west ot east for most of the past 900 years, Fealand has a very well developed arcane military-industrial apparatus. The Magisters find themselves powerless to rein in military spending and they are sometimes kept in the dark on secret government-funded magical research programs as well as various special ops. Some high ranking mlitary officials have even whispered about getting rid of the Incantors and Magisters and moving to a formal Tyrancy with a single supreme leader. A military leader of course.

Royal Magocratic Society

The Feanese Royal Magocratic Society, headquartered in the capital of Nishima, is known world-wide for continuing the arcane research of the old Godosseans.

The Hajeir

The eastern frontier of Fealand has become volatile over the past few generations. For almost a century masses of goblinoids and monsters have been pushing west from the Tarqan Plains and overrunning traditionally Feanese territory. Called 'The Hajeir', this territory has become wild and lawless. The Tarqan hordes have resisted efforts by the Feanese military to push them back across the Mahaunda and Tarqa rivers for decades. The Feanese high command doesn't know why the Tarqans are pushing west after centuries of peace.
To date parts of the Magistries of Abrassa, Emirith, and Crawn have fallen, as has the entire Magistry of Encroa.
Given the need to maintain a significant military presence along the border with the Halaanese Empire in the west, Fealand can only spare so many troops for pacification missions into the Hajeir. Between the risk of invasion by Halaan in the west and the nomadic goblins, bugbears, hobgoblins and monsters to the east, Fealand is by far the most threatened country in the south.

To Add:

Kingdom of Frith?, a sprawling underground warren of rabbitfolk with buildings aboveground as well.

City-State of Mornez and their desposed Lich Queen. or place on eastern slope of Godossean mtns in Tarqan Plains?

Fealand's artificers and magewrights are world famous.

More caisheni live in the southern magistries than anywhere else in Fealand.

Fealand is named for Feas the Great, hero of the Halaanic Wars.

Armies of warforged and other constructs defend Fealand's borders.

Maps

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  Fealand, Magisterium of (Political Boundaries)

  The Magisterium of Fealand is divided up into six (formerly seven) Magistries. Each Magistry is governed by an appointed Magister. The Magister is always one of the most powerful arcane magic users in country.
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  Fealand, Magisterium of (Geography)

  Fealand ranges from dense woods on the edge of the Carentan Forest to wide grasslands at the edge of the Tarqan Plains.

Demographics

The Feanese population is split roughly evenly between ausrani and caisheni, with a significant fey minority, especially in the north near Cernoa.
Constructs are more common in Fealand than anywhere else. Warforged, golems, and other mechanical creatures are found in all the major towns and cities and many of rural areas as well.

Ecology

Temperate mixture of mountains, forests, and grassland; southern Fealand is noticeably warmer than northern Fealand.

Founding Date

c. 276 A.C.

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Capital

City of Nishima

Training Level

Elite

Veterancy Level

Veteran

Demonym

Feanese

Head of State

Heskia Sorayan, Incantor Magestrix of Fealand

Government System

Magocracy

Neighboring Nations

• Empire of Halaan
• High Kingdom of Nymera
• Kingdom of Haleska
• Republic of Tanatra
• Sylvan Kingdom of Cernoa