To the uninitiated, the nation beyond the enchanted
forest called the Grove Maze seems like a promised land
of magic, fairy tales, and unbounded natural beauty.
Here, the Spirits of Nature can still walk in physical
form and communicate with mortals. Yet darkness and
corruption now grows in the Charneault Kingdom,
driven by the lingering enmity between elves and men.
The Charneault Kingdom covers a vast expanse of
land in the southwestern portion of Etharis. Its name
comes from the elvish Caer Neiada, which means “land
of a thousand rivers.” The Kingdom stretches from the
Grove Maze in the northeast to the Thousand Rivers
to the south. The Rock-Teeth Mountains form a barrier
against the Bürach Empire in the north.
The Charneault Kingdom began with much promise.
King Aymeric Noblecouer ended a generation-spanning
war between humans and elves and brought peace across
the Thousand Rivers. Aymeric forged the Pact of the
Sacred Lands, which hinged on two special tasks. The
king would bring his first daughter to the enchanted
Temple of Mists, where she would learn the ways of the
shamans and help keep the balance with nature. The
humans would maintain order across the land through
the establishment of Knight Chapters, organizations
founded on honor, virtue, and a vow to vanquish evil.
With this agreement in place, both sides lived in peace
and prosperity.
That is, until the severed elves’ curse.
Landscape
The Charneault Kingdom is a beautiful land
nested between mountain, forest, and sea. To the
northeast, a network of hills and groves called
the Grove Maze cuts the kingdom off from the
rest of Etharis and in particular, the Bürach.
To the northwest lies the base of the Rockteeth
Mountains sheltering the huge Elven city of Tol
Leyemil. The kingdom’s southwest is dominated
by the rocky ocean coast, inhabiting the
Waterteeth, a dangerous chain of misty swamps
and islands.
The wind mainly blows from the sea, driving
clouds along the rivers to the north, where they
hit the Rockteeth and the Grove Maze. There they
fall as torrential rains, feeding the many springs
and streams that flow back down towards the
centre of the region.
The Human Kingdom
The Charneault Kingdom came into prominence with
the founding of the Pact of the Sacred Land. The peace
it forged between humans and elves opened the doors
to prosperity. Tall castles appeared among the many
branching rivers of the land, the greatest of which
is Castle Lamesdhonneur, seat of government and
residence of the current king, Thibault de Sauveterre.
The Kingdom’s economy thrives on fishing and agriculture.
Being a floodplain, crops thrive on the rich soil
of Charneault. While fish is plentiful, hunting is limited
to appease the spirits of nature. The kingdom also trades
with the elves for ore from the Rock-Teeth Mountains.
Charneault is known as the Kingdom of Knights.
Several famous Knight Chapters have arisen in this
kingdom, and they hold great power, as kings are chosen
from the masters of these organizations.
One of the most influential Chapters currently is the
Knights of the Severe Templar. A highly militarized
organization that promotes law and order, they grew
in power when the severed elves corrupted the Dark Mist
and brought misery to the land. They have since openly
condemned the elven nation, abhorred mystic oaths
and bonds with nature, and pushed for a return to
war with the elves. Rumors abound that their Chapter
master, Hermand le Severe, plots to take over rulership
of the land.
On the opposite end of the spectrum lie the Vermiel
Guards, whose members swore a sacred duty to the
elven shamans and help them maintain peace with the
nature spirits. Those who join must whole-heartedly
believe in the union between elves, humans, and nature,
and be true to the Sacred Pact. As such, only the most
virtuous and devoted of knights are allowed into the
Chapter. In return, these knights gain extraordinary
powers from their shaman counterparts.
All the Chapters welcome new applications into their
organization, but becoming a knight of Charneault is
no easy feat. As a squire, one must don weapons and
armor and go on a quest. They carry a blank shield until
they have performed an act of bravery. Only then may
they wear a coat of arms signifying their deed. And if
a knight should prove their prowess and bravery well
enough, they may be invited to join the Royal Council
and directly serve the king.
As of now, King Thibault is preoccupied with
searching for heroes powerful and knowledgeable
enough to rescue his daughter Tiphane and Ser Guilhem
from the Dark Mists.
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