The Kingdom Beneath
The Kingdom Beneath is an only-recently-rediscovered land concealed in a series of vast caverns stretching and honeycombing beneath, it would appear, almost the entirety of the The Windreft (or so explorers from a nearby tiny town claim). Their tales are contradictory, however, and many do not yet believe them to be true. When asked by Duke Wylan of the Westmarches to produce proof of what they had seen, the explorers seemed (or pretended to seem) surprised to realize that they had no proof at all. These same explorers then supposedly returned to The Kingdom Beneath to seek corroboration of their claims. None has heard from them since their second departure.
According to their original, garbled tale, The Kingdom Beneath (called by its inhabitants “Awakening Grace”) is a beautiful land full of glittering crystal, cathedral-like palaces, subterranean towers and spires, enthralling sculpture and music, magical lanterns as bright as the daylight above, and fantastical prismatic plants and creatures. All is harmonious and hospitable, and all citizens are wealthy and happy.
Beyond these details, however, all of the first explorers disagreed in their descriptions. The humans in the group claimed the inhabitants of the kingdom looked human. The elf said they looked like elves. The gnome saw gnomes, and the half-elf saw an entire kingdom of half-elves. Other details of their experiences disagreed as well, such that they emerged from their journey certain that they’d encountered an illusion or trick of some kind, but none of their mages were able to pierce or even fathom the magics to which they had been subjected (other than to confirm the presence of powerful illusion magic). When asked, the kingdom’s inhabitants confirmed only that illusions are considered a prized artform among their people, and that of course there are illusions everywhere. The explorers were informed, they said, that it was considered discourteous in The Kingdom Beneath to attempt to pierce illusions.
Different explorers saw different sorts of offerings piled around the Shining Altar, including flowers, gemstones, foodstuffs, and works of art.
According to their original, garbled tale, The Kingdom Beneath (called by its inhabitants “Awakening Grace”) is a beautiful land full of glittering crystal, cathedral-like palaces, subterranean towers and spires, enthralling sculpture and music, magical lanterns as bright as the daylight above, and fantastical prismatic plants and creatures. All is harmonious and hospitable, and all citizens are wealthy and happy.
Beyond these details, however, all of the first explorers disagreed in their descriptions. The humans in the group claimed the inhabitants of the kingdom looked human. The elf said they looked like elves. The gnome saw gnomes, and the half-elf saw an entire kingdom of half-elves. Other details of their experiences disagreed as well, such that they emerged from their journey certain that they’d encountered an illusion or trick of some kind, but none of their mages were able to pierce or even fathom the magics to which they had been subjected (other than to confirm the presence of powerful illusion magic). When asked, the kingdom’s inhabitants confirmed only that illusions are considered a prized artform among their people, and that of course there are illusions everywhere. The explorers were informed, they said, that it was considered discourteous in The Kingdom Beneath to attempt to pierce illusions.
History
The various peoples living in and around the The Windreft have long shared legends of a glorious realm called The Kingdom Beneath. Records of these legends date back as far as recorded history, even among the elves of the Green Warden Forest. Most consider it only a fairytale, and even the oldest elven records treat the place like an ancient legend. Accounts are always vague yet extravagant, and until now none has written about the place as a first-person witness.
It is uncertain at what point the peoples living near the The Windreft began once more to take the legend seriously and believe The Kingdom Beneath should be found and explored, but for the last several generations it has become relatively commonplace for adventurers and bored youths to scour the The Windreft wilderness areas for signs of an entrance to the kingdom. As the The Windreft is a dangerous region, a number of deaths resulted from such pursuits, though during the long Westmarch civil war, a few deaths here or there were barely noticeable among all the constant warfare.
After Duke Wylan was given the authority and resources to step in and enforce peace in the duchy, Grand Duke Iltobarus himself took an interest in the The Windreft, and no one knows for certain just why. He might have any number of reasons, including most obviously the easingof trade-transport through this dangerous corridor. Perhaps he has also received some perfectly mundane tip of a little-known resource to be mined in the area, or any other piece of Windreft-relevant intelligence. If Duke Wylan knows his liege’s mind on the issue, he has said nothing to his people, but he has certainly been happy to help with all of the grand duke’s projects for the region.
The locals, however, all assume that what the grand duke and duke are after is access to The Kingdom Beneath, and the number of explorers has increased at least one hundred-fold. Many a badger’s den or interesting rock formation has been declared an entrance to the kingdom in the last few seasons, only to be discovered to be nothing of the kind.
Some believe that the now-missing explorers are engaged in the same sort of thing, with a liberal sprinkling of con-artistry and imagination mixed in, perhaps in an attempt to trick the duke or grand duke into granting them some sort of reward. When asked for proof, these naysayers insist, of course, that the “explorers” disappeared. If there is no Kingdom Beneath to prove, the best they can hope for is to leave town and wait to be forgotten.
Those who know the explorers in question, however, insist that they are not liars, and that if they were, their story would have been more consistent. No, their friends say, the missing explorers are good people, honest and brave, and if they haven’t returned yet, they must have a reason. The longer these explorers remain missing, the more their friends in the region begin to worry for their safety.
According to the tale they told, however, The Kingdom Beneath was sealed to outsiders for thousands of years because the world was not ready for the awakening they offered. It is only, the inhabitants are said to have explained, in the last few years that the stars aligned once more in just the right way to allow them to admit visitors again. As the heavens move further into position, they will even gain the power to leave their magical realm and travel among the surrounding people, offering wisdom and blessings, and ushering in a new paradise beyond mortal imagination. When asked about their species and origins, according to the explorers who supposedly spoke to them, the people of The Kingdom Beneath claimed to have come to this plane from beyond the stars and beyond time itself, and to themselves be entities beyond mortal comprehension, which they claimed as one of many reasons for their habitual illusions.
Since their arrival in this world, they supposedly say, they have devoted all of their efforts to bringing about a reign of eternal peace and harmony on earth. Thus far, they say, they have been thwarted in their efforts five times, over thousands and thousands of years of building up the resources to make the attempt. They hope that this time they will finally succeed, and they ask for all beings to support them in their endeavors.
It is uncertain at what point the peoples living near the The Windreft began once more to take the legend seriously and believe The Kingdom Beneath should be found and explored, but for the last several generations it has become relatively commonplace for adventurers and bored youths to scour the The Windreft wilderness areas for signs of an entrance to the kingdom. As the The Windreft is a dangerous region, a number of deaths resulted from such pursuits, though during the long Westmarch civil war, a few deaths here or there were barely noticeable among all the constant warfare.
After Duke Wylan was given the authority and resources to step in and enforce peace in the duchy, Grand Duke Iltobarus himself took an interest in the The Windreft, and no one knows for certain just why. He might have any number of reasons, including most obviously the easingof trade-transport through this dangerous corridor. Perhaps he has also received some perfectly mundane tip of a little-known resource to be mined in the area, or any other piece of Windreft-relevant intelligence. If Duke Wylan knows his liege’s mind on the issue, he has said nothing to his people, but he has certainly been happy to help with all of the grand duke’s projects for the region.
The locals, however, all assume that what the grand duke and duke are after is access to The Kingdom Beneath, and the number of explorers has increased at least one hundred-fold. Many a badger’s den or interesting rock formation has been declared an entrance to the kingdom in the last few seasons, only to be discovered to be nothing of the kind.
Some believe that the now-missing explorers are engaged in the same sort of thing, with a liberal sprinkling of con-artistry and imagination mixed in, perhaps in an attempt to trick the duke or grand duke into granting them some sort of reward. When asked for proof, these naysayers insist, of course, that the “explorers” disappeared. If there is no Kingdom Beneath to prove, the best they can hope for is to leave town and wait to be forgotten.
Those who know the explorers in question, however, insist that they are not liars, and that if they were, their story would have been more consistent. No, their friends say, the missing explorers are good people, honest and brave, and if they haven’t returned yet, they must have a reason. The longer these explorers remain missing, the more their friends in the region begin to worry for their safety.
According to the tale they told, however, The Kingdom Beneath was sealed to outsiders for thousands of years because the world was not ready for the awakening they offered. It is only, the inhabitants are said to have explained, in the last few years that the stars aligned once more in just the right way to allow them to admit visitors again. As the heavens move further into position, they will even gain the power to leave their magical realm and travel among the surrounding people, offering wisdom and blessings, and ushering in a new paradise beyond mortal imagination. When asked about their species and origins, according to the explorers who supposedly spoke to them, the people of The Kingdom Beneath claimed to have come to this plane from beyond the stars and beyond time itself, and to themselves be entities beyond mortal comprehension, which they claimed as one of many reasons for their habitual illusions.
Since their arrival in this world, they supposedly say, they have devoted all of their efforts to bringing about a reign of eternal peace and harmony on earth. Thus far, they say, they have been thwarted in their efforts five times, over thousands and thousands of years of building up the resources to make the attempt. They hope that this time they will finally succeed, and they ask for all beings to support them in their endeavors.
Government
The explorers of The Kingdom Beneath were told that the kingdom is governed by divine appointment. All with gifts of prophesy or truth-sight are tested, and the most accurate diviners are appointed to the 77 seats of the seers. The 77 seers, they say, use divine inspiration from the holy Waking World to choose the Council of Grace, which is usually (but not always) nine members. The Council of Grace determines all laws for the kingdom and appoints all other government administrators.
It should be noted that while the people of The Kingdom Beneath call themselves Awakening Grace and are ruled by a council instead of a king, they do not, apparently, object to being called a “kingdom.” The explorers who claim to have visited these strange beings say that the inhabitants of the kingdom do speak of a forgotten king. They do not speak the king’s name, but they clearly hold him in reverence, almost as some sort of deity. They claim that when the world is fully awakened and ready, the forgotten king will be remembered, and all shall rejoice at his glory.
It should be noted that while the people of The Kingdom Beneath call themselves Awakening Grace and are ruled by a council instead of a king, they do not, apparently, object to being called a “kingdom.” The explorers who claim to have visited these strange beings say that the inhabitants of the kingdom do speak of a forgotten king. They do not speak the king’s name, but they clearly hold him in reverence, almost as some sort of deity. They claim that when the world is fully awakened and ready, the forgotten king will be remembered, and all shall rejoice at his glory.
Locations in The Kingdom Beneath
The Shining Altar
Though the explorers’ tales were inconsistent, one feature of the kingdom that all agreed had been present was the Shining Altar. Set on a grand, stepped pillar in the center of the city stood a beautiful crystalline altar. Though the explorers did not claim to have themselves witnessed any religious rituals, they reported that this was where community rituals were held when they occurred, and that from this altar the entire world would one day be transformed in the name of peace and joy.Different explorers saw different sorts of offerings piled around the Shining Altar, including flowers, gemstones, foodstuffs, and works of art.
The Singing River
Another feature on which the explorers’ stories mostly agreed was the Singing River. A sparkling, prismatic river flows through the kingdom, they said, running beneath and parallel to the Aciier river in the world above. The sound of this river was strangely musical, they said, and one explorer postulated that this was due to properties of the shape of the river’s underground course, combined with the specific type of crystal that formed the walls of the kingdom’s glorious, shimmering caverns. The waters of the Singing River tasted pure and perfect, like the sweetest and cleanest of mountain streams in the world above.The Forbidden City
The explorers also agreed that one section of The Kingdom Beneath was closed to them. They were told only that visitors were not welcome there, but they agreed that from the outside that it seemed to be the most beautiful and palatial of all the neighborhoods they saw in the entire, crystalline kingdom. Region
The Kingdom Beneath
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
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