Realm of Castles Overview
Here is an overview of the Realm of Castles, the world I (Talon) came from.
First, an explanation of what a castle is. A castle is a large complex of buildings surrounded by walls usually made of stone. A castle will often time include towers, store houses, barracks, stables (a place to house horses), libraries, and various other accoutraments and facilities depending upon the castle itself. A castle is in part a large home (where the queen and her court resides), part fortress, part craft center, part trade bazaar, part diplomatic embassy, and many many other things. It is a place for security, peace, trade, and in general the center (physically and figuratively) of a community.
The world of the Realm of Castles has, at least to my knowledge, never been fully explored. Much of the known lands reside within a peninsula: a landmass that is surrounded on three sides by oceans. For those who do not know what an ocean is, it is a very, VERY large body of water, so much so that an opposite shore cannot be seen even after several days of sailing upon it (crossing said water via boat or ship). The terrain is much like this world in that much of it is forest and has very similar climate and weather, though usually our summers (the hot time of the year) are not so hot and our winters (cold time of the year) can be colder and usually have a bit more snow (the white, flaky, cold, wet stuff that sometimes falls from the sky in winter). There are also fields and plains in the Realm of Castles: flat areas that are not covered in trees and where most often food is grown by means of farms, which are large-scale gardens. The one key difference between the forests of this world and that in the Realm of Castles, geographically speaking, are the pervasive, perpetual, and exceedingly thick mists that this world seems to lack. That is not to say that all the forests in my world are covered in these mists, only those areas not reclaimed by humanity and which are not within close proximity to a castle ruled by a queen.
The history of the Realm of Castles is steeped in the religion of our world. After the Unicorn — the goddess of life, beauty, virtue, and all things good — and the first Woman soundly defeated the Lion — the embodiment of destruction, corruption, chaos, vice, and all things evil — and the first monsters he created, the Unicorn created for the Woman a companion: Man. The Unicorn then set to the first humans and their children separate tasks. To the Woman and her daughters the Unicorn charged with the burden of leadership as she was wise, benevolent, kind, and just. To the Man and his sons the Unicorn bestowed the purpose to defend against and combat the forces of the Lion, as Man had the strength, fortitude, courage and honor to meet the task. From the decedents of the first humans a mighty empire was built, one that is far larger than the current holdings of the Realm. It was a great and glorious empire, ruled over by wise queens and, above them, an empress who could trace a direct line of succession back to the first empress: the first daughter of the first Woman. However, when the last empress of that age died without giving birth to an heir, she divided her rule amongst her three closest lieutenants. These lieutenants, however, were not satisfied and made terrible war against each other, no doubt influenced by the Lion and his corruption. When the war ended, only less than a third of the mighty empire remained in tact with the rest swallowed up by the Mists and taken over by the monsters and abominations of the Lion. Since then the Realm rebuilt itself and many lands once lost have been reclaimed, though still the majority of the first empire remains within the Mists.
The civilization and government of the Realm of Castles is a mostly autonomous matriarchy, which is not to be confused with the monarchy which used to hold sway within the Goblin City. Each region of the Realm of Castles is ruled and presided over by a queen — a woman born to nobility or, on rare occasion, elevated to nobility — who has claimed a castle as her seat of power. Each queen leads, adjudicates, and administers her castle and the surrounding areas which said castle influences. Alongside the queen are knights — men born into nobility — who have sworn their service to their lady and help to protect and safeguard the land and people from threats such as monsters, bandits, and other entities which would otherwise harm the land and those who call it home. For those unaware of the term, the nobility are those either born to Queens and Princesses and who can trace their lineage back to the First Empress, or those few who have been raised to the position and are charged with the responsibility of leading and defending the people of the Realm. Knights are not the only ones who safeguard the weak and innocent, as many soldiers also take up arms to defend their lands, homes, and ideals, but almost always the knights are the ones who lead them into battle and help to coordinate defenses and campaigns. Most of the people of the Realm of Castles, however, are farmers, skilled craftsmen, and laborers.
I know of exceedingly few, if any, castles which have been built in recent memory. If a princess wishes to become a queen, however, she must claim a castle as her own. This is accomplished when a princess inherits her mother’s castle or a lost castle from the first empire is found and reclaimed from the Mists. Once a queen claims a castle as hers, the mists surrounding it roll away, making the land much more habitable and defensible, and soon after people will arrive to populate the land. A castle, or queens-hold as it is sometimes called, operates as a community in which everyone provides a useful, if not absolutely necessary function. Trade does occur, and often times adds to the identity of a queens-hold. However, the heart of any castle is the queen. It is she who coordinates a castles efforts, adjudicates laws and problems which affect the community, deals diplomatically with other castles, and ultimately has control over the military forces who have sworn oaths to her service. In turn, however, the queen is beholden to her people and their wellbeing, and a wise queen has their best interests in mind in nearly every decision she makes. If anything it is in the best interest of a queen to do her best for her people as commoners do retain the right to simply move to another castle, not to mention the political backlash from other castles if a queen is shown to be cruel or tyrannical. Politics abound within the Realm, especially between the various castles. Trade, treaties, promises of aid, and general popularity (and scandal) are followed quite avidly by nearly everyone, be they queen, farmer, or anywhere in between. Though all queens are supposedly equal (as each is the ruler of her own castle), the differences in political clout, favors, wealth, resources, and popularity means that there is a political strata amongst the castles, albeit a somewhat complex and ever shifting one. Above the queens is the Empress, who has authority above and beyond what any other queen possesses. She uses this authority sparingly, however, and usually only in greatest need or cause.
The other major part of society within the Realm is the Order of the Horn, an order of monks (holy men) who are the keepers of theology and religion within the Realm and who have dedicated themselves utterly to doing the will and work of the Unicorn. They are the chief amongst the Realm who study the holy texts and scriptures of the Unicorn, offer spiritual guidance to the populace, and seek to offer aid and comfort to all who are suffering and down trod. Those who are of the Order of the Horn take several vows to further focus their efforts on serving the Unicorn, including a vow of poverty and a vow to never hold a weapon or commit violence. In addition to their spiritual calling, many monks of the order are also skilled alchemists, and excellent brewers as well.
The general philosophy of those from the Realm of Castles is shaped, in large part, by the faith in the Unicorn. People from the realm are called to be benevolent to each other, to cherish life, and to help others in need. Honor is an extremely large concern, especially amongst knights, as one’s word is one’s bond. An oath from a knight is almost never taken lightly, and breaking an oath is one of the gravest sins a knight can perform. Life in the Realm of Castles, though not harsh or brutal, is never-the-less demanding, as there is always much to do and accomplish and there is also the constant looming threat of attacks from monsters of the Lion. Defense, therefore, is a constant concern and it is considered noble and honorable to journey into the mists in order to slay these monsters before they can attack innocent people and, if possible, to find and claim more castles and weaken the Lion’s hold over the land. The people of the Realm, in general, are happy and tend to enjoy the life and beauty that surrounds them.
A few things about the Forest of Doors that most confuse us when we first arrive (also in no particular order):
-The presence of other beings who aren’t animals and also aren’t monsters. It is often taught in the Realm that all monsters should be destroyed, and as there aren’t any other intelligent beings aside from humans and monsters (save the Unicorn herself), I think it is obvious to see the confusion this can cause upon stepping through the door.
-The presence of magic. The only tales within the Realm that comes close to magic being practiced by humans are hexes and curses, most of which are elaborate and exceedingly strange yet have frightening effects. Because of this, there is a general concept that magic is heretical. It is the general policy, however, that those from other worlds (and thus don’t share our religion) are not to be persecuted.
-The lack of Castles. Castles are seen as bastions of safety, strength, and comfort in a threatening and dangerous world, and I think we can all agree that the Forest of doors can be threatening and dangerous. Princess Madeline is currently attempting to build a castle within the Forest. I believe Princess Madeline, who is hosting a party very soon, will be more eloquent than I on this matter.
-The lack of female leadership from other worlds. From my knowledge of the various other worlds, men are generally the ones who lead or, if there are female leaders, they are a minority or at best on par with male leadership.
-The more pragmatic viewpoint many in other worlds seem to hold. The Realm’s society is built upon a foundation of virtue and honor, and despite how jaded some of us may be, that still shapes who we are.
-Lack of central leadership. Having someone in charge, who is honor bound to look after your best interests, is somewhat comforting. The various failed attempts at establishing a governance in Nexus has shown that this lack will not be filled with anything approaching that anytime soon, though I do think Nexus has done well enough for itself thus far. We’ll see if that lasts and, if not, Nexus will change as it always has.
-The spirits. To my knowledge there are no beings like the spirits with the Realm, and that is perhaps one of the hardest things I’ve tried to wrap my head around.