Eldemar

• What it is: The primary campaign nation — a fiercely nationalistic monarchy and one of the "Big Three" powers of Altazia.

Overview

Atmosphere

Eldemar is a nation that remembers being an empire. Its banners still bear the crest of the Old Alliance. Its politicians still speak of "reunification." Its military academies still train for continental war. The streets of its cities are paved with ambition — magitech trains connect its settlements at unprecedented speeds, printing presses churn out nationalist broadsheets, and the Royal Academy in Cyoria churns out the next generation of battlemages.

But underneath the pride, there is anxiety. The Splinter Wars shattered the Alliance. The Weeping killed a generation of noble mages. And now commoners are learning magic in state-funded academies, eroding the very bloodlines that built the kingdom. Eldemar is a nation in transition — powerful, proud, and uncertain whether the future belongs to the old guard or the new.

History

Eldemar was originally the head of the Old Alliance (officially the Alliance of Eldemar), a confederation of states that dominated Altazia. A terrible king and internal corruption caused the alliance to fracture. The subsequent Splinter Wars — made devastatingly effective by the introduction of firearms, which allowed smaller nations to defeat those with powerful mage armies — broke it apart permanently.

Today, Eldemar is formed from the core of the Old Alliance. It is ruled by a King, though the Council of Elders (composed of powerful Noble Houses) holds immense political sway and frequently clashes with the crown.

Geography and Cities

Eldemar is strategically located in Altazia's Central Valley:

• Cyoria — The intellectual heart of the kingdom. Home to the Royal Academy and the only Rank 9 Mana Well.
• Korsa — Third-largest city. Major industrial and trade hub.
• Knyazov Dveri — Northern town ("Prince's Gates"). Gateway to the frontier.
• Cirin — Smaller town. Birthplace of the Kazinski family.

Modern State

Eldemar is a smaller but fiercely nationalistic monarchy yearning for its former glory. Key developments:

• The Great Northern Push — an ongoing effort to colonize the monster-infested northern wilderness.
• The Technological Revolution — integration of trains, firearms, and magitech industry.
• The Spread of Magical Training — commoners attending prestigious academies, eroding noble monopoly on magic.