Talk:Kingdom of Emlyn

This page is not a complete culture write up, but rather a collection of ideas combed from other sources and discussions with the local leaders and lore masters. If you have questions or suggestions regarding this page, contact Lara in Discord.

Social Order

A strong sense of honor and the precepts of the code of virtue (Dana & The Seven), is the moral compass for those of Emlyn. Whatever they feel is the right, virtuous path, is not only the one they tread, but the one they feel others should follow as well—even if such steadfast devotion to their sense of right can in turn lead to conflict with others.

Those of Emlyn’s aim, of abiding by what they feel is right is met by a variety of ways.

For example, some may choose to reside in the catacombs of Port Leon and harness the magic of old that derives deep within the vast ancient vaults below the city. None who follow such a path would outright say they are creating and harboring magical weapons of Mass-Destruction, however that is ultimately the result of such pursuits. These individuals would be adept at knowing the elemental focal points within the catacombs (wind, water, fire, earth), though their specialty would likely fall into one domain. They would also likely have studied the ancient texts in the underground library. They would do this attempting to protecting the world against the abuse of magic.

Others may seek fulfillment by keeping the feral evils of the realm at bay. Utilizing skills those of Emlyn are known to have as “masters of the wild,” such as tracking to hunt down rogue ogres, humans and beasts so that they do not infiltrate their territory or overrun the mainland.

No matter the direct path one of Emlyn may take, their sense of righteousness strongly dictates their path in life. They as a people believe themselves to be gatekeepers between the dead and the living. They detest the undead. In fact, it is this very belief which has prompted their custom of burying their dead out at sea—so that the dead may pass and not rise—in turn, becoming something unnatural.

They are so dead set on their ideals and beliefs, they can often come across to others as judgement and rigid. Their unbending nature in actuality can be seen as both a strength and weakness.

Negative Traits

Much like their capital city of Caerleon, the people of Emlyn tend to hide their true selves. They tend to be wary of strangers at first. Most often they are not open-handed with gifts or their gold. While their appearance is rarely shabby, their clothing, homes and personal items do not reflect their personal wealth.

The Gesa

The gesa is a kind of personal taboo, a magical restriction or demand such as “Must be first to draw a weapon” or “Must not be woken from sleep.” If gesas were broken, swift and unpleasant retribution would inevitably follow. Those who would be heroes spent a lot of time trying to discover what their gesas are, and trying to do the best they could in the world before their gesas or disasters overtook them. The more heroic and important a person was, the more gesas surrounded him.

Often a hero has to choose between his gesas and his king or his friends. If he choses to break a gesa, then he is knowingly inviting some doom on himself. If he chose not to, then he had to live with himself after betraying his honor. Sometimes circumstances forced the breaking of a gesa, especially in the case of death gesas when certain conditions had to be fulfilled before someone could die; a hero would try to keep these conditions secret, but they couldn’t be avoided forever.