Tragwin

Tragwin is a lush, hilly land with light forests, grasslands and dotted with lakes, with grand cities built around wizard towers. It is also a land of divisions according to wealth, of power and corruption, and dark research. To some, a paradise; to others, a prison.

At a glance

 * Location: Directly west of Eldorin, north of western Last Gaas, south of the Dar-dagan plains
 * Government: Mageocracy
 * Magic: High
 * Economy: Socialist

Factions

 * Xi'mili Asht'arum
 * Asht'ari Qinis Sel'borom
 * Seekers

Cities
The major cities of Tragwin formed around the towers of The Council of the Nine. These include the following:
 * F'deris Taal
 * F'deris Ganris
 * F'deris Rhif
 * F'deris Zalinicus
 * F'deris Osh'agan
 * F'deris Scrollscribe
 * F'deris Inzarx
 * F'deris Ostrith
 * F'deris Volammis

The New Land
Founded in Summer, 1st nivram, So'dril'ii in the year 293 S.P. (Second Paradise), the calendar of Tragwin began that selfsame day, marking day one of year 1 U.M. (Unbounded Magic). The event that shifted the world that day was the death of Tragwin, mage-prophet and leader of the nine mage clans. According to legend, Tragwin had just come back from lands to the northwest, telling of a promised land he had discovered. These unclaimed lands would be the ideal place to set up their peoples into a new nation, one built on principles of research and tolerance, a place for magic to flourish and improve the lives of all people. Unfortunately, as he was telling of this wondrous land, his long journey and excitement took their toll, and he died. However, the leaders of the nine mage clans came together, and said they would carry on his dream. They founded The Council of the Nine to rule the new land as a magocracy (government by magi).

After settling their peoples into the new lands and founding tower-villages, it was rumored that The Council discovered some ancient magics present in the region. After discovering it would allow an elven kind of immortality, and possibly conferring some other bonuses, The Council of the Nine turned themselves immortal to rule forever. The secret of their immortality was closely guarded, so only speculation exists as to how they gained their powers.

The Council of the Nine forged a set of symbolic rings, one for each member, to represent the power and responsibility they wielded. The rings were collectively called The Nine Omens, each having a different power. Feldanir Ostrith, former leader of the H'drisn Vakarl, or "Portalkeepers," was the most powerful and influential member, a leader of sorts, and was able to take the most powerful ring for himself, The Omen of Desire.



Corruption of The Council
Over the past few centuries, the dreams of the mage-prophet Tragwin slowly faded into the background, being twisted to the desires of the council. A puppet government was set up for the non-magical populace, held tightly in the fist of the council now called Asht'ari Qinis Sel'borom after the language "Tongue of Mana" was fully developed in 57 U.M. The language itself was another way of distancing the common populace from the ruling class, a language invented purely to sound intimidating and haughty.

However, as time progressed, divisions formed within The Council. Some sided with Feldanir, who was a strong proponent for the furthering of magic research no matter the moral consequences, and Thirden Volammis, who wanted to restrict magical research to a certain set of moral standards - HIS moral standards. The Council was sharply divided by the conflict, Feldanir refusing to stop his experiments and research and Thirden getting more and more aggressive about stopping him. Finally in 247 U.M., according to legend, in the F'deris Qinis Asht'arum (Tower of High Magic) where the council gathered and trained students, the conflict came to open battle. Feldanir and Thirden flung spells viciously at each other, while other councilors and occasionally students began to wage the same conflict. The battles raged up and down the great tower, fireballs scorching the stone and summoned creatures screeching through the hallways. Many students died that day, as well as Thirden Volammis at long last. Feldanir took Thirden's ring, The Omen of Change, but not before Thirden cursed it with his last breath. In a rage, Feldanir destroyed Thirden's corpse so that he might never return to life even by resurrection. Wielding a wand of lightning bolts, Feldanir cast almost everyone out of the tower, and few wished to argue with a man who had just slain another member of The Immortal Council. Besides that, Feldanir had some sympathy with some members of The Council, and between the threat of his power and the strength of his supporters, almost everyone left.

Since that time, Feldanir has began creating a steady stream of creatures that have never before been seen in the world of Atris, having the tower mostly to himself and taking very few visitors. For whatever the reason, no one has dared to stop his bizarre experiments that have been gradually altering the food chain and life cycles in surrounding lands.

Modern Times
However, The Council of the Nine formed a new pact, casting Feldanir Ostrith from their ranks and making a new set of symbolic items, a set of staves called The Seven Sustainers. Under the new, smaller council, Tragwin has continued to flourish. A structured magocracy over a puppet democracy has left wizards living "the high life" and non-magic-users almost becoming slave laborers.

In addition, Eldorin and Tragwin have been at war, either open war or cold war, for more than 200 years. Tragwin's position on Eldorin is that Eldorin started the conflict, is unforgivably narrow-minded, and is wasting the generous natural resources available to them by simply letting them lie untapped. Propaganda given to most of Tragwin's citizens is that Eldorin is a country composed of crazy barbaric zealots who crave Tragwin's destruction, either to abolish magic or because they secretly covet it and are jealous.