Everybody brings different visions of how the fantasy worlds operate to the gaming table. This section is intended to help set the paradigm of Brighland for players.

  An Introduction to Brighland

Brighland is a large island off the coast of a larger continent.  The inspirations of Brighland come mainly from historical British Isles with Beowulf  and some of Tolkien’ Middle Earth mixed in.  They are not the British Isles, however.  The Erlundish are a lot like the later-period Anglo Saxons, but with some differences.  Likewise, don’t assume the Anjervans king will make the same decisions his counterpart in Norman England would make.  The same goes for the various religions; they will be familiar but with distinct differences.

Races

Variations of the stock Tolkien races do exist, although their origins and specifics differ. Elves are rarely seen outside their western territories, and most have little dealing with Men.  Dwarves are even more insular and mostly found in the great mountain ranges of the continent, so fewer than a handful will be found on the island. Humanoid beasties – orcs, trolls and such – proliferate in the mountains and wild lands in central Brighland.

Money

Money is common but not necessarily plentiful.  The standard is the silver penny, and the coins of all the kingdoms are about the same size.  Even poor farmers will likely have a couple of bronze coins to trade with, but most never have seen a gold piece in their lives.

  Religion

Religion is as pervasive in Alenta as it was in the Middle Ages; belief in the divine made the church very powerful, for good or ill.  In Alenta, deities do have a certain amount of power, though overblown, unequivocal shows of power are uncommon, and such things as parted seas or exploding cities are beyond the pale in this day and time.

  The most common religion is Dominism, which in trappings is very much like Christianity without the Messiah.  There is also a polytheist pre-Dominist religion still practiced among some Erlundish.  Followers of other religions can be found here, but are very few in number.

  Magic and Magic-Users 

Arcane spellcasters are rare in Brighland.  Although a powerful wizard is coveted by the nobility, that very power makes them distrusted and feared.  In centuries past they have even been subject to persecution.  This isn’t to say that a sorcerer will be singled out of a party and evicted from a town – there are times when all companies of freebooters are unwelcome in civilized society – but a wizard’s power is less obvious than a fighter’s, and the unknown threat is more feared than the known.  Wizards are very rare in Brighland.

  Magic items are more common than magic casters, but not by much.  Most such items are of a religious nature – relics – although for every relic with actual power there are a score with none.  Arcane items are rarer (in the realm of Men) but magic horns, swords and such can be found in treasure hoards and in the hands of grizzled veterans.

The Rest of the World

Alenta–World

Kenhavan – Known continent

Danun – Imperial name for the lands west of the Kordamund (World’s Spine)

Morlin – Imperial name for the lands east of the Kordamund

The chief power of this part of the world, the Brikani Empire, collapsed nearly 500 years ago, though it never completely died.  Several kingdoms claim their legitimacy by finding a connection, however tenuous, to the ancient empire; the first king of Anjervas claimed to be a hereditary duke of the Empire, retaking part of his ancestral domain. The center of the former empire, Brika, is little more than a pretentious city- state among former tributaries.  The dominant culture of southern Brighland is Erlundish, heralding from the northern part of the continent.  Other cultures abound in the world, but they have left a much lighter touch on the island.

Currently, trade is fairly healthy with the former Imperium as well as the continental Erlundish states.