A quick guide to being a citizen of Zendross.
Magic
First and second-level spells are abundant in the cities and towns of Zendross with many having a town mage or council of mages if large enough. Above that, it becomes rarer and level nine mages are practically non-existent. Most mages, if they become too powerful, will become a target of the elvish empire though magic users are more tolerated than clerics.
On the large island continent of Auriel in the far East, magic is cursed, unpredictable, and outlawed. In fact, its citizens are thought to be cursed as well and are not tolerated if they are discovered.
Clerical magic is even rarer throughout the realms with most of the magic of faith belonging to temples of the elvish gods. In fact, very few people have encountered any cleric that wasn’t an elf and almost everyone assumes only elves can be clerics. To acquire any healing through an elvish temple is an arduous affair with most being denied. Only those who are most loyal to the empire are even granted an audience.
Calendar
There are 12 months in Zendross, 30 days each with a cycle being 360 days. The months are called:
- The Cold
- The Beginnings
- The Change
- The Chance
- The Birth
- The Duty
- The Flowers
- The Harvest
- The Song
- The Wind
- The Stars
- The Darkness
Common Sayings in Zendross
Though most sayings are tied to race and region, some are ubiquitous throughout the realm.
May Their Walk be Brief
Said at funerals in hopes the departed spirits quickly goes through the underworld.
Elvish Words
Said by the Free Folk to describe a nasty, sudden, change in fortunes or weather.
Lost Like Memories
Explanation of why something can’t be found.
Halfling’s Luck
Expression of pity. While individual halflings are known for their good luck, the race has been almost wiped out by the elves with only pockets of communities left. They are known to incur the wrath of the elves, with a very public demonstration of that at the town of Miranda twenty years ago.
Caught an Ear
Someone who fell afoul of the elves. “He was doing well, then he caught an ear, and we haven’t seen them since.”
Guilds, Factions, and known Organizations
Throughout the realm, there are organizations of people striving to improve their position in this world. If they operate openly it is with the largesse of the Elvish Empire. Many stay hidden, and many are rooted out and wiped from existence.
The Free Folk
Ocean-going folk of the Veridian Sea. Mostly pirates, scavengers, and misfits, this is more a term for those that take to the seas rather than an actual organization. The one time two hundred years ago, when the Free Folk banded together to fight the elves at the Forgotten Battle, it ended with their numbers being reduced to very little.
The Faded Monks
A secret monastery of highly trained elvish assassins. Whispers of them stealing people in the night abound throughout the realms but no one could tell you for certain that they have seen a Faded Monk. Bedtime stories, they say, to scare the children into listening to the elves.