Rune
Capital: The Ivory Tower
Population: 29,675 (Humans 65%, Elves 15%, Half-Elves 15%, Gnomes 4%, Halflings 1%)
Government: Magocracy
Religions: Animus, Eluna, Taara, Reos, Ceinara
Imports: Gold, ore, precious gems, mercenaries, tools, silver magic items, spells.
Exports: Magic items, spells, artwork, crafts, jewelry, sculptures, timber, enchantments
Alignment: All but especially Neutral and Lawful
Those who just glance at Rune on the map may easily pass it over as a small, insignificant and unassuming realm. Possessing only one major city and nestled softly within a large forested valley region that sits on the south eastern side of the Sky Curtain Mountains, Rune seems to control very little territory and is barley a speck on the map. Those who assume it is insignificant are woefully mistaken. Rune's territory is much larger then most any other nation for they extend their influence not in the realm of the material but in the realm of the immaterial. Rune, you see, is a Magocracy. They are a nation of wizards, sorcerers, bards and other users of the arts arcane. Here choices are made that effect arcane spell casting across Arcania and things happen that affect the political activities and actions of other nations, whether they realize it or choose to believe it or not. Rune is mostly a forested region with the foothills and outlying reaches of the mountains jutting into it. Scattered about these domains are various castles, towers and small villages and solitary dwelling places.
Life and Society
Political power in Rune lies in the hands of the council known as The Convocation which itself functions as an immense magicians' guild, networking all the major practitioners of arcane magic across the continent. The council employs wizards known as Conclave Wizards who serve as diplomats, politicians, teachers, guides and sometimes the hand of law and retribution for Rune both home and abroad. Above the Convocation itself matters tend to become far more clandestine. A mysterious council of archmagi known as The Eldritch Council are the true string pullers and puppet masters but few ever lay eyes upon them, knowing little about the individual members excepting when an Archmage of all the lands is appointed.
Rune is predominantly human. It is one of the few nations in the world where its culture is almost strictly defined by the classes there. In Rune, if people don't have the magic they are used to its presence. It is part of their everyday life. Mage Fairs, Assembly Meetings, demonstrations of new forms of magic, Mage Duels and an ongoing study of the ancient arcane ways persists in Rune. The common folk of Rune, if there is such a thing, are used to the supernatural. It never becomes blase to them, but it is part of their lifestyle.
Necessity has always caused wizard kind to be an organized and somewhat insular lot through the years, even prior to the foundation of Rune. The seeds for the Arcane Houses were laid within the founding of the original arcane magic tradition by Animus and the mysterious magic known as The Founders. Though Rune would not exist for many millennia, early examples of the Convocation of Rune persisted through history, ultimately resulting in the modern day variation of it. The Wizard Houses scattered during the time of Kulthus but eventually reformed under the watchful eye of Rune.
Despite the name, the wizard houses had no bloodline ties. Instead they were common gatherings of generalist magi, and specialist wizards with an affinity for the school that ruled the House in question. The Eight Houses, in turn, elected representatives from the House to represent themselves before the Wizards. Convocation. The leader of the Convocation would be elected from within the general membership. This practice remained true throughout history and is used, even today, to elect the leadership of Rune's ruling councils. The consolidation of much of the wizardry within the world allows them a great deal of say in the affairs of other nations.
Major Geographical Features
Rune is mostly a forested region with the foothills and outlying reaches of the mountains jutting into it. Scattered about these domains are various castles, towers and small villages and solitary dwelling places.
The Watchwood: The heart of Rune is protected by an enchanted forest known as The Watchwood. Numerous enchantments have been laid on this land that have similarities to The Veil of Llyranost. Those who are seeking Rune with hostile intentions find that the very paths of the forests twist and turn and send them back the way they came from.
Important Sites
Although a number of small castles, magician towers, cottages and even planar gates exist in Rune, it has only one truly major landmark.
The Spectrum Lyceum (Small City, 11,685): Rune's most defining cultural landmark is the Spectrum Lyceum, which serves as both the capital of the small Magocracy as well as the headquarters for several of its stronger mage guilds. This town is both quaint and awe inspiring for what it represents. Built around a towering slender spire known as The Null Tower, Spectrum Lyceum spreads out around it in a circular pattern of high spanning spires, libraries, mage schools, market squares, floating towers and fantastic and bizarre creatures and all manner of strange planar activities and comings and goings.