Rhodenia

Introduction
Rhodenia is the world in which Darkness Awakened takes place. It is host to two known continents: Esoa and Amarus. Ancient writings held by the Church of the Almighty speak of two long lost continents, one to the south and one far to the east, though most dismiss this as rumor. The combined human, elf, orc, and dwarf population of Rhodenia is estimated to be around 600 million, with the human population alone standing at 400 million. The southernmost tip of Vllaistrae is just 4,000 miles from this world's equator, lending it a subtropical climate, with the climate of the world growing gradually colder as one moves north.

History(Main Article)
It is not known when the first sentient beings came to populate Rhodenia, though it is known, at least amongst elves, orcs, and dwarves, that humans were the last of the truly sentient races to appear. It is rumored that the world was once host to a variety of deities, chief among them the Almighty and Enkai, who co-existed in a state of relative peace, transforming the world at will and treating the mortal creatures as their subjects. Whatever the case, in the Great War, as it is known to theologians, the Enkai and Almighty disappeared from the mortal plane, and took with them any other minor deities which may have existed. From this, humans came to dominate the world; theologians, too, suspect that this was the last gift of either the Almighty or of Enkai, or perhaps both, and that humans were the race chosen to dominate the world after the disappearance of the immortals, as their last sentient creation.

The disappearance of the two major deities of the world thrust it into a chaos caused by this power vacuum. It was the wizard-kings who came to dominate the southern continent of Amarus, banishing to the northern continent, Esoa, non-human races. These wizard-kings were the first followers of the Cult of Enkai, and communicated with the banished god in sacred rituals. This was the Age of Magic, in which the world was ruled by powerful magocracies in a state of constant strife and conflict. Sometime just before one millennium ago, the Age of Magic would come to an end, as the remaining followers of the Almighty rose up against these wizard-kings. Centered in Lake Sairisi, and directed by a newly-founded Church, the Faithful violently overthrew these mages and wizards and banished the practice of any magic from the continent of Amarus. Simultaneously, from a small city-state known as Sairis, a great empire began to emerge, following the forces of the Church of the Almighty and slowly engulfing the vast majority of this southern continent. In the thousand years after, the world has seen relative peace and stability, the Empire of Vllaistrae and the Church of the Almighty a fused superpower which keeps its people in check.

Deep in the vaults of the Church of the Almighty, beneath the island of Donadea, rest documents written in an ancient, unintelligible language validating this mythology. Mortal eyes have not attempted to decipher these glyphs in over a millennium, and they remain hidden from the world. If one were to translate these aged writings, however, they would discover the truth of the world: the Almighty and Enkai were simply two offspring of a much older, much more powerful deity, banished from the mortal plane and imprisoned in a hidden dimension by its very own creations. It was in their new power that the Almighty and Enkai, two sides of the same coin, came to shape the world. In their experimentation in life, the two deities created the first three of the major races: humans were to be the pinnacle of their creation, the perfect subjects and worshippers. In their mistakes, The Two, as they were then known, created various minor deities and immortal creatures, worshipped now in the many minor pantheons across the world.

Nothing is known of the deity preceding the Almighty and Enkai—though that is all soon to change...

Nations
There are seven recognized, independent nations in Rhodenia, though de facto there are nine:

On Esoa, the northern continent: On Amarus, the southern continent:
 * The Evermarch: A vast polar nation cut off from the world by two chains of mountains and ruled by a dynasty of vampire kings.
 * Turia: The second most powerful nation in Rhodenia, and Vllaistrae's main adversary; a conglomerate of all races.
 * Ast'Aria: A largely elven nation, pacifist and isolationist in nature, and a producer of coveted luxury and magical goods. Ast'Aria is friendly towards Vllaistrae.
 * Sanctuary (de jure Turia): An ungoverned swath of land, avoided by most. Folklore warns of a dimensional portal here, allowing spirits, monsters, and demons free range. The only inhabitants of Sanctuary are the High Elves, remnants of the millennium-old elven aristocracy. Those who venture into Sanctuary do not return.
 * Xerxi: Rumored to be the island to which the last of the wizard kings retreated, Xerxi is separated from the civilized world by a vast ocean and protected by an impenetrable magical barrier. It is unknown if Xerxi is truly inhabited by any sentient race.
 * Vllaistrae: The foremost geopolitical power of Rhodenia, Vllaistrae is the largest in terms of land area and population. It is predominantly human, ruled by the Emperor/Empress of Vllaistrae, and is an absolute feudal monarchy.
 * Athttania: Considered the birthplace of civilization, Athttania was once very similar to Vllaistrae, and it is Athttania to which Vllaistrae owes its culture and government. A revolution for democracy has torn the nation in two, between:
 * The Kingdom of Athttania: The northern island of the nation, home to the last remaining monarchist forces, supported only by Vllaistraean aid.
 * The Republic of Athttania: The southern half of the nation, controlled by the republican government, and headed in Rhumnus, its historical capital.
 * The Gilden Islands: A satellite state of Vllaistrae, granted autonomy and never truly conquered in order to preserve its unique natural resources. The nation is largely governed by elven chiefdoms, who export to Vllaistrae crucial raw materials such as exotic lumber and gems.

Religions
Rhodenia is home to three major religions, though many smaller pantheons of deities and heroes exist outside of established religious authority.

The Church of the Almighty
The Church of the Almighty is the dominant religion in Rhodenia, spread by the sword after the decline of the wizard kings, and practiced widely in Vllaistrae. It focuses on the worship of a female deity, known as the Almighty, who is said to be a goddess of life, light, love, and temperance. The Church grants its blessing to the Vllaistraean Emperor or Empress, providing him or her legitimacy through divine right. All Vllaistraean subjects must pay a tithe. A follower of the Almighty is known as one of 'the Faithful.' The Almighty is worshipped everywhere in the world, but nearly all Vllaistraean and Athttanian subjects are, at least nominally, a member of the Faithful. The Church is centered in Donadea.

The Northern Pantheon
The Northern Pantheon is a distant second to the Church of the Almighty in terms of numbers of worshippers. This religion consists of deities conceived long before the creation of humans, by Rhodenia's population of elves, orcs, and dwarves, and has no central pantheon nor governing body. Rather, it is a loosely shared mythology, detailing local spirits and deities which vary group to group. It is most popular in the nations of Turia, the Evermarch, and Ast'Aria. Religion in the Gilden Islands also shares an influence from this faith.

The Cult of Enkai
The Cult of Enkai has no true governing body, but rather, its followers are connected through a shared communication with its deity, Enkai. Enkai is the antithesis of the Almighty—a male god of power, magic, and knowledge. Enkai and the Almighty are said to have vanquished one another from the world in a great war thousands of years ago, though the only documents proving this are either destroyed or held by the Church of the Almighty. Followers of Enkai are persecuted in Vllaistrae as heretics and traitors to the Crown, and most face death at the stake.

Magic
All information on magic can be found here.