Fantasy settings probably if I ever have the time again. Eternal and Necromancer are pretty much done though. I wrapped everything up that needed to be wrapped up.
Anyway here's the notes I found. (LONG)
The Xolan Kingdom Statistics
Geography and Economy
The Xolan Kingdom is a cold almost barren place. Mountains and rough terrain are the norm, though long stretches of flat plains do exist for farming. Farming is difficult and food is almost always supplemented by hunting. Not learning how to hunt is usually a sure way to face starvation in the harsh winters. Rozloks are always in supply; small furry creatures that live in burrows and breed at a respectable rate. They taste terrible, but the Xolan favor survival over comfort any day.
Forests are present, but becoming increasing smaller as the productive Xolans cut them down in the name of progress.
The Xolan Kingdom is rich in natural resources and its economy is mainly driven by its factories that now dot its landscape though mining is still a major contributor. Its trading is usually with the small Dwarf clans living in the nearby mountains, though it does sometimes trade with the “friendlier” barbarian tribes to the east and there has been contact made with small fiefdoms located on another piece of land across the Sea of Ice to the north east. Trade with the Empire is limited. No major trading is done, though a few traveling merchants here and there may do some minor business.
One thing the Xolans will never trade in to anyone are weapons, particularly their own.
Pollution which is practically an unknown problem in most places is very much a problem here. Even the much larger Empire does not produce as much. This is due to the factories that continue to belch out black smoke through the day and night, making the Xolan Kingdom an even grayer place than it already is. (Though the forges are said to be a relief from the cold) One river, The Serpent’s Tail is completely polluted and discolored from toxins dumped in it, though much to the chagrin of the Empire this river flows downstream, causing more problems for them than it does for the Xolans. The Xolans of course have no intention of stopping their activity let alone for the likes of the Empire.
Another landmark of Xolan landscape are the large craters in parts of the ground. Some of these can range from small, to nearly the size of a village. Weapon testing is a dangerous endeavor.
The Xolan Kingdom is nowhere near as big as the Empire, but it’s a respectable size for its population. Most of its population is human, but is starting to include a number of Dwarves as well. The Kingdom is congruent geographically speaking though there is one small island off the coast of their territory where yet another new factory of the largest size has set up production.
It is unknown what exactly is being built there.
Neighbors
The Dwarf Clans
When nearby Dwarf clans first discovered the Xolans finding one of their long forgotten ancestors’ factories, they were alarmed. If they’d had records of such a place existing they would’ve moved in long before the Xolans could. They thought about launching an attack, but by then it was too late, the Xolans were already using the Dwarf cannons they found on the barbarians and monsters that harassed them and were beginning to make more of their own. The Dwarves were not in the numbers they once were and the humans were abundant and growing more so every day, they could not hope to defeat the Xolans in a victorious war. So they made contact instead, to determine their intentions. As it turned out the Dwarves found they had much in common with the industrious and practical Xolans. They were relieved that the Xolans didn’t seem too interested in conquest (Which surprised the Dwarves given what they knew of humans) so much as they were interested in defending themselves. In time a friendship and was struck up and still exists to this day.
A mutual respect for each other is what keeps the alliance going, the dwarves simply ask that their territory not be encroached on, which the Xolans abide by (The Dwarven territory doesn’t cover much anyway). Other than being a trading partner the Xolans don’t really ask anything in return for the Dwarves. Even when Dwarves offered to help them in their war with the Empire, the Xolans declined and said they’d take care of the problem themselves…and they did. The Dwarves couldn’t ask for a better neighbor that placed a high regard for self-reliance.
Lately though the Dwarves are somewhat restless about the increased weapon testing and all the new invention designs that the Xolans have been engaging in ever since their war with the Empire, particularly the designs that the Dwarves once abandoned because they were thought to be too dangerous. This might be the reason for the recent number of Dwarves migrating to the Kingdom to help as engineers. They can’t stop the Xolans from doing what they want, but they at least want to try to guide the Xolans in a direction that won’t cause THEM trouble in the future.
Barbarian Tribes
In the past these were very much a problem for the Xolan, but nowadays they are merely a nuisance. In fact barbarian raids are becoming rarer against the Xolan Kingdom mainly because of the strong military presence and increasingly bleak landscape. Raiding the Empire to the south is a much more attractive and lucrative option. Still that doesn’t mean the tribes are friendly and they will attack the occasional merchant caravan if they think they have good odds.
Lately one particularly large barbarian tribe called Grishrak’s Horde is attempting to unify ALL the tribes in the area under the rule their Warlord Grishrak. This inevitably involves wiping out half of the tribe and then wiping out the other half if they don’t surrender and swear loyalty to Grishrak.
Grishrak is a half-orc of the largest size and seems to be trying to build a Kingdom of his own. Besides the Empire they see this Horde as the next biggest threat to their security, however despite his brutality Grishrak seems to have a sense of honor and has no love for the Empire either.
Steps have been made to discuss this matter further with him.
Others
There are a few beasts that lurk deep within the mountains, but those are rare. The only monster threat comes from the northern reaches of the Kingdom when the occasional group of ice trolls come wandering down in search of food, on the really rare occasions, a Frost Giant appears. When either of these events occur, no effort is spared to eliminate these threats immediately.
Military
The Xolan Kingdom spends a lot on defense though it can afford to. Training is often harsh, but creates very disciplined soldiers. Swords, axes or maces are standard issue. When recruits master the art of melee only then are they allowed to practice with firearms. The Xolan military wants their soldiers to be able to defend themselves properly not overly rely on a “wonder weapon”. Arquebuses are common, but high powered repeating crossbows are still used, in fact the better the shooters get those instead as it takes some time to reload an arquebus. Whereas a sharp shooter with a repeating crossbow can do a lot more damage within the same amount of time. Regular bows aren’t used at all anymore.
The Xolan military of course also use their cannons whenever possible, but other siege engines like catapults and ballista are still in use, they’ve just been improved upon.
Xolan Calvary is small mainly due to the lack of horses in their land, but the Xolan prefer to rely on foot troops armed with crossbows and arquebuses shooting from afar rather than foolishly charging into the enemy anyway. (A favorite tactic of the Xolan when the enemy charges at them with cavalry, is to aim for the horses) Generals and officers are usually mounted on horses since they need to move quickly to give various orders their troops.
Xolan Navy is also small, but powerful. Experimentation with building ships completely of metal has already begun and their existing wooden ships usually have reinforced hulls with metal plating on the inside. Naturally cannons are mounted in the ships, probably making them most the powerful in the known seas. Only monstrous sea creatures like Krakens and Megalodons usually dare attack such ships. The navy is mainly assigned to defending Xolan shores and the trade ships to the Northeastern fiefdoms.
Other inventions used to serve the military are flying balloons, but these are mainly for lookout purposes, though rumors of other “airborn” designs are being studied and researched. The newest Xolan “weapons” are probably the clockwork golems which have now become a familiar sight in Xolan factories and cities. These metal giants are difficult to manufacture, so for now only a few have been made for important location defense.
Magic and Religion
Even before they embraced technology the Xolan were never a magic loving people, indeed they never really seemed to be particularly inclined to it. Mages in general are becoming a rarer sight in the Xolan Kingdom. However there was one branch that their ancestors embraced once strongly, the art of Necromancy. Records of the time before the founding of Xol are sketchy at best, but tales tell of a Xolan necromancer named Zalin the Black who saved the future of the Xolan from a cult of Elven druids that lived in a nearby forest who were stealing Xolan women and children to sacrifice to their gods and all efforts to send people into the forest to root them out ended in failure. Angered by seeing his people slaughtered, Zalin announced that he would take care of this problem once and for all, and told the Xolan not to come out their homes until daybreak. Xolan traveled to the forest alone and summoned the spirits of the victims back to this world so that they could avenge their own deaths, but that wasn’t enough, he also cast a strong wither spell turning the murderous elves’ beloved forest into dust as the spirits of their victims wrought their terrible revenge. After it was all said and done, nothing was left, but the price Zalin payed for such a powerful spell was high, and he wandered off in the wilderness somewhere to die. His body was never found; presumably he was eaten by a wandering beast. Though obviously the Xolan think of him as a hero
Because of this tale, Necromancy has never been seen as an “evil” branch of magic by the Xolans. It is merely a tool nothing more, though one that they do recognize that it can be abused, as such all Necromancers are required to register their right to practice it and only then in the service of the Kingdom. This mainly includes working in the factories or mines to supervise the workers that have chosen to sign the “death contract”. This agreement involves the worker allowing the necromancer to raise him from the dead so that he may continue to serve the Kingdom and if he has a family to still provide for them. (Family receives half the pay that they normally would get if the worker was still alive) Of course the worker is now a zombie and merely a shell, but many workers will sign such an agreement, though there is a limit, since the necromancers can only hold control over so many dead at a time. (It is a tiring business after all)
Other branches of magic are practically non-existent in the Kingdom though a few Elementalist specializing in Earth or Fire are welcomed due to the large amount of work done in the mountains.
Healing magic has largely been replaced by natural medicine, though the Xolans might benefit a little more from it since the health rate isn’t exactly the best due to the pollution.
Illusions are considered to be a waste of time (Why trick your opponent when you can blow a big hole in him?) and Natural magic is shunned altogether, presumably the memory of murderous elves lurking in forests still lies in the minds of the Xolan.
As for religious practices, most Xolan have even less use for them than magic. This is probably due to their acceptance of necromancy (Which manipulates life after death) and now science and technology (Which operate on natural law rather than some other worldly source).
However there is no law against those that wish to practice their own private worship of whatever god or gods they may believe in, as long as it does not harm the Kingdom in anyway.
Society and Culture
The Xolan are a serious minded people and while they did come to power through the help of old Dwarf inventions since that time they have made improvements and created their own designs in every effort to “make it their own”. As a general rule the Xolan are accepting of most races provide that they aren’t trying to kill or eat them. Though of course they still harbor suspicion in elves (Another reason why Dwarves are fond of the Xolan) Villages and Towns are usually simple and have only what the people need though walls of some sort are always erected around them. Cities resemble small fortresses rather than cities. (Especially the capital) Slavery has never been institutionalized in the Kingdom mainly due to their “do it yourself” outlook on life, plus it seemed much more costly to keep slaves and a risk to security. (And after visiting the Empire, their position on it has only been reinforced)
Things like art, music and other humanities are not actively pursued on a large level; even the King’s palace isn’t very ornate looking. Not that they aren’t creative, the Xolan just see little reason to decorate things with jewels or pave them in gold. Precious gems and metals are meant for trading not to uselessly wallow in one’s own opulence. The closest the Xolan have to “art” are their inventions. Architecture is valued, but only so it functions, not so it looks “nice”. The Xolan would rather have an ugly looking building that never falls than a nice one that will collapse at the slightest touch. Arguing over philosophical things like “If a tree falls down in the woods, what color is it?” is just the height of pointlessness to the Xolan, they’d much rather argue over more important things like “If I put this much gun powder in the cannon will I still kill the enemy without blowing myself up?” History is still important to them though and they try to keep records of ever important event that goes on in the Kingdom. Most books are dedicated to more practical subjects, but some fiction exists. Usually these involve tales of dedication and self-sacrifice for the greater good of the Xolan Kingdom. Learning about one’s enemies and how they think is a worthwhile endeavor, so strategy and tactics always rank highly, because of this, some “games” have been created to fuel this interest. (But mainly for learning rather than entertainment purposes)
The Xolan seem like joyless people to most, but that actually isn’t true, they just experience joy in simpler pleasures. Indeed with the coming of the Empire they’ve seen what overindulgence can do to a civilization, and they vow to never become like them.
