Selina/Windia

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The Royal Kingdom of Winlandia

Overview

Winlandia is, like so many other Threshold kingdoms, the mere remnant of something which was once much greater and more terrible. That it survives today – especially in the savage and relatively inhospitable north – is a testament to its resilient spirit and magical prowess.

Situated in the region of the White Sea's southeastern shoreline, Winlandia is an enchanting kingdom of winged creatures, most of its population being of Windians, winged humans with frail bodies, great beauty, longer lifespans, clear minds and keen eyesight. They are most at ease when in heights and winds, never falling to the wind madness so common on the north. Their tastes tend to make Winlandia, and especially the capital city of Windia itself... somewhat awkward to those non-winged, with many places that are hard to reach without grueling rounds of stairs, great open spaces inside houses that chill with brisk winds, and dimensions that leave many a hunter uncomfortable, feeling too much in the open – as they love the space to spread their wings and fly. And especially their love of winds, that fill the landscape with windmills – windmills that sing the ancient songs of Ofaniel, that keep the formless chaos at bay. Maintained by Windia’s miracle workers, they keep the winds going, and even far from the cities one can hear the faint singing on the wind, warding the Shadowlands, the Wyld, and all the terrible things away from the Land of Soaring Winds.

Keen eyesights add a general eye to detail most would find overdone – exuberant hair, clothes filled with detail, and many forms of vanity that only matter to them – like the regular preening of their wings to keep them from getting oily and dirty. Clear minds make them a very learned people – with a great rate of literacy – as well as a knack for the arts of magic that blends into its non-winged population to make a country that relies heavily on all sorts of magical devices. With a way to make choice mortals able to wield Exalted Sorcery, with weapons to wards to focus, able to withstand and drive back the ravages of the climate, the dead, chaos and even the silver barbarians...

Population

Winlandia's total population is over three million spread around the kingdom. A majority of that number is composed of Windians: the angel-winged, wyld-mutated humans created in by a Twilight Solar queen who lived in what is now Windia during the First Age. Scholars in the magic university have come to the conclusion that she created the race partially to service her gigantic essence cannon, as well as due to a fondness for winged creatures. After the Windians, more normal humans form the next greatest population block, with a few northern beastmen who have left their own societies tolerated so long as they do not cause trouble and help defend the country when needed against all attackers, including their former brethren. All of those tend to be somewhat hindered by the architecture and style of Windian cities and towns, built for those who can fly, and cannot help but to feel left out of the great balls in gazebos so far up, having to endure grueling staircases and the prospect of death falling from afar... as may be guessed, Winlandia is not an especially diverse place. The dead and their masters are not typically encouraged to enter Winlandia, although the government wisely allows the closest Deathlord to send agents when she feels the urge to have diplomatic discourse for fear of incurring her wrath.

Winlandia has a few hundred graduates of its magical academy, the Kaleidoscope – mortals infused with the ability to wield Sorceries beyond that of mortal men, to rival the Dragon-Blooded in that field. They are spread around many fields, architecture, military and social, performing many different miracles. Of the Exalted, the majority that reside in the kingdom are Outcaste Dragon-Bloods who have thrown their lot in with the country – most of them being Windian themselves, and a few even of Dynast stock (mainly Ledaal and Tepet pedigree, though other House-lineage is not completely unknown) Air aspects tend to feel most at home, as they can keep up with the Windians on the air and the hazards of their daily life. There are a little less than a couple hundred of those, however, and every loss is heavily felt.

Lunar exalts do not tend to visit the kingdom except on raids, although the 'rogue' Lunar countess Valencia Silverstar, who rules the harshest province in the kingdom (comprising Port Aurora and the military garrison town of Northwind as well as a few villages) does enjoy a respected position within the confines of civilization – though she keeps what she is mostly to herself, even though all know of her as one of their greatest heroes, and always the one to drive barbarians off its land. Of Solars the kingdom neither numbers any within its borders, nor wants to as general policy, given the attention such beings might bring from the Realm.

The Chosen of the Maidens maintain a loose presence in the kingdom, though the Sidereal in charge of the immediate region, Luminaev du Mistlav, is referred to as a 'fringe Bronze', though she has no great love for the Gold. So far, it seems, Winlandia serves both factions as a useful buffer between the Lover Clad in the Raiment of Tears and Whitewall or the Bull of the North, as well as a potential weapon to use against the other's pawns should it be required.


Government

Winlandia is a monarchy, with a series of nobles ranging from Barons to the Duke in place underneath the ruling family. The rulership of the country tends to favor neither sex, although capable (i.e. Exalted) rulers are much favored to non-Exalted rulers. Because of the benefits of Terrestrial Exaltation, every noble line in the country has enough blood that they tend to experience one or two Exaltations every generation, effectively keeping a good supply of Dragon-Blooded of various pedigree (the Windia family in particular has a bit of Ledaal blood). Currently, the Windia next in line (or, the Prince or Princess Royal) is Nina Windia, attending the Heptagram to receive the finest magical education offered in the world.

Beneath the royal family is the Duke of Windia, who manages the Capitol of about one million souls and surrounding area as his Duchy. This position is the only one that merits the title of Duke in the entire kingdom, although the Duke's main duty besides administration of Windia and its environs is also overall administration of the military and several other tasks. In addition, the Duke is considered the acting formal guardian of the King during war and certain ceremonies. Some Dukes take this duty more seriously than others, but all practice it.

Of the counts, two are the most important: one is the holder of Port Aurora and its rugged northern fief, bullwark against the most hostile invaders. House Silverstar has held this office for the past seven-hundred years. The other is currently held by House Durant, the most powerful in the country besides the de Windias, the county of Delisalle. Delisalle and its capital, Luthia, form the breadbasket of Winlandia. Various baronies exist, mostly coastal and border towns or small cities, though there are un-landed barons who live primarily in the capitol and assist in the running of government.


Mystical

The most visible reminder of the First Age – besides the Windians themselves – is the great weapon sited on one of their mountains, and it has not been operational since the Usurpation. The Sidereals are happy with that state of affairs, permitting no one to destroy or repair it (since a time may come when it might factor into their plans) and those seeking to study it overmuch find themselves stymied at every turn. Winlandia maintains a dozen Warstriders in total: most Noble Houses possess one as part of their heritage, passed down to their champion on every generation, and a further few are held by the national army and royal family. The vast majority of the country’s First Age artifacts are held in impregnable vaults within the mountains of the capitol, and many of those would not be immediately usable even by Twilight caste Solars. Winlandia is no Lookshy, harking back to an earlier era through its deadly weapons and force of arms.

Instead, the country is simply a magical place to live. Mystical arts, mortal and exalt alike, are far more common here than in most places of the world. Crops grow so well because of them, and people’s lives are made easier through them. Windia is a wondrous and enchanting place, as opposed to a fortress city, evoking the splendor of ages gone by even though many of the things that held that age so close to heaven no longer are functioning. Somehow, the city withstood the Usurpation, it withstood the Contagion and a brief sacking by a Lunar-led barbarian horde a few centuries after, all without losing that spark. The kingdom as a whole withstood at least five unjust, tyrannical rulers, the last of whom was overthrown by a collection of noble families backed by the Realm, and it has not lessened overmuch. Perhaps it is the concentration of sorcerers, perhaps the Windians themselves, or the various powers who influence and (to a degree) guard them. No one can say for sure.

Another legacy of the First Age is not as visible in itself – but clearly visible in its impact on Winlandian life. The Kaleidoscope, the Solar Manse that serves as its Magic University, has the ability to imbue mortals with the authority to mold essence with their hands, and craft spells of Emerald Sorcery. Mortals are tatooed with runes on part of their body – the part and the style of the runes depending on the person’s essence flows and the person drawing it – and then placed within a special part of the Manse, where they ascend. Whatever does it cannot be replicated anywhere else, so far, and all who tried to learn exactly how it works have either gone insane or are not talking. Thirteen of its best students are blessed with this gift every year – the gift of having their bodies broken and remade with power, Essence at their fingertips, their tattoos shining like an anima as sorcery is used...

Although to a lesser degree than its neighbors in Whiteshield or Hanslanti, Windia has its share of the divine. The Six-Winged City Mother of the Capital, Myria, is a force to be reckoned with, and it holds the Lord Patron of Sorcery for the entire Northern direction, as well as great Goddess of Birds and a great deal of Air Elementals. Their half breeds stay low since Windia pays more than its share of respects to the Immaculate Order, but they are there, along with the cults and festivals to their parents, for anyone wh really cares to look. This mystic heritage aids greatly in wartime, with Dragon-Blooded in its armies, and even in the shadows. Neikeveda, its own version of the All-Seeing Eye, are some of the best shadow operatives in Creation – doubtless due to Sidereal shaping in their methods and style.

Of course, the kingdom has suffered from social problems in the past, as well as external difficulties, and the magical nature certainly has a dark side. Racism against non-Windians was common at a point in the country’s history, and a strong bias against Windians with black wings has recently arisen, thanks to the growing power of the Deathlords and their servants. Black-winged are believed to be touched by death and the underworld, their fates skewed toward misfortune in a way both like and unlike that of a ghost-blooded. Specifically, it is held as one of the influences of the Lover Clad in a Raiment of Tears. In some provinces, black-wings are grounds for lynching, and the Princess Royal has certainly endured her share of difficulties from the matter (which is one reason she is studying abroad to come into her power). The wonder of the Faerie is also seldom seen in Windia – as Fair Folk are deeply displeased by the songs on its Windmills.


The Various Sights of Winlandia

The core of Winlandia is the capital of Windia, part of the de Windia Dukedom which stretches miles from the capital to the Western shoreline, and the Counties of Morvien, the last frontier to the North, and Delisalle, the breadbasket of the country. But there is much more within that this simple breakdown...

Windia

The capital of the Windian nation, Windia is quite imposing, built on a mountain with the ancient white-stoned royal castle (one of the few places that survived the Lunar assault of the city during the failing days after the Contagion) crowning the summit, above the clouds. A marvel of white and blue stone, it actually floats some yards above the peak of the mountain. Rafts go in and out of it, and guards – including powerful air elementals - patrol the skies around it at all times. Within, dwells the Royal Family, the Windia Family, and their must trusted protectors and advisors – it is a place with luxuries seldom seen in this age. The rest of the city trailing down all sides of the mountain, to the smaller mounts around it and the valleys between them, its walls only closing to the rolling hills and plains below. There are no large forests near Windia, though scattered woods amidst the plains and in some of the valleys do exist. The habitations in Windia are all far up, with huge archways and constructions above them, defying gravity and the winds – small communities hanging above valleys, restaurants above great archways. So great, that the Skyships – a secret they traded with Hanslanti and are much used there – can fly beneath them. Restaurants dangle from the archways, and balls are had in constructions on the hills, the music reaching up to the sky where winged couples dance... it is in this, Upper Windia, that the great Manse of the de Windia stands. However, closer to the first circle of walls and the plains, there is Lower Windia, where the poor people, mostly non-winged live, and between it and Upper Windia, there is a neighborhood where both can find equal solace, and where most of the trade is run, and where royal guests of other countries take residence in.

Windia’s primary industry is crafts of the high grade type: jewelry, fine furniture, and even artifacts (most based on Jade) among others. It is also a center of learning, and actually does deal in a unique trade of sorts: magical training at The Kaleidoscope, an ancient and powerful Solar Manse which now serves as a university. Mortal hedge magic and the least of the Exalted sorceries are taught here, and many rulers and other wealthy folk from as far as Whitewall and Nexus will pay exorbitant sums to have their offspring attend classes at Windia, on the hope that one will be chosen as one of the best of the class, and given the gift of Sorcery. There are farms on the outskirts of the city, kept more fertile and productive than normal by low-grade crop-assisting magics, but Windia is a heavy importer of food it cannot get locally nonetheless. It is the gathering place for the nobility of Winlandia, the seat of the royal family and until recently, ruled by the de Windia family.

Luthia

Second biggest city in Winlandia, Luthia is sometimes referred to as the green-heart of the country. This is accurate in more ways than one, as it lies farther from the borders than the eastern Windia. It is less beautiful than the capital, but seemingly more sturdy to look at, more grounded. And yet, the wondrous gardens made by Wood Aspects mark it as a place to see – great trees reaching up to the sky, impossible fruits made by sorcery, the aid of strange earth and wood elementals and its shadowed elemental court. Creatures of the green that could find few places in the North outside of Hanslanti’s few green places find solace here, and here, they grow. Great spiders, strange sorts of birds, all manners of rodents, all live in the great trees that reach up to the sky, in the shadow of plants greater than a House.

The province surrounding it is the farming-heartland of the nation, place of the fullest orchards, largest wheat and corn-fields, and greatest herds of meat and milk animals. Much of the cheese in the North (which is prized in many other places of the world) comes from Luthia or the towns and villages surrounding it, and many a graduate from the university in Windia finds one of his first jobs being a crop-sorcerer in the fields of the Delisalle province or in Luthia itself.

Forests of varying size dot the farmlands, especially near the central mountain range of the nation (and away from the plains), renewed by a mix of time and sorcery – the lion’s share of fine wood which goes to Windia’s craft-shops hails from Delisalle as well. Those same forests are dangerous if one does not watch both mundane and supernatural customs – dangerous creatures and powerful Elementals lurk within them. Luthia is the seat of House Durant, second most powerful noble House in Winlandia, and a rival to House de Windia. As of late, they have taken up the slack of de Windia’s duties, following that House’s fall, as well as some of its children. They are mostly of Dragon Blood, especially that of Wood and Water aspects, so uncommon in Windia, although the House’s patriarch is married to Valencia la Silverstar’s daughter

One of its least-known facts is that it is the headquarters of Windia's secret service, Neikeveda, the People's Comissariat for Internal Affairs, a secret service that is as horrific as it is wondrous. They are also called Chrysantemum of Sorrows due to the twenty-four years long mandate of Faina, a Emerald Dragoness, as its head, and due to the merciless tactics and terrible reputation they have accrued throughout her tenure as its director. Its individual members are thus known as 'Flowers' in her Chrysanthemum.

Northcove

In most of Windia, ancient Solar wards and the Songs of Ofaniel, sung from the many of windmills dotting the country still hold many of the terrors from beyond at bay. Northcove and its surrounding lands are within these sheltered areas, and so much more fish are harvested there than around Port Aurora, where the industry is dampen by the constant watchfulness and danger imposed by the absence of any strong wardings along the coast. House Tierney, a middling-rank noble family which received the barony with its attendant population centers about two-hundred years ago, manages the quiet business of the land fairly competently. With its dealings with Hanslanti and the Fair Folk of the White Sea – the only nation to actually deal with them in Windia, a fact that is hardly wiidely known – Northcove actually gets and salvages many unusual wonders, the brisk trade in various items from the world-over drawing foreigners from as far as Wavecrest, occasionally. Like Port Aurora, Northcove is a deep-water port, though ships capable of taking advantage of this have not been built since the First Age.

Port Aurora

The importance of Port Aurora has grown in the past few centuries despite its continued status as a small, not so enticing city, and not only because of its role as one of the bigger centers for certain northerly growing trees and metals such as iron and silver. Neither is it because of its many forests of living ice, that cover most of the city’s parks, and the wilderness close to it, and although unusable by the populace, are quite a pride, and have quite an artistic use. Not to mention, the use of its fruits as rock ice for drinks, which are known to give the drinks a special flavor and even aphrodisiac or narcotic effects, depending on the ice-plant used. But none of that made it truly important.

The province of Morvien, with the ruling city of Port Aurora is a fortress, the heart of a military entrenchment begun over five-hundred and sixty years ago against the peril of the chaotic, strange things to the North. Today, the seat of the most hardened units in Winlandia’s army is in Port Aurora. It has successfully weathered demons, fair folk and wyld barbarians that come, having destroyed both the Hanslanti settlements north of it and the borders of Port Aurora. The Lunar Valencia Silverstar was born to its ruling family, and Exalted protecting them from the very same threats. She has successfully beaten back others Chosen of Luna in courtships that involved the destruction of her land. For three hundred years now she has has protected the province of Morvien, making it so Windia would never lose terrain again – and while it had become the last line of defense shortly before she was born, she made sure the line did not back an inch.

This long section of the coast to the west is the front line, dotted with forts and watch-towers that will warn against the approach of even spirits. To the north, it is similarly defended. Misera of the Blade, the Northern Goddess of the Sword has her sanctum there, and Valencia is not only the finest blade in the North – the blessings of the Goddess make the sword-styles of Northwind some of the deadliest there are. In this province and especially near the provincial capital, people must constantly be ready to engage in border skirmishes. The whole province owes its existence to the regiments of Morvien, forces that have blossomed under the capable leadership of House Silverstar, who know that the things to the North of Winlandia are not forces to be trifled with. They have warned Hanslanti about their foolish settlement on Crystal, but the warning has been for naught.

Northwind

Part of the Morvien province, One of the smaller cities in Winlandia mantains some importance as the mountain-town of Northwind. Guardian of the mountain overpass into Winlandia from the northeast, Northwind stands at the cusp of the only overland mountain path through a rough mountain chain known as the Gates to Heaven. Northwind is thus one of the few buffers between the winged nation and many outside threats from the East. Primarily a garrison city, much of it’s population is actively involved in military service, be it mercenary or household troops. Despite this militant bent, Northwind is a beautiful place. One of the eldest cities in Winlandia, it survived almost completely intact through the Usurpation and the Contingent. Much of the city, including it’s towering walls, is constructed from smooth blue crystal and statues in honor of guardian spirits known as Seraphim deck the tops of homes and the city walls all across the city. As a city Northwind produces little beyond a spattering of mining in the mountains and occasional jade harvesting from the upper peeks. Unable to even supply it’s own food however, the city must be maintained by a steady stream of air caravans in and out of the rest of the country. Though the cost is high and comes out of the pocket of House Silverstar, maintaining this important outpost has allowed the militant noble family to receive generous breaks on taxation.

Forgotten in the mountains for countless years, Northwind was eventually rediscovered and claimed as a base of operations by a company of Winlandian mercenaries who came to call themselves the Northwind Guard. Though control was later seceded to the Silverstar family, the Guard maintain a very close relation to the city and actively protect it from any threat. House Silverstar in turn is lenient on taxing the Guard and allows the city to maintain a certain level of self-governing autonomy under the mercenary company. People of Northwind, almost entirely Windians, are much the same as one could find anywhere, save for their eyes. People dwelling for any length of time within Northwind develop a strange bluish tint to their eyes. Subtle in short-time visitors, the eyes of long time residents glow outright and the eyes of every member of the Northwind Guard turn a painfully crisp glowing blue. The Guard claims this is due to the powerful flows of elemental energy through out the city, but most savants suspect there may be another reason for this unusual feature.


Many Falling Feathers

Windian Characters - How to create characters from the land of Soaring Winds...
Windian Deities - The Gods of Windia.
Windian Personalities - The many faces of the land of Soaring Winds!


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