Gailifor
| Gailifor | |
|---|---|
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| (Nation) | |
| Pronunciation | GĀ-lə-fōr
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| Titles |
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| Alignment | Chaotic Neutral
(regional variations) }} |
| Capital | Erderia
(formerly Hawkins) }} |
| Ruler | Bishop Cantrio of Erderia
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| Government | theocracy / feudal
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| Demonym |
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| Adjective | Gailenese
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| Languages | Common, Elven
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| Religions |
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Gailifor is a fractured land of feudal lords, all scions of the legendary hero Erden Dragonblood, vying through intrigue, diplomacy, deception and even overt violence, to be crowned king. Though many of the scion's claims of rulership by right of lineage are dubious, those who are able to substantiate their claims, either though force of arms or iron-clad evidence of their descent, are granted governance of a Principality.
The highest authority in the nation is the Eastern Canonical Church of Maeleldil and its patriarchs (having in 780 schismed from the church in Hilsea for political reasons). The warring Principalities have, in general, fallen into comfortable patterns, with states changing hands or moving borders only once or twice every few years. Killing other claimants is fratricide, and punishable by excommunication - a threat that is universally feared, as it represents the loss of title, claim and property.
Outside of the claimants to the throne, the people of Gailifor have always been, to fluctuating degrees, socially mobile. While nepotism still plays a role in the assignment of titles of nobility and division of labor at the highest levels, the most successful Principalities tend to encourage meritocracy.
Race Relations and the City of Hawkins
Racial diversity in Gailifor is quite possibly greater than anywhere else in the known world, and lizardfolk, kobolds, gnomes, dwarves, elves, orcs, ogres and even trolls are permitted a relatively large degree of autonomy and civil liberty, especially in the Sovereign City of Hawkins, sometimes said to be the greatest marvel of urban planning.
Major Sites
Mount Tilflay is the site of a number of important events in St. Erden's life, including the slaying of I'thunia, the Great Red Dragon, his meeting with the Angel Rehephenu, who promised that the elves would never again reclaim this land, and the location of his sacred tomb, to which pilgrimage is made.
Hawkins, the sovereign city, could be a nation-state unto itself, and is completely self-sufficient within its many-tiered walls and divided wards. Hawkins is a city where many of the inhabitants have never so much as seen the gates, for want of nothing beyond its walls, currently ruled by Bryan Kain, an alleged, but unconfirmed scion of Erden who inherited the city from his more militarily powerful father Jorge.
Real-World Comparison
Feudal quarreling in England and France, but with less emphasis on class consciousness and long chains of hereditary titles.
Campaign Role
The New World represents opportunity to the most maligned and defeated of the Gailenese Principalities to gain control of resources (especially after the almost successful conquest of Greyns). For the average citizens, many of whom are weary of the increasingly stalemated private wars and increasingly cutthroat local adventuring industry, the notion of a new world – devoid of such issues – is welcome indeed.