Fantasy Novel Background
Aug. 29th, 2009 05:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stickmakerBeen working on the background for my fantasy novel. Little of this will appear in the book, but it helps give me a feel for the world.
Under the cut
AD 1305 The Papacy is moved from Rome to Avignon, France. Rome essentially collapses. Within twenty years there is no government, and most of the citizens have left.
AD 1315 Europe suffers three years of torrential rain prefacing decades of unpredictable weather
During this span there is one three year period known as the Great Famine.
AD 1328 The Compact is split over the nature of the Trinity. The minority portion - which becomes known as Carolina - is officially excommunicated. The response is to declare their own Pope and excommunicate the "Bastard of Avignon."
AD 1330 According to legend, the Stenoses are written by a human known as Valour and an elf known as Grace. While there are records of individuals alive during this period who could have been the basis of the legend, no firm evidence exists that these two specific people ever existed. Neither has anyone ever produced one of the original copies of the Stenoses. All that survive are copies of copies of copies, all with minor - and some with major - differences.
Nevertheless, the impact of the document is enormous. Word of the Stenoses spreads quickly, and the document is outlawed by most governments - including that of the Compact - as well as the Church. This does not stop people from copying, reading and discussing it. Realizing that driving it underground would be bad, the Pope - Lucian II - rescinds the ban, and persuades the King of the Compact - and many other rulers - to do likewise. By this measure he hopes to control the influence of the document.
AD 1345 The Black Death spreads to Europe.
AD 1383 The Great Elves finally leave. There are rumors that a few remain behind, incognito, to watch over their short-lived children. Most of the Earth-born elves - still very long lived in comparison to humans - stay behind. Not only is this the world they know, but moving to their parents' realm will not significantly extend their lives.
There are many reasons besides this shortened lifespan for the elves to leave. Even the more adventurous of them consider the human world to be a nasty, smelly, brutish place where things just aren't as cooperative as back home. Even the things which aren't overtly dangerous have so little magic that working with them requires far too much effort. The more honest also admit to being terrified by some of the things they have found here. Like the Black Death.
AD 1389 Lady D'Jara Anatolia Herthale, seeking an isolated place for meditation and the study of the practice of magic, comes to the Spire of Claudius in the Alsace region.
AD 1390 Pope Timothy III issues an encyclical expressing his thoughts on some recent philosophical writings by several religious figures, and includes his opinions of the contents of the Stenoses. This results in a gradually building flood of recommendations on changes in the way the Church operates. The result is the Declaration of Operation of the Church. Subsequent Declarations are numbered sequentially, but this one is simply known as "The" Declaration.
Among other alterations this brings about the creation of the office of the Hierophant. This office will henceforth be the intermediary between the highest offices of the Church and governments, leaving more spiritual matters - as well as the actual administration of the Church - to the Pope and his officers. Following this, the Pope moves back to Rome, leaving the Hierophant in Avignon.
The beneficial use of magic in fighting illness - specifically the Black Death - is noted. While no overt approval is given, officers of the Church now understand that they are not to punish magical healers as long as they do nothing overtly against the law.
While the Stenoses are not officially accepted by the Church, their influence on these reforms is clear.
AD 1393 Pope Timothy III decides that the previous home of the Pope - the Lateran Palace - is not worth restoring. He contemplates having it razed and building a new structure on the site. After much discussion, he instead orders the Basilica of Our Lady in Trastevere to be modified for his use. He begins the monumental task of reclaiming Rome from the hordes of thieves and brigands which have claimed it. He dies with only the core - the area immediately around the Basilica - restored. His next several successors continue the work. Within eighty years Rome is a booming center of art and commerce governed by a board of merchants appointed by a special bishop. The Holy See is eventually established in all new facilities constructed on Mons Vaticanus.
While today the Church officially has dominion only over what has become known as the Vatican, there is almost no outside interference from any other governing agency. In the Eighteenth Century, King Adolphus III noted "The Pope has Rome, I have the Compact, the Church has the world."
AD 1396 The Academy of Magical Studies and Instruction is founded by the elfin mage Lady D'Jara Anatolia Herthale.
While magic is still officially forbidden to humans, elves - for various reasons - have long been exempt from this human law. The fact that Lady D'Jara teaches humans as well as elves is ignored by both the Church and the Compact. This is largely due to Lady D'Jara having performed acts of major benefit to both, and largely due to the difficulty of actually punishing her or her students.
AD 1453 The Byzantine Empire falls to the Ottoman Empire. By this time Egypt had been under Muslim control for some seven centuries, but Orthodoxy was very strong in Russia, which had recently acquired an autocephalous status; and thus Moscow called itself the Third Rome, as the cultural heir of Constantinople.
Concerned about these and other upheavals in the world order, Aethelrud the Grand, King of the Compact, begins several programs to improve his nation's defenses. This includes a formal agreement with the Academy of Magical Studies.
AD 1478 King Aethelrud dies. His son, King Berthold I, takes the crown, but soon dies mysteriously. Though thought at the time to be caused by food poisoning, within a decade the actions of his son would lead to speculation that he had been murdered.
AD 1489 King Berthold II - rapidly becoming known as King Berthold the Mad - begins a program of expansion. Far from insane, he is instead an ambitious and ruthless but clever man who wishes to greatly expand the Compact, and therefore his power. Through a combination of direct conquest and negotiations backed by threat of conquest, he annexes numerous duchies, baronies, estates and the occasional entire kingdom. At first he focuses on Carolina, but after several easy and a few difficult actions expands in other directions.
He repeatedly seizes an area, then stops, promising that he has what he wants. However, he is simply consolidating the new possession and rebuilding his army. When he does face a determined foe he fortifies the border, and turns towards easier game.
The fact that under his rule the average occupant of these lands is usually more prosperous often makes these conquests almost easy. These new territories are placed under the control of military governors, who are strict but generally far less corrupt than the previous rulers and their minions. His soldiers are also under strict orders not to harass peasants and merchants. Nobles, though, are fair game. This bit of politicking sometimes turns the seizure of a keep or fort into a game. Once the Compact's soldiers have what they want, they throw the gates open and let the peasants loot. This leads to such spectacles as drunken foot soldiers cheering farmers on as they try to remove a lord's oversized bed from its third-floor room.
Berthold's ambition includes not just territory and temporal power, but also influence over the Church. His scheming to select the next Pope - while the reigning Pope Sextus is still hale and vigorous - proves his undoing. Sextus, worried that Berhold's ambitions will lead to the assassination of both himself and other high Church officials, begins exploring options. Eventually, he persuades a large number of influential and powerful nobles of the Compact to overthrow Berthold, in favor of the King's cousin, son of Aethelrud's daughter. This is no easy task, given the riches Berthold's efforts have brought into the Compact. However, Sextus is able to convince them that if these conquests continue a coalition of neighboring rulers will unite against the Compact. The fact that the new lands are not being put under the control of the Compact's nobles also worries them. Berthold is dethroned in a bloodless coup which takes him entirely by surprise. He is exiled to a remote estate, where he chokes to death on a bite of beef a few years later.
King Marcus proves a difficult monarch. He has his own ambitions, though they lie in different directions than those of his predecessor. As agreed beforehand, he leaves the Church alone. He also returns much of the land seized by Berthold, though he always extracts some price for this. Thanks to his scheming and machinations, at the end of his reign the Compact is both larger and wealthier than in his grandfather's day. It also has mutual defense pacts with nearly every surrounding nation, and many others more distant.
Between Berthold and Marcus, the Compact increases significantly in size in half a century.
Under the cut
AD 1305 The Papacy is moved from Rome to Avignon, France. Rome essentially collapses. Within twenty years there is no government, and most of the citizens have left.
AD 1315 Europe suffers three years of torrential rain prefacing decades of unpredictable weather
During this span there is one three year period known as the Great Famine.
AD 1328 The Compact is split over the nature of the Trinity. The minority portion - which becomes known as Carolina - is officially excommunicated. The response is to declare their own Pope and excommunicate the "Bastard of Avignon."
AD 1330 According to legend, the Stenoses are written by a human known as Valour and an elf known as Grace. While there are records of individuals alive during this period who could have been the basis of the legend, no firm evidence exists that these two specific people ever existed. Neither has anyone ever produced one of the original copies of the Stenoses. All that survive are copies of copies of copies, all with minor - and some with major - differences.
Nevertheless, the impact of the document is enormous. Word of the Stenoses spreads quickly, and the document is outlawed by most governments - including that of the Compact - as well as the Church. This does not stop people from copying, reading and discussing it. Realizing that driving it underground would be bad, the Pope - Lucian II - rescinds the ban, and persuades the King of the Compact - and many other rulers - to do likewise. By this measure he hopes to control the influence of the document.
AD 1345 The Black Death spreads to Europe.
AD 1383 The Great Elves finally leave. There are rumors that a few remain behind, incognito, to watch over their short-lived children. Most of the Earth-born elves - still very long lived in comparison to humans - stay behind. Not only is this the world they know, but moving to their parents' realm will not significantly extend their lives.
There are many reasons besides this shortened lifespan for the elves to leave. Even the more adventurous of them consider the human world to be a nasty, smelly, brutish place where things just aren't as cooperative as back home. Even the things which aren't overtly dangerous have so little magic that working with them requires far too much effort. The more honest also admit to being terrified by some of the things they have found here. Like the Black Death.
AD 1389 Lady D'Jara Anatolia Herthale, seeking an isolated place for meditation and the study of the practice of magic, comes to the Spire of Claudius in the Alsace region.
AD 1390 Pope Timothy III issues an encyclical expressing his thoughts on some recent philosophical writings by several religious figures, and includes his opinions of the contents of the Stenoses. This results in a gradually building flood of recommendations on changes in the way the Church operates. The result is the Declaration of Operation of the Church. Subsequent Declarations are numbered sequentially, but this one is simply known as "The" Declaration.
Among other alterations this brings about the creation of the office of the Hierophant. This office will henceforth be the intermediary between the highest offices of the Church and governments, leaving more spiritual matters - as well as the actual administration of the Church - to the Pope and his officers. Following this, the Pope moves back to Rome, leaving the Hierophant in Avignon.
The beneficial use of magic in fighting illness - specifically the Black Death - is noted. While no overt approval is given, officers of the Church now understand that they are not to punish magical healers as long as they do nothing overtly against the law.
While the Stenoses are not officially accepted by the Church, their influence on these reforms is clear.
AD 1393 Pope Timothy III decides that the previous home of the Pope - the Lateran Palace - is not worth restoring. He contemplates having it razed and building a new structure on the site. After much discussion, he instead orders the Basilica of Our Lady in Trastevere to be modified for his use. He begins the monumental task of reclaiming Rome from the hordes of thieves and brigands which have claimed it. He dies with only the core - the area immediately around the Basilica - restored. His next several successors continue the work. Within eighty years Rome is a booming center of art and commerce governed by a board of merchants appointed by a special bishop. The Holy See is eventually established in all new facilities constructed on Mons Vaticanus.
While today the Church officially has dominion only over what has become known as the Vatican, there is almost no outside interference from any other governing agency. In the Eighteenth Century, King Adolphus III noted "The Pope has Rome, I have the Compact, the Church has the world."
AD 1396 The Academy of Magical Studies and Instruction is founded by the elfin mage Lady D'Jara Anatolia Herthale.
While magic is still officially forbidden to humans, elves - for various reasons - have long been exempt from this human law. The fact that Lady D'Jara teaches humans as well as elves is ignored by both the Church and the Compact. This is largely due to Lady D'Jara having performed acts of major benefit to both, and largely due to the difficulty of actually punishing her or her students.
AD 1453 The Byzantine Empire falls to the Ottoman Empire. By this time Egypt had been under Muslim control for some seven centuries, but Orthodoxy was very strong in Russia, which had recently acquired an autocephalous status; and thus Moscow called itself the Third Rome, as the cultural heir of Constantinople.
Concerned about these and other upheavals in the world order, Aethelrud the Grand, King of the Compact, begins several programs to improve his nation's defenses. This includes a formal agreement with the Academy of Magical Studies.
AD 1478 King Aethelrud dies. His son, King Berthold I, takes the crown, but soon dies mysteriously. Though thought at the time to be caused by food poisoning, within a decade the actions of his son would lead to speculation that he had been murdered.
AD 1489 King Berthold II - rapidly becoming known as King Berthold the Mad - begins a program of expansion. Far from insane, he is instead an ambitious and ruthless but clever man who wishes to greatly expand the Compact, and therefore his power. Through a combination of direct conquest and negotiations backed by threat of conquest, he annexes numerous duchies, baronies, estates and the occasional entire kingdom. At first he focuses on Carolina, but after several easy and a few difficult actions expands in other directions.
He repeatedly seizes an area, then stops, promising that he has what he wants. However, he is simply consolidating the new possession and rebuilding his army. When he does face a determined foe he fortifies the border, and turns towards easier game.
The fact that under his rule the average occupant of these lands is usually more prosperous often makes these conquests almost easy. These new territories are placed under the control of military governors, who are strict but generally far less corrupt than the previous rulers and their minions. His soldiers are also under strict orders not to harass peasants and merchants. Nobles, though, are fair game. This bit of politicking sometimes turns the seizure of a keep or fort into a game. Once the Compact's soldiers have what they want, they throw the gates open and let the peasants loot. This leads to such spectacles as drunken foot soldiers cheering farmers on as they try to remove a lord's oversized bed from its third-floor room.
Berthold's ambition includes not just territory and temporal power, but also influence over the Church. His scheming to select the next Pope - while the reigning Pope Sextus is still hale and vigorous - proves his undoing. Sextus, worried that Berhold's ambitions will lead to the assassination of both himself and other high Church officials, begins exploring options. Eventually, he persuades a large number of influential and powerful nobles of the Compact to overthrow Berthold, in favor of the King's cousin, son of Aethelrud's daughter. This is no easy task, given the riches Berthold's efforts have brought into the Compact. However, Sextus is able to convince them that if these conquests continue a coalition of neighboring rulers will unite against the Compact. The fact that the new lands are not being put under the control of the Compact's nobles also worries them. Berthold is dethroned in a bloodless coup which takes him entirely by surprise. He is exiled to a remote estate, where he chokes to death on a bite of beef a few years later.
King Marcus proves a difficult monarch. He has his own ambitions, though they lie in different directions than those of his predecessor. As agreed beforehand, he leaves the Church alone. He also returns much of the land seized by Berthold, though he always extracts some price for this. Thanks to his scheming and machinations, at the end of his reign the Compact is both larger and wealthier than in his grandfather's day. It also has mutual defense pacts with nearly every surrounding nation, and many others more distant.
Between Berthold and Marcus, the Compact increases significantly in size in half a century.
