Chapter One: Unity
History:
A few generations ago, the kingdom of Kei was ruled by an extremely strict tyrant. Toward the end of his reign, the severity of King Evan's heavy hand became nothing less than wholesale genocide. The number of lives lost to the executioner's axe is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. Dirk, a courageous young official in the king's court took it upon himself to punish the king by beheading him and his family. He met very little resistance. Before long the official was crowned the new king.
King Dirk ruled in a very fair even-handed manner compared to his predecessor, and the kingdom slowly recuperated. But he had his own flaws. He was very suspicious of outsiders, even xenophobic. When the King's daughter, Princess Hope, fell in love with the elf Prince Eöl Tulcakelumë, he forbade their romance. She forsook her royal name, ran away from home, and married her lover against his will.
The King Dirk's second eldest son Justin was very hot-headed to begin with, but when he learned of the loss of his sister he was so furious with his father he plotted to overthrow him. In one night, he and his rebels slew his brothers and the king. They planted evidence that suggested the elves were to blame. He took the throne and declared war on his brother-in-law's kingdom.
The war was short lived. Not only did the kingdom of Kei lack the resources to wage war on the ancient elf kingdom, but the new king was quickly slipping into the tyranny of two generations ago. When the truth came out that he assassinated his family, he was soon deposed. The elf King Angrod who conquered Kei had no desire to rule a human realm, so he gave the crown to his son Eöl.
King Eöl shared his crown equally with his wife Hope. They renamed the capitol city "Unity" and enacted laws to encourage racial equality. The kingdom grew as elves, dwarfs, halflings, and others integrated into the society. Though they did away with the official rules of ascension by birthright, their firstborn son Justin proved to be such a natural born leader, they named him king at a relatively early age and served as his advisers.
Himself now a father of a son and daughter, King Justin has been renowned as one of the most lenient kings in all history. The current immigration law allows anyone who can speak the common tongue to become a citizen. Even Drow are openly welcomed to join. At least officially. Laws don't remove racial and religious tensions. Some criticize that King Justin's leniency has allowed crime to rise and it may eventually lead to rebellion.
The people's favored heir is King Justin's son, Adam. He's very charismatic, generous, good looking, etc. But his family also knows him to be lazy and uninterested in matters of state. His sister Meren is the parents' favored choice for their heir. She's strong willed and practical, and cares much for her people's future. Yet her lack of diplomacy has earned her little favor in the eyes of the court officials or the people. Some say King Justin may even choose an heir outside his family.
UNITY REGIONAL BENEFIT
Add Diplomacy to your class skill list.
+2 to Diplomacy checks.
Add an extra language of your choice (Besides Abyssal and Supernal).
Despite Unity being relatively new, Unity has been around long enough for anyone who remembers the tyranny before Eöl to be too old for adventuring. Thus, anyone who was born in Unity when it was called "Unity" has benefited from prosperity rather than tyranny. The continued support of racial acceptance, coupled with the fact that more and more races have arrived and even been born in Unity means that the people of Unity are not only used to most races, but have become accustomed to meeting new ones. For this reason, most people in Unity are not racist, but even those who are know well enough how to get along with other races. Therefor, players with the Unity Regional Benefit can add the Diplomacy skill to their class skill list and receive a +2 bonus to Diplomacy checks. Finally, due to the fact people who live in Unity always hear more than the Common tongue, any player character who grew up in Unity gains one extra language of choice.
MILITIA
Every citizen of Unity is expected to take part in it's security against all enemies foreign and domestic. Officially, the bulk of the army of Unity is made up of it's citizens, both men and women. One of the responsibilities of every citizen strong enough to wield a weapon is to own one and become proficient enough to use it effectively. Formal weapons training is part of P.E. and usually begins in a child's first year of school, though by then most parents have already trained the child in the safe use of weapons. To qualify for graduation, young adults must be proficient in at at least on weapon. In time of war, they are to present their arms to the local sheriff and carry out his orders.
Law enforcement is handled similarly. Every resident aware of a crime in progress is expected to assist the authorities in capturing the perpetrators or risk being prosecuted as accomplices. (Usually, shouting "Suspect sighted!" while running for cover is enough to qualify as assisting the authorities. If you want to anger the local authorities and be thrown in jail, try using the words "diplomatic immunity" as an excuse.) If a man-hunt is needed, the sheriff may temporarily deputize citizens (usually volunteers) to supplement the standing force. Those deputized are required to postpone their other obligations until the are relieved of duty.
Kei has the standard laws of a 'Lawful Good' society. (See Unity laws thread.)
This message was last edited by the player at 02:25, Thu 06 Nov 2008.
