A distant land in another realm. The world there is seemingly perfect. Everyone with good intent gets their happily ever after - from the Gentleman Thief to the Princess in Danger. Those with ill-intent always seem to fall victim to those who are sent to slay them - the Wicked Witches and Evil Advisers even have graveyards dedicated to them. If there is a role that needs filling, someone always steps up to the task, either because they were born with the necessary traits to, or because they developed them through training.

The land itself is rather vast. With an impassable mountain range to the north, and seas to the south, east, and west, the world to the Cascadians is a nice square. There is a desert, lakes, rivers, a large forest, and plenty of cliffs for villains to fall off of. It’s a hero’s paradise! Though there is one true ruling “King”, in order to make room for more stories to take place, smaller states have been created inside of Cascade.

Players may make up one of these smaller kingdoms in their RTJ form if they’d like. If not then the GMs will make a land for you to come from, upon request. If you do make a land please include details about its geography, inspiration, economy, and society. These will be added to the Setting Thread. Thank you!

East of the capital of Cascade there is a large forest which no one enters unless they have urgent business inside. It is known as the place where good magical creatures of all kinds dwell, so humans dare not disturb it. However, in the center of the Heartstring Forest there is an academy meant for girls aspiring to become Princesses. Once one is in this academy it is next to impossible to escape.

Silver Crown Academy

A school within the Heartstring Forest, with a rather simple mission - to raise girls with the right attributes needed for them to become the best Princesses possible. It is a secure castle where all of the students’ needs can be tended to in one place. On the upper floors of the buildings, known to the girls as the Towers, are the dormitories. The middle floors are dedicated to classrooms and the dining hall. The lowest levels are only for the teachers and administration. And the dungeon? No one talks about the dungeon.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:22, Sat 22 Oct 2016.

The fiefdom of Dayspring is a small land... consisting of a central castle city (Zenthia) and a collection of rural properties that surround it.  A large noble family rules Zenthia and other indirect relatives hold influence over parts of the countryside... in a sort of feudal monarchy.  Dayspring enjoys a Summery weather for most of the year and a cool (but tolerable) Winter.  There is a waterway that runs from Zenthia's port and links with a few other kingdoms.  Dayspring also has a well maintained road system to assist with its trade based economy.  The main exports of the kingdom consist of fresh food, fine clothing, and gold... all of which are in great abundance.

To the other areas of Cascade, Dayspring is  not a terribly important place... but the Crown's taxes are paid on time, military requests are promptly met, and the nobles are cultured enough to be recognized as such.  They are not a warlike people, but do maintain guards and militias for kingdom defense.  They are rumored to be exceptional 'night fighters', honorable to a fault, and a proud, private, people.  Many Cascadians remain ignorant of the truth (unless they have visited or hosted a Dayspring native).

The people of Dayspring descend from 'cursed ancestors' and still carry the effects to this day ("Your family and children will know a darkside, forever will you be divided").  There are of course a few foreigners (10% of the population) who have since settled in the land and are not cursed.  Each Dayspring native has a dual 'day and night' aspect, essentially being two people in one body.  During the day a person will act a certain way... and during the night their behavior changes into a more opposite seeming.  Each aspect shares memories with its 'twin' (unless one aspect deliberately witholds things from the other).  Currently most people favor their daytime persona and try to control their 'cursed' nighttime aspect with sleeping draughts, curfews, or gainful employment.. due to the anti-night propaganda of the ruling class.  The nobles also ensure that nightly mischief is rigorously controlled and have been known to encourage 'education programs' to combat the nighttime curse.  However there are still some people who favor their 'night' aspect as their dominant side... they tend to sleep during parts of the day or recover from nighttime revelry.  They also have a reputation for being tricky, mischievous, or bad.

Recently there has been a collection of 'night aspected' people who wish for greater personal freedoms.  They call themselves the Noctus and fancy themselves as a resistance group to oppose the stifling influence of the 'day aspected' population.  The nobles are their enemies and while violence has not broken out yet... it is probably only a matter of time.  The Noctus is notoriously hard to penetrate as its members frequently trick their own 'daytime' aspects into thinking that all is right.  The ringleaders of the movement are also seeking a face for their rebellion... and their sights have set on the younger Dayspring princess-to-be, Tarina Raptori.  She is known to be 'night' aspected (a rarity among the nobles) and was under constant guard... until she was shipped off to Silver Crown Academy.  The rebels believe that having a noble in their cause would swell their ranks with weaker willed 'Daytimers'... and gain support from the general populace.

A kingdom nestled between a large silvery mountain range and the sea, Miston has forever lived in a tug of war with nature. Though the land is famous for its fortress-like castles, strong naval fleet (adept at trading, exploring, and pillaging), and the plethora of Seers and Warriors that are born in the region Miston constantly seems to be facing one natural disaster or another. Due to the infertile nature of the soil in this Kingdom, only the hardiest survive - that being strong crops, animals, and people. Most of the people of Miston's diet consists of cured meat, fish, and potatoes. The Winters in Miston and the surrounding regions are particularly rough and long.

Notably, two cultures clash inside of Miston. It is a deeply spiritual place - where people worship both their ancestors and the Gods; fear monsters and giants; and celebrate nearly forty holidays a year - each with their own set of traditions. The unnamed religion of Miston has recently grown popular in the capital, but their Gods have been renamed. At the same time, warriors are bred there. Not the same kind as in the south, but this is because Miston has had to defend itself against the neighboring tribes from the North nearly constantly.

The main exports of Miston are salt (Which carries a high value as a commodity), furs, and timber. All of these are carried across the continent either by wagons pulled by strong horses, or Miston's fearsome fleet of ships. The nobility and the people of this harsh land are shockingly well off - enough so that they are always able to import enough outside food to sustain them through the long winter.

The Royal Family of Miston has been traditionally small. Each generation only has children until they've produced a son. In the case of the current family, they have a Prince. However, recently he went missing. Shortly after this the Royal Family gave up their first born child, Princess Anemone, to the Fairy Godmother so that she could be "properly trained". What that means, no one has any idea.

The Harraf Bog is a vast, forested swamp buffeted by extremes of weather, leading to dangerous snow and frost in the winter, and dank, humid heat bringing out insects and disease the rest of the time. If the land wasn't also known for its extreme mineral wealth, most likely it wouldn't have been colonized at all - and it if it wasn't for the blessed nature of Cascade, probably not successfully - but for generations it's been held by a loosely confederated group of clans and tribes only nominally united under one banner. The families squabble constantly over the richest mines, but in their insular xenophobia will drop everything and ally against any outside interlopers when the need (or opportunity) arises. Conceivably, since it's a fairly greedy and violent land it would be open to being conquered by a well-intentioned hero from the outside, but it's a famously uncomfortable place to live in, much less rule. So it's mostly left to its own devices.

Harraf is especially famous among those outside its borders for its caravans. The land is poor in sources of food and medicine and must trade for them with its ample supply of metals, furs, and peat, but the country's caravans are known disease vectors and avoided by all but the bravest or most desperate traders. The wealth of its people is thus hard to measure by conventional means, as they have fine clothing and tools (weapons especially) but struggle to feed themselves and handle their continuous medical crises. The lack of effective medicine and healing magic has also led to a boom in shamanism and witch doctors. However, with Cascade being what it is, these struggles are generally successful and give its people "character" rather than decimating them, leading the people of Harraf to be known as hardy survivors.

Madacre is a large city-state, with a matriarch government system. It centers in and around a giant Elder Tree, named Madacre. The city is a bunch of glass orbs and hallways that weave and hang from the tree’s branches, all connected by sturdy rope bridges. Pretty pink blossoms spill from the twigs and make the entire tree seem a bright blush color. At the very top of the tree, the Royal castle is part tree, part glass. Some vines sneak their way inside the walls so that on warm springs, flowers sprinkle the walls. The winters are short but brutally cold, and the giant staircase that goes from the ground to the lowest branches gets frozen over with ice and becomes completely uncrossable. Therefore, Madacre has become completely self sustainable, with large gardens on sunny platforms lining the top branches.

Kingdom: Anoixia
Geography: The Kingdom of Anoixia lies within Applewood Valley, with the capital city of Kalipe at northernmost edge. A number of mostly tamed forests, rivers, and lakes spread across the land. The notable Asfodel River cuts through the center of Kalipe, and indeed across the kingdom itself.
Governance: Elective monarchy, led by King Kalliope, King of Anoixia
Society: The society is a rather complex technocracy that few foreigners are capable of wrapping their heads around. Social classes are generally divided into five groups: Trianfallo, Garafallo, Ntalifallo, Tzinfallo, and Edavromfallo. Trianfallo represents the highest social group, from which the monarchy is usually elected. Trianfallo citizens tend to be masters of a philosophy. Garafallo represents the second highest social group, composing masters of a craft. Ntalifallo, the middle of society (and the largest group), represent business folk, tradesmen, social services, and soldiers. Tzinfallo are the lowest rung of commonly accepted society, representing agricultural and rural citizenry. The lowest of the low, the Edavromfallo represent the underclass of Anoixian society, composed of prisoners, exiles, and the utterly destitute. A complex set of unspoken cultural mores dictate behavior between and within members of a given strata; e.g. it is expected that Tzinfallo will accept any member of an upper class citizen into their home, but they are not required (and indeed, it is shameful) to welcome a member of the Edavromfallo. Furthermore, although they exist just above the underclass, Tzinfallo are looked upon favorably by the Trianfallo, due to their honorably proximity to the ground. Education is freely available to most Anoixians, though there isn’t a formal set of “degrees” to demonstrate mastery. Reputation is very important, and helps to dictate social class and upward mobility.
Languages: Phytoli (official), Common, Vrom (underclass Phytoli dialect)
Religion: Dentrodio, a non-hierarchical belief-system revolving around a belief in perpetual reincarnation. Few individuals take the religion very seriously, though the most ardent believers hold rather extreme beliefs. Fortunately, they are relegated to the fringes of society.
Economy: Largely service-based, excelling in science, agriculture, and herbal medicine. A lot of exciting medical research occurs within the capital city of Kalipe, which routinely draws in foreigners from faraway lands. Metals are expensive imports and are thusly used sparingly.