Erde
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This is a brief introduction to Erde (German for "world"). It is based on the Old World of Warhammer.
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The Empire
The Holy Empire consits of many small kingdoms, cities and principalities rules by the Holy Emperor. The Emperor is both a spiritual and political leader. He is the supreme pontiff, or Pontifex Maximus. The Emperor is truly blessed, and has served God and his people for hundreds of years.
Note: The various principalities depend on the Emperor for support in case of war. Bretonia is a larger kingdom, and while they are devout christians, it is a separate kingdom.
The largest part of the Empire is Ostmark, ruled by the Teutonic knights.
Religion
People are not worthy of praying to God. Saints are worshipped and they act as intermediaries between man and god. Only the Pontifex Maximus, the Supreme Pontiff, may pray to God directly.
This religion is for all intents and purposes Christianity, but there are some differences. Christ lived in the old world, not in the holy land. The Merovingan conspiracy? The Pontifex as mortal descendant of Christ?
The Knightly Orders
There are many knightly orders. Most of them rule provinces in their own right. While they are nominally under the command of the Pontifex, most orders are in fact only loyal to their commanders. Each order have a patron saint.
Among the better know orders is the Ordo Corneli
Yes, this is quite a bit like Space Marines of Warhammer 40K.
The Sisters of Mercy
This is a order of nuns dedicated to learning, charity and healing. The sisters live pious lives of celibacy and prayer.
The Holy Order of Saint Katherine, The Sisters of Battle
See Warrior Nuns for more information.
Rus
This is a pagan country, ruled by the Czar of all Rus.
Bretonnia
A stagnant fantasy France, still clinging to the ideal of the chivalric knights. They are devout christians, and
The Finnmark
This is basically a fantasy version of Finland, populated by Wulfen and humans.
The Orc Lands
The Orks thrive in hars climate. There are a lot of Orks to the north. In the Far east there is the Golden Empire, a hegemony of Orks ruled by the Great Khan. These orks are more oriental i flavour, and have yellow-brown skin. They are steppe nomands and ride great warhorses.
The normal "green" orks do not have riding animals. They have great stamina and can march or run for days. They use wolves for scouting and hunting. The wolves are not domesticated (this would weaken them). Instead, Ork beastmasters bond with wolves and efectively become pack leaders. It is said that Orks can actually talk to wolves. In the case of beastmasters, this is true.
Orks practice an animistic religion which worships various mighty spirits. Each tribe has an animal totem. The spritis of the earth and sky are universally respected. Shamans are quite influential and often serve as spiritual and political advisors.
Orks are cunning and mighty warriors, and an Ork warrior is more than a match for most human soldiers. Orks are surprisingly disciplined when led by a strong leader. They only respect strength, and the mightiest warrior is always the leader. The smart ones tend to have good advisors. There are many Ork tribes (small kingdoms). They often fight each other (humans are no real match). Sometimes a Warlord will unite the Ork and lead the might of the tribes against a common enemy. Thankfully for the human lands, this only happens once every hundred years or so. The last time the Orks united was to fight the army of Urguz, the Golden Khan, leader of the Eastern Orks. When urguz died, the Golden Horde returned home. Urguz's descendants have since then waged war against Kathay.
There are some Elven strongholds in the Ork lands. This is the source of much conflict.
Orks are large, greenskinned creatures. They are almost 2m tall with a massive frame. The women are almost as strong but are not as stocky. (I prefer Shawodrun orks that do not stoop so much).
Orks mature quickly in their early teens and remain in top physical condition until their early fifties when they age quickly and die after a year or so. An ork can enjoy 40 very active years, but many die violently at an early age.
