History of the Realm: Background Materials for The Snowy-Haired Raven

Five countries once occupied the continent of Mirubyd: Darvington, Norrington, Langerwyn, Lochlands, and Kalinya. Hundreds of years ago, Darvington, Langerwyn, and Norrington—the northernmost countries—were populated almost entirely by fair-skinned people with mostly brown or red hair. The people of Lochlands, directly south of Langerwyn, were a mixture of fair and olive-skinned people, growing generally darker toward the south. The people of Kalinya, which includes the southern tip of the continent as well as a large island chain off the coast, were almost universally dark skinned. Across the continent, the people worshipped the spirits of their ancestors, with some minor regional variations in practices.

Then, two centuries ago, a cataclysm befell Kalinya. Great waves rose up, swallowing villages and destroying cities. Afterward, the earth wouldn't rest. Most of the Kalinyari, believing their ancestors had cursed the land, fled north into Lochlands and Langerwyn. Some animosity existed between the native inhabitants and the newcomers, but over the years, the peoples and their cultures blended into each other and came to live peacefully together. The Kalinyari King, not having the means to unseat the current monarchy, accepted the title of Duke. Other Kalinyari royalty and nobility were made earls and barons. The refugees, noble and common alike, intermarried extensively with the local population.

Meanwhile, Vincalla, a powerful empire from across the sea, tried to gain a foothold on the continent by invading Darvington. These people were extremely fair skinned, tended more toward red and blond hair, had generally stockier builds, and worshipped multiple gods and goddesses. Vincalla succeeded in conquering Darvington and installing a ruler who reported to the King Across the Sea. Most of the population was eventually converted to the new religion. After a few generations of grievous misrule, Darvington rebelled against Vincalla and won its freedom. Much of the Vincallan population fled – only those who’d married into families powerful enough to protect them chose to stay.

The original Darvington was a sideways "J"-shaped country resting along the northern and eastern borders of Langerwyn. Several decades after Darvington broke away from Vincalla, it invaded and conquered Langerwyn, taking over its excellent wine-making region, extensive farmland, and bounty from multiple lakes and rivers. The god-worshippers, often called deists, didn't force the Langerwynians to adopt their religion, but noble families soon learned that they had a better chance of forming alliances—and marriages—with the crown and other prominent Darvington families if they converted. Over time, most did. However, some noble families continue to resist, and much of the common class still practices ancestor worship ("keeping to their fathers.")

The former capital city of Darvington was on the northeast coast and deemed too far from most of the enlarged realm. The former capital city of Langerwyn—Caroswain—was more central, considerably larger, and boasted an enormous castle left empty by the slaughter of the royal family, so it became the new capital of Darvington.

In the many years since the Kalinyan cataclysm, the population of the continent has grown increasingly darker skinned. Blond hair is exceedingly rare and referred to as snowy in reference to the colder climate of Vincalla. Tension exist along religious and national lines, but not skin tones.

Darvington's current ruler, King Edwin Unsworth II, is the third of his line to rule the larger country. He's enjoyed the greater bounty of the kingdom to excess, expanding and remodeling the castle, making massive improvements to Caroswain, and building huge temples and smaller but lavish shrines around the country. He's acquired a massive debt to a powerful banking guild. Recently, he's learned of a mysterious order of mages becoming active on the continent. Along with the High Priest, he's also putting increasing pressure on the remaining ancestor worshippers to adopt his religion, which holds that magic is evil, in order to combat the spread of the mages and their power.