The land of Thule is an island roughly the size of England or Madagascar. From the sea the island of Thule seems cold and foreboding. It is surrounded by icy waters and tall cliffs with only one broad canal providing access to the interior. The ocean that surrounds Thule extends far into shadow. Even for one skilled at shadow travel it can take more than a day to just to cross the icy waters around Thule. Once inside, the land of Thule reveals itself to be quite different. Every leaf on every tree glistens as brilliantly as an emerald. The interior of Thule is mostly flat with rolling pasturelands as sleek and as green as the waves of a summer sea. The flowers are so richly scented that they make the warm air as intoxicating as wine. Great herds of cattle grazed the pastures. Thule is dotted with many small streams and lakes. Their waters are as clear as crystal and as fragrant as clover. The hillsides of Thule shine with veins of white, black, and red marble and with deposits of every kind of precious metal.
Upon the circles of earth surrounding the Hill of Cleito is built a marvellous city. Buildings of dazzling splendor are constructed of the native red, black and white marble of Thule. The three colors artfully blended or contrasted so as to attract and please the eye. On the hill of Cleito is built a great palace, ten smaller palaces, and the temple of Lir. All of them blaze with inlays of gold and precious stones. The temple to Lir is a wonder, its pinnacled roof is so high that clouds almost seem to drift amongst its spires. The unique beauty of the city, on its circles of land linked by great bridges across the circles of water, is further enhanced by brilliant gardens, groves of flowering trees, and innumerable sparkling fountains. Great universities, observatories, libraries, laboratories and academies dot the island. Portions of the city are devoted to commerce and industry, and Thule boasts a flourishing trade with other nations. Almost all of which passes through the city of Atlas. Extensive docks line the city and great ships sail up and down Mariah to the sea.
Thule is rich and wealthy land. The soil is dark and fertile. The ocean around Thule teams with whales and other manner of fish. The mountains of Thule are rich in marble and gem stones, and gold. However, Thule only has only small deposits of coal and hard metals (iron, copper, etc.) Thule itself is rich in trade. In addition to having a food surplus, Thule is blessed with having an abundance of manufactured goods. The same locks that tame the river Mariah and allow ships to reach the sea, also channel the river across a vast series of waterwheels. These waterwheels provide the power for the many mills that dot the southern region of Thule. While the principle product of these mills is cloth in vast amounts and varieties, the mills of Thule also grind the grain and build the machines and engines of Thule. While the mills create the goods that are responsible for Thule’s great trade, over 80% of the population still tills the soil.
The artificers of Thule are renowned for their advanced arts. They work in iron and in steel turning out items ranging from fine swords and delicate clocks to great ships clad in iron. The principles of the steam engine are known in Thule, and the navy of Thule sports no fewer than twenty iron clad warships that run on steam power. These ships run not on coal, which is not found in great quantities in Thule, but upon the power of the fire crystals. Then there is also the marvel of orachulum, the marvelous glowing metal that brings light to the city of Thule.
The fire crystals are large gemstones torn from the hillsides of Thule and enchanted by the sons of Lir. They have the power to draw upon the Watery Flame of Lir, and in so doing they grow hot. Hot enough to set water to a rapid boil. The fire crystals must be worked. A person must concentrate upon them to draw upon the power of the Watery Flame and the heat only lasts as long as the person maintains concentration. However, the ritual for drawing upon the Watery Flame does not require one to be adept at magic. Any person with a sharp mind and strong will can master the fire crystals. Indeed the Crystal Guild does nothing else but tend the fire crystals. Bringing them to life when needed to run the mighty steam engines. These engines are used mostly to power the ironclads of the navy, but a few steamships exist to serve the royal family.
Orachulum is a soft yellow metal with the hue of gold in the sunlight, but when the sun has set, the glow of Orachulum can be seen. It glows with a soft yellow light like the sun, but softer. Great globes of the metal light the streets and the houses of the city of Atlas, and the fall of night only brings out more wonder as the glow of the city turns it into a fairyland. The secret of the smelting of Orachulum is highly guarded, but evidently involves but simple magic, not on the scale of the power of the Watery Flame.
The advances of Thule are not uniform. Medical practice and agriculture are still very primitive, and electricity is completely unknown. Agriculture in Thule uses some advanced equipment, superior plows and reapers, however is still very much a human intensive operation.
It is said that the great god Lir was touring his kingdom of the seas and found upon its surface the most fair of all islands. And atop the highest hill atop this island he found the most fair and attractive woman. Her name was Cleito. Lir took her as his wife and she bore him ten sons who became the original ten kings of Thule. The first born son Lir named Atlas, and it is for him that the city that grew up around the hill of Clieto is named. Under the guidance of the god Lir, his sons guided his kingdom to grow prosperous.
Thule is governed by ten kings that each rule over one of the provinces of Thule. The greatest of these kings is called the high king and rules over the province of Atlas and the capital city. The kings rule by divine right, and each member of the royal family proves their right by passing through the watery flame and emerging unharmed. While the ten kings rule Thule absolutely, they are benevolent, and most of their rulings are passed down through a complicated system of advisory boards and committees that in practice carry out the work for most day to day tasks. The kings act to settle disputes, and to set policy.
While in theory the royal family have absolute power this is actually diluted by the fact that there are ten royal houses. Each of them is willing to challenge the actions of the other should they abuse their power. The royal family is also stifled by bureaucracy & tradition. Orders are normally passed down through the counsel system, which dilutes their authority. Also the system sometimes falls apart. There are signs that the palaces and temples have at times been repaired of significant damage. Some of the displayed objects of art show burn marks or signs of repair. Evidently Thule has gone through occasional periods of civil war. The history books talk of times of unrest, but they are downplayed. Apparently some rewriting of the past has taken place in the official histories.
The population of Thule is three quarters female. Only one child in four born to a woman of Thule is male. This is a fundamental fact that shapes much of the society of Thule. Women are considered to be almost equal to a man, and women can aspire to any profession and achieve success equal to a man with the exception of governing. The ten kings are always male. However, most of the advisory boards are composed of women. Polygamy is considered normal, and most men have at least two wives. The man is considered the head of every household, and normally speaks for his house.
This seemingly predominance of male power is balanced by the fact that a woman always has the right of departure and can leave their home at any time. A man who offends his wives may find himself without any. There is no deadlier insult in Thule than to be called "A man who cannot keep his women". Men who are left by all their wives common commit suicide rather than face dishonor. In addition sheer numbers dictate that three quarters of all work must be done by women, and in almost all aspects the women of Thule consider themselves to be the equal to any man, indeed the superiors to outlanders.
In Thule death is preferred to a meaningless life, or dishonor. Suicide is a common practice in Thule. Many will take their own lives rather than live with dishonor or live disfigured after illness or injury. Illformed infants are routinely killed at birth. The punishment for many crimes is death. Death is the only punishment for murder, treason, rape, manslaughter, or theft. Many also die in proving themselves an adult.
No woman of Thule is considered to be an adult until she has borne a healthy child. Until then she is considered a girl. Once she has borne a child she puts on the mantle of her house as an announcement that she is an adult. (A mantle being a long piece of rectangular cloth that wraps around a woman’s body.) Girls of Thule marry young, as early as twelve isn't unheard of, although fourteen to sixteen is most common. Suicide is very common in unmarried girls over twenty. In fact if her family helped her to that decision no one would hold them accountable. The sole exception to this rule is the royal family, where a daughter of the royal house proves her womanhood by daring the Watery Flame. Women of the royal family often wait until their thirties to wed.
No man of Thule is considered to be an adult until he has faced death. While some men gain their adulthood by facing another in a duel or taking part in a battle, most of the men in Thule today gain their adulthood by wrestling with the bulls. Once every five years a great festival is held in the honor of Lir. During that time the young boys who would become men gather together and the bulls are set free to race among them. The boys must face the bulls barehanded and wrestle them to the ground. The bulls are then sacrificed as offerings to Lir. The manhood test is quite serious the cattle in Thule stand higher than most men at the shoulder, and roughly one eighth of the candidates are either either fatally wounded, or suffer a crippling or disfiguring wound so great that they take their own life. Those who are crippled or disfigured in wrestling with the bulls are believed to be deemed unworthy by Lir. Many of them choose to give their own lives in the sacrifices that follow to cleanse themselves.
Thule is a slave state. Most of the agriculture is still human powered, and that work is done for the most part by slaves. The slaves are treated with the much the same callous brutal indifference as slaves were in the American south. In some ways worse, in some better. The slaves come from a variety of cultures and backgrounds, but are considered to be of an inferior species. Not really of the same race as those of Thule at all. Slaves serve in the fields and as servants, but not as entertainers. The arts including music and dance are considered properly the sphere of those of better breeding. It is an offense for a slave even to touch a man or woman of Thule and anyone who slept with a slave would be a subject of scorn and dishonor. The trades, including working in the factories and mills is also considered a task not suited for slaves. Slaves who die in Thule are cast over the mountains into the sea. Only the people of Thule are buried in the soil of Thule. Slaves who disobey are punished harshly, whipping, branding, and death.
Slaves are usually paid a small honorarium and allowed to save up for their freedom, and passage. No ex-slave is allowed to stay on the soil of Thule, and no slave is freed until he can pay for passage off Thule. A purchased slave must pay off the price of his purchase, and his/her passage. Children of slaves are still considered slaves, but there is no purchase price. They must only pay the price of passage off Thule to be free.
Unlike many slave states the slave population is constantly turning over as new slaves arrive and old slaves buy their freedom. It is rare for a slave to spend more than fifteen years in Thule. The people of Thule consider their practise enlightened. The slaves they buy had no better life ahead of them. They are allowed to live and work in the land of Thule which is surely better than their homeland. They usually depart with enough money in their hands to set themselves up independently when they return, and have been taught a useful skill. To the cynical, the promise of freedom, with consistent if harsh conditions, eliminates much of the motivation for a slave to rebel. Plus there is no place to run on the island of Thule, so no point in running away.
For those who only visit the capital of Atlas, slaves are much less visible. They clean the streets and act as servants, but most of the work in Atlas is done by free men and women.
Beneath the hill of Clieto in a place where none but the royal family dare go is the Watery Flame. In a cavern below the palace is a room filled with water, and within the water, a tracery of blue fire can be seen. To pass through the blue flame, one must first swim down to the fire, and enter through the Watery Path that leads through the design. Once inside one must swim to the center of the design. The flames extend upward through the water so the maze is actually three dimensional. In addition to the dangers of touching the flame, air is also a concern. There are pockets of breathable air inside the design, but they are far between. Completing the Water Flame is a test of skill, endurance, and will.
The members of the royal family have a history of surviving the Watery Flame, but of the others who try, less than one in twenty-five survive. Perhaps this is partly because the royal family cheats. They cast a spell of water breathing upon themselves before entering the design. While this spell is dispelled upon entering the Watery Path, it allows the candidate to reach the start of the design and rest before beginning the ordeal. The royal family, is actually an extended set of ten families, each descended from one of the original ten kings of Thule. These families for the most part marry among themselves. Those that wish to marry into the royal house must prove themselves worthy by passing through the Watery Flame. The royal family are also sometimes called the sons (daughters) of Lir.
By concentrating on the Flame, the royal family can sail amongst shadows. (While they could probably walk, it is the custom of the royal family to travel by ship.) The Flame allows them to seek out nearby realms, and places of their desire and journey to them. The Watery Flame can also be called forth for defense, against magic. Merely surviving the journey through the Watery Flame allows one to sense the presence of magic.
Cost 20 points: Shadowwalk, Shadowseek, Power Defense, Magic Intuition
It is expected that a member of the royal family be competent at magic and all study the ways of magic with varying degrees of success. Many master the arts of weaving spells and the enchanting of items. Power Words are known but rarely studied by the royal family. Additionally many learn to conjure forth the image of the Watery Flame itself. They use it to see the essence of magic directly and bind spells within its path to be released later.
Cost 10 points: Power Lens, Spell Rack
+ Ritual Magic + Sorcery + Shadow Mastery + Conjuration
With more study the royal family can master the arts needed to summon the arms of the flame. These arms are useful for manipulating and/or disrupting magic spells directly. In addition the tendrils can be invested with the Flame so as to burn those who approach. Finally some of the royal family are the keepers of the secret of the Fire Crystals, and can conjure crystals that draw upon the Watery Flame.
Cost 10 points: Tendrils, Tendril Attack
+ Improved Conjuration (5 points)