With the ending of the First War but continued border disputes, towns were finding themselves in need of protection with proper support from their hold's military. A small number of of groups began gathering members and hiring out muscle for coin, but the Bonehawk Mercenaries were by far the most popular. With popularity came growth and soon all the other mercenary groups were left in the dust. Shortly before the Emergence, nearly the entire standing forces of The Bonehawks were hired by The Shield of Basin to defend Cuswar against a fiendish invasion. Nearly five thousand soldiers took up residence around Fort Basin of Mirefield[ ](https://www.worldanvil.com/world/settlement/21790dd0-10cb-4e64-bc0d-10d0cf2893ec/edit) for several months, doing battle against the Nerra known as Ryscag and his army of devils. When the general was finally defeated his forces scattered, most assumed returned to the Hells. Word of this victory spread far and wide and in the following years the Bonehawks saw unprecedented profits and recruitment numbers.

**Founding Date** 902 AGW

**Type** Corporation, Conglomerate

**Alternative Names**

F3, Fouquet's

F3 owns several warehouses, and factories for producing firearms, as well as hundreds of storefronts throughout Ovenica where their firearms are sold.

The Fouquet family were quick to jump on the trend of firearms after their invention. Having already had good fortune in the furniture business they made millions when the War for Stonehill began and they won top bid for supplying Cuswar's armies with well made firearms. Since then F3 has been known for creating expensive, quality firearms with an aesthetic unmatched by any other firearm manufacturer in Ovenica.

**Founding Date** 506 AGW

**Type** Guild, Merchant

While it's title may suggest otherwise, the Greysong Traders are mostly an extravagant courier service. With a large fleet of wagons they are the primary organization used to move goods in a large scale across all of Ovenica.

The Greysong Traders have a fleet of wagons, cars, and airships which make up the bulk of their caravans. Additionally they have a small supply of regular drivers and pilots who lead the caravans. All other assets such as protection and grunt work employees are outsourced.

Originally founded during the First War of Ovenica, The Greysong Traders would take troops, weapons, and food from Harwood Citadel to the frontlines. When the war ended they expanded their business in order to focus on transportation of goods all over Ovenica. Since the invention of vehicles such as cars, and the limited use of teleportation magic, the Greysong Traders have managed to stay afloat by jumping on funding these technologies. Now their main focus is using their small fleet of airships to send bulk goods and passengers all over the continent.

**Founding Date** 709

**Type** Educational, School/Academy

With the quickly rising population of Kurleigh Castle, so too did rise the population of nobility. People from all across Ovenica flocked to the grand halls of the dwarves and with them came the nobles expecting high quality treatment. Orion Alabaster was a gnome who had served under a noble family for several years. His father, and his father's father had also served this family. Upon reaching Kurleigh Castle, all the members of the family he served mysteriously died and their wealth, mansion they had just purchased, and the land it was on went to him, as there were no other heirs. He used this newfound wealth to start a school to help train up and comers in the fine art of serving noble houses. Everything from how to set a table to making sure you were the only one capable of understanding how the finances worked. Since its founding many students have come through the school, and each one has gained prestigious employment under noble houses.

**Founding Date** 770

**Type** Financial, Bank

**Founders** Manoa Douglas

Voyage trust is meticulously and bureaucratically run by several individuals spread across the continent who keep track of everything within the organization. While low level employees and managers take care of the physical business of running the banks, these higher level bureaucrats make sure there is never so much as a few silver misplaced.

Voyage Trust strives to bring a unified experience across Ovenica and provide a safe place to store valuable possessions and currency. It is one of the few organizations allowed to function outside of Prathia while still maintaining its headquarters in Harwood Citadel.

Voyage Trust was created with the intention of bringing together the people of Ovenica into a more unified society. Anyone who can prove their residence within one of the major cities or smaller villages can access the vaults of the organization or exchange currency for a small fee. Initially due to the, often large, travel times between hamlets and capital towns this did very little but provide the nobles with a place to store their family heirlooms while the common folk continue to live how they always have. In recent years however, with fast and instantaneous transportation available, Voyage Trust has done very well for itself, ballooning in size and wealth faster than most could have predicted. Now as the only real banking option within Ovenica it continues to grow exponentially as more and more money is poured into it's seemingly limitless coffers every year.

**Founding Date** 647

**Family Leader** Esther Pasture

The Pastures follow the lead of their matron, Esther Pasture. She is the third generation of her family to lead and intends to keep them relevant in this modern age.

The Pastures are a philanthropic family. Many of them are doctors and ran the first rudimentary blood clinics, introducing the idea of transfusions which immediately put them into the public eye as entrepreneurs.

The Pastures are true old money, and have much of it tied up in the infrastructure of the city, a large portion of low income housing, and the first large hospital in the city.

The Pastures leapt into the public eye around the year 912 when Esther Pasture brought forward the revolutionary idea of blood transfusions. After several trial runs to prove that it was in fact going to work, the family began engaging with all sorts of medical and philanthropic endeavors around the city. There was some controversy in 946 when it came out that the Pastures were vampires; however in the spirit of engaging with this new world many were satisfied with the explanation that the family's days of hunting were over and they merely skimmed enough off the top of the blood clinic's supply to survive. Not everyone was happy of course, but they quickly became the minority. In an unfortunate incident in 1002, Thibaud Pasture was discovered murdered. Though there was an initial investigation no suspects turned up and the case ultimately went cold. Within the family, certain members believed this to be a targeted attack against them, but Esther declared it a non issue; not wanting to risk driving a wedge between them and the populace. Sébastien Pasture was not satisfied with this, but when Esther wouldn't budge he renounced his family name, along with several of his siblings that sided with him, and left. There was initial worry that he and his new family would return to the old ways but when no sign of them turned up in the next year, the incident was mostly forgotten.

**Type** Adventuring Party

**Successor Organization** The Order of the Shield

**Location** Fort Basin of Mirefield

**Type** Geopolitical, Free City

**Leader** The Tunnel King

**Location** Kurleigh

**Controlled Territories** Undercity

The Tunnel Kings are run by The Tunnel King. Every so often someone tries to bring up that running an entire community through one person is a difficult task, but then they disappear under mysterious circumstances and The Tunnel King continues their rule.

The Tunnel Kings are a true melting pot of cultures, almost more so than the castle it resides beneath. People of all sorts find sanctuary in the near anarchy of Kurleigh Castle's second level.

The general understanding of the history of The Tunnel Kings is that it was initially little more than a small pub, and a few houses, that criminals would use to hide out and do business. When The Tunnel King found it, they renovated and spread the word of a growing community. Several years, and a few skirmishes with Kurleigh Castle military later, The Tunnel Kings thrive in their own little underground "paradise".

**Type** Adventuring Party

**Founding Date** 35

**Type** Guild, Mages

**Leader** Carston Juhl

**Location** Palesteel Academy

**Related Ranks & Titles** Headmaster

The League of the Eye govern themselves through Carston Juhl and a select group of the best individuals in the League. Beneath them are the regular members they call Witnesses, and then finally their Mage Catchers who may not wield much magic on their own, but are no less dangerous or competent.

Originally founded shortly after The Gods War, The League of the Eye was created in response to a rise in dangerous magic users. With a severe lack of borders, anyone with a decent grasp of magic could easily hold sway over a large area of land. The organization's creator, a tortle wizard named Bem, decided it was unwise for this to continue and gathered to him those he could. Together they quelled the errant magic users, bringing some into their fold and destroying others. When Bem disappeared suddenly shortly after his forty seventh birthday the organization continued on without him. In the years since then, The League of the Eye has been beside all the great rulers of Ovenica. Though there have been clashes between both them and The Angels of Iron, the two groups managed to maintain relatively good relations. In the year 603 AGW the League's leadership vanished. Fearing betrayal and a murderous plot, the other members of the League hid their knowledge and fled. They hid themselves among the common folk, in fear for their lives. Only in the year 818, shortly after the appearance of The Seraph was the League of the Eye revived when a young mage named Rolmir Palesteel discovered the secret tomes of the League beneath his family's castle.

**Founding Date** 817

**Type** Religious, Holy Order

**Demonym** Redfeather

**Deities** The Pilgrim, The Scholar

Redfeathers have no true organizational structure past Seekers and Keepers, but even these titles will change based on the current duties of the Redfeather. Many Redfeathers swap between the two roles throughout their lives until travel becomes too much and they settle in as Keepers until the end of their lives. Keepers live at a Redfeather Keep. They are in charge of taking care of the books, manuscripts, tomes, and other pieces of literature housed there. They have vast lists with incredibly detailed descriptions of each piece, where it came from, who wrote it, it's purpose, and it's location within the Keep. When a Seeker returns from an expedition, they immediately are sat in a room with a Keeper and are debriefed. Seekers spend most of their time out in the world. While some are given specific tasks following rumors of lost knowledge, most Seekers simply travel from place to place. They listen to stories, purchase obscure literature, and even sometimes are required to...liberate a significantly rare document. Redfeathers are given similar training because, while some people are more suited to one job or another, it is expected that Redfeathers spend time doing duties as both a Seeker and a Keeper.

Redfeathers usually have access to whatever resources they need to complete their task. It is considered a sacred honor to be chosen as a Redfeather and those outside the order hold them in high regard.

In the year 815 the High Priests decided they needed a more formal method of storing history. It took some time but eventually they anointed the first Redfeathers and began the order. They built, or repurposed, keeps around Ovenica and turned them into heavily guarded libraries. Visiting a Redfeather Keep is a privilege that should never be taken lightly. Though the order itself is not a kept secret, the inner workings of the order, its goals, and even sometimes its priests, are a closely guarded secret. Ever since the actions of Gulrig Clanless and the rest of The Angels of Iron, The Redfeathers have since split from their connections to the organization and paired up with Carston Juhl and The League of the Eye in order to continue fulfilling their intended purpose.

**Founding Date** 287

**Dissolution Date** 860

**Type** Secret, Brotherhood

**Demonym** Study, Master

**Leader** Ulric Covenlash

The Silent Assembly is governed by a circle of seven Masters, each having spent years perfecting the study of Calastii. These Masters determine the Assembly's goals and give orders to those lower in ranking. Ranking is determined by experience, with some flexibility towards particularly powerful students. When a master dies or steps down, all students are recalled and those who have spent a minimum of ten years compete in tournaments and tests to determine who is worthy of taking up the mantle of Master.

The Silent Assembly believes that no power should ever grow to the extent that it has the possibility of total control over a populace, and they take steps to ensure that none do.

The Silent Assembly are in possession of multiple ancient and hidden temples across Ovenica which they use as safe houses for their members. Past that the Assembly focuses on infiltration and as such use the assets of the organizations they have infiltrated.

The founder of The Silent Assembly is shrouded in mystery. It is rumoured that even the Masters do not know who they were. However the intent of the Assembly's creation is well know among its members. When the first holds of Ovenica began to rise up and grab land for themselves someone decided they needed to be kept in check. From there the vision of the Assembly grew to encompass all people who would seek to grab more power than necessary.

After the sudden dissapearance of their Leader Ulric, the Silent Assembly fell apart, many of its members going into hiding, or joining other organizations such as The Sect of the Black sign.

**Founding Date** 898

**Type** Civilian, Knightly Order

**Leader** Eagrain Oveth Iago

**Location** Galekeep

Followers of the Beacons receive training and wisdom from the most experienced among them. Those with experience lead the organization, and determine its direction. The more experience within the organization one has, the more sway their words have.

Many followers believe in the organization (and the adventuring party it venerates) almost religiously. The idea that saviours can come from anywhere is a highly regarded tenet among most in the organization. Because of this, The Followers of the Beacon are respectful to those they perceive as having more experience, but in turn demand respect from those with less. Within the organization this keeps the wheels turning smoothly, though outside of it this mentality has lead to more than a few, perhaps unnecessary, confrontations.

The Followers of the Beacon actively work to stamp out undead creatures, abominations of nature, and other such terrors that hunt the weak and helpless. The Followers of the Beacon ask for no payment, and make their gold through donations and regular mercenary work. Often less experienced members can be seen guarding caravans from bandits and thieves.

When news of The Beacons of Sunlight and their defeat of Lord Idris Daemon began to spread, it whipped up a fervour among many of the common folk who decided to also take up arms to strike out against the things that threaten those who cannot defend themselves. After a few years they began to realize they had a substantial amount of people wanting the same goals and a few came together in order to create a sense of cohesion and efficiency.

**Type** Civilian, Knightly Order

**Predecessor Organization** The Shield of Basin

Members of The Shield roam the land as self proclaimed arbiters of justice. Named after The Shield of Basin, those heroes who delved deep into the silver isles, Shields pride themselves in being heroes who search out evil and attempt to bring it to justice. In the beginning, perhaps, they had good intentions. Two hundred years later however, Shields are looked upon with suspicion at best and open hostility at worst. The order is spread thin. Many call themselves Shields but simply do as they please, meting out their own form of “justice” wherever they see fit. There are still a few however who stick to the old beliefs and follow in the footsteps of those who came before. Shields only take their helmets off in the presence of one they can trust completely, or when they are alone. Though many other traditions have fallen by the wayside, this is one of the few that remain.

*We work for a world in balance.* *We do not forsake the actions of today for the plans of tomorrow.* *Our armour is our life and our sword our drive. Neither shall you allow to be removed from you while in the presence of others.* *Charity is our path, not others, and you will accept no favour unless you can return it.*

**Founding Date** 841

**Type** Religious, Holy Order

**Alternative Names** Children of the Prophet (Former)

**Leaders** Manoa Douglas (Deceased), Sibilla Gryemonti (Deceased), Seren Douglas (Deceased), Current Unknown

**Leader Title** Divine Chosen

**Permeated Organizations** Prathia

**Divines** The Seraph

When the universe was still in chaos, The Mother created the other Deities: The Pilgrim, The Champion, The Healer, The Scholar, and The Betrayer. Together they worked to create the planes as we know them. They crafted tirelessly, pouring heart and soul into their work. They created creatures. They sculpted mountains and carved out seas. They painted the planes with their beauty, each one an individual masterpiece. The Mother crafted gates between each plane so that their inhabitants might travel and see the beauty that was created. When the work was complete, the gods stepped back to watch their creation flourish. Civilizations rose. Cities were built. Incredible magical and technological marvels were crafted in honour of the gods. The Betrayer watched all that transpired with disdain, for he wished to rule alone. While The Mother was not watching, The Betrayer went to the Nine Hells and walked among the people that lived there. Over generations his words and his presence tainted the peoples thoughts towards the beings living in other planes. Slowly this bitterness grew until it began to warp the very lands of the Nine Hells until it became a fiery pit of hate and anger. Having grown his strength on the suffering of others, The Betrayer then moved on to other planes. He worked faster, now that he knew he was stronger. The next plane he visited was what is now called The Abyss. He pushed his corruption so violently into the plane that it cracked and drove all who lived there into a deep madness. At this time The Mother took notice of what was happening and rushed to stop him but it was too late. The planes were divided, and wars raged across them. The gods tried what they could to stem the tide but the corruption of the Betrayer had spread too deep. The gods took one last stand against the Betrayer and managed to finally bring him down, but at great cost. The planes were shattered and the destruction too great. With the last of her power The Mother sealed The Betrayer in a cage at the bottom of the Nine Hells. She then sent the other gods to their own realm, to watch creation from a distance, only helping in small ways. In her final act, she used her body to heal the material plane, the center of the planes and the most damage. Now the gods watch as The Mother gives life to those that live on her world. And in the deepest pits of the Nine Hells The Betrayer waits patiently for the day when he can escape. In the year 843 the world and the gods rebelled against the one true god, The Seraph. They stripped her of her divine light and cast her to earth unjustly, for they were jealous of her power. Glo Terberis, the Betrayer, schemed with the Prophet to remove her from power. Though the Seraph is no more and her power dwindled she was able to give the last remnant of that power to the Divine Chosen and their followers who now lead the people of The Angels of Iron in the teachings of the true faith.

When the gods sealed themselves away from mortals, they left behind a Scroll. Supposedly the Scroll was hidden in a deep cavern filled with traps and monsters. The Angels of Iron claim the volcano on The Silver Islands is home to this cavern and make a pilgrimage there once a year to pay tribute. The only person to survive the cavern and make it to the Scroll was a man who is now only known as The Prophet. No one knows where he came from or why he delved into the cavern after the Scroll, but when he reached it he was given divine powers and granted a place among the gods. He spread the word of The Mother and her children to the first Angels of Iron (who then called themselves the Children of the Prophet) before declaring The Silver Islands a sacred place and warning that anyone who wished to follow in his footsteps and go after the Scroll should be allowed to do so. But he warned of the perilous journey that lay within the volcano. He warned that merely stepping foot on the central island was a death sentence to all but those with the gods blessing. The Children of the Prophet heeded his warnings and prohibited travel to the island. Many years later a being appeared before the leaders of The Children of the Prophet. She claimed to have followed in the footsteps of The Prophet and taken divine power for herself. She called herself The Seraph, and granted The Children of the Prophet new wisdom from the Scroll. They changed their name and the Angels of Iron became the religious leadership of Ovenica.

*We are the Angels of Iron.* *We are the mouthpiece ~~of The Prophet~~ and hand of The Seraph.* *We strive for the perfection of the self.* *We uphold the law of ~~the gods~~ \*The Seraph\*.* *We honour the faith.* The Angels of Iron have many rules. Most are not required to be followed by the masses and are only for devotees. The following are basic tenets to be followed and believed: - ~~It is forbidden to speak in a temple of The Prophet.~~ \[The Prophet is no longer recognized as a deity within the Angels of Iron.\] - Sins can be forgiven, if forgiveness is asked. - \*Rejection of The Seraph's teachings is the fastest way to the grave.\* - Perseverance and devout worship is rewarded with eternal life. - The ~~gods alone are~~ Seraph is the only being to be trusted with your future. Words placed within asterisks are additions to the text after the year 843. Words struck through were removed from the text but left in here to remember the original, with square brackets containing an explanation.

People are encouraged to come to one of the many temples to ~~The Prophet and~~ The Seraph throughout the hold. There they will find shrines to ~~all the gods~~ her. They can engage in group activities, sit and listen to services, and even bring offerings. It is also highly encouraged for people to find a quiet spot to sit and pray, or even speak with a Priest about their troubles. Worship outside of temples is also encouraged. The church can even provide shrines, talismans, and small statuettes in order to better help your connection to the gods.

There are only three appointments within the Angels of Iron: Priests, High Priests, and the Archbishop. Priests of the Angels of Iron are either born into the role or start very young. It is considered an honour to have your child chosen to be a Priest, and an even greater honour to offer your child to the Priesthood. A child who enters the Priesthood learns to read and write from the holy texts. They usually spend their first ten years living in a monastery away from the city (though they are allowed frequent visits to see their family.) Once they are determined to be mature enough (usually between ten and thirteen years old) they are taken back to their home city to live with their family and apprentice a trade while also shadowing a Priest. Some trade skills are required for appointment as a Priest because it is considered a holy order to perfect ones self. Once a child finishes their apprenticeship (around 18-20 years old) they are anointed with The Words of The Prophet and The Blood of The Seraph and are then granted a year to spend with their family and ply their trade before they are given their appointment in one of the holds. Often they remain in their home town. High Priests are elected by their peers, though they believe that each elected High Priest is only elected because The Prophet allows it. There is only ever one High Priest per hold. Priests of the Angels of Iron wear a single article of clothing: a thick dark coloured robe with a hood and light coloured stitching. An eye is stitched on the front of the hood to represent The Prophet and wings are stitched on the cuffs of the robe to represent The Seraph. High Priests wear a similar article of clothing though it is white with dark stitching and the eye is surrounded by a five pointed star to represent the gods. When it is time for an Archbishop to be chosen, the High Priests come together (with a selection of lucky Priests) and spend a month within one of their more reclusive monasteries. At the end of the month, one of them is declared Archbishop Successor by the current Archbishop. When the current Archbishop dies, the Archbishop Successor takes over all their responsibilities until their own death. The Archbishop wears a red and white robe with gold stitching. In addition to these, the Angels of Iron began to employ (around the year 903) other hands to aid in keeping the faith. These are as follows: Iron Advocates: Iron Advocates represent the vast majority of the forces of The Angels of Iron. A religious militia, essentially, who spend most of their time throwing their weight around to get things they want, and the rest of the time taking orders from Iron Priests. Iron Acolytes: With the loss of magical support from The Seraph, the Angels of Iron have had to turn to other means to keep up with the world. While as a whole the Angels abhor magic, they recognize that without it they would be at a serious disadvantage. Their answer: Iron Acolytes. The Acolytes walk a path of 'unholiness' in order to better the Angels cause. They are disallowed from speaking to any but their direct superiors and live lives of solitude. Their studies, however, allow them to wield power to aid in seeking out heretics using magic in their lands and leading the Iron Priests right to them. Lesser Iron Priests: Iron Advocates who do exceptionally well and perform above and beyond their regular duties can be promoted to Lesser Iron Priests. Though they are not truly granted priesthood, they are given a status above regular adherents. Lesser Iron Priests often take leadership positions within smaller towns in an attempt to keep the Advocates in order. Iron Judges: The Judges of the Angels of Iron carry as much weight as a High Priest within the clergy, some say more. Judges are given the full writ of the law to carry with them at all times so that they may perform all manner of ceremonies. They also carry with them the orders to smite any who they may deem heretical, and Prathia has seen whole towns burn at the word of a Judge who deemed the souls within unworthy.

Though the Angels of Iron hold no official place in Ovenican politics, many of the lords and leaders of various towns look to the Priests for guidance and counsel. Because of this trust, nearly every hold has at least one Priest with the ear of the ruling family. Though it used to be the case that the Angels of Iron were only counsel to the various lords and ladies of Prathia, the country has become a true Theocracy and the Divine Chosen leads the people with the direct hand of the Angels guiding their every move.

**Founding Date** 857

**Type** Religious, Organised Religion

**Deities** The Betrayed, The Champion, The Healer, The Mother, The Pilgrim, The Scholar, The Lover

In an effort to avoid the pitfalls of the Angels of Iron’s power structure, the Children of Divinity have multiple pontiffs functioning as heads of clergy. These pontiffs regularly meet to discuss goings on. The gods still share their divine wisdom and gifts among the population which helps to bring many into their fold.

The Children of Divinity work tirelessly towards several goals, but due to the spread of power, not one has been properly realized. Their main focus is curtailing the spread of the Angels of Iron as best they can without sparking war.

When the universe was still in chaos, The Mother created the other Deities: The Pilgrim, The Champion, The Healer, The Scholar, and The Betrayed. Together they worked to create the planes as we know them. They crafted tirelessly, pouring heart and soul into their work. They created creatures. They sculpted mountains and carved out seas. They painted the planes with their beauty, each one an individual masterpiece. The Mother crafted gates between each plane so that their inhabitants might travel and see the beauty that was created. When the work was complete, the gods stepped back to watch their creation flourish. Civilizations rose. Cities were built. Incredible magical and technological marvels were built in honour of the gods. During this time of peace two individuals were not satisfied. Lumir and Gomir (now known as the Prophet and The Seraph) wished to have divine power for themselves. So one day they went to Glo Terberis (The Betrayed) when he was alone. They spoke sweet words to him, speaking of his great works and deeds. But they also sowed lies. They told him how the other gods despised him. They told him that the other gods were planning his downfall. Glo Terberis believed their silver tongues and began to plot against the other gods. While The Mother was not watching, The Betrayed went to what is now Misery and walked among the people that lived there. Over generations his words and his presence tainted the peoples thoughts towards the beings living in other planes. Slowly this bitterness grew until it began to warp the very lands of Misery until it became a fiery pit of hate and anger. Having grown his strength on the suffering of others, The Betrayed then moved on to other planes. He worked faster, now that he knew he was stronger. He went to the other side of Misery. He pushed his corruption so violently into the place that it cracked and drove all who lived there into a deep madness. At this time The Mother took notice of what was happening and rushed to stop him but it was too late. The planes were divided, and wars raged across them. The gods tried what they could to stem the tide, but the corruption of the Betrayed had spread too deep. The gods took one last stand against the Betrayed and managed to finally bring him down, but at great cost. The planes were shattered and the destruction too great. With the help of her Lover, the Mother used the last of her power to take her physical form and tie it to Ovus, to hold it together. She then sent the other gods to their own realm, to watch creation from a distance, only helping in small ways. Before she could finish however, Gomir and Lumir swooped in and trapped her in her own creation. They stole pieces of her essence to ascend to godhood and then shackled the Betrayed to her cage so that none would ever reach her again. However, there is now hope. The Shield of Basin braved the dangers of The Silver Islands to learn the truth. They released the Betrayed from his prison, and returned the pieces of essence to the mother that were stolen from her. Lumir and Gomir now live among mortals, no more danger to anyone, and the gods once again speak freely.

**Founding Date** 890

**Type** Religious, Druidic Circle

**Demonym** Shepherd

With magic no longer falling apart, the world began healing. The land became saturated with magic and nature took over. Instead of fighting against the growing mass of trees, grasses, and other planets, the people of Ovenica worked with them. Druids became a heavily sought after resource to help with creating houses, buildings, and even whole cities out of living plant-life. A new faction known as Mother’s Shepherds, has been created from this need for druids. The Shepherds make their headquarters within the many Trees of Sanctuary that have grown around Ovenica. They bend and twist the trunks, using the trees' own magic, to create living skyscrapers. The druids use these trees as conduits to travel from place to place in conjunction with the new teleportation technology. Shepherds are fundamental in keeping society running smoothly, yet very often their work can go unnoticed. Most of the druids don’t mind however, and many within Ovenica make great strides to thank them for their service. Every year, on the summer solstice, parades are held in most cities to honour the druids’ work.

Shepherds are largely self governing. Individuals are not expected to take orders from any others. Occasionally Shepherds will come together under one leader or another to accomplish larger tasks but this is almost always a case by case basis.

Shepherds living side by side in Trees of Sanctuary either find ways to work together or simply do their best to stay out of each others way. Mutual respect is not hard to come by within the Shepherds and even the title of Shepherd is mostly given out freely to anyone who wishes to consider themselves one. That being said, word travels fast between the Trees and the people who live in them. A Shepherd who proves problematic will quickly find themselves shunned by person and Tree alike.

Mother's Shepherds strive to uphold the new infrastructure of Ovenica. Together they weave the ever growing plants into sensational pieces of architecture, or gently guide them out of the way of planned structures. For a time, much of the world was severely dependant on the Shepherds, but in more recent years their talents have been on maintenance instead of construction.

**Founding Date** 903

**Type** Religious, Cult

Each holy person is an autonomous leader of their own branch of the sect, yet the fact that it has not devolved into bloody infighting leads scholars to believe that something does in fact connect the isolated groups. The recent integration of Calastii warriors has bolstered the group and aided in it's cohesion.

**Founding Date** 907

**Type** Religious, Monastic Order

**Demonym** Illuminated

During the decade long war between Prathia and Cuswar a small group of people in Kurleigh Castle decided that they were fed up with the gods and the church and decided to turn their minds towards themselves. The movement quickly caught on. Many people enjoyed the thought of no longer being beholden to deities or church leaders. For some the organization was nothing more than a reminder to focus on themselves instead of feeling the need to worship a higher power. For others, however, it became a religion of its own. Those who do consider themselves practicing Illuminated spend their time exercising, and eating healthily. Some very devout Illuminated live very ascetically in small monasteries that have been built throughout Ovenica. There are some rumours that members of the now collapsed Order of the Silver Mind began the movement, but they have remained largely unsubstantiated.

**Type** Religious, Monastic Order

**Location** Stonehill

**Notable Members** Kanamahl Calder, Malok Calder

The monks of the Silver Mind followed a tier system determined by skill, age, and experience. Generally it was older more experienced monks who taught the rest and were in charge, however in rare circumstances young monks could climb the ladder fairly quickly.

The Order of the Silver Mind believed that the world is shaped by a person's own actions. For the monks, and those who follow their teachings, a person's actions are more important than promises and speeches. This often means that gaining the trust of the Order (and it's followers) was usually a simple task, but keeping that trust required constant effort to show that one was a committed and trustworthy person.

The monks intended to keep their province free from (the perceived) oppressive presence of the Angels of Iron. Though they took no issue with individuals and small groups practising the religion, dedicated temples were not tolerated within the province.

The Order's greatest asset was their monastery; a large domed building in the center of Stonehill Keep. There they trained their acolytes, and housed their collection of artifacts. No one but a monk (or acolyte) was allowed within the dome and it was rumoured to be full of priceless items.

With the collapse of the Order the secret to entering the Dome was lost, and nothing remains but an empty shell now used as a city hall.

The Order was created by a Goliath man named Augrein Silvermind Calder. According to the monks histories, Augrein was on top of a mountain when had a vision of a giant who taught him the fighting styles the monks practiced as well as their beliefs of personal freedom. Since then, the monks strove to emulate his teachings and pass on his wisdom. The Calder family lived up to Augrein's legacy and were one of the most personally powerful families in Ovenica at one time, however due to their beliefs they took very little interest in the things that happened outside of their hold.

With the loss of their copy of The Accords of Manoa, the Order began to tear at the seams. Malok Calder was already vying for control of the Order, and this loss was the final straw. Kanamahl Calder was ousted as leader and fled the city in shame. Malok began a reportedly aggressive era of leadership for the order before the War for Stonehill. When Kurleigh swept in to aid Stonehill, Malok intended to rebuff them and even fight them if necessary. Seeing his flawed leadership, the other members of the order exiled him and joined the war effort against the Angels of Iron. When the war was finished, few members of the Order remained. Instead of trying to rebuild, those few decided the last several decades were enough of a sign that their way wasn't working, and they dissolved the Order. Though their order is no more, there are still those who follow the teachings of Augrein Silvermind Calder, but they often keep to themselves and not since the War has more than two or three followers of the Silvermind broke bread together.