The Divine Lawful Republic Of Laurelin, Part I

The social structure of Ailwellia is balanced upon four corners – The Wyld, Levels, The Empire, and The Spark. Unlike most d20 worlds, Ailwellia has no shortage of adventure or experience to let characters build up levels. The mad ferment of the Wyld throws up enchanted castles, ships full of pirates, and strange monsters just as it throws up treasures and empowers magical devices. As the disc grows, and segments break away, the wyld becomes an endless frontier. In fact, the wyld is so unstable that “civilization” can only exist in the more stable center of the disk or in warded cities that hold the Wyld at bay.

The Races Of Ailwellia:

Humans born on Ailwellia are linked to the magic of their birthplace – usually the closest major magical nexus, but sometimes a smaller node that happens to be very close or a really major one that’s further away than the closest smaller node. Sparks, Smokes, and Embers get the full 31 CP +0 ECL point allowance (and customization thereof, including possible disadvantages), but normal folk usually get a standardized 24 CP (Plus a 6 CP minor immunity to Wyld influences and a language) template. In either case, this gives them various special abilities related to the type of node they’re linked to. Humans do not get “package deals” save through intensive training – generally about a years worth. Few bother, since that’s just about what a normal person could get through intensive training anyway and Sparks, Smokes, and Embers have much faster ways.            

Humans who are linked to powerful wyld nexi near the edges of the disc may (but do not have to) have +1 ECL Templates, but this is usually physically distorting, resulting in various types of “animal people” – still human, but somewhat distinctive. There’s a selection process there; human mothers tend to try and give birth near relatively “tame” nexi which grant powers useful in civilization. After all, there’s about a 99% chance that any given kid will wind up working in the Empire, so they might as well set them up as advantageously as possible.        

Nonhumans process magic differently (mostly using their personal energies) and are more strongly attuned to particular sets of abilities – giving them a consistent package of abilities regardless of where they’re born. While they are less flexible overall, they do get a free racial Package Deal, usually representing their cultural tendencies and affinities, and (usually) a nifty immunity to stacking limits that humans can’t get. A few types may get +1 (or even higher!) ECL racial packages, but members of high ECL races tend to be somewhat infertile. Regardless, their package deal normally includes some social difficulties for all but the most common types of nonhumans (elves, gnomes, and halflings mostly).

The Spark is the ability to absorb and use “experience points” – usually Wyld energies gained by battling monsters and adventuring, but sometimes for activities relevant to the user’s birth-node. It is RARE. Even the more limited versions – “Embers” (who can absorb “experience points” but not directly use them, so they use it up in rituals to grant themselves specific patterns of abilities (Class Levels) or in gaining a few other boosts) and Smokes (who can use “experience points”, but not directly absorb them and so must talk Sparks or Embers into giving them some with which to buy levels) can be quite powerful. Sadly, gaining “experience points” from the wyld tends to be extremely dangerous; an awful lot of wyld-based Sparks and Embers are quenched young. Smokes tend to find getting past the lower levels near-impossible – although luck always plays a role and those with a wealthy parent may be lucky enough for their parent to buy enough XP to get them into the lower nobility.

Sparks based on anything except the wild tend to be pretty limited; sure, a Spark who gains “experience points” from writing books, teaching, and performing research because they were born linked to a Knowledge node is at little risk compared to an adventuring wyld spark – but such activities yield far less experience than the surging power of the Wyld, so they usually sputter out around level six or seven, and even that takes quite some time. Since they are also far rarer than wyld sparks, and have few unifying tendencies… they tend to have very little social impact.

Orichalcum – as listed in The Practical Enchanter probably does not exist in Ailwellia. If it does… about the only thing that can be said for sure about it is that whoever does know about it is keeping that information very much undercover. Otherwise there could be a great deal of social upheaval lying in wait.

Levels – and the high-level characters who can create and maintain the Wards, and defeat the regular monstrous incursions – are all-important. Moreover… since levels are tied to skills (including social skills), and treasure brings wealth more quickly and easily than any other route, being of above-average level is pretty much a requirement for social power and position. Normal people, if they are determined, and studious, reasonably talented, and do very little else, can earn about one character point a month through work and practice, although this slows with time and age. It’s usually much less. Normal humans rarely get above level three or four in a lifetime. Elves, with their natural life extension, do somewhat better – usually making it to level five, six, or seven with relative ease.

That means that nobility, serious wealth, and social status are not generally inherited. A few high-level individuals can grant a worthwhile amount of power to others through Leadership and related abilities, and associating with powerful Sparks may sometimes awaken the Spark in someone (vanishingly rarely, but it’s always a popular hope) – but “noble houses” aren’t usually a thing. About the closest thing to THAT is found among the Imperial Government – almost all Elvish Sparks – who either wait for an elven kid with the Spark to come along and nurture (and hopefully keep alive) or adopt one. The Military Command Structure is mostly made up of (far more common) Human Sparks, but operates in much the same way. That way there is at least SOME continuity across the years.

The Minor Nobility starts at about level five (although any starting Spark tends to be treated as a Minor Noble by default; if they don’t have the power YET, they soon will – unless they die, which is common) and runs up to about level eight or nine – although you can be considered a minor noble if you have inherited the keys to a golem-mecha or have some other major source of power. Still, external power can be all too readily taken away. Such “Faux” nobles are looked down upon, much like the nouveau rich during the gilded age. It IS possible for normal people to climb into the ranks of the minor nobility of course – and there’s one major route. Serving a powerful Spark. Really powerful Sparks (at or above the “Major Nobility” level) can simply give you power, teach you mystic secrets, enchant or enhance you, give you magical items, and fairly often develop Leadership or some related ability (ESPECIALLY if they have kids) and are often fairly generous about sharing that power. So almost ANY form of “Spark Apprenticeship” to an active Major or Grand Noble is valuable – even if there does tend to be an inverse relationship between “dignity” and “safety”. Being a guard or aide tends to be reasonably dignified, but not particularly safe. Being a crewman or servant aboard some vessel or in a house is less dignified, but safer. Being a pet slave or concubine (like powerful males in the real world, male sparks tend to like having mistresses, catamites, or even outright harems) is a lot less dignified – but it tends to be fairly safe. Regardless of the type of association, you’re just about as likely to get a boost into the “Minor Nobility” range – and most sparks bring in new people (and let old ones who want to go leave) fairly regularly. As long as the boss doesn’t want to steal your soul, or erase your mind, or torture you, a Spark Apprenticeship is the primary route of upward mobility for any normal youngster. They’re usually considered quite valuable and desirable, regardless of the specifics.

The Major Nobility starts around level nine or ten and runs up to about level fifteen for Embers (full Sparks with efficient builds may wind up classed as major nobles considerably earlier; it all depends on how much power they have and how versatile those powers are). The Major Nobility – almost every one a Wyld-influenced Spark with unique abilities – tend to have substantial local influence and are the major reason why the cities of the Empire are so wildly variegated. Did the city founder (or the current nobles) like broad boulevards and processions or narrow twisting alleys? Have a taste for statues or fountains? Establish social services? Institute draconian laws? Subscribe to a particular religion? Regard education as indoctrination? Want everyone to go to school until they’re twenty? Enslave debtors? Want all wagon traffic in the city drawn by Centaurs or other intelligent draft-creatures for safety? Like gladiatorial games? Then guess what? That’s how it’s going to be until someone changes it.

The Imperial Military usually works around this level, and provides a counterbalancing force to the Major Nobility. They tend to make sure that cities have proper Wards (including the Ailwellian standard Ward function of supporting cheap, if relatively minor, magical items in cities), that there is plenty of food and drink being produced, that multiple forms of public entertainment is available to keep things calm, that contract law (including rules about those Spark Apprenticeships) is enforced, that major crimes are properly punished (usually very publicly; it helps to maintain order), that open warfare does not break out, and that monsters do not roam the streets. The military is pretty good at keeping it’s Sparks alive and progressing – after thousands of years of practice they’ve got their procedures pretty well down – but inherently demands a fair level of discipline and adherence to various standards. The military tends to be well equipped – they’ve been buying dangerous items off of adventurers for millennia – and serves as one of the major stabilizing influences of the Empire. They even have their fingers in the “Adventurers Guild” – which exists to steer Sparks who don’t want to join a disciplined military towards a variety of useful activities.

The Grand Nobility starts at around level fifteen, consisting of people who are powerful enough to sponsor groups of Major Nobles and who are sometimes capable of passing on enough of their power to get people into the Minor Nobility. Functionally there isn’t a lot of difference between the Grand and Major nobility except that the Grand Nobility can get away with a lot more, simply because it’s rarely worth trying to stop them. Most of the Imperial Council – almost entirely consisting of Imperial Generals and centuries-old elves of one sort or another (these categories often overlap) – can be counted among the Grand Nobility. Of course, Grand Nobles are rare enough to be remarkable, and virtually every one is a unique case. They do tend to look down on normal people (sadly, including most of their own kids) quite a bit; after all… compared to a Grand Noble, almost a normal person is bumbling, fragile, hopelessly unskilled and uninformed, and quite incompetent in general. That’s a major reason why so many of them keep slaves and push their kids into any program that promises to get them some power.

The Imperial Nobility generally consists of epic-level characters – people who bend reality simply by existing in it. Fortunately for the world, epic-level characters tend to be INCREDIBLY competent, tolerably well organized and reasonably intelligent (otherwise they rarely get to epic levels), and are subject to the basic limitations of life – once you have more luxuries than you can experience, all the lovers you have time for, vast domains, vast wealth, and any form of entertainment you could ask for no matter how over the top it is… even if you had any more TIME, what will you go after? Telling the legions to march to the sea, attack the waves, and bring back a cargo of sea shells to display their conquest of the ocean?

With the Imperial Nobility it doesn’t much matter if they like gardening, or watching plays, or skinning screaming children alive. The cost of indulging their personal hobbies is generally pretty trivial compared to what they can do for the Empire – or, in all but the most extreme cases – the cost of trying to get rid of them. It’s still lucky that the “good guys” tend to be much more cooperative and mutually supportive than the “bad guys” though.

Major Social Groups:

The Empire does tend to slot people into general categories. The most important ones include…

The Underclasses. The people without special talents (The Spark, being an Ember, Inheriting a Major Template or Magic or Wealth, or simply extremely high intelligence or sheer determination) who are basically stuck at level one or two. These make up the vast majority of the Empire’s citizenry. Crowded into the great Insula, sustained by magically-produced free supplies, and entertained by subsidized illusion-shows, games, alcohol, drugs, and breeding more disadvantaged children, these folk come in swarms. Outside of being an entourage for a higher-level type there isn’t anything they can do that a higher level character can’t do faster and better – and common task-performing and speed-multiplying magic makes them completely redundant. Even crime can’t help; the Empire’s laws are a bit draconian – the sheer press of numbers supported by the dole makes severe control measures virtually mandatory – but the Underclasses are just as useless to a serious criminal as they are to society in general. Worse, a gang of first and second level types is pretty much just bait for higher-level authorities. After all, they have to get people to make examples of SOMEWHERE. It isn’t usually hard to find a public execution or two in progress.

The Underclasses tend to have only a basic education, wear serviceable, if mass-produced and relatively simple clothing, only have bits of minor utilitarian magic (the Charms and Talismans of The Practical Enchanter are excellent examples, and are even CHEAPER in the Empire). are armed with knives and very light weapons and light leather armor, appreciate some very rough sports, are fairly often a bit intoxicated, and usually back some Greater Noble who subsidizes entertainment for them and picks out the occasional talented child to train.

Criminals… well, there is crime of course, but it tends to prey on the Underclasses instead of rising from them. There’s always SOME cultist or ritualist who wants virgin blood, or a living brain, or someone to torture or make fight in an arena for entertainment, or souls, or something – and much of that is illegal. The stuff that outright undermines the Empire (soul-offerings, making self-propagating undead, summoning things from the hells, and so on) is VERY illegal. For other stuff.. if the proposal is presented honestly, you have a free choice, and you are old enough (not all that old…) or get permission from your parents (or are just sold by them), then if you sign up to be a gladiator, or to try to outrun tigers in a maze, or to be part of a harem, or to be turned into a monster, or for indenture, or some other foolishness… well, that’s on your head.

Criminals tend to wear concealed armor, use anti-divination and speed-enhancing magical devices, often use poisoned weapons meant to delay attackers, use “black” magic, summon creatures from the hells to support their operations, often have some powerful emergency effect ready to use as a last resort, and often have connections to some powerful noble who uses them for undercover jobs and deniable operations.

Slaves (Well, more indentured servants in most cases. The only way for an imperial citizen of member of an acceptable race to become outright property is if they commit a crime which carries the death penalty but is still minor enough to allow someone to purchase them in lieu of execution) are mostly drawn from the Underclasses (simply due to numbers), although slavery to someone important is often actually a step up. Slaves generally aren’t used for labor. After all, the Empire, and the higher-level characters who can afford to keep slaves, really have no need of that. Magic is so much faster, cheaper, and more reliable. Slaves… tend to be status symbols, companions, playthings, and pets. If a high-level master gives his slaves substantial abilities or special training slavery can even be a route OUT of the underclasses into the minor nobility – and one of the few available. Slaves even have rights; they’re entitled to the basic benefits of citizenship (food, shelter, warmth, medical care, etc), to own their own property (even if they rarely have much), and to not be purposefully killed, tortured, maimed, soulbound, or permanently transformed beyond the limits of their contract. They are generally limited-term, and are expected to be released either upon the fulfillment of some condition (bearing their master three children, some number of victories in the arena, repayment of their debt, whatever) or after twenty years unless their contract calls for release sooner. They can expect to be registered, marked, collared, punished if they upset their masters, and displayed though. Beastman slaves from beyond the borders of the empire are generally regarded as animals, have far fewer rights, usually wear simple harnesses, and are not subject to a maximum term of service.

Slaves, as display pieces and status symbols, may be dressed in functional livery, but are just as commonly dressed (or undressed) to be displayed and show off their status. It is considered rather gauche to arm them beyond clubs or staves. They often possess minor Charms and Talismans like the Underclass, but may be entrusted with other items at their masters whim. Troublesome slaves are usually bound to obedience with a selection of curses that make misbehavior extremely difficult, but such curses must be removed when their contracted time is up.

Anti-indenture/slavery/spark “apprenticeships” movements are periodic, mostly occurring when someone with a lot of power gets upset about some abuse (usually involving someone they’ve taken an interest in, such as a favored kid) or is just over-idealistic. They rarely last for very long. The personal power (level) disparities are just too great for people to seriously be considered “equals”, indenture is the cheapest and easiest way to deal with minor criminals that you don’t feel like killing (making them their new master’s problem at a profit to the state), and spark apprenticeships are simply too attractive to ambitious parents and youngsters who are willing to gamble on coming out of it with a worthwhile level of power, for anyone to really make a ban stick. Such attempts can be reasonably effective for a while though, especially in the Empire’s interior – much to the annoyance of the occasional up-and-coming Spark who wants to get some status symbols to show off their power and importance.

The Military Rank and File (levels two and three with decent builds) are mostly aides, support, and backup for the high-level types who handle law enforcement, social services, and city defense – but they do need a specialized skill set and at least basic competence since they are expected to be able to deal with Underclass groups. Even if they can’t manage to climb into the Minor Nobility, they’re employed in responsible positions and occupy a spot somewhere between the Underclasses and the Minor Nobility. The upper echelons are substantially more powerful, and – as usual in d20 settings – tend to bear the brunt of any real fighting, with the low-level types along strictly for support.

The Military is generally rather romanesque; the armor and weapons are not all that threatening in a magical society, but they’re hardly useless and are quite distinctive – clearly displaying just who the Underclasses should listen to. It’s important to note that the military runs a lot of the social services, purchases dangerous items from Sparks to keep them out of circulation, and rely heavily on Magical Businesses – meaning that most of the military effectively has access to fairly powerful magic. Most have a decent education and are competent in a wide variety of roles. When it comes to aides, general competence is far more valuable than specializations that will be readily surpassed by a higher level type.

The Minor Nobility consists of everyone who manages to make themselves important. After all, a master chef, an expert armorer, a sage, military officer, detectives, and lawyers all play their roles in keeping society together. The Minor Nobility doesn’t have the raw POWER of the Major Nobles – but they have purpose and value far above that of the Underclasses. They have disposable income, special luxuries, chances for decent marriages, and the chance to train if they’re up to it. They’re the actual baseline of the economy, at least over the circulation of small change among the members of the Underclass. Tailored clothing minor personal weapons, and such is the rule. A lot of magical ritualists, and the better magic-item “farmers” fall into this category – and are perhaps best described as the “gentry”.

The Minor Nobility tends to dress in well-tailored moderately fancy clothing, mostly of the “renaissance” style, usually have knives and concealed weapons, and usually have both utilitarian Charms and Talismans and some “City” magic – mostly practical business items, although a few special tricks are likely. Education at this level is a very mixed bag; some have quite a lot, others simply have practical experience.

Unproven Noble Offspring… are a glut on the market. If they don’t have special talents of their own, the only thing keeping them from falling right back into the Underclass is family support – and it’s RARE for a second-generation Noble to be a Spark or even Smoke or an Ember. Most “Noble Houses” have to adopt up-and-coming Sparks as heirs or fall back into mediocrity after the Spark parent passes on. Thus most noble parents are looking for some way to keep their kids out of the Underclass by buying them some power, getting them into the service of an up-and-coming young Spark (it doesn’t matter much what that service is; even indentured service offers a good change of them gaining some power as long as it’s to a major-noble level Spark), or – as a last resort – at least getting them into the military. It’s severely EMBARRASSING to have them wind up on the dole. Better turned over to someone important who wants an aide or indenture-companion (or even plaything!) than THAT.

Unproven Noble Kids tend to either try to blend into the background so as to stay out of trouble or to be quite flamboyant in hopes of landing an opportunity by attracting the attention of someone powerful and moving up. Their clothing tends to be high quality, somewhat protective, and to have both overt and hidden weaponry – although some make it entirely obvious that they are in military training. They often have fairly significant “city” magical items, but rarely that much that’s useful outside them. Most are fairly well educated; it makes them more likely to kept afloat by someone powerful finding them useful.

Major Nobles are simply people with serious personal power. They often have serious social power and/or connections as well, but it’s being high level that’s important. Major Nobles are almost all Sparks, and almost always empowered by the Wyld – and so tend to be unique and overwhelmingly eccentric. They’ve taken insane risks to gather power, they express it in weird and wonderful ways, and they tend to gather minions and followers about themselves. They set the tone of cities, sponsor expeditions, and often have a very large collection of hangers-on. They rarely bother with city-based magic however, preferring to use powerful classical items that work everywhere. They also tend to get drafted into imperial politics and often get dragooned into service as imperial troubleshooters. Sure, there are plenty of social rewards for that obligation, but the pressure is rarely subtle. On the other hand, they’re also rare. Most cities won’t have more than a handful of major nobles; those with the potential are rare to start with, and most of those get killed early on.

Major Nobles dress however they please (“Western”, “Mad Scientist”, “Wizard/Sage”, and “Mighty Warrior” outfights are common enough however). They are rarely without some sort of entourage to show off their importance. Having one around is dangerous, but also a great opportunity!

The Imperial Houses tend to persist by adoption of powerful, highly-experienced, Sparks into the “family” – and tend to be primarily elvish since being long-lived has so many advantages in a world where superhuman personal power and skill accumulates over time. Most of the people at this level have settled down, gotten a bit dignified, and are more than a bit old-fashioned – an odd contrast to the fact that civilization becomes more advanced towards the center of the empire – which is vaguely “victorian”, in contrast to the vaguely renaissance middle belt and the vaguely romanesque outer territories (with the downright mediaeval borderlands).