Moryr

Picture a planet, tidally locked to its enormous moon, on the verge of great change.

History
Three hundred years ago, the (orcish and goblin) forces of the dark lord rolled across the world, conquering the lunar continent and beginning to advance across the Sandorth strait, before being defeated by the alliance of the noble races (humans, dwarves, elves, and halflings).

The Dark Lord
The Dark Lord was a demon, summoned and enslaved by a powerful necromancer as a child. At the age of thirteen, he learned his master’s art and turned on him, allying with the orc and goblin clan leaders to form a mighty army.

He pioneered the use of warhorses, undead soldiers, and winter guerrilla tactics. At the age of sixteen, he was defeated at the battle of Morgoth, when his master’s body was located and destroyed, breaking the enchantment and banishing the dark lord back to the demonic plane. During his brief rule, he fathered a tremendous number of children with humans, and his descendents, the Tieflings, now represent a racial group in their own right (if a profoundly unpopular one).

Establishment of Nations
After the death of the dark lord, the former dark empire has reformed into a nominal democracy (the Republica de Luna), although troubling remains of the dark lord’s old power structure are still visible just beneath the surface. Meanwhile, the alliance of the noble races evolved into the Empire of the Sun (Regia Solia). As the King has been a tree for more than two centuries, the nation is actually ruled by his regents, the Gang of Seven, who are mostly elves, because appointments are for life and elves cheat.

Over time, there has been a fair amount of immigration back and forth, leading to racial tension and a number of ugly diplomatic crises. An uneasy peace is maintained by the existence of a handful of artifacts made by the Dark Lord known as the Dragon’s teeth. These devices, held by both sides, can be used to raise an army of the undead which can call forth more undead, eventually raising the entire deceased population of the world to fight in a climactic battle. As the use of these weapons would be outright apocalyptic, the pax apocalyptica has persisted for centuries. However, the fear remains that one day a diplomatic scuffle will escalate out of control, leading to the use of these terrible weapons.

The Industrial Revolution
The economic forces driving the world have changed substantially over the last few years. The discovery of the Infernal Flame enchantment has allowed the energy of the demonic plane to be harnessed to work on the material one. This has allowed a revolution in metalworking, and the invention of the Infernal steam engine promises mass-manufacturing and horseless carriages in the not-too-distant future. Whe recent invention of this magical steam engine and the aquaduct, a time of great change is beginning, and its effects on the balance of power across Moryr remains uncertain.

At the same time, the waning of the taboo on necromancy, combined with modern innovations in spellcasting, have lead to a rapidly growing undead workforce, and a small cottage industry of Necrotomation engineers who find ways to raise and manage larger and larger numbers of the undead.

The zombies, raised from corpses purchased on the open market, are sewn into airtight leather garments which are filled with spiced brandy to control the smell. Their faces are covered by pale porcelain masks engraved with the holy ward, and their bodies are covered with red robes. These silent figures sweep trash, gut fish, unload crates, and hundreds of other tasks that don’t require much abstract thought. The influx of these “husks” has lead to an unemployment crisis in the working class areas of Freeport, and there have been sporadic bread riots. In an effort to curb public outrage, the Magistrate has implemented a cap on the number of undead that may be used commercially within the city, but enforcement is spotty.

Religion
See Religion in Moryr