Rodel

Rodel
INFORMATION
Status:	Independent
Capital:	Arcturus - Seat of the First
Government:	Monarchy/Theocracy
Head of State:	First King Garneth - Lord of the Void
Demonym:	Rodellian
Population:	100,000 (est)
Currency:	None
Religion:	Order of the Void

Rodel is a medium sized island, some where to the south of the mainland. Only Aleksei River knows its exact location, and he is loathe to give it away.

Military

The military of Rodel is not in the strength of its numbers, but rather in the kind of military it has. All magically active humans are required to be either in the military or priesthood.

The Mundane

The mundane force of Rodel is a basic phalanx style infantry. Numbering a scant thousand in peace time, they are little more than a police force, charged with keeping the peace and dealing with what little crime exists on Rodel. Nominally, they are under the First Knight (The General), but realistically they report to the Sixth Knight (The Magistrate). During wartime or the threat of invasion, the numbers can swell to roughly five thousand, or more. All men above the age of 15 are trained in moderate weapon use. During the year, all men over the age of 22 and under the age of 31 are required to attend one month of military drilling and training. The exact timing depends on the trade of the person in question, and exceptions are made if there would be undue hardship placed on the family or if the person has a medical condition preventing this.

The Legion

The Legion is a smaller military force. They are charged with guarding the two major cities, and the First King's Hall. The Legion is a lesser version of the Knights. They all have lesser elementals, celestials and demons bound to their bodies, similar to how the Knights do. However, these men and woman lack the internal power to sustain and powerful circle. They are stronger and faster than normal humans, and the higher ranks can even use a first Unbinding, giving them access to minor magical powers. Currently, there are one hundred fourteen members of the Legion, twenty-two are female and ninety-two male.

The Knights

The Knights are the elite force of Rodel. Charged with not only working as part of the government, they are responsible for the defense of the Realm from threats beyond the scope of the army, and enforcement of the Will of the King. Not including the King himself, there are twelve Knights of Rodel, each with a different scope.

The First Knight - The First Knight is the General of the Armies. He is in charge of maintaining the training of the army, their equipment and the defense of the Realm. He is the only Knight to rule over a city, the city of Suthe-Tamahariel. The current Knight of the First is Roland of the Mountain. He wields the warhammer Avalance, granting him control of the earth. He is Host to Graannithe, Elder Earth Elemental.

The Second Knight - The Second Knight is the Spymaster. She is charged with finding crimes and those subverting the law and reporting them back. She is primarily a search and reconn role, but she is not afraid to deal with crime on her own. She has the backing the King in all matters. The current Second Knight is Giesella of the Frost Wind. She wields the chain-scythe; Reaper of the Winter Wind. She is Host to Syshheresa, Elder Air Elemental.

The Third Knight - The Third Knight was formerly held by Aleksei of the River, currently vacant. The Third Knight is the lead of the College of Science and Magic. This role is primarily a research and development role, the Third being charged with finding new ways of dealing with magical threats. Often, the Third is called upon to venture out and deal with them first hand, since their role is mostly administrative in nature. Aleksei of the River was trained by Marton Noon's Sun. Both were host to Madora, a Solar Celestial, and wielders of Morganna, the Resonance.

The Fourth Knight - The Fourth is less Knight, and more Assassin. Known as the velvet glove of the King, he is only rumored and feared. Currently, this is Lysiath. Lysiath has no surname, unlike the others. Little is known about him (or her) save Lysiath has bound some form of Shadow Demon and wields a pair of daggers know as Fang and Claw. Lysiath is one of the Elders, though no one knows if Lysiath is a member of the original or not. Lysiath has been off the Isle more than any other member of the Knights.

Geography

The Isle of Rodel is settled in the southern sea. It is far enough south to be considered temperate in climate, with pine and other hard wood trees that would be common to the Myrken area. Of course, the trees are mildly different, but the overall picture is the same. The island itself is surrounded almost completely by mountains. The range is called the Shield of Blood. The tops of the mountains have a strange effect that causes the snow to appear red in the winter months. It had never been proven, but legend says is the the mourning of the land for the countless lives that had been sacrificed by the Blood King during his reign. More likely is it is a strange property of the dirt and rock interacting with moisture from the snow.

The center of the island is a valley streaching from the coast to each foothill. Cutting down the center of the island, running from the northeast to the bay (more below) is the great River. The River is offically called Tamahariel, but is more often just call the River. In some places it is over seven hundred feet deep, and a half mile wide. This area is called Losh Tamahariel. (Note: Tahamariel can be translated as 'Life Giver, or Bringer of Life. Losh Tamahariel can be translated as the Cradle of the Life Giver, or the Birthplace of Life.)

Sitting is the south east area of the island is a two mile wide bay called Suthe-Tahamariel. The name of the bay shares its name with the large and lavish city situated there. The bay is extremely deep, beyond current measures to gauge. Even magical means fail. It is suspected there is a natural portal to the elemental plane of water at the bottom. Horseshoe shaped, the Tahamariel carves a half mile wide delta in this area, producing some of the richest farming land in the country. Suthe-Tahamariel can be translated as The End of Life, a name which will be explained in greater detail in the Cities Section.

The rest of the country is fairly nondescript, being mostly hilly farm land cut through with smaller creek sized tributaries of The River.