Auphera, where the study of magic became a religion and echoes of the past haunt the living.
Gavin Klout, historian
The Kingdom of Auphera occupies the southwestern reaches of the Continent of Chalcephera. It is the largest and most politically prominent kingdom on the continent. It is a nation of warm coastlines, ancient history, and a deeply complicated relationship with magic that has shaped everything from its government to its state religion.
Size
The Kingdom of Auphera stretches 1,076 miles north to south and 1,716 miles east to west, covering 1,846,416 square miles of the Continent of Chalcephera.
Climate
Auphera enjoys a warm temperate climate across most of its territory. The southernmost regions along the Sea of Miden and the Shield Coast have a more subtropical character. Snow is very rare throughout the kingdom. The highlands and the Miden Shelf run more arid.
Government
The Kingdom of Auphera is an absolute monarchy. The King holds all power. A House of Lords convenes to advise the king, but he is under no obligation to follow their counsel.
The current king is King Cadimus Mercleis X, who has reigned for 30 years. His father, Cadimus IX, ruled for only a year before dying under unknown circumstances, after which his brother was quickly sworn in as Cadimus X. Their father, Cadimus VIII, ruled for 180 years.
The kingdom is divided into four grand parishes, each ruled by a Grand Duke. Each parish is further divided into dukedoms led by individual dukes, who answer to their Grand Duke and provide a portion of their supplies and shillings upward through the hierarchy to the King. Dukes appoint judges within their dukedoms. Each town provides its own civilian security, and all men must serve five years in the dukedom guard - typically the first five years of adulthood - in exchange for the right of citizenship.
Culture and Language
Auphera is a kingdom of many races, each with their own languages and cultures. However, there is a defining culture and language that established Auphera as one body, one nation.
Culture
The prominent culture of Auphera is a mindset of experimentation and discovery, a value system built around both the family and the community, and a love for celebrations and festivals. The people of Auphera are a community first, individual second type of society. They will, for the most part, willingly sacrifice for the greater good of their community. Individual wealth and fame - these are the provinces of the noblity and not ideals which the common Aupheran care about. They will give all that they possess to help someone in their city, town, or village. However, the same cannot be said of strangers. Except perhaps in the larger cities, strangers to their community are viewed with distrust and suspicion. They do not know them, therefore they do not trust them.
Languages
The languages of Auphera are as varied as the races. Chalcedonian, also know as "the common tongue", is the principal language as well as the language of the state. That means, all government documentation must be written in Chalcedonian. As a language, it originally developed out of The Chalcedon plains - the once cradle of society - long, long ago. It is a descriptive language that continues to evolve even onto this day.
Aside from chalcedonian, the next common languages one might here in Auphera are elven, dwarven, and xodian.
Regions
The kingdom is divided into four grand parishes, each encompassing several dukedoms.
The Western Parish
The Western Parish lies between the Miden Mountains and the Crystal River. Its ruler is Grand Duke Aereal Ramieriz. The parish contains three dukedoms:
- Domora Dukedom: The northernmost dukedom of the western parish, covering the Dormir Shelf from Clera until the Crystal River. Its principal city is Dormir, ruled by Duke Gaus Stonefist. Other settlements include Phera Gate, Hydros, and Clera.
- Cera Dukedom: Bordered by the Crystal River running through Cera Woods to the south and reachest to the western edge of Fisherman's Pier in the west, with the with the eastern edge of Cephera Forest making the rest of the eastern border up to the Auster Sea to the north. The Miden Mountains mark the western boarder, reaching no futher south on the Miden Highlands than Grimrock Caverns. Its principal city is Auport, ruled by Duke Gavin Strous. Other settlements include Demora, Lake Town, and Alyma.
- Bael Dukedom: Lying between the Sea of Chalcephera to the south and Crystal River to the north, with the Gulf of Guillotine to the east and the Miden Mountains as its western border. Its principal city is Bael, ruled by Duke Ian Bael. Other settlements include Mono, Fort Stone, and Cliff's Rest.
The Central Parish
The Central Parish is home to the capital of the kingdom, Phercia, as well as the College of Arcana and the Auphera Colosseum. The King holds direct control over the parish. It lies between the Crystal River to the northwest and the Chalcedon Road to the northeast, with a straight line running just west of Fisherman's Pier intersecting the Celestia River marking the western boarder, and the western edge of Myros Forest marking the eastern border. The parish contains two regions:
- Capital Region: The King's Land - This region composes the north shore of the Gulf of Guilotine, from Fisherman's Pier in the west, to the Celestia River in the north, and the western edge of Myros Forest in the east. The southern reaches of the region is Merah's Rest and Inlet.. Not part of any dukedom. This region contains the Capital City of Phercia, as well as the Aupehra Colosseum which has a small settlement and the small village of Fisherman's Pier.
- Maya Dukedom: Bordered to the west by the Gulf of Guilotine, the north by Merah's Inlet, and the east by the western edge of Myros Forest with a straight line running from it just east of The Elven Wench Inn, Maya Dukedom is perhaps the smallest dukedom in the kingdom. Its principal city is Point Maya and has only one other village, Flora Market - a village that can only be reached by boat. Duchess Isabella Vael is in charge of the dukedom in the stead of her recently deceased husband - Duke Francis Vael, residing in Maya Manor.
The Chalcedon Parish
The Chalcedon Parish lies east of the Cephera Forest and south of the Auster Sea. The eastern border is the Pharington River until it leads into the Secra River. The southern border follows Chalcedon Road until it meets with the northern edge of Myros Forest, from there it follows the northern edge of the forest until Secra River. Its ruler is Grand Duke Kelvin Pharington, who is reported to have descended into madness following the death of his wife. The parish contains two dukedoms:
- Tylma Dukedom: A small dukedom east of the Cephera Forest and south of the Auster Sea. The eastern border is the Central Road, terminating just to the west of Auster Watch. The southern border follows the Celestia River. Its principal city is Floren, however the duke, Duke Varcus Armondi, lives out of Tylma Manor in the northwest region of the dukedom. There are no other settlements, however, the dukedom is home of the Barenshire Farms.
- Chalcedon Dukedom: Encompasses the majority of The Chalcedon, south of the Auster Sea and east of the Pharington River. The southern border is the southern border of the parish. Its principal city is Secra, ruled by Duke Nathaniel Morris. Other settlements include Auster Watch, Atro City, and Gray Havens.
The Eastern Parish
The Eastern Parish lies west of the Pharington and Secra River. The Andron Ocean is the western and southern border, and the Auster Sea is the northern border. The parish contains the entirity of the Myros Forest and Drakenwood Forest, as well as the remainder of the Chalcedon. This is the largest parish in the kingdom. Its ruler is Grand Duke Gavin McPherson. The parish contains three dukedoms:
- Drake Dukedom: A small dukedom that contains the Drakenwood Forest and the lands to the east of the forest until the Andron Ocean, with the Auster Sea to its north. The southern border is a straight line from the southern edge of the Drakenwood Forest to the Ocean. Its principal city is Angel's Bay, and it is ruled by Duke Marcus Pherin. Other settlements include Soilder's Rest.
- Semaphore Dukedom: Lying in the middle of the parish, from the Pharington and Secra Rivers in the west to the Andron Ocean in the east and south, with Draken Dukedom to the north. The dukedom is ran by Duke Micha Moore. The principal City is Cape Semaphore, with the other settlements including Lyman and the Lyman Co-Op, Myros, and Point Clear.
- Pyrinus Dukedom: The southern most dukedom of the parish, despite containing all of Myros Forest it is also regarded as a small dukedom. The Secra River marks the eastern border and the western edge of Myros Forest is its western border. The Myros Forest is the northern border, with the Androm Ocean and Sea of Chalcephera lying to its south. Led by Duke Stephan Covington, the principal city is Pyrinus and the only other settlement is Adora.
Religion
The state religion of Auphera is the Church of Mana, which holds that magic is a living and sentient force worthy of reverence. It grew out of the scholarly community at the College of Arcana, where certain researchers became convinced that what they studied was not merely a tool but a divine presence.
Other beliefs are permitted throughout the kingdom, and various temples can be found in most major cities. However, the worship of Zodo - and any faith determined to be similarly aligned - has been declared illegal by royal decree. Penalties can include imprisonment or execution upon conviction, though enforcement varies considerably by dukedom. It is widely rumored that certain dukes quietly tolerate the practice within their territories.






