Lotheria

When your character thinks of Lotheria, they’ll probably think of bright colors, vibrant scenery, cheerful people, guilds, and most importantly of magic. Lotheria is the province where magic runs freely. The citizens greatly support the usage and advancements of magic. They see magic as a gift to those who live in Empyrea. Whether it’s a gift from the planet, the gods, or merely in their DNA, it is a wonderful thing to be used, cherished, and expanded on in the same way one goes to school to advance their mind.

This strong view on the freedom of magic has led most of Lotheria’s population to be of Elven descent. While all races are welcome, some humans look negatively upon Lotherian citizens because of their easier time to use magic. Most Lotherians shrug this mindset off as frustration and let it go. Magic is a part of every day life in Lotheria. It can do anything from powering the lights in your home to getting you a job or into your higher education. (Yes, it is sort of used as “electricity,” especially in cities.)

Lotheria has four major cities that it is very well known for. The Capital is Lighthaven. Then there is Taria and Ethaswen. The final city is a blemish on Lotheria’s name but accepted nonetheless: Grandview. Lotheria houses the largest magical school of Empyrea: Rydian Academy, so many come to learn the ways of magic. Lotheria is also a place of parties, as it is known for its festivals, parades, and other celebrations that occur from city to city. It really is meant to be a place of freedom and fun.


The languages of Lotheria are:

• Common (English)
  
• Lotherian (French)
  
• Cryewellian (Italian)
  

Lotheria’s population is around 3.8 million. This population is counted from the four main cities and villages that are large enough (and thorough enough) to actually send in a census. There is an estimated 500,000 Lotherian citizens unaccounted for since not everyone lives in a big place.

The People: Citizens of Lotheria are a lively bunch of people. It is as if they’re always celebrating something. They are vibrant and colorful in their fashion and their architecture. They cherish magic as a part of who they are and celebrate it as they’d celebrate their birthday. While Lotheria is the Province of Magic, that doesn’t mean every single person has energy within them. In fact, only about 60% of the population does. Yes, that’s a big number, but it still means that over 1 million people are without it.

Since most people are part of guilds of some sort, this is one of the places where tensions arise. Competitions for jobs do come between people and their guilds. What guild emblem you hold is an important note on your status. If you hold the emblem of an unknown guild, you may not be as trusted as other people. If you hold an emblem from a well-known guild, well… you get the picture.

The people of Lotheria who were born without magic can still use magic items if they need to. Since most of the Province is run on magic items, it’s not surprising to find them in just about every person’s home. While those without magic are mostly okay with not having it because of magic items, there are those who are angry, jealous, and feel lesser for not having it. This mindset does breed hatred. This hatred may breed hatred in magic users as well, creating a vicious and unending cycle.

While most citizens in the cities and larger towns are easily considered happy-go-lucky and pretty well-off, that isn’t the entirety of Lotheria. There are still those people who aren’t as lucky as the rest. There are those people who aren’t as happy as the rest. There are rogues, bandits, and other types of criminals. There are people who led unfortunate lives and so fell into lives of crime. These people are more often than not without magic or magic came later than others, so they’re more “successful” criminals than others. A lot of these “successful” criminals reside in Grandview. (see later)

The Guild Economy: If you’ve seen Fairy Tail, you’re going to understand this much easier. Lotheria is run off of guilds more than anything else. While there are still the regular ways of employment that we know and hate, a lot of people get their jobs through guilds. Instead of having a government, outside the laws set by the High Council and the Royal Family, Lotheria’s government works off of guilds. Guilds are groups of people led by a Master. They gather in their guild hall to find jobs that have been requested of them. Each guild will be different. Some are like substitute families, others a business, and others even are like an army. Jobs from the guilds can honestly be anything from working at a café, acting as a bodyguard, or taking out a group of wild beasts to protect a town. While most guilds work separately, it is possible for allied guilds to call on each other for specific skills.

Refugees of Empyrea: To a lot of the world, Lotheria seems like a paradise. In other places, your beliefs and values, or simply the fact that you were born with magic, makes you less of a person. In places like Volkhov, where you may not be accepted for simply being born the way they don’t like, it is possible for people to flee to Lotheria in the hopes of starting a new and safe life.

Lotheria’s Magic System: This just explains what Lotherians call magic. While universal words like “energy” and “magic” are fine, Lotherians do have different terminology for all of this.

• Arcana: This is what Lotherians call “Prime Energy,” the energy within everyone.
  
• The Arcane Arts: This is the actual art itself. Similar to “biology” or “chemistry.”
  
• Arcanist: This is the person or magic user. Similar to “biologist” or “chemist.”
  
• Arcane Items: This is what Lotherians call “magic items.”
  

These are subject to changes as time goes on…

The laws within Lotheria follow what the High Council and Royal Family have decided over the years. There are also common-sense laws that should not need to be mentioned. For example murder, rape, molestation, theft, kidnapping, etc… are bad. If there are any special laws that aren’t common sense or were changed/added for whatever reason, they’re listed here below:

1) Age of Consent: 16. This is when characters are considered adults. However, this is not something that impacts the real world, so don’t be stupid. If you’re a minor, no Mature threads for you.

2) Slavery: Legal. In Lotheria, slavery is defined as a signed contract between two parties where one party temporarily or permanently gives up their natural rights in return for a service or to pay off debts. In other words, this means that forced slavery is illegal. Documentation is required.

3) Homosexual Marriage: Legal.

4) Incest: Illegal. Punishment is castration for both genders.

5) Preservation of Life: This law states that one may interfere with a situation if their action preserved the health and/or life of those involved. This law protects those who stumbled upon bad situations, helped, and things didn’t go as planned. In other words, a person will not be punished for defending another in order to prevent or stop bodily harm.

6) Preservation of Self: “Self-Defense” law. You can defend yourself as needed to preserve your own life.

7) Healthcare: There are healthcare plans that can be paid for to make sure your health needs. Healthcare plans cover all emergency surgeries. Healthcare plans do not cover elective surgery. Elective surgery is anything that you do not need but want for whatever reason. (Boob/Nose jobs)

Lotheria is located Northeast of Cryewell and North of Osynius.

Lotheria is one of those places that just seems to get all seasons perfectly. Winter, spring, summer, and fall are all like you'd expect them to be. In the fall, however, Lotheria is known to get quite a bit of rain and heavy winds. Lotheria is mostly flat with forests and valleys spreading throughout the land, so winds blow through without much resistance, but they do slow down around the forests. There are a few mountain ranges, but not many. The mountain ranges that are significant enough to comment on have a major city next to them, which means there are only two: Lighthaven and Taria.

There are two major landscape changes in Lotheria. The first is the Viridian Sea, a large body of water located in the north part of Lotheria. There are many fishing villages and towns that settle around the sea, but the most known is a city near there called Grandview. (See cities for details.) The Viridian Sea is home to many different creatures, normal and magical alike. Fisherman swear that they have encountered sea serpents and other such terrifying creatures on the waters.

The second notable landscape are the Lighthaven Mountains that the city of Lighthaven was built into. They are the largest mountains in the country and create a very good defensible position. Since Lighthaven Castle is where the High Council meets, the mountains create a very safe place for them. The mountains also have a labyrinth of caves and mines that those of Lighthaven dig into in order to mine resources. Many precious stones are mined from the Lighthaven Mountains.



Founded: 350 years ago
Population: 300,000 Approx.

Lighthaven is the capitol of Lotheria and has the second highest population of all major cities in the province. The city is a beautiful and bright place built on the side of a large cliff. The city's most attractive feature is the massive castle that was built on the side of the mountain it is near. The castle can be seen for miles and looks down at the surrounding city. There is a river that runs through Lighthaven and separates at multiple points, creating a rather stunning overhead view.

This city's guild is housed in a large building with a dome roof located near the second mountain range, as you can see in the picture. The guild is called "Aria Grand" and is among the most popular in Lotheria. The city is protected by a large wall that goes from one mountain range to the other. One side of this wall is built along side a large cliff that was created from running water. Extra support has been given there to keep the wall and land beneath it from crumbling over time.

The surrounding mountains act as a very strong, almost impenetrable defense. The city has stations all around that are constantly on guard in order to prevent any catastrophe. The surrounding mountains are also a source for the city's resources. There are many mines throughout the extensive mountain range that surround Lighthaven. Even though the city has been mining there for over a century and a half now, they've barely made a dent into what the mountain range can offer.

Lighthaven Castle has a plethora of uses for the city. First, it is the meeting place for the High Council of Empyrea. A Councilmen may choose to live in the Castle, but it is not a requirement at all. The Castle also acts as the city's court, where citizens get political business taken care of (licensing, etc...), and it acts as a vault for magical items, rare artifacts, tomes, scrolls and other forms of knowledge.

The Tower is the long pointed tower in the lower right corner that you can see in the large picture of Lighthaven. This place is the Lighthaven prison. The larger tower is where some criminals are living. There is a very large facility underground where the more hardened criminals are held. The second tower next to it houses a magical device that runs the entire prison. It gives them magical sunlight, keeps things locked up, and acts as an alarm. It has many more functions, but this is what is known to the public. Those that are actually held above ground in the larger tower are those who aren't staying long, common criminals. The closer you are to the bottom floor, the longer your stay is.



The city of Taria is a fascinating place. While much calmer than the lively Lighthaven, Taria is a sight to behold and a fun place to live. There are three rings to Taria. The outer most ring is the residential district. This is where 80% of the population lives. While the areas closer to the outer edges of this ring can be considered slums, the entire ring is not like that. A good portion of this ring can be compared to low-middle to middle class families. The second ring is both a residential and market district. The residential district is located on the left side of the bridge and here are where the more wealthy families live. The market area is on the right side of the bridge. The inner most ring is mostly higher class shops and government buildings. This is where the prison, court, licensing, and other business buildings would be located, including other places like inns, taverns, and hotels.

Taria started out as and still is considered a "fishing village." It has expanded greatly since it's founding, but that hasn't changed its reputation. The many rings and small bodies of water around it are deeper than anyone expects. In fact, people haven't reached the bottom of the middle ring yet. The amount of fish that are in these waters is honestly remarkable. Since Taria also gets more rain than any other area in Lotheria, the waters never run dry and the area around is always green. The bridge is the only easy way of approaching Taria as well. Since those rings of water are about a half mile (outer) and a mile (middle) wide, they city's citizens needed an easier way in and out of their own homes.

The thick forests around Taria are both good and bad for the city. While the forest hides any incoming invaders, it does also prevent them from easily being found by foreign attackers. It's not just because the forest is big either. The creatures that live in the forest surrounding Taria are frightening. To leave the city, it's recommended to leave in groups. Most visitors and tourists that come are escorted by caravan. In fact, since the water ways and bridge are common tourist attractions, some people make their living off of escorting people in and out of the city. The forest is thick enough that paths are difficult to create and if you do not know your own way, you'll likely get very lost.


The city of Ethaswen is probably the most "elven" of the cities. It's architecture is different than any other place in Lotheria, as you can see in the picture. It's based in the middle of Forêt Rouge or "The Red Forest." The city is built in to the trees of the forest, which is what you'd think was keeping it hidden. In reality, that's just an architectural preference of those who live there. The biggest feature of Ethaswen is Rydian Academy. However, it is also a nice place to live for those wanting a stable life.

Because of the Academy's influence, Ethaswen has become some what of a "college town." It's very active until curfew is hit. Curfew for those under the age of sixteen is 10pm. Since anyone between the age of 17-25 are still able to go out and about until midnight, the town stays pretty lively until then. There are a lot of fun stores, bars, restaurants, and parks for people to hang out in. Ethaswen is not a place people come to vacation though. It's a place for people to study. Those who live there are either students, faculty, or family of students. If you're not one of these, then it may be a little strange for you to live here. However, visiting is common since people come from all over.


Grandview... It was once the place where the High Council met, but that time is long gone. After a massive civil battle between crime bosses and guards, to the surprise of many, the guards lost. With no active guild in the city at that time, Grandview fell into the hands of criminals. Now, the city is run by seven criminal families that hold the city captive. Most of the wealth is given to the already wealthy, forcing many to fall to lives of crime. While a large portion of the city does function normally, with people getting jobs and paying rent, the amount of crime cannot be over looked. It is a dangerous place to live. The people here are sneaks, thieves, brutes, thugs, and manipulators.


Why would you make a character from Lotheria?

Well, Lotherians are known to be open minded. Their concentration on magic makes living in the province interesting and fun. Their strange way of governing themselves has proven to be successful. Magic is used freely in the streets. Even destructive magic isn't looked down upon too much, but be careful with how much you destroy. You'll likely have to fix it yourself or pay to have it fixed.

Why would you come to Lotheria?

Top Reason: To learn magic! Lotheria is home to many guilds, but also Rydian Academy. It's easy to learn what you need while among those who know how to teach it!

More Reason: To be free from oppressive cultures. It's no secret that other cultures sometimes don't look to happily on you merely because you think or feel differently, or maybe you were born different. In Lotheria, there isn't much that will have you be an outcast. It's a place of acceptance.

Even More: Vacation! The borders of Lotheria are mostly open. They aren't too strict with who enters, which can also cause many problems, but there are enough Arcanists and other magic users around that people mostly don't worry. It's a place where relaxation and fun is easy.

This section will hold a list of other towns and sights in Lotheria that can be inhabited/used. While these towns are significant enough to make an impact, they're not major cities, so they don't get a place on the map. If you'd like to design one that fits with Lotheria, please just contact Serenity with the details and she can add it to this list. If you see a city here you want to add something to or create the description of, same thing. She holds the right to modify or alter the idea to fit with Lotheria.

TOWNS/VILLAGES:

Alexandria

Arbas

Ardale

Caydale

Colburn

Daywood

Endell

Glitterhold Village

Orhaven

Redfield

Varedia

OTHER SIGHTS

Dragon Scale Ruins


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