Dramillios or Dram - the wizard's nation

While not a heavily utilized region in my games, this is a defining part of my game world. It is a central nation of humans where refugees can always be welcomed or tolerated. Magic can be purchased, both clerical and wizard items and spells. When Wizards speak of Towers that teach their followers, this is one of the few places in the mortal realms that follow ancient traditions. Huge churches, with enormous congregations reside, but many of them are pagan, worshiping dual or more gods, many times with competing purposes. Wizards may hold official status, but bards, rogues and the warriors hold much more unofficial wealth and influence. 

Dramillios

Known throughout as the wizardly nation. Spellcasters live here for many reasons, primarily due to the Academies; which openly teach magical skills for anyone with the crown or coin to pay for it. Another is the acceptability of the magical arts. Perhaps most importantly, is that Wizard’s have helped shape this nation and consider it above all others their home.

This was the second oldest lake nation - founded by humans returning home after fleeing to Lyrria for immediate protection from the great freeze. With the knowledge of Sollus and help from the elves in creating a magical barrier to ward off the undead, the Lyrrian humans wanted to rebuild their former nation. To do this they needed help, and they knew they could no longer depend on their Elven allies who faced their own battles to keep the faerie realm free from the ice tyrants. Thus they turned to the outcast wizards, in their own midst to help them. The magical arts have often flourished in human communities, but it was done so in secret, for if it was not an outright crime it was socially unacceptable. Even the ancient Hembrian nation, wizards were a lower class, bound by many constraints over what they could or could not do.

The original Dramillian counsel knew that to survive they must overcome the oldest of superstitions; they must not only tolerate the wizard’s presence but also help them prosper. They asked Barath, the most infamous wizard of his day for assistance in defending their lands. Barath, an elderly mage even at this point, took a long time before answering their request. His request of the counsel was not funding or even power, but for autonomy. Wizards would be left alone in their magical study in return ALL WIZARDS stayed out of internal affairs. This open acceptance would later be codified as the Wizard's Oath and this more than anything else has intertwined wizards with the fate of Dram.

Yet this oath has not always been kept. On at least three occasions wizards have led coups to depose or control the Grand Counsel. Each time the traitors have been defeated by their own kind: wizards who hold onto the creed of the oath as their strongest belief. Most wizards deeply admire the nation and its principals and ensure the Grand Counsel is free from all subversion. To ensure the adherence to the Wizard's Oath, since the death of Barath, wizards have elected a Solomo or judge among their own. They have the power to bind or exile any wizard who breaks the oath if not the spirit of the oath. Also, since the Wizard's have no political power it is also the Solomo's duty to either sit in or choose a wizard to act as advisor to the Grand Counsel. It is important for the Solomo not to show favoritism or get involved with political affairs, as they are bound to the counsel itself. Solomo's who interfere with the counsel are asked to leave counsel chambers leaving wizards without a voice or ear to the workings of the counsel. With all of this said, Wizards still comprise less than 2% of the adventurer population. They are heard and seen and involved in all aspects, but many more facets must be understood to comprehend Dram.

Jammer crews often say, "no need to visit all the spires - just go to Dram." As the central nation, this has always been a home to any refugee that needs one. It is seen as the safest haven from the cold and the tyrants - and as such everything can be found within these metropolises

One might think that due to the influx of so many beings conflicts between these peoples might be rampant, it isn't due to the GENTLEMAN'S CODE. At its heart it states that all beings are equal under the law. Prejudice isn't outlawed; merely racial conflicts are confined to non-violent means. Those who break this edict face exile, not just from the city but the confines of the sollus. But even more than this, the code is virtue and etiquette, those who are so close-minded can be shunned, risk losing business or jobs or even friends.

Competition is core to the Dram mind-set. Whether it be in the arts, business or the military arts - one must be better than your neighbors. Those who are rich flaunt "it"; those who are not so rich try even harder to flaunt "it" just to show that they have "it". Image is everything, and the nobles and businessmen pay a small fortune to wear what is fashionable or hot. Minx collared furs, high black riding boots, Anthril Lances, Verchine earrings, or a purple feathered flying griffon...if the IN CROWD has it, and then anyone who is anyone must acquire it.

Gambling is a beloved Drammish pastime; rolling bones, cards, knives, especially on the sports competitions that are held once a Ten-Day. These warriors’ competitions were once important military spectacles to keep the public in military form, now they are a time for circumstance, pomp, politicking and favoritism. Thousands crowd inside arena to bet on their favored wrestling and dueling gladiators or the sports: mace throwing, running, jumping, riding, and spear throwing.

Faith, like race, is both open and tolerated. Open because people can choose any deity, even those who are shunned elsewhere for dark, vile or even evil practices. What you believe means less than what laws you choose to break. Shion, the god of thieves has temples in Dram, where hooded followers sneak in to make their sacrificies and learn their lessons, yet thievery is still illegal, and punishments are harsh. Soo too with every other chaotic or evil gods are tolerated, the lessons are tolerated, but action to break the laws will mean getting punished. Lawful and bulging obelisks exist beside empty chaotic ones.

For those from the outside, this luxurious life is quite different to the bleak isolated living of the spires or the burden of constantly finding sollus to keep the cold away. They have accomplished their wondrous society by the Great Sollus Towers, three gigantic towers that soar more than a mile high each, and have a hundred pound of sollus in each. They provide the warmth for the entire region; enough so that there is no need for the Green Towers, shul and shum can be grown from the earth. One might wonder if the nation has such a supply that they need to worry about having such a huge supply needlessly to warm hundreds of miles unnecessarily; of course for the common person they let the Grand Counsel worry about such trivial matters.

Laws

Taxes: Paid once a ten-day, reasonable rates; though most pay with service not coin (5%, 10%, 20%)

Towers: Prevalent in nearly every faction of society, hold great influence and wealth

Prostitution: Officially sanctioned; more expensive, but extremely discrete

Weapons: Soldiers, knights & Sell-swords but only in cities with a bond.

Jube: officially banned, but tolerated in seedy areas for consumption, the law still convicts for trafficking

Magic Items: Open, as long as it doesn't do mind control, summoning outer planar or undead

Necromancy: banned, ruthlessly enforced by Jackalla who also hunt undead

Slavery: Technically banned, cannot purchase, but owners still have limited rights

Thievery: Imprisonment or loss of rights.

Psionics: Banned but ignored under similar magical tolerance

Wizard Spells: Rigidly controlled but most are open. Nobles are given more freedom.

Clerical Spells: Taxed 50% at any obelisk or 75% at Temples
Sorcerer Spells: Treated the same as clerical spells
Gambling: Open; with many competiing guilds

Duels: Any free-man (or woman) can duel on Sword Day, otherwise soldiers, knights, men of standing and nobles. Note it is illegal for a non-noble to duel a noble unless it is sanctioned during Sword Day. This is the only way to legally kill a noble.