Saint Bard's Encyclopedia, Of the Island and the Surrounding Areas

[Charlotte]

Saint Bard’s Encyclopedia

About the Author
I am Bardelby Saint-Grey. I have been called Saint-of-the-Island, Lord Grey, the Bard, and most recently Saint Bard. That is the name my students gave me. I became the savior of their minds when I created orchid wine. No longer does my last name indicate the town I grew up in. It indicates the man who makes scholars drunk off knowledge and alcohol. I was a heretic before I created orchid wine. Now I am a saint. Now I am a member of the triumvirate and the namesake of the country. I can see only two explanations for the sudden change of favor. Firstly, they came to accept what I taught. Secondly, they drank too much wine. My conclusion is that they drank too much wine.

History

• March twenty, yr. 0: The country of Saint Bard was formed from several loose kingdoms by three men; a soldier, _______, a scholar, Bardelby Saint-Grey, and a wealthy businessman, _________.
• April twenty, yr. 0: A mystic woman makes a prophecy that Saint Bard’s life will also be his death. She did not specify whether it was the country or the man she referred to.
• April twentyone, yr. 3: Bardelby Saint-Grey dies from poisoned wine. His son takes his place in the triumvirate.
• May two, yr.15: The council is formed to advise the triumvirate.
• 16-390: Relative peace.
• April seven, yr. 390----October twelve, yr. 398: Saint Bard goes to war with Cockaigne. Saint Bard wins and Cockaigne is dissolved into Saint Bard.
• 398-999: Relative peace. Many farming innovations are made. The economy strengthens. Trade increases.
• January one, yr. 1000: Year 1000 is known as the year of the foul wind, for several reasons. During a new year celebration, the last man in the soldier line of the Triumvirate is killed. Power is passed to the ______ family.
• February two, yr. 1000: A terrible storm sweeps in from the east. After it is over, the people discover most of their drinking water is poisoned and many wells have dried up. Many poor die of thirst.
• July nine, yr. 1000: Water riots force the triumvirate to give the poor their wine.
• September eighteen, yr. 1000: Traders bring the rotting disease from Eldor.
• September nine, yr. 1004: Nearly one third of the population is dead due to disease, drought, and political upheaval. The council is temporarily disbanded.
• March seven, yr. 1005: ________ replaces his father in the council. He leads the country to security, if not peace.
• 1006: The Goblin Wars. These "wars" lasted only a few months; the humans successfully drove the goblins into the Eginhard Mountains.
• 1007-1372: Relative peace. The economy slowly regains its strength and developments in medicine and sanitation ensure a longer living, stronger working class.
• 1373: The lower class attempts an uprising. They are crushed. The leaders and devout followers are executed en masse.
• 1374----1695: Relative peace. Many innovations are made, especially technologically.
• 1427: The printing press is invented by the government. They control everything that is printed.
• 1696: Another worker class rebellion. It is crushed.
• 1779: The current year. Young noblemen and women have started to mysteriously disappear.

Geography
[IMG: Map]

Mainland
Size: Relatively small compared to the surrounding countries.
General:The mainland terrain is somewhat rocky, but lush. Flowers grow in profusion everywhere. The climate is cool and mild all year round; the temperature doesn't vary more than ten or fifteen degrees between summer and winter.
Features: Eginhard Mountains,
Traits of the People: Think Irish. Saint Bard citizens are on the tall side, with pale skin, light hair, and blue or green eyes.

The Island
Size: Quite large; larger than the mainland part of the country.
General: The island is rockier, but there are still some very rich veins of farming land which are controlled by the wealthy farmers. The best land is reserved for the orchid farms. Temperatures are generally cooler on the island.
Features: Set in the
Traits of the People: They're the same as Mainlanders. Think Irish.

Surrounding Lands

(Click image for a large map)

Eldor: A country on the other side of the continent, in the southwest. It is a Mediterranean type country. The summers are hot and dry and the winters are warm and wet. It never approaches freezing. The northeast is composed of hills, which flatten out nearer to the coast. Many rivers run through Eldor, flowing from the mountains, which provides a steady stream of water even in the driest months. Eldorians are of average height or short, with brown hair, eyes, and skin. Think Italy/Spain.
Shangrell: The country that borders Eldor in the east. It is mountainous and somewhat cooler. The mountains are snow capped all year. Shangrells are on the short side, with brown hair, eyes, and light to medium skin. Think France/Switzerland.
Lyonesse: A country bordering Saint Bard to the north. It is cold and wet most of the year. Lyonese are average or tall, with brown hair, light skin, and blue or brown eyes. Think England.
Arcady:A country bordering to the west/northwest of Saint Bard. Think Germany/Eastern European.
Andisor: This country isn't even located on the same continent, but the people of Saint Bard do know about it and people occasionally travel there. It is a vast country, hot and dry all year round. Andisorians are tall in height, with dark skin, light eyes, and blonde or red hair. Think Sahara.

[Charlotte]

Politics

Type of Government: Triumvirate (rule by three)
Businessman Triumvirate: Handles business and trade affairs with other countries, and taxes. Also handles all things related to the public opinion of the government. Basically, love the triumvirate, punishable by death or otherwise.
Scholar Triumvirate: Handles all things scholarly. Libraries and schools for the Noble, scholarships (sometimes) for the Middle Class, and a tolerance for the lower class. The Scholar is also sent to conferences in other countries, to settle affairs before starting wars, after winning or losing wars, and negotiating treaties.
Soldier Triumvirate: Handles the military aspect of the government. Plans, who to invade when, the drafting process, and the soldier's pay and funding from taxes.

Other Government Bodies
Bardian Council: Has very little real power, but it does sometimes influence the actions of the triumvirate.
Bardian Army: The army is extremely powerful.
Saint Bard Press: The only government sanctioned means of getting something printed.

Economy

Class Ratio: Very small upper class, small middle class, very large lower class.

Upper Class Jobs:

• Manor Lord (large farms)
• General or high ranking military official
• Land and Title owners
• Triumvirate
• Bardian Council (land owners only)

Middle Class Jobs:

• Merchant
• Trader
• Skilled Masters (business owner who is the master of a skill; craftsman)
• Some Soldiers
• Entertainer of the Wealthy

Lower Class Jobs:

• Serf (owned by manor lord and works the land, in exchange for shelter and some crops)
• Slave (owned by manor lord and works the land, in exchange for the ability to live another day)
• Soldier (low ranking)
• Crime (thief, mercenary, pirate)
• Brothel
• Entertainer (circus, gypsies, playwrights, actors)
• Worker (hired out labor)
• Skilled Laborers (people learning a craft)
• Unemployed

Wealthiest Citizens:

1. Triumvirate
2. Lord Sterling Burrough
3. _____ _____
4. Lady Doran
5. _____ _____

Major Imports: Wood, artisan items.

Major Exports: Wine, wool, fabrics, perfume, dyes, grain, artisan items.

Natural Resources: Stone, valuable ores.

[Charlotte]

Culture

Dress

• Lower Class: For the extremely poor (think slaves), a long, coarse, simply cut tunic and a belt of some sort, if you're lucky. Shoes are made of whatever you can scrounge up. For the average lower class person, you would wear a tunic, trousers or skirt, and rough shoes, typically cleaner and better kept than those in really dire poverty. Every once in a while a lower class person will own a real coat (not tunics cut open on one side). Fabric is generally wool. Colors are...earthy. Meaning mostly like dirt.
• Middle Class: Typically it falls somewhere between upper and lower, for the most part resembling lower class clothing more than upper. The material is finer; you can find cotton and silk material. They can afford things like buttons, boning-free corsets, leather shoes and vests, coats, hats, and pull strings. The cut is slightly more complicated. Very often people of the middle class are dressed according to whatever their trade is. Colors are a little more varied; white, cream, browns and blacks, and green.
• Upper Class: The sky's the limit for the Bardian wealthy. Silk, satin, fur, brocade, lace, cotton, damask, high grade leather, linen, cashmere, and chiffon, are some of the more common materials. The basic components of their clothing is the same (tunic, skirt or trousers, shoes), but the cuts are far more complicated and there are additions to the wardrobe. Women can afford corsets, shawls, heels, hats, gloves, and of course, jewelry. Men can afford as much leather as they like, but to make a point that they are better off than the common folk who have to wear animal skin, they wear fabric vests and coats. They will only deign to wear leather in a hat, glove, or boot.

Creatures

Witches: Witches are not really a "race": they are humans born with magic. Being born a witch isn't necessarily a good thing, either. Witches tend to lose themselves in the magic, and become overwhelmed by the good or bad nature of the magic itself. As the magic becomes stronger, their grip on reality weakens, and many witches older than sixteen come off as quite mad. The government tries to keep tabs on witches, and when they receive word that a witch has been born they seize it and take it to an isolated facility.

Giants: Giants are very rare, since they are so large; the land can't support a large population of them. They live in the _______ Valley between Hy-Brasil and the Eginhard Mountains. They're generally kind creatures unless provoked; they also have long memories and forget nothing.

Eldor Elves: Eldor Elves are not related at all to the Bard Elves, which becomes apparent the moment you see one. They are very small, able to fit in most pockets. They are hyperactive creatures who are very eager to help when they can; but more often than not, they end up in the way. For this reason they do a lot of their work at night while the big people are sleeping.

Bard Elves: The Bard Elves are native to the St. Bard mainland. They live in the Eginhard Mountains at high altitudes, so they are very hard to reach. However, they are wise beings who live for centuries, and are often sought out by people in need of advice or help. They are tall, willowy creatures and have a very calm presence.

Goblins: "Goblin" is a term that applies to both real goblins (who are small, knobbly, and foul-tempered) and a certain raucous sect of elves. The elves were cousins of the Bard Elves who were known for partying and messing with the humans of Hy-Brasil. The elves and the goblins were driven by the fed-up humans into the cavernous regions under the Eginhard Mountains during the Goblin Wars of 1006. The goblins have been underground for five centuries, but had been known occasionally to come above ground--but they haven't been seen on the surface for twenty or so years. They are skilled gem-cutters and were once excellent metal workers, when they lived on the surface--however, underground forges are not comfortable and so they have lost most of their skill at blacksmithing. There are only three goblin-made weapons left above ground, one of them a rapier owned by _______ Burrough. The other two have yet to be found.

[Charlotte]

Currency
(click for images)

Gold Noble
The most valuable of all coins, called a Gold Noble (Plural: Nobles). Four Silver Nobles in a Gold Noble. Usually found in very good condition. Many lower class people never even see one of these, let alone handle them.

Silver Noble
Second most valuable of all coins, called a Silver Noble. Four Bronze Nobles in a Silver Noble.

Bronze Noble
Third most valuable of all coins, called a Bronze Noble. Six Tarres in a Bronze Noble.

Tarre
Second to least valuable of all coins, called a Tarre (Plural: Tarres). Usually found in less-than-perfect condition. Six Tache in a Tarre.

Tache
Least valuable and most common of all coins, called a Tache (said like 'tash') (Plural: Taches).

Two Taches are the normal price for a loaf of bread, to demonstrate a worth example.

It is possible to find halves of these coins, but the more they are worth, the less likely it is to see them split. It is very likely to see split Taches, but you will never see a split Gold or Silver Noble. The coins are made with a small indent across the diameter, so splitting a coin with one's teeth is made possible.

One Gold Noble = 576 Tache

[Charlotte]

Orchid Wine:

The initial effect of this dangerous drink is only slightly noticeable, and many assume that they simply drank a bit too much. Their vision becomes a bit blurry, and it becomes difficult for them to focus on their thoughts. There is a sense that the world around them is not quite real. As the effect progresses, even if more is not imbibed, their vision becomes blurrier and other senses begin to weaken. The drinker also begins to notice strange sensations, random senses, feeling as if though they are being touched or having brief auditory or visual hallucinations. These worsen, becoming more convincing and frequent. Shortly after, however, the person passes out.

When they awaken, the victim suffers from memory loss. The extent of this directly correlates to the amount they drank. A half glass of wine may leave them forgetting most of the night, as well as a few minor details from their past. Five glasses, however, will leave them barely remembering anything, just a few, faint, dream like snippets from their lives before. If more than one glass is drunk, the parts of the past that are remembered feel dream like and unclear. However, if they return home safely, the familiar environment will help to sharpen their memory of the past, and they may be able to piece together their previous lives, depending on how much they drank. If they are brought to a strange place, on the other hand, these memories will become less clear, and certainty in their truth will be unlikely.