Calorum

Calorum is a landmass made up of six nations, each based on a different food group in the American food pyramid, both in food “theme” and nation size. For example, Ceresia represents grains and is the largest nation, while Candia represents candy and sugars and is the smallest nation. In relation to real world eras, Calorum is currently high medieval and approaching the renaissance.

Over the course of the Calorum’s history, there have been many border conflicts and re-drawings. Around 20 years ago, the continent was rocked by the Ravening War, a huge war between all the nations of Calorum that took countless lives. Driven to peace by the vast loss of life, the six nations of Calorum eventually settled the conflict with the creation of a voluntary peace treaty known as The Concorde. Under The Concorde, all six nations agreed to be ruled by a Concordant Emperor, an elective representative from one of the six nations. While each nation individually rules its domain with relative autonomy, all six nations bow to the power of The Concorde and the Concordant Emperor for the sake of maintaining peace on the continent.

As mandated by the Concord, the Concordant Emperor resides in the capital city of Comida and is politically bound by the laws created by the Concord. Unlike the various nations of Calorum whose leaders are determined by family lines or conquered land, the first Concordant Emperor was collectively selected to serve. Eligible successors include the leaders of the six nations, to be chosen by the current Emperor and named heir before their passing. This method of delegating leadership, combined with the fact that the treaty is a voluntary measure, is the cause of uneasiness and conflict within the continent. 

The dominant religion in Calorum is the Bulbian Church, which draws significant inspiration from the role of Catholicism in medieval Europe. It is a monotheisitic religion that worships the sun, called the Bulb, and has a religious capital in Brightgarden, located in Vegetania. As with most societal orders, the Bulbian Church maintains a signficiant amount of political influence and as such was able to heavily influence The Concorde. Driven out of fear of the unknown, the Bulbian Church, practicioners of divine magic, pressured The Concorde to outlaw the use of “arcane” magical techniques. While arcane magic is outlawed in terms of The Concorde, many nations, such as Candia, do not enforce the draconian law and continue to practice their arcane traditions in secret. It requires a trained eye or other knowledge in order to determine if magic is divine or arcane in nature.

(I.E. MAGIC IS OUTLAWED)

We begin our story within the royal halls of the Candia, the Candy Kingdom. Candia was one of the hardest hit nations during the Ravening War, many of its great rulers have fallen and its land laid to waste. Through the strong leadership of the current royal family, Candia is a nation rebuilt. With priorities established to rebuild infrastructure and public resources as opposed to enforcing punitive measures, Candia is a nation of lax laws. The scars of war still cover the Candy Kingdom and the aftermath of the Ravening War is not easily forgotten, but it is the strength of character of the Candian citizens which have allowed Candia to flourish.