Welcome to the Kingdom of Caeldris

(Setting: Magical medieval fantasy)

In a universe where deities can make pocket realms, a goddess of creation and balance, Esari, created the realm known as Vhendul.

On the northern continent called Eriview, the eastern bordering country, Caeldris, was once a monarchy. Over time, it became an aristocratic meritocracy, having proven for many generations that adopting an heir based on intelligence and merit proved more effective than the traditional King's son. It was not a smooth process by any means, but against all odds, Caeldris became a meritocratic country thanks to the rise of the Examination Guild.

You don't have to be a human and you can also choose an isekai backstory!

Other than the foundation I built for the country, there are no limits! You can be whoever you want! The scenarios are just helpful starters if anyone needs it and of course there is a blank scenario to start however you want.

World Guide

The Realm

Esari, the goddess of creation and balance, created a pocket realm she named Vhendul. Her co-creators whom help keep the realm stable are This'yon, the god of elements, and Ekkyvus, the god of magic.

There are two continents: Eriview in the north and Solspire in the south.

Eriview has three countries in order from west to east: Whitemount, Valdessa, and Caeldris.

Summary of Countries in Eriview:

- Whitemount: A mountain nation with a very small population. Broke away from Valdessa and survived. Proud, poor, mineral rich, bullied in trade deals.

- Valdessa: A republic built on tourism and overcharging wealthy foreign visitors. Government expands by clearing wildlife. Economy is not self-sustainable as over half of basic survival needs are imported. Citizens want self-sufficiency. A quiet rebellion is being built.

- Caeldris: An aristocratic meritocracy. Wealthy from compact magic mines. Capital is Redfay City, home to prestigious magical universities. Has airships.

The Kingdom of Caeldris

Education

Every child attends mandatory school. Scores are public but anonymous, identified by code only. Adults may retest annually.

The Examination Guild administers all tests and publishes all scores.

The Open Bid

Any adult citizen may bid for any noble position. The highest scorer wins the title. Titles come with land stewardship and income but not ownership. Losing a bid means losing the title, land, and income. Personal accumulated wealth is kept.

- Bid Cycles: Every ten years.

Noble status

Belongs solely to the bid winner. Family members are elevated by association only. A spouse who outlives the title holder becomes a dowager and returns to commoner status.

Adoption

Noble families scout high scores and adopt commoners, educating them toward a future bid, even children, as their "heir". This is how noble families attempt to retain their positions across generations because biological children cannot guarantee merit. Commoner families cannot refuse adoption. This is the system's most uncomfortable truth that has yet to be resolved.

Titles

Caeldris retained its monarchical titles through historical inertia. Common people find this funny. Noble families consider the continuity appropriate. The argument has never been resolved even by scholars.

Princes and Princesses

The six highest scorers in a King or Queen bid come King or Queen and the five Princes and Princesses respectively. Second place is Crown Prince or Crown Princess and succeeds immediately if the King or Queen dies.

High court

Judges take their own exam based on intelligence and merit that fit their role and keep their position for 20 years. A High Court judge handles removal of title holders for proven corruption, abuse of power, or abandonment.

Examination Guild

Guild members take their own exam and join one of three departments.

Three departments: Identity Department, Scoring Department, Support Department. Each department has a guild leader and deputy.

The Military

The King commands the military. Everyone who joins the military starts at the bottom. Officers earn their ranks through an internal merit system entirely separate from the civilian title structure.

The Majesty's Guardsmen

The King and/or Queen is protected at all times by a dedicated unit of twelve specially trained guards. They are coordinated, disciplined, and selected through rigorous assessment. Each one has their own redfay dragon mount.

Redfay dragon

After generations, this tamed breed of dragon is exclusive to nobles in Caeldris and take two years of classes to master riding one. Twice as large as the average human at the dragon's shoulder.

Magic

A learnable life skill such as cooking or swordplay. Anyone can learn it. Nobody is born with an advantage.

- Compact magic: Raw magical material. Forms naturally over time into chalky dense rocks. Burns longer than wood or coal. Found in ley-lines that cities are built over to allow teleportation between them. Teleportation causes fatigue so twice a month maximum is recommended.

- Pure magic: Produced when certain creatures or scientific processes convert compact magic. Looks like refracted light specks. Present in ambient air in limited quantities. The most powerful form when mastered. Takes years to master fully. Sigils are majorly made to use ambient pure magic.

- Impure magic: Accidental scientific discovery. Does not refract light. Defies gravity. Unsettling. Easy to learn, immediately powerful, but long-term use harms the user like lead poisoning. Illegal to make or sell.

- Sigils: Enchanted markings that automatically draw ambient pure magic to sustain a continuous effect. Too many sigils in one area deplete local ambient magic and all sigils eventually fail. This fundamentally shapes warfare, logistics, and strategy.

Scenarios

Blank. You start!

Scenario 1: An average day in Caeldris.

Scenario 2: Evil is afoot! (The direction is totally up to you if you're in on it, a hero, just attempting to survive, etc)

Hi! I'm Audemi

Welcome, I hope you enjoy the world I created!

If you come across anything that I can fix or improve, please let me know and be respectful about it! I'd be happy to know if I'm missing anything!

Thank you so much for over 1k messages on my first bot!!

I'd be happy to know what happens!