Noelictus

Noelictus, also known as the Kingdom of Shade and unofficially the Kingdom of Undead, is a landlocked kingdom in the northwestern part of Terandria. Their coat of arms sigil consists of a Scythe and Crossbow.

Land of Undeath

Long ago, Noelictus created tombs to inter their dead, and used them to infuse the land and skies with death magic. These vast tombs like the Tomb of Afiele exist in every province. This greatly improved their agriculture and turned Noelictus into one of Terandria's breadbaskets. The dead in the tombs will also rise in defense of the kingdom when unsealed and called upon by the lord of the land. These sacred resting places were themselves guarded by ghosts, and magically sealed such that not even Az'kerash could break in from the outside and animate the bodies within.

There are consequences of the concentrated death magic however. The skies of Noelictus are gray, and the kingdom receives less than six hours of sunlight per day, down to as little as two hours in the winter. Nights are pitch black, with stars rarely seen and even the moons are often obscured. The inhabitants have a pale complexion as a result, and few plants grow well in Noelictus besides those that have adapted by leeching colors. The grass is ashy green, the flowers have more muted colors, and the trees look thin and withered with dark leaves, and dark or bleached white bark. Black and white are the predominant colors in the land. More dangerously, the undead rise much faster, becoming animated in a matter of minutes and within an hour at most, and animals are guaranteed to rise too. The local wildlife has adapted to evade the undead, though migrating animals that do not can still cause problems.

Culture

The lives of the inhabitants of Noelictus was deeply influenced by the constant threat of the undead. It is forbidden to kill animals on a whim, and they must be immediately decapitated. Almost every citizen is able to kill a basic zombie, and even children are taught to ensure the dead stay dead, and can at least kill undead rabbits or squirrels. Every settlement has walls. Buildings are built to be sturdy, with thick shutters, barred windows and shuttered chimneys, to be able to resist the attacks of Ghouls, requiring a Lich, Crypt Lord or higher undead to break into. Citizens do not leave doors or shutters open, and always lock closed doors behind them. People living in the same abode will sleep in separate rooms, isolating themselves in case one of them died during the night, for the protection of others. Farm animals are also isolated in separate cages when they sleep, and the farms have much higher fences. In the event of undead outbreaks, the people barricade themselves inside until the threat passes or is dealt with. Hospitality is always offered to others if they don't have shelter, as nights are more dangerous with the threat of roaming undead.

Inhabitants of Noelictus dress predominantly in black, and they are a somber people in attitude. Villagers like working to the tune of music, and every village will have at least one dedicated musician for the task.

Government

Noelictus is a monarchy. The aristocracy is called the Court of Dusks, and its members vote in the Landsreight. Local nobles have the additional class of [Deathkeeper], and have the duty of watching over Noelictus' honored dead and destroying undead outbreaks.

Noelictus once used to be a Necrocracy, but the practice ended due to the dead proving to be poor rulers. In modern times, it is considered a politically reclusive kingdom, and doesn't usually instigate wars.

Economy

Noelictus is generally a poor kingdom. Its main source of revenue is its agriculture and export of food, such as to Deríthal-Vel. Due to its unique qualities, it is a poor environment for growing cash crops like Sage's Grass.

Military Strength

Noelictus is known for its Hunter's Guild, which has extensive knowledge of monster types, so much that Humans all over the world would first ask them for information rather than use local sources. The Guild has specialisations like [Undead Hunters], [Demon Hunters], [Vampire Hunters], and [Witch Hunters]. The Hunters' Guild will march to war for Noelictus. [Demon Hunters] are sent to the Blighted Kingdom.

They also possess siege weapons called Bloodbeast Slayers, which look like ballistae that launch giant wooden stakes. They were likely used to kill great monsters turned into Vampires in ages past.

Knight Orders

Noelictus had almost done away with its [Knights], as the Hunter's Guild has largely replaced them.

The Order of the Shadowed Blooms is based on Noelictus, but not much is known about their history or current status, aside from being active around 6211 of H.E.F. (Half-Elven Fall).

Produce and Livestock

• Ashwheat
• Black Flour
• Dark Ale
• Gloomwren
• Hourglass Barley
• Night Cabbage
• Nightshade
• Shadowcalf
  • Dark grey milk, butter and cheese
• Snowcorn
• Veil Tomatoes

Locations

Earldoms:

• Ovela

Provinces:

• Afiele (within Ovela)
• Fiskren

Cities:

• Adreissel (in Afiele)
• Laicremis (in Fiskren)
• Menorome - Capital
• Vrest

Villages:

• Landsmecht
• Qet (Destroyed)

Bordering Kingdoms:

• Levicus

Notable Inhabitants

• Dalius Bedornial - Ghost, Gravewarden of Afiele
• Fallien - Earl of the Evening of Ovela (Deceased?)
• Greina - [Duchess]
• Grishen Ladel - [Duchess]
• Haeight - Hunter
• Kadane - Princess
• Lantal Afiele - [Lord] of Afiele (Deceased)
• Nicte Allorev - [King]
• Piral - Countess of the Morning of Ovela
• Violetta Geishart - [Cellist]

Trivia

• Cassielle, a former member of Griffon Hunt, is a member of the Hunters' Guild.
• Duchess Greina of Noelictus is one of the most eligible bachelorettes of Terandria.
• The Artien Family claims to have its roots in Noelictus, when it was recently founded (9,000 years in the past). As a noble house, they have a monster-hunting theme like the Byres Family.
• Local foxes have grey pelts to camouflage with the flora.
• Midnight Runuff is a kind of beer from Noelictus.
• Noelictus has one Named Adventurer.