NEF4 Lore

WAIL OF THE DOOMED:

"Why, oh why, we were born in this world?
There's no food, no place, no love for us
And we shall perish, of starvation or war
Before the Domes' walls finally go down."

LORE:

It's been centuries since the Domes were erected. The world behind them, ridden with monsters and death, forever blocked with impenetrable shield of magical glass, which now shows the pretty stars in the night and glorious sun in the day.
The impenetrable shield was supposed to protect the inhabitants from the monsters, but less than a century after they were formed, monsters began to appear in the mountains and forests of the Domes.
The Domes were erected over the land and split it into seven regions, each aptly named after it's placement or geographical features. There are mentions of thousands of nations before the Domes, but now, there are only three left:

Vashea (capital: Vash)

Vashea is the main administrative power in the Domes, the main military powerhouse and watchers of the Domes. They are constantly vigilant and careful in their search for the monster incursions, with the Princes and the Kings themselves leading parties and whole crusades against the Monsters.
Their magical scholarship is dedicated toward the Holy magic, whilst the mainstay of their military is comprised of heavily armed Knights, backed by mages, archers and healers.
Until recently, Vashea was at war with the neighbouring Stalrom, but as the monster incursion grew and the mining kingdom of Eu finally fell, the two nations established an uneasy, but promising, peace treaty.

Stalrom (capital: Stal)

Stalrom is the second nation in terms of powers in the Domes. They're more interested in expanding their influence and power over the Domes than fighting monsters. Instead of magic, they're trying to explain everything scientifically; going as far as trying to find a way to go to the world beyond the Domes.
With what little magical research they perform, they have concentrated on Dark magic, close in origins to Monsters - or so the scholars believe - but of vast destructive power that at least several times defeated monster incursions where Vashean bishops couldn't help at all.
Stalrom is an authocracy, currently ruled by Stalrom VII, and his cabinet of ministers. They consult often with the remote fortress of Bagd and the horsemen of Ulan, but only recently they've accepted a peace treaty from Vashean king, Dominic.

Ulan (capital: Ulan)

The people of Ulan first started as a group of 'backwater villages' which disagreed with Vashean dispute versus Stalromians, and split off. With the war taking its toll in both civilian and military casualties, the disgruntled youths, despairing widows and broken families from both sides marched to migrate to Ulan, to start their life anew. Today, Ulan comprises of five cities in two domes, with its capital city of Ulan, and several agricultural settlements; in total, over one million people, according to latest census.
Both sciences and magic are cultivated in Ulan, with Anima magic being of greatest interest of the scholars. Metallurgy and alchemy and medicine are right behind; the finest steel in the Domes and potent healing items coming from Ulan.
Ulan is governed by Council of Ministers, who are heads of Little Councils, formed by influential people of sciences, administration and culture from each city. It was the Council of Ministers that mediated the recent peace treaty between Stalrom and Vashea.

The City of Bagd

The City of Bagd is the most closely secured place in the Domes, led by the Archmagister and his advisors. Only the selected representatives from three other countries are allowed to meet with Grand Speaker, the apparent right hand of the Archmagister. Despite the mysterious leadership, the purpose and goals of the Bagd are clear: destroy all the Monsters.
Bagd is leading the research in most destructive of magics and the sharpest of materials for weapons; for example, they've created the very first of magical staves. Another example would be the very silver that is now used in strongest of weapons - it was created by alchemical transmutations of the Bagd's alchemists - quite a feat considering that normal silver is soft and malleable.
Bagd is welcoming young girls and boys, drafting them into very disciplined and professional Legion; the membership of the Legion is for life, but the Legionnaires are allowed to leave Bagd on regular basis, be it vacation or visits to the family; however they cannot work for the other countries or participate in outer conflicts; something that made Vashea and Stalrom a bit jaded toward Bagd people, considering the vast amount of weapons the fortified city holds in its massive, underground vaults.

Euro (capital: Eu)

Euro was once a small nation living in the highly-mountainous dome called Vildia. However, the most of the appearances of monsters took place on Eu's soil. Twelve years ago, a massive invasion of monsters flooded the countryside of Euro, forcing the population to either escape or hide beyond the city walls. Alas, the latter survived only few months; the monsters finally exhausted the defenders and one by one, the settlements perished along with their inhabitants. The capital city of Eu, its tens of thousands of citizens, and the Royal Family, all died from claws and foul magic of the Monsters.
This dramatic event had repercussions over entirety of the Domes': Stalrom and Vashea put down their weapons and agreed to a peace treaty, Ulan destroyed its portal between domes of Vildia and Horsia, and Bagd's ranks swelled with the children of Eu, providing the reclusive city with entire armies of Legionnaires.
Today, no one really enters Vildia, the dome of lost Euro, bar the bravest of scouts.

RELIGION:

Once in the past there was all-unifying Church of Xristh, which adored the Holy One, dweller of the skies and apparently creator of the pre-Domes' world. However, with people more concerned about adapting to life in Domes and fighting the Monsters, the Church slowly waned in power. Nowadays, the worship of Xristh is very casual, and the major ceremonies it performs are usually weddings and burials. Church of Xristh also helps educating the children in Vashea, as the Church's libraries do hold a vast amount of books; they also often supply the military (and citizenry) with medicine, healers and magical staves.
There's also another, rather informal, fatalistic Cult of the Doomed, which is based on the rather unhappy prospect of 'immiment doom' coming from overpopulation, resource depletion and monster invasion anxiety amongst the common folk. The culmination of ones' membership in the Cult is to commit a ritual suicide. None of the countries officially recognized the Cult - with Stalrom outright banning this 'religion' and jailing its members and preachers - but one cannot deny its (slowly) growing influence amongst the citizenry.