We've all been there, whether by seeing it in a movie, reading it in a book, or experiencing it in your favorite tabletop adventure: the protagonists stride into the throne room, where the regal monarch greets them and says, “Hail, noble adventurers. Long have I sought heroes to assist me with this plot hook, and you may be the saviors I need.” That treatment may work well in a European-fantasy setting awash with minor kingdoms and desperate NPCs, but in Qadira, everyone knows somebody; there's rarely any need for a regional governor to rely on some no-name group of 9th-level adventurers, much less have any motivation to entrust them with important tasks. Whether one's the soul of courtesy or a boor busting into a trade prince's parlor demanding news of the nearest dungeon, an unknown adventurer's almost certain to receive the same response: “Who the hell are you?”

Although residents of the Inner Sea region often think of Keleshites as a monolithic people, the reality is a lot more complex. The Empire of Kelesh has made efforts to encourage a unified Keleshite identity, but talking about "Keleshites" as if they were a single culture (which residents of Avistan, especially, tend to do) is about as accurate as talking about "Avistani" (which residents of Casmaron, to be fair, also tend to do). Just as the Chelaxians tend to have very different cultural practices from the Ulfen and Varisian customs and history differ greatly from those of the Shoanti, the various cultures that make up the Empire of Kelesh have widely varied practices and histories. The average resident of the major cities of Kelesh is of mixed heritage, but in less urbanized areas, people still practice traditions that date back five millennia or more.

by Dave Gross

Monday, May 23, 2011