Ladders of Gold | Lore Codex

Kingdoms Avar A western kingdom of enchanted cities, crowded ports, noble sponsors, and public spectacle. Its arena road begins among the ships at Port of Avar and ends in the stoneshaped capital.

Kingdoms Hela An eastern kingdom of military law, temple authority, and formal arena tradition. Its circuit crosses storm ports, battle memorials, trade roads, and noble districts before reaching Hela itself.

Origins Menfelled was saved from flame and then claimed by the people who saved it The land was once called Aldar, a fog-locked realm of elves, dwarves, and gnomes. Drugar greed unearthed the blood gem prison of the illithid lich Fhaul, whose manipulations opened the way for Ignal, the Fire God. Etnar and the black-sailed human fleets came as saviors, Hela and Avar ended Ignal, and then Hela refused to give the land back. Six centuries later, Menfelled still lives inside the argument between rescue and conquest.

Origins Aldar beyond the fog Aldar lived apart behind ocean and unpassable fog, shaped by elves, dwarves, gnomes, and older lineages who had never seen humankind.

Origins The Drugar unseal Fhaul Deep dwarves chasing wealth unearthed a soul vessel called a phylactery. It contained the mind of the illithid lich Fhaul, who guided them toward a portal to the elemental planes.

Origins Ignal breaks the old world Ignal rose from the mountains, burned through the Drugar first, enslaved the gnomes, and forced elves and dwarves into desperate wars of attrition.

Origins Etnar lands with the Primal Fleet Fallen paladin king Etnar crossed the sea with an entire people, dismantled his own ships for fortifications, and changed the speed of history in a land that had never seen men.

Origins Hela and Avar bring Ignal down Hela starved Ignal of support while Avar learned the truth of the golden control band. Riding with Virithimus, he stripped the ring as the Fire God hardened into stone.

Origins Aldar becomes Menfelled When the ancient races expected the humans to leave, Hela refused. They could govern under her or live as conquered peoples. The land was renamed Menfelled by decree.

Origins Hela IV inherits an uneasy peace The Council of Avar still hunts the Crown of Fire, the Helation Empire still bases its authority on divine approval, and elves, dwarves, and gnomes still remember when humans took permanent control.

Kingdom Records Avarran Empire Avar is the empire of salons, artificers, elegant vice, and corruption so normalized it gets described as procedure. Spectacle is treated as a civic resource.

Kingdom Records Helation Empire Helation order begins in the capital and expects the rest of the empire to fall in line. The state treats paperwork as morality and clerical blessing as legitimacy.

Kingdom Records Helatia, the Southern Wheel Territory Helatia is a southern territory where local leaders have more practical control than either distant capital. Ferries, guides, animal-handling courts, and village records shape daily life.

Locations Mountain of Kings Ignal hardened into this stone mountain when Avar removed the control ring. The site is central to Crown of Fire prophecies, mining claims, and repeated fraudulent treasure hunts.

Locations City of Avar The City of Avar is a capital repeatedly transformed by stone-shaping magic.

Locations Brasshearth Brasshearth is where sponsors, prison money, courtesans, and arena prestige mix into something glamorous until the bill arrives.

Locations Prismatic Prison and the Hill Country Milnik the Mad designed a prison so beautiful that nearby hills became courting grounds. Rainbow shadows sweep across Unicorn Hill and Dancing Bear Hill at noon.

Locations Queen's Reserve A mountain-fed lake whose waters are blessed through Hela's annual rite. The empire drinks from it and reads politics into everything that happens on its shores.

Locations The City of Hela The City of Hela is a military capital containing the hardest melee combatants in Menfelled.

Locations Ashfen Crossing Caravans, inspectors, and brokers meet at this crossing. Schools with proper permits travel quickly; others face delays.

Locations Queensguard A formal city for Hela's military elite, with organized arenas and matches against trained personnel.

Locations Glassmere and White Reeds These districts feed Helation with water traffic, governor theatrics, and more romantic mismanagement than the bureaucracy would ever admit.

Locations The Broken Mountains The range still hides collapsed Drugar tunnels, volcanic scars, and old fear of what greed once found down there.

Locations The Dragon's Tongue A smoking ridge of red-black stone where dragon rumors thrive. Most sightings are lies, but enough are not that caravans still pay for escorts.

Locations The Frozen Forest and the Ruins of Elyria Cold woods and pale ruins where some elves still keep long silence and longer grudges. Elyria remembers Aldar in architecture humans still fail to read properly.

Locations Temple of the Forgotten Gods and the Forgotten Forests A broken religious complex swallowed by woods older than Menfelled. Priests, scavengers, and old-race families all treat the place differently and none agree.

Locations Bay of Avarra The western bay that made Avarran expansion profitable. Fleets, smugglers, and sponsor shipments all move through it.

Locations Port of Avar A large western port with a busy slave market supplied by maritime trade.

Locations Lenid's Pass A gigantic gate controls passage farther into Avar and holds caravans for inspection.

Locations The Wheel The road encircling the Mountain of Kings and linking capitals, farms, and border towns. During peace it is Menfelled's artery; during tension it becomes a necklace of checkpoints.

Locations Moonfen Hollow A southern town of beast pens, trial hunts, ferries, and long-memory judges. Monster contracts mean more here because people still need the roads kept open.

Locations The Rift The Rift is a colossal chasm, likely widened during Ignal's wars and later fortified as one of Menfelled's harshest arena frontiers. Its cliff forts, rope lifts, and exposed terraces make travel and combat extremely dangerous.

Locations North Lamora Lake and South Lamora Lake Twin lakes feeding ferries, shrines, salvage routes, and quiet smuggling. Their shores blur the line between trade, devotion, and opportunism.

Locations Isle of Sunken Saints A low island of half-drowned chapels and saint legends. Pilgrims, wreck-divers, and fraud monks all claim it for different reasons.

Locations The Ivory Swamps and the Wetwood A dangerous green sprawl of white-rooted bog trees, old bones, and half-lost roads. Traders say the swamp eats maps on principle.

Locations Port of Oman, Oman's Rest, Goldenbreak, and Spoon of Oman A chain of ports, rest towns, and forked coast roads that moves marsh goods north and unwanted people sideways.

Locations Port of Oman A major southern port whose military and maritime traffic keeps its slave market well supplied.

Locations Sufan's Keep and Creka A defensive keep and island settlement watching the straits. The area is famous for hard winds, sharp tolls, and sailors who lie professionally.

Locations Hill of Lords A long line of hills houses Avar's nobles and powerful families, with renowned arenas and taverns below.

Locations The Southern Isles Warm-water islands dotted with outposts, shrines, monster stories, and forgotten anchorages. The isles feed trade, piracy, and expedition myths equally.

Locations Last Watch A small town and arena occupy the ruins of an important Avarran guard post.

Locations Bounty's Burden A productive farming village with abundant food and a limited market for slaves and manufactured goods.

Locations Prismatic Prison A giant crystal fortress uses gladiator matches to channel the violence of its most dangerous inmates.

Locations Golden Break A city famous for gladiatorial combat since the Sultan of Oman ruled the land.

Locations Hela's Stand An arena occupies the ruins where Hela trapped an enemy army in a mountain valley.

Locations Traders Stand A small city with enough trade competition to offer the cheapest equipment in Menfelled.

Locations The Queens Row Hela's noble hills surround a polished alabaster coliseum seating 5,000 spectators.

Relics Crown of Fire Ignal's golden control band, stripped away by Avar. Prophecy and law both claim that whoever truly recovers it can rule the united land.

Relics Amulet of Hela The red-gem amulet given to Etnar by Torm. It granted unnatural vitality and now supports the ruling authority of Hela’s descendants.

Relics The Blood Gem of Fhaul The gem that once held the mind of the illithid lich Fhaul. It was lost when his coven fell, which is exactly why people are terrified it may still be found.

Relics Virithimus's bargains Any oath, scale, tooth, or promise tied to the red dragon Virithimus attracts dangerous fools immediately.

Great Houses House Graives Graives controls debt courts, prison contracts, scandal management, and sponsor pressure to maintain political power.

Great Houses House Neralis Neralis funds artificers, salons, and public events to shape opinion and expand the house’s influence.

Great Houses House Caldris Caldris treats prophecy like a market and excavation like aristocratic theater with better margins.

Great Houses House Serrane Serrane binds law, temple authority, permits, and military patience into one grim administrative machine.

Great Houses House Vaelcor Vaelcor uses skilled diplomats and social influence to enforce the house's political goals without open violence.

Great Houses House Talrhen Talrhen protects routes, beasts, and communities without acting like the capitals own everyone they save.

Great Houses House Rookfen Rookfen makes coin from salvage, ferry tolls, relic freight, and every polite lie told about what a crate contains.

Notable Figures Etnar Led the Primal Fleet to Aldar after Torm offered redemption through impossible duty. He saved a world and gave humankind a reason never to leave it.

Notable Figures Hela the First Breaker of Ignal and the ruler who decided salvation entitled her people to permanent dominion.

Notable Figures Avar The sorcerous sibling who took Ignal's ring and vanished into the hardening hand of the Fire God.

Notable Figures Hela IV Newly anointed and already buried under ritual, suitors, empire maintenance, and impossible expectation.

Notable Figures King Marrec Dovain Attractive, cooperative, and accidentally hilarious in formal settings. He lowers tension even when he has clearly forgotten half the briefing.

Notable Figures King Pell Orsik Perfumed, playful, and enthusiastic enough to host a ceremony no one assigned him.

Notable Figures Virithimus The dragon who carried Avar into the final struggle. Whether ally, creditor, opportunist, or something stranger depends on who is profiting from the story.

Notable Figures Fhaul The illithid lich who manipulated the Drugar, created the portal plan, and operated through the Blood Gem. His body was destroyed, but the missing gem may still contain his mind.

Peoples Humans Humans arrived as outsiders and became the ruling fact of the land. Their short generations made them adaptive, numerous, and politically relentless.

Peoples Elves Some elves still remember Aldar before men. They often treat Menfelled politics with a patience that reads as coldness because they have already watched empires reinvent themselves.

Peoples Dwarves Surface dwarves still live under the shadow of the Drugar catastrophe and the anger of outsiders who rarely care about the distinction.

Peoples Gnomes The gnomes survived slavery under Ignal at catastrophic cost. What remains clings to ruined coastal works, hidden laboratories, and caution.

Peoples Orcs Orcs fought in the last stand against Ignal and never entirely received the respect that should have followed. They are welcomed as fighters faster than as citizens.

Magic Avarran magic culture Magic is infrastructure, fashion, status, and civic spectacle. The question is rarely whether something should be magical and more often who gets paid for it.

Magic Helation magic culture The state and temples regulate magic. Religious magic is officially approved, arcane spellcasters must register, and unauthorized magic is treated as dangerous or criminal.

Magic Helatian regional magic culture The south values spellwork that keeps roads, beasts, ferries, and homes alive. Flashy spellcasting impresses visitors and worries locals.

Magic Old-race view of magic Among older peoples, magic is inheritance, sacred craft, or burden more often than public fashion. That difference still fuels mistrust with both empires.

Cultures Arena culture and social customs How politics, reputation, and local expectations affect gladiator schools.