Humans

Prior to the Great War, Humanity saw themselves as- though not the greatest of Kingdoms- the most equipped. Believed to be wise, wealthy, artistic, martially talented, strong willed, intelligent beings, the Humans had the greatest potential to be unifiers of the world. They were always held back by their fatal flaw from achieving greatness, but it was the Old King who truly brought them to ruin with it. Humanity's fatal flaw? Their inability to understand one another. It was true, each Human individually had great will, great potential, and the possibility for a great destiny. But each in pursuit of his own self-worth would leave behind all others, leaving the Human 'Kingdom' as little more than disjointed nation states, ruled by Governors and Lords who were not hostile to eachother, but never saw the merit in one another. The Old King was the first man to have such a great will, such an immense potential and destiny, that his pursuit led him to truly command all of Humanity's attention. For the briefest of moments, he held the key to all of Humanity's success. He saw for himself that his power had brought him far, that his will and destiny were great and undoubted, that the eyes of every Human were upon him in awe or terror. And seeing all of this, he failed to understand what it was in himself that drove him so far. In failing that, he tried desperately to see what it was the people saw in him. The more he tore apart his followers, the more he used his power and position as a personal position rather than a communal one, the more the people's eyes turned from him. And the more furiously he sought their gaze once more.

From completely different city-states came three individuals who had each watched the rise of the Old King, seen his great potential and his destiny unfolding, people who were inspired by him to truly look into others and see their worth. Each of them tried to share their gratitude with him, each tried to impart upon him their own view of him, and each ultimately drove him further off.

The Lord. A symbol of discipline, shrewdness, and intelligence to his people. The Lord tried to teach the Old King of structure, of the ways one's great intellect could be used to benefit a structured society. This drove the Old King to tear apart structure, attempting to find its weak points and flaws. No man could stop him from this.

In tearing apart structures, he came upon the 'smallest' of the three. The Student tried to show the Old King the joy of discovery, of finding your own path and walking it with good friends and companions. In the end, the innocence and potential of the Student only drove the Old King to question the worth of his own. He ripped apart those on the smaller scale, after this- broke their systems, then their families. This led him to confronting...

The Knight. A man of great destiny and will as well, the Knight tried to show the Old King the joys that only those in their position could see. The joys in fellowship, in honor and loyalty to one's own creed and followers. Finally, the Old King fell apart- in seeing he had betrayed each creed of his own, each follower, if he ever had either to begin with, he was driven over the edge of madness.

The Old King waged a war, at this point. Not just on the other races of the planet, but against Humanity- to crush and subjugate them, break apart and destroy those things which he could not understand, and therefor feared. His great mighty, his great will, his great potential were turned wholesale against them. And only by the joining in arms, the understanding of eachother- and of the Old King- were they able to defeat him.

It is due to this that the Three are viewed as both examples to follow, and cautionary tales. While they each had their merits, and the Old King had driven them to begin understanding those others around them, they each ultimately failed to truly understand the Old King himself. The Lord is revered for his talent for systems and organization, the Student for her innocence and pure desires, and the Knight for his unwavering will and loyalty. Humanity sees these as their greatest traits- their proclivity not just for art, or for science, or for physical prowess- but their ability to utilize, and see the merits in, all their peers.

Once every ten years, a council of each city-state of Humanity is held. Almost like a festival, the 'Council of the Three' displays arts, works of technology and architecture, weapons and arms, from every group of Humans. Each are judged for their merits by all present, and after a week of deliberation, one City-State is chosen to lead Humanity for the following ten years, its King or Governor becoming High King of Humanity.

Their military is comprised by armies of each City-State, contributing their greatest efforts and minds. This results in a varied force, the backbone of which are Humanity's iconic Knights- armored, yet educated in art and tactics, as well as civil administration. They are seen as the collective worth of Humanity, and as such, Knightly Orders transcend the City-States and individual rulers, with Knights themselves often serving for their whole lives under any number of High Kings.

The Humans have the good fortune of settling an area more geographically fair than most of the other races. The three city-states are close enough together than, were lines to be drawn around them all as one entity, they'd make up a mass equivilent to a little smaller than the other large species' empires. Because of the spread-out nature of the Knights' Chapter Houses, they are also often used as stopping points for couriers between the cities. The longest ride from any one city to another is six days.

The High King is elected at, and rules from, Heahsetl's Height, a relatively central location between each of the three city-states. It's where his seat is traditionally kept, and can be met by four days of riding at the longest, from the most arduous path, a half-day at the shortest, smoothest path.

Kelselor on the Coast
Perhaps the most 'modern' of the Three Kingdoms, Kelselor on the Coast- more commonly referred to as just Kelselor- is located along the eastern coast of Ainran and has long served as the center of informational trade with other peoples. While their role in this regard was always secure, it was not until the founding of the most widely rumored and misconstrued organization on Ainran that Kelselor grew into their modern position. This group was called the Tenth Eye. As a hub of trade and information, Kelselor long had issues with smuggling and thieving. One King of Kelselor, Maxis Drennigan, turned their greatest issue into their greatest strength. He set his brother, a talented spy and informant, about their territory to recruit effectively every head of the criminal underground. Those that didn't fall in line were swiftly dispatched of through questionably legal means with equally questionable proof, and no evidence. In only three nights, those remaining got the message. The new game was to work for King and Country, for heftier pay and less law trouble. Thus began the Tenth Eye, the first Covert Ops Organization of Ainran. In the same motion, thus began the scarcely-spoken-of position of Royal Spymaster of Kelselor, traditionally the brother or sister of the King or Queen. Few, if any, know why the group was named the Tenth Eye. Some claim they worship a God of Shadow and Night, with nine sealed eyes and one ever-open, all-seeing tenth eye. But such rumors are unfounded and based largely in superstition.

Tirimar
The artistic, trade, and adventuring capital of humanity. Tirimar stands in the south of human territory, its borders much more loosely defined than either of its sister Kingdoms. Arguably the weakest in terms of military might, but just as arguably the greatest in magical knowledge. They are home to the Adventurer's Guild, sometimes a great bane and other times a great boon to them. Adventurers are fickle in some ways, unreliable as military support or public servants. Other times, adventurers are the only fighting force varied and quick to respond enough to combat sudden, extremely dangerous threats from monsters or foreign raids. The only universal rule of the Adventurer's Guild is that its presence brings adventurers, with all the trade and conflict which trails behind them. Because of this it is often seen as a place for the lucky to become rich and famous, and attracts many aspiring artists, musicians, and craftsmen along with the adventurers, as if the place called to the young and bold at heart.

Vurheim
The fortress-kingdom of Vurheim is aptly nick-named such. Some speculate that of the Three Kingdoms, Vurheim had never actually begun as a Kingdom- the 'Knight' was exactly that, a Knight in service to the Lord and Student. While many adherents of the Knight disagree strongly, the notion persists. Vurheim's territory is largely farmland and open field along the borders of the other two Kingdoms. One might think Vurheim to be the most easily attacked from outside because of this- the truth could not be any more apart from that notion. The siege engineers and architects of Vurheim are unmatched in Kelselor and Tirimar, and a complex system of readily defensible fortresses lines their border. None are manned constantly- the military of Vurheim is composed of extremely large cavalry wings, and the fortresses are each placed a precise day's charge away from eachother, allowing mounted men to be dispersed lightning-quick betwixt them. Militarily the strongest of the Three Kingdoms, Vurheim is also home to the renowned Knightly Order of the Gryphon. Thought to be the first Knightly Order, the Order of the Gryphon gained fame in a long-lost to records war. Their claim to fame is their Grandmaster's status as a Gryphonrider rather than a horseman. While they obviously do not parade a Gryphon about every day, some do indeed claim this is true, and that the Order keeps a secret roost of Gryphons in some secluded mountain fort.

The Final Orders of the Triumvirate
Their last imparting of wisdom to Humanity, and the core of the faith for each individually. These are the creeds that their faithful fall back upon:

"When you kill a soldier in your command- order them to a place you know they will die- you rationalize it.  You tell yourself that you have saved two, or three, or ten men, in the act of killing the one.  How far are you willing to carry this?  When you have let two, or three, or ten men die, will you still believe you have saved more?  We as commanders reach this point eventually, inevitably.  The point at which we cease to believe that our sacrifices benefit more than they have destroyed.  Some are pulled ceaselessly down by this bleak reality, this world of past ghosts and inescapable losses.  They fall adrift in that sea.  Beyond, are we.  We who feel the weight of regret and of failure, as commanders, as leaders, as fathers and mothers.  We who shoulder this weight, and see it for what it is- the burden of the wishes and dreams of all those we sacrificed.  And we soldier on.

To reach the point of breaking, and to refuse to be broken not for the sake of your pride, but for the pride of those you stand atop, and those who lay yet before you. This is to be a Knight." ~ The Knight's Final Orders._

"I do not claim to know of the future, or of the actions of men that are yet to come, or of the hearts which lay in men presently.  But I say to you, all wise leaders must be aware of the last of these, and the rest will follow in a sense.  To see into the hearts of your fellows is to understand and appreciate not only their flaws, but their strengths.  In this understanding will come a respect, perhaps not for their virtues or their sins, but for their character.  And a reliable judge of their future actions will follow.  In the knowing of the third, the second has come.  And in the knowing of the second, the first will come.  To judge men's hearts, to then judge their actions, is to then finally see some amount of the future.

Being not only ever aware of the value of sight and forethought, but ever ready to apply these with the utmost confidence that you not only are- but must be- correct. This is to be a Lord." ~ The Lord's Final Orders.

"In my brief years, I've come to decide something of people and how we impact those around us.  It is my belief that each person is born with something.  A person or a place, an idea perhaps, which they are married to within their hearts.  This person inexorably seeks out what they are tied to.  They emulate it or build it or seek to reclaim it.  Many spend their lives in pursuit of it.  I have also found that fate has a way of deciding who will have the greatest impact upon those around them.  Some people are born, drawn to a person or place or idea which does not yet exist.  These are the people who change the world, who craft what their hearts and minds unyieldingly call forth.

To see the impossible future ahead, and to be assured in yourself that your injuries today do not matter. For tomorrow we will run faster, reach farther, and grasp with all our might those grand dreams which lay ahead. This is to be a Student." ~ The Student's Final Orders.

Clergy of the Knight
Based out of the Citadel, a beacon of defense within the capital city of Vurheim, are the hardened following of the Knight. The Church proper is known by a few names- generally as Church of the Knight or Clergy of the Knight, though the latter is often only used by foreigners as it ignores a portion of the Church. In truth, the followers of the Knight are divided into the Clergy- clerical workers and the Apostles of the Blade. While the Clergy are the most commonly known and seen, and manage almost all domestic affairs, the Apostles are few and far between- rarely appointed from the Clergy, they are missionaries to foreign lands and are generally sent, one Apostle for each hundred men, in any army Humanity assembles.

The Clergy of the Citadel follow a harsh but organic set of tenets. While they are firmly enforced and believed in, they are more often than not based on practicality in a soldier's life. As follows, their core is:

Respect. Interpreted from the Knight's numerous references to the burdens of leadership, the Clergy of the Citadel adhere strongly to the idea that positions of authority are there for good reasons, and therefore should be respected by default. Similarly, they believe that the Knight held his foes in equal Respect, and that they should strive to do similarly. 'Respect' is defined as accepting truth and seeing virtue, in spite of- or perhaps, especially because of- a personal distaste for the place they are found.

Pride. Though the Clergy of the Citadel do not encourage braggarts or boasters, they believe that battle and leadership- whether this is warfare or simply family life- are matters of pride. They see an excess of humility as a sin in many cases, and believe it is the duty of all followers of the Knight to uphold and defend their Pride. Chiefly, this means Pride in comrades, Pride in home, or Pride in family. From the King of Vurheim to the father of a peasant family, no man should ever deny the Pride he has for his loved ones.

Courage. Perhaps the most elusive of the tenets of the Clergy of the Citadel, but by far the most reverently held, is Courage. The Knight spoke much of Courage and what it could be defined as, and as such it continues to be a topic of discussion for the Clergy. At its core, the Clergy holds Courage as an all-pervasive virtue, the tenet from which all others may be upheld. For it takes Courage to defend one's Pride, and it takes Courage to find Respect for an enemy. Courage is seen, in large part, as the capacity not to face danger, but to face oneself and all the unpleasantness that dwells in Human hearts. This is the strength many, even outside the faith, say the Knight had over the Lord and Student. 'To reach the point of breaking', he had said, 'And to soldier on.'

Clergy of the Student
The Church of the Student calls Humanity's chiefest University, the Grand Academy in Tirimar, its home. Based within the Hall of the Student, a large wing of the Grand Academy devoted in equal parts to a grand study hall, medical practice floor, and musical hall. They are perhaps the most widely encountered of the Churches of the Triumvirate, as approved Clerics of the Church of the Student are often encouraged to travel. They are lenient in terms of structure, but believe with a youthful fire scarce seen elsewhere in their tenets.

Learning. Clerics of the Student are, first and foremost, students. They see their own capacity for growth, their ability to learn and conceive of new things, to be the first virtue they should master and the one which should be carried with them always. They study numerous fields, but the adherence to Learning transcends even practical knowledge. Clerics are encouraged to learn more, not just of their chosen field or others, but of themselves and their peers. Introverted study is never encouraged.

Charity. Once armed with knowledge and set upon the world, Clerics of the Student see charity, the verb, as the easiest way to express Charity, the tenet. While they often will go out of their way to give assistance to the poor or in need, this is not the full scope of Charity. When fully recognized, Charity is meant to be the capacity to see where and when a need is, and to fill this need. Sometimes, this will mean the opposite of charity as an act- some poor will need to be denied, to learn. Some needy are in need because they are dependant, and must be denied to grow. Though only rarely will a Cleric of the Student need to make such a call it is admitted that, in some times, a life will be in need of taking. They prefer to leave these decisions to the Lord, and the act of it to the Knight. The Student will be ever present to nurture what remains.

Hope. Finally, and again all pervasively, is the tenet of Hope. To Learn is to wake up every morning and to say to oneself, 'I may grow this day, I may yet improve.'  It is a Hopeful act. To be Charitable is to see a bleakness, a need, and to say to oneself, 'I may fix this, it may yet improve.'  It is a Hopeful act, as well. Clerics of the Student hold Hope most closely to their hearts and to their deeds, for it is that which drives them forward. Not the stoic immunity to hardship of the Knight, nor the calculating predictions of the Lord, but that bright capacity so rarely seen in dark times for new life, a brighter tomorrow, a healthier sunrise. 'For tomorrow, we will run faster, reach farther,' she had said. 'And grasp with all our might those grand dreams which lay ahead.'