Overview[]
A human nation in the setting on the main continent. This region is largely regarded as thematically a historical fiction version of Machiavellian Italy in a fictional universe. Note that this region was formally known as "Selarno".
Flavor & Characteristics[]
Naporea is known for political maneuvering, conspiracy, and vies for power and advantage. Because it is a fictional nation set in a fictional world with no relation to our time period, players sometimes take inspiration from Italian culture as far back as Roman times and as modern as Renaissance times, particularly any time period with a lot of political upheaval[verification needed]. This is not to say that all Naporeans indulge in such activties, but they may encounter it - directly or indirectly - as part of life in Naporea.
Note that it is not required that your Naporean character speak with an italian accent (or any accent for that matter), but some players and/or NPCs choose to.
Movies, TV Shows, and Video Games for inspiration:
- The Borgias (2011 series)
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (video game)
- Assassin's Creed II (video game)
- The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance (tv series)
- Spartacus: Blood and Sand (season 1, tv series)
- Rome (tv series)
- The Name of the Rose (movie)
Costuming[]
Because Naporea is an entirely fictional country with no true relation to the real world, you do not have to wear "italian" style clothing. It is appropriate to wear any costuming that would go well with a medieval, Renaissance, or "sword & sorcery" style.
It is also appropriate to use traditional Italian styles of dress from those time periods as well.
Other important costuming notes:
- Naporea borders the countries of Trechele and Mhurkiel, so it would not be unheard of for some fashions to be blurred at the borders of these countries. If your character is from border regions, you may wish to take inspiration from costuming tips of either of those countries!
- Naporea stretches into the south of the continent, so only the most northern or mountain-climbing of Naporeans would have need of fur costuming or bulky garb. It is still wise however to have warm costuming to wear if you play during the cold-weather months at game.
- Remember that Naporea has multiple classes of people - nobles, middle-class, peasants, sell-swords, sailors, merchants, artisans, vineyard workers, etc - any of which can be represented through aspects of costuming.
- Thinking about a hat? Though traditional Italian medieval/renaissance hats are appropriate, the following hat styles have also been worn by players and NPCs from Naporea:
- Cavalier (not as broad, fancy, or decorated as the Trechele style of Cavalier)
- Tricorner
- Flat hat
- Useful links for costuming inspiration:
Geography[]
Naporea extends down through the center of the continent, to the south where it has a coastline. Its western neighbor is the country of Trechele and its eastern neighbor is the land of Mhurkiel
Cities[]
- Sperath (Capital)[verification needed]
- Capriet
- Gerarni
- Trelorn
- Viriam
Some game maps still list the region of Naporea as "Selarno." Selarno was the former name of the country from a previous Madrigal campaign.
Common Knowledge[]
The following information is considered to be "public knowledge" that a new character could know about the lands of Naporea.
Noteworthy Houses[]
Quick-Reference Table[]
| House | Heraldry | Claim to Fame |
|---|---|---|
| Naporea |  |
Ruling House |
| Berellen |  |
Shipping & Trade |
| Einedes |  |
Military / Mercenary |
| Noro |   |
Wine |
| Stefolare |   |
Cloth & Crafted Goods |
| Selarno | N/A | Coup |
Berellen[]
The Berellen family controls the shipping of the southern harbor, and owns the most caravans which make the dangerous journey to the north. The Berellen family often hires guards to protect their merchant wagons against the Blood Tribes and other dangers. There are some merchants from other kingdoms who openly wonder what it is that makes the merchant trails dangerous – the Blood Tribes, or the Berellen paring down their competition.
The Berellen wear the talon of a hawk raised and holding a scroll, all gray on purple.
Einedes[]
The Einedes are known for their well-trained mercenary guards and soldiers. Many lords go to the Einedes to supplement their own troops in war, and it has been said that not a war passes which does not see the blades of the Einedes blooded. It was said that the crown might never have gone to Selarno if not for the Einedes family, and they were known as the most loyal of the houses. They have lost much since the revolution, as they no longer have the favor of the king, and Joval has been most diligent in weeding out slavers from among his people.
The Einedes wear a gray dagger crossed with a gray lightning bolt, dagger pointing southeast, lightning pointing southwest, on a purple field.
Noro[]
The Noro family has long had the largest vineyards in Aerune, and their wines are the most widely tasted. Though Trechele claims more expensive and, in some cases, finer wines, the Noro wines are by far the most widely distributed. It is said that the Noro once dealt in other substances forsaken by all the kingdoms save Mhurkiel, but this is but rumor, and since Joval’s rise they have been known strictly as wine merchants.
The Noro bear a gray rams' head on a purple field, and that symbol also adorns their wine.
Naporea[]
The ruling house in Naporea. Typically only NPCs bear this house name[verification needed].
The royal Naporean family wears a golden crown of wheat on a field of purple.
Stefolare[]
The Stefolare are best known as the largest patrons of the arts outside of Trechele, but their real money comes from their wools, cottons and cloth dyes. Even the artists of Trechele prefer the cloth of Stefolare, for the color and texture is the best of the north, and some claim they use magic in its weaving. The Stefolare also deal in leather and a great number of crafted goods. The Stefolare consider themselves the protector and savior of the craftsman, but that protection often comes unwanted, and often comes at a price.
The Stefolare wear two gray masks of the theatre, one happy and one sad, on purple.
Selarno[]
The Selarno family fractured and disappeared into the countryside, and though rumors persist that they and their lands are cursed and ever seeking revenge on King Joval, nothing has come of it in the decade since his ascension.
Brief History[]
A few generations ago, Nachael Selarno staged a bloody coup against the Naporean royal family, one which was believed to have eliminated all of the royal family. For years, the mercenary king ruled the land he renamed Selarno with merciless determination, and any who openly expressed support for the old royal family were killed outright.
All was changed ten years ago, when Joval Naporea, the only son of the one surviving member of the Naporean royal family, stepped forward to claim the throne. He was virtually unknown at the time, the head priest of a small temple dedicated to Naveril, but managed to gain a great deal of support among the Selarno nobility, and, rumors say, among some of the other royalty with true blood. When the time came to take a stand against the Selarno family, he delivered another surprise – a ghostly army from ancient Naporea returned to serve the last king with true blood.
The coup was achieved with relatively little bloodshed. The Lord of House Selarno disappeared immediately before fighting began, and his successor took her own life shortly thereafter. Faced with the lack of leadership, the spectacle of Joval’s ghostly army, and his offer of clemency to all who would accept his rule, the merchant lords of Selarno capitulated. Only a few houses chose to resist, and were dealt with quickly. The arrival of the King actually lessened the amount of fighting on the city streets, as he made it clear that the inter-house wars so common in the time of Selarno were a thing of the past. The Selarno family itself fractured and disappeared into the countryside, and though rumors persist that they and their lands are cursed and ever seeking revenge on Joval, nothing has come of it in the decade since his ascension.
Naporea has been a land of relative peace since that time, although struggles between the king and the old Selarno merchant lords, and between the merchant lords themselves, are a daily part of life. The merchant lords retain a great deal of their old power, and it is not unusual to find them overstepping their authority. The King’s court also hosts a large number of Vesperan High Priests, who are anxious about the actions of the king who holds Elshea’s divine blood, especially after Joval offered refuge to her followers, though the Church has not formally objected to this act.
Several years ago, as rumors circulated that Joval would not marry and that the true blood would die with him, the King quietly installed his daughter, Arden, as his heir. Who her mother was is unknown, and the Princess herself is seldom seen. Rumor has it that she travels the countryside with a meager escort, determined to discover the true state of the commoners to report to her father.