King Artourius Bordevar claimed vast swathes of Esterra when he arrived nearly two hundred years ago. After being exiled from Fealties of Drummond and driven from the land of his birthright, the aging King came to this new continent to forge a nation of justice, wrath and truth. For the people who had stolen a nation from his family had been agents of subterfuge and evil. The King led three short wars against the foes he found in this new land, and in victory created a small but dedicated kingdom. One dedicated to the protection of all that was just and true.
Bordervar did not long survive his wars Leaving behind no heirs, the Kingdom was guided by a council of his most loyal followers. As conversations of succession began to flounder, the Council of Bordevars companions decided to simply do their best to lead the nation by the ethos the old King had laid down. The Kingdom was secure, but had no allies or place in the world.
The priests and sages of their new realm debated the possible bloodlines that could wear the Platinum crown of Bordervar. No decision was ever reached. The throne sat empty and it's crown unworn. The Kingless Kingdom continued to survive alone, it's paranoid vigilance against concepts of evil and treachery created a deeply unified society that was insular and incredibly hostile to outsiders. The mighty knights of Bordevar and their seer-mages rarely left their borders, and even then only in pursuit of rumoured foes or ancient magics to secure.
Over time the smaller realms around Bordevar fell, either from external threats or internal squabbling. Their lands became wild, their surviving people fled or slain. The noble knights paid them little mind as things grew harder in their own realm. Several bad harvests and no allies to trade with left the Kingdom hungry and worn. The Ethos of Bordevar guided them and without hesitation food was rationed and the Knights stood to support the people. Some begged to seek aid from without but the Council and the Knights forbade it, depending instead on their certain belief that the Kingdom was blessed, and the Spheres would not allow them to fail. Certain also that no outsider could be trusted. Then a flood of refugees fleeing troubles in their own lands arrived at the borders. Thought to be duplicitous invaders these extra hungry mouths could not be offered sanctuary in any case and the Knights of Bordevar repelled them. They fought where they had to, but in the main directed the ragged mobs around their small nation to try their luck elsewhere. Elite and powerful warriors though they are, the Knights were few and the effort pushed them to the edge of collapse.
And then Bordevar itself was attacked.
The Onyx Aristocracy swept into Bordevar and at last the noble people of the realm had the foe that they had been preparing for. A truly evil threat that promised to wipe their people from the cycle of life and rebirth at the end of a fang and saber. Having swept the other peoples in their path aside, corrupting and consuming them, now they would face Bordevar. A great chance for righteous, glorious battle against the very essence of evil lay before them. The people of Bordevar were in no position to fight it.
Their paranoid vigilance, self imposed exile and fanatical pride had left them alone and weakened. Their pursuit of justice and good was right, but it was clouded by the personal failings of an all too human king and his suspicions.
Defeat after defeat ravaged the kingdom, and as the forces of Bordervar stood fast at their final borders they reached out finally for allies, arriving at the bargaining table of the Concord. The Kingless Kingdom was not a welcome sight to the Realms. The silver clad knights had seldom brought good tidings to any they met but the people of Bordevar had been brought face to face with their failings. Falteringly humble they committed themselves. They would find their new path in the pursuit of what is just and good, and they would do it within the Concord.
See also Bordevar: Tales of the People for further reading.
Five things about the Kingdom of Bordevar
Justice and Kingdom
The original ethos of Bordevar was a Kingdom positioned and created to combat evil and injustice within the world. While that was a misguided and flawed endeavor, the intent still remains. Bordevar is generally a chivalric kingdom pursuing a national ethos of justice, whatever that may become over time.
A Feudal People of Heroic Blood
Bordevarian soceity is split down lines of class and nobility. The Noble Houses and their Knightly Orders are heroes of glory, granted title through great deeds. They rule the nation as landowners or errant knights, with the Ducal Court their most esteemed title. The Commonfolk know that the Kingdom is built by their sweat and their blood. They are patriots of the land, dedicated Bordevarians and a strong folk. They work as artisans, farmers, men-at-arms and more.
Ethos and Future
Beyond its Feudal systems, Bordevar is divided philosophically. Across the Kingdom, its citizens are falling into camps. Progressives push for an expansion of the Ducal Court and a growth of Bordevar with no King, the Ethos pushed aside. Royalists believe that Bordevar’s future requires a new king, be that from a new house, or linked to Artourious in some way. There are even more beliefs than these as the nation struggles for meaning and heart.
Allies and Enemies
The Onyx Aristocracy looms large in the old lands of Bordevar, while the Concord still watches these justicars of good with suspicion. The Kingdom needs to prove itself to its allies as well as against its foes.
Home and Hearth
Bordevar is a land of heartfelt emotion, hope and community. Peasant harvest fairs, noble feasts and tournaments. But it is also a competitive environment, of betrayal, politics and schemes at all levels.
What the Kingdom of Bordevar is not
Prejudiced
Despite the Chivalric and Arthurian style, the Kingdom of Bordevar holds no particular internal prejudices. As such anyone can succeed and rise to nobility regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race or any similar trait. What they are (at least until that has begun to be questioned recently) is paranoid and insular. They are suspicious of the outsider, regardless of who that might be.
Over to top
The trappings of great knights is certainly present in the Kingdom of Bordevar, but its important to remember they are still people with failings, hopes and material concerns. Yes many of the Kingdoms citizens push themselves to uphold great ideas, but they still need coin to spend and homes to rest within.
Why you should play A noble or Knight the Kingdom of Bordevar
You want to be a hero
The people of Bordevar have pursued high minded ideals and have been pushed to their limit. If the concept of playing a Knight holding the last line, a mage pursuing ancient secrets or a ranger striking out against the King’s foes appeals to you as characters, then Bordevar may be your home.
You like a complicated tale
The tale of Bordevar is the simple made complex. No longer can they think in terms of us vs them, good vs evil, right vs wrong. For all the people of the nation this means something different and discovering what they will become, both personally and as a nation, is what their story currently means.
You like a blank slate
The Kingless Kingdom has never had allies, never had neighbours who weren’t suspicious of them. As such they know very little about the other realms and are poorly known in return. If you like the concept of learning about the world as you play within it and are ok with being seen as a little suspicious then Bordevar is that route.
You want to stand tall
Knights in full plate, Wizards in robes, merchants in fine trim and peasant levies in house colours. The Kingdom of Bordevar is a fantasy realm on its last legs, but those legs are mighty and heroic looking.
Why you should play a Commoner of the Kingdom of Bordevar
You want to experience the strength of Community
The Commonfolk of Bordevar know that their kingdom is built on their backs, and they take great pride in what they have wrought. While each village and Dukedom may experience an intense rivalry, they are all citizens of the Kingdom that they have wrought.
You want to portray honest strength
The commonfolk of Bordevar are artisans, mercenaries, guards, farmers and layfolk. Their heroism comes from their connection to the land they work, the communities they support and the families they love. To stand in defence and improvement of that is immensely personal and fullfilling.
The Sky is the limit.
A commonfolk character is a true rags-to-riches tale. Start as a mudfarmer from rural Weiland and eventually sit on the Concordian senate, become a noble in your own right and eventually rule over the lands of your birth. From sellsword to captain to general. The story of a commoner can go anywhere.
You enjoy some rural festivities
Bordevarian commoners are a common people in the style of 14th-15th century Europe, particularly France and England. They have harvest festivals, they play ball games, they sing and they go to Church. If you like a character whose honest enjoyments are grounded and simple, a Commoner is for you.
Further Reading
- History of the Kingdom of Bordevar
- Kingdom of Bordevar Look and Feel
- Kingdom of Bordevar People and Culture
- Knighthood, Nobility, and Commonfolk
- Kingdom of Bordevar Traditions
- Bordevarian Hospitality
- Kingdom of Bordevar Archetypes
- Weiland, primary region held by the Bordevarians.
- Player Groups in Bordevar