The Empire of Aquitaine:

If Napoleon had succeeded in conquering Europe, we might have ended with something close to Aquitaine. The motto of the Empire is "if we don't rule you yet, we're working on it." Aquitaine's gotten a lousy rep in game, what with all the corruption and the conquering, but honestly, it's not all that bad to be on the same side as the folks with all the money and all the power. And the Empire's not doing too shabby for itself--it is wealthy, comfortable, with a large and powerful standing army, a thriving working-class, and a fairly modern system of government. Being a subject of the Empire at any level is a pretty good place to be, all things considered.

The Royal Family of Aquitaine: While only one member of the royal family has appear in game, most good citizens of the Empire would know their names:

His Excellency the Emperor Laurent Marcel Honore Saint-Aigle de Chevreuse
Her Excellency the Empress Corentine Sainte-Vache de Chevreuse
His Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince Guy-Laurent Marcel Saint-Hibou de Chevreuse
His Highness, Prince Guy-Honore Laurent Saint-Pérégrin de Chevreuse
Her Highness, Princess Isabelle Corentine Laurent Sainte-Alouette de Chevreuse

Tir-Nan-Og:

There are some who claim that Tir-Nan-Og is nothing but a powerful glamourie preserved by whatever Queen holds the throne, and that the island would cease to exist if she ever left it. By this tradition, the Queen of the Erins is never gone from Tir-Nan-Og. It is both her power and her prison. She must act through the use of an ambassador, the Queensman, who stands as a physical embodiment of her authority and whom, it is said, is more powerful than the King himself. Tir-Nan-Og is the closest place to the human vision of Faerieland. The sky is always at twilight, cool and bright, with the stars just showing and the grass always dewy. It is a place of perfect beauty, full of magic.

The heart of Tir-Nan-Og is the city of Leabharcham, where the Queen Herself resides.

Queen Pepita of the Erins: Blessed by a seemingly infinite number of godmothers with an equally infinite number of virtues (including but not limited to the gifts of song, grace, and a perfect hourglass figure for life), Pepita is an innocent, gentle halfling who may or may not have been permanently affected by spending two hundred years disguised as a chicken for her own safety. After the last queen, she’s a breath of fresh air.

The Puck: Yes. That Puck. A hobgoblin with a bizarre, tasteless sense of humour and a letch for livestock. Constantly speaks in alliteration. Kind of went off the deep end after the death of its former master King Auberon, although its very useful knowledge of fayerie can be hired by those willing to pay its price.

The Bards College

North of the royal palace lies the Bard's College, where those gifted with powers of esoteric magic are trained to use their powers safely. In addition to this, the bards are the keepers of history, spending vast amounts of their apprenticeship committing to memory the thousands of scrolls containing the lore of the Erins. They are also trained to sing, to play and built instruments, and to compose music . . . even if they must venture into the human world to steal it. Some bards later go into the service of a noble family as an adviser-cum-tutor.

In addition to this, there is a special ritual amongst bards called "banding." In this very dangerous ritual, elite bards are given a series of black, semi-sentient tattoos that allow them to pierce the minds and memories of other people and store these memories within the bands. The banding ritual is frequently fatal, and only bards who have completed their training are permitted to undertake it. For the rest of their lives, these banded bards are sworn to a monastic series of rituals: they are not allowed to touch or carry a weapon, not even a knife to cut their meat; they must never invade the mind of an unwilling person without the permission of their master or their Queen, and they must never take any life. Failure to comply with these laws will result in the bard's bands being peeled from his body--an act which none survive.

High Bard Aisling: An ancient and irascible creature who is the current elder of the Bards’ College.

Aurelan: Aisling's current major-domo.

Avalon Isle:

Located just below the Unseelie Isles, Avalon considers itself the last line of defense against an Unseelie invasion. Military might is supreme here, and many a man has made his name by advancing through the Countess's tournaments. It is a heavily forested island of wild magic: unicorns have been sighted in the vast darkness of Avalon Woods, the shamanic tribes of the trul hold council across the island, and dragons roost and breed off the west coast in the Dragon Coves.

To the far south, Anvil Harbour is second only to Ushante Harbour in size. A decadent, easy-going, and sprawling city, Anvil Harbour is the life-blood of Avalon. It, too, is heavily defended by the Countess's military--but, being so far removed from the countess's eye means that corruption has flourished, and justice is sometimes far too easy to buy.

Niabheara ni Dowd: Last of the treacherous Clan Niall and countess of Cnoch-na-Niall.

Clan Deadfall: The local troop of trul whose band essentially owns all wooded area below the southern border of Cnoch-na-Niall.

Refuge:

The island of Refuge, barely larger than a city, is a hopeless, desolate place redeemed only by a single stone-quarry. Traditionally, noble prisoners found guilty of felonies (murder, rape, or treason) are sentenced to life on Refuge--a terrible fate for the long-lived Tuatha. Refuge being largely inhospitable, the prisoners rely on trade ships from Erin Isle, which come only four times a year. These ships are always closely guarded, as they represent the only possible means of escape. Laws are harsh amongst a population of criminals, and the punishment for any violent crime committed on Refuge is death. A thief may lose a hand; a liar may lose his tongue. Forsaken by the other islands, they must strive to maintain their own peace--although their isolation has left them at the mercy of brigand ships that might raid the island for slaves.

Nevertheless, island society is as close to normal as one can imagine. The prisoners marry, practice trades, and hold markets and festivals under the close observation of the Island Council. Men and women--even married couples--are confined at night to separate camps on opposite sides of the island, with children remaining with their mothers in the Women's Camp and husbands and fathers existing in the Men's Camp. Children born on the island are allowed to leave once past their common years. A prisoner who proves himself honourable and trustworthy can rise to the rank of guard or even Warden.

An ancient tradition holds that if a criminal can flee to Refuge and live out a voluntary sentence of nine years, his crimes will be forgiven and he may return to his home a free man. There are even many countries on the mainland that will accept a "Refuge Pardon."

Sheys aSheydl: Human prisoner and Chief Warden of Refuge.

Erin Isle: Located to the east of the chain, nearest to the mortal mainland, Erin Isle might be almost mistaken for any typical mortal country. Immigrants from the Other Worlds tend to settle to Erin, and the human population there is higher there than on any other island. Erin is most famous for its sea-trade with the human world and its famous port-cities, especially the ship-building Ushante Harbour and the famous trade centre of Rose Strand. The life of the island is built around the sea, although farther inland the pace is slower, more devoted to farming and especially livestock.

The frequent influx of newcomers and strange exotic goods give the harbours a festive, easy-going air; they cannot afford to reject strangers. There's always a scam to be run and a bargain to be made. The rumour flies that the legendary Sea-Witch was born in Ushante and visits there frequently . . . but only the sailing men believe she's real.

In the first days, Erin was the first island settled by the Tuatha, and the original court of the Sister-Queens is found in the coastal city of Oireachteigh, the "First Court". The city is currently occupied by the countess Niall's armies, who defend the depleted city against the Queen's depredations.

Aengus of Oireachteigh: The regent duke of Oireachteigh.

Knockma and Fiona:

Despite the rumours of the southern Seelie Isles, the Unseelie are largely content to mind their own lands and rarely seek southern aid for any reason. Still, the Unseelie are shunned for the crime of daring to turn their back on the Seelie Queen.

The tiny island of Fiona is the seat of the Unseelie queen Fiona of the North and her Court of Barons. The Unseelie have long lived in peace with the native Dwarves of Drunnandannon. While the Seelie live and die under the hand of their Queen, the Unseelie struggle their way toward what mortal men might recognise as democracy.

Queen Fiona of the Unseelie: Queen Fiona is another halfling. Nobody is sure what the other half is. Afflicted with both halfling albinism and congenital kyphosis (or a hunchback for the laymen), Fiona is a pathologically shy young woman who communicates with the world via a series of diplomats and proclamations, rarely letting herself be seen. Nevertheless all of her actions seem bent on keeping the peace.

Drunnandannon:

A ridge of mountains runs like a spine across the great long isle of Drunnandannon, and the brutal northern winters breed hardy, brave folks. It is a land of lights in the evening sky, blue rivers trickling paths through solid stone, and seasons of lethal razor-snow that melts living flesh. Secure in their cities beneath the mountains, the Dwarves are best described as private, peace-loving craftsmen who attend their own affairs and let the capricious Tuatha squabble and quarrel without interference. Dwarves are more fond of humans, with whom they share with them a love of inventiveness and creative solutions. The Dwarves make few enemies, but on the rare occasions when Drunnandannon has been attacked for its vast storehouses of riches, the result has been either the immediate flight or complete destruction of the invader.

Despite their long-standing neutrality, the Dwarves are considered Unseelie by many Seelie-born Tuatha. However, the Dwarven king Knoggrimorrian frequently meets with the Tuatha queens and mainland ambassadors to discuss the needs of the Dwarves, Tuatha, and humans alike.

The Brotherhood:

A loosely allied band of pirates and roustabouts, the only thing many members of the Brotherhood have in common is their dislike of the Empire’s inescapable rule. This might make them sound like gallant freedom fighters. They’re not.

Known notables of the Brotherhood include:

Hector Barbossa: Yes, that one. Yes, he made a cameo. No, there was no Jack Sparrow. No, you cannot play Jack Sparrow.

Kuleliti: Kuleliti was born with four arms and sold as a human curiosity to the Imperial Menagerie. Finally escaping, she took to the seas where she became legendary as a cutthroat pirate queen whose crew famously killed and ate any captive who fell into their hands. Kuleliti later bore a daughter, likewise with four arms and likewise named Kuleliti. The two of them set up two identical operations against the Empire. The first Kuleliti was eventually struck down by the Romains acting under Imperial orders, but the second Kuleliti survives . . .

Diogenes Mortmain: A huge, bellowing blowhard whose temper is kept in check by the single smallest finger of his lovely companion, Marie. After an accident with a cannon, his right arm and a good portion of his chest is made of high quality Dwarven technology--including his heart, which he likes to brag was replaced by a hand grenade. All this hardware has made him a very difficult man to kill.

The Aspects:

A series of nine highly individual and argumentative personalities who appear, in some oblique fashion, to be running the world. They rarely appear in the mortal plane, but when they do, they tend to draw their names from colours.

Scarlet: Self-proclaimed Authority Over Interpersonal Relationships (“she means sex”), Scarlet manifests as a sleek and attractive redhead with a rather catty, self-absorbed demeanour. She really does oversee interpersonal relationships, and no, that does not always mean sex. Not malevolent, but definitely not a nice girl, either.

Yellow: The Architect. Yellow appears as a young girl with a dusky complexion, large dark eyes, and a long black braid. Her outward politeness and reserve is merely a side-effect of her unfamiliarity with mortals; she simply doesn’t know how to pretend to be one. Therefore she spends much of her time dealing with building and shaping cities and societies, subtly, from the outside.

Orange: Not much is known about Orange or his role, save that he has a bitter, biting personality and is not afraid to speak truth to power when it comes to shouting down his fellow Aspects.

Emerald: Emerald has only appeared once in her official capacity. On that occasion she was either using the sea-witch Judith as an avatar or else is, in fact, the sea-witch herself. This distinction has not yet been made clear, and Judith is not forthcoming about her relationship to the Aspects.

Blue: The Random. His appearance, in accordance to his nature, is variable, but he seems to prefer a form not dissimilar to Baron Samedi--a tall, thin, dark-skinned man with dark blue eyes. Generally amiable, there is nevertheless a very sharp, dangerous edge to him.

Indigo: The Oracle, functioning as both a psychologist and a metaphysician. A fragile and elderly woman with long silken white hair and radiantly beautiful violet eyes. She is a warm, if somewhat detached and analytical, personality. For reasons that may or may not be completely symbolic, she often is seen knitting or weaving.

Grey: The Senix. A hail if aging gentleman, he dresses in uniform grey, always with gloves, and frequently with an extremely anachronistic gold pocket watch. Of all the Aspects (with the exception of Black), his is the most complex back-story: at some point in the future, Grey has (or will) fall in love with a woman and leave the pantheon. As Grey’s mind encompasses all time, past and present, there is actually a version of him already living this life with Cecelia, where he is now a retired military man with a teenage daughter by his now-dead wife. However, the future (or past) Grey is still seeking a replacement, so that when the time comes for him to forsake his role, the position will be filled. Therefore, there are technically two Grey Aspects: the one who has already retired, and the one that is still active. But they’re the same Grey. Still with me? Don’t worry; neither is anyone else around here.

Brown: The Physician. A burly, hearty Paul Bunyan-looking bloke with dark hair, brown eyes, and a neatly kept beard, he appears to be the overseer of the physical laws of the world. He is a cheerful back-clapper of a fellow who is most often seen engaged in a long-standing friendly quarrel with Indigo about why none of this should be happening.

Black: The Psychopomp. She is also known as Serendipity, although she appears to have no name of her own and often assumes whatever name she is given by those she visits. Of all the Aspects, she appears the most frequently. A small, cheerful young woman with pink cheeks, short dark hair, dark eyes, and a fondness for Gothic Lolita fashion, she serves as the diplomat between the world of the Erins and the rest of the Aspects. It also seems to be her job to simply explore the world, searching for connections between plot points. However, if she becomes too involved with “the story” of the game-world, she is instantly replaced with an exact copy of herself, while the original is “retired” to an unspecified point of the world and cursed--or perhaps rewarded--with a real life.