Kerrtas
Kerrtas is a plane in near-constant conflict, where differences are deep and alliances brief and temporary; recent discoveries have made transportation faster at a staggering rate, making the situation even more volatile.

Angels enforce a brutal peace in most cities and visionaries work tirelessly to reshape the plane in their own utopia, but in their blind spots criminals and rebels scheme and prepare for violence. Few are the ones who seek compromise and harmony, and their words fall often on deaf ears.

In the wilderness outside of the cities, scorned dragons wait in the sidelines and preach to the “wildlings”, poised to strike and take back the land they lost in the cities’ expansion.

History: Building on blood
The most evident conflict in the plane’s history is the one between "civilization" and "nature". However, the many city-states of old clashed against each other almost as much as they did with the communities tied to the wilder lands, making for a stable albeit bloody equilibrium.

This balance was shattered around three centuries ago by the three human cities of the Leiah region, whose ruling families had been marrying into each other more and more frequently in the last decades. A series of untimely deaths (most of which by accident and disease, though some suspected foul play at the time) put on all three thrones Poidam Brizeis, a girl who was barely of age but whose energy and charm earned her the love of the people. Not six months after her crowning, Poidam declared war on the rest of the region. A move most considered reckless, if not outright insane... until the angels of the whole plane left to gather at Poidam's side. Crippled in both morale and military strength, city after city fell to her advance until the rest of the region surrendered to the young monarch. An incredible accomplishment for one so young, but rumor had that the girl's ambitions didn't stop at ruling a single region.

As Poidam conquered city after city, more and more angels came to her side, abandoning their age-old posts to join the Maiden Queen. As her domain expanded, the other cities started building alliances to protect themselves from invasion, generating more fighting as many regions disagreed on their leadership. The frequent conflicts brought many mercenary companies to the spotlight; among them, an ambitious minotaur named Krig Makos claimed victory after victory under many flags, his cunning and ruthlessness unrivaled and his hatred for Poidam and her angels plain as day.

After thirteen years of war, Poidam Brizeis had a third of the plane under her control, and Krig Makos championed most of the free cities. Both armies were prepared for the decisive battle. Poidam’s mortal soldiers were tired but loyal and well-organized, their morals bolstered by the angelic ranks. Krig’s troops, on the other hand, had better equipment and more experience, but had little unity of purpose, merely following Krig’s charisma and reputation of an invincible strategist.

Surprising everyone, the dreaded battle never came to be. Krig gathered the leaders of the cities’ armies to his tent and slaughtered them with the aid of the other mercenary warlords, pledging himself to the Maiden Queen. Poidam rewarded Krig with the title of Crown-Marshal and tasked him with bringing the few still independent cities to heel, which he did with grim satisfaction.

As Krig brought the remaining sacks of resistance to their knees, the Maiden Queen built her new capital, which she called Korfun. In Korfun she summoned all the angels, and with them wrote the laws of her domain. The angels became judges and commanders of each city’s garrison, the wisest among them remaining at the queen’s side as advisors. The following years of peace and Poidam’s centralization of power and resources quickly made Korfun a shining jewel, bringing new life to magical research that in turn improved the life of every city under her aegis.

After ten years of prosperity and stability, Krig began to long for true battle. The Crown-Marshal had grown tired of making shows of strength to keep the most riotous cities in check and winning skirmishes against wildlings; he wished to challenge the legendary might of the dragons, but Poidam denied him time and time again. After months of tension in the court, Poidam disappeared. Legend has that the angels led her to ascension, while rumor suggests Krig had a hand in her untimely demise, but regardless of reason, the queen had indeed been a maiden. There was no clear successor, and the angels refused to step in.

Krig declared himself king, and at the same time many cities claimed independence. The angels left their posts again, this time to just disappear. The kingdom broke down and fell into war again. Korfun started to starve, the supply lines necessary for its survival cut. Considering the plane’s violent history, it’s a true testament to the brutality of the ensuing battles that this period is now known as the Year of Blood.

Almost exactly a year after Poidam’s death, the angels returned with unprecedented numbers. They descended like falling stars on the seat of power of each city, and proclaimed the time had come for a federation of all cities; each had to to yield all military power to the angels and send a representative to Korfun to broker the new peace. Any ruler that protested was cut down without a word, and their successor presented with the angelic summon.

The representatives found an unknown archangel to wait them in Korfun. The archangel presented herself as the Lawbringer, and imposed a series of rules all cities had to enforce. Among those rules, physical violence was banned in all except the most ritualized and regulated forms. All spells with a martial focus were also banned, together with most mundane weapons, and magical weapons had to be put under strict regulation. The angels would oversee trials and the cities’ court meetings (or their local equivalent) and ensure any breakout of violence.

Despite the strictness of the angelic edicts, the common people accepted them with cautious optimism, led to desperation by war. But even now, the last war centuries in the past, Kerrtas is still far from a peaceful plane…

A Present of Uneasy Peace
The angels enforce peace and order with grim determination; in the everyman’s eye, angels are much-needed peacekeepers best to be regarded from a distance. Under their influence, all knowledge about weapons and offensive magic had been erased by (supposedly) all archives and libraries. Some “protective items” still make it to wealthy or well-connected law-abiding hands, while the streetwise are quick studies in concealed weapons and weapon-like tools. The few mages able to spontaneously wield powerful offensive magic often end up as mercenaries, commonly dreaded as points of raiding squadrons or assassins.

The resources cities previously spent on armaments are now spent on art and research, bringing forth a plane-wide renaissance. The harnessing of the numerous leylines was the most revolutionary discovery of late, allowing for fast exchange of wares and information among the cities. In addition to that, the study of enchantment led to a spreading production of magical items for everyday use, like self-mending and dirt-repelling clothes, animated brooms, voice-commanded ledgers and flying vessels. These kind of items are made in “enchantries”, workshops hosting dozens of enchanters working on the same kind of item. While getting more and more widespread, the use of enchanted items are still a symbol of wealth and status.

Angels may be extremely adept in both spotting and stopping overt violence and wanton destruction, but less spectacular crimes are committed every day. Drugs and prostitution, in particular, are both condemned and widely spread in the “civilized” part of Kerrtas; the mortal forces set to investigate rarely make a dent in those... criminal enterprises, to the point where some suspect deliberate meddling from the powerful. It’s even said there are arenas where wealthy hedonists enjoy grisly spectacle coupled with all kind of illegal goods. The existance of “dark towns”, small communities big enough to have regular contect with big cities but not enough to warrant constant oversight from an angel, make those kind of claims believable, and many city-borns consider any town without a permanent angelic guard to be dens of vice and depravity.

As it’s evident to most people, the prohibition of overt violence has not stopped conflict, and not just because of the periodic high-speed chase across the leylines where angels display their overwhelming power and criminals try to match it with desperate resourcefulness. Ruling classes, made confident by the angels’ protection, have started to rebuild cities according to their vision with… incostant concern for their citizens. The frustrated lower classes gravitate around firebrands that preach equality. The violent look for patrons to serve, selling forbidden violence in exchange for protection from the law. The cunning observe the equilibrium of power, trading information and anything illegal to tip the scales in their favor. In this fragile balance, there are also those who strive to build some measure of harmony, trying to bringing warmth to the cold order the angels enforce.

The Frontier: An Ancient Grudge
Dragons took the Year of Blood as a sign to invade the despised “city-lands,” but the sudden return of the renewed angels turned dreams of conquest into a nightmare. The draconic forces were slaughtered by the angel-led retaliation, and too many dragons fell under the swords of the angels. Under the more cautious counsel of the treefolk elders, the “wildfolk” reinforced their borders and bid their time… which eventually proved as disastrous as the draconic invasion.

After the necessary time for stabilization, the cities grudgingly put aside their rivalities and turned their gaze outwards, building up forces and resources for expansion. Lacking unity, the communities of the wilderness had to yield to the cities’ slow but relentless advance; the loss of bountiful land turned into loss of life, which in turn caused the tribes to be unable to fight back.

Three centuries of such peace resulted in despair and widespread rancor for all “citizens”, making the leadership of prudent treefolk falter; the dragons, who had hid and rebuilt their numbers, returned with their intoxicating charisma, presenting themselves as liberators to both wildlings and downtrodden citizens of frontier cities.

Factions
Kerrtas’ factions, unlike other planes’, rarely see themselves as a united front; what to the majority looks like a single guild of like-minded people, is in reality a loose network of brotherhoods, gangs and alliances, many stuck in fierce rivalries, that only look after each other when an external force threaten every one of those groups. Such generalizations are, however, a useful way to understand the dynamics of the Kerrtas’ cities.

The Builders
The Builders believe that order and progress are the hallmarks of civilization, and cities are the only grounds where utopia can be built. Their definition of order and progress, of course, are not always widely shared; Builders have vision, but to be exact, each Builder has a vision of what the ideal city should look alike. Most Builders belong to the higher classes or orbit them, which means that often their vision fail to grasp the reality of the common folk, which is supposed to follow their guidance without question. That said, the Builders’ efforts have facilitated the invention and production of the magical items that are quickly improving the well-being of citizens (that can afford them).
Builders are often found in positions related to law (lawmakers, judges, city guards), administration (magistrates, diplomats) and knowledge (archivists, historians and other scholars)
What Builders think of
Unseen: "When they work for you, an irreplaceable asset. When they work against you, an intolerable nuisance."
Enforcers: "Best case scenario, a necessary albeit disgusting evil. We can't allow lowbrow rabble to endanger everyone's bright future, however, and when negotiation fails..."
Rebels: "Frustrated brats that would makes us turn our back to our destiny for the few inconveniences we find along the way."
Conciliators: "Good compromises leave no party satisfied, I guess..."

The Unseen
“You can’t stop what you aren’t aware of” is not the Unseen’s motto, but it might as well be. Why face the angels when you can thrive in their shadow? When the Unseen aren’t profiting by buying and selling information, they deal in bloodless crimes, like drugs, prostitution, blackmail and theft, which angels can’t spot as easily as screaming victims and burning buildings. Should they dirty their hands, they make sure nobody’s the wiser until they had the time to cover their tracks, if ever. This doesn’t mean they have no sense of morality… at least, not all of them. Principled Unseen understand they are in an unique position to help their preferred ideology in their personal way… especially if there’s a like-minded patron willing to pay for their efforts, of course.
Unseen are thieves, spies, assassins, informers, barkeeps, archivists… they gravitate to jobs related to stealth, secrecy and information. It’s not ucommon for Unseen affiliates to have an unrelated job, however, and not always just for cover: the Unseen know the usefulness of discreet suppliers.
What the Unseen think of
Builders: "Enough with the "glorious future" crap. Start talking numbers and maybe you'll convince me."
Enforcers: "Good clients, if you can stomach them. Whatever you do, don’t shake their hands; even if they don’t take the chance to crush yours, the bloodstains are hell to wash off."
Rebels: "Their hearts are usually in the right place. Their brains, alas, are yet to be found."
Conciliators: "They need months of negotiations to match what I can achieve in a single night with a well-placed word or knife. Is that the price for the illusion of having your hands clean?"

The Enforcers
People think Enforcers deal in blood and destruction. Which isn’t untrue, but only skims the surface of their reach. A self-appointed intellectual described the Enforcers’ domain as “the darkest desires of everyone’s heart”, which is somewhat closer to the truth. While there are murder-gangs for hire, those rarely last long on their own once they earn the attention of the angels… and often end up as disposable tools of smarter Enforcers. The strongest Enforcer groups are criminal syndicates, racketeering and controlling vice dens, using well-planned displays of force to scare off the common folk.
What Enforcers think of
Builders: "Pout and act superior all you want, if you ended up on our bad side you'd have pitchforks – and much worse - at your throat."
Unseen: "There are few things funnier than their faces when they realize they're not as smart as they think."
Rebels: "Rabid dogs who figured out words and sabotage. What do you do with rabid dogs?"
Conciliators: "Great speech. Moving, really. Now step aside, I’ve got work to do."

The Rebels
The Rebels have suffered the Enforcers’ presence one day too many, and they saw the ugly face of “progress”: housing quarters demolished with little to no warning to make room for new buildings, laws forbidding colorful expressions of ancient cultures, systematic removal of dissent.
Rebels share the belief that there’s problems in society that talking won’t solve, but means and goals differ from city to city: some believe that Dragons may be powerful allies, some are willing to ally with Builders to keep Enforcers in check and vice versa, some wish to claim independence from the angelic federation, some aim to end it altogether... Rebels have heart, but rarely unity and a definite plan of action, which makes them often end as scapegoats or cat’s paws. The steadfast expansion of civilization, however, is an ironic advantage to them: the angels are spread thin these days, and a centralized government can only do so much to keep all cities in line. The time of a Rebel victory may be close.
What Rebels think of
Builders: "Stop for a damn second and think how many corpses you stepped over in your "glorious" path, you self-righteous imbecile!"
Unseen: "Callous, treacherous bastards. Yesterday they stole from the nobles, tomorrow they'll lead trouble to my brothers' door. Don't trust them."
Enforcers: "Does anyone else realize how dangerous these murderous swines are?"
Conciliators: "They're not listening, sister! Can't you see what they do as soon as you're done shaking hands?"

The Conciliators
Conciliators work for harmony; they believe that most necessities are not mutually exclusive, and they believe strongly in diplomacy. They are inspired by the figures that weaved alliances after the angelic edict, turning a forced truce in a true nation. In the modern days, they understand the benefits of the Builder’s ideas of progress, but also see the damage the reckless pursuit of their vision brings; they understand the Rebels’ outrage, but are distrusting of violence as a mean for liberation. Some say that their endeavors only benefit the status quo, and that the “third way” the Conciliators preach is often an illusion; undoubtedly, the Conciliators’ is a complex world, and equilibrium is often the hardest position to maintain.
Though the stereotypical image of the Conciliator is a cadet child of an aristocratic family set to play charity, Conciliators come from all classes, though their empathy often makes them seek jobs related to caretaking, education and diplomacy.
What Conciliators think of
Builders: "Visionaries that need to be reminded to watch their step. Tiresome, but their results are worthy of our efforts."
Unseen: "With all the information they have, one would assume they would know how to be less obnoxious."
Enforcers: "Stop it, for all that's good and sacred! Please! Anyone, help! They're just children! Please!"
Rebels: "I get it, I really do. Unfortunately, screaming louder doesn't make them more likely to listen."

[WIP: Races]

[WIP: Everyday life]

Only a cursory read so far but I like what I see.

Thank you! I wanted to reply with added material, but that's apparently a bit much to ask of myself right now... Your feedback has, however, spurred me to dedicate mind power to Kyewdz, the native 'walker, which is cool