Ancient depiction of a Royal Demon.
Verold[]
Verold is a high fantasy world with a medieval setting. It's history has been heavily influenced by unholy creatures that have sought to control mankind from the shadows. The majority of the world operates under a feudal system, and most countries are controlled by monarchies (which are in turn controlled by royal demonic families). There is a small element of faith-based organizations which attempt to combat evil through good works and the occasional crusade.
History[]
Verold's ancient history is filled with dark periods of war and disaster. Written accounts from those times have all been lost, and mostly knowledge of the Dark Ages have persisted through myth.
It is said that mankind shared the world with a host of other races: elves, dwarves, and various monsters, including demons. Of these races, Man was the most prolific, and began to spread into the territories of other creatures. The belief was that Sauil-God of light-had chosen Man to rule the planet. Despite the fact that individuals of other races tended to be more powerful, mankind was often able to defeat their enemies through superior numbers and access to magic powered by their faith.
Seeing the danger that Man presented, five of the most powerful demon races agreed to work together to save demon-kind. These represented a small number of the demon races physically, but they were able to convince or force most other races to serve them. Those demons who resisted were destroyed or enslaved.
The battle between the humans and demons is referred to as the MillennialWar, though it is unclear whether that is meant to convey that the war truly lasted that long. According to human myth, the demons were "cast out" and mankind now rule the earth as promised.
Demonic Presence[]
However, the original five demon families (referred to as the Royals) still exist, and each control different areas of the world through puppet rulers. Their styles of rule varies, with some manipulating human kings without the humans having any knowledge of their existence, and others being more direct about their control, and offering humans power in exchange for their service. The common man-vassals, peasants, slaves, and merchants-mostly consider demons to be superstition, and even though some believe in their existence, most will never be aware that they have probably met a demon, or at least seen them in passing.
Religion[]
Religious beliefs vary widely by area, which most humans worshipping local gods or spirits or even ancestors. There is a widespread belief in Ierde, a mother goddess of the harvest, fertility, and the hearth, though her worship is mostly expressed through household rituals and rarely performed in churches.
Demons believe in a kind of demon god, frequently referred to as Nuech. Prayer and ritual in Nuech's name is rare, and physical temples to this god are usually constructed and used by humans only. Demons consider Nuech as an ideal to strive for, but consider it very unlucky to invoke his name or attract his attention in any way.
The Cult of Sauil
Sauil is an ancient sun god, representing light, rebirth, holiness, war, and healing. He is followed by small groups of clerics and paladins who worship him in secret, usually using temples or churches that were built for other gods, and sharing space with the followers of those gods. His worshippers believe that demons still plague the world and are dedicated to destroying them whenever possible. These cultists have been accused of performing evil rites, sacrificing children, and causing blights on crops and cattle. These rumors are spread by gentry and royalty, probably at the instruction of demon masters, in order to route them out and destroy them.
Demography[]
Verold appears to mostly human, though demons often take on human forms and may live alongside men unnoticed. No one can be certain what the proportion of demons to humans is.
Other races still exist, but live in small, isolated areas where humans rarely go.
Though not common, instances of mixed-race individuals exist. Most have ancestors who were elves, demons, dwarves or other races that are several generations removed. These individuals may still have some characteristics of their non-human ancestors, though, and when they are very easily identified, they tend to experience persecution and suspicion.
Gateways[]
Currently, there are no known gateways or portals to this universe from Cross.