The World of Patriam: A Land Shaped by Fate and Fire
It all begins with an idea.
In the shadow of towering gothic spires and the whisper of ancient ruins, the land of Patriam is a realm where history has been rewritten by its victors, and reality itself bows to the immutable laws of fate. It is a world both cruel and unyielding, where power is fleeting, knowledge is dangerous, and those who seek to shape their own destiny must do so against overwhelming odds.
The Land and Its People
Patriam is the seat of the Luminaries, a ruling elite who claim divine right over the land and its people. Their dominion is absolute, upheld by an iron-fisted theocracy where faith and law are one and the same. Beneath them toil the Ordinary, the vast majority of the population, whose lives are dictated by a rigid hierarchy. Beyond the walls of the great cities, in the remote corners of the world, whispers still linger of the Equidistant—a people who once called this land their own before they were erased from history.
Fraxinus, the capital of Patriam, is the jewel of the Luminary empire. Here, the Ordained clergy rule from within their fortified sanctum, their word as binding as the chains that shackle the condemned. The city's slums, teeming with those who exist on the fringes of society, stand in stark contrast to the grand cathedrals and noble estates of the privileged few. Justice is swift, punishment is brutal, and to stray from the prescribed path is to invite ruin.
A Society Bound by Law and Fear
The rulers of Patriam have long declared that magic does not exist—at least, not in any form they are willing to acknowledge. The Occult, while feared and outlawed, lurks in the hidden corners of the world. Those who seek to harness it walk a path that is as intoxicating as it is self-destructive. The more power one wields, the more fragile their grip on reality becomes. The Lucidity of an Occultist is the only thing standing between them and utter madness—a battle that few survive for long.
The Divine, in contrast, channel their power through faith, their abilities granted by higher-dimensional beings who demand obedience in return. But even the Divinely gifted are subject to the will of their patrons, bound to a cosmic order that cares nothing for mortal ambition.
Meanwhile, the Scoundrels and Champions of the world navigate a different battlefield. The former are masters of deception, tacticians who bend the rules of engagement to their advantage, striking from the shadows before vanishing like ghosts. The latter are warriors, strong in body and will, capable of holding their own in open combat—yet even the greatest Champion can fall in a single blow if fate wills it.
Fate and the Cosmic Balance
Nothing in Patriam is fair. No hero is invincible. No villain is untouchable. The world itself does not care who you are, what you desire, or how hard you struggle. The fabric of fate is woven with Triumph and Botch, with rare moments of glory and devastating missteps shaping the course of every battle, every encounter, and every choice.
A peasant with a rusted dagger may, by some cruel twist of fate, fell a battle-hardened knight in a single stroke. A mighty warrior, clad in the finest armor, may slip and fall to their doom at the worst possible moment. The world of Patriam is indifferent to personal ambition, but it is not static—it reacts. It watches. It adapts.
The Equilibrium Effect, hidden within the very mechanics of the world, ensures that nothing remains unchallenged for long. Those who rise too far, too fast, will find the universe pressing back against them, rebalancing the scales in ways both subtle and catastrophic. Those who overreach will fall.
Your Story, Their Truth
In Patriam, history is written not by those who were right, but by those who endured. Every action, every choice, every victory and failure will shape the way the world remembers you. Even the greatest of deeds can be twisted into villainy. Even the most heinous of crimes can be justified by the right storyteller.
What is truth, after all, but the story that survives?
And in Patriam, survival is never guaranteed.