Dispaterland
From Axalon RPG
“The Magic Kingdom.” Created by: Tarantulas
Contents |
Capital City
The heart of Dispaterland is the resplendent Castle Slumber. Surrounded by mist-shrouded hedge mazes, concentric moats and barriers in the form of sleeping dragons and overgrown rosebushes... Encased in shimmering walls that reflect all harm back on attackers, its cloud-piercing turrets circled by flocks of fairy guards, and drawbridges that think and speak for themselves... Not to mention Escher-esque interior design, throughout a marbled, tapestried, candlelit castle which happens to be larger within than without - which is not to say Slumber is at all small - in every way, Castle Slumber is a sight to see. And lest we forget, a whole city in its own right lives and breathes behind those impermeable walls, beyond which no outsider has ever passed and lived to tell the tale... Not that they’re dead! They probably just had such a good time that they plum FORGOT to leave. Crazy, huh?
Official Language
The country’s official language is Lithian, the most commonly spoken language in the entire world. It’s friendlier that way, isn’t it?
Population
There are many humans in the Magic Kingdom. They really are ubiquitous. However, they are far from being the majority. Indeed, one would be hard-pressed to single out any single species as predominant - unless you count tourists - the natives represent such a diverse variety. Creatures that have no place walking upright stroll along the byways here, all nonchalance - unless they’re trying to sell you hot dogs and souvenirs of your trip. Talking animals, vegetables, and furniture are present - sometimes in your hotel room with you at night. Fairies, ogres, hippogriffs, otyughs, the skeletal undead - not only do they have their place here, they’re downright common. It takes some getting used to, but no need to fret - it is extremely likely that in all of Lith, you will never find a place so kind, cheerful, integrated, assimilated, and corporate-manufactured. Oh, and did I neglect to mention fun?
State Religion
Dispaterland is named after its founder, the Great Wizard Diz, that utter, glorious genius of a man who made this wonderful, magical place possible in the first place. Vicious rumour has it that Diz mistreated his employees in life, that he reveled in twisting mere mortals in mind and body, reshaping them to his very whim, and that even now, the despotic Dark Lord sleeps in cryogenic freezing in a mystic, rune-sealed keep buried under Castle Slumber. Of course, that’s all a pack of lies by jealous rivals, which no self-respecting Dispaterlander would so much as consider, much less give credence to in their most private moments, in their deepest, most heartfelt secret thoughts. All of Dispaterland’s slaves - sorry, employees - sorry again, citizens - completely and totally revere the Great Wizard Diz. Especially the Four Elements.
Government
A benevolent tyranny. The Four Elements are likely the most powerful individual magicians in the known world - certainly in the top ten. Appointed by their wizardly predecessors, the current roster’s names are as follows: Mason, Glazier, Bishop and Cook (Earth, Water, Air and Fire, respectively) and they are the munificent rulers, one might say mascots of Dispaterland. They are unusually active as world leaders go, in that they actively work to maintain the magic of Dispaterland - participating in laying the underlying enchantments on the attractions and citizens, traveling to faraway lands to entice tourists in person, even fighting to subdue potential threats. As a government body, the Elements’ magic was absolutely crucial in quelling the strikes and riots just five years ago - as well as exposing them for the unpatriotic foreign communist terrorist PLOT that they were.
Geography
Situated on a temperate wetland peninsula off one of Lith’s larger continents, where the forests are just shy of wall-to-wall - the Magic Kingdom is deceptively little in size. Of course, it’s a magic kingdom for a reason. Most of the buildings, which are modeled after different architecture from all around the world (and all around the past and future depending on where you go), tend to be mysteriously bigger inside than out. So it’s curious, but the Four Elements must sadly claim that even they cannot comment on Dispaterland’s true size. It’s always changing, becoming bigger and better and newer. And more fun.
Economy
Main imports: Tourists, talented people, children’s dreams.
Main exports: Happy tourists, memories that will last a lifetime, a lingering sense of magic.
National gross: Dispaterland is one of the wealthiest, most prosperous states in the world. It is also on the forefront of magic today - certainly at least in terms of applied uses and ingenuity in finding new ways to improve on the same old thing. It has no technology base, however - there is very little that the Dispaterlander magicians could do with science that they cannot readily attempt with magic.
Military
The Four Elements alone would pose a serious threat to any nation, and the Magic Kingdom trains roughly six lesser magicians per year. Not that that means anything! Dispaterland is a wonderful place, existing only to spread joy - big, heaping, saccharine mountains of pure unalloyed joy! It’s the happiest place on Lith, in fact - and their only wish is for the citizens of other nations to experience some of that loving feeling that they know every enchanted day of their semi-charmed lives. Seriously. The grand park also has some pistol-and-mystic-cattle-prod-carrying security guards ready for any troublemakers, and to patrol the workers’ camps - er, magical villages.
Culture
None. It’s a theme park, for godsakes. Come on now.
History
Dis 'Diz' Pater, the greatest wizard of his age, grew tired of the constant wars and suffering he saw in the world. To that end, he decided it was his prerogative - no, responsibility - to set things right, at least in his little corner of existence. Being tremendously wealthy after mediating a Pemen-Ratland dispute and wiping the Hermecian League off the face of reality at the behest of the Yakoda, he bought up all the land surrounding his old wizard’s tower, gathered like-minded thinkers and hardworking families to join him in building a dream. That was over a thousand years ago, and today...it’s exactly the same! Come visit Dispaterland today! We’re waiting for you!
Relations
"A friend to all is a friend to none." Dispaterland, while welcoming all and sundry to enjoy its picture-perfect fairytale landscape, remains carefully neutral in all disputes between other countries, and will under no circumstances be drawn into the military conflicts of trade partners, allies or not. In fact, past incidents where fights have broken out in the park itself, between patriots from warring nations, have been met swiftly and harshly. And...happily. Better not to ask.
- The Rat Lands - Friendly, with a small and very secret trade of high-level magic and skilled magicians, in return for the services of a few rats that lend their expertise to, er, 'supervising' the citizenry.
- The Pemen Order - Very little contact goes on between these two when it comes to Dispaterland's status as a sovereign nation. While not hostile to one another, the Pemen's distrust of Magic keeps the relationship cool. That's not to say tourism from the Order is low, however. First Lawmaker Alexander Michaels was reportedly seen in Dispaterland for his winter retreat two years ago.
- Shanters - Most Shanters, as with most other peoples, to be sure, are completely perplexed by Dispaterland. The pixie-dust glittering magical kingdom is also a far cry from the shambling, grey constructions of the Shanter cities. Nonetheless, the Shanters still make a tidy business by supplying Dispaterland with what their great wizards cannot conjure (yet): namely, customers. One Shanter ferry operator has raised the concern that every year he sails more people into Dispaterland than he sails out, but he is also considering scrapping his returns package and sticking with one-way trips.
- Kyoz-Asgi World Power - With the Kyoz-Asgi national character, one would expect this to be a match made in heaven. The Dispaterland Wizards certainly expected to have an immense cash cow on their hands for years to come, and had actually gone to considerable trouble bracing the facilities for additional capacity. It was not to be, however - the original company delegation, while enjoying the park in abundance at first, had to be settled down considerably, to protect against accidents or damage to the attractions. Soon after that, the delegates grew bored, eventually leaving early. Few Hela-Gila have returned since, much to the Wizard's personal (and financial) disappointment.
- Hiranipra – Mild disdain. The Hirani would never use magic in so frivolous a manner as the wizards of Dispaterland do, and find the unceasing energetic cheerfulness of Dispaterland’s representatives somewhat wearying. The Dispaterlanders, for their part, simply adore the Hirani and their quaint (but unusual) magical ways, and are perpetually on the nation’s doorstep, fawning over them and begging for access to their research. This is not at all uncommon policy for the Dispater when they come across a magical nation that would otherwise wash its hands of them.
- The Pol' - Still gathering information.
- The Solaris Empire- Still gathering information.
