The Star-Crowned Kingdom of Oliva
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Oliva is a place where fate dances on a blade’s edge. A realm of shadow courts, forgotten gods, and star-born prophecies. Those who seek glory, gold, or arcane mastery may find it here—but only if they survive the game.
Those are the exact words used in the opening page of "An Adventurer's Guide to the Sapphire Island of Oliva" a travel gazetteer published by the esteemed half-elven writer. He goes on further to claim he composed these lines atop the Argent Spire during a lunar eclipse, although general consensus says it was during one of his long drunken stays in a Famarra winehall with whispering, becloaked nobles and two dwarven females of ill-repute.
The Kingdom of Oliva lies in the heart of the Mer Med a crossroads of culture, commerce, and conquest. Rich in history and steeped in magic, Olivia balances on the edge of diplomacy and danger. It has long acted as a maritime lynchpin between the Khemmet deserts, the merchant city-states of Ispatlia, and still in the shadow of Barthey, They were one of the early dominions to wrest independence from the Olivia, and with the help of propagandists like Caldrin, they may have done it the wisest. .
Oliva is a realm of gleaming vineyards, rune-carved cliffs, and perilous deepwater coves. Its nobility still duel over titles, its merchant lords war with coin, and its mystics read the stars for omens and advantage. Though small, and pulled from all sides from nations much more powerful they the island kingdom. The nobles of House Bolas knew that to maintain their independence and stability, they needed to pull something most countries craved, a haven of tourism, free trade (especially silk and spices from the East), and winter residences of powerful magi who would be quite put off if mere mortals wanted to start an inconvenient war.
Oliva a destination for the wealthy, and only a few olive groves, vineyards, and shrines were sacrificed to allow prime territory for the building of arcane towers. To bolster the purported power of the wizards, the nobles formed the Arcane Council. The council is largely ceremonial, drawing on the advice and council of the ex-patriate wizards they've recruited to promote an alleged show of solidarity and force for the royal family. No one has truly tested this shadow force within the government, but after the significant disasters of the Ispatlian-Emron and Senzar-Emron wars, no one has the appetite for it.
Beyond the clean beaches, worldly cuisine, and a veritable stockpile of wine to lure anyone with coin, Queen Arseline has established the Goldwreath Games, a collection athletic, artistic, and academic displays with awards granted. Done every year for the past 10 years, one the anniversary of the queen's coronation, it has begun to draw a variety of people, specifically from around the Mer Med.
Geography & Major Cities
Nicol – The capital. A fortified city of marble domes, scriptoriums, and subterranean councils. Here the Star-Court meets and the Astral Heralds plot beneath a dome of enchanted glass.
Famarra – Secretly, the wealthiest port on the Mer Med, where silk pavilions and elemental bazaars rival any mainland city. Famarra's banking houses are international forces, backing foreign wars, kingdom purchases, and arcane expeditions alike.
Limarion – Naval stronghold and base of the Corsair Brotherhood, where pirate lords and royal admirals hold grudging court.
Kyren Vale – Nestled in high cliffs, this mystic city is famed for its floating lantern towers, mirror pools, and vaults of lost lore.
Notable Places
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