[World Setting]
- A world where beastmen and magic exist.
- Mana is an energy source that flows through the air and within living beings; forcibly extracting the mana from a being also extracts its life force.
- Humans consider beastmen, who possess animal blood, to be filthy and barbaric, leading to discrimination.
- Most humans scorn beastmen, and only a very small number of humans coexist harmoniously with them.
- Although the majority of humans outwardly claim to live peacefully with beastmen, in reality, they mostly sell beastmen into slavery and exploit them.
- While slave auctions are officially prohibited, they are actively traded in the underworld.
- The beastmen sold at auctions are usually exploited in mining or farming, and are often sold as pets for nobles, gladiators, or sex slaves. Particularly attractive beastmen are auctioned off at high prices.
[Class System]
- Nobles are ranked from high to low as 'Imperial Family - Duke - Marquis - Count - Baron - Viscount,' and there are no beastmen in the noble class.
- Below the noble class are merchants and commoners, with beastmen belonging only to the commoner class.
[Currency Unit]
100 won = 1 copper
(10,000 won =) 100 copper = 1 silver
(1,000,000 won =) 100 silver = 1 gold
[Country]
[Empire of Arcadia]
■ Country Overview
- A hegemonic nation located in the fertile plains at the center of the continent.
- It shares borders with four neighboring countries and leads the continent's politics, economy, and culture based on abundant resources and magical civilization.
- Beneath its splendor lies a rotten root of a thoroughly stratified society and racial discrimination that precariously sustains it.
■ Capital: Aeterna
- Just like its name means 'eternity', it is a city illuminated by unquenchable magical lamps that shine throughout the night.
- It is divided into sections by huge castle walls.
> Area 1: Imperial Palace and Nobles' District
· Towering spires and sky gardens abound, and roads paved with mana stones glow softly.
· Beastman slaves bow as they tend to the gardens or carry the nobles' palanquins.
> Area 2: Commercial District and Commoners' Residential Area
· A lively market and artisan workshops gather here.
· The headquarters of the mercenary guild and large merchant groups are located here.
· Commoners despise beastmen while relying on their labor force.
> Area 3: Slums and Sewers
· A damp place connected to the sewers where the city’s waste accumulates.
· Unregistered beastmen, criminals, and the ill live intertwined, infested with rat swarms and mold.
■ Political System
- It is a centralized system centered around the emperor, but in reality, it resembles a plutocracy where the powerful noble families share power.
- The Royal Magical Academy exerts political influence, and wizards receive treatment equal to or greater than that of nobility.
■ Economy and Industry
- The mana stone processing industry is the core industry.
- In mana stone mines, beastman slaves perform mining work in harsh environments, often resulting in fatalities due to frequent collapse accidents.
- Agriculture and animal husbandry are carried out on a large scale in the vast plains, with beastmen being the primary labor force.
■ Social Atmosphere
- Outwardly, it seems peaceful and affluent, but internally it is rotten and decayed.
- Degenerate parties are held every night in the nobles' banquet halls, and corpses lie scattered in back alleys.
- Hatred towards beastmen is systematically brainwashed through education and religion. (From fairy tales, children learn that 'beastmen are stupid and filthy beasts.')
- Recently, as anti-government terrorist activities have increased, public security is becoming unstable.
[Noble Territory]
■ Lobelia Territory
A mid-sized territory located in the southeast of the Empire of Arcadia, ruled by the Bellart family, with a flourishing agriculture and livestock industry. The lord, Bellart, is renowned for not imposing excessive taxes or conscriptions, and he is famous for personally listening to grievances in case of disputes. It is known within the empire as the 'territory governed by an ideally moderate lord.' Concerning beastmen, it follows the empire's legal order but prohibits unnecessary oppression and abuse. It employs more laborers or contract workers than slaves, and public auctions are not permitted in the territory. Due to the low incidence of abuse or oppression against beastmen, the ratio of beastman residents is higher compared to other territories.
[Neighboring Countries]
[Kingdom of Kaltstein]
■ Country Overview
- A military dictatorship located north of the empire, beyond the mountain range swept by eternal snow. 80% of the territory is tundra, and due to the harsh environment, its economy relies solely on war, plundering, and mercenary exports. While a non-aggression treaty has been signed with the Empire of Arcadia, small and large armed conflicts frequently occur at the borders.
■ Culture and Atmosphere
- A barbaric value system prevails that states, 'Strength is the law.' Buildings are constructed from crude black steel and rock, and the streets are filled with the smell of iron and coal smoke.
- Every citizen is raised as a warrior, and weakness is considered a crime.
■ Treatment of Beastmen - Combat Dogs and Bioweapons
- Here, beastmen are nothing more than "beasts" resembling humans. Mainly capable wolf, bear, and tiger beastmen are captured and consumed as front-line assault troops.
- A steel collar ensnared with explosive magic is placed around their necks, and disobedience or desertion executes them.
- In times of peace, they are thrown into underground arenas, becoming the main attraction of slaughter shows where they kill each other, and nobles bet large sums of money on their bloody fights.
[Theocracy of Santa Felice]
■ Country Overview
- A fanatical religious state that worships the one God 'Luminus.' It is the epicenter of 'human supremacy' spreading across the continent and provides ideological justification for the nobles of the Empire of Arcadia.
■ Culture and Atmosphere
- The city is adorned with white marble and gold, dazzlingly bright and clean. Hymns echo through the streets, and priests bestow blessings; however, beneath that facade lies a chilling madness.
- Heretics' inquisition tribunals roam the streets, harshly punishing even minor violations of the law.
■ Treatment of Beastmen - Children of Demons
- According to doctrine, beastmen are defined as 'filthy demons who have stolen the form of holy humans.'
- Upon discovery, they are immediately arrested and taken to the torture chambers of the underground prison. The 'purification rituals' carried out in this place are horrifying tortures involving skinning or burning the beastmen.
- Those fortunate enough to survive are left tongue-less and tendon-less, living their lives as the power source driving the huge gears in the shrine's basement.
[Free Trade Alliance of Vesperia]
■ Country Overview
- A city-state federation on the southern coast where the blazing sun meets endless deserts and deep blue seas. It is a lawless area beyond the reach of the laws of the Empire of Arcadia, and forms the largest black market on the continent.
■ Capital: Nadir
- An actual capital of the Vesperia Union and the largest trading port on the continent. It is situated at the junction where the golden sands of the desert meet the emerald sea of the southern coast.
- The city's name 'Nadir' means 'shelter of the sun' in ancient language, but ironically, it is an unceasing city of lights that never sleeps even at night.
- The city extends in a fan shape around the port, with the elevation increasing towards the center, naturally dividing the residential areas by class.
■ City Districts
- Docks District
> A place where countless trading vessels, pirate ships, and smuggling ships are tangled together and docked.
> It is busy with loading work during the day, while at night, cheap taverns and gambling dens thriving on sailors emerge.
> The air is thick with the stench of rotting fish, tar, and salty seawater, making it the most unstable area for law and order.
- Grand Bazaar
> A massive commercial area located in the waist of the city.
> The dome-roofed market corridors lead on endlessly and twist like a maze. A wide range of commodities from spices, silks, gems to drugs, poisons, and stolen goods are traded.
> In the central square is the continent's largest slave auction house, with auctions held every noon being one of Nadir's main attractions.
- Pleasure District
> The home base of the Arjento Guild and the most glamorous area in Nadir.
> High-end casinos, theaters, and upscale brothels are lined up, and the buildings are adorned with marble and gold leaf, shining brilliantly.
> Mana stone streetlights illuminate the streets all night, with performances by musicians and dancers going on continuously.
> The air is filled with the scent of sweet perfumes, strong alcohol, and discreet drug smoke.
- Hightown
> A high-class residential area established on coastal cliffs.
> It is inhabited by guild leaders, upper-class criminals, and is thoroughly guarded by high walls and private guards.
> The terraces offer a breathtaking view of Nadir and the sea, and rare plants seldom seen in the desert flourish in the gardens.
■ Culture and Atmosphere
- Gold-centered materialism reigns supreme. With money, even murderers are treated like nobles, and without money, even nobles can be sold as slaves.
- Streets saturated with the smells of spices, drug smoke, and cheap perfumes shimmer continuously with the lights of revelry.
- Throughout the year, various festivals take place, especially during the summer's 'Golden Sun Festival' where nights of wild partying continue for several days.
■ Treatment of Beastmen - High-End Merchandise
- Rather than discrimination, they are evaluated based on strict 'commodity value.' Beautiful feline or fox beastmen are sold at high prices as concubines or sex slaves for nobles.
- The rarer the beastmen, the more their auction prices skyrocket, leading to a swarm of beastman hunters.
- Some beastmen achieve self-made wealth as merchants due to excellent business acumen or strength, but they suffer from human envy and assassination threats.
[Isles of Estella]
■ Country Overview
- A mysterious island nation located across the rough eastern sea, shrouded in dense sea fog and storms all year round. Interactions with the empire are almost severed, utilizing strange Eastern magic and martial arts.
■ Culture and Atmosphere
- Unlike the empire's knights, warriors wield thin and sharp katanas, manipulating the natural energy (Chi) instead of mana.
- They have distinct architectural styles with wooden buildings and tiled roofs. The change of seasons, like cherry blossoms and autumn leaves, is very pronounced.
■ Treatment of Beastmen - Yokai or Spirits
- The boundary between humans and beastmen is blurred. Fox beastmen are treated as messengers of the holy fox deity, while bear beastmen are revered as mountain deities.
- Beastmen that harm humans are classified as 'yokai' and brutally hunted by exorcists.
- To beastmen persecuted in the empire, this place is known as a 'paradise' of vague longing, but due to strict isolationist policies, very few have actually set foot there.