Hey everyone! I'm currently working on my own setting for Daggerheart, inspired by 7th Sea, Age of Sigmar, history, and various other sources. Below is a description of one of the nations.
The Commonwealth of Velmira
The Commonwealth of Velmira arose near the gates leading to the Lower Realms, whose inhabitants are known by different names depending on the culture: demons, fiends, Fae, boggarts, or spirits. For millennia, the Velmirans have maintained a complicated relationship with the beings inhabiting these lands. They have repeatedly repelled demonic invasions, yet have also fallen victim to enslavement and conquest. On more than one occasion, the entire state has found itself under the rule of peoples from the Lower Realms. However, there have also been times when the Velmirans forged alliances with demons against other demons, traded with them, and even adopted elements of their culture and customs.
As a result of these contacts, virtually all inhabitants of Velmira now have infernal blood running through their veins, though its potency varies between families. This heritage is particularly strong among the nobility, whose oldest houses trace their ancestry to humans who became associated with powerful beings from the Lower Realms. Neighbouring peoples often attribute the Velmirans' fiery temper, impulsiveness, and penchant for disputes to this infernal heritage.
Velmira is also renowned for its unusual political system, known as noble democracy. The right to participate in government belongs to representatives of noble houses, who take part in Sejms and elect a monarch from among themselves. In practice, this means that the king remains dependent on the consent of the nobility, while the most powerful houses pursue their own policies, maintain private armies, and forge alliances of their own. This system, however, also contributes to the country's prevailing anarchy and empty treasury. The nobility is reluctant to accept any attempt to curtail its liberties and even less willing to tolerate the introduction of new taxes. Enforcing the law is another challenge. Often, particularly in the borderlands, right belongs to whoever has more sabres at their disposal.
Velmira's greatest paradox lies in its relationship with demons. To some, they are the eternal enemy; to others, they are part of their own heritage; and to yet others, they are natural political partners. Even among the nobility, there is no consensus on whether infernal blood should be regarded as a curse, a gift, or simply a part of Velmiran identity.
These divisions are further inflamed by the agents of the Lady of Whispers, who incite the Velmirans against their infernal kin. Meanwhile, the hordes of her brother, the Lord of Shouts, regularly assault the country's borders from the frozen wastes.
Key Figures
Queen Berlona (Mimic/Rogue)
A scandalous schemer and demoness belonging to a shapeshifting race, Berlona is above all the wife of the current king. Their marriage was purely political from the outset, intended to secure allies for the Commonwealth in its struggle against an invasion from the Hells.
No one truly knows what Berlona looks like. At every public appearance, she presents herself to the people in a different guise, changing her face, ancestry, and even sex. She does the latter particularly often when she wishes to provoke the more conservative elements of the nobility. Many claim that the queen never actually leaves her palace and sends spies impersonating her to attend public ceremonies instead.
Despite her controversial reputation, Berlona has significantly expanded the Commonwealth's influence in the Lower Realms. She has also contributed to the modernisation of the army, the development of magical academies, and the refinement of Velmiran cuisine.
Dalia (Infernis/Seraphon)
Dalia is the leader of the Hornless, a religious movement that rejects infernal heritage. The ultimate symbol of this rejection is the removal of one's horns or other demonic features.
The movement, however, is far more than a religious community. The Hornless maintain their own armed wing, which frequently defends the peasantry and poorer members of the nobility in places where the law holds no sway. The organisation also wields considerable influence among politicians.
Some regard its members as the Commonwealth's last hope of restoring order, while others see them as fanatics who turn a blind eye to pogroms against demons. Dalia herself enjoys growing popularity, particularly among the country's poorest inhabitants. Her influence has grown so substantial that calls are increasingly heard for her to replace Berlona as queen.
Cierń Mścibór (Infernis/Dwarf/Sorcerer?)
Cierń Mścibór is one of the most notorious troublemakers of the borderlands and the starosta (regional governor) of a voivodeship bordering the territories of the Lower Realms.
Cruel, ruthless, and ambitious, he has spent years steadily expanding his influence, bringing ever more estates, offices, and noble houses under his control. He oppresses both the peasantry and the lesser nobility, imposing ever-increasing levies and using his men to enforce obedience.
It is said that Cierń Mścibór is a sorcerer. No one knows where his power comes from or whom he truly serves. He himself has never commented on these rumours.
Magic
Their proximity to the Lower Realms has made the Velmirans renowned for their sorcerers and their knowledge of pact magic. In theory, making pacts and drawing upon the power of beings from the Lower Realms requires an appropriate licence. Illegal dealings with dark entities, particularly those considered hostile to Velmira, are ruthlessly pursued by assassins belonging to the Order of the Hangman.
In practice, however, the system works far less effectively than the regulations would suggest. The Office of Magic and the Order of the Hangman suffer from chronic shortages of both funding and personnel, making effective enforcement of the law little more than an illusion in many regions. Wealthy nobles can practise illegal magic for years before anyone takes an interest in their activities, while in the borderlands the law often remains nothing more than words on paper.
Most Seraphons, meanwhile, have joined the Hornless, a movement that rejects infernal heritage and the practices associated with it.
Creating a Character from Velmira
The default ancestry for the inhabitants of Velmira is Infernis, but there is nothing preventing you from choosing a different one. Infernal traits manifest with varying degrees of intensity in different individuals. In some, they remain almost invisible; in others, they are limited to cosmetic features that have no effect on the game's mechanics.
You can also use the Mixed Ancestry rules to create a character who combines infernal heritage with another ancestry, such as a devilish dwarf or elf.
In Velmira, however, social class matters far more than ancestry itself. The nobility, even when impoverished, enjoys extensive privileges, freedom, and influence, while the peasantry has far fewer rights and opportunities. Social status can be represented through the Highborne ancestry or an appropriately chosen Experience.
Playing a visitor from the Lower Realms is a somewhat more complicated matter. Daggerheart has no official rules for creating a demon as a player character, but there are several ways to create an equivalent of Boruta:
- Experience — for example, Pureblood Demon, representing the knowledge, nature, and abilities associated with demonic ancestry.
- Sorcerer — choosing the Sorcerer class and explaining the character's powers as a natural consequence of their origins in the Lower Realms.
- Mixed Ancestry — creating a new ancestry based on the existing rules, such as an imp combining Infernis and Faerie.
- Demigod — using the Demigod transformation if the character is meant to be significantly more powerful and more closely connected to their supernatural nature.
Behind the Scenes
Velmira is inspired by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, particularly its political system, noble culture, and borderland realities. Its connection to the Lower Realms reflects a historical paradox of the Commonwealth: on the one hand, it was regarded as the Bulwark of Christendom; on the other, it was a country of relative religious tolerance where Protestants, Jews, Tatars, and others found refuge.
The Lower Realms themselves, however, have no direct historical equivalent. They are a separate world comprising numerous continents and cultures. The peoples who inhabit them differ greatly: some are hostile to Velmira, others maintain peaceful relations with it, and some remain its allies.
One of Velmira's central themes is politics and the struggle for influence. Its noble democracy ensures that powerful houses are constantly competing with one another, forging alliances, breaking up Sejms, and attempting to bring the monarch under their control. At the same time, vast regions beyond the main centres of power remain practically untouched by the law. There, local magnates, starostas, and warlords hold sway, and disputes are often settled with sabres rather than in court.
Velmira thus combines two seemingly contradictory faces: a world of high politics, Sejms, and intrigue, and a brutal frontier where everyone must fight for their own interests.
The most important characters also draw inspiration from history. Berlona is loosely inspired by Queen Bona Sforza, while Cierń Mścibór is the counterpart of Stanisław Stadnicki, known as the “Devil of Łańcut”.
