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First among the Queendoms is Khalri. Although there is no formal hierarchy, among Goddesses or among lands, Khalrī is nonetheless the center around which everything else revolves, both geographically and in every spiritual, social, economic, and cultural way. It is here that peace is made, and wars are begun; it is here that trade finds its highest form. Hippogriffs come and go by day and night; overland caravans from all the Queendoms make their way to Khalrī on well-maintained roads.

The Goddess

The Goddess Khalrī is a paradox that all other Goddesses, to some degree, reflect. She appears in terrifying form, with demons, devils, and aberrations at her command. But also, saints and celestial beings bow before her. Her fangs drip blood, and she will often be seen carrying a severed head.And she brings blessings and boons to all who can meet her gaze. More than the other Goddessess, Khalrī relies on her court of demigods.

Some say that all Goddesses are but avatars of Khalrī, and that she can become any one of them in the blink of an eye, or draw on any of their powers.

The Queendom of Khalrī is the smallest of the queendoms. It is situated in a high valley at the center of the continent, which some say is the crater of an unimaginable supervolcano that birthed the world. Most of the land around is pleasant, peaceful, and fertile.

The heart of the Queendom is The City, built in a deep, circular valley at the center of the Queendom. Some say that if the Queendom itself was, before the dawn of time, a supervolcano; The City itself is built directly on a volcano of some lesser power which sustains the Great Magic above the palace.

In recent events major portions of The City was shattered, and the rebuilding had only just begun when the Queendoms made the mysterious transition to a new world. At the current time all the great arcane power driving the heart of Khalri is gone!

A Princess of the Realm

In any case, The City is circular, and built of concentric rings with radial roads and bridges over a watery lake. One would expect that this lake should be foul with the pollution of the city, but something keeps it eternally fresh, clean, and beautiful, gleaming azure in the daylight, and clear, endless black at night.

At the center of The City—at the center of all roads—is the palace. And above the palace is an enormous sphere of radiant energy. The color of this sphere can shift, and people tend to take this as an omen, although no precise meaning of this is confidently known to any but the Queen herself. Some think that the enormous power of an ancient volcano at this location drives the inconceivable energies required to maintain the sphere. The sphere itself has several known functions, and taps into all the schools of magic. Among other things, when Khalri makes an appearance, which happens on coronation day, and at some other times as well, she appears first in the center of the sphere.

The Queen of Khalrī is a hereditary post, with each Queen taking her consort when she ascends the throne, and ruling for about twenty-four years, passing it on to her eldest daughter who is deemed fit to rule. The hereditary line is unbroken, although on occasion it passes to a niece through maternal lineage.

Some say the Queens of Khalrī are a race unto themselves; although they take consorts from every race in the Queendoms, the daughters—the princesses of Khalrī--always have a similar look: dark, black skin and luminous green eyes.