Sherval is a setting based on fantasy with a tint of dark fantasy. Within the world of Sherval several great empires are locked in a seemingly perpetual state of conflict and many smaller nations pick their way through the effective minefield of not being an irritant to one or being protected by the other.

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The Shel - One of the human empires, the Shel pay at least lip service to the god of death otherwise known as Shel-Mar.  In magical terms the Shel are remarkably advanced living in vast cities with immense complexity that belies the simplicity of their culture.  Though the god Shel-Mar effectively rules the city each of the greatest cities are ruled by a single immortal being, the most powerful of which is simply called The Knight. The main power blocs beneath these figures are the houses and the companies. Each of the houses are capable of calling on thousands of members and many of them possess their own currency, laws and legal systems. Some houses are powerful enough to control major cities and in an echo of the conflict between empires and individuals the houses are often in perpetual, undeclared war.

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Even within the houses there are certain commandments laid down by Shel-Mar including one that overrides all others known as the first commandment 'Those that you slay belong to you, in all that they are and the have.' which means that every citizen of the empire is constantly watching their back in case someone has a knife for it. Of course this means someone without rank or importance might be easier to kill but they will have less to take so the more powerful someone becomes, the more of a risk they run and the more of a target they become.

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Below this conflict are the dead, the dead in the empire of Shel are sold to one of the largest of companies known as El Cor and they are sold then as slaves, preserved and animated to serve the living.

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The Quan - Named after the goddess Quan Chin who is recorded as the goddess who freed the Quan from the dragons and led them to a realm where they could become powerful.