The Chronicles of Daer Akmir is a high fantasy game running once a fortnight on our own woodland site in Hampshire, UK.

Read below for an overview of The Six Duchies (also known as The Royal Basin) where the game takes place! Alternatively, use our Wiki to learn more about the world, its species and remnants and how to build your character.

Each event we run is ticketed via Eventbrite, with links on our homepage and in our weekly message.

For more information, please email info@risingofchaos.com

The Six Duchies

At its heart the Kingdom of the Six Duchies which is where the game started. This is a land of pride, magic and people inspired from the real world by a renaissance Europe dominated by English, Scottish and Irish history and ideals, with nods towards Germanic and French Influences. Aristocracy, trade, and land governance are all aspects that lean us toward the Duchies that we created.

It’s fantastical feel comes from a place of heroism and togetherness from the heroic endeavours of Gemmel and Tolkein but also from the gritty behind the scenes politics found in the works of Abbercrombie and Martin. All of this is married with the concepts of folk and mythlore of both real and fantasy world which brought the first threads of our story together.

Today the Six Duchies are dripping in lashings of player driven story and drowning in the depths of the writing of hundreds of excellent refs throughout the years. It is a mighty bastion of tales that beckons those that seek the epic nature of the questing hero backed by the faith of their deity, the politically powerful sourcerer, the noble back alley dealer, a quick fingered chirurgeon, engineer or artificer. Perhaps a peerless priest of pious portent or striding wilderness hero alongside the bright hearted noble or everyman hero.

As more and more people strode into our world so we expanded the story and the world around it, and once hinted at or rarely visited places took to the boards and upstaged the main performer.

The Low Kingdom

To the North the dark of the Low Kingdom crawled through the belly of the world; a place of ancient terrors and secrets and home to the Kuldisar, a species destined to keep them. These great and sprawling caverns are based firmly, inspiration, in the world of fantasy and legend in part drawn from the classic stories and tales of Dwarves and the great places below the earth, like Moria but blended with the terrors that might dwell there from some Cthonian Nightmare.

It is a place of Oaths and Legends where ancient powers that have guided people throughout the ages were born and whispered their knowledge to Kuldisar who would become the heads of families whose lineage would shape the world. Untold horror stalk forgotten tunnels, seeking lost souls to feed the wickedness of many ancients who await a return to the world. Meanwhile the Kuldisar build and wait, trying to maintain the guardianship that they have been given, vigilant and eternal.

Today the three provinces of the Low Kingdom have come burning from the influence of the cast of RoC like a comet through the sky. The traditions of the people there have been pressed to their limit and bred a place of hardy folk focussed toward a purpose of clans and roles among them: Oathsmiths and High Crafters keep the traditions of the people alive whilst politicians and Lore Keepers guide the future of proud people whose Hearth Guardians stand strong against the terrors of the deeper dark.

Rhygharea

Directly to its West the Shadowy borders of a huge Taiga that is the Harthalian Woodlands, the ancient and foreboding crown of the Wyld, home of the Yuirfarvallen and bastion of the Gillieabad. This leviathan of a forest is drawn, physically, from the real world vision of ancient European and British Forests where mythical terrors are held in check by the old magics. Ancient trees with strange faces leering out of hand woven thickets, clearings marked by years old rites that threaten a locked away wickedness that could awaken at any moment.

In this place of natural power and beauty a grim faced people nomadically wander their land guided by the spirits to places of harvest or the hunt, the Gillieabad providing them the materials that they seek to craft and build without taking from the land. A reflective story of the real world dangers that our world faces blended with the myth that these travellers maintain old rites as they journey to keep old evils from returning and aging rituals of benefit alive in the world.

Today the land is dubbed Rhygahrea and has become a battleground for dominance over untapped resource that has developed over centuries of care and nurture. The nation has become more insular and increasingly under the thrall of the “old blood”. Now Lycans roam and ritualists that call upon outlawed rites to maintain their sovereignty, Kargalat, law makers, wyld hunters called Vormearn and weavers of old tales who mark the path of destiny that the Spirit Talkers will take.

The Iskarani

Delving further West beyond Harthalia the world canvas painted a fertile land that has now fallen to dust and decay. Drawn from the real world stories of Egyptian legend and Arabian Night, the Malharan Wastes came to life. A land that had once held great civilisations that had fallen but were still inhabited: The fingers of marble columns grasping from the unending sand granting shelter to those that huddle in their shade as they pray to their deities and Djinn to give them life. 

It is a place of survival and barter. Three peoples inhabit the Great Desert, their purposes at constant odds with the aims of their counterparts. They each, however, need what the others possess to continue, and must live jointly if somewhat acrimoniously. 

The Malharans serve the Gillieabad and bring life to the land through story and love. The Egarians who life to the peoples through travel and commerce in reverence of their Dahijn. The Great City States of Faryo drive the peoples within their walls to glory through their adherence to the will of their founders. 

Today the actors of our story have travelled deep into the heart of the desert and awoken old forces that act to bring the peoples together. Old tales have come to life and power long thought lost to its people awakens and Malhara is once again uniting under better banners. Soldiers of the Deities of old march the lands, keeping folk safe, traders and Dahinists peddle the strength of the Egarian people on behalf of all Malhara and the stories of the first people of the Desert are told once more and the birthplace of civilisation is remembered.

The Dragon Empire

To the North of Malhara we crafted a people and land based heavily in Asian cultures, borrowing from many but focussing on none. A land of development and progress was created full of invention and creation alongside a deeply spiritual people that carried a mystical link to their own past which guided their future. Led by Divinities that walked the earth,  this was a land of mysteries and traditions, powerful families and a desire for exploration and expansion.

It is a land of rich history, bargains struck long ago between powers from beyond this world and the earliest leaders of this nation. That agreement shaped a future that has led to a struggle between the most villainous and noble parts of our being. An opening into the world that has brought plagues and demons and given physical life to nightmares that have separated the world. To protect the people, secrets and strengths of the Empire are hidden away in distant mountains and isolated monasteries built over remaining places of power. The Empire was fractured and at war with itself and the strength of its throne was brutally enforced through sword, rank and discipline.

Today the stage has been set and walked and the world around the Empire has changed enough to indicate hope for the future. The truth of the contracts between the Dragon of old and the people of now is revealed and the Hells of the enemies of the Emperor are breached. The great families of the Empire are beginning to meet together and rise in support for the new master of The Throne. Masters of Sword and Horse, disciplined Priests and servants of the Chi of the Emperor gather alongside those that bring the wisdom of ages and martial the great Oni of the Wyld to oppose the servants of the Golden Throne of the Hells and the rise of the new evil that they represent.

The Ancestral Lands

To the East of the Dragon Empire and the North of the Low Kingdom a place, purely born from the imagination of the story sprung up. The Ancestral Lands speak of a lush and fertile area that was once the home of the people of the Royal Basin, transformed by magic and inhabited by peoples fleeing another world. We wanted a utopian people who valued life and community above all other things and we settled on the Ancestral Lands and to people it, a species of human that wore the skin of beasts.

The Ancestors flowered with the concepts of spiritual belief and mental aptitudes but were pursued by terrible enemies from the place that they once called home and it was clear that something sinister lurked in their past. Their culture allowed them to visit those that had gone before them to teach them and wander even deeper into the spirit world of their ancestors. Their connection to the past and perceived ability to wander back to the secrets of the world from which they came saw them at war with other nations who sought to steal what they saw as wealth and strength which forced them into isolation and silence.

Today the Ancestrals have been drawn into a greater conflict that the people of Daer Akmir have decided to face together. This was resisted heavily by many of the people and caused divisiveness between a nation that had always been unified. Further incursions by the civilisations around them caused further fractious circumstances and memories of past wars caused anger and resistance to the changes. Huge cat bodied warriors, wolven healers, ratkin beast speakers, Lizard born wanderers in the spirit world and memory and bearish beings who bring the truth from any lips all come together to try and hold onto the unity of their land.

The Drayal Vork

Finally and to the distant North we laid out the Frozen Wasteland of the Drayal Vork, which many call the Frozen North. This was a land that was pitched into the world from the feverishly consumed tales of the Eastern European corners of the world and is all legend and the focus of the absolute terror that those tales can bring. For twenty years the Drayal Vork has been a sprawling wilderness of an eternally blackened, night sky reflected back from the endless icy wastes below it. Tiny settlements, named Spires, stand as bastions of hope for the people and between them the legends of nightmares roam the wastes watching for the unwary.

Witchlike creatures, drawn from European legend, control the territories of the world and are steeped in the wicked power of ancient rituals drawn from another time. These Dralkosh are served by Oracles and Ondrasks who decide who will survive the long winters, who will be given as flesh and bone to the Dralkosh and who will serve to feed the nightmares and keep them from the doors. Somewhere within this fear laden territory the secrets and powers of the first, great evils that rose up to corrupt the Gillieabad and sow the seeds that would grow to destroy the world were sown.

Today the greatest battle for the survival of the people of Daer Akmir and possibly Vaklam is being fought. The Ancient Dralksoh gather together to serve their long unseen masters whilst in the South the free folk of the Coalition have gathered to bring rite and ritual of purity to the land. Here you will find Hex Speakers and Curse Breakers, Monster Hunters, Powerful Ritualists and Monster Making Warlocks, Grimfrost Warriors and Noble Hunters alongside Story Tellers of immense power over the tales that were told in the first days of the North and the heroes that made their home in them.    

Running the Game

In the last two and a half decades we have developed a story in each of these nations and let the players shape them through their actions. These have been deep stories, rich stories and most of all fun and captivating stories. Huge story arcs have been enjoyed and have allowed the world to develop from a swords and stabbing game for experience and wealth to a place where you exist with complete agency over your actions. The fluidity of game between the storytellers and the players that walk the stage is the best it has ever been with all sides taking wonder prompts and nods from the other in unspoken harmony.

Storytelling is an artform in the same way that painting or sculpting is and it is one that has been mastered by many through millenia. The artform of Larping is radically different: Developing a background that is deeply believable and has enough for a player to draw from to be inspired but that allows enough space to let them fill in its blanks through their own ingenuity and creativity as they create their character and then live them is only the first step. Each action that a player takes must have repercussions and these must be woven into the living world that they dwell in, their actions interpreted and reacted to appropriately.

Beyond that the concept that every being, city, family, nation, soldier merchant and endless ribbon of folk that might be affected by that action must also be comprehended and taken into consideration. Then their responses are reported on and those responses in turn considered by the teams that control further people in the world. It’s a big undertaking which has, according to the players, been the core behind why they feel so involved and so much a part of what is happening around them. Actions and consequences are, therefore, a big part of what we put across to people: You have control, you drive the world but be prepared to deal with what that means to the people around you. 

Finally we are not just old hands at larping but also the real world and RoC is run around a philosophy of specific beliefs that purposefully bleed through into the game. Factors like how we treat our environment, each other and ourselves are very apparent in RoC and they can also be found in our extensive codes of conduct and supporting community activity. If you see things like slavery, oppression and the various isms of the world be assured that they are in the hands of your enemy and we expect you to unite against it. We’re a very heroic sort of game and these core values, we think, are very much worth standing up and fighting for. 

Side Effects

Before we move on it should be pointed out that there are side effects of larping in RoC: Firstly you will meet a lot of people and they are usually friendly, patient and accepting, it’s in the code of conduct and everything. Secondly you will be safe here; our tolerance for unkindness and wickedness is non-existent, most of us have been or are going through something and we know that Larping is empowering and important to who you are, roleplaying teaches you that you can be the person you need to be to get through interviews, awkward dinners and strange social events you don’t want to be at. We get that.

Most importantly RoC will try and be there for you outside of the LARP: We run a variety of programs that, whilst they may have a short waiting list, will try and help you through life. Training in various fields like First Aid and Core Skills is on offer, Counselling exists for whatever you are going through, The Discord Servers provide a place for you to be if you need company and we’ll always try and field a face for you if you need it. We have growing numbers of people that are trained in Mental Health First Aid as well who can appear. We’ll even feed you if you need it along with many other aspects of the community that you can come and explore.

Back to the World of Vaklam…

The history of the world and what it has been through is quite, quite huge and is being constantly refreshed for your reading pleasure on the wiki contained within the website. However a more recent sketch, if you are just coming into or returning to the world can be summed up quite easily:

Many nations of Daer Akmir formed into a coalition after a titanic struggle against Strange beings from outside our world during which time the survivors lived high above the ground in a fleet of Dirigibles. This time was called the Shadow War and much of the homelands of the survivors were damaged, changed or conquered during the three year period which came to an end in 2018. The Coalition was formed of the Six Duchies, The Iskarani, The Dragon Empire and the Ancestral Peoples although the Drayal Vork latterly has come under some degree of unity with the people.

The Low Kingdom and some of the Drayal Vork fell under the influence of one of the antagonists and last surviving member of the Shadow War on that front: Countess Essemile of the Untold Duchy. Rhygharea withdrew further from the world under the leadership of the ancient Lycans of the Savage Claw although diplomacy was underway to bring them back to the world. Slowly the Coalition, under the leadership of the Royal Basin’s King Dazak North who was himself the hero of the Fleet and much beloved of all, was coming to a unified peace. Then in early 2020 disaster struck.

The King lived aboard a great dirigible, a flying citadel known as the Grey Keep and it was from here that he sent a delegation to the Drayal Vork to seek answers to the problems that they faced. The following day some unknown occurrence by that delegation caused Dazak and the Countess to face each other in battle, both ancient beings with unfathomable powers at their disposal. Both were slain although Dazak’s body was recovered wounded and returned to the keep he passed soon after and the lands were plunged into devastating mourning.

At his funeral a bizarre and unexplained occurrence saw the Keep disappear and the world around us change. Strange pockets of a different time, place or future began occurring across the Royal Basin and the Magic of the world seemed to have changed. Contact with the other nations of the alliance was lost and the ways to them became impassable and ripples of fear were felt throughout the people. Many famous heroes and beings that stood for the strength and unity of the world have vanished and all that has been left behind is the Rising of Chaos.

People rose to take the Crown, two with prominence: Duke Ian Winter and Duke Edmund Lionsgold. The aristocracy threw their weight behind the Lionsgold whilst the Guilds gave their strength to the Winter. In these tense times plays for power developed and skirmishes heralded the fear of civil war. Finally Ian Winter was murdered by the hands of Lionsgold paid wealth it seemed and the Guilds formed the Golden Council to lead against the Lionsgold. Now both sides are poised for war across the Duchy of the Bitter Vale, once the seat of Dazak’s power. It is to this backdrop that you come into play. 

Beginning in the Royal Basin

At the time of this writing and bar any updates you can only begin your career in the Six Duchies of the Royal Basin. Your background may be from any of the areas of the world BUT that is where you will start your playing time. This will be updated as this season of the story progresses.

Character Creation/Rebuild and Choosing a side.

Whether you are a new character or an old one all you need to do is e-mail us and book in a time to create a character or rebuild one with the members of our team and we’ll get a good background from you and work that into the story. Pick a side! Whether Royalist, Council Sworn or Rogue agent and we’ll feed you any information that you need to get your first game underway.

If you don’t like or can’t do face to face then we can handle an e-mail development for you or maybe even a physical meet up!