“No government survived the Sovereign Sickness. What replaced it turned out to work. Nobody is more surprised than the people who live there.”

Overview

In the 7th Era, a disease called the Sovereign Sickness killed every ruler, regent, council member, and anyone who had ever held formal political authority. What remained was horizontal organization by necessity that became horizontal organization by preference.

Peth has no government. It has the River Confederacy, the Herbalist Tradition, and the understanding that if you need something done, you coordinate with whoever needs the same thing done. The Primal 9 magic tradition is entirely unstructured — practitioners share knowledge freely and teach anyone who asks.

Peoples & Ancestries

Dominant Ancestries
  • Human (majority)
  • Halfling (large communities, thriving in decentralized structure)
  • Gnome (significant, Primal-oriented communities)
  • Leshy (native, deeply integrated with Primal tradition)
  • Catfolk (nomadic communities following seasonal patterns)
People Classification

Grounders. Void Walkers use Peth as a waystation and are culturally welcomed. Very limited Skylord and Spacer presence — both peoples find the lack of formal authority structures professionally confusing.

World Stats

Primal
9
Ki
5
Occult
4
Alchemy
4
Kinesis
3
Enchantments
3
Divine
2
Arcane
2
Psionics
2
Technology
2
Economy
5
Military
3
Population
6

Factions

River Confederacy

A loose network of river-valley communities that coordinate on water management, trade routes, and mutual defense. Not a government. A coordination mechanism. They specifically avoid making laws.

Herbalist Tradition

The primary medical and alchemical tradition of Peth. They train practitioners, maintain stores, and coordinate responses to disease and disaster. The closest thing to an institution Peth has. They have never claimed any authority except expertise.

Memory Keepers

A faction that maintains oral and written history of the Sovereign Sickness and its aftermath. Their goal is to ensure no one forgets what centralized power did to Peth. They teach history with a purpose.

Offworld Traders

A coalition of traders who manage Peth's off-world economic relationships. They operate as individuals coordinating rather than as an organization, which confuses off-world trading partners significantly.