Kingdom of Austermeer

The Kingdom of Austermeer is a magical world where the events of the novel Sorcery of Thorns take place.

Description
Austermeer is a vast kingdom with 6 Great Libraries and a countryside with farms, wildflower meadows, and valleys. The inkroads are the most travelled roads in the kingdom because they connect the Great Libraries with the capital. There is also a great forest that cuts accross the kingdom called The Blackwald.

History
In 1510, Baltasar Thorn repelled the Founderlander invasion of 1510 using an army of dead soldiers raised to fight for King Alfred (War of Bones).

In 1672, necromantic magic was classified as a forbidden art as of the Reforms of with exceptions to be used during wartime.

The Great Libraries
The Kingdom has 6 Great Libraries, 5 of them are spaced evenly apart in a circle around the kingdom with the Inkroads connecting them to the capital, and The Great Library of Brassbridge or The Royal Library in the center: The inkroads are used to transport grimoires between libraries and are kept inshape by the Collegium.
 * The Great Library of Summershall
 * The Great Library of Knockfeld
 * The Great Library of Harrows
 * The Great Library of Fairwater
 * The Great Library of Fettering
 * The Great Library of Brassbridge or The Royal Library

The Magisterial Houses of the Kingdom of Austermeer
The most powerful families of sorcerers are part of the Magisterial Houses of the Kingdom and they all descend from the great sorcerers granted the title of "Magister" by King Alfred during the Golden Age of Sorcery, as a reward for their serivece to the crown, this families founded the Magisterium in the early sixteenth century.

Known Magisterial Houses

 * House Ashcroft
 * House Thorn

Trivia

 * Austermeer has its own language called Austermeerish or the Old Tongue.