Latoph is an enchanted kingdom introduced in The Duke’s Handmaid, a fantasy novel by Caprice Hokstad. Brimming with adventure, chivalry, and passion, Latoph is a place of beauty and justice, but it has its dark side as well. Rivalry, conspiracy, prejudice and enslavement wreak havoc on the otherwise idyllic existence of a dualistic society ruled by the same glorious dynasty for a millennium...
The world of Byntar has twin suns, twin moons, and twin continents, though neither continent knows of the other’s existence. Twins and duality feature prominently in the plot of The Duke’s Handmaid.
What do you get when you cross an elf and a Vulcan? Elva, of course! Well, not exactly, but you get the idea. Itzi are somewhat like the peaceful, hardworking, and isolationist Amish. If we tell you that the name came from “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” song, will you never be able to read it again without laughing?
Latoph is a roughly medieval/renaissance country, though a select few of its industries are quite advanced. Textiles such as fabrics and carpeting rival our modern mass-produced items. Latoph has no electricity or combustion engines, but the people are resourceful and ingenious, using wind and water to turn mills. Their production may be slower, but the quality is always handmade pride.
Weapons include swords, daggers, longbows, and crossbows. Byntar lacks the elements necessary to create gun powder. There are no cannons or muskets, nor will there ever be.
The climate of Latoph is generally similar to California [see map]. Occi receives quite a bit of snowfall, but southern Ny is warm. That is not to say is doesn’t get cold for people who have no concept of central forced-air heat. Coal or woodburning furnaces of cast iron heat the homes of well-off Latophians. Even the poorest of peasants has an earthen woodstove for cooking and heat.
Latophian farmers are skilled in organic methods, replenishing the soils with animal manures and practicing crop rotation. Food is abundant nearly everywhere in Latoph, though this is not true in all of the Twelve Kingdoms.
