Post by Teh Donut on Oct 15, 2007 4:42:25 GMT -5
(Remember it?)
((This is a work in progress; the history is just a rough outline, the important people is obviously incomplete, and New places shall be added as they become relevant and important. But please, enjoy.))
:Places:
Map of the Sovereign Kingdom of Darnathir
Darnathir
“It's the governmental heart of the kingdom, and the first city [one] come to as [one] enter the realm. It's massive...It could take a full day to circle around its walls, maybe even a tad longer. Its streets are paved with the whitest of marble, its buildings constructed of the sturdiest of pollished granite and crafted by the country's most skilled masons. Parks and plazas dot it, filled with fountains and flowers, grasses and golden statuettes. The River Orion cuts the city in two, runs underneath the Crystal Palace, then continues on its way to the sea."
The crystal palace sits at the center of the city, surrounded by lavish lawns and marble pathways which then merge with the well-maintained horticultural gardens of the various Governmental buildings that surround it. Beyond those, wide streets extend out in wheel-spoke fashion as the extensive manors of the social elite eventually pan out to the more humble (Bavarian style) homes of the common class.
Beyond the wall lie the various neglected suburbs generally referred to as slums, a place that’s counted as a separate entity entirely by those within the city’s walls.
Darnathir’s military is not generally as impressive as Loum’s, though they are a decent battlefield force. The state’s greatest military asset is its Sky Riders, an elite force of mounted knights and soldiers on flying steeds: Griffons for the common ranks and Pegasi for its commanders as well as knights of distinction. These Riders function as both patrol units and scouts, and are often sent as a first-defense force against invaders, slowing or stopping the enemy until the main body of the army arrives. Though the main army is all male, the Sky Riders often employ women…though no such women come from the actual city itself.
Within the walls of the city, law and custom is the order of the day; though the quality of life is high, any infraction of the Law is strictly enforced, sometimes overly so. Customs are usually traditional, with women usually taking care of the house and men running the business. Outside the walls, Law and order are more loosely kept, and several crimes go unpunished. However, the quality of life, though unsatisfactory by most means, is not extremely deplorable, except in the areas by the river, where criminals run rampant.
Loum:
The Kingdom’s northernmost fortified settlement as well as its military juggernaut. Loum is the Kingdom’s first defense against any northern invasion by the barbarian hordes of the Northern Wildlands. It is home to Dragon Knights, the Kingdom’s elite group of powerful flying legions, and the Steel Legions, the state’s highly trained, armored, and disciplined soldiers. It is ruled by House Erikksonn, historically the most loyal of the royal Houses.
The city itself lies within thick double-ring, iron-clad walls and gates of solid steel, garrisoned ‘round the clock by members of it’s extensive guard. The country’s main center of metal-mining and smithing, much of the air is tainted with the ash and grime of its many underground forges, which have the positive added effect of providing the surface-dwellers an adequate amount of heat, even in the dead of winter, at the cost of making the underground forging areas “hotter than Hell’s Gates”. Most people live in an impoverished and grimy, though content, existence. The main keep lies within dual steel walls at the center of the city, in the middle of which the Iron Citadel, though not impressively tall, towers above the other relatively low-lying buildings of the city, its halls and rooms decorated of the skins and furs of the beasts of its lands, both for show and to insulate against the cold metal.
Rules and customs are usually patriarchal and militaristic in nature; magic is shunned, most major crimes are judged in “an eye for an eye” manner, and women are generally held at a lower social standard and unfit for the more manly tasks of forging (although almost half of all smithies are women) and the soldiery (which is strictly enforced by death. As in all societies, though rare, there are exceptions to this rule.
Stonebreach ((and Pass)):
Built with stone walls so thick and tough it is said to have withstood a week-long catapult barrage without so much as losing a pebble from its parapet, Stonebreach is the southernmost fortified point in the Loum Imperium, as well as Darnathir’s last solid line of defense against a northern invasion. Though the fortress is really nothing more than two superbly-thick stone walls spanned across the mountain pass for which it is named, it is and has been since its creation the Kingdom’s symbol of strength, steadfastness, determination, and solid military competency; as such, many common sayings have been attributed to its name. Having never fallen to a single siege/invasion force since its creation, it has become the pride of the nation; “there is no place safer.”
The “fort” usually just acts as a trading post and inspection station for goods and people both entering and exiting the Imperium; though outlawed many decades ago, when House Erikksonn seized control of power in the Imperium, a small trade of slaves does still exist, though not nearly as extensive in size or as far-reaching into society as in Medst. Because of this trade, the transport of persons is strictly forbidden, and heavily enforced by the guards at both its north and south gates. There is no true ruler here; the entirety of the post, its needs and functions, is governed solely by the companies of Steel Legions assigned there, and the orders of their commander.
Medst:
The Kingdom’s “City of Coin” and economic trade center, it is also the coastal settlement with the largest and busiest port. Though it boasts no extensive standing army and mostly relies upon the small unit of Sky Riders stationed to its immediate north for most defensive purposes, it boasts a large, well-maintained volunteer militia. Though its position on the coast, close to the Wildlands and on top of a cliff, makes it seem like a horrible spot for a center of trade, but three things contributed to its rise: it’s the alternate position from which to defend from the Hordes of the North, it’s equidistant from all three other major cities, and the fortifications at Caus Tower provide it insurance against foreign sea-faring invasion. Ruled by a duly elected Magistrate, who serves for a term of one generation (placed at approximately 20 years) or until death, whichever comes first.
Medst is interesting in that it is a port city, yet it lies on a high cliff. Also, the entirety of the Merchant Quarter (oft referred to as “the Merchant Half” by some more cynical citizens) extends off the edge of the cliff, supported by stone and/or wooden columns that extend down from the buildings into the water, as well as a system of elevated platforms, walkways, and ramps that wind down to the docks. The other half of the city is filled with bankers, moneychangers, coin-presses, jewel smiths and the like, alchemists and physicians, and, most prominently, the slums filled with the destitute (who tried, and failed, in their hand at business), criminals (who leech off the less secure of the merchants, or the more careless of the poor), the beggars (who leech off the spoils of the more successful criminals), and the prostitutes (who leech off everybody). The centerpiece of the city, aside from the extensively lavish mansion of the Magistrate, is its Grand Coliseum, the main form of entertainment, whose annual Gauntlet contest draws crowds of both spectators and contestants to its halls.
Money talks in Medst; it matters not the race or sex, as long as the coin is real. Anyone, regardless of sex, race, religious or sexual preferences, can carry a job and earn a living without any sort of social retribution; as a matter of fact, diversity in the workforce is encouraged. The downfall to being a City of Coin is also the more degradory term “The City of Sin”. As much as the workers, merchants, and aristocrats detest the name, they do nothing to change the state of matters: crime is mostly unchecked outside the Merchant Quarter, the pursuit of pleasure outweighs most anything else besides the pursuit of riches, and Medst is the only State that still legally practices and openly endorses the slave trade.
Eryif:
The Kingdom’s center of knowledge and culture, Eryif is a city of canals and waterways that lie at the delta of the River Orion. Eryif is the only major city-state of the four to not have a surrounding curtain wall for protection, relying upon the difficult navigability of its extensive canals to slow any enemy invasion and allow its famous archers to rain death from the rooftops. Against seafaring enemies, the mighty seaside citadel, Castle Eryif, stands in white-washed stone out from the very spot where the mouth of the river kisses the cheek of the ocean. Though the Public Library of the City of Eryif in itself has such an impressive collection of works that no mere human could begin to scratch the surface of what was contained within (even if he read for a lifetime), the Great Annals of Knowledge, Time, and History, compiled and kept safe within the walls of Castle Eryif, contain the entire sum of the written works (and sometimes unwritten works) of recorded history of [the planet] Deva Geis, up to the very first work ever set from ink to paper.
Eryif has no real standing army, but rather a volunteer force of “Sentries”, each known for their deadly aim with their weapon of choice, the bow. The city is governed by a Council of Elders, whose chambers lie within the walls of Castle Eryif. Of the four cities, only this one openly embraces the practice of magic without much restriction, and is the only one to employ a magical teleportation system as a means of getting within both the citadel and the Annals, as well as a general system of travel throughout the city itself. Also, among the four, Eryif has the highest concentration and number of non-human races living amongst its masses, the most common being Elven.
Manuhil:
A rather sizable city “secluded” within the forest, it is the ancestral home of most of Darnathir’s elf population. Though it’s placement as a favorable trade-route stop has long since removed it from seclusion and isolation, many people still only notice the trade settlement that has been built on the ground over the years, completely missing the more extensive and elaborate tree-dwellings of the native elves above their very heads.
The Iron Citadel:
A large abandoned castle fortress that used to guard the western entrance into the Kingdom, as well as serving for the capital of the fifth City-State. After the cataclysm that caused the fifth state to basically eat-away at itself and die, turning such a huge swath of land into barren wasteland, the members of the citadel suffered the same fate as the land around them, eventually withering away, finally dying altogether. Rumors abound afterwards that an odd sort moved in and has begun using the citadel as a base of some kind. Such sayings are just rumors.
Calmor’s Garrison:
The Kingdom’s official westernmost point and home base for the Sky Riders, who conduct patrols along and beyond the border. Nothing more than a barracks and stables surrounded by a large farming community, it is also the point through which all foreign east-bound travelers usually pass.
Calbas Quarry:
Named after the mountain range in which it resides, it is an old abandoned iron mine that has long been voided of its purpose since its mineral resources ran out, though stone is still mined for construction uses. Ever since the closing of the mine, groups of dwarves have taken up residence, transforming much of the barren and useless sections into the habitable dwellings for which their race is known.
Calbas Mountains:
Named in honor of the famed hunter/explorer Josef Calbas, who traversed and mapped the entirety of the mountain range in his pursuit of the legendary dragon aeromancer Jal Garnok.
Crausi Mountains:
Named after the celebrated military commander Caus Crausi, who braved the dangers of the North in his effort to map them. Unfortunately, after a long and celebrated military career, he died of pneumonia just short of realizing his goal, though the progress he did make was welcomed.
Caus Tower:
A towering military fortification built on a cliff that is Medst’s first defense point against a naval attack. It is said that the tower was built on the very spot where Caus stood during a battle in which his small naval militia force was simultaneously attacked on land by a barbarian raid and by sea from a foreign armada while in the middle of docking for the night. Not only did his marines repulse both attackers, they did it with only a single loss: a horse that had been shot out from under a rider with a ship’s stray arbalest shot.
Wastelands:
An area of dry, desolate, arid land that has been corrupted beyond nature’s repair. Though the spread of the wasteland’s area has long since stopped, its effects are also irrevocable, leaving behind a permanent artificial desert of sorts. Since vegetation is scarce, if non-existent, all beasts here are carnivorous.
The Northern Wildlands:
A desolate place of perpetual winter, devoid of most forms of vegetation: only the most resilient of species can survive. It is said that if the cold does kill a person, then the lawless bandits, uncivilized barbarian beasts, and uncontrollable monster hordes will.
:People:
King Desmund Garvin and Queen Isobella Gan:
Sovereign King and Queen of the Kingdom of Darnathir. Though only human in their vices, virtues, and judgements, they genuinely care for the well being of the country, and the public is generally agreeable to their rule, especially after the last couple ones...
:A Brief History…:
The Unity of the Nine States was officially formed 735 years ago in the 742 year of the Era of Humanity (henceforth referred to as “EH”), and was originally nothing more than a military and trade pact by which each of the nine small independent city-states would support one another in times of war, and strengthen each other in times of peace. The region at this time was mostly wild and untamed, the land divided into many such city-states each looking for a chance to rise to the power and prestige that several foreign nations, both across the continent and across the ocean, and already attained. Fighting between factions was not the exception to foreign policy, but the rule; the agreement was nothing more than insurance for survival. Though the nine still fought with outside forces, their resources were not so much wasted against each other; over many decades, the Unity rose above the other city-states, and began to see itself as a single entity.
Then, in EH 783, just when rumors began to spread across the countryside of a true unification and becoming one country, several states, confident in their abilities and discontent with forming a unified republic and more in favor of a kingdom, split off and instigated what became known as “The First Dragon War”, so named after the state emblems of the leading forces on both sides, in the hopes of bringing all ten states under one kingdom. The war lasted half a decade, fueled by the ambitions of the rebel leaders and fanned by the constant state of war outside the Unity’s borders. The end of the war came when one of the two factions had finally been crushed, and the victorious rebel states were ready to form their single kingdom.
But there was still no peace; there was constant squabbling as to which of the four would rule this new kingdom: the Sovereign Republic of Darnathir, The Medst Magistrate, the Holy Unity of Eryif, or the Loum Imperium. After several years, a consensus was made: a new city-state would be created that would rule the other four, and the ruler being the leader of the state which had led the rebellion. Thus, the Iron Citadel was constructed, and the ruling family of Darnathir of the time, House Leif, moved to the new state (Saabel-Deus) to rule, leaving their distant relatives, House Gan, to look over Darnathir. A long peace had finally come, and was welcomed by all.
The Unified Kingdon of Saabel-Deus lasted for several hundred years and a general peace, only briefly interrupted here and there by the occasional attempted ‘Barbarian’ raid or foreign invasion. However, the peace was not meant to last; in EH 1117, also known as “The Year the Devil Roamed the Earth”, the ruling family called to arms all able-bodied men to form a great army “for the purpose of exterminating the plague to existence known as Dragons.” To this day, nobody knows for what reason, but such an army was formed, and the mighty enchanted sword, the Dragon Slayer, was forged and created. (Oddly enough, the size and enchanted powers of the sword are such that it is more powerful in the “hands” of a dragon)
Though the “Second Dragon War” lasted but a few brief weeks, its repercussions were lasting; hundreds of thousands of men lost their loves, and though dragons of all colors banded together for the very survival of their species, so many of their number were slain that their race was pushed to the edge of extinction on the continent. Of this carnage, it is said, is how the Sanguimarin Plains acquired its namesake; so thick was the blood on the land, that it painted the grasses a sea of red, eternally tainting the plants with a reddish hue.
Just as suddenly as the war began, it ended; around the world, rolling black clouds formed until they swirled above the Iron Citadel, and from their joining point a bolt of white lightning crashed into the fortress contaminating it, its inhabitants, and all the land around it with such a powerful blast of arcane energy so as to neutralize the nutrients of the soil, killing the plants, while the people who lived there were instantly vaporized from the inside-out, their mortal bodies unable to contain the vast amounts of pure power injected into them by the angry gods. Across the globe, silvery streaks of light fell from the clouds like rain, and where they fell, a soft steam rose. Such weather continued for several days as rivers were visibly reshaped, mountains raised and lowered, valleys carved and filled. Some of the people who came in contact with the rain even fell motionless and lifeless in the streets, while most others walked around like it were nothing more than water.
Such was called the Great Cataclysm, and it redefined the world. Leaderless, the crusade against dragons fell apart, as did the “unified kingdom” that had been formed. As such, the four states, unable to come to a compromise, fell to the level of Civil War, which lasted for a couple decades. Finally, in the year AC (After Cataclysm) 26 and after both Medst and Eryif had fallen to the Armies of Darnathir and with both sides sick of constant warfare, Loum finally surrendered the stalemate at Stonebreach, thereby making House Gan (whose emblem is, funny enough, a dragon) the ruling family of the four states. Intent on continuing the system that had worked for so many years before the Cataclysm, a monarchy was once again established, and the Sovereign Kingdom of Darnathir had risen at long last.
Peace prevailed for centuries, minus the usual barbarian raid every now and again, until five years ago, AC 355. At that time the only sons of both Loum and Darnathir, after being spotted together on several occasions, suddenly vanished, both sides suspecting foul play of the other. Over those five years, the Kingdom slowly slipped into a state of confusion bordering on yet another civil war, the situation only made worse by the sudden sickness, and consequent suspicion of poisoning, of the entire Royal Family, and a pandemic rise in monster sightings and attacks…
((This is a work in progress; the history is just a rough outline, the important people is obviously incomplete, and New places shall be added as they become relevant and important. But please, enjoy.))
:Places:
Map of the Sovereign Kingdom of Darnathir
Darnathir
“It's the governmental heart of the kingdom, and the first city [one] come
The crystal palace sits at the center of the city, surrounded by lavish lawns and marble pathways which then merge with the well-maintained horticultural gardens of the various Governmental buildings that surround it. Beyond those, wide streets extend out in wheel-spoke fashion as the extensive manors of the social elite eventually pan out to the more humble (Bavarian style) homes of the common class.
Beyond the wall lie the various neglected suburbs generally referred to as slums, a place that’s counted as a separate entity entirely by those within the city’s walls.
Darnathir’s military is not generally as impressive as Loum’s, though they are a decent battlefield force. The state’s greatest military asset is its Sky Riders, an elite force of mounted knights and soldiers on flying steeds: Griffons for the common ranks and Pegasi for its commanders as well as knights of distinction. These Riders function as both patrol units and scouts, and are often sent as a first-defense force against invaders, slowing or stopping the enemy until the main body of the army arrives. Though the main army is all male, the Sky Riders often employ women…though no such women come from the actual city itself.
Within the walls of the city, law and custom is the order of the day; though the quality of life is high, any infraction of the Law is strictly enforced, sometimes overly so. Customs are usually traditional, with women usually taking care of the house and men running the business. Outside the walls, Law and order are more loosely kept, and several crimes go unpunished. However, the quality of life, though unsatisfactory by most means, is not extremely deplorable, except in the areas by the river, where criminals run rampant.
Loum:
The Kingdom’s northernmost fortified settlement as well as its military juggernaut. Loum is the Kingdom’s first defense against any northern invasion by the barbarian hordes of the Northern Wildlands. It is home to Dragon Knights, the Kingdom’s elite group of powerful flying legions, and the Steel Legions, the state’s highly trained, armored, and disciplined soldiers. It is ruled by House Erikksonn, historically the most loyal of the royal Houses.
The city itself lies within thick double-ring, iron-clad walls and gates of solid steel, garrisoned ‘round the clock by members of it’s extensive guard. The country’s main center of metal-mining and smithing, much of the air is tainted with the ash and grime of its many underground forges, which have the positive added effect of providing the surface-dwellers an adequate amount of heat, even in the dead of winter, at the cost of making the underground forging areas “hotter than Hell’s Gates”. Most people live in an impoverished and grimy, though content, existence. The main keep lies within dual steel walls at the center of the city, in the middle of which the Iron Citadel, though not impressively tall, towers above the other relatively low-lying buildings of the city, its halls and rooms decorated of the skins and furs of the beasts of its lands, both for show and to insulate against the cold metal.
Rules and customs are usually patriarchal and militaristic in nature; magic is shunned, most major crimes are judged in “an eye for an eye” manner, and women are generally held at a lower social standard and unfit for the more manly tasks of forging (although almost half of all smithies are women) and the soldiery (which is strictly enforced by death. As in all societies, though rare, there are exceptions to this rule.
Stonebreach ((and Pass)):
Built with stone walls so thick and tough it is said to have withstood a week-long catapult barrage without so much as losing a pebble from its parapet, Stonebreach is the southernmost fortified point in the Loum Imperium, as well as Darnathir’s last solid line of defense against a northern invasion. Though the fortress is really nothing more than two superbly-thick stone walls spanned across the mountain pass for which it is named, it is and has been since its creation the Kingdom’s symbol of strength, steadfastness, determination, and solid military competency; as such, many common sayings have been attributed to its name. Having never fallen to a single siege/invasion force since its creation, it has become the pride of the nation; “there is no place safer.”
The “fort” usually just acts as a trading post and inspection station for goods and people both entering and exiting the Imperium; though outlawed many decades ago, when House Erikksonn seized control of power in the Imperium, a small trade of slaves does still exist, though not nearly as extensive in size or as far-reaching into society as in Medst. Because of this trade, the transport of persons is strictly forbidden, and heavily enforced by the guards at both its north and south gates. There is no true ruler here; the entirety of the post, its needs and functions, is governed solely by the companies of Steel Legions assigned there, and the orders of their commander.
Medst:
The Kingdom’s “City of Coin” and economic trade center, it is also the coastal settlement with the largest and busiest port. Though it boasts no extensive standing army and mostly relies upon the small unit of Sky Riders stationed to its immediate north for most defensive purposes, it boasts a large, well-maintained volunteer militia. Though its position on the coast, close to the Wildlands and on top of a cliff, makes it seem like a horrible spot for a center of trade, but three things contributed to its rise: it’s the alternate position from which to defend from the Hordes of the North, it’s equidistant from all three other major cities, and the fortifications at Caus Tower provide it insurance against foreign sea-faring invasion. Ruled by a duly elected Magistrate, who serves for a term of one generation (placed at approximately 20 years) or until death, whichever comes first.
Medst is interesting in that it is a port city, yet it lies on a high cliff. Also, the entirety of the Merchant Quarter (oft referred to as “the Merchant Half” by some more cynical citizens) extends off the edge of the cliff, supported by stone and/or wooden columns that extend down from the buildings into the water, as well as a system of elevated platforms, walkways, and ramps that wind down to the docks. The other half of the city is filled with bankers, moneychangers, coin-presses, jewel smiths and the like, alchemists and physicians, and, most prominently, the slums filled with the destitute (who tried, and failed, in their hand at business), criminals (who leech off the less secure of the merchants, or the more careless of the poor), the beggars (who leech off the spoils of the more successful criminals), and the prostitutes (who leech off everybody). The centerpiece of the city, aside from the extensively lavish mansion of the Magistrate, is its Grand Coliseum, the main form of entertainment, whose annual Gauntlet contest draws crowds of both spectators and contestants to its halls.
Money talks in Medst; it matters not the race or sex, as long as the coin is real. Anyone, regardless of sex, race, religious or sexual preferences, can carry a job and earn a living without any sort of social retribution; as a matter of fact, diversity in the workforce is encouraged. The downfall to being a City of Coin is also the more degradory term “The City of Sin”. As much as the workers, merchants, and aristocrats detest the name, they do nothing to change the state of matters: crime is mostly unchecked outside the Merchant Quarter, the pursuit of pleasure outweighs most anything else besides the pursuit of riches, and Medst is the only State that still legally practices and openly endorses the slave trade.
Eryif:
The Kingdom’s center of knowledge and culture, Eryif is a city of canals and waterways that lie at the delta of the River Orion. Eryif is the only major city-state of the four to not have a surrounding curtain wall for protection, relying upon the difficult navigability of its extensive canals to slow any enemy invasion and allow its famous archers to rain death from the rooftops. Against seafaring enemies, the mighty seaside citadel, Castle Eryif, stands in white-washed stone out from the very spot where the mouth of the river kisses the cheek of the ocean. Though the Public Library of the City of Eryif in itself has such an impressive collection of works that no mere human could begin to scratch the surface of what was contained within (even if he read for a lifetime), the Great Annals of Knowledge, Time, and History, compiled and kept safe within the walls of Castle Eryif, contain the entire sum of the written works (and sometimes unwritten works) of recorded history of [the planet] Deva Geis, up to the very first work ever set from ink to paper.
Eryif has no real standing army, but rather a volunteer force of “Sentries”, each known for their deadly aim with their weapon of choice, the bow. The city is governed by a Council of Elders, whose chambers lie within the walls of Castle Eryif. Of the four cities, only this one openly embraces the practice of magic without much restriction, and is the only one to employ a magical teleportation system as a means of getting within both the citadel and the Annals, as well as a general system of travel throughout the city itself. Also, among the four, Eryif has the highest concentration and number of non-human races living amongst its masses, the most common being Elven.
Manuhil:
A rather sizable city “secluded” within the forest, it is the ancestral home of most of Darnathir’s elf population. Though it’s placement as a favorable trade-route stop has long since removed it from seclusion and isolation, many people still only notice the trade settlement that has been built on the ground over the years, completely missing the more extensive and elaborate tree-dwellings of the native elves above their very heads.
The Iron Citadel:
A large abandoned castle fortress that used to guard the western entrance into the Kingdom, as well as serving for the capital of the fifth City-State. After the cataclysm that caused the fifth state to basically eat-away at itself and die, turning such a huge swath of land into barren wasteland, the members of the citadel suffered the same fate as the land around them, eventually withering away, finally dying altogether. Rumors abound afterwards that an odd sort moved in and has begun using the citadel as a base of some kind. Such sayings are just rumors.
Calmor’s Garrison:
The Kingdom’s official westernmost point and home base for the Sky Riders, who conduct patrols along and beyond the border. Nothing more than a barracks and stables surrounded by a large farming community, it is also the point through which all foreign east-bound travelers usually pass.
Calbas Quarry:
Named after the mountain range in which it resides, it is an old abandoned iron mine that has long been voided of its purpose since its mineral resources ran out, though stone is still mined for construction uses. Ever since the closing of the mine, groups of dwarves have taken up residence, transforming much of the barren and useless sections into the habitable dwellings for which their race is known.
Calbas Mountains:
Named in honor of the famed hunter/explorer Josef Calbas, who traversed and mapped the entirety of the mountain range in his pursuit of the legendary dragon aeromancer Jal Garnok.
Crausi Mountains:
Named after the celebrated military commander Caus Crausi, who braved the dangers of the North in his effort to map them. Unfortunately, after a long and celebrated military career, he died of pneumonia just short of realizing his goal, though the progress he did make was welcomed.
Caus Tower:
A towering military fortification built on a cliff that is Medst’s first defense point against a naval attack. It is said that the tower was built on the very spot where Caus stood during a battle in which his small naval militia force was simultaneously attacked on land by a barbarian raid and by sea from a foreign armada while in the middle of docking for the night. Not only did his marines repulse both attackers, they did it with only a single loss: a horse that had been shot out from under a rider with a ship’s stray arbalest shot.
Wastelands:
An area of dry, desolate, arid land that has been corrupted beyond nature’s repair. Though the spread of the wasteland’s area has long since stopped, its effects are also irrevocable, leaving behind a permanent artificial desert of sorts. Since vegetation is scarce, if non-existent, all beasts here are carnivorous.
The Northern Wildlands:
A desolate place of perpetual winter, devoid of most forms of vegetation: only the most resilient of species can survive. It is said that if the cold does kill a person, then the lawless bandits, uncivilized barbarian beasts, and uncontrollable monster hordes will.
:People:
King Desmund Garvin and Queen Isobella Gan:
Sovereign King and Queen of the Kingdom of Darnathir. Though only human in their vices, virtues, and judgements, they genuinely care for the well being of the country, and the public is generally agreeable to their rule, especially after the last couple ones...
:A Brief History…:
The Unity of the Nine States was officially formed 735 years ago in the 742 year of the Era of Humanity (henceforth referred to as “EH”), and was originally nothing more than a military and trade pact by which each of the nine small independent city-states would support one another in times of war, and strengthen each other in times of peace. The region at this time was mostly wild and untamed, the land divided into many such city-states each looking for a chance to rise to the power and prestige that several foreign nations, both across the continent and across the ocean, and already attained. Fighting between factions was not the exception to foreign policy, but the rule; the agreement was nothing more than insurance for survival. Though the nine still fought with outside forces, their resources were not so much wasted against each other; over many decades, the Unity rose above the other city-states, and began to see itself as a single entity.
Then, in EH 783, just when rumors began to spread across the countryside of a true unification and becoming one country, several states, confident in their abilities and discontent with forming a unified republic and more in favor of a kingdom, split off and instigated what became known as “The First Dragon War”, so named after the state emblems of the leading forces on both sides, in the hopes of bringing all ten states under one kingdom. The war lasted half a decade, fueled by the ambitions of the rebel leaders and fanned by the constant state of war outside the Unity’s borders. The end of the war came when one of the two factions had finally been crushed, and the victorious rebel states were ready to form their single kingdom.
But there was still no peace; there was constant squabbling as to which of the four would rule this new kingdom: the Sovereign Republic of Darnathir, The Medst Magistrate, the Holy Unity of Eryif, or the Loum Imperium. After several years, a consensus was made: a new city-state would be created that would rule the other four, and the ruler being the leader of the state which had led the rebellion. Thus, the Iron Citadel was constructed, and the ruling family of Darnathir of the time, House Leif, moved to the new state (Saabel-Deus) to rule, leaving their distant relatives, House Gan, to look over Darnathir. A long peace had finally come, and was welcomed by all.
The Unified Kingdon of Saabel-Deus lasted for several hundred years and a general peace, only briefly interrupted here and there by the occasional attempted ‘Barbarian’ raid or foreign invasion. However, the peace was not meant to last; in EH 1117, also known as “The Year the Devil Roamed the Earth”, the ruling family called to arms all able-bodied men to form a great army “for the purpose of exterminating the plague to existence known as Dragons.” To this day, nobody knows for what reason, but such an army was formed, and the mighty enchanted sword, the Dragon Slayer, was forged and created. (Oddly enough, the size and enchanted powers of the sword are such that it is more powerful in the “hands” of a dragon)
Though the “Second Dragon War” lasted but a few brief weeks, its repercussions were lasting; hundreds of thousands of men lost their loves, and though dragons of all colors banded together for the very survival of their species, so many of their number were slain that their race was pushed to the edge of extinction on the continent. Of this carnage, it is said, is how the Sanguimarin Plains acquired its namesake; so thick was the blood on the land, that it painted the grasses a sea of red, eternally tainting the plants with a reddish hue.
Just as suddenly as the war began, it ended; around the world, rolling black clouds formed until they swirled above the Iron Citadel, and from their joining point a bolt of white lightning crashed into the fortress contaminating it, its inhabitants, and all the land around it with such a powerful blast of arcane energy so as to neutralize the nutrients of the soil, killing the plants, while the people who lived there were instantly vaporized from the inside-out, their mortal bodies unable to contain the vast amounts of pure power injected into them by the angry gods. Across the globe, silvery streaks of light fell from the clouds like rain, and where they fell, a soft steam rose. Such weather continued for several days as rivers were visibly reshaped, mountains raised and lowered, valleys carved and filled. Some of the people who came in contact with the rain even fell motionless and lifeless in the streets, while most others walked around like it were nothing more than water.
Such was called the Great Cataclysm, and it redefined the world. Leaderless, the crusade against dragons fell apart, as did the “unified kingdom” that had been formed. As such, the four states, unable to come to a compromise, fell to the level of Civil War, which lasted for a couple decades. Finally, in the year AC (After Cataclysm) 26 and after both Medst and Eryif had fallen to the Armies of Darnathir and with both sides sick of constant warfare, Loum finally surrendered the stalemate at Stonebreach, thereby making House Gan (whose emblem is, funny enough, a dragon) the ruling family of the four states. Intent on continuing the system that had worked for so many years before the Cataclysm, a monarchy was once again established, and the Sovereign Kingdom of Darnathir had risen at long last.
Peace prevailed for centuries, minus the usual barbarian raid every now and again, until five years ago, AC 355. At that time the only sons of both Loum and Darnathir, after being spotted together on several occasions, suddenly vanished, both sides suspecting foul play of the other. Over those five years, the Kingdom slowly slipped into a state of confusion bordering on yet another civil war, the situation only made worse by the sudden sickness, and consequent suspicion of poisoning, of the entire Royal Family, and a pandemic rise in monster sightings and attacks…