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Lucca-Vendramel — The Landes and Seas of Altoria
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Published: 2022-07-01 01:46:46 +0000 UTC; Views: 7657; Favourites: 34; Downloads: 5
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Description
Land of The Veil: A parliamentary monarchy existing in the northern regions of Altoria, to the North Veil, where snow and cold are all that exist, and the most predominent people are half-giants (although many different species inhabit it). Differently from its southern twin, the South Veil, the North Veil possesses a fully functioning government and was a major power throughout much of history. Now weaker than before the God War, it was a valuable ally to the Auremia Republic during the Royal Cold War. Its monarchic position of “High Lord” has been severely cut down in power, with most of the actions of the government being taken by the Chancellor and the royal senate.
Auremia Republic: A democracy born out of a fallen kingdom, the Auremia Republic was formed 300 years ago, 700 years after the Lord of The Veil was defeated in the God War. It formed when a coup executed by the military and the queen’s advisor took down its monarchy. It was previously known as the Kingdom of Orra. The senate of the republic is now formed by the, as they are popularly called, Lords of the Boards. Each Lord is responsible for one area of the country’s management. One of them for education, another for research, another for economy, and so on. Sometimes, more than one Lord is needed for one area. The Lords of the Boards are responsible for proposing, debating, voting for, and putting into effect the sanctions debated. The ones responsible for the branch dedicated for the voted sanction would be responsible for executing it. A sanction is always decided through the majority vote of all the Lords, and it can only be proposed by one of them. The lords are voted into office by the population every 6 years, with a max term of 12 years. It is said that some of the Lords have tight relationships to Muskox barons, which influences elections. The republic, ever since it was a kingdom, was known for its diverse population. Queen Ramira The Kind, last queen to rule Auremia, and her predecessors all promoted policies of racial diversity and peace in their country, so their populus was very miscegenated and diversified. This has carried on to the Republican Period. The republic was also very receptive to magic, with its nation being the one responsible for creating the Republican Court of Wizards, Mages and Other Magic Practitioners - “Court of Wizards”, for short. For this reason, it is not as technologically advanced as its rival, the Cirilian Empire, but it compensates for that through the exacerbated use of magic and constant support of the Court of Wizards. Much of its population is composed of humans, elves and half-elves, mixed with a large variety of other species.
Cirilian Empire: The Cirilian Empire, or just Cirilia, is a parliamentary monarchy situated in the fantasy world of Altoria. Founded 1,500 years ago by a man named Wilford Cirilia and originally one of the members of the Triumvirate of Kings during the God War, it is one of the major ruling kingdoms, and the most technologically advanced. Its current king, Pernician III, after losing his son to a magical curse, banished any and all arcane art from the Empire's territories as revenge against wizards. Those who were not exiled or fled suffered terrible fates. To this day, persecution and brutal punishments exist for the use of magic, with the Inquisition's secret police always on the lookout for signs of arcane arts. Despite having a parliament, the king has complete control over the government, the parliament functioning as at most advisers to an autocrat of unlimited power. It has no power, despite the fact that he was born out of a revolt with the monarchy 40 years ago. Some parliamentarians were allegedly aiming for another uprising to establish the power of parliament as a means of regulating the monarch's freedom. Today, many of the other nations of the world regard the country as a brutal dictatorship and its king as a despot. Over the years, incredible technologies have been invented to replace reliance on magic, such as rudimentary engines, balloons, and muskets powered by Arcanitite powder. The empire currently has a strictly anti-magic culture thanks to the king's campaign against arcane arts, but his people have always been very nationalistic, having flags in their homes and seeing military service to the kingdom as an honor for all young people. Its founder Wilford Cirilia is lauded almost as a saint, and everyone must, by law, have a portrait of Wilford and a portrait of the current king hanging in their homes, schools, and workplaces. There is a church dedicated to Wilford, based on his Values: Texts taken from his diary written during the process of building the capital of Cirilia and the early years of the Empire. These texts, now radically edited and censored, govern many of the ideals of the people of Cirilia. There is much debate among Cirilia's subjects as to the legitimacy of parliament, considering that in Wilford's writings, he proclaimed the king's authority as inherently given by the gods. Its population is mostly made up of humans, with Orcs, Trolls and Goblins working in the mines. Many of them are considered second-class citizens by the population and are discriminated against for their arcane mythological origins. Many of these other races often migrate to other regions, particularly their rival, the Republic of Auremia, to escape discrimination. Engaging in multiple turf wars throughout the rule of Pernician II and consequently of Pernician III, the Republic of Auremia and the Lords of Boards that rule it have a certain rivalry with the empire, also considering their radically different policies such as the extensive use of magic (being the center of the Mages Court in Altoria), and its diversity as to the multiple races living within it. Often, the two nations find themselves at impasses that lead to treaties, with Auremia's magic and Cirilia's technology having comparable levels of warlike power. Its symbol is Wilford's eagle, the former founder's pet and war companion. The blue of the flag represents your people's loyalty to the King and Values, and the red represents its courage.
States of Junesia: A millennial confederacy of city-states to the south of Auremia, the States of Junesia are one of the oldest surviving societies in Altoria. Its traditions are very important to their people, but they are considerably more open and less dogmatic than the South Veil Tribes. They have managed to stay a reasonably strong nation over the millennia due to their adaptive nature, always devising new strategies and adopting new technologies, all the while maintaining their core values of tradition, family and strength. Old users of magic, they developed many of the techniques that were used and adapted by the ancestors of what would become the Auremian magic users. So much so, that it is a regular part of their culture to use magic for menial things. Different from the dogmatic view of the Auremian magic practitioners. Their native population is composed of catfolk, commonly called Junesians. They have some other species living among them, but it is somewhat rare to see many of them in one place.
South Veil Tribes: Another semi-anarchic region, the South Veil is composed of ancient tribes who thrive on the cold of the south. However, it is a lot more composed of frost giants than its northern twin, which has a large half-giant population. A much more traditionalist society, the South Veil Tribes rarely trade with foreign lands, being very isolationist. Particularly spectacular in the art of war due to many centuries of having its own self-contained conflicts, the South Veil Tribes have defended themselves from all possible foreign invaders over the years. Having achieved a reasonable level of coordination and organization, whenever a dangerous enemy tries to take over the South Veil the grand chieftains of the most powerful tribes unite all the tribes to fight off the enemy. Their great stature proves itself extremely reliable when fighting off larger enemy forces. Combined with their lack of many valuable resources, most powers simply do not find it worthwhile to invest much time or men into exploring a land of ice and snow.
West of The Damned: An anarchic continent of arid, rain-shadow desert. It having barely any valuable or livable land makes it completely uninteresting to the higher powers. Because of this, it is a den of scum, villainy, criminals, and other undesirables. It is also, however, home to many peoples who built communities along the coastal regions from the ground up, composed mainly by exiled and washed up individuals who sought a new life in the harshness of the desert. These communities are, for the largest part, self governing and isolated from each other, only exchanging supplies via trade routes.
Carthenian Dominion: A society of fishfolk of several different types, the Carthenian Dominion is a kingdom ruled by an absolute monarch, but that has a senate of representatives to judge and advise them on their actions and how they affect their respective peoples. Masters of the sea and elemental water magic, the Carthenians played a large role in sinking Veilian battleships during the Ostysion War. Their underwater kingdom has many large living spaces in special airtight plants, where much of their population lives. These plants are like large bubbles that consume the nutrients of the sea water and the sunlight, and have the leftover oxygen sent to their insides. This allows for the growth and prosperity of many life forms, as if it was the surface. Which is completely possible since these plants can get to be up to a thousand years old. In its beginnings, the country was split into two different ethno states, composed respectively of mermaidfolk and seadwellers. These two states were constantly at war, until the king of the seadwellers married and had a mixed child with a mermaidfolk, ending the civil wars and uniting the sea people under one single kingdom.
Grand Duchy of Viltrasia: The Grand Duchy of Viltrasia is a dwarven state governed by duke Guzmand, one of the two sons of King Olivar. When he died, the two princes Guzmand and Dramon plunged the country into a civil war that lasted 3 years, in which Auremia supported Guzmand. At the end of the conflict, with their forces and population exhausted, the country was split in two, forming the Grand Duchy of Viltrasia and the Principality of The Highlands. The Grand Duchy is very economically successful thanks to the support of the Republic and their recent alliance with several trade and collaboration deals. As one of the more traditionalist dwarven states, they pride themselves in their great mining industry and their seamless combination of magic and technology to advance their society.
Principality of The Highlands: A largely stagnated and backwards state, the Highlands are the territories given to Prince Dramon. Located in the Normidian Mountains, he built his country on these lands, focusing on agriculture and largely disregarding societal advance or basic decency towards his subjects. Serfdom is widely common, and most people in the Principality live in very harsh conditions. With the land being difficult to harvest, the country is in a constant state of economic crisis, only worsened by the extreme vanity of its leader, which costs the country millions a year with outrageous luxuries. Some say the nation is at the brink of a popular revolt, as discontent rises every year and Dramon’s rule becomes more and more draconian and despotic. He is seen by the other nations as a fool and a shameful excuse of a lord.
Marshes of Xandir: These marshes and swamps to the south are largely governed by several different tribes of lizardfolk, organized into a coalition to protect the lands from foreign conquerors. Recently coming out of an attempt at colonization by the Cirilians, the tribes of Xandir largely take inspiration from the frost giant tribes of the South Veil, who constantly defend their land against invaders. It is important to note, however, that the tribes of Xandir are far better organized and prone to working together than the frost giants, and frequently negotiate with foreign powers such as the Auremians, the Junese and the Carthenians through the use of envoys and representatives. Contrary to popular belief, their civilization is very well organized and in synergy with the marshes surrounding them.
Noocratic State of Calpurnia: Populated and governed by the giants, Calpurnia is a country ruled by the Council of The Wise, 8 selected individuals who stand out from the rest of the population in terms of wisdom and intelligence. The country’s culture is largely dedicated to philosophy and contemplation, avoiding conflict as much as possible, and having hundreds of schools dedicated to philosophical debate and study. These schools each have a leader, who organizes, debates with and teaches their students. These leaders have the right to hand over their power to anyone at any given time, if they recognize that person as more wise than them. This way, they become students of their school. Since giants rarely reproduce and live for very long, their population isn’t very large. Their economy is based mostly on exportation of agriculture and production of art.
Divine Elden Kingdom of Elfast: An elven kingdom to the west of the Auremian Republic, the Divine Elden Kingdom of Elfast is a theocratic monarchy, governed by its king in accordance with the laws of the great Auritree and the advice of the Noble High Counselor, a prophet and mouthpiece for Aurian’s words that the king must always listen. The tree is a divine symbol that is located at the center of the country. It is millions of years old, shines a golden light, and is great enough to reach the clouds. It is said that this tree is responsible for the reincarnation process of all the elves, and that it is an extension of their god, the great Aurian, who created the elves and all their cousins along with all the peoples. It would then listen to the prayers and rituals made for it. The elves, halflings, half elves, goblins and orcs of the world all worship Aurian, in one way or another, but Elfast is the great center for worship in the world. As part of one of Aurian’s laws, all Elfkin are allowed in the kingdom and granted citizenship, even those less desired than others like orcs and goblins. This policy, although in accordance with the divine laws of the Auritree, generates quite a bit of strife among the elfkin. Although all are equal in the eyes of Aurian, many discriminate against orcs and half-orcs because of their violent past as marauders and against goblins because of their kleptomaniac nature. Their cities are composed of white buildings with golden roofs and sidewalks. Their economy is sustained mostly by their agriculture and gold mines, which are very vast and rich. This wealth and religious significance, often makes elves look like arrogant and self centered people. The kingdom of Elfast would be an ally of the Triumvirate of Kings during the God War.
The Greenskin Commune: The Greenskin Commune is an ancient group of territories located within the Kleptoniac Mountain Range and populated entirely by goblins. Known to be the home of the goblins as a people, the Commune is a location where all of them live in harmony. They govern themselves, with no higher power of government. In their society, the concept of personal property is non-existent. So they share everything, with no regards for what belongs to who. They survive off their agriculture and cattle, and live relatively conflict-free lives. The Kingdom of Elfast has tried before to take this commune due to its growing influence on the goblin population, but all empires who tried to take the commune have failed. This is due to the mountain range’s only viable passage, which makes it easy for them to bottleneck and subjugate invaders. Due to the successive failed attempts, most kingdoms see it as not worthwhile to try to subjugate a small territory of goblins. Since most goblins come from this location and inherit this culture, they are seen as thieves by the other people of the world for taking things that don’t belong to them without any trade. They do not understand why people get mad at them for taking things, as thieves and stealing are not concepts known to them. They however get very mad when people call them greedy, as that’s the worst thing a goblin can be in their culture.
Khaganate of Bismorc: A kingdom by other name, the Khaganate of Bismorc is a territory controlled by the conquering orc tribes of the Khan, a tribal chieftain who is particularly skilled in strategy and conflict. These territories are where the Khan decided to settle down with his warriors 50 years ago, and where his people built a mighty empire. The Bismorc people have a very war-centered culture, with a major achievement in the life of every individual to be a part of the warriors of the Khan. They apply to be warriors from a very young age, and spend their entire life training and fighting. The Bismorc people are said to be the greatest fighters in the known world. This war centric culture however does not impact the Khan’s capacity for thinking politically. They are a fearsome people who crush those who oppose them, but the Khan knows their power can be used as a great negotiating tool, and so he has treaties with many of the kingdoms in the known world. Although their culture is focused on combat, battle and conquest, the people of Bismorc are not animals. They have families, and have with each other a relationship rooted in tough love and comradery. They won’t care what species you are, nor what your life choices were. As long as you are a capable warrior and loyal to those loyal to you, they will respect you. These characteristics, the capability to defend oneself and loyalty are the most important things to the Bismorc people. In the Eastern Kingdoms, Bismorc mercenaries are not an uncommon sight.
The Border States (Gundir, Sintrilla, Fernia, Jurgstan, Coastarm): The Border States are five different kingdoms created by explorers seeking to capitalize on the mythical path to the west by establishing their own nations in the region. As a part of the West Path Rush during the Kraken Crisis, migration and trade by land started to become the main way of travel, as opposed to navigation through the kraken-infested waters of the Royal Blue sea. As these states got bigger, they started to war against each other, and so they remain squabbling rivals to this day, fighting for the control of the path to the west and imposing taxes for the passage. Those who don’t have money to go via boat, are forced to go through their territories. Some of the nations of Altoria sometimes see travel through the Border States as cheaper than going by sea, since some nations wish to avoid contact with the Khaganate, pirates and the Marshes, so they have to go all the way around the Western Lands.
Forbidden Lands of The Low Elves: The most popular region for operating low elves, these pirates plunder and steal from royal vessels with no regard for life. There is such a high concentration of low-life pirates and criminals in this location, most nations avoid sailing past it altogether. With many villages for negotiating criminals and the underworld, the forbidden lands are populated by all sorts of scum, most famously the low elves. These elves are mostly ones that were banished or exiled from Elfast for breaking one of the laws of the Auritree and decided to make a life for themselves by plundering and stealing. The lack of exposure to the golden light emitted by the tree slowly rendered their kin’s skin grayer and grayer with every generation. Low elf pirate bands are some of the most feared in the seas.
Azurean Duchy: One of the kingdoms of the East, the Azurean Duchy was born of seadwellers who decided they wanted to live on land to escape the race wars during the dark ages of the Carthenian Dominion. Over the generations, their people became more and more resilient to life away from the shore, and were able to establish themselves more inland and become the only land-based seafolk kingdom. Their people, although abandoning the ocean hundreds of years ago, still cherish their heritage and are allied with the Carthenian Dominion through the Cerulean Treaty, a mutual defense pact. Their people are some of the most iconic artists in the land, known for their sea-based art and adoration of the sea as an almost mythical force of nature. Their economy is mostly based on fishing and boat crafting.
Celestial Tsardom of Starguild: Another one of the many eastern kingdoms, the Celestial Starguild kingdom is composed of mostly catfolk, as the kingdom originated as an union of some of the Junesian nation-states into a single unified government hundreds of years ago. The nation has an adoration of the stars, chanting prayers and songs of the gods within the shining lights, and crafting their cultural identity around this adoration. Everyone in Starguild has a faerie companion, a small creature that chooses to advise and guide them throughout their lives. It is said that those who have strong connections to the stars, will be chosen by a messenger of the celestial forces in the form of a fae companion. Due to the vast affinity to the celestial bodies that Starguildians have, all of them at some point receive a companion. These faeries will accompany them throughout their entire lives, and then choose another master. There is a yearly festival held in the nation’s capital that celebrates the choosing, which happens during the festival with all kids aged 10 or above. The nation is governed by a Tsar matriarch of royal blood as an absolute monarch.
Noble Dynasty of Silverae: The kingdom of Silvarae is one of the oldest in the land. It is said to have existed long before the Cirilian Empire, which is over 2000 years old. Its royal bloodline is said to have directly descended from demigods who walked the lands of Altoria thousands of years ago. Nevertheless, their identity as a noble, secular empire is tainted by centuries of humiliation and subjugation by higher powers. Once being the most powerful kingdom in the land, it is now crammed between smaller kingdoms. Its current ruler, Lord Godwyn, regards himself as being a demigod, but is however a mere man. Silveraic fundamentalists propose that his divine nature may only be revealed under specific circumstances, but it is unknown how much of that is true, and how much of it is just them saying what the Lord wants to hear. Most of the nations in Altoria see Silverae as a decaying empire, barely clinging on to life from being squished by all sides. Even then, its people have pride of their long, rich and noble history.
Accursed Jungle of The Plantfolk: This jungle is located in the Western Lands, and is one of the undesirable and savage places one should not find themselves in. This thick, vast jungle is populated by all manner of horrendous monsters, tribes of plantfolk, and savage animals. Expeditions to explore these lands have mostly been met with gruesome fates.
Realm of The Dragonlords: A kingdom to the western territories, in the volcanic highlands, this nation is populated entirely of kobolds and dragonborn. All dragonfolk live in this inherited land, previously ruled with an iron fist by the ancient dragons. Millions of years ago, the first creatures to live in society in the land were them, and they ruled the world, being born by the fire in this exact same region. When Aurian, god of order and light, decided to create the people of Altoria, he struck down the mighty ancient dragons and reduced them to mere animals, stripping them of their intelligence and secular wisdom. Some of these ancient creatures however, managed to hide away from this purge and ward off the anger of the god of order. In their exile, the few remaining ancient dragons crafted the first beings that would be known as dragonborn: Intelligent creatures who would be a mixture of the people and the dragons, in the hope that they would one day reestablish their great empire. The Realm is governed by 4 of the last remaining dragonlords, and they rule just as they once did during the beginning of time, in a despotic and ethnocentric way. Most nations don’t dare challenge the domain of the dragons due to their mythical abilities, but the truth is that their age has greatly reduced these powers, making them more symbolic than truly powerful. One of the reasons they haven’t and won’t try to take over the world. This domain is extremely isolationist, but it allows its subjects to leave and travel to other lands at will. Its people mostly subsist by themselves via cattle and agriculture, paying tributes to the dragonlords in the form of cattle.
Bestanian Confederation: The Bestanian Confederation is a union of the traditional six beastmen tribes of the west, governed by a council of chieftains who choose their successors. The country is mostly populated by beastfolk such as minotaurs, bugbears, birdfolk, kobolds, wolfmen, and leonins. These tribes used to live in constant conflict, until one of these conflicts almost extinguished all of them through the use of wild magic. Then, the chieftains organized a great coalition to avoid there being another conflict between the beastmen ever again. This coalition now works synchronized to defeat any possible invaders to their home. They however maintain healthy relations with most of the western nations, sending envoys and having treaties with them. beastman society however is far from perfect, with bigotry in between the different types of beastmen being common, but them ultimately cooperating and tolerating each other for the greater good of the tribes.
Lexadonian States: Populated primarily by elephantfolk, these beastmen exiled themselves from the bestanian tribes many hundreds of years ago, seeking instead introspection and peace in the mountainous lands to the south. They are ruled by a council of elected individuals who remain in their post throughout their entire long lives. They sustain themselves off of agriculture, leading peaceful lives and avoiding conflict. Since their territories are surrounded by mountain ranges and not particularly resource-heavy, they are mostly left alone by the higher powers. Their people commonly go on long, sometimes life-long travels throughout the world to become more wise and serve as diplomats wherever they go. The Lexadonians have been called several times to serve as mediators for the resolution of conflicts, being that the best diplomats are Lexadonian. Their slow and meditative nature does not particularly promote innovation, and their talent towards magic makes their lives even more comfortable. They say elephant folk have the most incredible patience, and the most stunning memory.
The Reds: The United Peoples of Redstar, commonly referred to as The Reds, is a nation currently governed by a military junta. Ceasing power from the Kaiser 60 years ago in a bloody coup, the military has since governed the country with an iron fist, always attentive to all aspects of life. They fully control the lives of their citizens, and all trade is overseen by the junta. It is regarded as the most bloody, despotic regime in all of Altoria. When the coup happened, some of the monarchs managed to flee the massacre. Supporters of the crown and opposers of the junta decided to unite in a single army, known as the Royal Reinstitutionists. The civil conflict that would then take place would result in a terrible stalemate, dividing the country in two. To the south, the royal family is still in power, leading an almost equally despotic, totalitarian rule. These two nations have extremely tense relations, and are constantly on the brink of war. Although despotic, The Reds has a special guarded route open for all those who wish to cross into the path to the west and the border states, all for a tax. It is said the roads in The Reds are the safest in all of Altoria.
Kaiserreich: Established by the Royal Reinstitutionists after the end of the Redstarrian Civil War, the royal family rules this land, which was once just a corner of their vast unified nation. Now very brutal with their punishments of traitors, the Kaiserreich is a country run by extremely paranoid monarchs who are willing to execute and exile any official for any reason. Calls for the creation of a parliament are met with harsh punishments, and some say the country nowadays wouldn’t last a week if The Reds decided to invade.
Qazrog: Previously a part of the catfolk Alabaster Empire, Qazrog is one of the two countries that spawned from its collapse. Being fairly recent nations, Qazrog and Argstan were created when the emperor of the Alabaster Empire died without any heirs. The cultural and religious divide between the northern and southern people of the country was already way too great, and so when the duke of Qazrog decided to assume power and cater to the needs of the southern people, the vast majority supported the idea. The nation of Qazrog is very small, and is mainly defined by their worship of the Aurian pantheon of gods, different from their southern sibling, which worships the Tertranian pantheon. Their economy is sustained by agriculture, fishing and cattle.
Argstan: The southern part of the now gone Alabaster Empire, Argstan is governed by an elective monarchy, which elects a new monarch through popular vote every 50 years. Their country is governed by a distant cousin of the emperor, who promised to fix his cousins’ mistakes and favor the tertranian people and the worship of their pantheon. Its economy is based on agriculture, mining and cattle.
The Swamp Kings: Swamps governed by several backstabbing frogfolk warlords, always seeking to one-up one another and gain more power through coercion. These lands are ruled by the law of the strongest, with the settlements of the “kings” being almost as decrepit and worse to live in as the highlandian villages to the west. The swamps will often have several kings at the same time, all at war with each other, most of them governing less than 500 individuals. The rule of these kings is also often short lived, with them being backstabbed by one of their “allies” at the most opportune moment. The lizardfolk tribes of the marshes see the swamp as a harsh and terrible place, and advise all to never go there unless you want to become a slave or subject to one of the swamp kings.
Ancient Elven Tribes: A coalition of tribes in the western forests, the ancient wood elves are masters of the arcane arts of nature and know the ancient forest like the palm of their hands. Although wood elves are not uncommon in the east, these wood elves are descendants of the ancient elvish people, and have retained much of their physiognomy and culture. These mysterious people live among the trees, and seldom communicate with outsiders. It is said they know secrets of the elvish people even the oldest elves have never heard of, but have never considered anyone worthy to be granted the knowledge of those secrets.
Dynasty of Klenzed: The Klenzed empire is a nation populated mostly by lizardfolk who left the marshes and sought to create a kingdom like those seen in the east. They settled on a large island in the Royal Blue sea, and created a grand dynasty from the descendants of the leader of their expedition, Klenzed. Their culture revolves around harmony and appreciation of nature, but also around the defense of their sovereignty as a state. They always seek to stay out of conquest and war, and are known for sending emissaries, historians, explorers and envoys to all the eastern nations. They have a very peculiar fascination with the eastern kingdoms, seeking to emulate the most successful of them in many things. This draws concerns and complaints from the eldest among them, who believe they shouldn’t replace their cultural identity with copies of foreign culture.
Protectorate of Elissarian: The Protectorate of Elissarian was created shortly before the conquest of territories in the west by the orc Khan. Originally a coalition of settlements of people exiled from the eastern kingdoms, the protectorate accepted submission to the Khan, in exchange of protection in case the Dragonlords decided to attack. Today, the protectorate is but a vassal state to the Khan, with several nobles controlling the government and keeping their subjects in check. Dissatisfied with the precarious conditions of Elissarian towns, many people migrate to the West of The Damned in search of a fair, independent living. The majority of the protectorate is a backwards agricultural and cattle state, controlled by nobles and barons. Their military however is very big as part of their deal with the Khan.
COLONIES OF THE WEST
Pathiana: A Cirilian colony in the path to the west, one of the first colonies to be established hundreds of years ago. Seeking to halt the advance of the expansion westwards executed by Coastarm and Jurgstan, and seeking to capitalize on the path, the Empire of Cirilia established this colony and two others in the path. Being a mountainous but fertile and colonizable land, the path to the west has been colonized by Auremia and the Veil as well. Pathiana, being one of the oldest Cirilian colonies, is governed by a duke of the royal Cirilian family. Their proximity to the northern veil has in the past resulted in sea marauders invading their borders, but as the colonies grew and became more protected, these invasions stopped. Pathiana has a tense relationship with Coastarm and Jurgstan, as these two have waged two wars with the Empire over the expansion to the west many years ago, dragging the conflicts for so long and costing so much to Cirilia that a deal had to be organized on both times. Their people, much like all other colonies, are often harassed by raiding warbands of ogres from the mountaintops to the west. There is naturally a sort of animosity towards the border states, but Pathiana has held its ground over the years with the support of the mainland, and part of their cultural identity comes from these wars.
New Auremia: A colony established by the Auremian Republic centuries ago, it aimed to quell the attempt at expansion in the west that the Cirilians aimed to establish, setting down a buffer zone for those Auremians traveling to the west. New Auremia has parliamentarians that cooperate with the Lords of The Boards in the mainland, but corruption is a deep rooted problem. The infrastructure of New Auremia isn’t as well developed as the Cirilian colonies for this reason, and many have called for independence and a monarchic rule before. These attempts at independence however have been in vain, as the bureaucracy of the Republic is so contrived that it is likely the proposition will never go forwards. Nevertheless, the population still awaits the day they’ll be granted independence, taking one day at a time.
Land of Our Lost Kin: A colony established by the Elfastian kingdom to study and mediate their relationship with the mysterious ancient elves, and to build mutual trust between them. These efforts have been slow, but the Ancient tribes get more accustomed to their eastern siblings with every year that passes. Although still recluse, they now interact much more with their fellow elfkin than they did before the colony was established. They are still, however, an enigma for most of the eastern world. This colony is formed in its large majority of scientists, researchers and intellectuals sent to establish relations with the tribes.
Franzin: One of the three great Cirilian colonies, Franzin is set in a more tropical environment, akin to the Cirilian north. They are the closest territory to the Scorched Earth, so many horror stories in the eastern kingdoms that are related to the region are set there. They share borders with the Land of The Lost Kin, and the relationship elves have with magic has made the people in Franzin much more receptive to magic than their people in the mainland. This has led to several protests, attempts at revolt and calls for independence so they can practice magic freely. Nevertheless, these efforts have all but been squashed over the years. The people of Franzin see themselves as an almost different nation altogether, but the Empire will never see it that way. Their duke is still loyal to the crown, and hated amongst a vast share of the population, although a good chunk of them realize that without the military of the Empire they would’ve already succumbed to the ogre tribes.
Greeneveil: The first attempt at a colony by the Veil in recent years, Greeneveil is a very young colony, the youngest among the Colonies of The Path. Similarly to Royalcoast, it doesn’t have much of a cultural identity yet, but its proximity to the Scorched Earth and its historical significance attracts the attention of Veilian historians and scholars alike to the region, who take the path through Franzin to get closer to the region.
Royalcoast: The youngest of all the colonies, Royalcoast was another Cirilian colony, established not to capitalize on the path to the west, but to harness the abundant mineral reserves in this isolated region. Being a young colony, it is still heavily militarized and most of its infrastructure is not on par with the oldest ones. Their people still have parents and grandparents who came from Cirilian in the colonial vessels. As a result, much of their cultural identity is still very tied to Cirilia and hasn’t truly established itself yet. However, one core part of their culture is how much they’ve fought to establish the colony. The area in which Royalcoast is established is surrounded by mountains inhabited by the ogre tribes, and being essentially stuck in this location has made them easy prey for the tribes for years. Thanks to the mighty Cirilian Empire’s army and their allies, they were able to hold the colony. People from the other nations are constantly shocked by how well they are able to defend themselves in such a harsh position. Such is the spirit of the Cirilians.
Mountaintops of The Ogres: The path to the west is a tricky and perilous land, but for those who know how to travel through it, it is one of the only two ways of getting to the western kingdoms. A mountainous land populated by many tribes of marauding ogres, it can be extremely dangerous for lone merchants. For this reason, the most common way of traversing the path is at night, when all ogres fall in a deep sleep they cannot avoid. The mountaintops are the most common habitation of these tribes, who raid and destroy caravans that don’t follow this maneuver. The tribes organize themselves in villages to the peaks, from which warbands descend to wreak chaos. The Cirilian Empire has a long withstanding grudge with the ogres, and have been aiming at the extermination of their people while expanding their colonies to have full control over the path to the west, much like the Auremians and the Veilians.
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