Athas FY 1015
Atlas of the Tyr Region
City States of Athas
Balic
The Sorcerer King Andropinis once ruled Balic before he was deposed over a thousand years ago. He returned over seven hundred years ago and reclaimed his city. Over the years due to increased trade with surrounding cities and improved rainfall Balic now has a population of around 40000 beings although only less than half of that number are free with the rest being slaves. Recently Balic was involved in a short war with Razia the so called Silt Queen who rules Waverly. The brief war ended when Balic’s Silt Skimmer fleet was destroyed just off the coast in the Battle of Anaeas a small village on the same island a rebuilt Waverly now stands. Templars of Razia lead a counter attack which was easily repulsed by Balic’s elite soldiers.
In the centuries since his return Andropinis has shown a more martial side than during his previous reign. Every freeman in Balic must serve in the army and training begins at the age of seven. While not the biggest army in the Tyr region Balic now has perhaps the finest and has held their own versus numerous foes. Several times forces from Tyr have invaded Balic to free the helots that underpin the Balican economy but each time the army of Balic has managed to repulse them.
Government: Today Andropinis and his Templars rule Balic with an iron fist. Andropinis likes to currently present himself as a warrior King and is often seen in his palace wearing bronze armor. In reality Andropinis is dragon who currently does not wish to advance any further due to the rage period of the transformation process. He despises Sadira of Tyr and Razia of Waverly and currently only envoys of Hamanu can easily get an audience with him.
Trade and Commerce: Balic is more or less self sufficient in food as its citizens seem to be content with their rather plain diets. The economy is supported by slaves while personal wealth is despised. Balicans use iron bars in trade and sometimes export surplus food. The few Balican merchants tend to be female as it is regarded as women’s work while the men are in the army and the few remaining silt captains are almost universally female. Balic imports little usually raw material they don't have access to. Several small colonies in the Sea of Silt have been established to provide resources so Balic can be independent of other cities. Balics remaining silt colonies and client villages are vitally important as several were lost to Razia’s forces in the most recent war. Lumber in particular is getting a good price in Balic as several silt skimmers have been laid down recently to replace their loses.
Draj
Immortal Atzetuk rules Draj and has done so for at least a thousand years. He replaced the previous king and has somehow gained the ability to channel spell power to his Templars known as moon priests. Draj is situated on a large fertile mud flat and over the years its population has reached 40 000 beings. Three great causeways connect the city to the surrounding land while the mudflats provide a natural moat for the city. The surrounding area is quite fertile and Draj frequently has excess food for trade.
Atzetuk is one of the weaker Kings of the Tyr region and is stuck between Raam to the west and the Silt Sea to the east. In some ways he has become a vassal of Dregoth who rules Raam. He has also entertained envoys from Razia of Waverly who are offering bribes for him to break his alliance with Dregoth but for now Atzetuk knows better. While Draj itself is easily defended from an invading army Atzetuk knows his city is vulnerable to the might of another Sorcerer King and Dregoth is perhaps the most powerful king of them all.
Government: Today Draj is ruled by Atzetuk who is one of the weakest of the Dragon Kings. Atzetuk is a Dragon King who ascended to that position relatively recently compared to the older Sorcerer Kings of the Tyr region. He is rarely seen as his moon priests tend to run Draj and perform human sacrifices in his name. Atzetuk long ago purged the Templars and Psionist’s of the House of the Mind who sought to use him as their puppet. It is unknown how Atzetuk gained the ability to channel spells to his Templars which was previously limited to the original Sorcerer Kings.
Trade and Commerce: Around half of Draj exports go west to Raam to feed the surging population of that city. Most of what is left is either sent north or to Urik in exchange for obsidian. No one merchant house controls trade from Draj as the previous trade house Tsalaxa collapsed centuries ago. Few people want to visit Draj and most traders only go as far as the causeways leading to the city itself. Draj warriors often raid the surrounding areas for slaves and war captives for sacrifice. Foreigners are looked down upon if not killed and assaulted in the city streets. The citizens are well fed and are proud of their King and city. Travellers in Raam seem to have a lot of accidents in the city or tend to go missing.
Gulg
Over the centuries few things have changed in Gulg. The Oba Lalali-Puy still rules and her subjects believe her to be the Forest Goddess although she has also taken to calling herself the rain goddess due to the slightly higher rainfall the Tyr region has been getting thanks to Sadira of Tyr. Gulg has around 18 000 inhabitants and the Goddess owns everything and distributes food and water to the citizens. It is difficult if not impossible for someone to become a citizen of Gulg due to the cultural difference from the rest of the Tyr region. In Gulg nobility is earned not a birthright.
In previous centuries Gulg has maintained a fierce rivalry with the city of Nibenay although in recent centuries they are almost allies. Tension exists with Raam due to personal animosity between Dregoth and Lalali-Puy as she was one of the original champions who attacked him. Otherwise Gulg is generally regarded as to small and isolated to be a true threat to anyone. Never the less Lalali-Puy’s domain has grown due to the expansion of the crescent forest. The forest goddess has promised to renew Athas and she is quite popular among the masses.
Government: Unknown to the other Sorcerer Monarchs Lalali-Puy has transformed herself from a Dragon to an Avangion. She has also quietly made preserving magic legal and defiling illegal upon pain of death. Unlike other Avangions she regards it as another means to more power although she does have a genuine concern about the welfare of Athas. In her mind the means justify the ends and she became an Avangion to avoid the rage period of the dragon transformation process. She has a council of adviser's which is perhaps the largest concentration of preservers on Athas.
Trade and Commerce: Gulg is short of most natural resources apart from wood and imports metals, obsidian and finished goods while exporting a variety of exotic timbers, spices, and animal products. Foreign traders are welcome in Gulg as long as they stay inside enclaves and don't interact with the average Gulgan. Only Templars are allowed to engage in trade inside Gulg although several merchant houses export Gulgan produce to other cities. Lumber is also an export although the Gulgs practice renewable logging with several trees planted for every one cut down.
Nibenay
In recent years Nibenay has been skirmishing with Raam to the north. It would seem that Dregoth is testing Nibenay's defenses. The Sorcerer King Nibenay has not been seen in public for nearly a century and even most of his Templars have not seen him although they seem to have retained their magic. In previous generations all of Nibenay's Templars have been female and have been married to him. However since the Kings departure from public life several males have been admitted to the Templarate.
So far his Templars have managed to retain control of the city partly through fear and partly through reform. In Nibenay it is now legal to free a slave or in rare cases a slave can purchase their own freedom and depending on a slaves talents they may even rise to a position of prominence in the cities administration. Even practising preserving magic is no longer an automatic death sentence. Such wizards are usually either exiled from the city or are punished more severely for crimes they do actually commit.
Government: The city is run by Nibenay's Templars assisted by numerous slaves some of which have risen to high rank in the city. Only a handful of the most trusted Templars actually get to see Nibenay now. The reason for the king’s seclusion is because of the Dragon rage as Nibenay is in an advanced stage of Dragon transformation. He has somehow suppressed the rage but doing so requires all of his concentration.
Trade and Commerce: Nibenay is well placed to trade with the cities of the Tyr region. There is a market for Nibenay produce in most cities in the Tyr region. Relations are strained with Raam and trade with that city has all but ceased. Nibenay has also lost control of Cromlin after agents loyal to Razia of Waverly instigated a rebellion. With financial and military support the rebels managed to seize control over Cromlin which has since grown into a small city. With Nibenay being unavailable Nibenay's defences are being tested by opportunistic cities. Strangely enough Gulg has actually helped Nibenay rather than exploit them. Lalali-Puy has actually sent two elite companies of skirmishers to support the Templars of Nibenay and they are currently engaging rebel forces from Cromlin.
Raam
Centuries ago the Sorcerer Queen of Raam perished. In the aftermath of Dregoth's failed attempt to ascend to godhood he settled for lesser prize and seized control of Raam. In the intervening years he has rebuilt it to resemble his old city of Giustenal during the height of its power. Raam has always had one of the biggest populations in the Tyr region and holds that distinction today. Raam is unable to feed its population of around 60 000 beings and imports food from Draj and has increasingly become to depend on food imported from Waverly via the silt port of Break Shore.
Raam is unusual in the Tyr region as over half the population is non Human. He has further modified his Dray followers which are now considered 3rd generation Dray. They are slightly larger and bulkier than previous generations and Dregoth has managed to infuse them with a breath weapon. Members of other cities have come to call them Dragonborn due to their superficial resemblance to The Dragon.
Raam under Dregoth has dominated Draj and has sent troops against Urik and Nibenay in recent years. After a bloody defeat at the hands of Hamanu Dregoth has limited his attacks to areas Nibenay controls. Since the Sorcerer King of that city is even more reclusive than usual so far his patrols have tended to win any hostile encounters between the two cities. Some speculate it is only a matter of time before Dregoth marches in force against Nibenay. Dregoth's forces include a large number of undead and the Dread King is known to reanimate his fallen foes.
Government: Dregoth has ruled Raam for almost a thousand years. In the aftermath of his failure of his ascension attempt he abandoned Giustenal and seized Raam for himself. He has managed to somehow reverse his former undead status and has set himself a more modest goal of completing the Dragon transformation. Dregoth believes he can invade Nibenay and sacrifice the population to complete his transformation. He is one of the most powerful Kings in the Tyr region and only Hamanu and Razia can really match him one on one. However he is detested by virtually every other ruler except for Atzetuk and Razia.
Trade and Commerce: Raam has extensive trade with Draj and Waverly and limited trade with Tyr and Urik. Dregoth and Hamanu can't stand each other and goods smuggled in Urik (and vice versa) are usually worth double what they would normally be worth. While Dregoth doesn't like Sadira of Tyr since she wasn't one of the monarchs that attacked him thousands of years ago he ignores her for the most part. Raam exports slaves as it is struggling to feed its massive population.
Tyr
The so called Free City of Tyr is free in name only. Centuries ago they overthrew their tyrannical King Kalak and for a few centuries a council of freemen ruled the city. Around 700 years ago Sadira assumed the throne of Tyr as its new Sorcerer Queen. Despite ruling the city in an erratic and impulsive manner Sadira is a popular ruler. Centuries ago Sadira learned how to tame the Cerulean Storm and has siphoned off most of its destructive power and has increased rainfall in the Ringing Mountains.
For the first time in centuries running water flows under the Elven Bridge. The new river was named the River Agis for an ancient hero of Tyr. Tyr is a superpower among the city states and can easily defeat any two of them combined should they attack Tyr. Tyr was a founding member of the Free State Alliance between itself, Altaruk and Kled. The alliance can field the largest army in the Tyr region and is one of the best equipped with elite units having iron tipped spears and officers with iron swords. Tyrian legions march side by side with heavy Dwarven infantry from Kled and battle mages from Altaruk support them magically.
Government: The Sorcerer Queen Sadira rules Tyr. By normal Sorcerer King standards she is a weak ruler although she is popular with Tyrians. She is one of the most powerful wizards on Athas and draws her power from the sun. A side effect of her transformation in the Pristine Tower enabled her to grant spells to Templars although it was several centuries before this ability became apparent. Her role is largely ceremonial although once per year she ascends Kalak’s repaired pyramid and casts powerful spells to moderate the power of the Cerulean Storm.
Trade and Commerce: Tyr trades with every city in the Tyr region. It has a virtual monopoly on iron and due to Sadira's weather magic is also among the most fertile cities on Athas. The river Agis has reinvigorated the Tyr valley and lush fields extend down the rivers banks before it empties into fertile swampland in the Sea of Silt near Altaruk. Over the last thousand odd years due to the improved rainfall and food exports from Tyr the population of the Tyr region has roughly doubled. The population stands at around 30 000 beings with the surrounding fertile valley supporting perhaps ten times that number. Numerous client villages dot the landscape toward Alturak farming the fertile banks of the Agis river.
Urik
Change comes slowly to Urik and has been ruled by for centuries by Hamanu. Perhaps the most powerful King on Athas he has never been defeated when he has lead Uriks forces into battle. Only Hamanu can really match Dregoth in power and the two of them have skirmished several times in recent years. Urik has benefited from the increased rainfall via Sadira and its population has grown to 55 000. While Urik does not have the largest army in the Tyr region Urik is generally regarded as one of the most powerful city states.
Government: Hamanu rules Urik as a tyrant. The law in Urik is harsh and often unfair. Urik is more or less a typical city run by a Sorcerer King. The Templars hold most of the real power while various noble houses have powerful standing militias. A rumour that Hamanu hasn't seen fit to respond to speculates that he and Sadira of Tyr are lovers. While most believe it to be baseless they have been meeting each other lately. In reality they are discussing the security of Rajaats prison and Sadira barely tolerates Hamanu's presence.
Trade and Commerce: Urik exports armor, weapons, and obsidian and imports slaves, iron and various finished goods. The economy is geared towards the military which tends to own the majority of Uriks industry as such. Most of Uriks trade is dominated by house Mareneth which has achieved a virtual monopoly in several cities.
Waverly
The ancient city of Waverly has been resettled and rebuilt. Several centuries ago a large armada of silt schooners and barges crossed the Silt Sea. The fleet was lead by Razia and her Templars. The newcomers from across the sea settled on the island of Waverly and established a city on top of the old ruins. Recently Waverly emerged victorious in a war with Balic and has annexed most of the towns and villages bordering the Sea of Silt.
The people of Waverly are strange by the customs of the tablelands and their military forces seem to largely be composed of mercenaries of various races. The people tend to be conservative and very law abiding and have a clean and generally safe city. Laws are harsh and crime is rare. Criminals are usually sentenced to slavery or death. Infidelity is a capital offence in Waverly and family is very important.
Waverly has a small population of around 20 000 as excess population are encouraged to colonise various settlements around the Sea of Silt under Waverly’s control and most minor criminals are sentenced to exile which is the most common form of punishment followed by slavery or death.
Government: The Sorcerer Queen Razia the Purifier rules Waverly but keeps a, hands off attitude to running the city. The day to day rulers are a council of nobles who rule estates on the island itself and various colonies around the Silt Sea. Razia holds some sort of veto power and she personally deals with any attempts to usurp her power.
The few original remaining Sorcerer Kings wonder where Razia Templars gain their spells from. It appears however that Razia is a Sorcerer Queen in her on right and a powerful one at that and she has fended off tentative assaults from various Sorcerer Kings. Andropinis has been personally defeated by Razia and Dregoth isn’t quite sure what to make of her but Raam is on excellent terms with Waverly.
Trade and Commerce: Waverly is a rich city in the Tyr region due to favourable weather conditions on the Isle of Waverly and its colonies around the Silt Sea. Waverly’s traders are quite aggressive and have a near monopoly on trade in the Silt Sea due to their large silt navy. Waverly is a manufacturing hub and is in reality a small empire with colonies scattered throughout the Silt Sea. Its armies have also conquered virtually all known ports bordering the Silt Sea and have even subdued the giants. Even Balic has more or less been reduced to a land based power due to the loss of its fleet.
Massive quantities of food are also exported from Waverly which is usually tribute paid by various villages that acknowledge Waverly’s local supremacy. Rainfall has also increased over the Silt Sea as the Cerulean Storm is still raging at its centre although its worst effects have been mitigated by Sadira’s weather control magic. Vast fertile mudflats are farmed by slaves