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ÄRAM: Wake of Fallen Empire
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<blockquote data-quote="mikeg" data-source="post: 3828034" data-attributes="member: 39640"><p><strong>ÄRAM: Wake of Fallen Empire</strong></p><p></p><p> </p><p><strong>GEOGRAPHY </strong></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Äram: Seats of Power and Wild Lands (The West) </strong></p><p></p><p>Friedbeck</p><p>During the reign of the Teulu Mawr, the people of this rugged land on the Sea of Moth Gar were the guardians of the northwestern frontier before Gora. Although the hated Goran hordes briefly spilled forth through this land at the twilight of the Empire, many of the old borders and citadels remain intact. The kingdom is now an association of powerful dukes whose heavy cavalry is supported by an increasingly servile agrarian base. Small pockets remain in the tangled forests of the south, leftover from the Goran incursion, where inhabitants have learned the powers of Caladú, the Goran Horned God. And now, some ambitious nobles in these forests look west across the frontier toward scheming Goran high priests, and see them as like-minded brothers.</p><p></p><p>Gora</p><p>The name evokes mystery and terror in the hearts of all people of Äram. The Goran people curse the names of Durisdana and Ben Duín, and submit to the masters of the dark magic of the Horned God Caladú and his host of fallen deities. This country touching the Moth Gar is ancient, having withstood repeated invasions and never falling before the armies of the Teulan Empire. The Goran people were a source of slaves for the early Empire, and their oral history speaks to their fierce resistance as well as their annihilated collective pride. Despite the proclamations of the Emperor Durisdana banning slavery within the Empire and such trade on the high seas, all Goran men, women and children were considered fair game for capture through warfare. Such Goran prisoners were sent to the vast imperial commercial farms farther east, where they lived as slaves in all but name. Their descendants roam to this day throughout the eastern lands as itinerant squatters and thieves. The injustice has never been forgotten in Gora, where the enlightened Teulan reign is remembered as an era of evil hypocrisy and arbitrary rule. The armies of Gora have long known the skills of the wild horsemen of the Nagorno Plain farther west. Goran cavalry adopted the Nagornan cord stirrup at the fall of the Teulan Empire, and used a variant to enable devastating heavy cavalry raids against light mounted bowmen throughout the first century. With their heavy steeds and insanely deformed charging weaponry, the Goran cavalry remains the most feared to this day. They might soon be able to attain their dream of rolling down the broad plains of the Varazdin River basin toward the Madratic coast, blocking overland routes between East and West—effectively cleaving the Continent in two.</p><p></p><p>Lipik</p><p>The homeland of the halfling people, the Shires of Lipik occupy a hilly upland between the north-south mountain ranges of Äram. Its people are the stewards of the overland trade routes linking the eastern kingdoms, such as Ayr and Gallume, with Csorna on the Somnatic coast to the west. Despite the civilized traffic, much of Lipik is at a defensive stance. Most of the western border is open to the high plains of the Nagorno, and at the whim of its merciless mounted hordes. In the mountains to the north, many dwarven fortresses and bunker outposts have fallen into the hands of denizens from much greater depths. The passes have opened, allowing Nagornan warlords safe passage to their berserking brother tribes to the northeast of Lipik. The mountains to the south harbor outlaw free companies, small bandit kingdoms, and clans of goblinkind who periodically descend to ravage caravans passing through the foothills. But Gora shares most of Lipik's eastern border, where the halfling shires steel themselves for impending attacks. The first such incursion occurred in 204, when Goran forces briefly took the eastern walled town of Surany. Lipikan troops repelled the invaders within several weeks with aid from an oddly patched-together army consisting of Csornan troops, free companies from an Avocan warlord, and a mysterious battalion of magic-wielding warriors who descended into Surany from a heavy floating airship.</p><p></p><p>Free Princes</p><p>Not a political unit as such, the Free Princes are any of the patchwork of small warring domains on the Madratic coast stretching from the mouth of the Varazdin in the north down to the high desert wastes just north of Paestum. While a royal house does claim succession from the Teulan Emperors, and considers many of these domains under its dominion, such control is negligible at best, and these domains pay the royal house a small tribute, if any. The Imperial commercial plantations were abandoned here during the closing centuries of the Empire, and the institutions of slavery gradually evolved into the agrarian forms of serfdom common today. Most commoners work lands for a warlord to build equity toward ownership, but equity agreements can be easily forfeited through crop failure or warfare, and most commoners remain in a lifetime cycle of indentured servitude. These lands were once the home of Ben Duín in centuries past, and as such were the battleground of many of the sectarian wars of succession to ensue. Today, the mystical orders of Ben Duín outside of the Doma hold greater power and freedom among the Free Princes. Much knowledge of pre-Teulan mathematics, alchemy and magecraft escaped the wrath of the Doma and survives in relative secrecy among the many fortress schools throughout the region.</p><p></p><p>Paestum</p><p>Occupying the warm southern horn of the Continent, Paestum was home to great civilizations predating even the Teulu Mawr. Although granted a large share of self-rule, the provinces of Paestum were among the first to secede from the Teulan Empire. Rival imperial military commanders became the pretenders of their own outlaw empires, as warfare turned the ancient cities and palaces into a mockery of their past glory. The great Teulan irrigation works collapsed to the north, leaving whole cities prey to the high desert waste and its awakened horrors. Today, Paestum is dotted with dusty tent cities among its ancient broken columns. The overlords have neglected their patrols through the advancing desert, where a few lucky travelers survive to tell of an immense iron tower shimmering in the distant heat.</p><p></p><p>Arta</p><p>Perhaps the oldest surviving civilization on the Continent, this cluster of cities on the Somnatic coast west of Paestum was the gateway to the west before the Teulu Mawr. Most secular magic used today was once introduced to the Continent through Artan mystical orders. Schools of philosophy and the natural sciences flourished through contact with the civilizations of the Farther West, though such contact has long since disappeared. The work of Artan philosophers informed all elven emperors since Durisdana, permeating the <em>Poesod</em> of Ben Duín and most subsequent religious life on the Continent. Today, Arta's maze of rocky isles and inlets continue to hinder efforts at a unified Artan polity, and most city-states have recently stopped tribute to the royal house at Volos. The lack of central authority has plagued the waterways with piracy and less savory beings, and on land the newly erupting regional feuds have already eradicated entire villages caught in the shifting web of alliances.</p><p></p><p>Terra Sulla</p><p>Looking out to sea from the southern horn of the Continent, one can see the gleaming white towers of Terra Sulla. Though not as old as the cities of Arta and Paestum, Terra Sulla has stood since the early days of the empire, and generations of its regents have acted as stewards of these treacherous straits. The city administers its home island and the rest of the archipelago to the south. Despite desperate battles in the first and early second centuries, no crown has been able to claim these isles as its own. The regents have customarily rejected offers of monarchy from the high council, and the people of Terra Sulla remain loyal only to the now-empty throne of the Teulan Empire. Because of this unusual political role, the city has historically served the Continent's leaders as neutral ground for treaties and negotiations. In late 204, a small Keyan flotilla landed on the southernmost isle of Barca and began fortifying the hilltop before a joint force of Terra Sullans and Csornans decimated them. The defeated Keyans committed suicide before capture, and one Keyan vessel escaped. A forum in Terra Sulla has been planned for summer 205 in which envoys from the southern kingdoms will discuss preparations for the Keyan menace.</p><p></p><p>Csorna</p><p>This country on the Continent's west coast was considered the frontier of the Teulan Empire, but it has been home to previous civilizations, many of them forgotten save for the strange ruins which dot the landscape. The deep harbors on the Somnatic coast have historically been home to the best shipwrights in the known world, and the ancient trading dynasties have kept their power through the rise and fall of the Teulu Mawr. The Csornan royal army has no equal on the Continent, and it has been deployed as far away as the Goran border with Lipik. The merchant houses have exclusive trading rights with the western islands, and their prestige will only grow as new goods are brought through Csorna to the other ports of the Continent. Despite the apparent strength, the Csornan crown is beholden to the trading dynasties for its power, and small autonomous principalities exist inland. The friction has increasingly come to a head, as private armies become emboldened to challenge the royal authority.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="mikeg, post: 3828034, member: 39640"] [b]ÄRAM: Wake of Fallen Empire[/b] [B] [/B] [B]GEOGRAPHY [/B] [B]Äram: Seats of Power and Wild Lands (The West) [/B] Friedbeck During the reign of the Teulu Mawr, the people of this rugged land on the Sea of Moth Gar were the guardians of the northwestern frontier before Gora. Although the hated Goran hordes briefly spilled forth through this land at the twilight of the Empire, many of the old borders and citadels remain intact. The kingdom is now an association of powerful dukes whose heavy cavalry is supported by an increasingly servile agrarian base. Small pockets remain in the tangled forests of the south, leftover from the Goran incursion, where inhabitants have learned the powers of Caladú, the Goran Horned God. And now, some ambitious nobles in these forests look west across the frontier toward scheming Goran high priests, and see them as like-minded brothers. Gora The name evokes mystery and terror in the hearts of all people of Äram. The Goran people curse the names of Durisdana and Ben Duín, and submit to the masters of the dark magic of the Horned God Caladú and his host of fallen deities. This country touching the Moth Gar is ancient, having withstood repeated invasions and never falling before the armies of the Teulan Empire. The Goran people were a source of slaves for the early Empire, and their oral history speaks to their fierce resistance as well as their annihilated collective pride. Despite the proclamations of the Emperor Durisdana banning slavery within the Empire and such trade on the high seas, all Goran men, women and children were considered fair game for capture through warfare. Such Goran prisoners were sent to the vast imperial commercial farms farther east, where they lived as slaves in all but name. Their descendants roam to this day throughout the eastern lands as itinerant squatters and thieves. The injustice has never been forgotten in Gora, where the enlightened Teulan reign is remembered as an era of evil hypocrisy and arbitrary rule. The armies of Gora have long known the skills of the wild horsemen of the Nagorno Plain farther west. Goran cavalry adopted the Nagornan cord stirrup at the fall of the Teulan Empire, and used a variant to enable devastating heavy cavalry raids against light mounted bowmen throughout the first century. With their heavy steeds and insanely deformed charging weaponry, the Goran cavalry remains the most feared to this day. They might soon be able to attain their dream of rolling down the broad plains of the Varazdin River basin toward the Madratic coast, blocking overland routes between East and West—effectively cleaving the Continent in two. Lipik The homeland of the halfling people, the Shires of Lipik occupy a hilly upland between the north-south mountain ranges of Äram. Its people are the stewards of the overland trade routes linking the eastern kingdoms, such as Ayr and Gallume, with Csorna on the Somnatic coast to the west. Despite the civilized traffic, much of Lipik is at a defensive stance. Most of the western border is open to the high plains of the Nagorno, and at the whim of its merciless mounted hordes. In the mountains to the north, many dwarven fortresses and bunker outposts have fallen into the hands of denizens from much greater depths. The passes have opened, allowing Nagornan warlords safe passage to their berserking brother tribes to the northeast of Lipik. The mountains to the south harbor outlaw free companies, small bandit kingdoms, and clans of goblinkind who periodically descend to ravage caravans passing through the foothills. But Gora shares most of Lipik's eastern border, where the halfling shires steel themselves for impending attacks. The first such incursion occurred in 204, when Goran forces briefly took the eastern walled town of Surany. Lipikan troops repelled the invaders within several weeks with aid from an oddly patched-together army consisting of Csornan troops, free companies from an Avocan warlord, and a mysterious battalion of magic-wielding warriors who descended into Surany from a heavy floating airship. Free Princes Not a political unit as such, the Free Princes are any of the patchwork of small warring domains on the Madratic coast stretching from the mouth of the Varazdin in the north down to the high desert wastes just north of Paestum. While a royal house does claim succession from the Teulan Emperors, and considers many of these domains under its dominion, such control is negligible at best, and these domains pay the royal house a small tribute, if any. The Imperial commercial plantations were abandoned here during the closing centuries of the Empire, and the institutions of slavery gradually evolved into the agrarian forms of serfdom common today. Most commoners work lands for a warlord to build equity toward ownership, but equity agreements can be easily forfeited through crop failure or warfare, and most commoners remain in a lifetime cycle of indentured servitude. These lands were once the home of Ben Duín in centuries past, and as such were the battleground of many of the sectarian wars of succession to ensue. Today, the mystical orders of Ben Duín outside of the Doma hold greater power and freedom among the Free Princes. Much knowledge of pre-Teulan mathematics, alchemy and magecraft escaped the wrath of the Doma and survives in relative secrecy among the many fortress schools throughout the region. Paestum Occupying the warm southern horn of the Continent, Paestum was home to great civilizations predating even the Teulu Mawr. Although granted a large share of self-rule, the provinces of Paestum were among the first to secede from the Teulan Empire. Rival imperial military commanders became the pretenders of their own outlaw empires, as warfare turned the ancient cities and palaces into a mockery of their past glory. The great Teulan irrigation works collapsed to the north, leaving whole cities prey to the high desert waste and its awakened horrors. Today, Paestum is dotted with dusty tent cities among its ancient broken columns. The overlords have neglected their patrols through the advancing desert, where a few lucky travelers survive to tell of an immense iron tower shimmering in the distant heat. Arta Perhaps the oldest surviving civilization on the Continent, this cluster of cities on the Somnatic coast west of Paestum was the gateway to the west before the Teulu Mawr. Most secular magic used today was once introduced to the Continent through Artan mystical orders. Schools of philosophy and the natural sciences flourished through contact with the civilizations of the Farther West, though such contact has long since disappeared. The work of Artan philosophers informed all elven emperors since Durisdana, permeating the [I]Poesod[/I] of Ben Duín and most subsequent religious life on the Continent. Today, Arta's maze of rocky isles and inlets continue to hinder efforts at a unified Artan polity, and most city-states have recently stopped tribute to the royal house at Volos. The lack of central authority has plagued the waterways with piracy and less savory beings, and on land the newly erupting regional feuds have already eradicated entire villages caught in the shifting web of alliances. Terra Sulla Looking out to sea from the southern horn of the Continent, one can see the gleaming white towers of Terra Sulla. Though not as old as the cities of Arta and Paestum, Terra Sulla has stood since the early days of the empire, and generations of its regents have acted as stewards of these treacherous straits. The city administers its home island and the rest of the archipelago to the south. Despite desperate battles in the first and early second centuries, no crown has been able to claim these isles as its own. The regents have customarily rejected offers of monarchy from the high council, and the people of Terra Sulla remain loyal only to the now-empty throne of the Teulan Empire. Because of this unusual political role, the city has historically served the Continent's leaders as neutral ground for treaties and negotiations. In late 204, a small Keyan flotilla landed on the southernmost isle of Barca and began fortifying the hilltop before a joint force of Terra Sullans and Csornans decimated them. The defeated Keyans committed suicide before capture, and one Keyan vessel escaped. A forum in Terra Sulla has been planned for summer 205 in which envoys from the southern kingdoms will discuss preparations for the Keyan menace. Csorna This country on the Continent's west coast was considered the frontier of the Teulan Empire, but it has been home to previous civilizations, many of them forgotten save for the strange ruins which dot the landscape. The deep harbors on the Somnatic coast have historically been home to the best shipwrights in the known world, and the ancient trading dynasties have kept their power through the rise and fall of the Teulu Mawr. The Csornan royal army has no equal on the Continent, and it has been deployed as far away as the Goran border with Lipik. The merchant houses have exclusive trading rights with the western islands, and their prestige will only grow as new goods are brought through Csorna to the other ports of the Continent. Despite the apparent strength, the Csornan crown is beholden to the trading dynasties for its power, and small autonomous principalities exist inland. The friction has increasingly come to a head, as private armies become emboldened to challenge the royal authority. [/QUOTE]
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