OVERVIEW MAP: Sword Gulf Region
SWORD GULF REGION
The Sword Gulf Region is known for it's tragic past and strange diversity. A lot of this region didn't fair well during the First and Second Ogre Wars (not to mention the Black Wars before then). The hardest hit areas were those of the Hawk Plains, Savage Hills, and Wild Plains. Hundreds of communities in the region were ruined during the wars, which is how the Ruined March got its name.
In recent years, the area has recovered, but slowly. Three main communities survived the onslaught of the Ogre Wars -- Halandra, Metan, and Nikel. What is now Onaway didn't survive the onslaught, but it has been reclaimed and rebuilt over the years. In the last few decades, it has it become a true city again. More than that, the City of Onaway has grown to become the capitial of a politically-savvy land known as The Onan Territories. Its ruler is a well-respected (some would say feared) man named
Than LaMarche (LN male human, fighter 11/cleric of Aegir 9).
At the same time, the City of Nikel expanded to dominate the central part of the Savage Hills, which has become known as the Domain of Shadows. Nikel would have dominated all of the Savage Hills if not for the influence of Metan and Halandra. Over the decades, those two city-states have kept the Domain of Shadows in check. The City in Shadows must tread carefully with Metan since that city-state controls acess to the Sword Gulf and it must be very careful not to upset the powerful arcanists of Halandra.
The Barony of Poli and the County of Valeny were built on the ashes of the ruined communities of the Wild Plains, but that's all they have in common with each other. Poli is known for its oppresive government and power hungry patriarch while Valeny is a traditional monarchy that is ruled by a good-hearted half-elven king.
The lands surrounding the central lands of this region faired somewhat better during the years of war, in the fact that what was destroyed rebounded quickly (or wasn't destroyed at all). North of Onaway, several communities banded together to form what has become known as the Jovian Alliance. The City of Steins became the land's capital, and its ruler is known as
Catalina Maddalena (NE female stone jovian, barbarian 7/fighter 7). (A jovian is a half-giant.)
South of the Wild Plains and Savage Hills, a group of independent communities, city-states, and small kingdoms managed to survive the onslaught of the wars. These communities helped each other but kept their independence from each other. The most powerful of these communities was the city-state known as Avion, which is located on the coast. Avion allied itself with other city-states in the region, including Ambian, Gillian, Ilasi, Nasundria, and Valora.
All of these cities have remained steadfast allies, for the most part. The City of Ilasi joined Avion to create a new kingdom known as the Monarchy of Avion while the city-state known as Valora remained semi-independant up until its destruction during the Year of the Return (by the tabaxi).
The city-state known as Nasundria formed its own lordship known as the Aerie Holds and fiercely refused to accept any outside interference in how its lands were governed. (The conflict with the tabaxi forced the citizens of the Aerie Holds to accept aid (and a stronger alliance) from The Monarchy, however.) Both Ambian and Gillian remain independent city-states, and they aren't as tight-knit with the Monarchy of Avion as they once were. There is still a lot of respect, but as the years go by, societal differences have brought about a cooling off, diplomatically.
Two other cities should be noted on this map.
The first city is Cadra City, the captial of the Forest Domain of Cadra. The Cadra Domain, as it is also called, is a traditional monarchy made up of the elven, fey, and halfling communities of the Cadra Forest and Crystal Cairns. It is not as old or well-known as the Kingdom of the Silver Leaves (far to the northeast) but that is how the land's people prefer it. The Cadra Domain is on good terms with both the Aerie Holds and the Monarchy of Avion, but the goodwill only goes so far.
The second city is Shaule, the captial of the Principality of Shaule. This city and it's surrounding communities are not really considered part of the Sword Gulf Region even though it is just south of the Cadra Forest. Shaule is known for its lawful ruler,
Prince Winston Hallet (LN male half-elf, aristocrat 10/cleric of Dike 10), who is a steadfast follower of the Interloper Goddess known as Dike. The City of Shaule is the major community that sits on the River Plains, and it is worth noting that the city doesn't have a wall to protect it. The city's defenders have always been so well trained that a wall was never needed. However, since the return of the tabaxi, the prince has begun the process of building a defensive wall, just in case.