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Chinaren



Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 8878
Location: https://www.NeilHartleyBooks.com

Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 11:19 pm    Post subject: Countries. Maps and Overview.  

Lords & Ladies Fractured Lands Country information and maps.



Lords and Ladies is (I hope) a story of intrigue and political machinations. Therefore it is recommended you take a look at the maps and country information below.

These will be updated as the story progesses.

Maps.

Overview of the area North and West of Uskk.


























A map of Yroth. (Basic at the moment). The SW corner overlaps the above map.





































A map of the countries to the SW of Yroth.































Overall map of the lands around Yroth.





































Map of North of Fractured Lands. (Political)






























Map of North of Fractured Lands. (Terrain)






























The Jut (High level terrain):

























Centic Lands (Terrain known so far):






























Countries:

Country: Yroth
Ruler: After the death of the King and elder prince, Prince Byrold is heir to the throne.
Capital City: Uskk
Politics: Monarchy. Prince Byrold is legal heir to the throne, though his Step mother, Eldra, is known to want her son (Still a baby) to ascend to power.


Country-Iswyle (Lizard people) The Karven race who inhabit this mountainous and lush land claim to be descended from dragons. Certainly their stature is large, standing at least a full head higher than your average human.

They are a peaceful people more concerned with their pursuit of art and knowledge than they are of war but past brushes with the Glormp to the east means they have a small but elite army on standby at all times.

The current ruler is a queen called Nimue Lydaris. An intelligent and unusually curious noble.

Further Information:
Country-Iswyle

Geography- Situated on the crux of four different mountain ranges Iswyle is a country of high peaks and fertile valleys. Bordered on the north side by the sea, mist often creeps inland to shroud the country in dense fog. To the south are the Centic lands and to the far south is the kingdom of Mordon. Lakes and rivers dot the land.

Economy- Iswyle relies on it's abundance of gemstone and precious metal mines as well as it's mages for export as those are it's only three commodities. It imports very little since the hidden valleys provide the people with enough land to farm and enough food to eat. Forests are diligently tended so as to continue to yield wood for local use.

Culture- Iswyle is populated wholly by the Karven a race sometimes called 'Lizard Men' by the uneducated or as an insult. Claiming to be descendants of, you guessed it, dragons, the Karven keep to themselves save for their ambassadors who are present in the courts of other races and their mages who are often sold as spies or assassins to other nations.

They are a peaceful people more concerned with their pursuit of art and knowledge than they are of war but past brushes with the Centic have made them wary and they keep a small, but elite army of warrior-mages on had at all times. They are known for lavish festivals and beautiful works of art.

Karven Race: The Karven stand from six to eight feet in height and have the wedge shaped heads of lizards with tapering muzzles and sharp fangs. Their hands have three fingers and one thumb, each with a long retractable talon on the end. Their legs are four jointed with the hip, knee, hock, and ankle joints and four long flexible toes.

They have long, slender, prehensile tails and large eyes that see well in high or low light. While they have keen hearing they have no visible ears, instead having large frills or crests of brilliantly colored skin that they raise or lower around their heads. Scales of any hue cover their bodies and are flexible while providing light armor.

The nobility have false wings, large spiny protrusions similar with webs of colored skin that seem similar to their frills, while the royal family have true wings that do allow them limited flight. In limited I mean they cannot go more than ten minutes aloft before the strain becomes too much for them.

While they can hold their breath underwater the Karven do not seem to hold this ability in high regard and, as a race, do not tend to be strong swimmers save those who live on the coast. They speak in a shrill, but musical. language though all are required to learn Common at an early age though it is rumored that Karven do not reach maturity until after their first century of life.

Rival the elves for the title of 'Longest Lived Race'.

They have known weaknesses to extremely high pitched noises and weak points at their joints. They also have been known to abruptly walk out if they declare either the place or person 'disharmonious'. Temperamental and hard to work with they are often dismissed and once their pride is hurt may never again work for or with the person who dishonored them.



Country: Glormp. Ruler: Muhmmiel Garrundi
Glormp is a land of desert spotted in blue by its thousands of oasis. Inhabited desert men, called 'Desert Trolls' by their neighbors. Glormpians are in fact not very intelligent. They do not boast an incredibly large population, but they have managed to construct settlements around an oasis.

The current ruler is Muhmmiel Garrundi. A rare 'desert troll' with the intelligence equal to any of the other races. In the last five years, he has begun developing trollish society, and a desert troll army.

Muhmmiel has recently overrun a small neighboring kingdom to the north ((Ki-Ah) which he is drawing resources from.


Name: Charredal Ruler: Lasfarien.
Centuries ago a sect of necromancer mages left Mordon and went north, to set up their own lands.

Now their capitol is known as 'The City of the Dead'.

Further information, taken from "Charrendal, a brief history".

Kingdom Of The Dead.

Name: Charredal.
Ruler: Lasfarien
Description: Long ago, the land that is now Charredel was found by a group of necromancers. They set up residence there as the climate and secluded benefits of the place suited them well. Whilst there, they practised their sorcery in private and because there was no-one to disturb them, they soon became experts at their trade. They called the Land ‘Char’ and soon it was a place which all would-be necromancers would visit or take residence in. The support of their fellow sorcerers soon led the resident necromancers to become bold in their works and they sought higher connection with the dead, séances being forced to the limit. Spiritualist churches were set up and the young children were encouraged if not in some cases forced to attend them. The place reeked of danger and anyone who did not dabble in magic became afraid to walk within a mile of its walls.
Not long after, a necromancer who had been forcing himself too hard went insane, claiming he saw dead everywhere and no-one could get a decent conversation out of him because he was forever mumbling to himself. This became like a fever and many of the necromancers in ’Char’ ‘caught’ it. The place became like a mad house and a lot of the mages surreptitiously disappeared, returning to their old homes or seeking new places to live.
The first necromancer to have caught it died about a year after, and the magic users that still resided on the Land became afraid that the others would follow - resulting in the loss of loved family members. It was at this time that they turned to the group of necromancers who had found and named the Land. They believed that they would be able to help, and not wanting to disappoint them, they agreed to try.
There were seven of them altogether.
Ariana, Oak, Kraslinik, Selenia, Tranion, Destice and Coral.
Tranion died while trying to stop the epidemic, but he left descendents, and ever since, the member of his family on the council has always been appointed as leader of the council in his honour. A lot of the other sorcerers passed away as well. The remaining six of the ‘council’ as they were later known, although not able to stop the ones who had it from dieing, they did manage to work out how to stop it. It was simple really - but many had missed it. The ones who had got it were working too hard.
It was at this time, when the dead came into the world of the living.
For as the last man died, the sky darkened and thunder and lighting came in full force. There was an icy edge to the air and a chill that went past the physical. The necromancers stopped to watch, for it was unusual - being the middle of summer.
In that storm, all the dead entered ‘Char’. The sky has never really cleared, it is always grim and grey - even in summer. The great city that once was, is no more.
After this change, ‘Char’ was renamed, for it was no longer the same place. It was renamed ‘Charredel’.
Before the dead entered, Char was a place full of colour, and the necromancers and magicians that lived there dressed how they liked. It was quite a sight to see multitudes of people dressed in multi-coloured cloaks. Now, you would be surprised if you saw someone wear something different from a black cloak, although grey is not that unusual.
Char used to farm the land, as well as work at their hobbies. Charredel does not farm much, instead ‘each man for himself’ is implemented, and most become gaunt and thin. Some live off energy/power/the dead. These are normally possessed, and a lot less uncommon now than when the land was still called Char. Others farm the land for their own food, and some of the more powerful forget about food for long periods of time. Charredel is not reported to be, and would never try to claim to be the most healthy of countries, and would be vying for the worst. Despite this, each man that lives in this morbid place, has a fierce loyalty towards it that cannot be explained.
There are still many sorcerers and necromancers there as they feel it is their duty.
The council, even though they were old by now, decreed that since they had bought this trouble upon the world, they must there-fore take it away. They are still half-heartedly working on it, but the recent council has announced that as there may not be any way to actually send them back - they must honour their ancestors wishes by keeping them contained. This is not a problem as the dead do not seem to want to leave the Land of ‘Charredel’. It’s conditions are exactly what they want. In this way, the necromancers and sorcerers live in rather awkward harmony with each other. They both keep out of each other’s way and live side by side in the city. There is mistrust though. The sorcerers still work on a way to send them back, and the necromancers work on how to contain them.
The idea of a council is still honoured now. The descendants of the original council make up the new council.
Lasfarien (of Tranion), Willow (of oak), Melissa (of Ariana), Democralis (of Destice), Lacor (of Coral), Sakural (of Kraslinik) and Traslinnia (of Selennia).
Although the council holds seven, there is always an equal ratio m/f. For in the council, there is always a spirit. In the original council, they found the spirit residing in the land, and enslaved it. Although not even the council are sure quite how, every time the leader dies, the spirit dies too, and a new one appears to serve the new leader. In the current council, Democralis is the spirit. Although neither male nor female, Democralis is referred to as a male, for he takes the form of a slightly deformed human boy.
Each child in the line of heritage is named according to what their ancestors were named by.
Oak’s line is named after trees. Ariana’s line is given a normal human name. The spirit always takes a name derived of a certain quality (Destice - Destiny and justice. Democralis - democracy), and subsequently adapts to fit the quality that they are named after (Democralis represents and stands for anything remotely linked to democracy). Selennia’s line are always named after a known female medium, and therefore, only females may sit on the council from her line. Kraslinik’s line are named after a known dead. Coral’s line always rearrange the letters in her name. And Tranion’s line are named after traitors, weaknesses/illnesses, runaways/cowards, and (mainly) Martyrs.


Despite a dark reputation, the Charredallians keep to themeselves for the most part, and most others are happy with the arrangement.


Etherial. At the centre of the Kingdom of Etherial lies the Glade of Forenial, the heart of the Kingdom. A town built out of white marble stone in a deep valley glade, a river running through it with a waterfall at the valley enterence. From here Rivenel rules the elfin Kingdom.
Lies NE of Yroth.


Centic. A fairly large land ruled by large insect-like creatures. Imagine a centaur, now imagine it as an insect.
Very little is known about the Centics. Their borders are sealed, and very few make it over without drawing swift and deadly resposnse from the inhabitants.
North of Yroth.


Gerwain. A land ruled by Emperor Keldric. A warlike race, which is known to be aggresive and expansionist.

It is also highly regimented. Men are issued wives, homes, and land by a strict rationing program based upon battlefield performance. While this lifestyle would be considered intolerable by most other civlizations, the people simply accept it as fate and destiny, will of the gods. They seem rather content and set in their ways.

Gerwain is SW of Yroth. It has a southern border with The Swarm, and this takes up a certain amount of their attention. They also border Karak (below) and the two sides often skirmish, though all out war has not yet, somehow, occurred. Probably because both countries are too evenly matched.

Further information:

Capital- Bran

Geography- The East is crisscrossed with nigh impassible mountains, providing a frost entrenched border with Neil-so, and furthering the nation's isolationist policies. The south, toward the ocean, is consisted mostly of a dark marsh, the very enviroment tainted by the perverse touch of the Swarm. A small pass of nearly perfect beach exists along the coast to the west of the jut. Most of the western border consists of an arid climate, seeming almost to fade into the desert. A break in the sand ocurs, however, at the Harbard river, which cuts its way from the northern valleys and down to the sea. This marks the border with Karak.

The interior of Gerwain is marked by fertile grasslands and steppes, accented with gradually rising hills toward the east until the mountain ranges begin. The sky is almost constantly overhung and low, casting a grey shadow about the land and the distant rumble of thunder can almost be constantly heard. This is taken by the people to be the deep voices of their gods, constantly brooding and plotting.

Culture- The young men of Gerwain are taught to ride before they walk and grow as a child with a dull sword as their favorite toy. At the age of six, they are taken from home and begin their military training, which is long and brutal, to say the least. During this time, they are seperated by their proficiencies into infantrymen, armed with nine foot long pikes formed in a phalanx, knights, heavy cavalry decked in plate mail, armed with lances and long swords, and scouts, light cavalry used mostly for reconnisance, armed with throwing javelins, bows, and curved sabres.

They begin active service at eighteen, taking up the destinctive red crested helmet recognized throughout the world as the mark of the Gerwainian people. They serve proudly, vowing never to take a step back, as to die in battle guarantees not only a name upon their tombstones but a place in heaven as well.

Based upon his performance upon the field, a man is rationed a correspondingly better home, more land, more slaves, even a more worthy and attractive wife. This system has been in place since time , and has become accepted amongst the people as the will of their gods and their king to whom they owe eternal debt, for it was his ancestor, the great warlord Sigurd, who rode from the far reaches of the uncharted north, laying waste to all in his path until, finally, drawing upon the oceans with the bodies of his enemies stacked high and a river of blood to his back, he proclaimed Gerwain as the Promised Land. It was there that his tribes settled and there that their descendants still live to this day, for the most part unchanged by contact with outside culture.

Update:
Behold.

For this is the image of power in Gerwain, stretching from the ice capped eastern mountains, across the windswept steepes, and all the way to ancient river Harbard.

This helm, presented to each legionary after his first successful campaign is the token of the Emperor himself, and the mark of manhood. To wear it entails the pride and heritage of a thousand generations, knowing that he has not forgotten nor shall never forget the faces of his fathers before him.

For no man shall bear it, nor wear it, nor keep it but he that has earned it in the blood of his enemies.

This is the law.

And neither shall any man who has never known battle get his name upon a tomb nor even be allowed a grave.

This also, is the law.

Nor shall any man who has not died in battle find his way into the eternal paradise of heaven.

This though, is not law.

This is the way of the gods.

.......................

An excerpt from the writings of Draer, Esteemed Historian and Biographer to Emperor Keldric of Gerwain



Karak. Ruled by Emperor Erebus. Militaristic and expansionist.

The rulers of Karak are viewed upon as Gods by their people. Similar to the Egyptian pharohs, the current Emperor - know as the God-Emperor - has complete power over his people. They live and die by his will alone. The descent of power is always through the eldest child - male or female.

No direct border with Yroth, but west of Gerwain.


Neil-so A peninsula nation south of the Frozen Desert, and makes it's profits of it's vast ship building and trading industries. Neil-so is a absolute monarchy. The Tzar's word is the law. The Tzar's Word is so final that a law made by a Tzar can only be changed after 50 years has passed after the Tzar who uttered it was dead.

Neil-so is SE of Yroth. Some years ago it conquered the country to the NE, (Farn) but has constant trouble from freedom fighters there.


Mordon. Home of the wizards. This country has a relatively small standing army, but it does have a load of powerful mages, which is one reason it is still independant, despite bordering Karak and Gerwain to the south.

It is also a strong ally of Yroth, and the two have a defense pact.


Vestrel:
A fairly closed society of mixed races. These live together in seeming harmony, ruled over by the ‘People’s Council’.

The country is highly regimented and orderly, with all males serving for at least three years in the military in some fashion. The military itself is strong and well organized. Several hundred years ago the Council ordered a wall built along it’s southern border, to keep out the uncivilized barbarians upon the other side.

The army is strong, well trained, well equipped and numerous. Reserves can be called on at any time.

Vestrel is a lush land, rich in resources. The civilization is advanced, especially in the sciences. Many universities study hard to unlock the secrets of the universe.

The people, even the lower orders, are considered brother and sisters, and all are superior to outsiders. Women and men are considered equals, with discrimination almost unheard of.

Vestrel does trade and communicate with the other nations, albeit to a limited degree.

In recent times the People’s Council has determined that their arcane abilities are lacking, and has been seeking to catch up with others in this area. To this end, it has been attempting to build stronger links with Mordon especially, though with only limited success, as the wizard nation is wary of their motives.

Whilst not considered expansionist, other nations are somewhat distrustful of Vestrel, as they play their cards very close to the chest.
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