General Knowledge

The Cabal

The Cabal is a new nation. Originaly the area between the Fenshiral Mountain range in the west and the Corsairan Mountains in the east. It was an area ruled over by a monarchy and aristocracy. This all changed when the Kureshtin Empire subdued the area and turned it into a border province. The Royal family of Vanarl was shattered, King Denrel died on the palace steps, and his son Poletris disappeared. The Cabal was ruled for many years, by the Empire's Tzantegs, with a harsh hand; all culture was stripped from the populace until they were resigned to their station as the underclass. This all changed when an adventurer called Gellan and his group started a guerilla war from within the sewers. It wasn't long before the populace had decided it was now or never and rebelled. The rebellion was so swift and so vicious that within a year the whole area was free of Kureshtins. Thousands of them were slaughtered in the uprising. Even now pure blood Kureshtins are the only race not permitted in the country.

A new country arose from the ashes. Gellan held the reins of power for some time as the situation stabilised but then handed over power to a new senate named the Cabaal after the country they would rule. Democracy was born under the banner of the Crimson Pheonix. In the last five years the Cabal has become a major power on the continent. Its army and navy are both well organised and modern; and are causing The Empire no small amount of trouble.

The Capital of the Cabal is Vanard, a major sea port on the Kromanian Sea. It is one of the most cosmopolitan cities on the continent. It will no doubt in the future also be a major centre for trade, but for the moment the Cabal is still orientated towards war, and as such still has to attract the more aesthetic investments.

To the west of the Cabal lies Jordatt. An amicable treaty exists between these two nations to the benefit of both. To the north lie the plains of the Shorkai. The Grimbol Pass through to these hostile lands is guarded by the great fortress of; Torlan Grim. The Shorkai however continually war amoungst themselves and have never threatened the Cabal. To the east across the Straits of Corsaira lies the Cabal's greatest rival, The Empire of Kureshtin. Although now at peace, the Cabal still regards Kureshtin to be its greatest enemy and guards its
eastern border well.
Despite the transition to a Republic many of the old aristocratic families have prospered under the new regime and now hold positions of power similar to those they held at the time of the monarchy.

Read a short story set in Vanard

The Calagorn Forest

This huge primeveal forest spans many countries, lying across the foothills of  The Calagorn Mountains it is a place of startling contrasts. In the mountainous areas to the west (The Cabal side) live small groups of grey elves. While to the east in the dark shadowy deeps live orc tribes and things that are much worse. Few people if any know or wish to know what inhabits the heart of this ancient forest. However the edges of the forest are used as a source of timber by the various countries that border it and this inevitably led to conflict with the forest denizens.

Corsaira

"Don't get in the way of a Corsairan" is a common admonisment given to green mercenary recruits. A centuries long eugenics program has produced a nation of superb warriors. A Corsairan will do anything to achieve his goal, if a mountain needed to be moved he would pick up the first rock and start. They have beaten every invader of their homeland, and more than ready to do so again. Its very easy to recognise a Corsairan, they are big and heavily armed dark haired and dark skinned. Corsaira's major export is its mercenaries, and there many groups around the continent commanding high wages for their services. These groups send the vast majority of their earnings home. Corsairan society is completely orientated towards war, as soon as a Corsairan can walk he or she is taught to fight.

The Corsairans friendly with only the dwarves of the Kazak Varn, with who they trade for weapons. The Cabal is considered hostile, though respectfully so, while the Empire is considered evil. When Corsaira was fighting the Cabal the Empire gave them shelter; until the Corsairans could stomach no more and returned all their people to Corsaira.

Corcelantir

This is the Elven home and very little is known about it. It is all forest and other races are not welcome.

The Empire

The area refered to as the Empire is correctly known as the Kureshtin Empire and is currently ruled over by the Empress Heiger Hanchine.  In the 70th year of the Chenbar dynasty of  Kureshtin; King Karrim the Great invaded the neighbouring country of Targin. This was the beginning of the Kureshtin Empire, which has thrived for over 1000 years. During its early history the Empire was a stark contrast to what it is today. The arts were well supported, free speech was tolerated, and the army was an honourable profession. The last few hundred years has seen a steady decline. The worship of the Klarr pantheon is the state religion, and any other worship is punnishable by death. The whole empire has slipped into decadent and  evil ways.

Kureshtin

This country is the heart of the Empire. The capital city is the Island of Kureshtin where only those of royal blood are permitted. The rest of the Empire exists just to support this country within a country. Even for those of royal blood life expectancy can be very short, the city is a tangle of intrigue and deceit.

Amadhal

The fourth county to be invaded  Amadhal was probably not worth the Empire's energy. There is little there except fishermen foresters and trappers. It is a wild country that has foul weather most of the year, and blistering heat for the rest.

Calagar

This was the first country to be invaded by the Hanchine dynasty. Its greatest attraction is its vast wood reserves, which now provide Kureshtin with all the wood it requires

Caskarn

Invaded in the 76th year of Chenbar; Caskarn along with Targin provides most of The Empire's grain requirements.

Charnos

Charnos is one of the very few countries that is happy with the Empire. Known for its jewelry, the huge market provided by the empire has made this small country very rich

Dunrawn

Dunrawn has always and will probably remain the biggest thorn in The Empire's side. It is not really a country, more a name given to an area populated by Bear Tribes. The Bear Tribes have refused to be ruled by the Empire, who are forced to station vast numbers of troops there just to maintain an uneasy status quo. The latest humiliation for the Empire is that most of their current losses are to a group led by Grae Ket-Swaran   a woman of the Bear Tribe whose name means hunter of the little deer. The name given to Kureshtin F'Aleem.

Imikien

Once the centre of learning for the whole continent, Imikien is now a shadow of its former self. Learning is still prized here, but it has to be done in secret. Imikien was the last of the eastern countries to fall . The Empire found it's efficient professional standing army more than a match for the over confident troops of the Empire. Even Imikien however could not hold out against the Empire for ever. In 410 Imp a huge Imperial army swept across the borders and marched on the capital Imaisa. Six months later the country was being ruled by an Imperial Tzanteg.
Imikien is still known for its incredible swordsmiths. This is the home of the Kailan

Isral

Isral and Imikien had been allied for a long time, and had resisted all attempts by the Empire. Unfortunately in 359 Imp  Hagar IX succeed his father and because of an imagined slight by the Imikien ambassador dissolved the alliance. One month later the Empire invaded and Hagar was crucified on his palace steps in the capital of Is-Ralhalva. Isral had always been a nation of shipbuilders and they still are, but now they build war galleys for the Empire.

Syra

Invaded in 100 Imp the Syrans are happy to be in the Empire as long as their fishing is not interrupted. As the saying goes "As boring as a Syran fisherman".

Syteen

Syteen provides the Empire with its silver from the foothills of the Calagorn mountains.

Targin

Targin is the grain store of the Empire. The people of Targin are proud of this and their part in the Empire

Visic

Little need be said about Visic. The fame of the telepathic horses has travelled as far as Jordatt

Jordatt

Jordatt is a well established kingdomon the western side of Holat. Its boundary to the north is defined by the great River Stien and to the east the boundary with the
Cabal lies down the centre of the Fenshiral Mountains. The great Fenshiral range prevented the expansionist Kureshtin Empire from invading Jordatt and now discourages any thought of invasion by the Cabal.

The state of Jordatt is a constitutional monarchy which is supported by a massive free peasant class and a trading consortium called the Guild of Merchants. The
goverment is made up of elected representatives who can serve for a maximum of ten years. The system works well and is relativly free of corruption. Jordatt is
divided into administrative districts called "Steadings". Each Steading sends an elected representative to the Capital Tol Jordar. Once there, they represent their
Steading at the Great Moot where all descisions are discussed and eventually pass into law.

Jordatt maintains peaceful relations with the Cabal to the east. The Great Moot has recently been able to secure peace treaties with the Shorkai Nomad tribes who
roam closest to the River Stein. Despite this the Jordattian army still maintains a heavy presence in the lines of fortifications which extended along the river, starting
from the fortress Citadel Forgun. Peaceful contact is also maintained with the elven nation of Corecelantir and the Kureshtin Empire. The Guild of Merchants also
services links with the Once Kingdom of Kroman and other more distant nations.

The Karaks

The last five great Karaks are the remains of the once huge Dawrf Kingdom. As the dwarven population has decreased they have been unable to hold onto all of the
their belongings and so they have retreated into the five Karaks in the Calagorn Mountain range, leaving only small strongholds in the other areas. Each of
the five Karaks nominally rules itself but the whole Dwarf nation owes fealty to the High King, Krag Van'Mrin in Karak Varn.  The other Karaks are

1. Karak Khordar

2. Karak Khorsai

3. Karak Magraak

4. Karak Kharzdul

5. Karak Varn

6. The Lost Karak
   The lost Karak is in the Fenshiral mountains and has been overun by dark elves, who now make it their home

The Klarrn

Named for the Dark Pantheon, the evil deities which the orcs worship, this is a viscious, and brutal land. The rule of the strongest prevails, tribes fight other tribes for
the right to rule the local area. There is no uniting force in this realm, but legends speak of "The Orc" who will lead them in the destruction of all other races. The orc
tunnels spread far and wide some, it is rumoured, even reach the Fenshiral Mountains.

Kromarn

Kromarn has for the last five years been a country under the cloud of civil war. The country is split up into numerous baronies and nearly all are fighting one another.Fifty years ago the King of Kromarn and his family were murdered by the assassins guild in the pay of one of the Barons.Since then the country has past from unrest to anarchy. The other major powers on the continent have all got their fingers in this very red pie.
At present there appears to be no end to the troubles. There are of course the usual prophecies about one of the royal line returing to bring the barons back in line,
but few believe them as most know that there were no survivors of the massacre at Calldar. The country has turned into a magnet for all the mercenaries on the
continent, it has even been rumoured that some of the larger powers are using the wars to train their own troops.
The country suffers in other ways; trade has dropped to almost nothing, the only trade left is in military supplies and food for the warring factions. All the money is
leaving the country with none coming in. The Barons rely on robbing their opponents or what meagre natural resources they have to provide the necessary monies to
continue the war.
Kromarns natural resources are gems and sea produce. The gems are found in the inner highlands of the country and the sea food was caught by the huge fishing
fleet that once occupied all the available ports on the island. Most of these are now vessels of war in the fleets of the Barons.

The Shorkai

The Shorkai Nomads live on the great northern steppes. Reliant on small stocky ponies for transport and wandering herds for nearly everything else they are a tough and proud people. Living in family groups that are part of tribes they wander the steppes all year round, moving their herds south during the hard winter. The tribes are based around an animal totem for which each is named. As the resources of the steppes are limited many things such as worked metal, cloth etc. are not available. These must be traded or pereferably taken by force a technique at which the Shorkai excel. The Shorkai is the only nation on the continent that treat women as chattels, even the ancient empire of Kureshtin holds women in equal regard.

T'ive

The children of the T'ive are an ancient race, living on the T'ivian islands since before the begining of any written records covering the area.

Descended from the great mother T'ive, of course, they have a natural empathy with the sea and the jungle, that rivals that of the elves. Small of stature, reaching a
height of no more than five feet they are nevertheless a warrior race.

For many years the empire of Kureshtin has been trying to invade its tiny neighbour, unsuccessfully. The T'ivians are such formidable guerrilla fighter's that Kureshtin has only the island of Ch'arm to show for ten years of warfare. Specialising in knife fighting the T'ivians coat all their blades in poison. Varying the type for the job. They are also superlative sailors of small craft, using the wind as if it were at their beck and call, indeed their mages, known as wind chasers do just that. The last and most significant reason for Kureshtins failure is the relationship the T'ivians have with the sea elves. The way the races live and work together has been the subject of many a study and it makes for a very efficient guerilla force when near the sea. Kureshtin has not taken and held the other islands because it can't keep its supply lines open, it is even having problems supplying Ch'arm. T'ivian society is based on the family, and although they are very large families they are also very close. Naturally families gain and lose standing in the society as a whole, but the head family at the moment is the family of Ken and the father of that family Kels'ken is the father or Caskay to the whole race. He rules a race that has spread its influence acorss the continent as mush as any. T'ivian pirates are known as far away as the western seaboard of Jeladark; and the word T'Chen, the name of the T'ivian assassin family, is a name that is feared in even the orc state of Klarrrn