Novite States, AR 999 (TA 3308)
-Almareni reckoning was founded in the years when the Free Alliance defeated the last members of the Pentarchy in the War of the Magi. That war ended 999 years ago and it’s completion heralded the supremacy of the new Nordeskai culture and the rise of the modern Almaren. The great kings who participated in the War of the Magi inherited the lands they had won. It has been 532 years since the founding of the Empire of Tescelin (which in turn became the current states of Eusdria and Mormelar) and the beginning of a new Almareni civilization.
-The Tyran Empire became the mightiest state in the world during the early years of the Third Age. But around TA 1000 they began to wane as hordes of Amazo-Sakari peoples colonized the heart of the empire and it became a decadent plutocracy. Many of the Aryan Tyrans moved to the northwest or across the sea to escape the corruption and growing danger (these people added to the other Aryan population that already had existed in Cylonuvia since the Elder Days). The Tyrans who settled in present day Allon founded the realm of Laugris and those who settled across the sea founded the Second-Wave Aryan realms of Annuvia that exist to this day. In TA 1296 Ambarlach of Aquilonia overthrew the near-defunct Empire and his armies destroyed Tyr (though the modern city of Cyrisa is founded on it’s ruins). Soon after, concurrent Koreldani plots toppled the other lands of Almir and the Pentarchy was declared. Many tumults occurred throughout the reign of the Pentarchy including the forcible relocation or even extermination of populations of Novani and others who did not consent to the Pentarchy’s dominance. The Pentarchs declared themselves Gods and demanded worship and tribute. Few lands held out against their might until the Free Alliance was organized by a coalition of the diverse peoples of Almaren (a unity of men, elves, dwarves, and hin). The challenge to the Pentarchy’s might resulted in the War of the Magi which devastated the continent. The upside of the War, which ended lasted ten years and ended in the spring of 2309, was that the Pentarchy had been toppled by the Free Alliance and other peoples of Almir. Out of the Free Alliance sprang the new Nordeskai Kingdoms. The Nordeskai were a people who occupied the northern lands during the Tyran Empire. During the Pentarchy many of their tribes caused trouble and were known as agitated and dangerous. After the fall of the Pentarchy it was discovered that the Nordeskai were now the most numerous group of Aryans that remained in western Almaren. The tribes founded kingdoms that became the basis for the current feudal states of western Almaren. The other groups of Aryans that had lived in the lands (Tratians, remnant Tyrans and Westerendi) mostly assimilated to the new Nordeskai culture and were absorbed. The realms of Eusdria, Allon, Mormelar, Limellia and Old Tyr and the smaller Novani principalities arose from this. Of the Eldani realms, the only large ones that remain are Beretaur in the north of Almaren and Taur Pelanna and Taurangel in the west central area known as the Old Kingdoms. For Omikhani realms, there is Grindenwald in the northwest and Kenax and Ulvarin in the Old Kingdoms. The Milenian Empire was founded in the east in the spirit of the Tyrans, spurred on by a migration of three tribes to the area (two Tyran, one Nordeskai).
Western Isles
Western Empire
Type: Empire, ruled by a strong High King. There are also 9 kingdoms total plus other colonial holdings.
Capital: Sunvale (pop. 120,000)
Western Almaren
Kingdom of Allon
Type: Feudal monarchy. The king has very strong authority and his barons are discontented. There are currently 10 major Allonian duchies as well as 9 duchies outside of Allon and the duchies are in turn divided into other smaller partitions.
King: Ademar I (House of Angelon). He is known for fair justice and sound administration but is ill-humored and intolerant of opposition. Some citizens feel he overtaxes as well.
Capital: Londell (pop. 125,000)
Population: 27,800,000. Part of this owes to the very fertile western Eusdrian Duchies which are controlled by the King of Allon.
Kingdom of Eusdria
Type: Feudal monarchy. The king has strong authority but is checked somewhat by his nobility.
King: Lothair II (House of Verend). Lothair is a consummate politician as well as a now-legendary warrior. He embraces realpolitik wholeheartedly, with his nation’s interests at the core.
-Lothair views Calamar and Seremon as his personal fiefs. They don’t agree. Lothair also would like the lands once part of Old Eusdria now possessed by the royalty of Allon.
Capital: Othmar (pop. 78,000)
Total indigenous population: 23,700,000. This owes to the large heartland of arable land.
Duchy of Calamar
Type: Feudal magiocracy. Only mages are allowed to rule in this realm and this decree has the consent of the Mormelari Emperor.
Duke: Reimar I (van Vlaardoen), disposition: reclusive. He is a strange and reclusive fellow but is known to be married and with children. He spends much of his time in contemplation of magic.
Capital: Braejr (pop. 20,000 in city center, 20,000 in the surrounding suburbs)
Population: 2,250,000.
Duchy of Seremon
Type: Oligarchy. Mages and merchants compete for power in this chaotic northern realm.
Duke: Gervase III (Aellebold), disposition: cautious. He answers to the Guild Consortium’s board but has considerable wealth and influence of his own. Gervase is conservative for the most part and goes along with the mercantile establishment for the most part. He is a trained and capable military leader however.
Capital: Vinburg (pop. 24,000)
Population: 2,500,000.
Four Kingdoms of Limellia
Type: Alliance of four feudal monarchies. They are influenced by lobbies of mages and peasant herders.
Kings: Erdinande V, Conrade II, Eligion IV, Romelion I.
Capital: Mellongael (pop. 50,000) is the largest city and is Erdinande’s capital city.
Population: 15,200,000.
Forest See of Beretaur
Type: Religious bureaucracy, each district ruled by a high priest. There is an archpriest who governs the entire structure. It is the only large Eldani state in northern Almaren, save Wendar in the northeast.
Archpriest: Hallon. Hallon’s leadership has been trusted for 436 years since his predecessor was slain during the Lajakan Orcish Crisis. He is always clear-headed and dispassionate in his dealings.
Capital: Berenost (pop. 12,000). This is a citadel with several levels set in sparsely populated wood and lake land (like most of the other settlements).
Population: 3,800,000.
Kingdom of Grindenwald
Type: Monarchy, with strong religious overtones among the royalty. It borders Allon to the west.
King: Storlock.
Capital: Grindenhold (pop. 87,000). Part of this city skirts a cliffside and there is an exclusively Omikhani district carved into the mountainside. This has been a Dwarf Mansion since the Elder Days.
Population: 8,100,000. 51.2% Omikhani, 44.5% Novani, 4.2% Onovani, .1% Gnomes.
The Old Kingdoms
Type: 4 independent realms. Taur Pelanna and Taurangel are Eldani homelands and Ulvarin and Kenax are Omikhani homelands. They have been occupied by their respective peoples since the Elder Wars (which decimated most of the once dominant Eldani and Omikhani civilizations of Almaren). The dwarf lands are kingdoms whereas the elvish realms are ruled by clerics.
Empire of Mormelar
Type: Decentralized feudal empire. Economically it acts as an empire but it is comprised of many smaller and often nearly autonomous territories. All together it is larger than Allon, a large kingdom in itself, although it’s heartland is in the Land of the Nordeskai.
Emperor: Contested. The two contestants are Sigeric of House Scilder (hm knight-6 ln – possessions-Rehburg) and the sixth son of the previous Emperor, Lammert of House Holvanner (hm knight-6 lg). Sigeric (and his allies including Archpriest Beringaer of Koeren) began the war with an aggressive assault from the north but was unable to defeat Lammert’s forces. Last year, Lammert took the fight into Sigeric’s territories but has not won any decisive engagements yet. The Patriarch has not declared who he supports to be the Mormelari Emperor, which complicates matters somewhat.
Terrain: Diverse, but generally flat plains and occasional forests in the north turning into mountains with some thick forest in the south. The border with the Holy States is past the Tyran spires, but the empire does not control the city-states of Alvaron, Almadil, or Margand.
Capital: Vallenburg (so named for it’s situation upon a seething river – pop. 14,000) is the feudal capital of the Royal Family (Holvanner). There are several regional cities of grand importance. Elarven might be a prospective county seat.
Population: 47,800,000.
Nordia
Kingdom of Gyrea
King: Frösten II
Population: 1,570,000
The People: Above anything, the Northmen honour bravery and scorn the weak. As with Steilunders, they believe that using words is cowardly and dishonourable. They fear nothing, not even the darkness of eternal death, and march off to battle foes even when hopelessly outnumbered. To a northman, death in battle is the only method of finding happiness in the afterlife. Thor is the ideal example of their lives, and he is almost universally worshipped throughout the nation.
Northmen from Gyrea are very closely tied to their clan and sadly view all others, including (if not especially) other northmen, as rivals. This has to do with generations of fighting between the clans - the blood spilled during those battles has yet to be forgiven. But such feuds have been decreasing. The new King of Gyrea has forbidden the most bloody of the clan wars under pains of death. He allows skirmishes and raiding (in fact encouraging it), but draws the line when outright massacre is involved.
Although just as fierce as their brothers of Steilund, the individualistic northmen of Gyrea care little for one another unless they are direct kinsmen. During a battle against a common enemy, they will not watch out for each other, a fact that caused many deaths in the recent wars. This callousness mostly relates to the history of blood feuds in Gyrea.
Although I have mentioned that the Northmen do not fear anything, this is actually untrue. There is one thing they fear in this world: wizardly magic. To them, it is powers granted by Hel herself, and mages are reviled as stealers of souls and fiends incarnate. If in battle with northmen, by casting a simple magic spell, you might manage to cause all your enemies to flee, or, should your luck turn bad, cause them all to try twice as hard to slay the foolish mage.
Kingdom of Vannia
Type: Feudal monarchy.
King: Njord VI
Population: 2,340,000
Vannia is a land torn between tradition and improvement. The northmen of Vannia do not wish to give up their old ways, but they also wish to become modern and civilised like the other nations of the Old World. So far, they are advancing slowly along the road of modernisation.
They have schools that teach the former warriors how to read and write, and capital city Ostvik even boasts having the only magic college of the entire Northlands [they study the magical runes taught to them by Odin and his priests. Ed.]. This means that they are slightly less fearful of magic than the other northmen.
Of the old traditions, only the worship of the Northman Pantheon remains; all other customs, notably piracy, have slowly disappeared. Unlike Gyrea and Steilund, Odin and Thor are not the favoured Gods [once more, a reminder that God is simply their term for Immortal. Ed.] of the people. Instead, they revere Frey and Freyja first and foremost, with Odin and Thor only worshipped by the nobles. The church of Forsetta, a key Immortal in Vannian religion, is also popular as their priests have played a vital role in the selection of the High Kings of Vannia since the days of Ottar the Just.
The Vannians try to be polite and scholarly, although they are not always successful. It is not surprising to see a man break into a rage and start pummelling the person he was arguing, then stop just as suddenly and ask for forgiveness when his rage is better under control.
Kingdom of Steilund
Type: Feudal monarchy.
King: Brindolf I
Population: 3,820,000.
Above anything, the Northmen honour bravery and scorn the weak. The civilised way of words used by the Thyatians and Minrothaddans who visit their nation is dishonourable in their point of view. They fear nothing, not even the darkness of eternal death, and march off to battle foes even when hopelessly outnumbered. To a northman, death in battle is the only method of finding happiness in the afterlife.
Steilunders give praise to their divine Gods [the "Gods" of the Northern Reaches are merely Immortals. The northerners simply call them Gods, much like the hin call their Immortals "Heroes" after the title they received when they were mortal. Ed.], just as any respectful people should. They maintain their ancient traditions and customs, despite many pressures from foreign powers to change. This is what I admire about them, having felt similar feelings of dishonouring Halav back home with the blending of Traladaran and Thyatian cultures. The reverence for Odin and Thor runs deep in their blood, and never will they accept any insults to their beliefs.
Yet they are quick to anger at any insult upon them, not just those toward their Gods. Battles to the death over a perceived wrong is commonplace here, and to be called a coward afraid to fight is the worse insult imaginable to them. And they do not forgive as easily as you or I; an enemy made is often for life.
Of the three Northern Reaches nations, Steilund is still practising pirating and raiding of foreign nations. And they do not deny it when accused either. They view such raids as tests of manhood, and that only the weak whine about their fate. To most, such plundering is violent and brutal, but to the Steilunders, it is a way of life.
Tyran Peninsula states (these are the ones independent of the Empire)
Duchy of Almadil
Type: Absolute monarchy. The duke promotes literacy and commerce enthusiastically. It is a major seaport and merchants are granted extensive rights in exchange for revenues and other favors for the duke.
Duke: Rabel II (hm noble warrior-17 cg)
Republic of Alvaron
Type: Oligarchy. It is ruled by chairmen elected by the voting citizens of Alvaron, about 10-20% of the population. There are twenty chairmen, one from each district of Alvaron. This board oversees most policy and appoints an executive, the Prince, who governs the city for life. Most voters and officials are quite wealthy or otherwise connected.
Prince: Fortunatus of House Caprene (hm rogue-17 ng)
Principality of Margand
Type: Oligarchy. There is a duke but he is influenced by a merchant oligarchy known as the Council of Margand which is comprised of the wealthiest merchants in the land. The duke has power because of his connection to the people, but most policy must be approved by the oligarchy.
Duke: Osvald III (hm paladin-15 lg)
Council Chair: Raimond of House Alecco (hm trader-12 n)
Kingdom of Paragon
Type: Monarchy ruled by feudal aristocrats from the Duchy of Nordens in the Angelon Empire. The peasantry is of diverse racial stock due to the long history of mixing in the area (the people have Tyran, Milenian, Heratian, Alasiyan and some other heritage).
King: Ercanbald Raganhard (Ercanbald II) is too young to rule. It is held in regency by Sumar von Draachen (hm knight-15 lg).
(/Tyran)
Sultanate of the Alfaris
Type: Dictatorship with religious overtones. The Sultan is at the heart of the bureaucracy which administers the realm.
Sultan: Arith, son of Aknin (hm warrior-12 ln). Arith is a Kalimite fanatic and does not tolerate non-Kalimite intrusions into his lands.
-The lands of the Alfaris reach from northern Amazulia to southern Limellia. They were once part of the great Caliphate of Kalim.
Eastern Almaren
Kingdom of Megara
Type: Feudal monarchy. The king was once near absolute but now his power is waning (somewhat) in the face of noble ambitions and changing economic conditions (i.e., revenue from crown lands not keeping up with the rest of the kingdom).
King: Alvian I
-History: Megarans are of similar origins to Karjalans – they are Aryans perhaps from the Great Central Range. They were originally warrior nomad/farmers but they became settled in AR 800 (TA 3100-ish) by the decree of the Patriarch after they agreed to follow the Pantheon’s teachings. The heartlands of this realm are broad plains.
Kingdom of Netavia
Type: Monarchy. The king has virtually absolute authority in this realm.
King: Sinisa I
Kingdom of Olgaria
Type:
Empire of Thyatis
Type: Imperial monarchy. The Emperor answers to a parliament-like organization of nobles – in theory anyway. He has virtually absolute power but often must consider the interests of the nobles in order to maintain his power base. There are heavy religious overtones to the Emperor’s authority as well.
Emperor: Spyridon VIII
Note: This empire is mostly founded around the city of Thyatis, a gigantic city that sits astride Almaren and Sakar. Other notable cities are Kerendas and Hattias. This land was founded after the War of the Magi by three tribes of Aryans. It’s empire once stretched across Sakar and even north Amazulia as well as across Milenia Occidental.
Capital: Thyatis (pop. 500,000). This is the largest city in Almaren and has been occupied for 4500+ years since it was founded by Traldar in the Second Age.
*Milenia was N-Seleucid only it lasted longer due to the N-Macedonian line of Athemion the Colossus (N-Alexander!).
Kingdom of Vineskaja
Type: Monarchy. The king depends on the support of his sizable feudal aristocracy.
King: Razimir II
Principalities of Ruthinia
Type: City-states with surrounding feudal tributaries. Typically ruled by a Kniaz.
Notables: Valisuav II of Belomir-Vasil is a powerful Kniaz.
Principalities of Vothia
Type: See Ruthinia.
Notables:
Notables: Both Ruthinia and Vothia are significantly more rural than the west of Almaren and dominated by the military aristocracy. These lands were once united under the Kislev Confederation but are now city-states and surrounding stretches of territory.
Branches of Humanity
Aryan (Indo-European)
Amazo-Sakari (Afro-Asiatic), includes modern Yazham who were anciently Aryan.
Almoran (Turkic)
Korave (Caucas peoples)
Zorian (Indic hybrids)
Zuli and others (Bantu)
Tangor and others (Nilotic)
Aericans and others (East Afro hybrids)
Soldunians (Abbo)
Khar Zin (Proto-Mongol)
North Kharlakan/Isles of Night (refined Mongolid)
South Kharlakan (Indochinese and island hybrids)
Societies
Talaran, the society of Mages
-This is a consortium of the most powerful aristocrat mages in Almaren (some members are from outside Almaren). It includes (but is not limited to) the families: van Vlaardoen, Haaskinz, von Draachen, Cathys (elf), Hillsbury, Goretsk-Voslany, Krinagar, Erewan(etc), MacGregoir, Virayana, d’Ambreville, du Marais.
Reimar van Vlaardoen is Duke of Calamar.
Harald of Haaskinz is Count of Haaskinz in Mormelar.
Sieghardt von Draachen is Duke of Aalban in Mormelar.
Carnelia of Cathys is the Countess of Cathys in Limellia. She is a High Elf.
Dolores Hillsbury is Countess of Blackhill in Allon.
Sviatosuav Gorevic-Voslany is Duke of Boldavia in Olgaria.
Urmahid Krinagar is Lord of Bramyra in the Harasmian Empire.
Carlotina Erewan is Countess of Erewan in Eusdria.
Brechin Mac Gregoir is Duke of Klantyre in Norleach.
Jherek Virayana is
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
from the washington post
Few Defend Cheney
The runaway comment magnet today is Bart Gellman's outstanding piece telling us that former Vice President Richard B. Cheney is working on a book that will express great disappointment with his former boss, President George W. Bush.
The unusual thing about the comment string, which is growing exponentially by the minute, is that there are relatively few Cheney supporters at the hour this is being written. Usually these things even out, but right now those who dislike Cheney are in a clear majority. There is anger about Iraq and the nonexistent weapons of mass destruction, there are several calls for prosecution, there are Vietnam vets complaining that Cheney didn't serve in that conflict.
Gellman writes that "The former vice president remains convinced of mortal dangers that few other leaders, in his view, face squarely. That fixed belief does much to explain the conduct that so many critics find baffling."
Gellman and Jo Becker won a Pulitzer prize for their 2008 Post series on Cheney's role in the Bush administration.
The conversation got off to a great start when blakesouthwood wrote, "This ought to be good."
lcarter0311 added, "More than good. Why do I get the feeling that Cheney for whatever reason thought he was the President and Bush was his veep?"
sharronkm wrote, "Probably the reason Bush was moving away from Cheney in the second term was because he realized how badly he had been mislead by Cheney and was waking up to the fact that Cheney's advice had been wrong. Liz Cheney's remark that her father was doing this because of his "love of history" is bunk..."
tradeczar wrote, "...as a Vietnam Vet it strikes me that those who praise Bush and Cheney because we weren't "hit" again remind me of those who still maintain that we could have won in Vietnam had the generals had their way. Delusion is an awesome force."
newageblues wrote, "Cheney would have more credibility as a security hawk eager to go to war to try to protect the country, if it wasn't for the reason he didn't serve in the military during the Vietnam War. As he later unapologetically explained it, he had "other priorities". How can you take such a slimy hypocrite seriously?"
John1263 wrote, "... It would be good for America if the people around cheney also realized the statute of limitations is up and start giving testimony to the DoJ so cheney can start measuring the drapes for a cell in federal prison..."
losthorizon10 said, "These two jackals sent our troops to Iraq to die and get blown apart for their little neocon fantasy, and they lied us into a war when they knew full well that there were no WMD's there... Let them both rot in prison. And let Valerie Plame turn the key on their cell doors."
deano1 wrote, "I love this, we need Cheney to "keep on." He's one of the best reminders of how out of touch the republican party is with the principals of Democracy. Cheney is upset that they didn't go far enough. In Cheney's world, far enough would have been a dictatorship for the good of the people to keep them free..."
pejesq charged that "Cheney and Bush were in office when the worst terrorist attack in American history occurred. At the time of the attack, a report detailing the Al Queda threat was sitting on Bush's desk unread. Cheney will spend the rest of his life trying to make up for that mistake and, especially, trying to convince the world that he was not at fault and he has, in fact, made the world a safer place. Unfortunately that's just a fantasy..."
jbleenyc wrote, "...Instead of just going off into the good night and enjoying a nice retirement, this man is still full of plots and ego. His revelations in his new book could further cement the views the American people now have about him... He probably feels grateful for the sacrifices Libby made on his behalf and is so bitter that he could not help his aide with a full pardon..."
alloleo said, "I just don't see why we should think there's any virtue in Cheney's maintaining a blinkered, unchanging, unresponsive view of the world. He gets his mind stuck on a few simplistic ideas, few of them correct but all of them "tough", then rides them to the bitter end and his cronies and lackies call it "conviction". That's no way to run a country..."
mharwick suggested, "It is all about the pardon refused and the firing of Rumsfeld. George W. Bush did not pardon folks lightly. Bill Clinton had his pardongate. Bush did not."
The article quoted John P. Hannah, Cheney's second-term national security adviser, as saying that the former vice president is driven by the nightmare of a hostile state acquiring nuclear weapons and passing them to terrorists.
This caused dj333 to write, "This is a concern most serious people don't share because it doesn't really make much sense: very few states would pass nuclear weapons on to non-state actors (read "terrorists") because they would want such weapons to end up being used on them or their allies..."
swatkins1 warned, "A far more dangerous enemy is the one within the borders of the United States. The far right neo-con seething anger and hate that is poising itself to take matters into their own hands, an American Taliban, led by Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh. The real danger, the real threat is fomenting in the shadows. Right inside the border."
dfnsatty wrote, "So Cheney has contempt for public opinion? Maybe that's because he withheld so much information that the public could not form sound opinions. It's the same ploy Hitler and many other dictators have used - don't reveal anything and then say 'I can make a better decision because I know more than you'."
gagalbert said, "Cheney is right of course. W did go soft. The only thing I did not like about Cheney is that he refused to run for the presidency. He would have been a great improvement from the guy we have now. And with each irrational post from the nutcakes and haters I see here, it supports my case even more..."
To which washpost18 replied, "There's enough irony [there] for gagalbert to make another hammer with which to continue hitting itself in the head with. Stay eloquent, conservos!"
Complaints about The Post:
The article's first paragraph said Cheney "threw himself into public combat against the 'far left' agenda of the new commander in chief." This caused standard_guy to ask, "Damn, how far left does Obama have to go to take the quotation marks off of "far left"? The quotation marks tell you all you need to know about the WaPo."
mplambert asked, "Do you notice how the Post rarely allows someone other than a Republican to voice an opinion on Cheney? Probably because even just one moderate voice would be enough to paint him as a fascist blunderer."
paulinlodi asked, "Why is it that our political class at every level of government, state and federal, is so deeply, thoroughly, irreformably, pathological? And
why does WaPo encourage, promote and glorify these very sick people?"
The runaway comment magnet today is Bart Gellman's outstanding piece telling us that former Vice President Richard B. Cheney is working on a book that will express great disappointment with his former boss, President George W. Bush.
The unusual thing about the comment string, which is growing exponentially by the minute, is that there are relatively few Cheney supporters at the hour this is being written. Usually these things even out, but right now those who dislike Cheney are in a clear majority. There is anger about Iraq and the nonexistent weapons of mass destruction, there are several calls for prosecution, there are Vietnam vets complaining that Cheney didn't serve in that conflict.
Gellman writes that "The former vice president remains convinced of mortal dangers that few other leaders, in his view, face squarely. That fixed belief does much to explain the conduct that so many critics find baffling."
Gellman and Jo Becker won a Pulitzer prize for their 2008 Post series on Cheney's role in the Bush administration.
The conversation got off to a great start when blakesouthwood wrote, "This ought to be good."
lcarter0311 added, "More than good. Why do I get the feeling that Cheney for whatever reason thought he was the President and Bush was his veep?"
sharronkm wrote, "Probably the reason Bush was moving away from Cheney in the second term was because he realized how badly he had been mislead by Cheney and was waking up to the fact that Cheney's advice had been wrong. Liz Cheney's remark that her father was doing this because of his "love of history" is bunk..."
tradeczar wrote, "...as a Vietnam Vet it strikes me that those who praise Bush and Cheney because we weren't "hit" again remind me of those who still maintain that we could have won in Vietnam had the generals had their way. Delusion is an awesome force."
newageblues wrote, "Cheney would have more credibility as a security hawk eager to go to war to try to protect the country, if it wasn't for the reason he didn't serve in the military during the Vietnam War. As he later unapologetically explained it, he had "other priorities". How can you take such a slimy hypocrite seriously?"
John1263 wrote, "... It would be good for America if the people around cheney also realized the statute of limitations is up and start giving testimony to the DoJ so cheney can start measuring the drapes for a cell in federal prison..."
losthorizon10 said, "These two jackals sent our troops to Iraq to die and get blown apart for their little neocon fantasy, and they lied us into a war when they knew full well that there were no WMD's there... Let them both rot in prison. And let Valerie Plame turn the key on their cell doors."
deano1 wrote, "I love this, we need Cheney to "keep on." He's one of the best reminders of how out of touch the republican party is with the principals of Democracy. Cheney is upset that they didn't go far enough. In Cheney's world, far enough would have been a dictatorship for the good of the people to keep them free..."
pejesq charged that "Cheney and Bush were in office when the worst terrorist attack in American history occurred. At the time of the attack, a report detailing the Al Queda threat was sitting on Bush's desk unread. Cheney will spend the rest of his life trying to make up for that mistake and, especially, trying to convince the world that he was not at fault and he has, in fact, made the world a safer place. Unfortunately that's just a fantasy..."
jbleenyc wrote, "...Instead of just going off into the good night and enjoying a nice retirement, this man is still full of plots and ego. His revelations in his new book could further cement the views the American people now have about him... He probably feels grateful for the sacrifices Libby made on his behalf and is so bitter that he could not help his aide with a full pardon..."
alloleo said, "I just don't see why we should think there's any virtue in Cheney's maintaining a blinkered, unchanging, unresponsive view of the world. He gets his mind stuck on a few simplistic ideas, few of them correct but all of them "tough", then rides them to the bitter end and his cronies and lackies call it "conviction". That's no way to run a country..."
mharwick suggested, "It is all about the pardon refused and the firing of Rumsfeld. George W. Bush did not pardon folks lightly. Bill Clinton had his pardongate. Bush did not."
The article quoted John P. Hannah, Cheney's second-term national security adviser, as saying that the former vice president is driven by the nightmare of a hostile state acquiring nuclear weapons and passing them to terrorists.
This caused dj333 to write, "This is a concern most serious people don't share because it doesn't really make much sense: very few states would pass nuclear weapons on to non-state actors (read "terrorists") because they would want such weapons to end up being used on them or their allies..."
swatkins1 warned, "A far more dangerous enemy is the one within the borders of the United States. The far right neo-con seething anger and hate that is poising itself to take matters into their own hands, an American Taliban, led by Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh. The real danger, the real threat is fomenting in the shadows. Right inside the border."
dfnsatty wrote, "So Cheney has contempt for public opinion? Maybe that's because he withheld so much information that the public could not form sound opinions. It's the same ploy Hitler and many other dictators have used - don't reveal anything and then say 'I can make a better decision because I know more than you'."
gagalbert said, "Cheney is right of course. W did go soft. The only thing I did not like about Cheney is that he refused to run for the presidency. He would have been a great improvement from the guy we have now. And with each irrational post from the nutcakes and haters I see here, it supports my case even more..."
To which washpost18 replied, "There's enough irony [there] for gagalbert to make another hammer with which to continue hitting itself in the head with. Stay eloquent, conservos!"
Complaints about The Post:
The article's first paragraph said Cheney "threw himself into public combat against the 'far left' agenda of the new commander in chief." This caused standard_guy to ask, "Damn, how far left does Obama have to go to take the quotation marks off of "far left"? The quotation marks tell you all you need to know about the WaPo."
mplambert asked, "Do you notice how the Post rarely allows someone other than a Republican to voice an opinion on Cheney? Probably because even just one moderate voice would be enough to paint him as a fascist blunderer."
paulinlodi asked, "Why is it that our political class at every level of government, state and federal, is so deeply, thoroughly, irreformably, pathological? And
why does WaPo encourage, promote and glorify these very sick people?"
c sheets
Character: Volker von Meschburg
AL: LN
Race: Novani - Modern
Class: Knight
Level: 4
Family: Eisenstan
Ethnicity: Western Nordeskai
Homeland: Empire of Mormelar
Liege: Raynhard von Meschburg, uncle and Count of Meschburg.
Religion: Western Pantheon
Sex: M
Age: 24
Caste: Aristocrat
Status: Single
Ht/Wt: 6’5”/225
Hair/Eyes: Brown/Green
Description: A tall and handsome fellow with skin lightly tanned from much sun exposure. He has long hair and is clean-shaven.
Character: Andrash Erdoesh
AL: NG
Race: Novani - Modern
Class: Knight
Level: 5
Family: Erdoesh
Ethnicity: Megaran
Homeland: Kingdom of Megara
Liege: Imre, Duke of Sekesh
Religion: Western Pantheon
Sex: M
Age: 25
Caste: Aristocrat
Status: Married
Ht/Wt: 6’3”/215
Hair/Eyes: Blond/Green
Description: Andrash has angular-features and cool, appraising eyes.
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AL: LN
Race: Novani - Modern
Class: Knight
Level: 4
Family: Eisenstan
Ethnicity: Western Nordeskai
Homeland: Empire of Mormelar
Liege: Raynhard von Meschburg, uncle and Count of Meschburg.
Religion: Western Pantheon
Sex: M
Age: 24
Caste: Aristocrat
Status: Single
Ht/Wt: 6’5”/225
Hair/Eyes: Brown/Green
Description: A tall and handsome fellow with skin lightly tanned from much sun exposure. He has long hair and is clean-shaven.
Character: Andrash Erdoesh
AL: NG
Race: Novani - Modern
Class: Knight
Level: 5
Family: Erdoesh
Ethnicity: Megaran
Homeland: Kingdom of Megara
Liege: Imre, Duke of Sekesh
Religion: Western Pantheon
Sex: M
Age: 25
Caste: Aristocrat
Status: Married
Ht/Wt: 6’3”/215
Hair/Eyes: Blond/Green
Description: Andrash has angular-features and cool, appraising eyes.
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novi geography
Novite Geography
Continents
Almir
Subcontinents: Almaren, Sakar, Almora, Zoria.
Almaren is akin to feudal Europe. The terrain that isn’t developed is forested with some plains in the central, eastern and northern areas.
Sakar is akin to the Near East/Persia. It has many deserts and mountains as well as some very fertile areas, usually around rivers.
Almora is not unlike central Asia and western Siberia. It has both vast deserts and great rolling plains.
Zoria is akin to the Indic realms
Populated by Aryan, Afro-Asiatic, Turkic, and hybrid (Indic and Persid) peoples.
Kharlak
Populated by various Asiatic peoples, both northern and southern. The plains of Jen are Mongolic, the mountains of Kair are home to Tibetan folk, the heartlands of Kharlak are very Han Chinese, and the Mornikai lands are akin to the Korean kingdoms. Off the coast on the Isles of Night is the Empire of Mintaka, a much feared force not unlike feudal Japan.
Amazulia
Annuvia
-Annuvia is a vast continent whichs runs from the northern to the southern part of the West Hemisphere. The land mass of the northern part of the continent is divided into thirds by the Shining Sea (between the eastern and central thirds), a large freshwater sea, and the Annur River (a massive north-south running river between the western and central thirds) The Shining Sea narrows to the south of the northern landmass and exits into the ocean via a narrower river. Central Annuvia is a long, broad stretch of desert and semiarid lands interspersed with a central, imposing mountain range. The southern swell of the continent contains vast lush forests, rivers, and grand plains and mountains.
-Cylonuvia and Eldania are in the eastern third of the continent.
-The central third of Northern Annuvia is mostly forested in the north with some mountains in the east. Also there are extensive swamplands in the south where the central third meets the eastern third.
-The Longhouse Peoples live in the northeast of the central third. They have formed an alliance of nations known as the Ten Kindred. The ten nations are de facto independent but for matters pertaining to the people as a whole. The National Council is a semi-parliamentary organization with 100 seats that determines the policy of the confederation, i.e., matters of trade and war. Other groups around the Ten Kindred are wary of the new power.
-The River Peoples live in the southeast of the central third of the continent. They are a diverse group of related peoples and generally build stout, fortified and orderly towns and cities. Priests have much power in these lands and the priestly orders influence the kings. The are also known for their mound-temple buildings.
-There are many other groups of men and others in the western third of the continent. This segment contains, from east to west, plains, then hills, then mountains, then high plains in the north turning into desert in the south, then broad forests. The deserts of Northern Annuvia in the western third are home to several Novani cultures of note. The broad forests on Northern Annuvia’s west coast are also.
-The Central Highlands are currently home to the Axica Realm, a warrior society centered on the temple-city of Kila. Many others groups also live here and fear the dominant power of the Axica people (they are American-Asiatic: Mesoamericanid). The Axica are copper-skinned, short and stout.
-The eastern, river-bound part of the southern land mass is home to a series of competing city-states of Munaya. The people that live here have some heritage of the ancient Traldar, the seafarers of the ancient days. Also there was a further influx of Almareni blood to these realms during the Pentarchy. The current population is mostly olive-skinned, black-haired and dark-eyed with an Amerindian (particularly Brasilid) phenotype with some Aryan influences (your average Munayan has 10-20% Aryan blood). Some of the city-states are inhabited and even dominated by non-humans.
Soldunia
The Three Continents
History
-Tyran Empire sank into decadence thanks to it’s rule being usurped by Heratians and other Sakari and north Amazulian peoples who swarmed into the heart of the Empire starting around TA 1000 (Eldani reckoning, it is now TA 3008). It was finally usurped again in TA 1321 when Ambarlach of Aquilonia’s army destroyed the Imperial Army and the last Emperor was executed. The eastern part of the Empire became the possession of Ornelion of Dol Rynir. Later they and other conquering Eldani declared the Pentarchy which ruled all of Almir for over a millennium. The Aryan Tyrans mounted a resistance and left to the northwest where they dwelt in what is today Allon. The elected king of the last true Tyrans orchestrated an alliance with the Western peoples there which became the foundation for the Kingdom of Laugris early after the fall of the Pentarchy.
Continents
Almir
Subcontinents: Almaren, Sakar, Almora, Zoria.
Almaren is akin to feudal Europe. The terrain that isn’t developed is forested with some plains in the central, eastern and northern areas.
Sakar is akin to the Near East/Persia. It has many deserts and mountains as well as some very fertile areas, usually around rivers.
Almora is not unlike central Asia and western Siberia. It has both vast deserts and great rolling plains.
Zoria is akin to the Indic realms
Populated by Aryan, Afro-Asiatic, Turkic, and hybrid (Indic and Persid) peoples.
Kharlak
Populated by various Asiatic peoples, both northern and southern. The plains of Jen are Mongolic, the mountains of Kair are home to Tibetan folk, the heartlands of Kharlak are very Han Chinese, and the Mornikai lands are akin to the Korean kingdoms. Off the coast on the Isles of Night is the Empire of Mintaka, a much feared force not unlike feudal Japan.
Amazulia
Annuvia
-Annuvia is a vast continent whichs runs from the northern to the southern part of the West Hemisphere. The land mass of the northern part of the continent is divided into thirds by the Shining Sea (between the eastern and central thirds), a large freshwater sea, and the Annur River (a massive north-south running river between the western and central thirds) The Shining Sea narrows to the south of the northern landmass and exits into the ocean via a narrower river. Central Annuvia is a long, broad stretch of desert and semiarid lands interspersed with a central, imposing mountain range. The southern swell of the continent contains vast lush forests, rivers, and grand plains and mountains.
-Cylonuvia and Eldania are in the eastern third of the continent.
-The central third of Northern Annuvia is mostly forested in the north with some mountains in the east. Also there are extensive swamplands in the south where the central third meets the eastern third.
-The Longhouse Peoples live in the northeast of the central third. They have formed an alliance of nations known as the Ten Kindred. The ten nations are de facto independent but for matters pertaining to the people as a whole. The National Council is a semi-parliamentary organization with 100 seats that determines the policy of the confederation, i.e., matters of trade and war. Other groups around the Ten Kindred are wary of the new power.
-The River Peoples live in the southeast of the central third of the continent. They are a diverse group of related peoples and generally build stout, fortified and orderly towns and cities. Priests have much power in these lands and the priestly orders influence the kings. The are also known for their mound-temple buildings.
-There are many other groups of men and others in the western third of the continent. This segment contains, from east to west, plains, then hills, then mountains, then high plains in the north turning into desert in the south, then broad forests. The deserts of Northern Annuvia in the western third are home to several Novani cultures of note. The broad forests on Northern Annuvia’s west coast are also.
-The Central Highlands are currently home to the Axica Realm, a warrior society centered on the temple-city of Kila. Many others groups also live here and fear the dominant power of the Axica people (they are American-Asiatic: Mesoamericanid). The Axica are copper-skinned, short and stout.
-The eastern, river-bound part of the southern land mass is home to a series of competing city-states of Munaya. The people that live here have some heritage of the ancient Traldar, the seafarers of the ancient days. Also there was a further influx of Almareni blood to these realms during the Pentarchy. The current population is mostly olive-skinned, black-haired and dark-eyed with an Amerindian (particularly Brasilid) phenotype with some Aryan influences (your average Munayan has 10-20% Aryan blood). Some of the city-states are inhabited and even dominated by non-humans.
Soldunia
The Three Continents
History
-Tyran Empire sank into decadence thanks to it’s rule being usurped by Heratians and other Sakari and north Amazulian peoples who swarmed into the heart of the Empire starting around TA 1000 (Eldani reckoning, it is now TA 3008). It was finally usurped again in TA 1321 when Ambarlach of Aquilonia’s army destroyed the Imperial Army and the last Emperor was executed. The eastern part of the Empire became the possession of Ornelion of Dol Rynir. Later they and other conquering Eldani declared the Pentarchy which ruled all of Almir for over a millennium. The Aryan Tyrans mounted a resistance and left to the northwest where they dwelt in what is today Allon. The elected king of the last true Tyrans orchestrated an alliance with the Western peoples there which became the foundation for the Kingdom of Laugris early after the fall of the Pentarchy.
novite states update
Novite States, AR 999 (TA 3308)
-Almareni reckoning was founded in the years when the Free Alliance defeated the last members of the Pentarchy in the War of the Magi. That war ended 999 years ago and it’s completion heralded the supremacy of the new Nordeskai culture and the rise of the modern Almaren. The great kings who participated in the War of the Magi inherited the lands they had won. It has been 532 years since the founding of the Empire of Tescelin (which in turn became the current states of Eusdria and Mormelar) and the beginning of a new Almareni civilization.
-The Tyran Empire became the mightiest state in the world during the early years of the Third Age. But around TA 1000 they began to wane as hordes of Amazo-Sakari peoples colonized the heart of the empire and it became a decadent plutocracy. Many of the Aryan Tyrans moved to the northwest or across the sea to escape the corruption and growing danger (these people added to the other Aryan population that already had existed in Cylonuvia since the Elder Days). The Tyrans who settled in present day Allon founded the realm of Laugris and those who settled across the sea founded the Second-Wave Aryan realms of Annuvia that exist to this day. In TA 1296 Ambarlach of Aquilonia overthrew the near-defunct Empire and his armies destroyed Tyr (though the modern city of Cyrisa is founded on it’s ruins). Soon after, concurrent Koreldani plots toppled the other lands of Almir and the Pentarchy was declared. Many tumults occurred throughout the reign of the Pentarchy including the forcible relocation or even extermination of populations of Novani and others who did not consent to the Pentarchy’s dominance. The Pentarchs declared themselves Gods and demanded worship and tribute. Few lands held out against their might until the Free Alliance was organized by a coalition of the diverse peoples of Almaren (a unity of men, elves, dwarves, and hin). The challenge to the Pentarchy’s might resulted in the War of the Magi which devastated the continent. The upside of the War, which ended lasted ten years and ended in the spring of 2309, was that the Pentarchy had been toppled by the Free Alliance and other peoples of Almir. Out of the Free Alliance sprang the new Nordeskai Kingdoms. The Nordeskai were a people who occupied the northern lands during the Tyran Empire. During the Pentarchy many of their tribes caused trouble and were known as agitated and dangerous. After the fall of the Pentarchy it was discovered that the Nordeskai were now the most numerous group of Aryans that remained in western Almaren. The tribes founded kingdoms that became the basis for the current feudal states of western Almaren. The other groups of Aryans that had lived in the lands (Tratians, remnant Tyrans and Westerendi) mostly assimilated to the new Nordeskai culture and were absorbed. The realms of Eusdria, Allon, Mormelar, Limellia and Old Tyr and the smaller Novani principalities arose from this. Of the Eldani realms, the only large ones that remain are Beretaur in the north of Almaren and Taur Pelanna and Taurangel in the west central area known as the Old Kingdoms. For Omikhani realms, there is Grindenwald in the northwest and Kenax and Ulvarin in the Old Kingdoms. The Milenian Empire was founded in the east in the spirit of the Tyrans, spurred on by a migration of three tribes to the area (two Tyran, one Nordeskai).
Western Almaren
Kingdom of Allon
Type: Feudal monarchy. The king has very strong authority and his barons are discontented. There are currently 10 major Allonian duchies as well as 9 duchies outside of Allon and the duchies are in turn divided into other smaller partitions.
King: Ademar I (House of Angelon) disposition: short-tempered. He is known for fair justice and sound administration but is ill-humored and intolerant of opposition. Some citizens feel he overtaxes as well.
Kingdom of Eusdria
Type: Feudal monarchy. The king has strong authority but is checked somewhat by his nobility.
King: Lothair II (House of Verend), disposition: aggressive. Lothair is a consummate politician as well as a now-legendary warrior. He embraces realpolitik wholeheartedly, with his nation’s interests at the core.
-Lothair views Calamar and Seremon as his personal fiefs. They don’t agree. Lothair also would like the lands once part of Old Eusdria now possessed by the royalty of Allon.
Duchy of Calamar
Type: Feudal magiocracy. Only mages are allowed to rule in this realm and this decree has the consent of the Mormelari Emperor.
Duke: Reimar I (van Vlaardoen), disposition: reclusive. He is a strange and reclusive fellow but is known to be married and with children. He spends much of his time in contemplation of magic.
Duchy of Seremon
Type: Oligarchy. Mages and merchants compete for power in this chaotic northern realm.
Duke: Gervase III (Aellebold), disposition: cautious. He answers to the Guild Consortium’s board but has considerable wealth and influence of his own. Gervase is conservative for the most part and goes along with the mercantile establishment for the most part. He is a trained and capable military leader however.
Four Kingdoms of Limellia
Type: Alliance of four feudal monarchies. They are influenced by lobbies of mages and peasant herders.
Kings: Erdinande V, Conrade II, Eligion IV, Romelion I.
Forest See of Beretaur
Type: Religious bureaucracy, each district ruled by a high priest. There is an archpriest who governs the entire structure. It is the only large Eldani state in northern Almaren, save Wendar in the northeast.
Archpriest: Hallon. Hallon’s leadership has been trusted for 436 years since his predecessor was slain during the Lajakan Orcish Crisis. He is always clear-headed and dispassionate in his dealings.
Kingdom of Grindenwald
Type: Monarchy, with strong religious overtones among the royalty. It borders Allon to the west.
King: Storlock.
The Old Kingdoms
Type: 4 independent realms. Taur Pelanna and Taurangel are Eldani homelands and Ulvarin and Kenax are Omikhani homelands. They have been occupied by their respective peoples since the Elder Wars (which decimated most of the once dominant Eldani and Omikhani civilizations of Almaren). The dwarf lands are kingdoms whereas the elvish realms are ruled by clerics.
Western Empire
Type: Empire, ruled by a strong High King. There are also 9 kingdoms total plus other colonial holdings.
Empire of Mormelar
Type: Decentralized feudal empire. Economically it acts as an empire but it is comprised of many smaller and often nearly autonomous territories. All together it is larger than Allon, a large kingdom in itself.
Emperor: Contested. The two contestants are Sigeric of House Scilder (hm knight-6 ln – possessions-Rehburg) and the sixth son of the previous Emperor, Lammert of House Holvanner (hm knight-6 lg). Sigeric (and his allies including Archpriest Beringaer of Koeren) began the war with an aggressive assault from the north but was unable to defeat Lammert’s forces. Last year, Lammert took the fight into Sigeric’s territories but has not won any decisive engagements yet. The Patriarch has not declared who he supports to be the Mormelari Emperor, which complicates matters somewhat.
Terrain: Diverse, but generally flat plains and occasional forests in the north turning into mountains with some thick forest in the south. The border with the Holy States is past the Tyran spires, but the empire does not control the city-states of Alvaron, Almadil, or Margand.
Tyran Peninsula states (these are the ones independent of the Empire)
Duchy of Almadil
Type: Absolute monarchy. The duke promotes literacy and commerce enthusiastically. It is a major seaport and merchants are granted extensive rights in exchange for revenues and other favors for the duke.
Duke: Rabel II (hm noble warrior-17 cg)
Republic of Alvaron
Type: Oligarchy. It is ruled by chairmen elected by the voting citizens of Alvaron, about 10-20% of the population. There are twenty chairmen, one from each district of Alvaron. This board oversees most policy and appoints an executive, the Prince, who governs the city for life. Most voters and officials are quite wealthy or otherwise connected.
Prince: Fortunatus of House Caprene (hm rogue-17 ng)
Principality of Margand
Type: Oligarchy. There is a duke but he is influenced by a merchant oligarchy known as the Council of Margand which is comprised of the wealthiest merchants in the land. The duke has power because of his connection to the people, but most policy must be approved by the oligarchy.
Duke: Osvald III (hm paladin-15 lg)
Council Chair: Raimond of House Alecco (hm trader-12 n)
Kingdom of Paragon
Type: Monarchy ruled by feudal aristocrats from the Duchy of Nordens in the Angelon Empire. The peasantry is of diverse racial stock due to the long history of mixing in the area (the people have Tyran, Milenian, Heratian, Alasiyan and some other heritage).
King: Ercanbald Raganhard (Ercanbald II) is too young to rule. It is held in regency by Sumar von Draachen (hm knight-15 lg).
Sultanate of the Alfaris
Type: Dictatorship with religious overtones. The Sultan is at the heart of the bureaucracy which administers the realm.
Sultan: Arith, son of Aknin (hm warrior-12 ln). Arith is a Kalimite fanatic and does not tolerate non-Kalimite intrusions into his lands.
-The lands of the Alfaris reach from northern Amazulia to southern Limellia. They were once part of the great Caliphate of Kalim.
Eastern Almaren
Kingdom of Megara
Type: Feudal monarchy. The king was once near absolute but now his power is waning (somewhat) in the face of noble ambitions and changing economic conditions (i.e., revenue from crown lands not keeping up with the rest of the kingdom).
King: Alvian I
-History: Megarans are of similar origins to Karjalans – they are Aryans perhaps from the Great Central Range. They were originally warrior nomad/farmers but they became settled in AR 800 (TA 3100-ish) by the decree of the Patriarch after they agreed to follow the Pantheon’s teachings. The heartlands of this realm are broad plains.
Kingdom of Netavia
Type: Monarchy. The king has virtually absolute authority in this realm.
King: Sinisa I
Kingdom of Vineskaja
Type: Monarchy. The king depends on the support of his sizable feudal aristocracy.
King: Razimir II
Ruthinian City-states
Type: City-states with surrounding feudal tributaries. Typically ruled by Kings.
Notables: Valisuav II of Belomir-Vasil is a powerful
Branches of Humanity
Aryan (Indo-European)
Amazo-Sakari (Afro-Asiatic), includes modern Yazham who were anciently Aryan.
Almoran (Turkic)
Korave (Caucas peoples)
Zorian (Indic hybrids)
Zuli and others (Bantu)
Tangor and others (Nilotic)
Aericans and others (East Afro hybrids)
Soldunians (Abbo)
Khar Zin (Proto-Mongol)
North Kharlakan/Isles of Night (refined Mongolid)
South Kharlakan (Indochinese and island hybrids)
-Almareni reckoning was founded in the years when the Free Alliance defeated the last members of the Pentarchy in the War of the Magi. That war ended 999 years ago and it’s completion heralded the supremacy of the new Nordeskai culture and the rise of the modern Almaren. The great kings who participated in the War of the Magi inherited the lands they had won. It has been 532 years since the founding of the Empire of Tescelin (which in turn became the current states of Eusdria and Mormelar) and the beginning of a new Almareni civilization.
-The Tyran Empire became the mightiest state in the world during the early years of the Third Age. But around TA 1000 they began to wane as hordes of Amazo-Sakari peoples colonized the heart of the empire and it became a decadent plutocracy. Many of the Aryan Tyrans moved to the northwest or across the sea to escape the corruption and growing danger (these people added to the other Aryan population that already had existed in Cylonuvia since the Elder Days). The Tyrans who settled in present day Allon founded the realm of Laugris and those who settled across the sea founded the Second-Wave Aryan realms of Annuvia that exist to this day. In TA 1296 Ambarlach of Aquilonia overthrew the near-defunct Empire and his armies destroyed Tyr (though the modern city of Cyrisa is founded on it’s ruins). Soon after, concurrent Koreldani plots toppled the other lands of Almir and the Pentarchy was declared. Many tumults occurred throughout the reign of the Pentarchy including the forcible relocation or even extermination of populations of Novani and others who did not consent to the Pentarchy’s dominance. The Pentarchs declared themselves Gods and demanded worship and tribute. Few lands held out against their might until the Free Alliance was organized by a coalition of the diverse peoples of Almaren (a unity of men, elves, dwarves, and hin). The challenge to the Pentarchy’s might resulted in the War of the Magi which devastated the continent. The upside of the War, which ended lasted ten years and ended in the spring of 2309, was that the Pentarchy had been toppled by the Free Alliance and other peoples of Almir. Out of the Free Alliance sprang the new Nordeskai Kingdoms. The Nordeskai were a people who occupied the northern lands during the Tyran Empire. During the Pentarchy many of their tribes caused trouble and were known as agitated and dangerous. After the fall of the Pentarchy it was discovered that the Nordeskai were now the most numerous group of Aryans that remained in western Almaren. The tribes founded kingdoms that became the basis for the current feudal states of western Almaren. The other groups of Aryans that had lived in the lands (Tratians, remnant Tyrans and Westerendi) mostly assimilated to the new Nordeskai culture and were absorbed. The realms of Eusdria, Allon, Mormelar, Limellia and Old Tyr and the smaller Novani principalities arose from this. Of the Eldani realms, the only large ones that remain are Beretaur in the north of Almaren and Taur Pelanna and Taurangel in the west central area known as the Old Kingdoms. For Omikhani realms, there is Grindenwald in the northwest and Kenax and Ulvarin in the Old Kingdoms. The Milenian Empire was founded in the east in the spirit of the Tyrans, spurred on by a migration of three tribes to the area (two Tyran, one Nordeskai).
Western Almaren
Kingdom of Allon
Type: Feudal monarchy. The king has very strong authority and his barons are discontented. There are currently 10 major Allonian duchies as well as 9 duchies outside of Allon and the duchies are in turn divided into other smaller partitions.
King: Ademar I (House of Angelon) disposition: short-tempered. He is known for fair justice and sound administration but is ill-humored and intolerant of opposition. Some citizens feel he overtaxes as well.
Kingdom of Eusdria
Type: Feudal monarchy. The king has strong authority but is checked somewhat by his nobility.
King: Lothair II (House of Verend), disposition: aggressive. Lothair is a consummate politician as well as a now-legendary warrior. He embraces realpolitik wholeheartedly, with his nation’s interests at the core.
-Lothair views Calamar and Seremon as his personal fiefs. They don’t agree. Lothair also would like the lands once part of Old Eusdria now possessed by the royalty of Allon.
Duchy of Calamar
Type: Feudal magiocracy. Only mages are allowed to rule in this realm and this decree has the consent of the Mormelari Emperor.
Duke: Reimar I (van Vlaardoen), disposition: reclusive. He is a strange and reclusive fellow but is known to be married and with children. He spends much of his time in contemplation of magic.
Duchy of Seremon
Type: Oligarchy. Mages and merchants compete for power in this chaotic northern realm.
Duke: Gervase III (Aellebold), disposition: cautious. He answers to the Guild Consortium’s board but has considerable wealth and influence of his own. Gervase is conservative for the most part and goes along with the mercantile establishment for the most part. He is a trained and capable military leader however.
Four Kingdoms of Limellia
Type: Alliance of four feudal monarchies. They are influenced by lobbies of mages and peasant herders.
Kings: Erdinande V, Conrade II, Eligion IV, Romelion I.
Forest See of Beretaur
Type: Religious bureaucracy, each district ruled by a high priest. There is an archpriest who governs the entire structure. It is the only large Eldani state in northern Almaren, save Wendar in the northeast.
Archpriest: Hallon. Hallon’s leadership has been trusted for 436 years since his predecessor was slain during the Lajakan Orcish Crisis. He is always clear-headed and dispassionate in his dealings.
Kingdom of Grindenwald
Type: Monarchy, with strong religious overtones among the royalty. It borders Allon to the west.
King: Storlock.
The Old Kingdoms
Type: 4 independent realms. Taur Pelanna and Taurangel are Eldani homelands and Ulvarin and Kenax are Omikhani homelands. They have been occupied by their respective peoples since the Elder Wars (which decimated most of the once dominant Eldani and Omikhani civilizations of Almaren). The dwarf lands are kingdoms whereas the elvish realms are ruled by clerics.
Western Empire
Type: Empire, ruled by a strong High King. There are also 9 kingdoms total plus other colonial holdings.
Empire of Mormelar
Type: Decentralized feudal empire. Economically it acts as an empire but it is comprised of many smaller and often nearly autonomous territories. All together it is larger than Allon, a large kingdom in itself.
Emperor: Contested. The two contestants are Sigeric of House Scilder (hm knight-6 ln – possessions-Rehburg) and the sixth son of the previous Emperor, Lammert of House Holvanner (hm knight-6 lg). Sigeric (and his allies including Archpriest Beringaer of Koeren) began the war with an aggressive assault from the north but was unable to defeat Lammert’s forces. Last year, Lammert took the fight into Sigeric’s territories but has not won any decisive engagements yet. The Patriarch has not declared who he supports to be the Mormelari Emperor, which complicates matters somewhat.
Terrain: Diverse, but generally flat plains and occasional forests in the north turning into mountains with some thick forest in the south. The border with the Holy States is past the Tyran spires, but the empire does not control the city-states of Alvaron, Almadil, or Margand.
Tyran Peninsula states (these are the ones independent of the Empire)
Duchy of Almadil
Type: Absolute monarchy. The duke promotes literacy and commerce enthusiastically. It is a major seaport and merchants are granted extensive rights in exchange for revenues and other favors for the duke.
Duke: Rabel II (hm noble warrior-17 cg)
Republic of Alvaron
Type: Oligarchy. It is ruled by chairmen elected by the voting citizens of Alvaron, about 10-20% of the population. There are twenty chairmen, one from each district of Alvaron. This board oversees most policy and appoints an executive, the Prince, who governs the city for life. Most voters and officials are quite wealthy or otherwise connected.
Prince: Fortunatus of House Caprene (hm rogue-17 ng)
Principality of Margand
Type: Oligarchy. There is a duke but he is influenced by a merchant oligarchy known as the Council of Margand which is comprised of the wealthiest merchants in the land. The duke has power because of his connection to the people, but most policy must be approved by the oligarchy.
Duke: Osvald III (hm paladin-15 lg)
Council Chair: Raimond of House Alecco (hm trader-12 n)
Kingdom of Paragon
Type: Monarchy ruled by feudal aristocrats from the Duchy of Nordens in the Angelon Empire. The peasantry is of diverse racial stock due to the long history of mixing in the area (the people have Tyran, Milenian, Heratian, Alasiyan and some other heritage).
King: Ercanbald Raganhard (Ercanbald II) is too young to rule. It is held in regency by Sumar von Draachen (hm knight-15 lg).
Sultanate of the Alfaris
Type: Dictatorship with religious overtones. The Sultan is at the heart of the bureaucracy which administers the realm.
Sultan: Arith, son of Aknin (hm warrior-12 ln). Arith is a Kalimite fanatic and does not tolerate non-Kalimite intrusions into his lands.
-The lands of the Alfaris reach from northern Amazulia to southern Limellia. They were once part of the great Caliphate of Kalim.
Eastern Almaren
Kingdom of Megara
Type: Feudal monarchy. The king was once near absolute but now his power is waning (somewhat) in the face of noble ambitions and changing economic conditions (i.e., revenue from crown lands not keeping up with the rest of the kingdom).
King: Alvian I
-History: Megarans are of similar origins to Karjalans – they are Aryans perhaps from the Great Central Range. They were originally warrior nomad/farmers but they became settled in AR 800 (TA 3100-ish) by the decree of the Patriarch after they agreed to follow the Pantheon’s teachings. The heartlands of this realm are broad plains.
Kingdom of Netavia
Type: Monarchy. The king has virtually absolute authority in this realm.
King: Sinisa I
Kingdom of Vineskaja
Type: Monarchy. The king depends on the support of his sizable feudal aristocracy.
King: Razimir II
Ruthinian City-states
Type: City-states with surrounding feudal tributaries. Typically ruled by Kings.
Notables: Valisuav II of Belomir-Vasil is a powerful
Branches of Humanity
Aryan (Indo-European)
Amazo-Sakari (Afro-Asiatic), includes modern Yazham who were anciently Aryan.
Almoran (Turkic)
Korave (Caucas peoples)
Zorian (Indic hybrids)
Zuli and others (Bantu)
Tangor and others (Nilotic)
Aericans and others (East Afro hybrids)
Soldunians (Abbo)
Khar Zin (Proto-Mongol)
North Kharlakan/Isles of Night (refined Mongolid)
South Kharlakan (Indochinese and island hybrids)
Monday, August 3, 2009
Novite states, a work in progress
Novite States, AR 999 (TA 3308)
-Almareni reckoning was founded in the years when the Free Alliance defeated the last members of the Pentarchy in the War of the Magi. That war ended 999 years ago and it’s completion heralded the supremacy of the new Nordeskai culture and the rise of the modern Almaren. The great kings who participated in the War of the Magi inherited the lands they had won. It has been 532 years since the founding of the Empire of Tescelin (which in turn became the current states of Eusdria and Mormelar) and the beginning of a new Almareni civilization.
-The Tyran Empire became the mightiest state in the world during the early years of the Third Age. But around TA 1000 they began to wane as hordes of Amazo-Sakari peoples colonized the heart of the empire and it became a decadent plutocracy. Many of the Aryan Tyrans moved to the northwest or across the sea to escape the corruption and growing danger (these people added to the other Aryan population that already had existed in Cylonuvia since the Elder Days). The Tyrans who settled in present day Allon founded the realm of Laugris and those who settled across the sea founded the Second-Wave Aryan realms of Annuvia that exist to this day. In TA 1296 Ambarlach of Aquilonia overthrew the near-defunct Empire and his armies destroyed Tyr (though the modern city of Cyrisa is founded on it’s ruins). Soon after, concurrent Koreldani plots toppled the other lands of Almir and the Pentarchy was declared. Many tumults occurred throughout the reign of the Pentarchy including the forcible relocation or even extermination of populations of Novani and others who did not consent to the Pentarchy’s dominance. The Pentarchs declared themselves Gods and demanded worship and tribute. Few lands held out against their might until the Free Alliance was organized by a coalition of the diverse peoples of Almaren (a unity of men, elves, dwarves, and hin). The challenge to the Pentarchy’s might resulted in the War of the Magi which devastated the continent. The upside of the War, which ended lasted ten years and ended in the spring of 2309, was that the Pentarchy had been toppled by the Free Alliance and other peoples of Almir. Out of the Free Alliance sprang the new Nordeskai Kingdoms. The Nordeskai were a people who occupied the northern lands during the Tyran Empire. During the Pentarchy many of their tribes caused trouble and were known as agitated and dangerous. After the fall of the Pentarchy it was discovered that the Nordeskai were now the most numerous group of Aryans that remained in western Almaren. The tribes founded kingdoms that became the basis for the current feudal states of western Almaren. The other groups of Aryans that had lived in the lands (Tratians, remnant Tyrans and Westerendi) mostly assimilated to the new Nordeskai culture and were absorbed. The realms of Eusdria, Allon, Mormelar, Limellia and Old Tyr and the smaller Novani principalities arose from this. Of the Eldani realms, the only large ones that remain are Beretaur in the north of Almaren and Taur Pelanna and Taurangel in the west central area known as the Old Kingdoms. For Omikhani realms, there is Grindenwald in the northwest and Kenax and Ulvarin in the Old Kingdoms. The Milenian Empire was founded in the east in the spirit of the Tyrans, spurred on by a migration of three tribes to the area (two Tyran, one Nordeskai).
Western Isles
Western Empire
Type: Empire, ruled by a strong High King. There are also 9 kingdoms total plus other colonial holdings.
Western Almaren
Kingdom of Allon
Type: Feudal monarchy. The king has very strong authority and his barons are discontented. There are currently 10 major Allonian duchies as well as 9 duchies outside of Allon and the duchies are in turn divided into other smaller partitions.
King: Ademar I (House of Angelon) disposition: short-tempered. He is known for fair justice and sound administration but is ill-humored and intolerant of opposition. Some citizens feel he overtaxes as well.
Kingdom of Eusdria
Type: Feudal monarchy. The king has strong authority but is checked somewhat by his nobility.
King: Lothair II (House of Verend), disposition: aggressive. Lothair is a consummate politician as well as a now-legendary warrior. He embraces realpolitik wholeheartedly, with his nation’s interests at the core.
-Lothair views Calamar and Seremon as his personal fiefs. They don’t agree. Lothair also would like the lands once part of Old Eusdria now possessed by the royalty of Allon.
Duchy of Calamar
Type: Feudal magiocracy. Only mages are allowed to rule in this realm and this decree has the consent of the Mormelari Emperor.
Duke: Reimar I (van Vlaardoen), disposition: reclusive. He is a strange and reclusive fellow but is known to be married and with children. He spends much of his time in contemplation of magic.
Duchy of Seremon
Type: Oligarchy. Mages and merchants compete for power in this chaotic northern realm.
Duke: Gervase III (Aellebold), disposition: cautious. He answers to the Guild Consortium’s board but has considerable wealth and influence of his own. Gervase is conservative for the most part and goes along with the mercantile establishment for the most part. He is a trained and capable military leader however.
Four Kingdoms of Limellia
Type: Alliance of four feudal monarchies. They are influenced by lobbies of mages and peasant herders.
Kings: Erdinande V, Conrade II, Eligion IV, Romelion I.
Forest See of Beretaur
Type: Religious bureaucracy, each district ruled by a high priest. There is an archpriest who governs the entire structure. It is the only large Eldani state in northern Almaren, save Wendar in the northeast.
Archpriest: Hallon. Hallon’s leadership has been trusted for 436 years since his predecessor was slain during the Lajakan Orcish Crisis. He is always clear-headed and dispassionate in his dealings.
Kingdom of Grindenwald
Type: Monarchy, with strong religious overtones among the royalty. It borders Allon to the west.
King: Storlock.
The Old Kingdoms
Type: 4 independent realms. Taur Pelanna and Taurangel are Eldani homelands and Ulvarin and Kenax are Omikhani homelands. They have been occupied by their respective peoples since the Elder Wars (which decimated most of the once dominant Eldani and Omikhani civilizations of Almaren). The dwarf lands are kingdoms whereas the elvish realms are ruled by clerics.
Empire of Mormelar
Type: Decentralized feudal empire. Economically it acts as an empire but it is comprised of many smaller and often nearly autonomous territories. All together it is larger than Allon, a large kingdom in itself, although it’s heartland is in the Land of the Nordeskai.
Emperor: Contested. The two contestants are Sigeric of House Scilder (hm knight-6 ln – possessions-Rehburg) and the sixth son of the previous Emperor, Lammert of House Holvanner (hm knight-6 lg). Sigeric (and his allies including Archpriest Beringaer of Koeren) began the war with an aggressive assault from the north but was unable to defeat Lammert’s forces. Last year, Lammert took the fight into Sigeric’s territories but has not won any decisive engagements yet. The Patriarch has not declared who he supports to be the Mormelari Emperor, which complicates matters somewhat.
Terrain: Diverse, but generally flat plains and occasional forests in the north turning into mountains with some thick forest in the south. The border with the Holy States is past the Tyran spires, but the empire does not control the city-states of Alvaron, Almadil, or Margand.
Nordia
Kingdom of Gyrea
Type: Feudal monarchy.
King: Frösten II
Kingdom of Vannia
Type: Feudal monarchy.
King: Njord VI
Kingdom of Steilund
Type: Feudal monarchy.
King: Brindolf I
Tyran Peninsula states (these are the ones independent of the Empire)
Duchy of Almadil
Type: Absolute monarchy. The duke promotes literacy and commerce enthusiastically. It is a major seaport and merchants are granted extensive rights in exchange for revenues and other favors for the duke.
Duke: Rabel II (hm noble warrior-17 cg)
Republic of Alvaron
Type: Oligarchy. It is ruled by chairmen elected by the voting citizens of Alvaron, about 10-20% of the population. There are twenty chairmen, one from each district of Alvaron. This board oversees most policy and appoints an executive, the Prince, who governs the city for life. Most voters and officials are quite wealthy or otherwise connected.
Prince: Fortunatus of House Caprene (hm rogue-17 ng)
Principality of Margand
Type: Oligarchy. There is a duke but he is influenced by a merchant oligarchy known as the Council of Margand which is comprised of the wealthiest merchants in the land. The duke has power because of his connection to the people, but most policy must be approved by the oligarchy.
Duke: Osvald III (hm paladin-15 lg)
Council Chair: Raimond of House Alecco (hm trader-12 n)
Kingdom of Paragon
Type: Monarchy ruled by feudal aristocrats from the Duchy of Nordens in the Angelon Empire. The peasantry is of diverse racial stock due to the long history of mixing in the area (the people have Tyran, Milenian, Heratian, Alasiyan and some other heritage).
King: Ercanbald Raganhard (Ercanbald II) is too young to rule. It is held in regency by Sumar von Draachen (hm knight-15 lg).
(/Tyran)
Sultanate of the Alfaris
Type: Dictatorship with religious overtones. The Sultan is at the heart of the bureaucracy which administers the realm.
Sultan: Arith, son of Aknin (hm warrior-12 ln). Arith is a Kalimite fanatic and does not tolerate non-Kalimite intrusions into his lands.
-The lands of the Alfaris reach from northern Amazulia to southern Limellia. They were once part of the great Caliphate of Kalim.
Eastern Almaren
Kingdom of Megara
Type: Feudal monarchy. The king was once near absolute but now his power is waning (somewhat) in the face of noble ambitions and changing economic conditions (i.e., revenue from crown lands not keeping up with the rest of the kingdom).
King: Alvian I
-History: Megarans are of similar origins to Karjalans – they are Aryans perhaps from the Great Central Range. They were originally warrior nomad/farmers but they became settled in AR 800 (TA 3100-ish) by the decree of the Patriarch after they agreed to follow the Pantheon’s teachings. The heartlands of this realm are broad plains.
Kingdom of Netavia
Type: Monarchy. The king has virtually absolute authority in this realm.
King: Sinisa I
Kingdom of Olgaria
Type:
Empire of Milenia
Type: Imperial monarchy. The Emperor answers to a parliament-like organization of nobles – in theory anyway. He has virtually absolute power but often must consider the interests of the nobles in order to maintain his power base. There are heavy religious overtones to the Emperor’s authority as well.
Emperor: Spyridon VIII
Note: This empire is mostly founded around the city of Milenis, a gigantic city that sits astride Almaren and Sakar. Other notable cities are Kerendas and Hattias. This land was founded after the War of the Magi by three tribes of Aryans. It’s empire once stretched across Sakar and even north Amazulia as well as across Milenia Occidental.
Kingdom of Vineskaja
Type: Monarchy. The king depends on the support of his sizable feudal aristocracy.
King: Razimir II
Principalities of Ruthinia
Type: City-states with surrounding feudal tributaries. Typically ruled by a Kniaz.
Notables: Valisuav II of Belomir-Vasil is a powerful Kniaz.
Principalities of Vothia
Type: See Ruthinia.
Notables:
Notables: Both Ruthinia and Vothia are significantly more rural than the west of Almaren and dominated by the military aristocracy. These lands were once united under the Kislev Confederation but are now city-states and surrounding stretches of territory.
Branches of Humanity
Aryan (Indo-European)
Amazo-Sakari (Afro-Asiatic), includes modern Yazham who were anciently Aryan.
Almoran (Turkic)
Korave (Caucas peoples)
Zorian (Indic hybrids)
Zuli and others (Bantu)
Tangor and others (Nilotic)
Aericans and others (East Afro hybrids)
Soldunians (Abbo)
Khar Zin (Proto-Mongol)
North Kharlakan/Isles of Night (refined Mongolid)
South Kharlakan (Indochinese and island hybrids)
-Almareni reckoning was founded in the years when the Free Alliance defeated the last members of the Pentarchy in the War of the Magi. That war ended 999 years ago and it’s completion heralded the supremacy of the new Nordeskai culture and the rise of the modern Almaren. The great kings who participated in the War of the Magi inherited the lands they had won. It has been 532 years since the founding of the Empire of Tescelin (which in turn became the current states of Eusdria and Mormelar) and the beginning of a new Almareni civilization.
-The Tyran Empire became the mightiest state in the world during the early years of the Third Age. But around TA 1000 they began to wane as hordes of Amazo-Sakari peoples colonized the heart of the empire and it became a decadent plutocracy. Many of the Aryan Tyrans moved to the northwest or across the sea to escape the corruption and growing danger (these people added to the other Aryan population that already had existed in Cylonuvia since the Elder Days). The Tyrans who settled in present day Allon founded the realm of Laugris and those who settled across the sea founded the Second-Wave Aryan realms of Annuvia that exist to this day. In TA 1296 Ambarlach of Aquilonia overthrew the near-defunct Empire and his armies destroyed Tyr (though the modern city of Cyrisa is founded on it’s ruins). Soon after, concurrent Koreldani plots toppled the other lands of Almir and the Pentarchy was declared. Many tumults occurred throughout the reign of the Pentarchy including the forcible relocation or even extermination of populations of Novani and others who did not consent to the Pentarchy’s dominance. The Pentarchs declared themselves Gods and demanded worship and tribute. Few lands held out against their might until the Free Alliance was organized by a coalition of the diverse peoples of Almaren (a unity of men, elves, dwarves, and hin). The challenge to the Pentarchy’s might resulted in the War of the Magi which devastated the continent. The upside of the War, which ended lasted ten years and ended in the spring of 2309, was that the Pentarchy had been toppled by the Free Alliance and other peoples of Almir. Out of the Free Alliance sprang the new Nordeskai Kingdoms. The Nordeskai were a people who occupied the northern lands during the Tyran Empire. During the Pentarchy many of their tribes caused trouble and were known as agitated and dangerous. After the fall of the Pentarchy it was discovered that the Nordeskai were now the most numerous group of Aryans that remained in western Almaren. The tribes founded kingdoms that became the basis for the current feudal states of western Almaren. The other groups of Aryans that had lived in the lands (Tratians, remnant Tyrans and Westerendi) mostly assimilated to the new Nordeskai culture and were absorbed. The realms of Eusdria, Allon, Mormelar, Limellia and Old Tyr and the smaller Novani principalities arose from this. Of the Eldani realms, the only large ones that remain are Beretaur in the north of Almaren and Taur Pelanna and Taurangel in the west central area known as the Old Kingdoms. For Omikhani realms, there is Grindenwald in the northwest and Kenax and Ulvarin in the Old Kingdoms. The Milenian Empire was founded in the east in the spirit of the Tyrans, spurred on by a migration of three tribes to the area (two Tyran, one Nordeskai).
Western Isles
Western Empire
Type: Empire, ruled by a strong High King. There are also 9 kingdoms total plus other colonial holdings.
Western Almaren
Kingdom of Allon
Type: Feudal monarchy. The king has very strong authority and his barons are discontented. There are currently 10 major Allonian duchies as well as 9 duchies outside of Allon and the duchies are in turn divided into other smaller partitions.
King: Ademar I (House of Angelon) disposition: short-tempered. He is known for fair justice and sound administration but is ill-humored and intolerant of opposition. Some citizens feel he overtaxes as well.
Kingdom of Eusdria
Type: Feudal monarchy. The king has strong authority but is checked somewhat by his nobility.
King: Lothair II (House of Verend), disposition: aggressive. Lothair is a consummate politician as well as a now-legendary warrior. He embraces realpolitik wholeheartedly, with his nation’s interests at the core.
-Lothair views Calamar and Seremon as his personal fiefs. They don’t agree. Lothair also would like the lands once part of Old Eusdria now possessed by the royalty of Allon.
Duchy of Calamar
Type: Feudal magiocracy. Only mages are allowed to rule in this realm and this decree has the consent of the Mormelari Emperor.
Duke: Reimar I (van Vlaardoen), disposition: reclusive. He is a strange and reclusive fellow but is known to be married and with children. He spends much of his time in contemplation of magic.
Duchy of Seremon
Type: Oligarchy. Mages and merchants compete for power in this chaotic northern realm.
Duke: Gervase III (Aellebold), disposition: cautious. He answers to the Guild Consortium’s board but has considerable wealth and influence of his own. Gervase is conservative for the most part and goes along with the mercantile establishment for the most part. He is a trained and capable military leader however.
Four Kingdoms of Limellia
Type: Alliance of four feudal monarchies. They are influenced by lobbies of mages and peasant herders.
Kings: Erdinande V, Conrade II, Eligion IV, Romelion I.
Forest See of Beretaur
Type: Religious bureaucracy, each district ruled by a high priest. There is an archpriest who governs the entire structure. It is the only large Eldani state in northern Almaren, save Wendar in the northeast.
Archpriest: Hallon. Hallon’s leadership has been trusted for 436 years since his predecessor was slain during the Lajakan Orcish Crisis. He is always clear-headed and dispassionate in his dealings.
Kingdom of Grindenwald
Type: Monarchy, with strong religious overtones among the royalty. It borders Allon to the west.
King: Storlock.
The Old Kingdoms
Type: 4 independent realms. Taur Pelanna and Taurangel are Eldani homelands and Ulvarin and Kenax are Omikhani homelands. They have been occupied by their respective peoples since the Elder Wars (which decimated most of the once dominant Eldani and Omikhani civilizations of Almaren). The dwarf lands are kingdoms whereas the elvish realms are ruled by clerics.
Empire of Mormelar
Type: Decentralized feudal empire. Economically it acts as an empire but it is comprised of many smaller and often nearly autonomous territories. All together it is larger than Allon, a large kingdom in itself, although it’s heartland is in the Land of the Nordeskai.
Emperor: Contested. The two contestants are Sigeric of House Scilder (hm knight-6 ln – possessions-Rehburg) and the sixth son of the previous Emperor, Lammert of House Holvanner (hm knight-6 lg). Sigeric (and his allies including Archpriest Beringaer of Koeren) began the war with an aggressive assault from the north but was unable to defeat Lammert’s forces. Last year, Lammert took the fight into Sigeric’s territories but has not won any decisive engagements yet. The Patriarch has not declared who he supports to be the Mormelari Emperor, which complicates matters somewhat.
Terrain: Diverse, but generally flat plains and occasional forests in the north turning into mountains with some thick forest in the south. The border with the Holy States is past the Tyran spires, but the empire does not control the city-states of Alvaron, Almadil, or Margand.
Nordia
Kingdom of Gyrea
Type: Feudal monarchy.
King: Frösten II
Kingdom of Vannia
Type: Feudal monarchy.
King: Njord VI
Kingdom of Steilund
Type: Feudal monarchy.
King: Brindolf I
Tyran Peninsula states (these are the ones independent of the Empire)
Duchy of Almadil
Type: Absolute monarchy. The duke promotes literacy and commerce enthusiastically. It is a major seaport and merchants are granted extensive rights in exchange for revenues and other favors for the duke.
Duke: Rabel II (hm noble warrior-17 cg)
Republic of Alvaron
Type: Oligarchy. It is ruled by chairmen elected by the voting citizens of Alvaron, about 10-20% of the population. There are twenty chairmen, one from each district of Alvaron. This board oversees most policy and appoints an executive, the Prince, who governs the city for life. Most voters and officials are quite wealthy or otherwise connected.
Prince: Fortunatus of House Caprene (hm rogue-17 ng)
Principality of Margand
Type: Oligarchy. There is a duke but he is influenced by a merchant oligarchy known as the Council of Margand which is comprised of the wealthiest merchants in the land. The duke has power because of his connection to the people, but most policy must be approved by the oligarchy.
Duke: Osvald III (hm paladin-15 lg)
Council Chair: Raimond of House Alecco (hm trader-12 n)
Kingdom of Paragon
Type: Monarchy ruled by feudal aristocrats from the Duchy of Nordens in the Angelon Empire. The peasantry is of diverse racial stock due to the long history of mixing in the area (the people have Tyran, Milenian, Heratian, Alasiyan and some other heritage).
King: Ercanbald Raganhard (Ercanbald II) is too young to rule. It is held in regency by Sumar von Draachen (hm knight-15 lg).
(/Tyran)
Sultanate of the Alfaris
Type: Dictatorship with religious overtones. The Sultan is at the heart of the bureaucracy which administers the realm.
Sultan: Arith, son of Aknin (hm warrior-12 ln). Arith is a Kalimite fanatic and does not tolerate non-Kalimite intrusions into his lands.
-The lands of the Alfaris reach from northern Amazulia to southern Limellia. They were once part of the great Caliphate of Kalim.
Eastern Almaren
Kingdom of Megara
Type: Feudal monarchy. The king was once near absolute but now his power is waning (somewhat) in the face of noble ambitions and changing economic conditions (i.e., revenue from crown lands not keeping up with the rest of the kingdom).
King: Alvian I
-History: Megarans are of similar origins to Karjalans – they are Aryans perhaps from the Great Central Range. They were originally warrior nomad/farmers but they became settled in AR 800 (TA 3100-ish) by the decree of the Patriarch after they agreed to follow the Pantheon’s teachings. The heartlands of this realm are broad plains.
Kingdom of Netavia
Type: Monarchy. The king has virtually absolute authority in this realm.
King: Sinisa I
Kingdom of Olgaria
Type:
Empire of Milenia
Type: Imperial monarchy. The Emperor answers to a parliament-like organization of nobles – in theory anyway. He has virtually absolute power but often must consider the interests of the nobles in order to maintain his power base. There are heavy religious overtones to the Emperor’s authority as well.
Emperor: Spyridon VIII
Note: This empire is mostly founded around the city of Milenis, a gigantic city that sits astride Almaren and Sakar. Other notable cities are Kerendas and Hattias. This land was founded after the War of the Magi by three tribes of Aryans. It’s empire once stretched across Sakar and even north Amazulia as well as across Milenia Occidental.
Kingdom of Vineskaja
Type: Monarchy. The king depends on the support of his sizable feudal aristocracy.
King: Razimir II
Principalities of Ruthinia
Type: City-states with surrounding feudal tributaries. Typically ruled by a Kniaz.
Notables: Valisuav II of Belomir-Vasil is a powerful Kniaz.
Principalities of Vothia
Type: See Ruthinia.
Notables:
Notables: Both Ruthinia and Vothia are significantly more rural than the west of Almaren and dominated by the military aristocracy. These lands were once united under the Kislev Confederation but are now city-states and surrounding stretches of territory.
Branches of Humanity
Aryan (Indo-European)
Amazo-Sakari (Afro-Asiatic), includes modern Yazham who were anciently Aryan.
Almoran (Turkic)
Korave (Caucas peoples)
Zorian (Indic hybrids)
Zuli and others (Bantu)
Tangor and others (Nilotic)
Aericans and others (East Afro hybrids)
Soldunians (Abbo)
Khar Zin (Proto-Mongol)
North Kharlakan/Isles of Night (refined Mongolid)
South Kharlakan (Indochinese and island hybrids)
Novi timeline
Timeline
TA
1 – A year after the defeat of the last of the Dark Istari, the Great Alliance is disbanded into it’s constituent Eldani and Novani (the largest being Tratian and Tyran, the Aryan warrior peoples of the north and south respectively at the time).
37 – The Cettius family founds the City of Tyr after organizing a coalition of other Tyran aristocrats.
376 – The Taurianus family and other aristocrats remove the Kings of Tyr and their supporters from the realm. Then they declare the Republic of Tyr.
725 – Tyran armies destroy the Empire of Sothia permanently (the remnant of Nithia).
862 – The Tratian lands are subdued and become Tyran provinces.
951 – The Empire reaches it’s fullest extent.
1000 – Around this time hordes of Amazo-Sakari peoples migrate from their homes in Tyran provinces (in Sakar and Amazulia) to the heart of Tyr.
1296 - Tyran Empire overthrown by Ambarlach in the West.
1297 - Pentarchy declared; Ambarlach, Calien, and three other extremely powerful Eldani commence a thousand-year reign as demigods of Almaren.
2308 - Pentarchy overthrown by the Free Alliance. Nordeskai kings begin leading their people to various new realms.
2400 - By this time the kingdoms which form the basis of later Almaren are well established.
2775 - Empire of Tescelin founded.
3308 - Present day.
TA
1 – A year after the defeat of the last of the Dark Istari, the Great Alliance is disbanded into it’s constituent Eldani and Novani (the largest being Tratian and Tyran, the Aryan warrior peoples of the north and south respectively at the time).
37 – The Cettius family founds the City of Tyr after organizing a coalition of other Tyran aristocrats.
376 – The Taurianus family and other aristocrats remove the Kings of Tyr and their supporters from the realm. Then they declare the Republic of Tyr.
725 – Tyran armies destroy the Empire of Sothia permanently (the remnant of Nithia).
862 – The Tratian lands are subdued and become Tyran provinces.
951 – The Empire reaches it’s fullest extent.
1000 – Around this time hordes of Amazo-Sakari peoples migrate from their homes in Tyran provinces (in Sakar and Amazulia) to the heart of Tyr.
1296 - Tyran Empire overthrown by Ambarlach in the West.
1297 - Pentarchy declared; Ambarlach, Calien, and three other extremely powerful Eldani commence a thousand-year reign as demigods of Almaren.
2308 - Pentarchy overthrown by the Free Alliance. Nordeskai kings begin leading their people to various new realms.
2400 - By this time the kingdoms which form the basis of later Almaren are well established.
2775 - Empire of Tescelin founded.
3308 - Present day.
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