novite states continued

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