Cultures on Aurea

Despite attempts at cultural hegemony by The Great Empire in the Third Age of Man, Aurea remains an extremely diverse continent dominated by disparate human cultures in the east struggling to emerge from the fall of the Empire and the Dark Times, the Valtaani conquerors in the northeast, warring orcish nomads wandering unclaimed land in the west and the ancient, isolationist elves of the Drallian Peninsula.

The dominant cultures on Aurea are:

Aurean: Once a part of the Imperial provinces of Aescalapea and Milosia, the Aurean people now also include the nations of Treva and Vistria. During the Third Age of Man, the Aureans suffered greatly under a series of oppressive governors of House Gabinius and then under the rulership of Magister Rukala during the rule of Lucius "the Heretic". At the dawn of the Fourth Age, the Aureans erupted in a revolution that lead to the establishment of the break-away states of Treva in the fertile, northern plains and Vistria in the foothills of the Antasian Mountains. Despite (or perhaps because of) centuries of tyranny in the past, Aureans are a fiercely independent people today. They are still known as legendary sea-farers and the people have been slowly rebuilding their once-great navy to defend the waters of the Aurean Sea against invaders and pirates. Among the city-states of Aescalapea, powerful and wealthy merchant families are on the rise, sponsoring a new age of art, science and invention unlike any in previous Ages. Milosia expresses its independence through its militarization, with a relatively weak civil governor appointed by the military heirarchy.

Cordosan: The Cordosan people were long known as seafarers, though they suffered greatly under the rulership of the Emperor Lucius "the Heretic". Upon the defeat of the Heretic, the Cordosan people supported House Valerius for the Imperial crown in the Fourth Succession War, but the region was struck low by the Crimson Plague and the depredations of the Dark Times. Despite these challenges, the Cordosan people have rebounded at the dawn of the Fourth Age of Man. The seaports and shipyards have reopened, Cordosan merchant vessels are again plying Sonat Bay, Tanos Bay, the Aebasan Sea and beyond. Cordosani tend to be deeply religious, with Kratos and Vortumnus dominant in Aqulia, the worship of Meliboea on the rise in Cordosia and Sarpedon significant in Medalia, where that clergy recently crowned the first independent monarch in the nation in over a millennium. The rapidly growing economies and relatively recently-established nobility in the region has resulted in intense, often violent political maneuvering between families vying for power, money and influence.

Daoine Llanyeon: Daoine Llanyeon, meaning 'the people of Llanyeon' are Gaelish people living on the northern shores of Aurea. Still considered a wild, godless people by most, the Daoine Llyanyeon have a long oral history and there is evidence across the continent that the people once dominated in ancient times. During the Third Age of Man, the Great Empire tried to conquer the region, establishing a colony in what is now Mabagne and Donnagh Saoristat. The Mabean people and the Great Empire came to a treaty late in the Third Age that freed Imperial troops to launch an assault against Koramia and the continent of Duria. The Daoine Llanyeon have traditionally been a loosely organized people, more strongly aligned along familial and tribal lines than possessing of any national identities. That said, in times of great trouble, the various clan chieftains and kings come together to elect a High King of Llanyeon, though such an election has not occurred in many generations. Politically, the Daoine Llyanyeon range from loose clan associations among the humans of the Challieann Mountains to the recently formed democratic republic of the Donnagh Saoristat. While the Daoine Llanyeon do not deny the existence of the Old Gods, they have long sought spiritual leadership and guidance from the Druids and many look to the Grand Henge in Ywys as the center of druidic philosophy and organization.

Dracian: The Dracian people of central Aurea have a reputation for being wily, deceptive and often corrupt. Despite being conquered by the Great Empire during the Third Age of Man, the Dracian nobility and merchant class essentially ran the country under the nose of a series of bewildered governors. During the reign of the Emperor Lucius the Heretic, the Dracian people collaborated with the newly established Hermetic rulership. Though Dracia itself split during the Dark Times (Stavaria and Waldavia were the result of the nation's dissolution), it was quick to recover at the dawn of the Fourth Age of Man, establishing a hereditary monarchy and resuming trade with other nations in the region. Politics among Dracians have more recently taken a darker turn, as the Ivory Queen has begun to restore Hermetic rulership in the region, conducted military raids against her neighbors and tightened her political grip around the throats of the clery of Minos, whose authority in the region was once unquestioned. Even the arrogant Dracians seem unable to match their canny Queen's political acumen and Dracia itself is becoming more and more firmly in the grips of what many see as a mad tyrant.

Drestan: The humans of the Island of Drestan have long been considered primitive fisherman on the edge of the known world. Scholars believe the island was once the center of a vast empire that spanned well into the continents of Aurea and Gallorea and there are reports of haunted ruins dotting the island. More recently, there are rumors of a mysterious figure known as the Dread King who has risen to power in Dallea, organizing both people and goblins from the nearby mountains under his banner. Drestans in Mendar, on the southern half of the island have started raiding nearby shipping lanes, often with stolen ships. Though the Drestan people have long been known as docile agrarians, if current rumors are to be believed, they are rapidly becoming a danger to travelers in the Tangar Sea and Aebasan Sea.

Dwarves: There are two major dwarven kingdoms beneath Aurea: Nuithone beneath Valtaan and northern Aurea and Unterreich deep beneath the Antasian Mountains. Both kingdoms were considered little more than legend during the Third Age of Man, though with the restoration of peace with humanity with the return of the Goblet of Gundagor, dwarven emissaries from Nuithone slowly began establishing contact with human nations on the surface. Twenty years ago, the dwarves of Nuithone founded the surface colony of Schweinholz in the western reaches of the Challieann Mountains, inviting nearby humans to settle with them in the unclaimed region to serve as a buffer against the orcish tribes of the Plains of Tazgrat.

As with other dwarves across Baltheron, the dwarves of Aurea are known to be a highly organized, seemingly coldly rational and grim people. The dwarves of Nuithone are starting to reverse that perception, albeit slowly. They are still a relatively serious people, but they are also legendary craftsmen and brewers. The dwarves of the Unterreich, by contrast, have remained isolationist despite the restoration of peace with humanity, with only a few exiles and criminals making their way to the surface to live among humans. Rumor suggests that the dwarves of the Unterreich mine vast and endless veins of gold deep beneath the Antasian Mountains, with which they use to build gold-plated cities deep beneath the earth. No humans who have tried to locate the Unterreich have returned to tell of the tale.

Elves:

Ganesian: A powerful nation in ancient times that dominated early Zeth, the Ganesians were eventually conquered and became the first subject state of the Zetian Republic on its rise towards Empire. Much of that ancient culture was lost, though the Ganesians maintained a reputation as a gruff, pastoral people who were deeply religious, but quick to fight. During the Dark Times, Ganesia became the main battleground of the Fourth Succession War, which left most of the nation devastated and unable to feed its only people. More recently, Pavardy established itself as an independent Duchy, with the Aescalapeans influencing their culture and economy. Ganesia itself is still little more than a barren wasteland, with small villages of fishermen and farmers barely able to subsist. Most view the Ganesians as a dying culture, soon to be wiped from the face of Baltheron, though there are rumors of a cult of Ganesians ancient, angry gods starting to gather worshipers and adherents with promises of plenitude for those who are submissive to the old ways (and its priests).

Giants:

Goblins:

Kamaran:

Mitarian:

Murgosh:

Narbonnais:

Orcs:

Tanosian:

Valtaani: