Nations and Realms on Duria
Auteria
The Grand Duchy of Auteria separated from the Kingdom of Malvetia during the Mage War, when it was established as a separate province by the conquering mages of Lun Dorak. After the fall of the Mage King, the Grand Duchy remained independent from Malvetia, in part because of its alliance with the dwarves of the Kingdom of Derlos, who took part in helping Auteria gain its independence from Lun Dorak. Despite the sovereignty of the hereditary Grand Duke, Auteria today has become a mixture of dwarven and human societies, with several dwarven settlers earning both elected positions and even some hereditary titles.
The Black Isle
The Black Isle, formerly Steelgate Isle, was the headquarters for the Koramian navy in the closing centuries of the Third Age of Man and represented Koramia's indomitable power in the Pirate Sea and the Maroshan Sea. During the Mage War, the island's forces were constantly a thorn in the side of Imperial naval supply lines, becoming privateers when the island's fortifications at Leeward were taken by Imperial forces. At the conclusion of the war and victory over the Mage-King, Admiral Theodore Coldberg returned in victory to Leeward, only to see the entire island fall to the Crimson Plague.
Now called the Black Isle, those few who dare to sail within sight of the island report strange mists on the oceans, eerie lights along shore and great tattered warships still patrolling her waters helmed by unseen crew.
The Calmerian Marches
The Calmerian Marches are so called because they were once considered the edge of the civilized world by the Great Empire when it reached its farthest extent in the Third Age of Man. Mainly composed of warring clans constantly manipulated by and enslaved by the mages of Lun Dorak, the Calmerian Marches are nevertheless one of the remaining strongholds of the ancient Druids and worship of the Tuatha de Dannan.
Cambrecia
Long the center of the worship of Zelos, God of the State, in the Imperial Pantheon, The Holy See of Cambrecia was long the last nation loyal to the Great Empire in Duria, despite being an essentially independent state. Cambrecia suffered greatly during the Dark Times, with chaos and rebellion ravaging the land after the fall of the Mage-King Lucasa and the Crimson Plague decimating the population thereafter. At the dawn of the Fourth Age of Man, the Potentates of Zelos have re-established their authority, despite losing a great deal of territory during the Dark Times. Despite the more liberal policies of recent Potentates, there are still some rebels covertly working to replace the theocracy with a monarchy.
Ciritasnia
Once part of Koramia, when the forces of the Great Empire were left stranded on the Divian Peninsula at the conclusion of the Mage War, they chose to create their own state rather than integrate into the victorious Koramian society. Ciritasnia was also in the path of the orcish horde from Vor Midal that ravaged the region and eventually settled in Vor Scheral (the remaining portion of which is now known as the Orcish Wastes). Despite their hatred for the "Koramian Rebels" to the east, they allied with their Koramian enemies to drive out the orcs from Vor Scheral in the early years of the Fourth Age of Man. Ciritasnia is still a military state, under the command of the Legate, though more than a few of the descendants of the original soldiers have since settled as farmers and craftsmen. If a new Emperor should rise and unify the remnants of the Great Empire, it is likely Ciritasnia would again become a serious threat to Koramian indepedence.
Dakra
Formerly part of Illyria and subsequently Norlund, Dakra was the first of Norlund's eastern territories to rebel during the dark times of the Dark Times. Long known for their skill at sea, Dakra became a haven for pirates and other criminal organizations at the dawn of the Fourth Age. They currently dominate the Sea of Blades, preying on any who dare to trade there, even the heavily-ensorceled vessels of Lun Dorak.
Danas
A sleepy, agricultural nation ruled by a hereditary human Earl, Danas has an extremely high population of hobbits and is one of the regions considered most likely to be the hobbit homeland. Because of its relative isolationism, Danas was not deeply affected by the chaos of the Dark Times, though the Earl did break off ties with the religious heirarchy of the Old Gods and converted to worship of the Tuatha de Dannan early in the Fourth Age of Man. As a result, the population and recruitment of druids in the region has been on the rise.
Daredonia
One of the former Cambrecian states, Daredeonia gained its independence from Cambrecia during the Dark Times. Though Daredonia's first king, Drogo I Garibald, was known as a draconian dictator as well as a brilliant general, his descendants have proven substantially weaker and unable to curb the growing power of the nation's nobility. Daredonia today is essentially a nation of nearly autonomous counties and baronies who bicker amongst themselves, with the King powerless to effect any real change or conduct national affairs outside the capital of Tryscon.
Enesia
Once a sleepy agricultural nation composed of peaceful farmers who had fled the autocratic rule of the Potentate of Zelos in Cambrecia, Enesia was conquered and its populace enslaved by the armies of the Mage-King of Lun Dorak during the Mage War. When the Mage-King was defeated, Enesia found itself without a King or the means to determine a new one. Despite being the location of the Holy Fields of Podalirius, worship of the Tuatha de Dannan spread in Enesia during the Dark Times and at the dawn of the Fourth Age, the people of Enesia are still divided between worship of the Old Gods and the Tuatha.
Harshwind
Southernmost of the Pirate Isles, Harshwind is sparsely populated by subsistence fisherman and a few retired pirates. Tremendous storms, particularly in late summer and early fall, constantly buffet the island. Contact with Harshwind during the Dark Times trickled to almost nothing and little is known in the outside world what tragedies, if any, the island experienced during these chaotic dark times.
Illyria
Once part of the Imperial colony of Ciritasnia, Illyria staunchly maintained its independence during the Conquest, the only nation able to not only halt the advance of the Koramian crusaders, but killed their legendary King William I. They remained in a stalemate with Koramia for decades, until finally they made some advances due to a secret alliance with the mages of Lun Dorak in the early years of the Mage War. Despite these initial successes, the Illyrian King Gunthar Caldwell was finally convinced that his alliance was a dark one and Illyria allied with Koramia as well as the elves of the Webwood Forest and the orcs of Lun Dorak in the final defeat of the Mage-King.
When the orcish horde ran out of enemies, it turned on its former allies and Illyria was squarely in their path. After the horde passed, Illyria was in no position to defend itself when the rebel Kingdom of Norlund overtook them in the closing years of the Third Age of Man. The people of Illyria spent the Dark Times under the domination of the Norlunders, only recently rising up in rebellion and re-establishing themselves as a sovereign nation.
Kamaros
One of the former Cambrecian states, Kamaros was part of the Royalist movement that seceded from the See of Cambrecia to become the Kingdom of Daredonia under King Drogo I Garibald during the Dark Times. When the draconian King Drogo I died and was succeeded by his infant grandson, a cousin of King Drogo I named Lothar I Nitha rebelled against the Regency and established the Kingdom of Kamaros. The Kamaran people tend to be a severe people who were never fully Imperialized by the Holy See. Throughout Imperial domination, they retained much of their language, strong familial ties and love of war (or sport when war is not convenient). The King is constantly on the lookout for rebels and traitors among his people, particularly in the frontier in the foothills of the Cambrecian Mountains.
Koramia
Formerly the gleaming gem of Duria, Koramia was likely the nation most deeply affected by events that brought the Third Age of Man to a close and ushered in the chaos of the Dark Times. Despite coming to dominate the entirety of the Divian Peninsula under the legendary King William I Greysword, Koramia fractured when it became the main battleground for the Mage War. Despite successfully allying with the elves of the Webwood, the orcs of Vor Midal and even their old enemies in Illyria to defeat the Mage-King, Koramia was left in shambles and was unprepared when the orcish horde turned on them after the war. In the wake of the orcish horde, Koramia found itself without a clear heir to the throne, unable to maintain control over rebellious Norlund and with a large number of Imperial troops still stranded in their borders, forming the nation of Ciritasnia.
Despite this chaos, many scholars have come to believe that 'something' happened in the capital of Paeldain around 1361 I.C. that ushered in the return of the Old Gods and the Tuatha de Dannan to Creation, heralding the start of the Fourth Age of Man. Though there is little factual evidence to back this up, the Koramian Civil War came to a close with a Greysword on the throne, the errant nation of Dunkirk reaffirmed its allegiance to the Crown and Koramia allied with the soldiers of Ciritasnia to remove the orcs of the Orcish Wastes from the Divian Peninsula.
Lun Dorak
Once a decadent and isolationist society in a remote corner of the world, Lun Dorak sprang into global politics when its last Mage-King, Lucasa, became Emperor of the Great Empire and brought the full might of the mages of Lun Dorak and the Imperial military to bear in a quest for global domination, sparking the Mage War. Himself of Koramian birth, Lucasa's forces bogged down in Koramia and were eventually defeated by an unusual alliance between humans, elves, orcs and, it is rumored, a group of Dragonriders. Though most believe he was slain in the final battle, rumors persist in Lun Dorak that he was spirited away after the final battle by the Dragonriders for unknown reasons.
After the fall of the Mage-King, Lun Dorak's mages fell to infighting as her mundane slaves rose in rebellion. Despite the fact that the mages have since settled their differences and re-asserted control over the region, pockets of rebellion still stymie their efforts for domination in the region, particularly in the tangled swamps along the Sea of Blades. Rumors persist that these rebels are being assisted by the Dragonriders, though there are no credible reports of dragons in the skies over Lun Dorak since the end of the Great War.
Malvetia
A quiet nation on the eastern shores of the Malvetian Peninsula, Malvetia was decimated first by the slave armies of Lun Dorak in the opening stages of the Mage War, then by the depredations of the Crimson Plague, then finally the chaos of the the Dark Times. Though peace again reigns in the area and the population is rebuilding, only the rise of the druids and worship of the Tuatha de Dannan in the area gives the people any real unity.
Marosh
Long a haven for pirates and smugglers in the Maroshan Sea, Marosh has also served intermittently as a safe haven for the naval forces of Neptaris in times of war or revolution. During the Dark Times, several groups from Neptaris settled more or less permanently in Marosh and now, at the dawn of the Fourth Age of Man, there are stirrings of an actual governing body on the island for the first time in known history, despite attempts by worshippers of Taltos to maintain it as a haven for pirates.
Nagos
Once a syndicracy controlled by its powerful Merchant Fleets and Guilds, Nagos was unprepared for the slave armies of Lun Dorak and fell under the might of the Mage-King in the Mage War in the closing decades of the Third Age of Man. After the defeat of the Mage-King, the people of Nagos rose up against not only their wizardly masters, but all who displayed a talent for Hermetic Magic. Though some of the Hermetic Guilds have since made some inroads in appeasing the newly-established monarch of Nagos and trade has recently opened up with the dwarves of the Divian Mountains, Nagos remains fearful of outsiders and Hermetic casters in particular. In some regions, practicing Hermetic Magic is still considered a capital offense, with any practitioners caught in the act summarily burned at the stake by angry mobs.
Neptaris
The Freecity of Neptaris has a long and proud tradition of being the oldest true city on the continent of Duria, even preceding the foundation of Zeth by over a century. Despite its sometimes war-torn history, Neptaris is one of the few states that has actually succeeded in maintaining a democratic government for much of the Third Age of Man. They were able to avoid domination by the slave armies of Lun Dorak during the Mage War, but the population was decimated when the Crimson Plague struck in the final years of the Third Age and trade ground to a standstill. When the Old Gods receded, the city finally fell to chaos as the civil government fell apart. Many of its prominent citizens who survived these dark times fled for Marosh, leaving the city a nearly empty ruin controlled by various gangs squabbling for survival. Only the efforts of a handful of scholars and druids trickling in from Malvetia provided any sense of order and kept the city from being abandoned altogether.
When the Old Gods returned and the few remaining priests in Neptaris again began to receive answers to their prayers, the Supreme Assembly was re-established and trade routes were reopened. Though Neptaris still struggles with the power of its various guilds and gangs still roam certain parts of the city, the people of Neptaris are slowly rebuilding to their former glory.
Numentora
Formerly a part of the Holy See of Cambrecia, Numentora was founded by Zelosian schismatics who opposed Cambrecia's alliance with the Mage King during the height of the Mage War. After formally declaring their independence from Cambrecia at the dawn of the Fourth Age of Man, the Archbishop of Trias formally granted political power to the citizens of Numentora, establishing a Republic that relied on an ancient familial system to elect a non-hereditary Duke to oversee an Assembly, composed of representatives of over two-hundred ancient clans and families. Though Numentora has seen numerous violent rebellions and riots in Trias since the foundation of the Republic, the Numentoran people are fiercely independent and ally quickly against any outside threat.
The Orcish Wastes
Formerly known as Vor Scheral, the Orcish Wastes lie on the frozen northwestern shores of Duria. The orcish horde that founded Vor Scheral was beaten back to the Wastes early in the Fourth Age of Man, but the human armies have not been able to fully dislodge the orcish clans from the Divian Peninsula. The armies of Ciritasnia seem content to leave the Waste to the orcs and have recently begun constructing a large defensive wall from the Frostmire Swamp to the Divian Mountains to keep the orcs at bay.
Norlund
Once dominated by Koramia during the Conquest, Norlund again became independent in the chaos after the Mage War and the subsequent Civil War. When the orcish horde from Vor Midal ravaged the region, Norlund send messengers to the warriors of Valtaan. The Valtang King answered not with mercenaries, but with a conquering army. Norlund was quickly overwhelmed by the Valtang barbarians, who quickly established a new King. To settle various disputes and petty rebellions, the most recent King replaced all of the native nobility with his own loyal generals and adventurers from the Valtang.
Pelusia
Once a powerful mining nation governed by a heritary Prince, the nation of Pelusia was enslaved by the slave armies of Lun Dorak during the Mage War. The Mages of Lun Dorak did not honor the treaties with the dwarves that the Pelusians had established with the dwarves of the Divian Mountains. After a few minor skirmishes, the dwarves responded by declaring the Mages of Lun Dorak in violation of the Treaty of Gundagor and rose to attack. The local church of Baelthor, long the predominant religion among the people of Pelusia, joined forces with the dwarves and the people rose in revolt. Many scholars believe that the revolution in Pelusia is one of the factors that allowed Koramia and her allies to finally defeat the Mage-King.
During the Dark Times, Pelusia suffered the same depredations as other cultures, but the dwarven troops of the region remained in the area to support the Prince and local governments through the chaos. The stability the dwarves brought endeared them to the people of Pelusia and they quickly integrated into Pelusian society. At the dawn of the Fourth Age of Man, Pelusia stands as a unified nation of dwarves and humans with more material resources than anywhere else in Duria.
Stenoa
Located on the eastern shores of the Sea of Blades, Stenoa was founded by brigands, escaped slaves and rebels who once hid from their Dorakian masters deep within Zaralan Marsh. During the Mage War, the refugees from the Marsh helped the allied forces defeat the Mage King Lucasa and occupied the relatively wild grasslands west of the Marsh, founding their own state there. Throughout the first century of the Fourth Age of Man, Stenoa and Lun Dorak have been at war with one another.
The Zaran people of Stenoa are a hardy and proud people, steadfast in their opposition to the mages of Lun Dorak (and, in many areas, against any sort of wizard or sorceror). Druids traveling from the Calmerian Marches have recently gained some level of acceptance by the people of Stenoa and rumors suggest they may be forging an alliance between the Calmerian tribesmen and the Zaran refugees in Stenoa. It is generally presumed that Lun Dorak is actively opposing such an alliance.
Stormward Isle
The northernmost of the Pirate Isles, Stormward Isle is known for its tremendous storms in all seasons as well as being a pirate haven in years past. Contact with the island was lost during the chaos of the Dark Times and no one knows precisely who, if anyone, survived on the island.
Tamerynd
The largest of the Pirate Isles, the Island of Tamerynd was once a seething haven of pirates, outlaws and the worst of Creation's scum. Tamerynd was hit particularly hard by the Crimson Plague and the remaining populace fought for control of the waters near the island. Though there has been little communication with the island since the dawn of the Fourth Age of Man, but there are rumors that orcs have taken hold of the remaining shipyards and have begun to construct their own varieties of pirate ships to terrorize the waves with.
Valtaan
A nation of savage raiders and fishermen who were once content to raid shipping in the Valtaani Sea and sometimes making landfall in northern Aurea and Duria, the Valtang began to invade and settle settle northeastern Aurea in the waning years of the Third Age of Man. Those who did not participate in the rapid conquests continue the traditions of their fore-bearers, eking out an existing in the frozen north and continuing to raid, sometimes even against their cousins on conquered shorelines. The Valtang are known to worship strange gods (or, perhaps, strange versions of the Old Gods), but rumors persist of some ancient evil deep beneath the frozen peaks that dominate the peninsula that secretly control and direct the Valtang on the land above.
Vor Midal
Vor Midal has long been the main center of orcish power in Duria. The orcs of Vor Midal were instrumental in defeating the slave-armies of Lun Dorak, though they then turned against their allies and marched their assembled horde across the continent of Duria, leaving chaos in their wake. Though much of the population of Vor Midal departed and eventually settled in Vor Scheral (which was subsequently defeated by the humans of Ciritasnia and Koramia), they were not decimated by the Crimson Plague and did not experience much hardship from the departure of the Old Gods. At the dawn of the Fourth Age of Man, Vor Midal is again full to bursting with orcish warriors eager to conquer new lands. It is only a matter of time before a knew Great Khan rises to unify his people and again march across Duria.
| This article is part of the Player's Guide to Duria | |
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Introduction · Economics and Trade · Legends and History · Religion · Regions and Realms | |
| Regions and Realms on Duria | |
