Brief introduction
Continent: Southern Verosia
Banner: Five golden crowns surrounding a red lion against a black field. The crowns represent the five Grandés, the lion represents the blood-king and the black field represents rich volcanic soils of this land.
Capital: Farrellin
Government: Oligarchy; five Grandés with regional power and an overall king that represents all of Gand in foreign affairs and rules over Farrelin.
Ruler: King Antanian Raull San'Vegal
Religion: The Ronan Church
Population: Small Realm; Farrellin- Heavily Populted; Rural Regions - Lightly Populated; Coastal Regions - Lightly Populated; Volcanic Plains - Unpopulated.
Races:
Major: Duneimen-Verosians (Ganniards, Ronans)
Median: Duneimen-Kamorans, Duneimen-Mikanians, Duneimen-Verosians (Parthans, Sorans), Bamorians (Damorel)
Minor: Bamorians (Kalamak), Duervar (Bormdravar, Duumdravar), Folkin
Cities and Towns: Armgo, Farrellin, Marrado, Oren, Porta'Callan, Sera'Tira, Valle del'Angvar
Trade: Seafaring Merchants, Caravans to Kal-Mikan and Kamora
Products: A list of products produced by this realm, not necessarily for trade.
Primary: Those products that are of great significance to the overall economy of the realm. These are commonly also trade products.
Secondary: Other products produced within the realm that aren't significant to the economy but are of important note.
Aristocratic Titles: King & Queen, Principe & Princesa, Marqués & Marquesa, Grandés & Grandesa, Sedon & Sedona
Allies: Kamora
Neutrals: Kal-Mikan, Parthus, Rona, Ryosha, Sora, Casillian
Enemies: Moar
OVERVIEW
A short explanation of the realm and its most important aspects.
A BRIEF HISTORY
During the time when Ka-Kamora ruled over much of Verosia a race of humans that are believed to be related to the Parthans lived in the southeastern region of this continent. These shepherds lived primitive and hard lives. The land here is rocky and filled with low valleys and stone bluffs. The hills rise to low lying volcanic mountains and the plants of this area are thorny and tough. There are stretches of farmable land, but they lie between rough crags and border the dangerous mountains. Small villages formed in these areas, but rarely anything permanent. Ruins exist all over this land, of some ancient culture that built and worked with stone, but they are so ancient that it is unclear who these people were. One area, along the coast, where these ruins were excessive the Kamorans began to build a city, called Farrellin (originally Fara'lan). The people of this land mingled with the Kamorans and eventually became a distinctive race, called Ganiards.
The western edge of this land turns arid and eventually the grasses die out to become savannah and finally the rolling sands of Vas-Meknor. For much of this early age these people lived as serfs to the powerful Kamorans, but they paid homage to and worshipped their own god in secret. Occasionally the Kamorans would send an army into their land to seek out the priests of this "false" god. Other small religions rose and fell, but none could take a foothold. Sometime, about one hundred years before the fall of Kal-Kamora, a group of Ganiard wise men were searching through ancient ruins recently discovered in the caverns west of Farrellin. Here they discovered a series of stones inscribed with two texts. It seemed to translate an ancient language they didn’t know, but had seen in the ruins often, into Kamoran. The tablets were the Kamoran laws, and apparently the Kamorans had placed these stones here before the ancient civilization fell to ruins. After studying these texts and using them to translate other ancient tablets they decided that at one time the Ganiards had ruled this land. They had been conquered by the Kamorans and been forced to follow Kamoran law. When these laws commanded them to follow the Kal-Kamoran gods the Ganiards rose up in revolution. They lost, terribly, and the Kamorans wiped out all evidence of their existence that they could find. However, some of the Ganiard’s ancestors, apparently some sort of priests, hid these tablets in their monastery as well as all the tablets they could find that survived the destruction, even partially. Amongst these stones the wise men found that there had once been a belief in a great single god, who created all other gods and mortal races alike. Their ancestors called this one god Anuk, which is the same name of the Kamoran god of creation. One tablet related a prophecy speaking of a day when Anuk would destroy the Kal-Kamorans for breaking his laws, though it was unclear what Anuk’s laws were. Many men began worshipping Anuk in secrecy, and when the Kamorans discovered this new religion they actively sought out his believers and publicly executed them.
Nearly a hundred years later the prophecy on the tablet came true, when Kal-Kamora was destroyed in a single day by a massive sandstorm, wrought by the high priest of Ahad-Amal, who is the Kamoran sun god. The people of Gand saw it as a sign that their salvation was at hand. They were finally free and began to establish their own way of life. At first some men declared their rulership over the surrounding farms by their wealth. Others took control through force of might; however, no ruler’s reach could extend very far. Villages became independent of each other and each had their own Lord. The priests of Anuk tried to bring order to the Ganiards and hoped they would unite through religion. Slowly the belief in Anuk spread. The Lord of Farrel adopted it and he ordered that all others worship this god.
Before the belief in Anuk could unite the Ganiards the Parthans, also free of Kal-Kamora’s rule, sailed the coast of Gand, invading, and conquered Farrel, renaming it Farrelin. They then spread inland and subjugated the rest of Gand. Though the Parthans never had a strong foothold in this area, they ruled by force of wealth and technology. Ganiards didn’t have steel, and could barely support themselves on their own agriculture and livestock. The Parthans had the wealth of an Empire and an army of fully armored men wielding swords and spears. Though Parthus built temples to their gods and forced the Ganiards to worship them, the belief in Amal never died, and some even related him to Aminus or Shelin.
For many centuries this is how things were, the Ganiards lived as subjects once more to Parthan rule, and though they still believed in their god Anuk, they were forced to worship Parthan gods. Then the Ronans appeared in the lands north of Gand. They occasionally crossed the sea and traded with the Ganiards at Farrelin, but the Parthans did not like them and treated them badly so the Ronans came rarely. When the Ronans finally spread to the other side of Verosia and met the border of Parthus a war broke out. The Parthan-Ronan War led to the end of Parthus, and Rona moved in to occupy. Parthan gods were demonized and those worshipping them were put death. The Ganiards burned the Parthan temples, but feared raising temples to Anuk. Then the Ronan Emperor Urthain was killed, and the Crusades ended. The new Triumverate of Rona declared that no religion that did not openly oppose the beliefs of the Church of Rona would be illegal. So it was that the Ganiards finally began to worship Anuk openly again
As Rona increased maritime trade, and completed its Great Road to connect all of Verosia, the influence of the Ronan Church grew. Farrelin had become a thriving port city to the south, where merchants could stop over on journeys to Kamora. The King of Rona named the Lord of Farrelin a Duke and gave him control over all of their land, but in exchange the Duke had to promote the Ronan Church. Many people by this time had heard the words of Ronan Priests and saw that their two religions held much in common. The Duke praised Thamor for defeating Memnik and the people remembered little of the teachings of Anuk. Hence most of Gand turned to the Ronan Church and the Priesthood of Anuk became a fringe religion. The great temples of Anuk were turned into Ronan Churches and only those who lived in the country still worshipped the old god. Eventually the Knights of Thamor took a foothold here and spread over the land.
Because Gand was still hard to traverse the Duke had very little influence outside of Farrellin. Each local Lord rose in power and eventually ran things their own way. Only the Knights of Thamor brought justice with them to these Fiefdoms. Hence, to the people, the Knights of Thamor were good, but to the Lords they were the enemy. When the Great War began the Arch-Primi of Parthus gathered the Lords of Gand under his influence. They turned on their own Duke and betrayed the Throne of Rona. Gand went to war on the side of Parthus; however, within Gand was total anarchy. The Knights of Thamor were fighting the Lords and their armies, and the Duke had no control at all. Eventually the Knights proved victorious, with the help of the common people. The Lords were defeated and the Duke took back control of Gand. However, by the time this came about Rona had already gone through terrible changes. Moar and Sora had declared their own independence and the new King of Rona was not willing to allow Gand to return to the Kingdom. Hence the new Duke named himself King and appointed new Lords from the Knights of Thamor and the local rulers who had aided them. The General of the Holy Crown in Gand did not agree with William Gilcrest-Greyven’s claim to the Holy Crown and sided with Rona. Hence Rona and Gand were once again allies, though not the same kingdom.
In Gand the Order of Thamor had some great influence, but it is truly only the Lords who ruled their own Fiefdoms. The Duke only ruled through their willingness to agree with what he commanded, and the Knights of Thamor tried their best to serve as justice in a land difficult to traverse. The people of Gand generally worship the Church of Rona but the belief in Anuk is strong, and some worship both, believing Anuk is Aminus.
The King is often called the Blood-King, due to the history of the Monarchy. Prior to Ronan rule there was no central ruler of the Ganniards since the Kal-Kamorans ruled over them. The Ronans, finding Farrellin the greatest and most prosperous port in Gand, named that Grandés as the Duke of Gand. When the Parthans revolted against Ronan occupation, the Grandésas secretly joined allegiances with the Parthan Arch-Primus and overthrew the Duke. The Duke, fearing for his life, fled with his family to Camus. After the war Rona and Parthus both fell into disarray. The Grandésas began ruling in their respective regions without a central authority. The people, who had been accustomed to the liberties of Ronan rule, found themselves oppressed. They called upon the Ronan Church to free them, and the High Lord of the Holy Crown sent the Duke back to Gand with a decree stating that Thamor was appointing the Duke and his bloodline as the rightful and divinely chosen Monarchs of Gand. The new Ronan Parliament didn't complain, as they believed trying to reclaim Gand would be too expensive and they were focused on securing their own lands. The Ganniards fully supported their new King and the Grandésas had to decide if they would rebel against him and appear to be defying the will of Thamor, or accept him. Considering the incredible power of the faithful in Gand, the choice was clear, and the Grandésas each eventually accepted their new King. However, they made it absolutely clear that he would have little more power than one of them, drawing up a charter defining the legal powers of this new King and their own powers. In this they dubbed the King and his blood-line as the "divinely appointed Blood-King of Gand," accepting only their right to rule by blood alone, and not with the authority of the people.
THE FORCES THAT RULE
The King of Gand has very little power over the entire country. The true power lies with the Grandésas (singular: Grandés), regional lords that hold almost king-like control of their feudal lands. The King has the authority to call them to parliament and can tax them to support the Royal Armada, which defends their trade fleets. The King is, however, the Grandés de Arturia and as such has ultimate control of this major city, and thus the greatest port that Gand has. Other than that each Reina de Grandésas (Realm of the Grand Lords) has its own military force, its own laws, and its own taxes.
Grandés de Reinas (Grand Lords of the Realms): Each Reina is ruled by a noble Familia (family) that has held it for many generations. These powerful families take etreme measures to assure that their bloodline will continue to inherit their lands and titles. This title is not exclusive to men, and there have been as many Grandésias (Grand Ladies) as there have been Grandésas. To assure inheritence, though, they retain their family name when they marry, simply adding the male's surname before it. This trend has spread into the lower classes, and so it is now common for Ganniards to possess three part names. Each Grandés rules their lands differently, and each generation brings a new style to their throne. However, they all share some commonalities. They are feudal lords, with land-owners paying taxes directly to the Grandés and the serfs beneath working for their livelihood. The titles Sedon & Sedona are respectively given to these land-owning nobles and passed heretically. They often rule by espionage and blood-shed, routing out discontent and quickly and brutally ending rebellion. Many are often very religious, sometimes extremely. They respect the holy Knights, offering them security within their borders, though there have been many ill-willed Grandésas who have done so grudgingly. There have been some of late who have become fanatical, believing they must hunt down and destroy all possible sources of evil and corruption within their realms.
A description of the government, its members and other important things to know about the structure of the government and law.
Current Ruler: The name, description and a brief history of the current ruler.
Major NPCs: The name, description and breif detailing of the current major people in the realm.
PEOPLES OF THE REALM
A short decsription of the different cultures and races within the realm, how they vary from those met in other realms, and anything uniqut about them.
RELIGION IN THE REALM
A short write up on how religion is treated within this realm, and the major religions that exist.
MAGIC IN THE REALM
A short write up on how magic is treated within this realm, and the major organizations, if any, that exist.
CITIES, TOWNS AND VILLAGES
Reinas
There are five regional territories ruled by the Grandés. They are not specifically tied to the six regions listed under geography, but are rather seperated by the squat, rough, arid and often volcanic mountain ranges that shatter the landscape, often creating verdant valleys and oddly twisting rivers. These rangers ofer little resources and so the borders are undefined and often undisputed.
Arturia: The most prominent and wealthy of the reinas, Arturia is the home of the capital city Farrellin. It stretches from the northern reaches of the Vallagos into the north half of the Bellezenmar. The Costa del'Draga is miles of golden beaches stretching out from arable planes into the dark sea of Vas'Draga. It has no other major cities, but has many wealthy rural and coastal villages. Arturia borders Baralucia in the south and Aras in the west. It has a small southwestern border with Bartista.
Bartista: At the center of the realm, dominating the western half of the Vallagos is the reina Bartista. Though the least populated, Bartista claims a vast stretch of territory. Though most of it is rough unarable land it is scattered with lush valleys. Its major cities are Sera'Tira and Armgo, and there are numerous rural villages dotting its rivers and farm lands. Bartista borders Aras i the north, Baralucia in the east, Zargonia in the west, and the dark forest of Bosqcurra to the south.
Aras: The southern feet of the Quema and the northern edge of the Vallagos are claimed by the reina Aras. Though most of this land is considered uninhabitable due to the host of horrors that live in and about these volcanic mountains, some have found a home amongst the dark lush valleys wedged between the foot hills. Aras is one of the oldest realms, and is the source of most of the holy tablets and relics recently discovered. It is perhaps the only part of Gand left that has a feel of the ancient peoples before they were conquered by Kal-Kamora. Its one major city is Valle del'Angvar and it has a few rural villages. Aras borders Zargonia in the southwest, Bartista in the southeast, and Arturia in the east.
Baralucia: The eastern half of the Vallagos and southern reach of the Bellezenmar are dominated by the reina Baralucia, which runs all the way to the Costa del'Morda. Its major cities are Porta'Callan and Marrado, though it has numerous costal and rural villages. Baralucia borders Bartista in the west and Arturia in the north. The Bosqcurra, a vast dark forest, dominates its southern border, and that land is claimed by no one.
Zargonia: The westernmost reina, Zargonia rules most of the Saba'Verde and stretches south to the Costa del'Ofar where is borders present day Kamora in the west and the Bosqcurra in the east. Its major city is Oren though it has numerous rural villages. Zargonia borders Bartista in the east and Aras in the north.
Major Cities
Armgo
Farrellin
Marrado
Oren
Porta'Callan
Sera'Tira
Valle del'Angvar
Minor Cities
A listing of minor cities worth mentioning.
Towns
A listing of towns worth mentioning.
Villages
A listing of villages worth mentioning.
GEOGRAPHY
Gand rests at the south eastern corner of Southern Verosia, bordering the Shanin River and Vas'Draga to the north, the Southern Straights to the east, The Straights of Ryosha to the south, and the desert of Vas'Meknor to the west. The best way to describe Gand is to break it into its six distinctive regions:
Quema Defined by its tall volcanic mountains at the heart of a vast field of dark soil, these lands in the north of the Kingdom are perhaps the most verdant but also the most dangerous.
Bellezenmar Bordering the east, this land has a broad coastal region and a narrow airable land before the mountains that seperate it from the other regions. The actual coastine is called Costa del'Morda.
Vallagos These beautiful valleys interspersed between the rough low mountains are filled with shimmering lakes fed by many creeks and streams running down from the mountains. This makes up the main center of Gand.
Bosqcurra A vast dark forest rises and falls amongst the rocky mountains in this region, running south of the Vallagos up to the Costa del'Ofar, where the wooded-mountains break into black cliffs or deep verdant valleys. This region is untamed and unclaimed by any Reina because.
Costa del'Ofar The white sands of the Pearl Coast are scattered in small beaches at the feet of the long stretches of black cliffs that run for hundreds of miles along the south of Gand, bordering the Straights of Ryosha.
Saba'Verde The western borders of Gand are a vast grass land stretching out into verdant savannahs and eventually minigling with the desert of Vas-Meknor.
Islands A listing of islands near this realm that either consider themselves part of that realm or are closely tied to it.
Landmarks A listing of significant geographical landmarks within the realm.
Ruins A listing of ancient ruins of note upon the realm.
Map A thumbnail of the map for this realm, linked to a larger map.