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roleplaying:hero:kamarathin:the_five_provinces

The Five Provinces

Borderlands

:kamarathin:image001.jpg The Borderlands are the oldest part of Igard and the least civilized. This is a rather strange occurrence when looked at without the benefit of history.

The Igard are descended from the Amo and formed the confederacy on the banks of the Attin River, an area once known as the Castretmus River Valley, so named because of the Amo civilization that was formed there. The Amo did not enjoy the building of permanent structures in their lands (a great taboo) and set forth to destroy the heresy of the Igardian clans. Thus set in motion thousands of years of animosity and outright hatred among many clans.

There are only three major cities in the Borderlands with the rest of the ‘villages’ being nothing more than hastily built military camps. Lerik, Geiv and Marsten are also the oldest cities in the confederacy and Marsten was the original capital up until the Senate moved their seat to Tongvar.

Lerik is the gateway to the Holy Nation of Sjirt in the northeast and is the first stop for the Sjirtian traders and the last for the Igardian merchants. Marsten has developed into the gateway to the Gongara Ocean for these river traders and has the largest and busiest port in the confederacy. Other than the Sjirtian trade routes, the Borderlands have little in the way of trade goods.

The province is constantly under Amo raids and the majority of the Confederacy’s Legions are based here, spread thinly along the western bank of the Attin River.

Central Province

:kamarathin:image002.jpg The Central Province is considered to be the bread basket of the Igardian Empire. Gentle rolling hills and plenty of rainfall insure abundant crops throughout the year except in deep winter further inland.

Many villages and small townships can be found dotted across the countryside but none are of any great size. All of the large cities are located along the coast or Lake Kindrid.

The city of Tongvar has become the Seat of the Senate only within the last one hundred years, but even before this its position at the mouth of the Derl River had made it a popular trade port particularly for the fish from Lake Kindrid and the woodcrafts from the Brurello Valley.

Tongvar is the wealthiest city in Igard with only Marsten (in the Borderlands) and Mainel (on the Eastern Coast) coming close to its monetary wealth.

Brurello Valley

:kamarathin:image003.jpg

:kamarathin:image004.jpg The Brurello Valley lies to the center-north of the Igard Confederacy. The valley itself is really more of a large indentation that is roughly circular with Lake Antero resting at its center. The north, east and western sides of the valley are rough foothills that climb up into the Eibre and Eivind Mountains.

The valley is heavily forested and occupied almost exclusively by the Lucani. The Lucani tolerate visitors but only in the border town of Riano. This has upset many traders as well as several of the other Consuls in the confederacy.

Consul Irivino is insistent upon this method of interaction as he fears the destruction of their beloved forests should the other Consuls have their way.

Politically speaking the Brurello Valley is an independent entity with only lip service ties to the confederacy. This situation was made more from convenience as Igardians were unwilling to battle the Lucani in their home territory in order to conquer them and the Lucani did not wish to risk damage to their forests in a massive war.

The Brurello Valley is well known for its incredible woodcrafts as well as the amazing properties of the wood from the Vilfrora trees that grow nowhere else in Igard.

Riano is the only city (in the traditional sense) that exists within the Valley and it is located at its far southern border along the banks of the Derl River. The river provides a steady flow of merchant traffic to and from the Lucani city.

The Lucani Legion is considered to be light infantry on the books, but in reality the Centuries are rarely deployed together and are distributed among the other provinces Legions during times of war and utilized as scouts and long range patrols. The Lucani are specialists in wilderness ambush and, as can be imagined, are exceptional woodsmen.

Eibre Mountains

:kamarathin:image005.jpg The Eibre Mountains are a rough and inhospitable territory. The terrain is steep and rocky and not suited to any form of agriculture. The Trisin people that occupy the region are hardy mountain folk who make their living through mining, lumber and small scale herding of goats.

Small family based villages can be found clinging to the lower foothills and there are even two townships that act as trade centers for this province, otherwise the mountain heights are generally unexplored and wild, filled with beastmen and even more deadly monsters.

The Trisin are a hard people used to struggling against the vagrancies of the mountain and the predations of horrific creatures. This harsh life has engendered a rigid social structure that relegates citizens and civilians as nothing more than serfs.

Steadfast members of the confederacy, the Mountain Province has long been friendly to the Senate and, despite their Patricians independent natures, have always sided with decisions that keep the confederacy together which has put Consul Derijn at odds with the fractious and independent Doresti Consul; Artimet.

Eastern Coast

:kamarathin:image006.jpg Settled along the Todar Ocean, the eastern coast is a mix of flat plains and sharp hills. Few woodlands exist among the low scrub and grasses. This has caused the resident Doresti villages to import nearly all of their lumber from the Brurello Valley and Central Province, or the city of Elena.

The third richest city within the confederacy, Mainel, lies at the extreme eastern point of this province and is the gateway to the lands across the Todar Sea. At any given time her ports host myriad peoples of all shapes and colors and the calls of foreign merchants can be heard through her streets.

The Doresti had long settled this land and there is an undercurrent of rebellion among her peoples. The people here are fiercely independent and do not shy from confrontation. The unrest has its origins in the way that they were conquered. The Doresti believe that the leaders of a nation must earn the right through ritual combat and though their own nobles are elected in this fashion, the rest of the confederacy doesn’t. The Doresti see this as a weakness and chaff at the thought of being ruled by these weaklings.

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roleplaying/hero/kamarathin/the_five_provinces.txt · Last modified: 2006/09/18 16:24 by 127.0.0.1