Northern Provinces

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THE NORTHERN PROVINCES

The largest region of the Empire, the northern Provinces are also some of the wildest, most beautiful, untamed, and intriguing places in the Empire. One of the main factors affecting this region is the presence of the Ironback Mountains, and the Great Veil which has made them into a breeding ground for every kind of horror and affliction. This constant hardship has inured the peoples of this vast stretch of territory to danger. The people of the Northern Provinces are a hardy lot and are rapidly increasing their role in the Empire through the use of Gates.

LORNE

Lorne is a magical land of incredible beauty and terrible danger, well known in Imperial culture as the most fey and eldritch land in the Empire. The province of Lorne is as far away as it is possible to get from the capital and still be south of the Ironback mountains. Lorne is a land of almost mythical extremes. It is heavily forested, contains two of the three enormous Great Lakes, has a long sea coast, borders the incredible Ironback Mountains, and has literally thousands of hot springs, geysers and mineral pools. Add in the nearly constant trembling of the ground due to volcanoes and earthquakes and the eerie skyglow caused by the Great Veil and it is easy to see how Lorne comes by its eldritch reputation. The borders of Lorne, like all northern provinces, are rather hard to define. The reason is, of course, the Iron Back mountains. The northern border of most of the northern provinces is set as the crest of the Ironbacks, but the Great Veil has completely eliminated any access that far north. Over the centuries, most of the northern provinces have simply written off those inaccessible areas and have left their northern borders blank. So too with Lorne. Thus, the borders of Lorne are as follows: From the Ironback Mountains the border of the province follows the shore of the Great Pelagic generally southwards to a point due west of the closest approach the coast makes to Lake Mantidrake. From there the border runs due west to the southern shore of Lake Mantidrake. It follows the southern shore of the Lake until it reaches the headwaters of the Questing river. From there it runs nearly due north to the easternmost point of Lake Pegasus. It then follows the northern shore of Lake Pegasus westward past the headwaters of the Raving River, past the city of Faust, back around the city, until it reaches the northernmost point of the city. From there, it then runs directly north back to the Ironbacks. Nearly all of Lorne is covered with the huge, deciduous, Gloaming Forest. This forest is not nearly so dense and dark as the southern forests, and thus has less of a dark reputation. Unfortunately, it is actually more hazardous than the southern forests, due to two main factors. The first is the slavering beasts and other things which have wandered down from the high Ironbacks and taken up residence. The second hazard is the constant quaking of the ground, and the unusual geography of the area. When the gods made this area, a great deal of water and fire got trapped in the stone that made up the earth. As a result, this water and fire are now burbling up to the surface in great steaming gouts, often at random. Add in the quivering the ground has because it is not really solid and it can be understood why the Gloaming Forest is quite hazardous to your health, never mind how airy and green it looks. At night, the power of the ancient dark wards in the mountains can be felt as a palpable pressure in the northernmost reaches of the province. Fires seem to blow up into the skies on nights of exceptional activity. Lome is known as the Land of Wandering Lakes because all of the water in the ground will suddenly well up in one place, forming a blue and beautiful pool for a few days, then drain away and leave behind nothing but drowned trees and a bad smell. Activity in the province centers on the two Great Lakes. These lakes have the largest amount of water borne activity in the Empire, considerably more than the oceans. The sailors on the great lakes are actually quite skilled navigators and have a sophisticated understanding of the various types of sailing rigs and other nautical affairs, but that is not their most important skill. Sharp eyes and ears are the most valued traits for a lakeman, because those are often the only defense against the frequent steam eruptions that happen on these lakes. A skilled lake-reader can spot the signs of an impending eruption in time to allow a ship to scoot to safey, and they are the most highly paid members of the crew, if they do not own their own ships. A steam burst can broil a crew alive, or leave a ship sitting on nothing but a cloud of foamy bubbles, into which it promptly sinks. This hazard is lethal and pressing, so why go out onto the lakes? Because of the fish! The fish in Lakes Manticore and Pegasus have both developed a nearly fireproof constitution, making their flesh dense, flavorful, and gorgeously colored. (Fireproof Fish! The Tricksters of Lyreth claim these lakes as holy areas, since only Lyreth would have the sense of humor to arrange such an unlikely event.) The fish are the largest export of the province, and since the gate system has been available they have been in ever higher demand. The number of ships braving the hazards of the lakes has been increasing steadily, as have the number of casualties. As long as fortunes may be made on the water, the risks will be borne. Moving north and west of the lakes, you reach the blighted woods of the Geyser fields. This is a blasted terrain fraught with hazard for the unwary. The amount of water and fire is highest here, so the eruptions are more frequent, less predictable, and more spectacular. There are all manner of bizarre and exotic plants and herbs that grow in this region, nurtured by the fires leaching the soil. These herbs are found nowhere else in the Empire, and are becoming eagerly sought after since the Gates have sped up trade sufficiently to enable them to reach the busy south while still fresh. The Geyser fields have a sort of wild, furious beauty that must be seen to be believed. South of the Geyser fields the terrain is more stable and the trees thinner, so that an abundant crop of berries grows. Cranberry bogs, blueberry hedges, blackberry patches, strawberries, gooseberries, dewberries, you name it, it grows. These berries have always been popular exports dried, but now they are being couriered at ridiculous prices all the way to the capital while still fresh. The gate system has been a boon to Lorne, as it has allowed huge wealth to be gained by the brave lakemen, sturdy berry pickers, and hardy Geyser men herbalists. The amount of money flowing into Lorne is actually fairly small compared to other provinces, but for the natives of this land any upturn is sorely needed. The Desolation trod heavy indeed upon Lorne, and that followed the ravages of the Nightmare Wars. Lorne was not heavily defended by the Empire, so all manner of things were set loose in the Gloaming Forest. The tales of the Desolation are a litany of horrors so grim that Lorne was completely shattered by them. The land has recovered fairly well considering how badly damaged it was, and the newfound prosperity brought by the Gates is being put to good use. On an ominous note, the residents of Lorne have been keeping a nervous watch on the Mountains. In the last years the Veil fire has been exceptionally active, and memories of the Desolation are still all too fresh. The current Ordinate of Lorne is Madame Sabrina Leandra Hoyle.

FANE

Moving due east of Lorne you come to the grim green land of Fane. The defining image of Fane is the dense green forest of enormous pines, the only large coniferous forest in the Empire. The forest is called the Iron Marches, due to the proximity to the Ironback mountains. The eastern border of Fane runs due south out of the Ironbacks down to the northernmost point of the huge Lake Draconis. The border runs westward along the shore to the headwaters of the Draconis River. It then follows the river westward and dramatically southward until the Draconis empties into the Raving. From the confluence of the rivers, the border runs northwest along the Raving, until it reaches the border of Faust. It circles the city until it reaches the northernmost point and then goes due north back into the Ironbacks. Fane is the most heavily wooded province in the Empire, and since the trees in the north are pines the very air in the province carries the scent of pine. It is a most unusual scent, and the clear cool air of Fane is renowned throughout the Empire as being restorative. Many an ill Imperial has come to Fane to recuperate their health in the gigantic sanitoriums, breathing in the fresh, piney air to cleanse and strengthen their systems. The huge pines provide Fane with two of its most profitable and wildly popular exports, pine oil and pine nuts. The advent of the Gates have introduced these products throughout the Empire, and they have become hugely popular. Pine nuts are quickly becoming a staple food in the bustling southern and central provinces, and pine oil is being used in every kind of perfume, pomade, soap, polish, and paint imaginable. Fane also exports large amounts of timber, especially the fragrant cedar, durable hard pines, and rot resistant greatwood. Indeed, all manner of exports come from the forests, including pitch, tannin, cones, wild game, furs, ivory, and, of all things, ferns. A recent innovation is the introduction of fruit trees from neighboring Dellen by the enterprising Imperials of southern Fane. Add in Fane's traditional exports of tubers, wild grains, and wild flowers (dried and used in perfume) and it is easy to see why Fane is currently booming more wildly than nearly any other province. Vast fortunes are being made in Fane as money flows from the south into the pine woods. The natives of Fane are struggling to adapt to their newfound largesse, and since the large majority of them are members of the Fane Dar, the second largest ethnic group in the Empire, a brief review of that group is in order. The Fane Dar are the newest distinct group in the Empire, having developed their intriguing culture in the years of the Desolation. The Fane Dar are unusual, as they are one of the few groups which is matriarchal. Most of the Empire is a patriarchal culture, meaning that the dominant sex in most matters is the male. In Fane, the culture is dominated by the women. The reason for this turn of events is directly related to the brutal conditions in Fane after the Nightmare Wars. The people of northern Fane were driven down out of the Ironbacks into the high foothills by the Great Veil, and all manner of monsters beset them in their time of weakness. The God Domana was sorely weakened by the conflict, so the deities that came to the aid of the Fane Dar were Corellan, Lurain, and primarily Daneth. The Fane Dar claim that Daneth was their savior, because She saw them sorely pressed by their enemies and sent to them forest spirits to fight by their side. The women of the Fane Dar lay with these spirits and thus drew the strength of the spirits into their bodies, and the bodies of their children. For this act of selfless bravery, the women of the Fane Dar are venerated and respected to this day. The truth of this tale is impossible to determine, as the records of that time are understandably confused and fragmentary. Whether true or not there is little doubt that the Fane Dar were severely affected by the struggle for survival. The women of the Fane Dar own most of the property and a Matriarch is the head of each household. The social structure is a structured molygamy, as each blooded War Wife is allowed to sleep with whichever man suits her fancy and any children produced are raised by the entire community. Before a woman is allowed to have a husband, she is known as a War Bride, and may not have children. After she has participated in a battle of any sort she is known as a War Wife and is encouraged to enjoy as many husbands as she wishes. Once she is pregnant she is elevated into the council of Matrons, the ruling body of the tribes. Her rank in the matrons is determined both by her prowess in combat, as recorded by her trophies and coup marks, and her number of children, as recorded by her braids. A War Wife is allowed to braid her hair once for each child she has borne. Most raiding parties of the Fane Dar will consist of several War Wives and an escort of the older men. This is the only time the men are allowed to enter direct combat, after they have reached the age of thirty and have served well as husbands and child rearers. The escort duty is considered a mark of honor, and it is hugely dishonorable for a Fane Dar Deathgroom (as they are known) to survive a battle in which a War Wife is slain. This cultural bias and the fact that there are often two to three times as many Deathgrooms as Warwives led to the early confusion which led to the naming of the people as the Fane Dar. The net effect of all of these cultural biases is an extremely tall, strong, and hardy people. As has been mentioned previously, the Desolation was severe here in Fane and without the intervention of the deities it is probable that Fane would have become completely depopulated and degenerated into a savage pool of every sort of foul beast. The struggle to survive that time has marked the Fane Dar to this day. The Gates have caused a tremendous change in Fane as well. Surprisingly, the majority of the huge wealth being made in Fane today is going to people who are not ethnically Fane Dar, and the Matriarchs are not very happy about it. The Fane Dar tend to stay in the deep northern forests and journey into the south to sell their products to ethnic Imperials, who in turn resell it in the South, making a huge profit. The Matriarchs are moving to cut out these middlemen, and in the process are enraging their competitors. This situation is sure to lead to trouble, as the amazon Matriarchs are openly contemptuous of their feeble male competitors and are often quite disrespectful to them. Even with the current situation the Fane Dar tribes are more wealthy than they have ever been, but the Matriarchs look at the money that they are making, compare it to the money the South Faners are making, and understandably feel a bit perturbed. The Peacock Throne has a sharp eye on this situation, and keeps a Legion nearby just in case it becomes necessary to quell any difficulties. The current Ordinate of Fane is Sir Lucius Alhandra Ames.

DELLEN

Moving due east from Fane you come to the proud province of Dellen. Dellen is an enormous province, the largest in the current Empire as a matter of fact. The natives of Dellen are very proud of this fact, ridiculously so some say, and the amount of braggadocio the Dellens have inflicted upon the rest of the Empire is incredible. The northern border of Dellen is in the Ironbacks, as are the borders of most of the Northern Provinces. From the Ironbacks, the eastern border follows the Timber River south and west until it reaches the northern edge of Cannium. This river border is the second longest river border in the Empire. At Cannium, the border runs almost due west along the city wall until it reaches the Raving River. It then follows the Raving River north and west to the confluence of the River Draken. Along the River Draken the border runs north and slightly east until it comes to the headwaters, the Great Lake Draconis. The border follows the sinuous shore of the Great Lake all the way around, until it reaches the northernmost point of the Lake shore. It then runs cross country back into the Ironbacks. Dellen contains almost every kind of terrain imaginable somewhere in its expanse, ranging from the high mountains of the Ironback foothills, the depths of the Glendenale Forest, the expansive plains of the Upper Timbor Floodplain, to the landlocked sea of the Great Lake Draconis. Dellen has such an abundance of land it is only natural that they do some quantity of nearly every kind of agriculture. Dellans ranch cattle, llama, emu, gorgons, Destriers and more. They grow quantities of grains, vegetables, nuts, and their most famous export, fruit. Lake Draconis is a huge source of high quality fish and a delicacy called lakeberries, a variety of freshwater weed. The Glendenale Forest is a huge deciduous forest similar to the Gloaming Forest, in that it is more open and airy than the dense, dark southern forest. Also like the Gloaming, the Glendenale Forest is much more hazardous than its sylvan appearance might lead you to suspect. The denizens of the Ironbacks have been migrating into the northern reaches of the forest for centuries, causing a situation more akin to guerrilla warfare than to standard Imperial conditions. Dellen was also reintegrated into the Empire fairly recently, only six hundred years ago. Since that time the Legions have swept the huge area of the worst of the things that had taken up residence. The Gate system has had a huge effect on Dellen, and the products they are exporting are too numerous to go into in detail. The largest exports by far are fruit. The central Raving Flood Valley is the largest fruit growing region in the Empire, growing plums, pears, apricots, cherries, persimmons, peaches, and apples. The Gates have allowed the fruit to be shipped to the rest of the empire fresh, and Dellen apples and pears are the basis of some of the largest fortunes being made in the Empire today. The vast orchards go on for miles in the valley, and are rigorously cultivated. A fresh apple will bring ruinous prices in the Capital, and it is common to see couriers dashing south with a luxury consignment on their back. The nouveau riche in Dellen are being, if anything, more obnoxious now than they ever were, and in the capital they are the butt of many snide jokes. The Dellans don't care, as they feel that the southerners are simply jealous of their advantageous position. The Desolation was brutally hard in Dellen, as much of the fighting in the Nightmare Wars occurred in Dellen and the things left over from that time are still a serious hazard. It didn't help matters that two of the three passes into the northlands are within sight of Dellen, so much of the Imperial might was concentrated here during the Wars, which of course drew the attention of the Northern Sorcerers to the place. After the ravages of the Nightmares, the Desolation was seen almost as a relief in its early stages, but as it dragged on and on the true horror came to be seen in the degenerative spiral of the culture. Add in the increasing hordes of marauders from the Ironbacks and from the neighboring provinces and it is a miracle that anyone survived in Dellen at all. But survive they did and after the Desolation finally passed the recovery was slow but steady. As with most of the Northern Provinces, Dellen still has only a fraction of the population it enjoyed before the Nightmare Wars, so this huge land has an empty, wild feeling to it. The current Ordinate of Dellen is Lord Sasso Sherman Carroll, the Third.

GORM

Moving due east of Dellen you come to the bloody land of Gorm. Gorm is one of the most recently integrated provinces, and was part of the now defunct Eastern Federation up until fifty years ago. The fighting to liberate Gorm was grueling and savage, as the Eastern Federation first began using Invincibles as troops in that campaign. The borders of Gorm begin in the Ironback mountains. In the east, the border leaves the Ironbacks going south, along the Flagon River. At a natural stone outcrop called Dorans' Dome on the bank of the Flagon River, the border turns due west and runs to the edge of the Vasty Plains Plateau. The border then wends its way north and west along the edge of the plateau until it reaches the northernmost point. From there the border goes due east until it reaches the Timber river. Along the Timber the border runs north and west until it reaches the Ironbacks once again. Gorm is currently the center of the most active faction of the Wardens in the Empire. While Gorm was in the Eastern Federation the Easterners brutally abused the land in a futile effort to get the resources to stop the Imperial juggernaut. The Wardens in the Eastern Federation deserted the place in droves, and since the Federation collapsed are in a frenzy of repair. The northern portion of the province was once a lush forest and now thousands of Wardens are busy replanting. When the wardens fled they took with them seeds of the old forest, and now those carefully preserved seeds are being used to rejuvenate the forests as they once were. The spells of the Wardens are able to produce a full grown tree in less than a week, so the reforestation is preceeding at a furious pace, but the magnitude of the job ensures that the Wardens will be busy for years to come. The forest in the northern reaches of Gorm has a raw, unfinished feel to it. In addition, herbalists and botanists are being employed by the Wardens to restart all of the small flora of the place. The most difficult part of the process is the restoration of the animals of the area, and the Wardens are currently praying for a miracle. The Wardens jealously guard the area and have made a number of enemies out of the local landholders. The political power of the Wardens is easily sufficient to hold their own in this sort of imbroglio, and their total incorruptibility serves only to further frustrate the landholders involved. Unfortunately, one of the reasons the Wardens are being so cautious with the area is the fact that the newly grown forests are also infested with all manner of evil and nasty creatures which have migrated down from the Ironback mountains. The Wardens are keeping this embarrassing turn of events under wraps until they are able to rectify the situation. Gorm was badly damaged by the conquest of the eastern Federation, and as a result the economy is still recovering. Add in the thousands of square miles of land which the Wardens have commandeered and the rude treatment the populace has suffered from the Legions and it is easy to see why Gorm is known as the bloody land. Unrest in Gorm has fallen dramatically since the Federation finally collapsed, but for several years the population was vigorously resisting the Imperial occupation, with backing from the Federation further to the east. Following the principals of the Codex Imperious, the Legions have pacified the Gormians and the current generation barely has any recollection of the Federation, much less any kind of rebel spirit, so the boon of peace has come to the province at last. The Gates have had a considerable impact on the re¬development of the province, as materials and manpower are readily available in the Empire, as long as they can be gotten to where they are needed. Gorm is currently self sufficient, and the Ordinate, an Imperial opponent appointed by Chronun to quiet the unhappy nobles, is receiving large amounts of Imperial aid. The current Ordinate of Gorm is Sir Latram Welby Lanier. There is quite a building boom in the province as roads are brought up to Imperial specifications, fortifications are rebuilt, cities are reconstructed and the water works of the province are repaired. All things considered, the province is actually doing fairly well. Once the Wild Lands (as the forest was once known) are finished in the next century and the reconstruction is complete, the Peacock Throne expects Gorm to be a stout bulwark against any possible Northern aggression. As a result the Empire is garrisoning the province heavily even now.

BELLE

The province of Belle is the most recent addition to the current Empire. The borders of Belle begin in the Ironback mountains, as do many of the northern provinces. From the Ironbacks, the eastern border of Belle runs south and west along the coast of the Great Pelagic Ocean, and a rough and uninviting stretch of shoreline it is. The typically vicious Great Pelagic surf is, if anything, even worse here than it is further south, and twelve foot waves are considered a light surf day, while on a stormy day sixty foot breakers are common. The southern border is the northern edge of the seigeworks of Invincia, and a truly magnificent sight they are, even in ruins. The border runs westward along these seigeworks until it reaches the Flagon River. The border then follows the River northwards back to the Ironbacks. Belle is a beautiful province, well blessed with natural bounty, and indeed the ancient name of the province means the beautiful land. Unfortunately, Belle is a haggard beauty in the current day, as the final savage death throes of the Eastern Federation happened in Belle and its southern neighbor, Invincia. Belle was a member of the Eastern Federation as recently as ten years ago, and the battles which saw it conquered by the Empire were some of the most brutal fighting in the long history of the Empire. The old Eastern Federation had a fanatical religion based upon the worship of a long abandoned pantheon of Sea Gods. These fanatics fought the Empire long after any rational being would have recognized the inevitable and sought some sort of an accommodation. The military effort fielded by the Empire was truly astounding, and the damage done to the province was extensive. The Emperor ordered the Legions to keep the damage to a minimum, but the frenzied defense mounted by the Easterners necessitated a level of carnage which is difficult to comprehend. The natives of Belle are currently suffering the cruel strictures of the Codex Imperious mandates concerning the disposition of conquered peoples. The province is in a turmoil as old Federation loyalists still struggle against the grip of the Empire, despite their utter defeat. The newly appointed Ordinate of Belle is Sir Clavian Anther Aureo, who is currently finishing the pacification techniques mandated by the Codex Imperious, a noisome but necessary cruelty. He is petitioning the Peacock Throne for funds to begin the physical reconstruction of the province in earnest. The Gate system has had little effect to date, as they have only been in effect in the province for the last three years. The Peacock Throne has heavily garrisoned the province until the Codex strictures have had time to destroy the resistance of the population, and the Sage Advisors are monitoring the progress of the strictures carefully, as the Fathers and Mothers of Lurain are protesting them more vigorously than usual, with the Revellers of Corellan adding their voice to the dissent. The Wardens are also moving into the province in droves, beginning the repair of the land after the blatant overuse inflicted upon it by the Easterners. As happened in Gorm to the west, the Eastern government drove the land far more ruthlessly than the Empire ever would, and the Wardens are currently assessing the amount of damage done and what is going to be required to repair the place. The province has been out of the Empire for almost three thousand years, and the Wisdoms of Teb are busily dismantling and storing away the icons and linguistic peculiarities of the place, to preserve them from the Codex strictures. Revelers are also thronging into the place, to try to alleviate the grim pall of defeat and cheer the suffering populace. And lastly, the Templars and Contrivers are there to enforce the strictures, a grim task indeed. Belle is currently a bleak and unhappy place, but the Empire remembers the lovely, laughing land of old and is working to restore the place. A few centuries should see to the repair of the place and its complete healing.

INVINCIA

The province of Invincia is an urban province, with the entire area inside the provincial borders consisting of city or heavily developed suburbs. Invincia is set upon a peninsula bounded by the Great Pelagic Ocean and the estuary of Victrix Bay, one of the Empire's few good harbors. In the north the border is demarcated by the incredible series of fortifications known as the Line Indomitable. Since the defeat of the Eastern Federation, the Line Indomitable is the largest and most formidable defense in the Empire. The wall is constructed of the dense native limestone, sheathed in seigestone. The wall is nearly three hundred miles long, including subfortifications. The height of the primary defense wall is over one hundred feet and in some places is nearer to two hundred. Behind the primary line of the fortifications are a second and a third complete line of fortresses and lesser walls. Inside of those, the city itself is partitioned into boroughs, each of which is stoutly fortified on their own. In total the city has over two thousand miles of wall and over fifty major fortifications. Aside from the incredible fortifications the city is unusual in that it has been built without using the Imperial model. During the thousands of years in which Invincia was separated from the Empire, the city was completely rebuilt at least five times. Whereas most large imperial cities are filled with covillas, Invincia instead has a system of walled neighborhoods filled with two and three story individual dwellings. As a result, the city has a more airy and open feel to it than a typical large imperial city, even with the preponderance of heavy fortifications. Unfortunately, the final conflicts of the Eastern Federation occurred in the city, and even though the invading Imperials were instructed to preserve the place as much as possible, the Easterners put up a hysterical defense of the city and made the Empire battle through every street. The fighting here was beyond description, as the Federation used their last ditch Invincible troops extensively in the fighting. The Empire suffered heavy casualties and over half of the population of the city was slain, either in fighting or due to magical backlash from the battlefield magics unleashed. The final battles of the Eastern Campaign were witnessed by the senior Imperial General, a veteran of the mythical Nightmare Wars, and were described by him as being as bad as that terrible war. The final magical strikes directed at the city were seen as far away as the Silver Hills in Valis, over a thousand miles away. The fortifications of the Line Indomitable were severely damaged in that conflict, and the Empire is understandably reluctant to hurry in their repair until the city is fully pacified. The Codex Imperious strictures are being implemented here, with the related hatred and bitterness they bring. Invincia is a battered ruin, nearly lost in a sea of despair, yet there is a definite undercurrent of optimism here as well. The natives have been preparing for the evil Empire to come and crush them for over two thousand years, and an entire culture and way of life grew up around that dreadful fate. Now that the crushing blow has fallen the horrible uncertainty is finally over. Many Invincians felt the terrible suffering of their defeat to be almost worth the removal of the dreadful waiting. To the considerable shock of many Invincians, the Imperials turned out to be humans too, with strange customs and an overweening arrogance, but not wantonly cruel or evil. Compared to their own doomsday cultists and religious extremists the Imperial troopers, even the Templars come to enforce the necessary strictures of a conquered people, were fairly tame. Many natives have greeted the Imperials with a sense of relief, now that the long struggle is over. The majority of the religious fanatics and Invincible warriors were slain in the fighting and the people left are mostly the moderates. The economy of the city is utterly wrecked, and is still not able to support the surviving population. The Fathers and Mothers of Lurain are making converts in huge droves, and it appears that Invincia is prepared to renounce war forever. The city has adopted an informal motto, Pax Est Domitas, meaning "Peace is Strength". The Temple of Lurain in Invincia is the center of a vast crowd of the faithful, who are being fed and clothed by the Fathers and Mothers, and are using them as a work force to rebuild. The Imperial Ordinate of Invincia is Sir Franco Lutre Dragavag, an Imperial hawk who is implementing the Codex Imperious strictures with gleeful thoroughness, and he is widely vilified by the Invincian population. The city itself is still deemed too dangerous to receive a Fortress and its gates, but a Fortress is conveniently nearby, with a full Legion in attendance. One of the more unusual circumstances of the occupation of Invincia is the abundance of Tricksters and Revelers and Bards that have flocked to the city. The Federation for centuries has been seen as having a very different artistic tradition from the Empire. The strictures of the Codex Imperious denote that those traditions are forfeit to the people and must be expunged from their memories. The Wisdoms of Teb traditionally flock to any conquered people and record every detail of their culture before it is lost forever, but then they store it away in their libraries and the knowledge may not be heard from for thousands of years, if ever. The Tricksters and Revelers have decided to preserve the fine musical , cultural, and artistic tradition of the Federation by stealing it blatantly and using it themselves. The Peacock Throne has expressed amusement over this state of affairs, as long as no trace of the easterner's fanaticism is also preserved. The Imperial Council is incensed by the entire affair and considers it to be a blatant flouting of the Codex Imperious and a foolish concession to that disorderly rabble, the Tricksters especially. The Sage Advisors are not so sure, having seen the amount of goodwill Chronun has generated for a seemingly minor concession. Invincia is a wild patchwork today, with undamaged parts of the city adjacent to areas of utter desolation, where a borough of the city has been razed. The culture of the city is equally patchy, with Imperial sympathizers, converts to Lurain or Domana, or dedicated Revelers living cheek by jowl with ex-Federation military, de-commissioned Invincibles, and reformed sea worshipers. Anything can happen in Invincia, and on most days it does. The city watch in Invincia typically patrols in groups of ten or more, wear plate mail, and have a large proportion of former Legionnaires. The air is wild, rowdy, and uninhibited. The suicide rate has fallen in the last few years, but in the years immediately after the fall of the Federation the Invincians seemed determined to leave the Empire with a mere uninhabited city for all their trouble. The despair has lessened since those dark days, and the Empire is cautiously optimistic that in time the province will heal from the damage that had to be inflicted upon it and will become once again a productive and creative part of the Empire.

QED

Moving due west of Invincia, across Taglands bay, you come to the province of Qed. The eastern border of Qed begins at the north end of Victrix bay and follows the Flagon River north, past the confluence of the Flaxen River, to a landmark known as Doran*s Dome. From Doran's Dome the border runs due west to the edge of the Vasty Plains Plateau, and follows the edge of the Plateau northwards to the northernmost point of the Plateau. From that point the border runs due west until it reaches the Timber River. Along the Timber, the border runs south and west until it reaches the Upper Timbor Cataracts. From the Cataracts, the border runs east and south to the northernmost point of the Silver Hills. From there the border runs southeast to the northernmost point along the Retro River, and then follows the Retro eastward to the Great Pelagic Ocean. Along the coast, the border travels east and north back to its starting point. Qed is an enormous and highly productive province, and is well known as a large producer of Destriers, gorgons, leather, grain, roots, and other products. Since Qed doesn't border on the Ironbacks, it fared well in the Desolation compared to many of the neighboring provinces, and was an early center of the Eastern Federation. Queddans selflessly aided their neighbors, and often suffered for it. Many of the stoutest heroes of Imperial history were produced by the fertile soil of Qed, and the place is endowed with battle honors and well earned citations for bravery. All of these accomplishments, unfortunately, mean very little to the rest of the Empire, who meet most Queddans with a happy smile. You see, Qed also has an unfortunate reputation as producing the Empires' greatest supply of dolts, lunkheads, and outright morons, not to mention the occasional deranged madman. The unfortunate Queddans are the butt of an unbelievable array of jokes and witticisms, as well as being accused of every sort of inbreeding practice, mating with all manner of livestock, and venturing foolishly into the most unlikely misadventures imaginable. The long suffering Queddans tolerate the jokes with ill-disguised annoyance, but recognize the historical basis of the jests. Through a combination of bad luck and shortsightedness the Queddans have produced a series of monumental boondoggles and miscalculations throughout history, such as the time the provincial government attempted to divert the Timbor river for use in irrigation, or the time they attempted to cross breed Destriers with gorgons. In all reality the Queddans are loyal, hardworking, thrifty and easily as intelligent as other citizens of the Empire, but the perception remains. The advent of the Gates has had a huge impact on Qed, as the nearness of the province to the old Eastern Federation meant that the Empire kept the province stoutly garrisoned. The troopers brought with them a taste for all manner of exotic foods and goods, which the Queddans cheerfully adopted and began growing themselves. Add in the fact that the province is busily switching over to more valuable exports of fresh foods and is developing a large trade surplus and it may be seen that Qed is actually a fairly nice place to live. The desolation also tread lightly here, as the reputation of the place convinced most raiders to bypass it in search of better pickings. Unfortunately, the prospect of wealthy and powerful Queddans has most nobles in the Empire giggling quietly to themselves, with the notable exception of the Celestians. Why those most exalted of nobles would associate with the lumpish sort of nouveau riche which infest Qed is completely beyond most of the sycophants of the capital, but the Peacock Throne is watching this particular development carefully indeed. Sages have said for eons that the reputation of the place is undeserved, and suspect that the leading families of Qed have actively cultivated the perception of themselves as dolts. If so, then their reasons must be very good indeed, and all manner of speculations have been put forward about the "secret masters of Qed." The Queddans find these speculations quite amusing, and their repertoire of jokes concerning the rest of the Imperials are filled with references to these "secret masters." The current Ordinate of Qed is Lord Blasco Tubb Dilsman.

HELLAS

Hellas is the second northern province not bordering upon the Ironback Mountains, and is one of the most geographically uniform provinces. The entire province is rugged hills, heavily forested in a mixture of broadleaf and coniferous trees. The borders of Hellas are quite secure, as the majority of them lie along major rivers. Beginning in the north, the north and eastern border of the Province runs from the headwaters of the Raving River southeast to the confluence of the Questing River is reached. The border then follows the Questing river southwest, turns along with the river to run northwest, and follows the river all the way to the headwaters of the Questing, Lake Mantidrake. At Lake Mantidrake, the border follows the shore for a short distance until a point due south of the headwaters of the Raving River is reached, up on Lake Pegasus. The border then runs due north back to its starting point. When you mention the name of Hellas to most citizens of the Empire, the image which immediately springs to mind is spiders. Hellas is famous for the volumes of spider silk it produces, and for the myriad of products made from that silk. Spider silk cloth is lightweight, cool, and comfortable, yet is warm as well. Many grades of cloth are produced, ranging from the expensive and luxurious chiffons to the common and durable shantung. Spider silk ropes have reached universal usage and are incredibly light and strong, as well as being flexible and durable. The wild spiders of Hellas are more numerous than the stars in the sky, and the number of domesticated varieties is nearly as great. There are fruit spiders, bird spiders, sap spiders, bug spiders, worm spiders, and other more exotic varieties. The names of the species have to do with the preferred diet of the creatures, and this diet in turn effects the type of silk produced. The Hellans have bred every kind of decorative breed imaginable, both for the colors of the creatures themselves and for the beautiful and exotic webs they may weave. The breeding techniques of the Hellan silk masters are jealously guarded, as are the magical spells and treatments they use to process the sticky, tangled raw webs into the shimmering cloth and fine cables that are so highly prized. A single spider egg case may be valued at tens of thousands of Empers by a Hellan spidermaster, who realizes the worth of its contents. Hellas is a large and rugged province, heavily forested over its entire area. The spider ranches cover enormous tracts of land, and the majority of the population is involved in the gathering of the raw webs or the preparation of the silk, or in the weaving of the silk into finished products. Hellas produces few finished pieces of clothing, instead concentrating on the production of silk cloth. However, there is more to Hellas than merely a fascination with arachnids. The place produces volumes of wood and other forest products, as well as a considerable export of food. Since it is one of the few large Northern provinces without a border in the Ironback Mountains, the land is relatively free of the less pleasant denizens of the North. Add in the unsavory prospect raiders face of entering a spider infested wood, and it is easy to see why the province fared relatively well in the Desolation. Indeed, Hellas was the center of one of the ancient splinter states that formed after the Desolation, and was re-conquered early and easily by the Empire. The divergent culture of that time is completely forgotten except by the Wisdoms. The province fared so well that the survival of many of its neighbors is attributed to Hellan support, and to this day the natives enjoy a reputation as kind hearted, generous people. That is, with everyone but the occasional arachnophobe. Meeting a Hellan spidermaster can be disconcerting in the extreme if you don't like spiders, as the traditional garb of a spidermaster is actually woven onto his or her body by a coterie of specially bred spiders. These creatures then remain on the garments thus created and serve as a sort of living jewelry. Seeing one of these formal gowns, crawling with spiders, is enough to send those whom fear the creatures fleeing into the night, screaming with horror. Add in the fact that it is rumored that the spidermasters frequently carry poisonous varieties with them to serve as weapons and it is easy to see why they engender such unease. The Gates have had a considerable impact on Hellas, but not on the silk trade. Silk does not degrade, so the speed of delivery is of little importance. The main effect of the Gates has been the sudden popularity of the local Hellan foods in the crowded south. Every manner of distinctive dish and exotic spice has been introduced to the Empire at large, and it seems as though every one has been wildly popular. As a result, the Hellans are scrambling to grow more of the native staples strictly for export, and the demand for the local spices has been so great that the natives have been unable to afford their own dishes! The current Ordinate of Hellas is the High Lord Spidermaster William Latimer Arkan.

FAUST

Faust lies nestled against the northern shore of the Great Lake Pegasus, and is known as Faust Among the Moaning Forest. The reason for this rather overblown title is twofold: First, the region is known for its constant winds, so the trees are always rustling and swaying, and, second, Faust is near enough to Lome that earthquakes are a regular feature of life. These earthquakes are rarely damaging, but the trees often are shaken enough to creak and groan, an eerie sound indeed. Faust is so near the Ironback Mountains that all manner of beasts and fiends have been attacking the place for over three thousand years. As a result, the fortifications of the city are extensive and well maintained. Nearly every building in Faust is strongly constructed of solid stone, and has few windows. At times in the past, the entire city has been overrun by hordes of monsters and the entire population driven indoors, and survived! The main city walls have been expanded dozens of times over the years, with the result that the entire city is a warren of narrow streets and tall buildings, crammed into small quarters walled in with heavy fortifications. In all of the Empire, only Cannium and Invincia exceed the fortifications at Faust, and the Faustans disdainfully dismiss both of those other cities, on the basis that they have repelled far more assaults than both of those cities combined. Lake Pegasus has come to be Faust's main source of water, and the abundant fish are one of Faust's main food sources. Approaching Faust from the lake is one of the most awesome sights to be seen in the Empire, as the waterfront is a narrow strip along the lake shore, and immediately behind this sector is a solid line of truly enormous water towers, that form a solid hedge of titanic size. The tallest water tower in the Empire is in Faust, the Empire's Aerie, which stands exactly 999 feet tall. The reason the city has such tall waterworks is the fact that Faust is built in a ruggedly hilly area, and to get water from the lake to the top of the ridge upon which the bulk of the city is built requires a total vertical climb of nearly three thousand feet. Faust is visually distinctive, being a combination of open, airy covillas carefully constructed to resist the earthquakes and raiders, each one walled in, with the soaring vertical punctuation of the water towers and aqueducts marching in stately procession in the background. Due to the constant winds, Faust is also the only place in the empire which makes extensive use of windmills. Every water tower has at least a few steadily spinning windmills, as their enterprising owners maximize the benefits of their huge and expensive structures. Many covillas have a small windmill atop them to reduce the amount of water the intrepid inhabitants must use to power their industries. In addition, a unique Faustian addition to the covillas are the large cisterns in nearly every basement. If an earthquake or invasion cuts the water supply, most covillas can sustain themselves for several weeks before their situation gets desperate. Faust has had trouble getting enough water for tens of thousands of years, due to the difficulty keeping waterworks in place. One of the worst problems the Faustans face is keeping their waterworks from collapsing in the frequent earthquakes, and the architects of Faust are widely known to be the finest in the Empire. Another peculiarity of Faustian culture is the penchant the nobility has developed for living in their water towers. Some of the most luxurious mansions in the city are narrow vertical affairs perched in the tips of the tallest water towers. In an earthquake, these mansions can become deathtraps, but the adventurous nobles find that risk intoxicating, and it must be admitted that the views are astounding, to say the least. The most adventurous sorts have taken to building what are known as sky patios, which are luxurious platforms at the very tops of the towers. They are often fabulously appointed, and since they are centered in the field of reverse gravity which is the center of the water tower, they can be lowered on ropes "downward" far above the tops of even the very tallest water towers. Through careful ballasting the strain on the support ropes can be kept low, and the heights attained are marvelous. A picnic seated on a sky patio, accompanied by a quartet of musicians and singers, eating gourmet food exquisitely prepared, with the city spread out above your head thousands of feet below is an experience which is not readily forgotten. Faust is the second largest city in the Empire and is very similar in its urban landscape to the Capital, with the majority of the population living in sturdy covillas. Indeed, Faust is widely known as the second capital of the Empire, and is a major Imperial center for the governance of the Empire. Because of its location on the opposite side of the Empire, and the large size of the city, it was a logical place to keep the reins of the Empire. The Imperial Palace in Faust is nearly as large as the Imperial Compound in the Capital, although it is in somewhat better repair and does not have the enormous libraries and Imperial Vaults. Historically, the Emperor would come to Faust at least every decade, to "show the flag" and keep the provinces firmly under the heel of the central authority. The advent of the Gates has changed all of that, of course. The current Emperor is rumored to spend more time in Faust than he does in the Capital, since he can now travel between the two with his full retinue of assistants, servants and guards in a matter of days. It must be freely admitted that the climate in Faust is more comfortable than in the Capital, even with extensive caloric phasing. As with all large Imperial cities, Faust has every conceivable good and service available in it somewhere. The Gates are allowing Faust to have vigorous trade with the busy lands to the South, and since the Gates became available the styles and fashions of the south have become something of a rage here, and vice versa. The Desolation tread heavy in Faust, due to the proximity of the Ironbacks and the perception of the city as a rich target for looters. The Mayor of Faust early in the Desolation acted aggressively to keep the city unified and acting concertedly to defend itself. This early level of organization kept the city relatively intact, even though the area was so hostile that the population fell drastically. Indeed, one of the splinter states that grew out of the Desolation was centered on Faust, and Faust was the capital city of this splinter state for nearly two thousand years. The current Ordinate of Faust is Sir Franklin Vladime Toomey.