Southern Provinces
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THE SOUTHERN PROVINCES
ANDANIA
Moving westward from the Sea provinces, you come immediately to the beautiful province of Andania. Andania is one of the Southern provinces of the Empire, a group known as the Three Lovely Sisters. Andania is everything the Sea provinces are without the inconvenience of having to sail everywhere. The largest portion of Andania consists of the Talon Peninsula, tipped by the aptly named Point Comfort. Ancient Celegian mariners battling their way across the unrelentingly hostile Midnight Ocean knew they had reached safety upon sighting Point Comfort. Andania is bounded to the south by the brooding waters of the Midnight Ocean, so named for the deep slate blue color it takes, no matter the brightness of the sun. The beaches of southern Andania are a solid expanse of rich haciendas and the villas of the wealthy. Taking advantage of the perfect climate many nobles season over here to enjoy the weather. The height of the sea cliffs keeps the angry waves at bay during the stormy season, and a huge Imperial garrison keeps a low profile as they keep the peace. Andania duty is considered a treat in the Legions, and many hardened combat units rotate here to heal and recover their strength. The Empire is careful to keep these "excitable" troopers away from the civilian populace.
Northern Andania is, if anything, even more lovely than the south, as it borders on the clear waters of the Elysian sea. The central areas of Andania are given over to agriculture, increasingly so in recent years as the use of Gates has made possible the successful exportation of the many exotic fruits which grow here in abundance. The vast cities in the North and Central Provinces have a seemingly infinite appetite for the crops which grow here. The fortunes being constructed here by those with the foresight to capitalize on that appetite rival those of the most ancient landed families, a situation which the Peacock Throne is watching warily in order to avert any possible trouble.
There are no problems with pirates this far west, perhaps because they do not yet wish to risk the Imperial wrath involved in disturbing the rich and powerful too much. Andania is historically the most peaceful province of the Empire, and is widely acknowledged as the most beautiful place in the Empire today. The gorgeous weather and scenery do not prevent the place from harboring unrest, however. The Gates are bringing wealth to the natives here, and they are beginning to chafe at their traditional roles as servants and lackeys for the wealthy nobility from further north. The amount of unrest here is laughably low compared to other, more fractious, provinces, but the natives are so unused to anything of the sort that the perceived turmoil is much more disruptive than it has any right to be. Undoubtedly, the peaceful Andanians will adjust in time, and the Peacock Throne is unconcerned.
The Desolation was barely felt in Andania, and many people fled here from further north to escape the appalling conditions of that time. Andania has a reputation to this day of harboring the kindest and most gentle people in the Empire, although many businessmen have grumbled that that reputation is blatantly false if you've ever had to make a business deal with an Andanian.
The current Ordinate of Andania is The Honorable Lady Aleana De'Kerino Kaglitz.
ISTIS
Moving further westward still brings you to the vast swamps and wetlands of Istis. Mention the name Istis to most Celegians and the image that springs to mind is the shadowed green depths of the Istis swamps, inhabited by the gentle Langourous, whiling the days away in an herb-induced fog of contentment. In many ways this view is correct, but only so far as it goes.
The province stretches all the way from the Elysian Sea, with the associated resorts and villas, to the southern end of the Stairstep mountains. Along the way it encompasses the Southwest quarter of the Fuligin Forest and the western end of the Southern Coastal Plains. This range of character is often overlooked by those who see Istis as "that swampy place." The Langourous are a large and old ethnic population, and their strangely solitary customs keep them from having a larger impact in the Empire than they do.
The Langourous are raised in a loose community, in which the children are raised by a large extended family structured in a multi-linear patriarchal lineage. The lengthy names inspired by this family structure are a trademark of the Langourous. They are the butt of many jokes, wherein a Langourous has to introduce himself, passes out due to lack of air after trying to pronounce his name, and then all manner of ills befall him. The Langourous accept this "humor" with their typical gentle grace.
The Langourous firmly believe that the physical world we inhabit is an illusion spun by the common consensus of all who participate in it. The Gods, of course, see behind this illusion, and the Langourous feel that the surest way to participate in the divinity of the universe is to deny the senses, withdraw from the consensual illusion, and attempt to view the universe as it truly exists, without the cloak of the flesh. More conventional sages have rabid fits over this view of the world, but no one can deny that the Languorous ones are obviously onto something. Langourous are very often mediums, and feel that spirits have a truer view than most men, although there are levels of reality below even what the spirits perceive. A discussion with a Langourous can be a frightening experience, as they often seem to "know" things about their visitors. Of course, skeptics of the whole state of affairs dismiss the lot of them as a bunch of herb riddled sots.
Istis is surprisingly diverse, with the Langourous holding sway as the Empires greatest supply of deep thinkers. Some truly potent wizards and sages call Istis their home for the quality of the facilities available there. Several Imperial Factoriums are in Istis, and some of the most erudite (and incomprehensible) theories and philosophies are pursued in them. The bounty of the land here is almost unimaginable to those from less forgiving locales. The Great Swamp itself is home of an incredible variety of every type of organism imaginable. Langourous live in the Swamp most comfortably, but no one else has quite mastered the trick of it. The Langourous typically browse on the natural growth near their homes and many of them never travel more than a mile from their birthplace. The Languorous ones claim that they have manipulated their reality to produce a place comfortable for them and uncomfortable to everyone else, so that the illusion of the world is weaker in their home.
Illusionary or not, exotic woods, herbs, drugs, fruits, nuts, furs, flowers, pets, creatures, and foods from this gentle land are sweeping the Empire since the coming of the Gates. The fortunes being made here are the equal of anything envisioned in Andania, Dellen, Fane, Hellas, Lorne, or any of the other provinces. For a group of reality denying ascetics, the Languorous ones have proven highly adept at the more mundane tasks of making money.
The changes in the power structure of Celegia are still being mapped as the impact of the Gates system is working its way into the culture. The Sage Advisors of the Imperial Council are viewing the impact of the Gates with particular trepidation, with what effect upon Istis yet to be seen.
The current Ordinate of Istis is Sieur Quin-Trebbell Arend Feigh Lassax Younatt Petlanan Fisig. He goes by Quin Feigh.
ERETA
From Istis, moving North and East takes you into the last and largest of the Three Lovely Sisters, Ereta. Ereta is an enormous province, reaching all the way from Celegia in the East to the Ainesley river in the West, and being the home to nearly 400 million loyal and prosperous subjects. Along the way it borders the Elysian Sea to the South until it reaches Istis, then borders Istis until it reaches the point where the Ainesley most closely approaches the Swamp of Istis. The border runs due north and slightly west until it reaches the southernmost point of the Ainesley. The border then runs north and east along the Ainesley to the confluence of the Ainesley with the Pested. The northern border of Ereta then follows the Pested back to the capital, then runs south along the capital walls back to the Elysian Sea.
The north coast of the Elysian Sea is the southern border of Ereta for over half its length, and is again a region for the rich and noble to enjoy their leisure. In the eastern part of this coast, near the capital, is one of the most wealthy and exclusive areas in the Empire, the Crystal Coast, where the very sands on the beaches are composed of multi-hued glass, transmuted by an ancient wizard as a gift to his love.
From here the broad and fertile Southern Coastal Plains stretch far to the north and west, reaching all the way to the Pested River in the East and to the southern edge of the Fuligin Forest in the west. Ereta contains the largest part of the huge Fuligin Forest, the entire southeastern quarter. Enormous ranches here vie with farms for the rich soil. Ereta is the source of much of the livestock supply in the southern half of the Empire.
The Fuligin Forest is a constant source of fine hardwoods, acorns, walnuts, pecans, and that exotic new delicacy, truffles. The Fuligin Forest also supplies vast quantities of tannin, used in the Southern plain to make the fine leathers Ereta is famous for. Indeed, many of the exotic skins from Istis are cured in Ereta, as well as vast amounts of cow skins.
The Fuligin Forest is the oldest forest in the Empire and is jealously watched over by the Wardens. Those Who Watch (rightly) consider the enormous trees here to be one of the treasures of the Empire. The Fuligin Forest is currently the primary source of fine timber in the Empire. Each tree felled is carefully chosen by the Wardens to be near the end of its natural life and is replaced by seedlings grown from its own seed. The deepest depths of the Southeastern quarter are said to be rife with wildlife of every description and the families that own these lands are some of the wealthiest in the Empire. To obtain permission to hunt in the depths of the Forest is a feat of legerdemain which has even foiled the Emperor at times in the past. Local stories abound with tales of enchanted groves, glades, and meadows in the deep Forest which have not felt the tread of man in millennia.
The northern edge of Ereta is the mighty Pested River, and the portion of the Forest which borders the River is a quiet and orderly place. This area is some of the best wild game and gathering land in the Empire.
In the far eastern part of the province, near Celegia, are extensive tracts of ruins from very early in the Empires history. These ruins cover hundreds of square miles and are being actively mined for the stone and copper used in them. The Wisdom's of Teb cluster thickly here, recording every bit of stone and glass that comes up during the mining operations. The Empire's records state that these ruins come from a time when the city of Celegia was further to the west than it is today. A cataclysm brought by the Gods shifted the Pested far east to its current bed and cast the city down in ruin. The capital crawled like an enormous slime to its current place, leading to the common practice of calling the Timbor the "new" river, despite the passage of over forty thousand years. Ereta has a rich history and is proud of the fact that it has been a part of the Empire ever since its inception, even being older than the current province of Celegia, the capital.
Ereta has also never split away from the Empire, not even in the Desolation following the Nightmare Wars or in the much earlier Time of Night. Eretoans are proud of their constancy and call themselves the Steadfast People. Ereta is the only province which has never once rebelled.
The Gate system has increased the amount of trade into and out of Ereta dramatically. The large and prosperous population has been avidly importing huge amounts of the northern fresh fruits and fish, while exporting their own foods and other products. The balance of trade has actually not changed much, as about the same amount of material is imported as is being exported.
The Desolation was barely felt here in Ereta, and many sages feel that without the constant strength of the Steadfast People the Empire may have dissolved completely after the Nightmare Wars, and have proclaimed the Eretoans as the Saviors of the Empire, a title they find vaguely embarrassing.
The current Ordinate of Ereta is Madame Chalmela Heininger.
OVERVIEW:
As a whole, the Southern provinces are peaceful and prosperous. It has been thousands of years since the last time there was fighting or major upheaval in the Three Lovely Sisters, and even the Desolation tread lightly here. The joke is that the Langourous never realized the Nightmare Wars were happening until they were over, and complained bitterly for having been left out! The Southern provinces are the seat of the Empires strength. They are strong and well populated, providing nearly a third of the troopers in the Legions. Ereta especially has a tradition of service in the Legions, and it is considered a mark of shame to miss your duty in them. As a whole the southern provinces are all well populated and developed.