Western Provinces

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THE WESTERN PROVINCES

The next geographical area to be considered is the group of provinces known as the Western Provinces. This large and diverse expanse of territory lies mostly along the forbidding coast of the Great Desolate Ocean, and is a wild and interesting land in many respects. After the Nightmare Wars and the Desolation, the Western Provinces lost most of their population and are still thinly settled compared to the crowded and bustling Central Provinces. The western provinces provide many exotic and unique locales that contribute to the lore of the Empire.

The western provinces as a whole are a vast expanse of territory, with an astounding variety of natural beauty. Compared to the bustling Central Provinces or the beautiful Three Sisters the western provinces are practically empty. This is mostly due to the depredations of the Desolation, from which the region is still recovering. The advent of the Gate system is having a profound impact on the region as a whole, with the strangest effect being the advent of tourism for the first time in history. The western provinces surely have a bright future, as they finally shake off the effects of the Desolation and reach their stride. The vitality of the region is steadily improving and it seems certain that the importance of the region will do nothing but increase.

WISTEN

The first province is Wisten, furthest to the north, along the seacoast. Wisten has a wide variety of land within it, but is best known as having part of the huge Great Western Plains, better known as the Sea of Grass. The northern border begins at the eastern end of Lake Mantidrake and follows the southern coast of the giant lake westward as far as it goes. The border is then a direct line due west from the westernmost point of Lake Mantidrake to the sea. The western border follows the sea coast far to the south until it reaches a pylon warning wanderers they are about to reach the edge of the Sand Sea, which marks the border with Pastene. The border is now a line directly east-southeast which runs up into the gentle northern Stairsteppes and terminates at a nondescript point of stone called Pomit Hill. This border is easier to follow than most, as the shimmering curtain of the northern border of the Sand Sea is easily visible south of you for the entire way. From Pomit Hill the border winds its way sinuously northward, following the crest of the Stairsteppes, until you reach a landmark known as Sea Pylon. Sea Pylon is an extremely ancient tower composed of Cyclopean stones, kept maintained as the border marker, but otherwise completely deserted. From here the border is completely unmarked as it arrows in a straight line across the blowing grasses of the Great Western Plain, where it terminates at the headwaters of the Questing River. The plain is a rich and well-watered expanse, where roam huge herds of loosely herded cattle, buffalo, emus, and other herd animals of every possible description. The Grass Sea is the home of the largest distinct ethnic group in the Empire, the Arrakanza. These incredibly independent and vicious wanderers practice a semi-nomadic lifestyle which vehemently opposes any kind of borders during their semiannual migrations. This is the primary reason the plains border is unmarked between Wisten and Yepethe. There is more to Wisten than just the enormous plains, however. In the extreme north of the province along the shore of the huge Lake Mantidrake is a bustling region of cattle barons and fishermen. These hardy souls have historically purchased the excess animals of the Arrakanza and shipped them south for slaughter, as well as sending preserved fish down the Questing River. Along the western shore there is a narrow band of coastal lands, which supports a large diversity of oceanic fishermen who earn their keep from the warm, brackish waters of the Great Desolate Ocean. The Great Desolate is named due to the paucity of fish which can be found there, but the fish which are found are highly prized, indeed, being tuna. The most exotic delicacies of the empire are those sieved from the barren waters of the Great Desolate, and since there is still no Fortress on the Great Desolate this far south, any exports have to be salted and spiced. There is a large construction site on the coast where a fortress is being built, but it is not an urgent priority and will not be complete for many years. Once it is finished, the Ordinate expects the sea coast to boom, the first and greatest prosperity that struggling region will experience in eons. In many ways, Wisten is the mysterious province, as there are ruins to be found along the ocean that far predate the Empire, and the origin of them are completely unknown. The name "Wisten" is old as well and means "Land of Regret" in Ancient Lelnian, but why this land bears such a mournful name is lost. Wisten also has no harbors at all along its coastline, so all of the fishing is done from small boats that never leave sight of the shore. The Desolation tread lightly here, as Wisten is too far from the bustling masses of the central empire to be dragged into much of the social disintegration, and the vicious Arrakanza greedily hogged all of the raiders that entered the Grass Sea for themselves, further to the east. The worst effect of the Desolation was to isolate the non-Arrakanza even further, and the culture drifted into some strange practices before the province was re-conquered by the Empire fifteen hundred years ago. Most of the REALLY weird people in the Empire come from Wisten, and the place is dearly loved by the Tricksters. The largest "organized" worship of Lyreth is in Wisten, and the holidays, traditions, and cultural practices in Wisten are a baffling maze for the uninitiated. The dominating presence of the ferocious Arrakanza has been a strong incentive for the Wistenites to be clever and tricky, avoiding the nomads rather than confronting them. Wisten has historically been largely ignored by the central government, but the advent of Gates has placed the province within much easier reach of the Capital. The days when the Empire was a vaguely felt presence are over, and the Wistenites are unsure how they feel about all of these Easterners bossing them around, although it is often difficult to tell who is bossing whom, and how they are doing it. There is small but growing conclave of adventurous nobles who are building estates in the incredibly fecund plains, for hunting expeditions. The Arrakanza have complained bitterly about this sequence of events and trouble is surely brewing, as they will not suffer this situation for long. The current Ordinate of Wisten is the Honorable Lady Barbara Louise Tanchar.

YEPETHE

Moving directly east of Wisten you come to the enormous empty plains of Yepethe. When you mention Yepethe the first image is of the endless grass sea of the high western plains, and unlike other provinces this image is entirely accurate. Every bit of Yepethe is grass land, except for a small expanse of rolling foothills in the southwest corner of the province. The Questing River is the northwestern border of the province, until you reach the northernmost extent of the Broken Mountains. The border follows the plains along the edge of the Broken Mountains until you reach the northern edge of the Great Barrens. The border follows the great Barrens until you reach the westernmost point, when it moves in a line directly west until you reach the foothills of the Stair Steps. From there it moves north and west, up into the foothills, northward along the crest of the mountains until they flatten out into the grasslands again. The border here is unmarked, moving in a direct line northeast to the headwaters of the Questing River. The huge plain is well watered for the most part and the grass grows lush and plentiful. The enormous herds are the primary source of income in the grasslands, and the semi-nomadic Arrakanza have a positive gift when it comes to raising their animals. Indeed, the only thing the Arrakanza do better than herding is fight, which they do with great vigor amongst themselves twice each year. The Arrakanza are organized into tribes, each of which maintains several kraals, or grass castles. In the summer and winter, the tribe chooses one of the kraals it owns and moves in for several months. In the spring and fall, the entire tribe pulls up stakes and wanders the plains, gathering and selling their herds, inspecting their various kraals, waging ritual war on other tribes, and generally being the fiercest and most aggressive people they can be. Surprisingly, the Arrakanza get along quite well within the larger strictures of the Empire. In times past, the Arrakanza rebelled against the central authorities with inhuman savagery, and came to respect the armored might of the Legions. Strength and ferocity are highly respected by the Arrakanza, so the Empire gained a great deal of status and the Arrakanza readily molded themselves to the Imperial order. They pay their taxes promptly, cause no problems outside of their borders and the Empire allows them their own strange customs. In recent days, the advent of Gates has led to an influx of outsiders, bored nobles searching for new experiences and the Gates allow them to reach the heartlands of the Plains readily. These nobles have begun claiming lands, since the Arrakanza don't, and building large estates to use as hunting lodges. The Arrakanza elders have vigorously complained to the Imperial Council, but the nobles involved have blocked these efforts and the situation is sure to lead to violence when the warriors decide to go raiding on the nobles property. The Empire is aware of the problem and has decided to let nature take its course. The Arrakanza have been defending their grasslands for thousands of years and are currently threatening to stop selling their herds, in hopes of forcing the nobles to withdraw without violence. The Arrakanza have learned through bitter experience that when warring on non-Arrakanza it is best to research the hapless victims, as the rest of the Empire just doesn't understand the Arrakanza, and deadly insults to an Arrakanza are considered polite by the Imperials. The Arrakanza Elders are being sure that the inevitable violence from the warriors is as restrained as possible, and are making sure that all other avenues of resolution are exhausted publicly first. The primary source of wealth in Yepethe is the herds of animals, as well as the products derived from them, such as leather and ivory. The Arrakanza raise many Destriers, and absolutely adore the fickle and nasty things. If a warrior is killed by his Destrier it is considered absolutely hilarious and many warriors feed their Destriers on human flesh as much as possible. This practice is considered insanely dangerous in the rest of the Empire, as Destriers are hard enough to handle under the best of circumstances. The Arrakanza will never under any circumstances sell one of their Destriers, and will go to considerable trouble to get one back if it should go feral or (God's Forbid!) be taken as booty by a non-Arrakanza. A sign of great status in the eyes of the Arrakanza is to be gifted one of their destriers, a rare event indeed. Yepethe Destriers are widely acknowledged to possess some of the finest bloodlines in the Empire, and stud fees have enriched many tribes with fine weapons and jewelry. The Arrakanza have a fine tradition of craftsmanship as well as combat, and they export a large volume of fine leather clothing and delicately decorated scrimshaw utensils, such as combs, brooches, eating utensils, and ivory jewelry. Despite appearances, the Arrakanza are not a race of ignorant savages, they simply have VERY different views of honor and culture. They have a considerable tradition of honoring mages as wise men, and some of their mages are truly accomplished, even though very few of them ever join circles. One of the most frightening sights to be had in the Empire is an Arrakanza wizard bearing his Gaunt scars and tattoos, in long human leather robes intricately beaded, staring with cruel visage at you, the intruder into his lands. The Desolation was actually viewed as an exciting time by the Arrakanza, and they look back with a sense of nostalgia. Their extremely strong cultural bonds easily withstood the social disintegration and the hordes of starving invaders which ravaged their population were viewed as fine entertainment. They were a part of the Emirate of Faustus, but the tribal Elders never once doubted that the Empire would be coming to reclaim them. When the armored Legions once again marched into the grasslands, grimly expecting a savage campaign of attrition, they were startled to find the Arrakanza cheerfully awaiting them. They rejoined the Empire after a year of ritual combats to ensure themselves that the Empire was still as strong as it always had been. Many Arrakanza joined the Legions during the Eastern campaign, and later went to the Whispering Pass. Arrakanza cavalry make excellent shock troops, as their morale hardly ever breaks and their odd cultural biases render them immune to many battlefield magics. ( For example, placing a Fear on Arrakanza warriors will usually drive them berserk, rather than causing them to flee, as the greatest fear they possess is to be seen as weak in battle.) The Arrakanza herd all manner of animals, cattle, llama, antelope, deer, gorgons, boars, sheep, and numerous others. The Arrakanza are surprisingly wealthy, but tend to spend the bulk of their cash on weapons, armor, and jewelry. Their huge sod kraals are astonishingly comfortable, even though the weather tends to be much worse on the Sea of Grass than in most places in the Empire, as the Arrakanza Wardens often encourage rigorous weather rather than muting it, to strengthen the herds. The Arrakanza occasionally get rambunctious and raid their neighbors, especially during the past Desolation. These raids are remarkably restrained for Arrakanza, as the sort of atrocities Arrakanza consider to be good fun will draw an extreme reaction from the Imperial Legions. While an Arrakanza warrior considers dying in battle to be terrifically honorable, and dying under torture to be even better, dying beneath an executioner's axe, bound, gagged, and drugged into insensibility is a dishonor so huge that it effectively deters them from letting their baser natures go. Most Arrakanza raids involve little more than theft, and occasionally they will beat or shave someone whom they feel real contempt for. Compared to the way they treat other Arrakanza, this is gentle indeed! The plainsmen and fishers of Wisten are ignored in utter contempt as being unworthy of consideration, to the eternal gratitude of the Wistnites. The Dusky Men of Morian are only slightly more interesting. The Mountaineers and Wetlanders of Aarn are viewed with much more caution and respect, for even the Arrakanza can tell those people are crazy. They never cross the Questing river, seeing nothing of value whatsoever in the forests, which frankly unnerve them as no warriors could. The group that gains the most enmity from the Arrakanza are the Grimlanders of the Sand Sea, far to the southwest, around the Stairsteppes. The Arrakanza cannot abide the thought of people who walk everywhere and who don't like to fight that are tougher even than they are. However, the Sand Sea is so hostile to life that every raiding party that sets off into the desert is usually ravaged by the climate long before they find any Grimlanders, and occasionally an Arrakanza will be subjected to the ultimate humiliation as a group of Grimlanders will rescue him or her from the cruel desert, care for them, and then RELEASE them unharmed! This hideous fate is an effective deterrent, indeed. The current Ordinate of Yepethe is Sir Rachen the Beast.

RUGE

The next western province to examine is Ruge. Ruge lies almost completely within the rolling green mountains of the Stairsteppes, and as such is fertile and productive. The border of Ruge follows the edge of the Stairstep Mountains on the western edge, down the length of the Cliffs of Dawn. At the southern end of the Cliffs, the border is a direct line over the Mountains aiming east, slightly northerly, skirting the northern edge of the Fuligin forest, until it reaches the Pested River at a pylon marking the southern end of the Upper Pested Valley. The border then follows the Pested northwest until it reaches the edge of the Stairsteps once again. It then turns due west for a short time until it curves around in a great meandering curve around the foothills and is bearing almost due east. It then cuts directly across the mountains once again to return to the Cliffs. The Stairsteppes are a much gentler range of mountains than the Broken Mountains, and are not as high or as precipitous, for the most part. This is at odds with their reputation, for if you speak of the Stairsteppes, most Celegians immediately think of the incredibly precipitous western border of Ruge, the awesome Cliffs of Dawn. These cliffs are the largest in the Empire, even though the Sea Cliffs of Frippe are higher. The Cliffs of Dawn form a single sheer wall for over a thousand miles, plunging 8000 feet to the barren sands of the Sea of Sand. Legend states that they were created by Domana himself as a demonstration of his supremacy. As a result, the Cliffs are a popular site for pilgrimages. Additionally, from the Cliffs you gain an astounding view of the Sea of Sand and the truly spectacular sunsets over the desert are well worth the effort of climbing up to the top of the Cliffs. Also, from the top of the Cliffs of Dawn you gain an excellent view of the Sun Veil phenomenon, that magical effect that amplifies the sunlight in the Sea of Sand, making the already inhospitable place even worse. This effect looks like a huge shimmering curtain of light, which is easy to lose in the light but is very evident at dawn or sunset. After the glory of the Cliffs of Dawn, the next scenic wonder of Ruge is the beautiful spectacle of Sky Lake. Sky Lake is high in the Stairsteppes, near the extremely rugged terrain of Tuggston. Sky Lake is named for its incredible blue tint, and the unsurpassed clarity of its waters. On clear days Sky Lake reflects the clouds above like a perfect mirror and sages and mages prize those days highly, since they can collect nearly pure elemental air from above the lake and equally pure elemental water from within the lake. Sky Lake is well known as the headwaters of the Pested River. Sky Lake is the home of the gigantic Sky Pike, which grow as large as ten steps in length, along with many other giant species of fish. The fish of Ruge are shipped south and east along the Pested all the way to the capital, and are highly prized delicacies. This province is renowned for the abundance of its quarries as well as the richness of the soil and croplands. Ruge is the source of the finest marble in the Empire, as well as quantities of seigestone. The finest cropland in Ruge lies in the southeast corner of the province, within sight of Pested River and the Fuligin Forest. All things considered, Ruge has a wonderfully placid and happy existence, being neither outstanding nor especially downtrodden. The superb fertility of Ruge is only exceeded by Istis, and the Rugans are somewhat similar to the Langourous, although not nearly so extreme. The Rugan spirit is one of laughing industry, and Ruge is widely viewed as a nice place to live. Ruge has never had a tremendous amount of mining except in the city of Tuggston, and thus has something of a shortage of underground catacombs. Ruge exports moderate amounts of most agricultural products and has a reputation for producing some fine philosophers. Perhaps due to its placid existence, persistent rumors have circulated for centuries about "The secret vaults of Ruge," and the weird and fabulous treasures hidden in them. It is true that the Empire probably has some secret Factoriums somewhere in Ruge, but the likelihood of any significant secrets persisting as long as is claimed is so slim as to be nonexistent. Ruge has been well treated by the advent of the Gates, as a new phenomenon has begun, that being tourism. Never before in the Empire has there been widespread travel for recreation except by the most high of the nobility and the ultra-rich. In recent years simple trades persons and craftsmen have begun journeying to Ruge and a few other provinces just to see the sights. This is a slowly growing area of trade, and the innkeepers in Ruge have cheerfully encouraged this practice. Ruge is actually importing more than it exports, as the populace is relatively affluent and the cost of living is low. This is in stark contrast to the time of the Desolation, when Ruge was terribly battered by the chaos that reigned in that time. The feuds and conflicts of that time were so severe that few of the feuders survived, and the peaceful neighbors were the ones who reclaimed the land. At the nadir Ruge was practically uninhabited, but has recovered fairly well. Compared to the population before the Nightmares, Ruge is still an empty land. Coupled with the wild beauty of the mountains and the lush fertility of the land, it is easy to see why many people enjoy coming here. The current Ordinate of Ruge is Lady Maria-Christina Keller.

TUGGSTON

The next Province to examine is Tuggston, the Buried City. High in the Stairstep mountains, visitors are greeted by an amazing sight, as the peaks of the mountains all have fanciful cities perched on their tips. In truth the visitor is seeing the only visible portion of the Buried City, as all of the mountaintops are connected by a vast underworld of tunnels and galleries. In several places the intrepid burrowers of Tuggston have hollowed out entire cliff faces, and the windows and balconies of the Underworld have a dizzying view out into sheer valleys. It is possible in Tuggston to buy an underground mansion which is dug out of a cliff face, and see clouds drifting past your windows. Tuggston is unique among provinces for many reasons, not least of which is the fact that it lies completely within the neighboring province of Ruge. Fortunately for Tuggston, Ruge has generally been a fine neighbor. Even when relations are poor the city defenses of Tuggston are easily formidable enough to discourage any rational attacker, as the majority of the surface city is atop sheer cliffs and sturdily fortified to boot. In Tuggston, one of the most lucrative trades is as a semaphore operator, as the fastest non-magical way to send messages any distance is to signal between hilltops. The deepest depths of Tuggston are rooted far down into the bowels of the mountains, and are dark and scary places indeed. This problem is greatly exacerbated by the population of the City. Before the Desolation, Tuggston had a population of over forty million, of which nearly a third were the inhuman race of Dwarves. All inhumans died out in the Desolation, and the human populace fared little better. While the huge catacombs stood nearly vacant, all manner of unpleasant things took up residence in the least accessible parts of the city. Today the Guard in Tuggston has enormous areas of the city sealed off and keeps a serious watch on them, because they are inhabited by things you wouldn't want in your neighborhood. The current population is estimated at eight million, of which a third lives above the surface in the perilous aeries and mountaintop neighborhoods. The remainder live in the shallowest areas of the old city, in enormous and well-lit galleries carved out of the living stone. Most of the city was built by the inhuman Dwarves that used to live here, and the level of craftsmanship in the stonework is amazing, considering the tremendous scope of the work. The reason Tuggston is mostly underground is due to the extremely vertical terrain in the central Stairsteppes and the almost mythical abundance of the minerals found here in the ancient times. The only place more deeply mined is Frippe, and those mines are not, in general, inhabited. At the time of the Nightmare Wars the mines of Tuggston were still producing large quantities of commercially useful ores, but from depths so great that much of the time the miners were dodging magma beds and had to use powerful magics to remain alive. If the need ever arises, the Empire plans to reopen those areas and restart mining but since they lie very deep indeed, the need would have to be great, since the prospect of clearing the catacombs of Tuggston is unpalatable. The Tuggston Guard has been opening and clearing small sections of tunnels for the last hundred years. At the current pace they expect to have the entire city cleared in another thousand years, but since the cleared areas are easily holding the current population growth, there is no great urgency. As with all large Celegian cities, Tuggston has available somewhere within it nearly every possible good or service. Covillas exist here, as well as water towers, although the form they take are very different from elsewhere in the Empire and one of the primary functions of the water towers is to pump the flooded sections of the lower city dry. A lucrative trade in Tuggston is called Dungeon Crawling. The natives jokingly refer to their city as The Dungeon, due to its gloomier areas, and parties of hardy explorers make a lucrative trade out of probing the ruined areas and recovering the artifacts and treasures to be found there. Tuggston is the home of many craftsmen, carrying on the age-old tradition here of fine craftsmanship. Tuggston is adjacent to the beautiful Sky Lake, which is also the headwaters of the Pested River. The most valuable real estate in the city are tose homes which face out onto the lake, giving a view so spectacular it is famous all over the Empire. The Empire maintains a large compound here, and the current Emperor is a frequent visitor. As previously mentioned Tuggston suffered terribly in the Desolation and actually underwent a fragmentation that reflected in miniature the fragmentation of the Empire. At the low ebb, Tuggston had broken into no less than twenty-one independent cities, all at war with one another. After this awful travail the city slowly rebuilt itself by absorption and alliance until it has reached the current state of affairs. The Gates in Tuggston have had a huge effect. Tuggston has historically been separatist in its policies, as its remote location and extremely capable natural fortifications have made it difficult to reach. The Gates have made access to the Buried City easy, no more difficult than reaching anywhere else. They have likewise made leaving the Buried City a simple matter. The amount of trade has skyrocketed dramatically since the Gates were installed and the burrowers are importing all manner of exotic delicacies and new foods, as well as goods, supplies and all manner of raw materials. The amount of money coming out of Tuggston is amazing, the majority of it coming from several ancient mining families, with the second greatest amount coming from the parties of explorers which are looting the lower levels of the city. The local Imperial fortress keeps a double size complement of troops on hand at all times, due to the rare times the explorers rouse something major in the bowels of the city and it becomes necessary to put down some gibbering horror. The current Ordinate of Tuggston is the High Lord Alexander Nycos

PASTENE

Due west of Ruge lies the blasted wasteland of Pastene. By far the most notable portion of the province is the enormous and deadly Sand Sea. The Great Barrens is the largest desert in the Empire, but it is followed closely by the Sand Sea. The eastern border of Pastene is the awesome Cliffs of Dawn, running nearly a thousand miles north and south. At the southern end of the Cliffs, the border turns west and slightly south, heading out into the fertile Sea Plain until it reaches the coast of the grim, dead waters of the Great Desolate Ocean. The Great Desolate is always slightly grayish and the water is nearly body temperature. It is just salty enough to qualify as salt water, rather than merely brackish. The surf is gentle and rolling, with wide beaches of gray sand. The border follows the coastline northwards for over a thousand miles, with the Desolate Ocean to the west and the blasted Sand Sea to the east. If not for the utter inhospitality of the surroundings this would be a popular place to visit, as the beaches along this side of the continent are the best the Empire has to offer. Far to the north the border reaches a sturdy stone pylon stating you have reached Wisten. From here the border moves in a straight line west and south back to the northern edge of the Cliffs of Dawn.

There are hardy towns of Celegians who subsistence farm the narrow regions of fertile land in the north and south of the Sand Sea, but Pastene produces barely enough to be self sufficient. By far the dominating feature of the province is the desert. The Sand Sea is easily the most lethal place in the Empire. The locals claim the place to be cursed, a claim given considerable credence by the many bizarre features of the land. As an example, there is the fabulous Sun Veil effect. The Sun Veil is a shimmering golden curtain that springs into existence when the sun rises over the Cliffs of Dawn. This curtain completely surrounds the entire expanse of the Sand Sea and then fades into invisibility under the light of the sun. No one knows exactly what the effect of the Sun Veil is, but it is a well-documented fact that the sun shines differently within the Sand Sea. Normal sunlight has Light, Life, Fire, Death and Force, in equal proportions. In the Sand Sea, sunlight has the same components, but there is over three times as much Death, twice as much Fire, half the usual amount of Light, and ten times as much Force. To the eye the sunlight appears dim, but it is brutally hot, has an almost palpable pressure, and will raise blisters on unprotected skin in minutes. The sand of the Sand Sea is also odd, being composed of several types of grains. The most common grains are coarse and jagged, of a grayish stone that resembles the Stairsteps. The other type of grain is finer and very soft and pure white, being composed of nearly pure rock salt. The sand in the Sand Sea is almost one fourth salt. This mixture of sand is extremely dangerous to move around on, as the salt will seek out any moisture on the skin and cling, trapping the large jagged grains on the skin. These grains then abrade the skin, allowing the salt to get into the abrasion, causing extreme pain and dehydrating the victim. Animals will often lick up the sand when first entering the Sea, killing themselves as surely as if by opening their own veins. There is no place in the Sand Sea to escape the sand, as it is at least twenty feet deep and is always drifting in the winds as enormous dunes. There are several permanent springs in the Sand Sea that pump water up from the earth, but the brutal sun quickly evaporates the water and the salt hopelessly poisons the rest before it even reaches the surface. In places there are salt crystals the size of mountains that have formed above springs. As another pleasant aspect of the place, the salt crystals in the sand act as tiny mirrors and reflect the savage power of the sun upward, so that there is no escape from the deathly rays.

Nothing at all grows in the Sand Sea, as the combination of salt poisoned sand, shifting ground surface, and total lack of usable water combine to make plant life impossible. As for animals, only the absolutely most hardy of the lizards survive, and the shifting sands prevent slow-moving silicas from surviving either, as they are buried and die without sunlight. Unfortunately, magical monsters and spirits find the Sand Sea to be quite hospitable. There are all manner of desert dwelling monsters and spirits out in the Sand Sea, such as dust devils, skriaxits, efreeti, etc. One of the most unnerving and terrible aspects of the Sand Sea is the reputation it has as a haven for Vampires. According to legend, the sunlight in the Sand Sea is so deathly it can be born by undead with no harm! Given this partial listing of terrors and hardships it would be safe to assume that no one goes out into the Sand Sea unless it is absolutely necessary, but in truth there is a native population that lives out there!

The nomads of the Sand Sea are surely one of the most interesting subcultures that exists in the Empire today. Their entire culture is based on a nautical tradition, of all things. Their tribes are called ships by the natives and they march nightly in ritual paths they call currents. They fight with naval weapons, sabers, whips, cutlasses, etc. Since the ever changing Sand Sea has no landmarks they navigate by using the stars, just as more traditional sailors do. The only water they get is that which is created by their priests every day in prayers to their strange nautical gods. They worship an ancient and mostly forgotten pantheon of sea gods, as well as Primal Desert, Termanent, and Daneth. According to their legends they were shipwrecked in the Sand Sea by the wrath of Domana and are suffering beneath His curse. They name for the sun is “Domana's Hammer”, and they refuse to go abroad in daylight, a taboo with a solid basis in good sense, as the daylight temperature of the Sand Sea can exceed 150 degrees. They hunt the lizards in the Sea for food to supplement what their priests can create.

In typical Celegian fashion, the Empire regularly patrols the Sand Sea in large groups, heavily supported by mages and priests. This is the most feared punishment detail in the Empire, simply because marching in the salty sand in the heat is incredibly uncomfortable. Fortunately, the Grimlanders (as they like to call themselves) are by and large a peaceful group. The simple struggle for survival in the extreme conditions is enough to occupy most of their aggression, and the desert itself keeps them safe from the depredations of their neighbors, the Arrakanza. The Arrakanza find the Grimlanders totally despicable for some odd reason of their own and regularly ride into the Sand Sea to kill them. Far more often the Grimlanders find the bones of the Arrakanza a few days later. On those occasions when the Arrakanza do find some Grimlanders, the Grimlanders give a fairly good account of themselves. The Desolation was not felt in the slightest by the Grimlanders, except that there were far fewer Imperial patrols to worry about for a very long time. No one knows how many Grimlanders there are, and since their entire economy is based on the magic of their priests it is difficult to estimate. The best estimates say there are possibly four hundred thousand of them in all, and the population seems to be falling due to emigration. Gates have likewise had little effect on Pastene except for the farmers outside the Sand Sea, many of whom have left. Those that remain are a hardy lot, and some glimmer of hope has come their way in recent days.

As mentioned previously, the beaches in central Pastene are the finest in the Empire, but the beaches in northern Pastene are nearly as nice and are not nearly so hazardous. In recent times, some adventurous nobles from Selena have begun buying land in northern Pastene and vast estates are being built there, far from any Gates, as a sort of private retreat for harried nobles. If the taste for these sorts of private estates catches on, Pastene may yet flourish. Northern and Southern Pastene are blessed with mild and beautiful weather, to the point that the Wardens have nearly no presence here, as they are required elsewhere. In truth, there is so little of interest in Pastene the Empire has not even built a Fortress in the Province, although there are several nearby. As a surprising note, there have recently been several attempts by Templars to set up permanent camps at the base of the Cliffs of Dawn, in the heart of the Sand Sea, for use by the increasing numbers of pilgrims who come there to climb the Cliffs. To date these attempts have all failed. The current Ordinate of Pastene is Sir Brinley Robold.

TENE

The next province in the western provinces is the wooded province of Tene. This province contains the second largest quadrant of the vast Fuligin Forest, and gets the most productive use of that Forest of any province. The forest is indeed the largest feature in the province, but there is much more to Tene' than just trees. The entire western edge of the province lies within the Stairstep mountains and the border of the province runs down the foothills of the mountains south to a point due west of the headwaters of the Ainesley River. The border runs due east to those headwaters and then follows the Ainesley through the dark heart of the Fuligin forest until the Ainesley empties into the larger flood of the Pested. From the confluence the border runs west and north along the Pested until it reaches a pylon which marks the lower edge of the Upper Pested Valley. From that landmark the border runs directly west and slightly south until it reaches its beginning point. Tene' is a large producer of raw timber, as well as quantities of finished lumber. All manner of tree products are exported, such as seeds, seedlings of rare or decorative species, nuts, tannic acid, charcoal, burls, and even some finished wood products. Tene1 also raises quantities of grains and imports even more from the fertile lands to the north, which are used to make fine ales and beers which are justly in high demand all over the Empire. Tene' also produces a wide variety of distilled liquors from most of this grain, and these are widely in demand as well. Tene' uses more charcoal than anyplace else in the empire in producing these various liquors. Tene' also produces a small amount of spider silk, being one of the two provinces that produces this highly valuable commodity. Tene' was terribly damaged by the desolation and still to this day is only a shadow of its former self. The internal fighting that occurred in Ruge was but a pale reflection of that which occurred here, and the only place in the Empire to approach the amount of internal dissension is Aarn, and everyone knows those people are crazy. In Tene' at least the feuds seem to have burned themselves out and in the modern era the province is full of peaceful industry. The Gates have had a profound impact on Tene' as the exotic delicacies of the western Fuligin forest are many and tasty. These delicacies include truffles, mushrooms, various exotic nuts and berries, and innumerable spices from various blossoms, seeds, and other plants. The amount of wealth which these generate is currently small compared to the money gained from the other forest products and very small compared to the income gained by the production of beers and liquors. The greatest problem in Tene' is the lack of people. During the Desolation, the population fell to practically nil, and still is far lower than it was prior to the Desolation. The Empire is carefully watching this problem and is considering lowering Gate tolls into the province to encourage immigration, once the effect this has on other provinces has been evaluated. The current Ordinate of Tene' is Madame Ruth Mongelli-Mendum.

CELESTIA

Directly to the west of Tene' lies the last of the western provinces, Celestia. Celestia is a long and narrow land, sandwiched between the Stairstep Mountains and the Great Desolate Ocean. The wastelands of Pastene are the point of origin for Celestia's western border to the north, and that border runs southward along the coast until the southern foothills of the Stairstep Mountains are reached. The border crosses the mountainous southern end of the Stairsteps until it reaches the eastern side of the foothills and then follows those foothills north to the Ainsely River. The border crosses the mountains to the west side of the range and then continues north until you arrive at the starting point. When you mention the name Celestia to the average Celegian, the first word that springs to mind is "wine". Celestia is the largest and finest wine producing area of the empire, and such vintages as Celestia's Purity and Skyfrost are rightly declared the closest thing the mortal world will see to heavenly nectar. Indeed, the soil and climate in Celestia is perfect for a wide variety of exotic and highly sought after herbs, as well as more mundane crops such as kaffe. Celestia is the second largest producer of kaffe in the empire, as well as being the second largest producer of no less than eight kinds of herbal teas. Herbs do especially well in Celestia along the coast, where conditions conspire to produce a thick fog which waters the plants to perfection. The more exotic kinds of "medicinal" herbs also grow here, although they are not nearly so abundant as they are in other parts of the Empire. Celestia has an ancient tradition of highly philosophical thought, but unfortunately it seems to have perished in the Desolation. Celestia has historically been far from the center of things, being both far from the capital and far to the south, in the most peaceful parts of the Empire. The landed nobility of Celestia has always considered the families near the capital to be an uncultured and brutish lot, while the effete snobs of the Capital consider the Celestians to be effete snobs. There are places in Celestia where more Lelnian is spoken than Celegian! For all their snobbery and disdain, the Celestians are a peaceful and sympathetic lot, and are the moving force behind many of the Empires' more enlightened policies. In many ways the ancient bloodlines of the Celestians are the most pure in the Empire, and popular mythology asserts that the Imperial Founder, Celegio Celestias, was from Celestia. The Desolation was extremely difficult for Celestia, and they suffered greatly in raids from their neighbors to the east. Add in a certain amount of genteel infighting and a generally low birthrate amongst the nobility and it is easy to see why Celestia is still lightly populated. The Gates have made a major impact upon Celestia, and for the first time in many millennia the landed gentry of Celestia are bestirring themselves to become involved in Imperial politics. Most specifically, the Celestian nobility seem to be associating themselves with the newly wealthy nobles in Qed, of all places, a baffling development indeed, considering the extreme disparity in those two cultures. Perhaps the reason that there have been few great philosophers in recent years is due to a more active mind set! Considering the colossal wealth of Celestian nobles ( Fifty millennia of wine sales!) and the connections they have in the Imperial line nobility, it sometimes appears that the main effect the Gates have had on the Celestials is to allow them free access to the rest of the Empire. Of course, the Celestians are also importing quantities of all manner of delicacies, but the Peacock Throne is very carefully watching what the nobility is up to. Most of the exports of the province are high value, low volume, non perishable items, so the Gates have not really affected the trade balance. The nobility of Celestia has not shown much tendency to wander, which thankfully gives the Peacock Throne one less thing to worry about. The current Ordinate of Celestia is the Right Honorable Lady Lauren Holmes Richey-Potratz Ebeling Hansen, who is coincidentally considered to be the wealthiest person in the Empire.