Nations of the Silath Tyr Region

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Port Broadsides

Several nations are vying for primacy among the coasts of the Northern Sea and islands of the Silath Tyr region. Each nation's champions are racing to gain sole control over the artifacts and relics of the shattered empyrean vault.

An Unquiet Peace

The great nations of Alden, Fontaigne, and Ottovar are not at war with each other, though it may sometimes be difficult to tell. Their ship captains practice a bit of piracy against the other nations, when they think no one is looking, laying claim to supplies and treasures before they can reach their destination. The cities claim territories far beyond their borders, despite lacking the armies to defend them, just to allege grievances against the neighboring nations when the land is taken back. Court spies are everywhere, many working for more than one master, and secrets are a currency more valuable than gold.

Each of the nations is an invader to these lands, their capitals hundreds of miles from the front lines of this great race. Only the thinnest of supply lines exist to the homelands (though Ottovar's is the most protected, since they run underground through the Duerenholds), making every new venture a risk.

Each nation seeks to solidify their foothold in this region, and hopes to drive the others out, whether by depriving them of resources, defaming their heroes, demoralizing them with casual savagery, or assimilating them with superior culture and influence. Of course, should any of the nations acquire the right artifact, the tide will turn very suddenly. For the power of the exiled gods was so vast, even the modern gods seek these treasures for themselves. The right discovery could render all the current posturing and positioning entirely moot.

This is why the nations are trying to avoid open warfare with each other. By maintaining at least a facade of peace, and the illusion of fair dealings, should one nation gain dramatic advantage, the others can retreat to their homelands without losing too much face. The victorious nation needn't slaughter all of the players in the game if they win. Of course, they might choose to do that anyway, if the power they acquire is sufficient to succeed in such a ploy.

There can be no doubt that these are dangerous times — rife with opportunity, teeming with risk.

A few things are common among all three of the great nations: scarcity of magic, belief in the gods, and a nationalistic bigotry.

Scarcity of Magic

Arcane magic use is restricted to the great noble families of each nation. Each nation usually has several families with bloodlines that possess a gift for magic. However, breeding of these blessed few outside of the established families is strictly prohibited, often resulting in execution of any bastards and their parents. As a result, no one native to Alden, Fontaigne, or Ottovar, possesses the ability to cast arcane magic, unless they were born among one of the noble families. The common folk, who experience arcane magic only as bystanders and witnesses, usually view it with awe and terror, since the noble families are rarely fair towards such folk.

However, the noble families are also deeply invested in the success of their nation's affairs, both financially and emotionally. Most of the families devote great energy to ensuring that their magic is used to their nation's best advantage, from making enchanted items available to favored adventurers, to providing streetlights for their cities, etc. Some of the families take an even broader view of their obligation to their people, using rituals to increase virility, fertility, and promote health among their citizenry. It is rumored that such magic might also ward their cities against outsiders, or those seeking to harm the interests of the noble families and their nation.

Belief in the Gods

While each nation has its own pantheon of gods, it is quite common for citizens of each nation to pay at least some obeisance to all of the gods who might be listening. This is because the gods are not some concept of belief, or a divine council of nebulous beings who sit in the sky looking down on their subjects. The gods walk the land, often in disguise, and take a very active role in the world. They are extremely powerful beings, defying description or any known limits, so it is a very foolish person who treats a stranger too callously, lest they discover that stranger to be a god in disguise.

Speculation on the origin of the gods is rampant. Some believe they are merely people who grew their power beyond all reasonable levels, while others suspect the gods are invaders from another place where all beings are absurdly powerful compared to the people of this world. Hundreds of other theories exist, but the central truth is that the gods are real, and they are interested in the affairs of the common man. Of course, that interest can take many forms...

Nationalistic Bigotry

Each of the great nations sees people of any other nation as lesser folk. This is exacerbated among the nobility of the great nations, since they commonly view their own citizenry as lesser folk, and outsiders as nothing more than uncouth filth. It is very difficult for citizens of one of the great nations to openly visit cities of another nation. Such brashness typically leads to imprisonment as a spy, or worse. Consequently, many people who travel between the nation's borders are careful to hide their nationality. The successful ones are careful to hide their accents, mannerisms, and other tell-tale signs of their origins at all times.

It has become quite fashionable in the larger cities to speak only common, and practice the New Way, which takes this absence of cultural touchstones to an artform. Such citizens have created a carefully constructed form of unaccented language, which eschews euphemism, and frowns on mannerisms and blatant displays of color, seeing such identifying marks as gauche or even rude. However, travelling to the smaller villages requires a visitor to adopt the language and cultural memes of the locals. Few individuals are so skilled that they can move between all the nation-states without notice, but they do exist, and they can command quite a price for their ability to slip across borders.

Alden cities have an air of permanence.

The Alden Empire

At first glance, the Alden Empire seems a utopia of wealth, power, and ambition. Their cities and villages are constructed with straight lines, and unified architectures, employing sewage systems, and lightstone-powered streetlights. Their government is open to all, their laws published and clearly written in plain language, and their people are encouraged to innovate. Even the basest peasant can rise to greatness in the Alden Empire, given enough ambition and a good idea.

However, after that first glance, things start turning ugly quite quickly. Slavery is prevalent in the Alden Empire, and many crimes carry penalties of temporary or permanent indenture. Furthermore, the relentless encouragement of ambition and self-advancement has created a culture of rapacious imperialists, who view the world through a lens of profitability and acquisition.

Populace

Humans are the dominant race of the Aldenmen. Other races are offered a place in society, but usually in a segregated community. These ghettos prevent unsavory behavior, cultural misunderstandings, and breeding between species, which is viewed as perverse. Non-humans in Alden can still rise to power, and even join the nobility (one of the lesser familial branches, of course), if they are ambitious enough to do so.

Most of the Alden citizens are taught to read and write, and most learn at least basic mathematics. Public school houses offer basic education, which also includes a (very biased) history of the great nations, and rudimentary etiquette for dealing with Alden nobles, and outsiders. The school houses teach the superiority of the Alden lifestyle, and attempt to instill nationalism at an early age. All people are welcome to the school houses, even adults, as long as they are willing to learn.

Culture

Aldenmen are not uniformly devoted to any particular religion or pantheon, though most of its citizens practice at least cursory faith with one or two of the gods, if only to hedge their bets a little. Given that the gods are known to walk among the people, it's usually a good idea to at least appear a little pious.

Alden cities are extremely organized, with strictly enforced laws. Their streets are well-lit, and diligently patrolled. Merchants must be licensed to sell products or services inside the cities of Carcassus, Avernus, Vorthus, or Paranthus, though commerce outside of the cities is largely unregulated. Laws are published for any to see, and written in all languages. However, the punishment for even the most mundane or minor of crimes is frequently some form of slavery, either temporary or permanent. Some guardsmen are more quick to take advantage of these laws than others, seeking any opportunity to improve the local labor force, as long as it is mostly lawful to do so.

The Alden navy, known as the Red Sails, is the mightiest fleet on the Northern Sea. Their ships-of-the-line are seemingly innumerable, and of impeccable quality, serving as an all-too-common presence of law on the seas, ruthlessly hunting down pirates who are careless enough to come into their sights. Those unfortunate enough to be caught are usually tried by the highest-ranking officer present and hung in the nearest port, as a warning for other pirates. The officers of the Red Sails claim they are incorruptible, and serve only justice, even when that justice is not favorable to Alden. There are numerous stories demonstrating that this claim is true, where Fontaigne merchants have been treated with fairness and respect, even when the Alden nation gained no (apparent) benefit from it.

Slavery, obviously, is not illegal in Alden, and the trade in slaves is protected by the Red Sails, and the city guards. Escaped slaves are criminals, not victims.

One note of particular interest is that, despite its very strict laws, the governing bodies of Alden take a dim view to bureaucracy. There is no massive infrastructure of administrators, and what little paperwork is required is quite succinct. Contracts are used in all deals, but are required to be written plainly, so all parties understand. The spirit of the contract is enforced, often with magic, and deal-breakers are seen as little better than pirates or thieves. The noble families keep only the minimum records and receipts of their business dealings. Even the courts, which are constantly busy, are efficient affairs, with few bureaucrats to bog down the process. Governing is seen as a part-time job, with little value. Anyone looking to turn politics into a career is obviously not interested in improving Alden, but only themselves.

Magic and Technology

As with all the nation-states of the region, only the most established noble bloodlines possess arcane magics. The common folk are completely cut off from this power, except through its sale or use in the cities governed by the nobles. Magic items are either owned by the noble houses (even the street lights in the cities), or are loaned to their favored champions. Some family heirlooms exist outside of the noble families, some of which are quite powerful indeed, though their origins can always be traced to a member of the noble bloodlines, if you look far enough back.

This is not to say that no magic items can be bought or sold in Alden, only that it is rare. A few members of the noble bloodlines, especially those too far removed from leadership positions within the family, take up the creation and sale of magic items. They see this as not just a way to make money, but also a means of strengthening their nation by empowering the citizenry to tackle their ambitions and bring more glory to Alden. Of course, only a few such shops exist, and the demand for their services is quite high. Furthermore, no Alden nobleman would ever sell a magic item to a foreigner.

Notable Figures

There are six bloodlines in the major noble houses: Akkadia, Baldrick, Flemmish, Forsythe, Poshfellow, and Treacle. Because the great families intermarry, numerous last names, noble titles, and other appellations exist, meaning that each nobleman of these bloodlines might have one of several dozen last names, or may choose to go by some honorific, such as "Bertrand of Nunciate". Oftentimes, if you are not one of the Blood, these titles are confusing or meaningless, leaving little indication that the individual even belongs to one of the major houses (indeed, "Nunciate" is a little-known duchy back in the Alden homeland). Certainly, the way they dress, the manner of their speech, and the forms of address and etiquette would give away their noble status, but very little would indicate to a casual observer that they were facing a potentially powerful wizard or sorcerer.

Of course, some members of Alden's blooded houses are too noteworthy to ignore:

  • Adrian Flemmish: The primarch of Carcassus, this barrel-chested human, covered in thin scars, rules the slave mines with a fearsome efficiency.
  • Zane: A good-natured, approachable fellow, who sells magic items in a shop in Paranthus.
  • Victor Malmont: The admiral of the Red Sails fleet.

Outside of the Blood, numerous noblemen and commoners have made a name for themselves in Alden:

  • Gavin of Tideswatch: Governor of Avernus. Known for his sharp mind and long-term planning, as well as his strict, but fair, application of law.
  • Anastasia: A ship's captain of the Red Sails, famous for her hatred of pirates, and her relentless focus.
Masquerades, gossip, and comaradarie.

The Fontaigne Empire

The Fontaigne prize art, music, poetry, dance, and philosophy above most other endeavors, and view the fine arts, as well as social graces, with the highest esteem. They are viewed as foppish and shallow people by most outsiders, who see their refined mannerisms, their disdain for manual labor, and their constant need for parties and gallantry as weakness.

But beneath this admittedly-thick veneer of sophistry is a burning passion for honor, and a deep love of rebuke and revenge. While getting angry in public is often viewed as uncouth, few Fontaigne can resist the call of a duel of honor against a villain who has slighted them. Indeed, the Fontaignes have many kinds of duels, each with differing degrees of etiquette and lethality. All duels, even those to the death, are legal.

Poverty is largely unknown among the Fontainge, as charity is also regarded as a great virtue, and all those wealthy enough to comfortably sustain themselves often feel socially obliged to take one or more struggling families under their wing. Such families are provided food, clothing, and shelter, often of immaculate quality. They are provided tutors to teach them a craft or useful skill, and given basic education in reading and writing, and, of course, taught an appreciation of the arts.

The Fontaigne are fussy about etiquette and dress, and entertain elaborate rituals at meals, social gatherings, dances, and within their politics. It is thought that the Fontaigne seek the treasures of the empyrean vault to advance their arts, rather than to ascend to dominance in the region, though this cannot be said for certain.
But the best secrets are those that go unknown.

Populace

The people of Fontaigne are almost completely blind to race, and rarely distinguish between them, choosing instead to identify individuals by their status in society, their gracefulness, or their way with words or song. All races can be found within the borders of a Fontaigne city, and each enjoys a welcome place within the society. Perhaps the cultural advances of Fontaigne can be traced back to this embracing of so many points of view, and this eagerness to include everyone in their culture.

While life in the Silath Tyr is never easy, the citizenry enjoy a camaraderie that lifts up even the basest of the people, with neighborhoods banding together to raise barns, and communities sharing their excesses with each other. Despite being at the heart of a vast frontier, the city of Lorraine is an oasis of goodwill, charity, and good-natured people.

That is not to say that they are naive, or eager to trust strangers, however. Newcomers are regarded with mistrust, even if they are clearly of Fontaigne, until they have established themselves as members of the community, willing to pitch in for the greater good, and not take more than what is needed from those generous enough to give.
Spies, one and all.

Culture

The nobles celebrate in their castles, surrounded by highly trained duelists, and exchange witty banter, compose poetry and critique the lasted plays, while enjoying the finest foods, and displaying their latest acquisitions from the traders and seekers who bring back antiquities and rarities from this strange, savage land. They host galas and masquerades, patronize bards and artists, and create museums of art, taxidermy of exotic species, and displays of unusual inventions. They fight duels over silly affronts, or perceived sleights, and laugh with their accuser about it, after the duel is done (assuming they both survive). They whisper gossip about each other, and plot against their fellow noblemen, but only to achieve the superior party, or the most talked-about dinner. They constantly invent new elaborations on the rules of etiquette, in hopes of tripping up an unaware rival and shaming them before the court.

Meanwhile, the common folk toil, but in an unusually festive sort of way. Their strong sense of community, and willingness to bolster each other has erased many of the hardships of peasant life. They are still poor, but very few will ever face starvation, even after a very bad year. They wear festive colors, and sing in the fields while they work. They have faires, with puppet shows and parades, mimes and acrobats. They are a devout people, who see blessings and the divine in all things. They sculpt, paint, weave, and architect, making their world more beautiful with every labor they perform.
The jealous rabble aspire to overthrow their betters! They must be watched.

Magic and Technology

The Blood is strong in Fontaigne, as it is in Alden and Ottovar. Nobles of the great houses hold a monopoly on magic, just as with the other great nations. Or so they would like to think. In truth, a small portion of common folk have discovered that they, too, can employ arcane magic. Whether this is due to some mingling of the noble Blood with a commoner some time in the past, or just a random occurrence of breeding, is not known. What is known is, should the noble houses ever learn of their existence, these common-born wizards and sorcerers would be eradicated. So they hide, and practice their magic in secret, building their cult-like guild in numbers and power, sharing what knowledge they discover, so that the guild may continue to survive.

Of the Blooded nobles, magic is still shared, in the sense that the noble wizards and sorcerers use their magic to better Fontaigne. They craft magic items and fashion charms to help the common folks prosper, and even very powerful items can be acquired, given the right contacts (and enough money). Potions and scrolls are also easily acquired by anyone (well, native Fontaigne people, anyway). However, the empire-spanning rituals employed by the Alden are seen as too invasive to use on the people without their permission (and how could you ask everyone?), so they are not used.

Interestingly, the Blooded nobles are willing to marry outside of the other Blooded noble lines, even though this results in some of their children not being magically gifted. Perhaps as a result of this, those who are born with arcane gifts are powerful indeed.

Technology is heartily embraced, and new inventions are prized among the nobility and commoners alike. It is true that even useless inventions that seem elaborate and look interesting are often regarded more highly among the nobility than a genuinely useful invention, but the commoners will gladly trade for the useful, if it is within their means. The commoners are also deeply industrious about ship-building and architecture, though often they can only embark on such projects if a nobleman has provided the backing for it. The start-up costs are simply too high for the commoners to initiate such endeavors without an investor.
Buying the loyalty of the ambitious peasantry.

Notable Figures

Three noble houses of the Blood are present in the Silath Tyr region: the Gauthier, Lacriox, and Vasseur families.

  • Collette Vasseur: Matron of house Vasseur, an elderly woman of indeterminate age, who has led the house for over a century. She has had 13 sons and 6 daughters, 91 grand-children, and several hundred great-grand-children. Her great-grandchildren are each at an age where marriage and families are imminent, so the Vasseur family can only grow larger.
  • Morian Gauthier: A young man, remarkably handsome and very clever of wit. He is widely seen as the most desirable bachelor of the nobles in Silath Tyr, attracting many suitors, and no party is considered "good" unless he attends.
  • Dacian Lacroix: A rebellious nobleman, who seems to prefer adventures and exploration to parties and pageantry.

The Ottovar Empire

The Ottovar Empire was founded by the Ottovar clan of dwarves, and continues to be principally governed by the Ottovar family. However, they embrace all races, and encourage immigrants to join them, as long as they are willing to work and contribute to the success of the Empire. The Ottovar Empire is based in the Brun'holfen Mountains, which bisect a thousand-mile stretch of land, beginning in the east, where they merge with the Cea Dorsal mountain range, and stretching west into the Silath Tyr. A massive network of underground caves link the Ottovar clan with several other dwarven clans. Numerous keeps, towers, and castles have been built in the Silath Tyr, in order to establish a foothold here.

The Ottovar Empire is quite new to travel by sail, and their ships are slow, clunky affairs, though they are quite durable, and highly resistant to sinking. They have yet to establish much of a presence in the islands of the Northern Sea, and are eager to do so.

The empire is renown for its trade and bargaining, and merchants are granted the highest respect in their society, with caravan guards being a close second.

Populace

Culture

Magic and Technology

Notable Figures

Empire of the Spear

The Empire of the Spear are a tribe of arrakanza (Half-Orcs) who, at least by the standards of other arrakanza, have "gone soft" and taken up a civilized lifestyle. They build permanent towns, villages and cities, and have taken up farming and the domestication of livestock, rather than embracing the freedom of their ancestral nomadism.

Of course, by anyone else's standards, the Empire of the Spear is still a horror-show of savagery. The Empire of the Spear is still fond of gaunts, and other violent traditions of the arrakanza. While they accept other races into their lands, such immigrants are always treated as a lesser class of citizen, with fewer rights and often open disdain. Only the most sadistic and crazy non-arrakanza tend to thrive in this environment, as only they can establish themselves as worthy.

The Empire is the newest player in the race for the empyrean vault, having only expanded into the Silath Tyr region in the last two years. Their towns and villages span the western-most coastline of the Northern Sea, and are largely captured from Fontaigne or native settlers. Most of the original inhabitants of these cities, towns, and villages are now dead, of course, though a few demonstrated enough prowess to impress the war leaders. These were allowed to live among the arrakanza, and given a place among the tribe.

Populace

The people of the Spear are nearly all half-orcs, though a few other races are present. Without exception, however, the non-half-orcs of the Empire are either completely psychopathic, having found a place where their violent tendencies can be freely expressed, or quietly desperate, looking for a way to escape the Empire without being killed.

The Empire of the Spear sees itself as a massive army, so leaving the Empire is viewed as a kind of desertion, and ruthlessly punished. Of course, as armies go, it is madly disorganized, with little hierarchy or defined leadership. Each individual fights as an individual, rather than part of a unit. As a result, well-trained armies have managed some profound victories against the Empire of the Spear, until they were overwhelmed by sheer numbers. And never make the mistake that these individual fighters are inferior. They spend their lives fighting — from the time they can lift a weapon, they are taught to kill. The value of life is very low in the Empire (and they're having a sale!).

The leaders of the Empire, such as they are, have learned that the Alden will trade for slaves, so they have recently started capturing people instead of simply murdering everyone. This has led to vast pens of humanoids, being held until the next caravan or ship can be launched to send to Carcassus or some other meeting point with the Alden slavers.

Culture

The arrakanza culture is well known for its brutality. Very few arrakanza are good-looking in any classical sense, since nearly all carry nasty scars in one form or another. Among this culture, such horrifying scars and wounds are seen as badges of honor, and are more attractive than well-kept hair, fashionable dress, or any of the other frippery that passes for charisma in the mewling lands (their term for all those lands not yet conquered).

The Empire celebrates many holidays, most commemorating some great battle (whether victorious or not) in the recent past. Others simply celebrate life, or give praise to Grinner (the Grinning God of Battle). These celebrations are usually drunken affairs, which include dancing, contests of strength, and games of chance (most of which involve knives). The great numbers of people in the Empire of the Spear can be attributed to the amount of partying they do; a lot of children are born at these events.

The farming, blacksmithing, leather tanning, and all of the other menial tasks of operating a civilization, are usually left to the foreigners among the Spear. Very few arrakanza would soften their callouses to do such labor, even if it make their own lives better in the doing. Only fighting and war are jobs for true arrakanza, after all, so all the other labors need to be outsourced. This is the true innovation of the Empire of the Spear — the use of other humanoids (non-half-orcs) to build their civilization, while the arrakanza are left to improve their warrior skills, party, and plan.

Honor is a peculiar notion in the Spear, though it is also extremely important. Few outsiders truly understand what an arrakanza considers honorable or dishonorable, which leads to many a confused look when a charging horde suddenly stops before even the first blade is crossed, and walks away from an otherwise helpless village. However, anyone who has witnessed a gaunt, or played in their games, can easily see that some code of honor drives every action they take. Leadership of the Empire seems entirely derived from one's current honor within the Spear. Given how frequently it changes, one can safely infer that honor is very fluid, easily lost and perhaps easily gained, though the exact causes are largely inscrutable to outsiders.

Magic and Technology

Magic exists within the Spear, and it is not restricted to some noble class, though it is quite rare. Usually, their sorcerers are treated as councilors and advisers, even if they are still very young. It is believed that their attunement to magic gives them greater vision and wisdom, perhaps whispered to them by their ancestors, or the Grinning God himself. Very few arrakanza have the focus or education to become wizards. Instead, those with arcane potential nearly always become sorcerers or bards (called skalds).

It is not unheard of for arrakanza to kill children who exhibit magic, rather than allowing them to grow into their power. This is perhaps why the Spear has so few magic-users.

Technology is largely unheard of within the Spear. Even simple devices, like ploughs and mills, are seen as worthless inventions, unless they have some obvious military applications. Ships and stirrups, for example, are given great accolades, though it is rare that the Empire has citizens who are capable of fashioning such things (and certainly none among the arrakanza). Those who can are accorded considerable respect, even though they are not warriors. The same is true of any weapon and armorsmiths. Such individuals live reasonably comfortable lives, as long as they continue to provide for the Spear's ambitions.

Notable Figures

  • Latham: One of the few arrakanza who has maintained enough honor to lead the Spear for more than a few months. Latham has been among the leadership for nearly 10 years. He has only one scar, across the knuckles of his right hand, and is missing the pinky-finger of that hand, presumably from the same cut. Despite this, he is not much to look at, with a heavy brow, too much hair, and a dour expression. He is surprisingly smart, and even more capable as a fighter (there's a reason he has so few scars).
  • Niles: A dwarf armorsmith, who has lived among the Spear for his entire adult life. He is famous for his ability to create good-quality armor in very little time. He enjoys a lifestyle that would be envied by many noblemen, save that he lives among savages.

Native Cultures

A number of tribal nations and small pockets of civilization exist in the Silath Tyr region, having lived here before the major empires started to invade. These city-states are vulnerable due to their isolation and lack of unity. While, individually, they are more than capable of defending themselves from aggression, they cannot withstand the onslaught of any of the larger nations' attention for long. Each of the big empires can bring massive navies and expend exorbitant treasure to overwhelm any of these city states, once they decide they want to.

While very different from each other, culturally, these natives have a few things in common. They tend to be racially homogeneous, with little allowance for outsiders to permanently join their cultures. They tend to be experienced sailors, with a long history of exploration and navigating the many hazards of the Silath Tyr region. And each have survived the unceasing attacks by the Tenoch Tecalli, an aggressive clan of amphibian creatures who are also native to the area.

Populace

Culture

Magic and Technology

Notable Figures

The Predecessors

Very little is known of the Predecessors, save that they once ruled these lands from their flying cities, employed magic beyond imagining, and were ascended beings, gods, who had been exiled from some far away land. It is the shattered remains of one of their flying cities which now invites these many people and cultures to invade this land, in hopes of unlocking its secrets, and harvesting its power.

The Silath Tyr

The Silath Tyr once dwelled throughout these lands, building beautiful cities of lace-like stone.