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Empire

At the centre of the world are Hugaar, Pashnaar and the Star Mountains, over or around which the Sun passes every day.

http://www.henry-davis.com/MAPS/EMwebpages/202D.html

The Empire has two capitals, Pasin and the City of Mages in Alaya. The Sturian Church, however, is based in Hugaar, the first twin to Pasin.

Beyond the Empire

The Empire has expanded to cover most of the known world. Beyond its boundaries are lands which are of little interest. Beyond these lie the four edges of the world are impassable and are guarded by Rend.

North - Sirdehaar and the Frozen Forest

Some Sird tribes have never joined the Empire and remain savage and barbarous. Beyond these lies the vast Petrified Forest which is the realm of the Rendking and within which is the Castle of Ice.

East - Potamanchu and Behind the Mountains

Beyond the eastern sea, there is a narrow coastal strip of land, a blasted and inhospitable place where degenerates live. Rivers come off the mountains and the people scrape a living, telling tales of the time when they were the heart of a great empire.

The mountains are very close to the sea and lead up to the impassable range known as the Rendwall, said to be guarded by a tribe of giants led by an ancient Rend. Nevertheless, the land of Potamanchu was found nestling within these mountains, and silver and gold have flooded the Empire every since. Some say the Rendwall wall was breached with the discovery and invasion of Potamanchu.

The mountains around Potamanchu are infested with goblins. the people of Potomanchu consider them to be mountain devils.

Beyond Potomanchu (according to local legend) is a vast swamp peopled by lizardmen and witches.

South - The Thousand Cities

To the south and east, beyond Alaya, and over the Strait of ???? is the land of Saurians. Past this lies a great ocean where Rend sail cloud ships.

West - Axarte Plains and Plains of Fire

At the far western edge of the Empire, these plains are where the Vister and some barbarians reside. Beyond these lie the Plains of Fire where a Rend rules over the greatest of the Vister tribes.

Gazetteer

Pan Back

• Alaya (Land) Long after the Saurian domination collapsed, an army of escaped slaves emerged from the Thousand Cities. They settled in the near eastand reasily rebuffed the initial attempts to dislodge them by unleashing demons upon their aggressors. Most recently, in the bloodless Inglorious War, the Pashnaar Empire united with Alaya, to form the Twin Star Empire, much to the chagrin of Sirdehaar. The Alayans have a strange version of Sturianism, involving many elements of Saurian mysticism and magic.

• Alaya, City of Mages The eastern seat of the Empire.

• Hugaar (City) The Granite City is the Empire's birthplace and the centre of the Sturian Church. When it rains, it sparkles and is held by many to be the most beautiful place on earth. Situated on the slopes of Mt. ????, it is overlooked by the other Star mountains and gazes upon the Placid Sea. The people of Hugaar tend o be blond and, though pale-skinned, tanned. They consider themselves a tribe of Sirdehaar, despite the distance, and rulers of the world. Many Hugarites are hathari witches or Sons of Lorn.

• Hugaar (Land) is the Empire.

• Kuril (Island, Sirdehaar) Kuril is where Sirdehaar's craftsmanship is strongest. Much of the Potomanchu silver has been worked here. Unlike the typically dark Sird, Kurilese tend to be fair, reflecting their origins as descendants of Hugaar colonists. Kuril has been a successful but small city for some time now with access to the Potomanchu silver, the city is growing and gaining in reputation. There are fortunes being made and the families of the founders are outdistancing their more staid cousins in Hugaar.

• Pashnaar (Land) is the land around Pasin.

• Pasin (City) is the principal administrative city of the Empire, twinned with Hugaar and now with Alaya, the City of Mages.

• Sirdehaar (Land) The northern brother to Hugaar.

• Star Mountains (Hugaar)

Saphetian Alliance

A grouping of predominantly coastal city states on the eastern seaboard, including Sunium where the game starts, as well as Saphet, Filiers and Halys. Typically, these states switch allegiance between Hugaar and Sirdehaar, as convenience dictates, but they are normally considered to be a part of southern Sirdehaar.

• Cascavel (Town, Sunium) The closest town to Tegayet.

• Giant Isle (Sunium)A Rend who died of sorrow (no-one knows why) rested for the last time in the Pigeon River. He now forms the Giant Isle upon which the Convent of Santa Tereza is built. The nuns offer solace to any who seek it, asking no questions. The High Priestess, Aska, is not a woman or even Hathari, but is a true spirit, with no body.

• Halys (City State of the Sapthetian Alliance)

• Santa Tereza (Convent, Sunium) in Sunium, close to the Abbey of St. Alcuin and the Heartstone. The convent sits upon the Giant Isle (see above). The nuns offer solace to any who seek it, asking no questions, so there are at least a score of residents hiding from the world. The High Priestess, Aska, is not a woman or even Hathari, but is a true spirit, with no body.

• Saphet (Principal city state of the Saphetian Alliance).

• Sunium (City State of the Sapthetian Alliance)

• Storm Forest (Wild region at the intersection of Saphet, Tegayet and Ledrik). A region of hills and forest, this pine forest is hilly and difficult to navgate. It is the ideal spot for a small tribe of ogres who, centuries ago, fled servitude at the Star Mountains.

Tegayet Plateau

The tortured landscape of the Tegayet plateau is dotted with towering granite outcrops. Some are blasted and barren. Some of these are riddled with tunnels, carved out by goblins into huge warrens. Some have nothing remarkable about them beyond their size and beauty. One of these outcrops is the Heartstone. Goblins and Tegay wildmen eke out a living up on Tegayet.

Tegayet

• Aching River (Tegayet) cuts a deep gorge (Blood Cut) through the Tegayet plateau and runs over the Swift Falls down into Sunium.

• Blood Cut Gorge Here, Sird tried to strike, with his great iron sword Niddig Hugger, at the Heartstone, to slay his brother. It was a different mountain that he destroyed however. The Aching River now runs through this gorge.

• Blue Pass (Kirlan Way). Small Heartstone fort, north of a particularly difficult stretch of the Kirlan Way.

• Goblin Ring (Mountains, Tegayet). A ring of granite outcrops serve as the spiritual centre of the goblin Low Tribes of southern Tegayet. Although the goblins tell of a great ancient empire centred here, no goblins live here today, fearing the ghosts of the ancients. Goblin shamans and heroes will enter, however, when great deeds are to be done, or great spirits to be coerced into servitude.

• Heartstone (Mountain, Tegayet). When Sird slew Hatha and his blood-water drowned the lands, only his heart remained in its original rocky form. It rolled down off the Sirdehaar mountains, coming to rest in what we now call Tegayet. Its interior is a maze of goblin tunnels, a warren of considerable size. Emperor Tullis was born close to the Heartstone (one legend has him born inside it). The Hearstone Knights have a small fortress, Fort Oakran, close to the heartstone, while St. Alcuin's is a day's ride. The most devout pilgrims enter a regime of starvation and ingestion of vision-inducing beans, wandering inside the Heartstone and talking with Mineera, Tullis, or Hatha himself.

• High Mark A cluster of granite outcrops which serve as a meeting point for the eastern tribes of Tegayet, a mix of goblin and human groupings.

• Highwall (Kirlan Way). Heartstone Fort that marks the boundary between Tegayet and Sunium. A series of rope lifts transports pilgrims and supplies up and down the escarpment.

• Ledrik (Mountains, Tegayet Plateau). The Sparrow Kin, a Tegay Wildman clan, lives here.

• Lance Bore. Here, the Pigeon River rushes into a hole in the ground, emerging below the Plateau. The noise is deafening and can be heard for miles around.

• Oakran (Fort). A modest fort close to the Heartstone. Ostensibly built and manned to prevent desecration of the holy site, the fortress prevents its reoccupation by goblins. The fortress is the last stop of Sturian pilgrims on their way to the Heartstone (the previous stop is St. Alcuin).

• Pigeon River (Tegayet) runs parallel to the Aching River, descending into the ground before it comes off Tegayet and into Sunium. It joins the Aching River after the Swift Falls and leads on to the Giant Isle.

• Pools (Tegayet) A set of springs near to the Heartstone, where ancient nymphs reside.

• Reeds (Kirlan Way). Small Heartstone fort south of St. Alcuin's.

• Saint Alcuin (Abbey, Tegayet) is close to the Convent of Sta. Tereza and the Heartstone, near to Sunium.

• Saint Ilma Steps (Tegayet). A set of steps cut into the escarpment of Tegayet, that allows descent into Saphet. The steps were cut by Rend, unfortunately.

People

At the Abbey

• Armand (Father), the Abbot. The Abbot of St. Alcuin is a serious and stern man. He has taken the production of the Heartstone Codex as his life's mission, believing that he is engaged in bringing Huth's words to mankind. Ever since the Abbey was ordered to send the Codex to Hugaar, some six months ago (Armand refused), he and Emert have argued non-stop.

• Emert (Brother), the Prophet Once a Stone Scholar, the giant scribe Emert now sees out the end of his days at St. Alcuin. History and experience is etched into his skin, which is is tough and always seems to be covered in dust. He is bent over and his eyesight is now very poor. He brought Tyrrha from Kuril to St. Alcuin and taught her and the other scribes their art.

• Furlip (Oi you!), Crippled goblin who looks after the horses at St. Alcuin's. He was taken is as a child after being left to die by his clan.

• Slovod (Brother), The Scribe. Slovod is (rightly) proud of his penwork. He has been contributing reluctantly to the Codex these past few years, having vowed obedience. He has complained, most especially about the illustrative and iconographic aspects of the work, all the way, and has blotted more pages than ever before.

• Stellin (Brother), The Repentant. A one-armed veteran of the eastern campaign, Brother Stellin does menial chores at the Abbey of St. Alcuin and has taken a vow of silence while he reflects on past sins.

• Tyrrha, the Illuminator. Tyrrha is a scribe and illuminator of precocious talent. She is a ward of old Emert and would only just be of an age to wed. She has fair skin and hair, as is typical of the Kuril Sird, and affects to wear a veil, in reference to Sta. Mineera.

Heartstone Knights

• Pevel Lesko (Sir, Heartstone Knight). An elder, and now retired, Heartstone Knight who saw Denedran Green-Eyes' potential and who was in the eastern campaigns.

• Unbowed Branch (Grandmaster), an ancient rootwalker who claims to have known Kirlan when he walked the world. Leads the Quiet Hand.

Quartz Ridge Visters

• Alaleh (Quartz Ridge Vister, witch). Daughter of the Quartz Ridge Khan. Siyavesh's younger sister. Hessian's wife.

• Hessian (Quartz Ridge Vister, warrior) Notable warrior, from one of the major families. Noted for his cunning. Childhood friend of Teyoum.

• Teyoum (Quartz Ridge Vister, warrior). Second son of the Quartz Ridge Khan. Siyavash's older brother.

• Zamyad (Quartz Ridge Vister, Khan). Quartz Ridge Khan. father to Siyavash, Alaleh and Teyoum.

Visitors to the Abbey

• Zelaya (Mother). A priestess of Myrta who arrived with Hessian, Singetorix and Cyrus.

• Cyrus. Sirdish guard of Mother Zelaya's.

Organizations

Axarte Plains

• Fire Mountain (Vister Tribe)

• High Path (Vister Tribe)

• Quartz Ridge (Vister Tribe) Asen's character's tribe. They are known for their avaricious khan (Asen's character's father) and their mastery of mountain-horses. "We are better known for enduring. Elements, enemies, sickness, bad luck and angry spirits even - nothing has broken our spirit, ever. Neither have we had a khan of ours, the signs of the khan's power and the tribe's integrity, captured in battle. When defeated, we retreat. We might come back as soon as the enemy starts pillaging, and that's the good option. The bad option is when we don't. You'll need to watch out for traps and ambushes for the rest of your life. We'll make our best so you don't have to suffer for more than 2 months! We seldom march outside the mountain. But if you come to us with war, you better remember what I told you! One more thing your sages got completely ass-backwards. We use hunts to prepare for war and teach the young to attack a future enemy like a beast. Thing is, we conduct hunts the way we wage war, so the youths might get some practice in both!"

• Red Knuckle (Vister Tribe)

Hugaar

• Stone Scribes (Scholarly Organization, Hugaar). The Stone Scribes still read in the Stone Library, A Life of Truth.

• sea priestesses, followers of Newelaar

• rival sea priestesses, followers of Hatha

• mountain builders (giants)

• Seers, Sun priestesses, the Empire's eyes

• Lions of the Sun - elite warrior-priests, wielders of fire

• Sonnac High Riders - Elite guard, breed horses up on mt. Sonnac.

Sirdehaar

• northern witches / sorceresses

Tegayet Plateau

• Heartstone Knights. The Most Humble Brothers-Guide of Kirlan and the Veil; Wardens of the Heartstone An order of warrior-monks based in the Sephet Alliance and Tegayet. They guard the fortified houses which mark the route of the Kirlan Pilgrimage up to the Heartstone and serve as guides to pilgrims. They were very active in the initial conquests of the east. Closely associated with St. Alcuin. See The Quiet Hand, below.

• Heart Dancers (Tegayet Clan). Neighbours to the Sparrow Kin, the Heart Dancers are both allies and enemies. There is much intermarriage between the two clans, but raids are also common. With such close ties, blood feuds are inevitably common.

• Order of St. Alcuin

• Order(?) of Sta. Tereza

• Quiet Hand of Peace (Hero Cult). A hero cult that worships St. Kirlan, the Quiet Hand is a relatively small organization that claims to have been formed by Kirlan's children. Their beliefs parallel early versions of the Sturian Church but emphasize the roles of Kirlan and Mineera as guardians of revealed truth and friends of the natural world. The Quiet Hand has connections to the Heartstone Knights that stretch back many years, but this relationship has been occasionally contentious or even bloody. This stems from the Quiet Hand's claims that the Knights have left the path of wisdom and selfless heroism in favor of political advancement and conformity with the Empire. The Quiet Hand is currently led by an ancient rootwalker known as Unbowed Branch who claims to have known Kirlan when he walked the world.

• Low Tribes. The assorted goblin clans of southern Tegayet are known as the Low Tribes. Their organisation is very loose indeed, based around the extended families which men call Clans.

• Snow People (Tegay Clan). A clan of Tegay mountain men known for their ferocity. Northern neighbours to the Sparrow Kin, they are a constant source of trouble. They pride themselves on their ability to travel in the winter, the time when the Plateau is the golins'. animist demon-worshippers and madmen.

• Sparrow Kin (Tegay Clan). A clan of Tegay mountain men who call the peaks of Ledrik their home. Their villages are built on such steep inclines and perilous cliffs that it is thought that their ancestors were birds who flew there and eventually took on human form. They farm in the steppes and hunt in the valleys, coming into contact with the "civilized" men and women of the Empire to sell their wares. While they can be rough-natured and reckless, they are respected for their knowledge of the wilderness. They currently follow the Sturian Church, but all villages retain remnants of older, animistic belief systems.

• Tegay (Tegayet Mountain Men). The uncivilized men who live on the Tegayet Plateau. They are organized into close-knit clans and agreements are sealed between these clans through marriage. Blood fueds are not uncommon. Tega often serve as mountain scouts or skirmishers for the Empire.