Altea

Altea is a small country in the Imperial Heartlands, south of Anvar and north of Thane. It is known for its many exports, its relative wealth and its beautiful landscape.
==History and Culture==
Altea is a very old country which has seen the rule of many different powers. After the Old Empire was disbanded, Altea was self-ruled by a king for a time, until eventually the conquering armies of Davodred laid waste to the country and declared it territory of Passage. After Davodred's defeat at the hands of Corvan II in Anvar, the soldiers of Passage left and Altea returned to its monarchy. Much more recently, Altea was captured by Thane, but was returned with the changing of the emperor. Today, Altea is a monarchy once more, and is currently ruled by King Davram Despard.
Altea is famous for its exports, which are numerous due to the extremely high quality of the land. Most notable are its production of wine, olive oil, fish, bread and leather, which have led to some naming Altea the bread basket of the world. Many estates and hilltop towns dot the idyllic landscape, but are usually well guarded, due to the frequency of attacks by bandits and highwaymen. At sea, pirates have been known to ply their trade because of the wealth of goods merchant ships carry. Altea's climate is fairly warm, especially on the coast of the Resting Sea, but further east the land is cooler as the rolling hills turn into forests and mountains. On the southern border with Thane are the great Stoneback Mountains, beyond which the land turns to scrubland and desert. Unlike Anvar to the north, Altea does not get much rain, though there are sometimes thick snows in the winter. Altean politics are relatively complicated, with several noble houses constantly vying for more attention and thus trade. There are rumours that King Davram Despard uses an assassins guild from time to time, and that he is close to the leader of this guild. A number of thieves guilds also operate within the capital city of Freehaven, but they are generally ignored by the guard due to their lack of organisation. Altea's military strength is very limited, though it does have a large number of mercenaries and sellswords for hire to be found in every town.
Towns in Altea tend to be built upon hills, made mostly of stone or brick, and often overlook valleys and forests below. Bandits are more of a problem than monsters, especially in the west, but further east a number of goblin tribes battle each other regularly. There are also a number of elven families in Altea, but they co-exist with human families in the Altean towns and cities. The most prominent vegetation throughout Altea is the cypress tree, which is found lining most roadways.
Altea is also the base of operations fo the order known as the Grey Crusade, which combats demons, vampires, lycantharopes and undead. Their headquarters can be found in Freehaven. The organisation was only established in the last fifteen years by King Davram Despard, and has grown into a mighty group which operate internationally to being evil beings to justice. They are influenced by the Children of the Sun in Eriabourne, which have similar goals.
==Locations in Altea==
*Freehaven - Altea's capital city, a large bustling trade port on the coast of the Resting Sea. Freehaven is one of the largest trading cities operating in the Imperial Heartlands and also serves as a centre of learning and worship. There is supposedly a thieves' guild operating within the city, run by someone known as the King of Beggars. Freehaven also houses the headquarters of the Grey Crusade and is the birthplace of Ser Anders and Cortis Karano.
*Ferentino - A large town in the mountains of eastern Altea and the birthplace of Torvaggio.
*Alessandri Estate - A large estate in Aravel province, governed by Lord Hanu Alessandri. There are rumours the estate is a cover for an assassins' guild, but these stories are thus far unfounded.
*Aravel - A small town in Aravel province, producing wine and olive oil.
*Tehyr - A small coastal town in Aravel province, producing smoked fish.
Category:Countries