Shorn

Shorn
Location
East of Xaria; E of Akkoria; NE of Myere and Sha’Thraem; W of Asargo (the eastern continent).
Shorn is a large island that lies off the east coast of Xaria. On a clear day it can be seen from the mainland coasts of Akkoria, Myere and Sha’Thraem.
Map of Shorn
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Land
The area around Votla is thick in woods. Swampland cuts off Nyren from most of the rest of Shorn. Mountains dominate the middle of Shorn, with some volcanoes near Wolnaad.
Resources
While minerals and lumber are available on Shorn, very few have time to exploit it in large scale. The largest industry in Shorn is trade.
Past
Very little history is available about Shorn. This includes outsiders as well as the inhabitants themselves. Almost no written records seem to have been taken until approximately 800-1000 years ago. Some memories have been passed down in verbal form from family to family. Occasionally, some information is discovered in the many ruins on Shorn, but most have little time to study it. The exception are scholars from Bel Juddaht, who usually arrive within days of the discovery of new ruins.
Present
With Duke Marlon XXXII gone mad, a power vacuum now exists on Shorn. Nyren is beginning to position itself to try and seize the power in the near future.
Towns of Note
Nyren - This city is currently the strongest base of power on Shorn. They have achieved this position of power over the bodies of their fallen slaves. They obtain their slaves from the roaming tribes on the western half of Shorn. No one on the eastern part of Shorn notices or cares about Nyren’s activities. The countryside is always busy with new construction, due to the cheap and plentiful work force. The buildings are grand and large, the roads expansive and well maintained. Pit fighting, known as Butai, is the sport of choice among the elite. Nyren is beginning an attempt to replace Algersford as the capital of Shorn. They are quickly trying to amass wealth, resources and favor to build their base of power. They deal regularly with Melig and Scrimshorn, trying to establish allies for the future. While Nyren is only a city, the entire area is referred to as Nyren. The ruling body is a single individual known as Kaliph; the current one is Kaliph Leandra Quil. Leandra was one of seven wives to the previous Kaliph, Yorick Asbad. He was killed by paid assassins, who were killed by Leandra’s personal guards, and she stepped in (over the bodies of others) to fill the power vacuum. With her rise in power, it is clear that she has a vision of Nyren and Shorn as a force to be dealt with, ruled by her. And she will not stop until this goal is a reality.
Scrimshorn - Those of this “city” are born, live and die with the sea. Imagine a wharf town larger, crustier and smellier than any other, and you have the appearance of Scrimshorn. This place is not one of the prettiest cities, but it is one of the oldest and its people are very close knit. They are hard-working (and playing) people and heaven help those on the outside who try to stir up trouble. These people are fishermen, seamen, lobsterers, shrimpers and shipwrights. If a ship was built on Shorn, someone from Scrimshorn had a hand in it. These people are private, preferring to deal with their own problems and needs, ignoring the rest of the world around them when possible. There is no ruling body; if things need to get done, someone organizes it and finds others to help.
Bel Juddaht - This city is a quite formidable fortress, seemingly self-sufficient. Looking down from the cliffs and out across the bay at Melig, Bel Juddaht is a city with few knowns and many unknowns. It is a city that deals with and deals in magik. One cannot simply enter Bel Juddaht. It takes a great deal of pull and influence to be able to enter just the outer city. A few times people have tried to storm its gates, only to be met with an onslaught of powerful magikal attacks from the Guardians of the Gate, said to be merely acolytes, not even the most powerful of mages! The last known attack was by the pirate fleet of Caern the Reaper in 489. The attack lasted an entire day and into the night. When the dawn came the fleet was destroyed in the bay and the dead were strewn about the wreckage. Since the attack, the dead carcasses of both ship and people have remained, never deteriorating. A grim warning of the power of Bel Juddaht. People of Shorn tend not to bother the people of Bel Juddaht and they return this favor in kind. Most people who enter the fortress do not exit. Those that do (or claim to) spin stories that do not make any sense and are discounted as idle ravings. Among the rumors are these: A great dragon guards the city, explaining the secret of magik to those within; people in the city are not taught magik but the ways of the assassin, killing swiftly and exiting the city unnoticed, at their whim; those within worship and draw power from an ancient artifact whose secrets they strive to unlock; the people of the city believe that the world will end in judgment from the past and they are preparing for that day, waiting to emerge into the new world; inside Bel Juddaht lies a world of pleasure and decadence that makes Nost’Karé look like the Badlands. The few mages that claim to have studied in Bel Juddaht are powerful and formidable, easily using powerful magiks. It is rumored that the city is governed by a council of five mages.
Volta - This is not as much a town as a loose confederation of tribes that live in the same area for protection. The people are mostly hunters, with some farmers and sheepherders. They live off the land and teach their skills to their sons and daughters. While there is no army, all able-bodied people are expected to protect the members of all tribes.
Westlake - Built on ruins, Westlake has the most organized military. The area is under the control of Baron Andrea Eloway.
Capital
Algersford - Though it is considered the capital of Shorn, it hasn’t really wielded power in the country for some time. This is primarily due to the ruler of Algersford, Duke Marlon XXXII, who is in fact, quite mad. Though only in the past few years has he lost his mind, Duke Marlon is steaming quickly ahead in the ruination of his land and the bankruptcy of its treasury. Instead of governing his country, he is focusing the efforts of the entire city on his “brilliant” plan to dig through the earth to steal the great treasures stored within and invade the secret land of the “Querlings”. So far nearly 700 people have lost their lives in Duke Marlon’s excavation, since he hasn’t bothered to have the sides reinforced. The only reason people haven’t revolted yet is due to the large, imported mercenary army that Duke Marlon has hired to begin the invasion. But as tensions mount, the likelihood of conflict looms on the horizon.
Government
The ruling body of Shorn is Duke Marlon XXXII, who is completely mad. What little power the Duke held over Shorn has since been lost in his descent to madness. Now several cities are struggling to survive and fill the power vacuum.
Military
There’s no centralized military structure, though Duke Marlon XXXII does have a standing army of mercenaries, waiting to begin an ‘invasion’ of the underground worlds. Most cities have some warriors in the employ of the ruling body. The next largest army is in Nyren. The forces in Westlake, though small in comparison to the others, is the most organized and disciplined of them all.
Religion
There is no established religion. People mostly pray to the Heavens or Walwiin The Traveller, in times of need. Many believe that the secretive city of Bel Juddaht is becoming a religion, solely based on the mystery surrounding it.
Of Interest
For sheer spectacle and visual awe, Nyren is the most beautiful of everything on Shorn. The most popular sport there is Butai or pit fighting. It has made and lost many a fortune for people there, as well as lost many a life.