Vranir

## Notable Locations

Religion: Tresceia

Government Body: Since its inception, Vranir has been ruled by the line of High King Olen, who united the disparate clans of the region into a powerful united force. The monarch sits on a council of representatives from these clans, each with a lineage just as long and storied, but maintains full authority over the governance of Vranir. Recently, this council has grown to include the Earl of Olheiv, who– as befits a tributary with its own laws and traditions– retains this seat in title only and wields little power in the workings of government.

Geography: A rocky and storm-battered stretch of lowland. Relatively barren in the south, dense forests sprout up gradually the further north one travels, eventually leading into the jungles of Srathas. Steep cliffs and jagged outcroppings are a common sight, and the land is no stranger to landslides as a result of the near-constant heavy rainfall. Vranir shares an expansive border with the Empire of Asteveil, denoted by a series of guarded roads and brightly-lit watchtowers along the steep hills that bridge the two lands, with the characteristic floating islands of the Empire’s southern coast looming in the distance. Broad rivers stretch across the full breadth of the land, which churn violently enough to make crossing them in any season an uneasy experience. Nevertheless, the grand bridges of Vranir have stood for generations and offer a variety of comforts to travelers, from inns to shops and smithies– some say that each bridge houses a small town unto itself.

Notable Places:

* The site of High King Olen’s landing on the continent would go on to become the city of Olenvog. Including a series of massive bridges in the oldest known example of Vranir’s characteristic architectural style, the city winds back and forth across the river. The palace of the high king sits along the shore, with the streets and structures of the city radiating therefrom like the spokes of a wheel. Sturdy awnings and canals are a frequent sight, as necessitated by the region’s incessant rainfall and the unpredictable whims of the river. Past the damp walls of the city’s markets, tunnels, fortifications, and dwellings, however, fires burn hot and bright in every hearth and the inhabitants of Olenvog see to their business with the same intensity.
* The town of Srath’haler marks the beginning of the rainforest of Srathas. Common wisdom holds that reckless exploration of the jungle can be regarded as little more than a costly mistake. More than a century ago, an expedition sanctioned by the High King ventured into Srathas, felling trees and clearing paths as they went. Srath’haler was the result: A small town scarcely past the treeline. In modern times, only the stone skeleton of the settlement remains; contact ceased and its inhabitants vanished scarcely more than a decade after its founding. The ilseiss of Srathas have historically denied any involvement, simply repeating grave warnings against venturing too far into the jungle, and to this day no explanation has been uncovered.

Commerce and Crime: In recent years, Vranir has grown to prominence as a commercial power with an emphasis on ships, herbs, and stone whose quality is often regarded as peerless. It has also sought to expand its operations into more common goods, exploiting the ongoing tension between the Empire, Syldor, and Yueh-Rautha to claim a broader role in the economy of the continent and expand its holdings. A tacit war quietly smolders between Vranir and Srathas; the High King is desirous of the resources hidden away in the rainforest, but any forces dispatched to the jungle have failed to return. The Sra’deva, for their part, have not returned these hostilities. Standing in stark contrast to their newfound commercial strategies, crime in Vranir is a matter of tradition. The Edicts of High King Olen, a series of harsh mandates passed down by the first High King, set forth a rigid and unyielding legal system in which crime is punished harshly, often carrying a sentence severe enough to leave lawbreakers maimed or otherwise marked for life. These codes have been relaxed somewhat over the reigns of recent monarchs in an effort to make their practice more humane; brandings, for example, are now carried out through magical means rather than by way of a hot iron. Such changes are the subject of much discussion and controversy among the aristocracy. Vranir also maintains a large force of privateers which it uses to capture mercantile vessels along the coast for the purposes of increasing its economic power across the continent.