Empire of Löthur

Stormhold, Capital of Löthur

### Ebon Canyon

* Thousand Heights: One of the two human capital cities, home to the griffin knights.
* Needlestand: A small city connecting the Ebon Canyon to the outside world.

### Southern Spine

* Ferro Rocks
* Port Arcan
* Khontarihr: One of the two dwarven capital cities.
* The Infernal Gate: A volcano and gate to the underground.
* Keng Vents
* Copperflat

### Black Swamp

* Shiverhaunt: A town near the home of the giants that live in the swamp.
* Lime Landing
* Nighthear Port

### Northern Spine

* Shifting Strand: A series of rocks connecting the Northern Spine and Stormhold, crossed on the backs of turtles.
* Harkin City
* Evraal Kaz'ad
* Khrokadrel: Capital of the Northern Spine Dwarves.
* Nikaerkhaz Kaz'ad
* Ziril Zimkel: A land where the monsters of Löthur were driven.

### Ruins of Löthur

* Lasthold Keep
* Basin Shade
* Black Hallow
* Reaver's Fortress: Home to the Reaver Knights.
* River Burn
* Ardenberg
* The Storming Coast
* Stormhold: Capital of the Kingdom of Stormhold, the last great human nation in Löthur.
* Longglow
* Redmunt Citadel

### The Wetlands

* Mirestone
* Everfield
* Harkenhill: Northernmost point of Stormhold and garrison against monsters.
* Torthyr Wood: Home of the elves.
* Aerserin: Elvish capital.
* Shadowfen
* Slaughterwood
* Potter Rocks
* Primrose Abbey
* Yertle Crossing
* Quickwarf City
* The Arcane College
* Inkbend
* Sapphire Falls
* Cassian Heights
* Galemouth

### The Dark Pass

* North Watch
* Ravencourt: A small town with a cursed reputation.
* Warmspire
* The Barrows: Home to undead.
* South Watch

### The Highlands

* Ardmuir
* Dunrigg
* Ardinfar

### The Red Sands

* Bouldercrag City: A city of merchants that connects the Red Sands to the outside world.
* Qatal Alramal
* Midpass Bazaar: One of Lothur's great trading hubs.
* Netherspire
* Bloodfall Labyrinth

## History

In the beginning there was a great conflict emerging from the Primal Spirits of the realm, Titans, and Elder gods who might have shaped the lands through their fighting. Amongst these beings of tremendous power emerged Oeathur (O-E-Thur), The Creator, Even more ancient the Elder gods who had planted the world with the first intelligent life. Oeathur led his armies against the Titans in a series of world shaping events. This became known as the “Helotry Wars”. A millennium long conflict the involved the capture and containment of the titans within the own depths they created.

Löthur (LOW-THUR) is a continent promptly named after its regional empire and former founder Oeathur, It was primarily based on a high steppe overlooking the vast marshes to the west and the storming shores the the south. The ancient empire came to extreme power not to long after the Helotry Wars, being held together by a strong but lenient Geniocracy ruled by a council of quasi Dragon deities. It eventually fell apart after many great faults and came to a cataclysmic betrayal of the Dragon council putting the Empire into a great civil war known as the “Great Rupture”. The Great Rupture was as bloody as the Helotry Wars, and destroying much of the great knowledge and history obtained and with it came the destruction of the first historical empire created, which only can be remembered by legends and vast ruins it has left behind.

The Great Rupture brought Löthur to a crumbling dark age, warlords and a great many fiefdoms clinging to the destroyed infrastructure of the once great empire. This Era was known as the “Nocturnal Blight” a time of unending darkness, little is known about this as for the same with the Great Rupture. The only knowledge that survives is from historical works which talks about the struggle of warlords and generals and kings claiming lands for prosperity.

The Nocturnal Blight ended after centuries of war and bloodshed in a bloodbath as brutal as the era itself. In the North of Löthur there was a religious cult to a violent orc god, Grashtrak (GRASH-THURAK) who rallied the Northern Orc tribes against their neighbors, the Elves. This brought the Cultists north fleeing prosecution and gather more members to their cause. After Gathering Goblins, Ogres and Orcs under one flag, the “Great Horde”. This was the first true nation building force from the ruins of Löthur. The First Horde made the first empire in over a millennium, and is historically known for its governmental building blocks. At the base of the southern Iron Spine the Horde subjugated petty fiefdoms, making a brutal theocratic militaristic government which claimed domination over the lands for many generations. As the Hordes armies being nigh unstoppable the fiefdoms and city-states of central Löthur had to make alliances and true kingdoms to stem the tide of brutal orc warriors. The Dwarfs who call the Southern Iron Spine their home called upon the central kingdoms for aid, this forged a stalwart alliance. After solving internal struggles they made alliances with neighboring free states, the other remnants of dwarfs who occupy the Northern Iron Spine, the mysterious DragonLords in the Isles of Morgosh and the Dark gnomes in the underdark.

The First Conglomerate as it is referred to, dealt a series of devastating blows to the Horde, removing their seats of power from the Southern Iron Spine. Their victory did not last long. After a generation of freedom, the Horde came back to the bases of the Iron Spine bolstered by a influx of fervor induced crusaders conquering the lands a second time. Being more brutal than the first Horde this incarnation managed to break the weight of the alliance and force the Dwarfs back into their mountain keeps and push the central kingdoms back to their lands. Only the DragonLords kept to the alliance, gathering mercenaries from the frigid south to bolster their defences.

The Second Conglomerate fared better than the first. After breaking many sieges a force of Southern Iron Spine dwarfs bolstered by the mercenaries under control of a charismatic dragonlord Aeruthrose Varn and a powerful sorcerer Lywnden Gor lead a small precise strike at the Hordes court. They slew the prophet of Grashtrak which was a devastating blow the Horde would never recover from. As the Hordes regime collapsed, the victorious alliance combined with Elven magic, Dwarf craftsmanship and the iron fisted rule of the Dragonlords who claimed Löthur through descendancy rebuilt the infrastructure of Löthur. “Karuthur” came to be the first empire from the rubble of old. In time however the realm of the Dwarfs and Dragonlords would blight, as emerging threats presented themselves withering away the great empire. As time continued the great waste would sweep the land slowly turning Karuthur into wildlands and weakening its borders. Many great leaders would enterprise their heir and legacies were written, an age of successor states followed, many of them empires in their own rights.

The Southern kingdoms, which were originally the tribes employed by the Dragonlords, saw an opportunity on the waning power of Karuthur. Their king Venzru the 6th made a daring decision to marry the princess of Karuthur to obtain the rights over all its land. He had succeeded with great cunning and conquest he had united the lands between them all under one banner. However his Son had more wit and skill of arm than himself, so when the king of Karuthru was laid to rest, the first Emperor of Karuthur was crowned.

Renaming Karuthur to Durenie, emerging over the coming centuries as the greatest power since Löthur. A dominion that stretched to the Iron Spine and past the great marshes and touching the Storming sea. However great a power is, nothing can sustain the sands of time, slowly breaking apart to warlords and rich entrepreneurs, rivalries were created from the remnants of Durenie’s occupants and infighting emerged.

Post Durenie is a land of rising and falling states. Many a empire has emerged but never reached the same strength as Löthur or Durenie. The Federation lays claim to it present day, a pale representation of its successors and must face off against growing Elven powers, rising city-states in the east, along with new threats beyond the horizon.