Sundevalda

Saddled up against the Southwestern flank of the far larger Kryat Arcaneocracy, it is principally the strength of the Great Houses that has kept the lands of Sundevalda from falling to spellplague, political intrigue, military conquest, or demonic invasion. The Arcaneocracy's own internal squabbles and political rivalries have been of great assistance, for even with the combined might of all the Great Houses unified, it is unlikely that they would keep Sundevalda free from Kryat dominion for long if they faced the undivided attention of the greater nation. Such freedom is hard earned, and both the countryside and the people of Sundevalda have paid a heavy price for it. Much of their land is a fetid ruin, destroyed by Kryat plaguecraft, or simply drained of life and vitality by the Oathbound of the Great Houses drawing in power. Many of their cities are charred husks, burned by spellfire and eroded by cursecraft, with almost none walking the streets but the dead.

Yet the Great Houses have endured, and about them the people of Sundevalda have clung desperately. It has been twelve years since the last serious Kryat incursion, as the Arcaneocracy has been forced to contend with their neighbors to the West. Alliances have grown with the Merchant-Necromancer fleets of the Kurim, bringing foreign ships and trade to Sundevaldan ports. Cities still remain, some untouched by the war, others scarred but still standing. Among them, the mightiest has always been Yosthaven.

## History

Sundevalda was founded 297 years ago, when the Kryat Arcaneocracy was still little more than a series of warring city states. Three Mages, ancient and powerful in their Craft, broke off from their home city of Vaajo and journeyed to the dense forests of the Southeast. The reason for their travels have been lost to history, but every Sundevaldan knows their names. Yassir, Isillideras, and Yost. Of the three, the Great Houses of Yassir and Isillideras remain to this day. Of Yost, there is nothing more than his name, for whatever act of Craft led to the foundation of Yosthaven, he did not survive it.

Yet in his absence the Great Houses flourished, and with them the nation was born. Villages and farmsteads grew into towns and cities, and the abandoned Citadel at the heart of Yosthaven became the center of a thriving metropolis. When the **Unification** ran wild through what is now the Kryat Arcaneocracy, Sundevalda was strong enough to resist being absorbed where so many other city states had fallen.

## Geography

Sundevalda is primarily a densely wooded peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the Sea of Mir. The Curtain Woods to the North are ancient and old, practically untouched by the rest of the world. These dense forests are dark and eerie places, more the domain of Eldritch Spirits with names long forgotten than mortal souls. More than one Kryat expeditionary force has vanished into the Curtain Woods, never to return. The Vale to the South is full of rolling hills, sparse forests of birch and aspen, and many wide and meandering rivers. As with all things in Tar, good and ill comes from this. While large portions of the Vales are populated, just as many have been burned or corrupted by the soldiers and Craft of neighboring Kryat.

## Cities

* Brandrhaven
* Cyneheard
* Ekkehard
* Faramund
* Landulf
* Mundihaven
* Yosthaven
* Zwiniling

## People

Being largely a coastal nation, Sundevalda is made up of many peoples. Holda are the most common, with Amenni a close second, but a myriad of cultures and people are contained within its borders. The common language is the Holdan tongue, though a large amount of Amenni slang and Kurima pidgin has crept in.

## Culture

The people of Sundevalda are a people under siege, refugees and natives alike living their days out under the constant threat of invasion or worse from the North. Their songs, stories, and art reflect this shared history, full of tales of perseverance in the face of unfathomable odds. One might think that this might lend the typical Sundevaldan to be inclined to violence towards any and all outsiders, yet trade remains the lifeblood of the nation. With the Kryask's lack of nautical presence, shipping is the foundation upon which Sundevalda stands. This means that, while obviously suspicious of newcomers, most Sundevaldan citizens are more than willing to accept those who have proven themselves.

The Great Houses are both the sword and shield of the common folk, their Oathsworn having turned aside or repelled countless Kryask incursions. The goodwill such actions have generated is a capital the Houses are happy to spend, for otherwise the disparities in wealth and power between them and the common folk might otherwise be a considerable source of contention. They are thus sure to keep a tight leash on the art and culture of Sundevalda, only too aware of the dangers of art stoking revolutionary instincts. Primarily, this is accomplished by establishing Colleges of Art within all the major cities, and a complex system of patronage for artists themselves. Such a system ensure the Great Houses considerable influence over the shape and direction of art within Sundevalda, with the side effect that it is a nation rich in artistic traditions.

### Naming Conventions

The underclasses tend to name their children in the traditional fashion - aspirational descriptors to which parents hope their progeny will grow to exemplify - or the names of heroes and ancestors. The Holdan words for strong, beautiful, just, and other admirable traits are frequently employed as names. The wealthier classes, especially dynastic families and especially in the last few decades, regard these conventions as relics of a time long since past when their family names did not necessarily entitle them to the prestige generations of compounded wealth and success had since earned them. To christen the child of a great family with an aspirational name would be seen as a *faux pas* for, assured of their high standing in society, it could only be redundant. Aspirational names are a mark of the underclasses, or worse, the *nouveau riche*. Popular among wealthy Yosthaveners are Holdan words for colors, plants, natural objects and other poetic imagery, as well as names and vocabulary borrowed from exoticized faraway lands, and even the occasional meaningless string of pretty syllables.

A commoner in Yosthaven might name their child "Adelmo," the old Holdan word for "noble protector." A parent born to the old blood of the Great Houses would find such a thing crass, but would take no issue with Ritter, the Holdan word for "Knight."

### Sex and Gender

Like most societies in Tar, the people of Sundevalda have few limitations on their conception of gender. Craft is the great equalizer, creating a world where physical differences matter far less in the weighing and wielding of power. Gender roles are essentially nonexistent, as Craft and Melucrum have a far greater say in one's ability to maintain social authority than brawn. Most of the Soulscribed in particular eschew gender entirely, and there are many of their kind within Sundevalda, though they are not the only ones who have largely abandoned it. Women, men, and those who avoid the labels of gender entirely serve as leaders, House Bound, warriors, servants, home makers, Oathsworn farmers, hunters, sailors, and more, based on their aptitudes and interests rather than proscribed societal roles.