Lesser nations

## Lesser Lands

The Federation of Nations does not recognize any other sovereign countries on the Mainlund or in its surrounding waters, but this does not mean that smaller, less stable kingdoms and territories exist. Some lands are too small, or too hostile for the Federation to deal with, and so they tend to be isolated areas, with limited populations. Below is a list of several such area, and each have their own culture and society.

### Schejin

Schejin is a city-state which exists outside the normal boundaries of law and order. The fabled city of thieves is located on the Far East Coast of the Mainlund, between the Shara-Noc Mountains and Ember Sea. Schejin is the incarnation of malice and crime, a secret refuge for murderers and scoundrels. Often dismissed as a legend, the city itself actually moves around every few decades as its location becomes too widely known. The town itself is a Sodom-like cesspool of whore houses, casinos and taverns, and there is no law beyond the edict of "might makes right." Schejin is currently divided among a dozen small thieves guilds, each seeking to establish itself as the main force of the city. In the past, legendary rogues like Finonious Djinntooth ruled the city, but it has proven unmanageable in the last few decades. Rogues passing through don't need to worry about guild memberships or loyalties, but must watch their backs for other robbers and bandits.

### The Kingdom of the Bear

The forests east of the Kharos Mountains are not officially home to any sovereign nation, but are ruled by the powerful "Kingdom of the Bear." This is a somewhat nomadic group of scattered barbarians, descended from the last of the ancient Barbarian Hordes, fighting for survival against the Parthian Government, who would like to control all the land west of their current border, to the edge of the Kharos Mountains. The "Bear King" is the leader of this group, and he has been successful at avoiding the Parthian Legions as they occasionally push into the wilderness to track him. One month, they will have villages and towns erected just outside the border of Partha, but when forces are organized to stop their raids into the land, the whole group disappears southeast into the forests, avoiding the Parthian military. The group will also move to the northeastern edge of the Garmond border, and will repeat the chasing process with the militias there as well. There are a few towns in the core of the territory, far away from any other border, and these places are primitive, isolated areas, where men from other nations would be wise to avoid. The barbarians of the Bear Kingdom are darker skinned than the humans of Parthian descent, and are also bigger and heavier as well. The technology of their weapons and tools is less advanced as the other human groups of the Mainlund, and they do have a "primative" society structure, and distrust magic. The barbarians practice the ancient art of tattooing, and older men often have 50-60% of their bodies covered in large, solid black tattoos. They also pride themselves in their skill working with leather and other animal hides.

### The Far East Coast

The strip of land along the eastern coast of the Mainlund, from the southern border of Northpoint, down past the Shara-Noc Range to the northern border of the Ashtar Forests, is a strange realm of monsters and magic. Virtually no humans are permitted to walk the land by its monstrous inhabitants, which include demi-humans like orcs, ogres, lizard men, gnolls and trolls. Likewise, elves, dwarves, and halflings are attacked on site. Several small cities of can be found, but all are very unstable, and different factions are constantly fighting for power. For mur-ain, cambliss, or redcaps, this stretch of no-mans land can provide temporary escape from the rest of the civilized world, and often famous assassins or criminals will move to the area to avoid persecution. Even the Templar Knights of Bhesina do not regularly venture into this region, and ships are not permitted to sail anywhere near its coast.

Pirates are especially known to frequent the waters on this side of the continent. These scallywags come in all shapes and sizes, from undead, humans, Grutharian ogres, and most feared of all, the Pirate dwarves of Paragagchuk. These dwarves do not speak a language that is recognized as being from any known dwarven dialect, and are incredibly hostile to any and all unforunate vessels that come into their sight. These dwarves also dont seem to share any common lineage with the dwarves on the mainlund, as there are no records of them to be found in ancient dwarven scriptures. They also have diffrent facial features, baring more of an exotic, eastern look about them.

### Daegon

There is an area of the Mainlund referred to as Deaton, Dhayqn, or Daegon, with the latter being the most common title. Daegon is the land east of Garmond, on the west side of the Haas range, and north of the Footland's official border. The area has never had a central leader, and so is not recognized as a nation. Instead it has several small city-states who govern themselves and distrust outsiders. These groups are predominately human, with a small population of Sidhe Elves and Ikiro. The land is filled with faerie magic and lore, ad so the sylvan races are not trusted, as the many fae being of the area are known for their mischievous ways, if not their downright malice. The land is filled with strange beings that don't exist anywhere else, and these faerie creatures tend to drive off any other monsters outside of their brethren. In this land, milk and bread must be sacrificed nightly to please local brownies, and red feathers are burned to ward off the Nuckelavee, a ferocious monster of the realm. Daegon is home to phookas, kelpies, fachan, and bogies, as well as a host of other monsters and spirits who range from benevolent to carnivorous in their dealings with men. The faerie spirits are ruled by Gwynn ap Nudd, a 1000 year old spirit who resents the Seelie and UnSeelie courts of Ashtar, and was expelled from that land many centuries ago. The humans are known for their musical skill, especially with the harp and flute, and there are many bards in this land. The people use coins from Garmond if bartering will not suffice as a way of exchange.

### Whiteschadt

Off the north-western shore of Calcova is the frigid land of Whiteschadt, an arctic island encircled by small glaciers. These natural barriers discourage travel between this icy land and Calcova, but some of the humans from Whiteschadt have learned to use magic to control some of the smaller glaciers. Using these rituals, they can move through the cold northern ocean on blocks of ice with the precision of sailors, occasionally arriving close to the Calcovan shores to sack coastal villages or maraud ships. Ice Shamen pilot these frozen vessels, while barbaric fighters reek havoc on the local population. On the Mainlund, not much is known of the culture on Whiteschadt, for the slaves which the invaders sometimes take never return to the warmer land.

On this icy land, a group of humans known as the Schylds rule the nation. The Schylds group themselves into castes based on ability and talent, and the fierce invaders seen on the Northern Shores of Calcova are but one such group from Whiteschadt. Resources on the frozen island are scarse, so when hard winters deplete their food stores, these Schyld marauders seek out food and materials from their southern neighbors.

Other races exist on the land, usually avoiding the Schylds as best they can. In the icy mountains on the wet side of the island, the Heroweards are a race of unusual demi humans who eak out an existence on the barren land. They are intelligent, if brutal, group who are fiercely territorial. The males of the race are the size of gnomes, with wrinkled gray skin and large bulbous red noses. Thick veins cross their faces, and squinting black eyes give them a rodent-like visage. The females of the group exist as the leaders, and can grow up to 500-600 pounds and to 7-8 feet tall. They lord over the males, and one female will live in a tribe of 30-40 males. The matriarch gives birth to 7-8 babies a year, mostly male, and devours the lion’s share of the food available to the tribe.