Elygia

Leader
 Capital
 Largest City
 Militia
 Notable Citizens
 Population
 Language

Elygia is the desert kingdom of the south of Karandia. It is the name of the desert and the country that claims to govern the region.

## Geography

Elygia is the southern desert of Karandia. To the north it borders the Aurian Empire and to the east Torash.

* Archan’s Teeth
* Border Towns
* Elygian Desert
* Javo
* Kaladire
* Sariport
* Tamech

#### Natural Geography

Most of Elygia is empty of anything but sand the majority of the population clinging to the banks of its single great river the Laranon or to the coast. Running from north to south along the eastern border are the Dune Peaks.

## Demographics

Native to Elygia are three races. Visks are now only here as salves in the large cities and humans dominate the population. It is suggested however that the majority of the population live dispersed along the river Laranon and in the desert tribes rather than collected in the cities as was the previous school of thought.

* Humans
* Siaks
* Visks

#### **Organisations**

There are various important organisations within Elygia.

* The Great Houses,
* The Dragon Klaw,

#### **Important Characters**

* The Sultan,
* The Grand Vizier

## Culture

#### Disposition

The Elygians tend to be welcoming and overly friendly. They are a very physical people and are a likely to embrace you as shake your hand or give you a nod of welcome. They love to haggle and argue and will do so endlessly even with very good friends. They enjoy feeling they have cheated someone or got one over on an opponent.

Elygians are noted for not being trustworthy and lying is an art at which they are accomplished. Traders and gamblers they tend to love risk and be cocky about their own chances of success. Chatty and forthcoming a regular Elygian is naturally charismatic and friendly but is surely playing an under game. They are not noted for their courage or loyalty. They are noted for their quick thinking and hands.

#### Language

Elygia has its own language, the language of the sablesec or the tongue of the desert. However in Kaladire and Sariport this has been abolished in favour of Common. Among the sablesec themselves the tongue is still spoken at all times though most speak common in order to enable them to trade in Tamech.

#### Religion

All religions are practised in Elygia but the most popular were those of Soaril the god of wind, Archan the god of sun and rain and La'geon god of rivers and seas. These are now all seen as aspects of the Avatar of Wild.

In Kaladire itself the Monastry of the Moons focuses worship on the twin moons Syron and Serrim. It is uncertain whether Moon worship idolises the Avatar of Darkness, the Avatar of Light or the Avatar of Wild. Most seem to think a combination of the first two.

## Politics and Government

Elygia as a country is run from Kaladire. Indeed it is the alliance between Kaladire and Sariport that means there is an Elygia. However as far as things like taxation and unified laws go they only really apply to the two grand ports, the townships on the banks of the Laranon river and Tamech. The northern and far eastern settlements are much too far from Kaladire to be properly controlled, governed or effectively taxed. While they are nominally Elygian they really are a law unto themselves and only retain their Elygian status by a sort of paralysed agreement between Torash and Auria that neither can have them and both finds them individually useful.

The Sablesec consider themselves true Elygians because they live in the Elygian Desert for which the whole country is named, but they feel no allegiance to the city dwellers and are not shy about saying so. Kaladire exercises no control over them and other than trading with them at Tamech and curbing their raids if they get over zealous happily ignores their very existence as it does the huge desert itself.

The Sultan of Kaladire is the Head of the Elygian state and has a lot of the powers of an absolute ruler. However the Great Houses of Kaladire are a deliberate and constitutional balance to his power. He must consult with them to make law and his ability to interfere in their internal affairs is severly limited. What is more the Sultan must call one of their leaders as his Vizier which allows them day to day control of the systems of government though under his leadership.

Sariport is supposedly run by a council of guild-masters under the Port Authority, but in fact it is widely known and accepted, certainly by the Sultan and the Great Houses anyway that the Dragon Klaw Cabal rules there. The cabal has no interest in politics, but uses the guilds and the Sultan to maintain Elygia as a country, which allows them to operate unmolested. In many ways, the Dragon Klaw see Elygia, as a country, as a convenient buffer zone within which they operate nothing more.

#### Economics

The economy of Elygia is based on the great river Laranon, the trade city of Tamech and the grand ports of Sariport and Kaladire. All of Elygia's crops come from the river side as well as a lot of its fishing. The nomadic desert tribes trade at Tamech getting for themselves the trappings of civilisation and in return selling their own arts pieces, the artifacts found in the desert ruins and animals from their herbs particularly horses, hunting falcons and thren.

## **Military**

Due to Elygia’s nature its military is not very organised. In Sariport it is run by the port authority and is called the ‘Portside Security Force’. This force tried to engender the nickname used among themselves of the ‘Desert Rats’ however the Sarips have named them the Sewer Rats in derogatory fashion. They are seen as filthy corrupt and worse than the criminals in many cases.

In Kaladire the military is organised under the auspices of the Great Houses specifically the Court of Arms. They are well organised and efficient however too small to be considered an army.

If and when Elygia as a country goes to war it's troops are called the Sand Wardens. It is almost unheard of however and would only happen because the Sultan and the Great Houses decided too and had the Dragon Klaw's blessing on top of that. When they went it would be very disorganised, with thousands of irregulars and mercenaries. Their navy, made up of raiders and pirates and their army an unwieldy untrained mass likely organised into two entirely separate camps of Sariport and Kaladire. It is little wonder that, while individually and in small numbers the Elygians are always fighting and raiding and no nation provides more willing mercenaries, as a country they have fought few wars. They are simply not cut out for it and in the field of battle they would be slaughtered by the organised armies of Auria or Rimic.

## **History**

Time on Karandia and for simplicity on Tal is determined by the existence of the dominant human Empire or Auria. So years from before the Empire are annotated BE those after it or Post Empire are annotated PE. (eg Jomark came to power in 10BE means Jomark gained his power 10 years before the founding of the Empire).

2000-1500BE – Sometime in this half millennium humans arrived in the desert of Elygia. Siaks already lived there and still call humans ‘the new comers’ or ‘invaders’. Visks also already lived on the coasts and river.

1500-100BE – Little is known as the nomads keep no recorded history. Legends of the fall of the elves and the retreat of the Siaks into the sand mountains or Dune Peaks.

100BE – Fairly reliable to say this is the year that both Kaladire and Sariport were founded. It is the year they have both officially chosen anyway.

50BE-10PE -Sometime in this period the nomads fought what they call in their tales the Siak Wars with the old rulers of the desert the sand-lizard men. They are successful driving the siaks into the Dune Peaks for good.

50-100PE – Some border trouble with Auria and Torash. Elygia realises that those borders aren’t safe to live on. However they prove such profitable places to live the border towns are never fully abandoned.

100PE – Kaladire has risen on the western coast to be the greatest town in modern day Elygia. Sariport is not far behind in size or population.

100PE – Trading links have been established by now with the Empire, Torash and some with Saracan and even a couple with the elves of Rimic.

100-300PE – Most of Kaladire’s great guilds have been founded during this time and records kept, Tower of Wizardry, House Guard, Order of Kaladire Chapter etc.

160-170PE – Slavery of Visks, Siaks and humans becomes official. It is an important source of income for many Elygians.

200PE – Tamech is built and it’s people begin the tradition of trading each year with the nomadic tribes of the desert.

300PE – Kaladire Sultanate set up, high councilor/Grand Vizier is chosen from the heads of one of the powerful guild houses.

545PE – Port Authority set up in Sariport. Supposedly the controlling government of the town. This however is born in corruption and so its authority is never absolute.

550-560PE – Archan’s Teeth, the jagged peninsulas in south Elygia gain the reputation as being the home of Elygian Pirates. This is still the case over a millennium later.

560PE – Tamech builds its wall. The relationship between the city and the nomads has become strained and prejudiced will grow from now on.

600PE – The Ninja Cabal (later to be named the Dragon Klaw) begins to be set up in Sariport. It remains in the back ground for several decades.

700PE – The Stormguard set up in Kaladire. Elite fighters combining martial skill and druidic nature powers. They often ride bizzare mounts.

750PE – It is now common knowledge amongst the people of Sariport that the Ninja Cabal (The Dragon Klaw) control everything.

760PE – The sultan of Kaladire ,supported by the Guild Houses, officially approaches the Port Authority of Sariport. Unofficially he does the same with Ninja Cabal. These talks between the sultan and Sariport’s leaders results in the country of Elygia being declared. The country was named after the desert.

836PE – Elygia invades Torash bypassing its defences and is only stopped by the Inner Forts, named then The Last. Defeated only by The Last army, after it was raised in desperation.

1100PE – Javo founded on the axis of the rivers Lena and Laranon. It is a floating city and very lively, full of trade.

1245-46PE – Aurian Yellow Protectoran invade Elygia. They sack several towns kill several hundred nomads and enslave thousands.

1247PE – Sariport and Kaladire using the Sultan as their official mouthpiece engineer a deal with the Empire to get them out of Elygia.

1476-81PE – Many of the Elygian guilds are involved in the War of Vengence between Torash and Auria.

1520-22PE – First Dragon Army Invasion. Kaladire and Sariport not too effected but many villages on east and northern edges are ravaged. Many Elygians fight.

1898-1900PE – Second Dragon Army Invasion turned back by Stars of Destiny. Once again Elygia itself did little but many Elygians went and fought in the east,

1924PE – Rise of Dolf Dan’r The Avenger. One of the first places ravaged by the avenging armies was Elygia with an army out of Rimic.

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