Ardatia

Ardatia consists of the 5 self governing regions; Usila, Metrus, The Wetlands, The Marble Coast and The Shieldlands. As of AoR, Ardatia is still in a joint alliance but diplomatic and boarder issues are stressing the deal.

## Usila

   Currency carries very little in Usila. Deals are made on reputation and trust. A merchant will give you the item and few days later recieve his gold or your head. The great and powerful wear titles like the rich of other regions wear rings with the Shogun himself holding over 50 titles.

The region is ruled by Shogun an Elf that has ruled for many Elven lifetimes. His seat of power is a great fort located in the mountains just outside the capital city 'The Ruby Field', named after the deep mines beneath it. Great March, the capital city is ruled by the halfling Chairman Lao Khrfim, a large flat city consisting of many uniform single story buildings circling around a large temple in the middle. The position of chairman is a honourary one which is high sought after but available often. Chairmen who fail to meet the Shoguns wishes are encouraged to commit seppuku rather than feel the Shoguns true wraith.

## Metrus

Poison gas sits upon the surface of Metrus like a heavy blanket. To expose yourself without protection to it would mean a gruesom death. Histrorians have traced the origin of the gas back to the war known to the locals as Traitors Folly (attempts have been made to remove all knowledge of this war).

   To survive, the Metrusions dug into the cave systems running under the region and moved their towns and citys down below. In the early years of the move a disconnected region bore many new factions and the rulling government known as 'The Metrus Social Collective Progress Party' (MSCPP) lost control over many towns. The ones they kept were converted to meet the needs of the region and assigned purposes such as Farm Sector (food production), Strongpoint (protection), Trading Hub (trade) and Factorium (craftsmen). Currently Metrus is in a civil war between the MSCPP and multiple other partys who wish to overthrow the government of this disjointed region.

The largest town in the region is Trading Hub 14, it is the most centrally located town giving it good access across the region. Currently Adminstrator Randolf rules the hub and is therefore viewed as the de facto ruler of Metrus even though it's consistution offically states there is no one ruler and that all are equal.

## The Wetlands

    Heavy fog permanently sits over the Wetlands and dry weather is an uncommon site. Currently under the hold of a great plague the Northern Wetlands are currently under quarantine from Lost Cliff to the Northern boarders. The plague has led to many Northern Wetland towns to anarchy or to open rebellion.

Port Coombe located in the Easten Wetlands has closed it's gates permanently with the only access being via the docks. Duke Rupert Gilpin rules the Wetlands from Port Coombe but stopped sending out orders the moment he locked the gates of the city, turning away refugees from all over. Luckily for the cities population the plague hasn't managed to fully make it's way inside the walls of Port Coombe. Plague doctors prowl the streets looking for the slightest sign of the plague and incenerating any they find. Houses suspected of being infected are boarded up and burnt to the ground with the occupents inside.

## The Marble Coast

    Although The Marble Coast offically has one leader, Imperator Bratus Elvand, the region is split with the North and South separated by the Molten Sea, a piece of land created when the volcano Mt. Igneous. A settlement has been built in the centre of this scorching waste, known as The Red City, the Order of the Red Reborne rule there and they worship the Primordial Deity Kossuth..

Imperator Bratus Elvand of House Elvand rules the region from it's capital city in the south, Titans Rest. Named partly after the grand archtecture but also the legend which claims a Titan sleeps under the city protecting it from harm. This legend was put to the test when Mt. Igneous erupted and lava flows stopped as they reached the start of the bridges leading into the city. While the titan of Titans Rest saved the city from the effects of the volcano the rest of the southern region didn't fare so well with whole towns being burried under the lava flow. Those that did survive found an arcane connection with the volcano with fire magic developing within them. Some saw the power as a way to regain what they had lost and turned to banditry whilst others saw it as a gift from the gods and so created the cult known as the Order of the Red Reborne and worshipping Kossuth.

## The Shieldlands

    A land of open fields and deep valleys, The Shieldlands breeds warriors and has always been a fighting culture since the days of the old clans. Now the Shieldites are together as one united country and were responsible for creating the Combined Ardatian Forces.

Following the end of the Valtyvian War, most Shieldites took to farming like the days of old but being a warrior nation, it was inevitable that fighting would break out again. Itching for war again, certain clans fought each other and so a new army was formed from the capital Kandegat. This army was created to ensure that the land stayed peaceful. It was led by General Benevik Dodaryan until his death, though his family legacy lives on within the army and especially within the Shieldmaidens.