The Southwestern Fringe

## Government

### Government

No central/coordinated overarching government; series of towns/cities with their own government that are visited on occasion by the Glitterati or Karomatzu for taxation

### State Name

Block

**The Southwestern Fringe** is one of the six countries of Halintar. The Dragon-God Karomatzu rules over it, though typically he leaves the people to their devices and only descends from his home high in the Violet Caltrops in order to view the art his worshipers create or collect taxes. The largest city and self-declared capitol of the country is the Twilight Loch, a fog-coated city that floats upon a lake of the same name. Despite the difficult circumstances that many people endure here, much of Halintar's most famous works of art, music, and theater are created and expressed here.

The Fringe's territory is far from scenic, composed mostly of vast swampy wetlands or narrow, spire-like mountain ranges. Towns are scattered throughout the country even in highly-inhospitable locales, often relying on the difficult terrain to keep themselves protected from invaders or monsters.

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## History

Though they do not have a particular central organization system, the people of the Fringe would often gather up en masse for various happenstances, both virtuous and villainous in nature.

### Prehistory

#### The Twin-Headed Beast

At some point after the arrival of human nomads but far before the beginning of the Insurrection, a large cult of humans attempted to summon a demonic/devilish creature known only to ancient texts as the Twin-Headed Beast. Though they were successful in summoning it, it was soon banished to whence it came by several of the Dragon-Gods. The aftermath of it's dismissal sent out a wave of dark energy which cursed it's would-be followers, transforming them into the native Hellrider and Ashstalker tieflings that are most prolific in the Fringe to this day.

### The Insurrection (3,000-2,000 years ago)

Alongside all other Dragon-God worshipers, the people of the Fringe were also heavily anti-dwarf during the time of the Insurrection. They kept a very heavy watch on their northernmost border, slaying any dwarven forces that dared cross into their territory.

### The Age of Ardence (2,000-905 years ago)

Though it's called a peaceful age, the Fringe suffered frequently during this era due to the frequent attempts to colonize the territory by Dinante and the forces of the Northeastern Badlands. By allying themselves with the Great Northwest and the Southern Mantle (usually not at the same time) the country was able to push away or halt many of these attempts, but they did leave their mark on much of the country's civilizations. There are small sand elf populations dotted throughout the country as well because of this, who often condemn the actions of their ancestors.

### The Metier Era (905 years ago to present)

Whatever forces of the Fringe could be gathered by Karomatzu, the Glitterati, or the Twilight Loch were often sent as mercenaries or peace treaty-required reinforcements to assist with whomever the local Dragon-God had allied himself with at the time. The inhospitable native terrain as well as fueling other gods' squabbles/grudges allowed the Fringe to dodge out of a lot of grief that the other countries had during the bulk of the Metier Era. In fact, such tactics allowed them to heavily distract the Kaiken forces in other locations, which ultimately left the Fringe almost completely untouched for the entirety of their occupation.

Due to the abuse that Halintar and the Fringe specifically suffered at the hands of the Badlands and Kaiken, the people of the Southwestern Fringe have largely learned to be very self-defensive. While the cities and towns closer to the border remain a bit friendlier, the deeper you go into the country the more cut-throat and mistrusting the populations are of any outside visitors. This ultimately culminates to the most cut-throat, backstabbing, self-centered beings of the whole country, the noble families that comprise the Glitterati.

## Geography

### Climate

The bulk of the Fringe is pretty damp-weathered thanks to the swamplands, with frequent storms or bouts of fog that seem ever-present regardless of the season. Things dry up the higher you ascend in to the mountaintops, where occasionally snow can be witnessed. Overall it tends to be hot and humid for most of the year in most of the country.

### Fauna & Flora

*(See: Fauna and Flora of the Southwestern Fringe)*

Thanks to serving as a "home base" of most of the Thunderfleet, there are many monstrous and terrifying beasts that roam the terrain of the Fringe. While many of them are slain before their populations grow too much, there are still many odd creatures that have blended into the ecosystem over time. A lot of these creatures may also be exterminated from the Fringe itself, but be placed in other countries as a form of warfare or sabotage.

## Demographics

### Blocks

States/precincts are designated as "Blocks", though many of them have territory borders that bust through or overlap one another. They tend to be named after popular artists or works of art that originated from that area.

### Ethnic Groups

In the past, it was primarily kobolds living in the Fringe. Their earliest ancestors lived in scattered communities, many of which allied themselves with Karomatzu and his brood. It's believed that they were the ones to start the tradition of worshiping the deity through the creation of art, though the god himself claims that he was the one who enforced such a thing. They are also excellent trap-smiths and builders, having founded and built the Twilight Loch on the water to remain safe from land-based threats.

Many human nomads moved here and established more permanent homes during the times before the Insurrection as well, looking to Karomatzu and his brood as muses for their art. However, at some point in ancient history a large group of them turned to the dark arts, summoning a massive evil figure only known in old texts as the Twin-Headed Beast. Though they were successful in completing the ritual, several of the Dragon-Gods arrived (including Karomatzu) to banish the creature. As it was slain it expelled a powerful dark aura across the land, cursing those who failed to help it rise to power. This resulted in the creation of the Ashstalker and Hellrider tieflings.

### Language

Common is the most prolific language here, as it is in every other Halintar country aside from the Sea of Salt.

There are several other languages that rival each other in popularity, but the top ones are generally Yipyak, Aquan, and Infernal. Hanofue and Draconic are also popular, but moreso for theater and other art forms rather than as an actual communication/utility language.

### Religion

*(See: The Tyrian Society for the Glitterati Elite)*

Worship of Karomatzu is highly revered in the Fringe, as all artists look to the purple-feathered god as a source of inspiration and talent for their creations. Creatives who impress the god or his brood enough are often spirited away from their homes (by choice or otherwise) in order to live deep within the mountains, entertaining the Glitterati and Karomatzu's descendants. These entertainers are pampered and live for free amongst the Dragon-God's vast riches. It's said that when they become too old or aged to perform that most artisans are preserved in the form of petrified sculptures, paintings, or otherwise archived in order for them to be admired for their work even after their demise.

Temples that double as artistic workshops or theaters are commonplace even in small towns because of this desire to create for their deity.

## Old data, delete later

The Southwestern Fringe is a land of twisted peaks, murky waters, and occult worshipers. from the edge of the continent, to the massive lake, the Twilight Loch, home to the capitol of the region, named the same. In deeper levels the bandit sweetfish capitol Vityaz. The land is diverse, and holds great secrets. The region borders both the Southern Mantle, and The Great Northwest, but these borders are frequently contested. The population is split between both the, swamps and the mountains. Most of the resources come from other regions, so they trade often with the Great Northwest and the Southern Mantle. Kobolds and Tieflings make up most of the population of the Fringe, but humans and Orcs also reside here as well. All civilians worship Karomatzu, the vain purple dragon, and his doctrines are ruled by the extreme.

Civilians of the fringe love, above all except their god, the arts. The citizens of karomatzu are born into this world and taught early on that making an impact in this world is above everything else. It’s not what you do in life, it’s what you accomplish that the world will see and remember you by. getting their is difficult depending on what culture you were raised in, but once you make it, it doesn’t matter where you are from. Citizens are taught by Karomatzu doctrine that Order and ambition will bring Halintar to a new age, and that even when working in the shadows, the impact of your actions are what is of the highest importance.

Karomatzus brood acts as speakers to kobolds, flying around and holding congregations of worshiping the greatness of the Purple dragon, they often also preform mission work, but there is a common rumor that they go to foreign towns recently and preform, darker deeds, but none recorded so far.

Most of the stretches most famous pieces of writing can be originated from the Fringe, or so they tell people

Weapons of choice are long pole like weaponry like Lances, most initiates of Karomatzus army are well adept in at least this weapon art.