Arkanos

*The continent bordering the eastern reaches of Castia and The Alagon Ocean.*

## **The Steelborn Empire**

### **Culture**

The Steelborn Empire worships power. Those who have power demand obedience and adulation from those who don’t and the web of intrigue and control that surrounds the different forms of power is the core of the Empire’s culture. Attaining power in the Empire is theoretically available to anyone, even to slaves, but those who are jealous and fearful tend to sabotage up-and-coming threats to their own power.

The Steelborn Empire is also very new, only having existed for the past 20 years as a band of human mercenaries from Castia invaded the dwarven kingdom of Dumath’s Hold, bringing in more and more humans from Castia as they took over dwarven fortresses, enslaved prisoners of war and imported slaves from all over the world.

### **Important Locations**

* Steel’s Edge (formerly Dumathoin’s Glory) (Capital), trade city, on Castia’s side
* Iron Cliffs (formerly Amethyst Citadel), mining city, on Arkanos’s side.

### **Leaders**

**The Everlasting Emperor, Darius Steelborn**

The emperor’s name is not the one he was given at birth, but one he chose for himself upon beginning his career as a mercenary. Furthermore, the Emperor is seeking for a way to obtain immortality, either via demigod status or a form of undeath that gives him maximum benefits with minimal weaknesses.

## The Goliath Coalition of Grakath

### **Culture**

Fiercely independent but rooted in traditions of solidarity and hospitality, Grakath is very proud of its moral and ethical fiber, in contrast to its bitter enemy, the Steelborn Empire. They value freedom, honor, justice, respect and, empathy, all values they believe are lacking in other nations. Goliaths take in freed slaves and foreigners with open arms, but expect them to adapt to the local culture, which values hard work in a harsh land and an ongoing interest in both personal and communal improvement.

Only adult citizens of a village are allowed to vote in the town hall meetings, and both the act of becoming an adult and the act of transitioning from foreigner to citizen require some sort of trial, often a difficult task to help the village in some way. When major decisions must be made that affect the entire Coalition, each village sends a democratically chosen representative to the High Summit that takes place in a stone chamber carved in the area where a meteorite landed on Stars’ Reach, the tallest mountain in the Starcrown Mountains (which roughly matches Coalition territory). The meteorite is kept in a secret temple of Selune hidden among the peaks and is said to be a source of magical power that must only be tapped in times of great need.

### **Important Locations**

* Starstone Falls (Capital), cultural town

* Icevale, trade town.

### **Government**

Direct democracy. Each small village votes in town hall meetings on each major decision.

## Arkan

### **Culture**

Focused around ancestor worship and harmony with nature, divided into loose castes based around the elven subraces. Wood elves manage nature, gathering resources, turning trees into buildings and tending to the environment; drow (also known as “dark elves”) have been guided to the surface once more by Eilistraee, and currently function as the intelligence network, acquiring information and eliminating threats to the nation; sea elves guard the shores of the nation and handle trade overseas; shadar-kai (also known as “veil elves”) rejected the worship of the Raven Queen millennia ago and converted to the Eternal Elders, they are now in charge of funerary rites, patrolling the nation and dealing with planar threats and undead that are not the benevolent type; high elves are both the lorekeepers of the nation and the ones that maintain its ancient magical protections; eladrin (also known as “solstice elves”) are warriors, artists and, athletes, their moods and personalities shifting like the seasons; and avariel (also known as “wind elves”) are scouts, traders and messengers swift as the wind that perform important logistics work for the nation.

There is a small enclave of Silva deep in Arkan. While officially part of the nation, it is granted complete independence and autonomy. Silva and elves maintain a cordial alliance, and both have free pass through their territories. Additionally, any elf from Arkan can become a Baelnorn (good-aligned lich) if they have lived there for at least 500 years, and complete a 10-year induction program, though there is a long waiting list for the ritual. Any Baelnorn can join the Eternal Elders if they have at least a thousand years of service on record, though there is also a (much shorter) waiting list for that as well.

### **Important Locations**

* Arkan’esh (Capital), cultural city

* Myrannor, trade city.

### **Government**

The Eternal Elders, a large senate of benevolent undead elves that make government and religious decisions. Counts as a NG divine entity capable of granting spells (and possibly pacts) with the Death, Grave, Protection and Nature domains.

## Jaghai

### **Culture**

Consisting of the native hobgoblins, the orcs who once conquered the land, and the bugbears who once roamed the hills, the people of Jaghai are a deeply honorable culture with a history of wars defending against a foe from beyond this plane. The native hobgoblins had stood guard against this foe, a race of powerful aberrants named the Daelkyr, since the Age of Blood, when the rift was barely large enough to let a single creature through. But when the orcs came, a lost people seeking a new homeland through conquest, they laughed at the “myths” of evil beyond this world and treated the Jaghai like any other conquest. When the Daelkyr began to swarm through, establishing eldritch fortresses and twisting native Solani beings into monsters, they learned otherwise. Combining forces with the handful of remaining hobgoblins and all other nations they could contact, the orc legions faced a horde of mutant humanoids, corrupted beasts, and monstrous constructs in what became known as the Rift War. Eventually, the combined forces of the Solani were victorious, but the cost was devastation to the lands surrounding the rift, creating what is known as the Forsaken Wastes, and the decimation of their people.

Haunted by the price of their arrogant bloodlust, the orcs split into two groups: The Eldeen and the Azure Wardens. The Eldeen swore never to lead, instead becoming servants to the land and those they had wronged. While mostly farmers and woodsmen, some found the path of the druid and became spiritual guides and advisors to their people. The Azure Wardens were formed by those orcs who felt either too tainted by the blood on their hands to return to peace or too bound by duty to leave the Rift unguarded. They swore to defend Solan against the aberrations beyond the rift, becoming renowned warriors and the champions of the Jaghai against future incursions. Though they later accepted members from other races, the first Azure Wardens were exclusively orc warriors.

The bugbears of Jaghai were originally conquered by the invading orcs, but when the other vassals were slaughtered or consumed by the Daelkyr, they fought back with tenacity and ingenuity, freeing their thralls and disrupting their methods of control. When the beleaguered resistance groups were finally reinforced, their allies found skilled scavengers and craftsmen able to use almost any materials. After the war, they used those talents to rebuild, becoming responsible for the majority of modern Jaghai’s cities and fortresses, as well as comprising the vast majority of their urban population. Finally able to settle in one place, without fear of constant attack, they take pride in ornate architecture that incorporated natural terrain and character.

### **Important Locations**

* Maghal (Capital, fortress-city)
* Dharal Citadel (The headquarters of the Azure Wardens)
* The Forsaken Wastes (The region surrounding the Aberrant Rift)
* Nulao (A grand druidic grove-city).

### **Government**

An Aristocratic Republic lead by hobgoblins. During the Daelkyr War, the hobgoblins formed a leadership caste out of necessity, needing to train others in warfare effective against the Daelkyr as well as needing the authority to enact strategies and make decisions swiftly with the aid of their centuries of experience with this strange foe. Afterwards, the arrangement remained, expanding through guilty reparations to lend almost all leadership positions to the surviving hobgoblins. Now they form the Quorum, a governing body which votes on matters of state, with each speaker representing anywhere from as few as 100 to as many as 5,000 people.

### **Leaders**

**First Warden Bulkaran**

* The first bugbear to lead the Azure Wardens. A veteran of hundreds of battles, his quiet wisdom and ferocious wit are an inspiration to new recruits and old hands alike. His graying fur and missing eye cause some concern among the Quorum, and his opponents are spreading rumors that he is losing his touch.

**Archdruid Kelmanah**

* The most influential guide of the Eldeen. A short and slender orc with blue tattoos spiraling down her arms, Kelmanah’s presence is disproportionately powerful. Her husky voice stirs the blood with the passion of the wind, the strength of stone, and the playfulness of flame as she advises those who seek her counsel.

**Speaker Valkata**

* The charismatic hobgoblin who represents the capital city of Maghal in the Quorum. An outspoken advocate for global alliances and a ferocious debater, her scalding tongue is infamous for publicly dismantling her opponents and their arguments. Her pledges of support to Harmony’s Hand have greatly strengthened their ties with foriegn druidic branches and ranger lodges.

## Dumath's Hold

### **Culture**

What was once a proud kingdom dedicated to the worship of Dumathoin, the dwarven god of gems, precious metals, and mining, wealthy and prosperous, has been reduced in only 20 years to a grim, distrustful militaristic state where every citizen must be trained for combat. Located inside the Snowglint Peaks, it used to own a great deal of land on both Castia and Arkanos, which has now been taken over by the Steelborn Empire. Reduced to a fraction of its former glory, Dumath’s Hold persists thanks to the keen intellect of its Diamond Queen, who has become ruthless in her determination to avenge her people and recover what was taken from them.

Dumathoin is said to have created the Urdunnir, a subset of shield dwarves that dwell in the Underdark and can swim through the earth and subsist on gems instead of food, and while the people of Dumath’s Hold believe in such a tale, they have yet to meet an Urdunnir.

### **Important Locations**

* Vengeance’s Hold (formerly Goldstone Spires), new capital, military city (formerly mining/trade).

### **Leaders**

**The Diamond Queen, Myrrah Blackstone=**

## Ark'Velahr

### **Culture**

After 15 years of war with the Steelborn Empire, a cunning and adaptive military that actively avoided killing enemies so that it could enslave them instead, the elves of Arkan that were in charge of defending the border with the Steelborn Empire emancipated themselves 5 years ago. Eschewing the Eternal Elders, they have regressed into a more barbaric worship of the First Warrior, a very ancient figure of myth revered in Jaghai, Grakath, and Arkan, believing their power can be channeled by those worthy or strong enough. As a result, while their loose caste division remains mostly the same, all elves are now trained in combat regardless of role and are expected to either emulate the First Warrior directly or perform a role with their courage and ferocity.

The elves of Ark’Velahr have turned towards the worship of their ancestors, calling themselves the Ancestral Guardians. They channel the strength and power of their forebears and mythical figures of the past to fight back against the Steelborn Empire and the massive increase in piracy and banditry in the area in the past 20 years.

### **Important Locations**

Warwood (formerly Iryannor), capital, military city

### **Leaders**

**The Warrior’s Chosen; currently** **Syllem Greenblade, solstice elf barbarian**

## The Unchained Lands

### **Culture**

The slaves that are freed from the Steelborn Empire have begun to settle in a stretch of land between the Goliath Coalition of Grakath and the Steelborn Empire, an area of cold hills that is too mountainous for the Empire and used to belong to the Coalition, but was graciously ceded to the freed slaves as Grakath had little interest in inhabiting the area but was more than happy to give it to allies willing to use it and defend it. The nation is very young, it only managed to gather enough numbers to fully secure its borders 2 years ago, but it now boasts a couple of thousand inhabitants, most of them of races that were enslaved elsewhere and then imported to the Empire (mainly Ondonti orcs).

While most of the inhabitants of the Unchained Lands are former slaves that wish to leave their past behind, the frequent raids made by the Steelborn Empire have left them with little choice but to become a heavily fortified locale. The nation is currently undertaking a massive engineering effort; seeking to build an enchanted stone wall consecrated to Hoar along its northern, southern and western borders, using magically-charged stone provided by Grakath that is said to take in enchantments very easily. They are also seeking efforts to secure their skies, attempting to strike alliances with flying races or developing their own means of patrolling the air. Each of the three main constructions of the Unchained Lands is dedicated to one of these three major deities: The Cathedral of Respite (to Ilmater), the Wall of Vengeance (to Hoar) and the Beacon of Peace (to Eldath).

### **Government**

Democratic Republic. The Wanderers, democratically elected officials; each settlement elects one and they are supposed to wander the area providing aid and making decisions, and convene with other Wanderers to decide matters of state on the cathedral of Ilmater, located on the capital town.

## **Landmarks**

**Stars’ Reach**
The tallest mountain in the Starcrown Mountains, said to attract meteors, its stone has become magically charged by the meteors over the millennia and is now used for construction that can take in enchantments more easily. Strange astral phenomena are said to visit those who dwell near its peak for too long, especially those who dream there.

**The Eternal Grove**
A sacred grove from time immemorial, suffused in stasis magic that abhors change and has preserved its pristine beauty for countless millennia. Baelnorn rituals take place here, as the prospective lich is infused with a bit of the stasis magic that permeates the air and is thus granted undeath. Some members of the Eternal Elders reside here, overseeing the rituals and studying its wondrous effects.

**Jak’lan (Mirrortruth in Goblinoid)**
A small lake deep in the jungles of Jaghai, its waters are enchanted by a powerful magic that dispels illusions and reveals all things as they truly are. However, prolonged exposure results in visions where one is confronted with one’s true self. This has been utilized by the Azure Wardens as part of their initiation ritual, giving them a great advantage against the confusion of the Far Realm.

**The Beacon of Peace**
Built in the Unchained Lands at the center of Freedom’s main square, from enchanted stone sent by the Goliath Coalition of Grakath, it stands as a testament to the alliance between both nations, serves as a beacon to escaped slaves (a faint bluish light visible like a star across the entire northern part of the continent), and is consecrated to Eldath, casting an aura of peace and protection around it.

**Dumathoin’s Gift**
Deep in the caverns of Dumath’s Hold near an opening to the Underdark, in the Snowglint Mountains, lies a stream of liquid gold. It issues forth from a crack in a cave wall and runs past the ruins of what looks to be an old camp, its inhabitants long since gone. When the gold is removed from the stream, it turns to ash and blows away with the slightest breeze. The dwarves of Dumath’s Hold believe this to have been a gift from Dumathoin to the Urdunnir. They have no evidence to back this claim, for they have never seen an Urdunnir, but they also believe that the gold is enchanted to only allow those blessed by Dumathoin to use it.