Islandra

A map of Islandra c. 20 DD

**Islandra** is the northernmost island province in Karden. It was home to the monsters of Ragnor the Plane Shifter for many years before finally becoming inhabited by the people of Karden. It is split into two halves by a nearly impassible mountain range.

## History

### Establishment

Islandra is the only province in Karden to have no connection to an older kingdom or empire. It is not even included in the original empire united by Rickard I. Islandra is not officially recognized as a province until 158 CD, when the Wild Wars were declared ended. Certainly, many brave settlers had been making their homes on the island as early as 99 CD, but there is not even a recorded Human presence until 49 CD, when Dorin Sayar destroyed the tower of Ragnor and sealed the great plane that had been growing there.

Up until that point, Islandra had been home to monsters and demons, as evidenced by their numbers through the Summoner's and Wild Wars. It is unknown how many beasts were brought to the island, either by boat or through planar magic, but until the end of 158 CD, it was full enough to the point of being unsafe.

The first settlers came to Islandra on the western side of the Border Mountains, establishing a few well-fortified keeps, before attempting to farm the land. It quickly became clear that the arid land would not take crops well, save for the few rarer herbs from Daria. Jay Tellebaum is the first to be assigned Lordship of the land.

### Near Destruction and Rebuilding

Not long after being opened for settlement, Islandra became host to a fleet of ghostly ships at the start of the Ghost War. Using their wraith-like powers, the ghosts tore through the western cities, leaving few standing outside of the heavily garrisoned keeps, Every member of House Tellebaum was wiped out in the first wave of attacks, leaving the province leaderless by 166 CD.

House Turok was sent to restore order to the province, given their history of intermarriage with House Godric. Doing so prevents them from aiding their liegelord in the subsequent rebellions. During this time of reconstruction, Lord Turok begins traversing the Border Mountains, hoping to find greener lands on the other side. He eventually succeeds in conquering the mountains and establishing cities in the east, but more importantly, his troops discover a strange mineral in the mountains as they pass. Dubbed "asteran steel," this mineral could not be bent or broken once crafted into blades and bars, though Lord Turok went through his entire supply of equipment just to mine enough for three bars. Following his arrival on the other side, he immediately sent for skill craftsmen with better equipment to mine the mineral, eventually leading to the first Halfling settlements on Karden.

The line of House Turok ended in Islandra in 207 CD, leading to House Banal taking over through marriage, leading to the first rumors that the Lordship of Islandra is cursed. Lord Banal continues the pursuit of mining supplies and experts to extract workable amounts of asteran steel. House Banal was given a charter to trade overseas with other lands. While they were gone, House Buran, a well known leader in Islandra, began fighting for the rights to mine astaran steel. With no resistance from Lord Banal, the new House was able to set up many mining camps and eventually took control of the entire province in 224 CD.

### Continuing Threats

After the Lordship changed hands yet again, people began to worry about the stability of the province. The western half still faced the threat of endless waves of monsters, while the eastern cities were still quite new, dealing with the simple issues of establishing trade routes, something that should have been managed by a more attentive Lord. Instead, the remaining members of House Banal returned with more Halfling experts, leading to a drawn-out conflict with the new Lord Buran. Eventually all members of House Banal renounced their claims on the Lordship following strange attacks and disappearances.

The Wizard's College was established around 225 CD in eastern Islandra, despite calls for it to send members to the west. This became a point of contention during the Age of Dark Learning, when members of the Order of the Red Sword arrived with the goal to purge magical interference from the production of asteran steel. They received no pushback from the minor Houses and were able to quickly undo any influence the College had with the Lords of Islandra. This unfortunately let to the failing of a magical barrier around Ragnor's Hole, leading to a resurgence of monster attacks and the untimely eradication of House Buran at the hands of disgruntled mages.

### Current Dealings

Following the defeat of the leaders of the Way of Walking and the end of the Age of Dark Learning, Islandra was in need of leadership yet again. The council of Lords that had appointed the new king Richard II sought to get one of their own members the Lordship, continuing their hold over Karden. Instead, infighting among the members led to a delay in the appointment, until the time of Alan Godric, the grandson of Richard II. Eschewing control of the council of Lords, Alan appointed House Silverwing as caretakers of Islandra.

Lord Silverwing began a strong campaign against yet another resurgence of monsters in the absence of leadership in the province, sparking the Northern War. Along with a number of other Royal Houses, the Silverwings began to route the monsters in the eastern side of Islandra back into the mountains, where they were able to keep watch for any potential attacks. The Company of of Heroes, now known solely as The Company, began a secondary campaign to protect the western cities under the command of Thaddius Durian. Grateful for the aid, the western cities began to treat the Company as their regents, ignoring many calls from Lord Silverwing.

in 14 DD, a massive attack on eastern Islandra came from the Border Mountains, overwhelming the entire guardian force set to keep watch. After a series of seemingly magical atacks, House Silverwing is nearly eradicated. The remaining members of the Royal House in Portsmouth decide not to tempt the curse on the Lordship, and allow Thaddius Durian to take complete control of the province. He begins investigations into the attacks on the former Lord's House and determines Human mages are involved. He petitions Centrium for aid and shuts down all access to the province without official Royal approval.

Currently, the Northern war rages on, and House Durian is cautious to inspect all goods flowing in and out of Islandra. This has put a strong stopper on asteran steel trade on the mainland and has led to a fairly strict rationing policy in the cities of Islandra.

## Geography

The geography of Islandra is very distinctly split into east Islandra and west Islandra by the Border Mountains. There are no bordering provinces, as the Glass Ocean surrounds the island province on all sides. The Harridan Peninsula in Daria is the closest point to the mainland, sitting just a few miles away from the Deathly Peninsula in the west.

Eastern Islandra is a rather rocky region, beset by hills and minor mountains that stretch across the province from north to south. The most obvious feature in the east is Ragnor's Hole, a man-made cavern that gapes for miles. It was created in the aftermath of the destruction of Ragnor's Tower in 49 CD, itself a remnant of the Summoner's War. There is little fertile land except near the Lonely River, which flows out of the southern Border Mountains.

Western Islandra is much more hospitable, with a series of freshwater lakes joined by major rivers that provide nutrients to the soil. While still not as fertile as the mainland, farming in western Islandra is enough to provide for the many small villages that dot the land. There are a series of smaller mounts in the far west that marks the site of a major battle during the Ghost War. It is often a landmark for many trade expeditions to use when entering Islandra without having to stop in Portsmouth.

## Demographics

#### Population

Islandra is not as homogeneous as most of the other provinces of Karden are. There are nearly the same amount of Humans and Elves living on the island, likely as a result of Elven persecution and slavery on the mainland. During the age of Dark Learning in Islandra, as long as you served in the military, you could not be forced into slavery. This benefited Elves and Dwarves both, but many Dwarves have since returned to western Karden to be among kin.

Halflings are also more prominent here than on any other province due to the influx of mining experts brought in from distant lands. Halfling ingenuity is valued quite highly around the world, though it is rare to find Halflings so embroiled in mining as they are in Karden. The first merchants started as scholars studying the minerals and merchants selling equipment, but quickly led to Halfling settlements all around the island. Now, there are few people that know how to work asteran steel as the Halflings of Islandra, aside from the Dwarves who have worked it for generations before its discovery on the surface.

#### Culture

Islandra is a rough province, and nearly everyone who lives there is hardened to survival. Even the Royal Houses participate in the battles with the monsters of the west, though often in leadership positions from afar on the battlefield. In cities and towns, it is rare to see someone without a weapon, even a simple dagger buckled at their hip. No one is expected to turn in their weapons from town to town either, and to expect a visitor to remove any weapons is quite uncouth.

Military service is also near mandatory, as anyone of any class, race or gender is expected to serve for at least 3 years between the ages of 17 and 25. This leads to many poor families hosting service day parties for their children on their 25th birthday, as they must enlist or face conscription. Anyone in the military cannot be forced into prison or servitude for any reason until their military duties are up. Punishment for crimes while on duty instead mean transfer to the front lines in the mountains or around the Hole, a death sentence for most untrained, non-carrier soldiers.

There is also a severe mistrust of magic among the people of Islandra, especially in the west. Magic is seen as cheating your way through life, and the smell of spell residue, be it chalk, smoke, or ozone, is thought to be a draw for monsters. Practitioners should stick to the major cities in the east if they do not want to face fear and even attack for simply casting a basic nature spell.

## Economy

There is little trade outside Islandra that does not seek asteran steel to some degree. Wizards want it for spell components, merchants want it for its workability in its refined form, soldiers want it for its reliability in arms and armor, and nobility want it for its value as a status item. As asteran steel can only be mined in the Border Mountains, it is the backbone of the entire Islandran economy. It is highly regulated by the Lord of Islandra and every bar that is forged is marked with s sigil and a serial, to designate when it was made and under the watch of which company. Traders are allowed to see the metal only in its final worked form, as the Royal Houses of Islandra have all agreed to prevent the sale of the mineral in its raw form.

There are many other exports that Islandran merchants deal with as well, from stone and gold in the east, to pearls, dyes and rare herbs in the west. Western Islandra is the only other location that can grow many of the herbs coming from Daria, though farmers have yet to produce a viable deathweed crop.

Imports include basic foods, like wild game and grains, as the yield from eastern Islandra is not quite enough for the province to rely on. There is also a reliance on foreign lumber to keep the asteran steel mines going, and a need for textiles in the east in the more Royal Houses.

 New Elven Empire