recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Cudumbian (culture)

Cudumbian culture is that of a collection of peoples living near the mouth of the Flentia River.

## History

The Cudumbians were originally, like the other human settlers of the continent, refugees from Halcyonia - at the time of settlement there are estimated to have been five thousand, mostly soldiers, but with around a thousand women and children too. The Cudumbians were mostly Thai, though there were Cambodians, Laotians and Malays with them as well. The contingent is believed to have been led by King Naresuan.

The Cudumbian contingent split from the main fleet early on following a quarrel with the Negaran contingent. They, along with the Huon and Tianguese contingents, took a route down the Sucurum River that led them back to the ocean. The Cudumbians stopped here, settling on the fertile riverbank. Naresuan founded the city of Sukhurom (now known as Sucurom) in the 7th Century BCE and his followers spread out, heading inland as far as the Jan'ah Hills. They formed the first incarnation of the Kingdom of Chanakhar.

When Naresuan died in 643BCE, his son Trinawat tried to keep the peace in the Cudumbian lands, but he was only sixteen and was unable to keep the kingdom together. Chanakhar dissolved, with King Trinawat only retaining hegemony over Sukhurom and Khuradhong.

## Architecture

Cudumbian architecture involves structures of wood rather than stone like most Coalition states. Houses are up to three storeys high, built of a mixture of oak and birch depending on the storey. They take on pyramidal forms, with each storey being square and wider than the storey above.

Traditionally the top storey is around sixteen to twenty square metres and serves as a shrine, though in the case of single-storey structures this rule is ignored; instead the northernmost corner of the house is used.

The exterior beams of Cudumbian houses are painted red, though often this fades in the sun to become pink. The roofs are covered with ceramic tiles and painted black or brown.
Bourac

Bourac is a town in the southwest of Lacrive, lying on the Roite de Montain Soud. It also spawns a road leading south and across the Guang border to the capital city of Sagai.

Bourac is the home of the Conts de Bourac, a line of noblemen currently of House Dò Dalaix.

The town is primarily an agricultural town, with the arms of its ruling house reflecting this - the primary exports of Bourac are wool and mutton, with a smaller focus on beef as well.
Language in Tairghol

Language in Tairghol is fairly simple. All known languages are descended from a common ancestor: The Language of Death.

## History

During the pre-colonisation period during which the world's whole human population was on Halcyonia, the entire race spoke the same language. This language, the Language of Death, warped and changed its form to match the language of the dominant power on Earth. At the time of the war that led to the colonisation of Tairghol, the eminent power was the United Kingdom; hence the Language of Death took on the form of English.

Once the tyrant of Halcyonia was toppled humanity lost its immortality and the Language of Death lost its staying power. The disparate humans of Halcyonia slowly drifted back to their original languages, though there were enough humans born in Halcyonia to cement a myriad forms of pidgin English as the new 'languages'. These varies in their detachment to the original: Talorian stuck fairly close to English while Tianguese deviated completely, becoming a lot like the Cantonese language.

Over time these deviated more, forming the languages we know today. They can be split roughly into five branches: Taloric, Caharlic, Arpo-Vorsilic, Parsanic and Cordic.

* **Taloric** covers languages that sound like English, French, Italian and such: a mixture of Romance and Germanic languages mostly found around the Trade Lake.
* **Caharlic** is a group of Asiatic languages such as Huon, Tianguese and Cudumbian. These are found all over the north and west coasts of Tairghol, from Pharom to Kamkara.
* **Arpo-Vorsilic** languages are Slavic in nature. These dominate, obviously, Arpia and the Vorsilian states, as well as a smattering of the central Sacred Coalition.
* **Parsanic** languages are Arabic and Persian, found in and around Suren's Desert. They are very similar in wording and syntax; a person raised in Mamelkert can understand a Jhaladian even though, strictly speaking, they are conversing in different languages.
* **Cordic** languages are found on the Cordic Plains. This covers a vast variety of languages including Reman and Carusian. While not exactly accurate to group them as such, it is inefficient to do otherwise.
Belangere

House Belangere, sometimes spelled Bellangere or Belanger, is a Lacrivian noble family residing near the centre of the country. They hold the Baronies of Orgeux and Charfort, with their seat being in the latter.

The Belangeres are subject to House Regnard, the Cont de Maritoise, who are subject to the crown itself. The Belangere realm is divided physically in two, withe the house having to maintain friendly relations with either House Bardin or Bechard to travel between their own holdings.

The arms of House Belangere are 'Aquamarine, a portcullis Or inside a bordure Argent, twelve quatrefoils of the second surrounding'.
Briawicke

The Kingdom of Briawicke was a warlike nation straddling the Spurnian River from the 1st to 4th Centuries.

## History

Briawicke was formed from dissenters. When Ocary began to shun its council government and transitioned to a monarchy, the people of Barkville resisted and complained. Not of the monarchy, but of the popular vote that elected a nobleman from Tern. and shunned Barkville.

The result was secession. Barkville formed its own monarchy, with King Samuel Waltham at its head. The town could not subsist on its own, and looked east to the rich, fertile banks of the Spurnian River. The Republic of Eltermere held these lands, but was militarily weak, and the republican government was disliked by King Samuel. This led to war just four months after the secession of Barkville. The Eltermerian War lasted three months, and saw a complete victory for Briawicke.

From here, Briawicke focused on peaceful expansion. The banks of the Spurnian were settled further north and south. Briawickian diplomats assisted in the formation of the Confederation of Sparhiel in 73, and this led to a long and fruitful alliance with the burgeoning confederation.

This alliance was tested in 123, with King Jormund Edricksen deciding the time was ripe to strike down Ocary. The War for Monsforde lasted only two years and resulted in the conquest of Monsforde, Longemonte, and Hastle Town. Ocary was pushed east, and so Briawicke flourished further.

In 168, Briawicke struck south and annexed the town of Helham, extending its influence as far south as the confluence of the East and West Spurnian Rivers. It entered into trade relations with the Kingdom of Alcantair-Albarossa, creating a stranglehold on trade as far upstream as Alcantair-Albarossa and as far downstream as Spurtown.

Unfortunately for the expansionist Kings of Briawicke, this trade alliance meant that conquest was now essentially ruled out if it was to remain a member. Instead expansion for the rest of Briawicke's existence was limited to settlement on the frontiers east of the Spurnian, and even this was fraught with danger as the Gotar threatened from the northeast.

By the dawn of the 3rd Century, Briawicke had been essentially pacified. Expansionism was regarded as below them, and instead the nation strove to improve itself internally instead of obtaining more land. It was diplomatically at loggerheads with the Kingdom of Yaradale, which was waging war in the same way Briawicke had been only a hundred years before.

In 320, Briawicke was one of a dozen nations invited to attend the Spurnese Council in 320. After seven years of negotiations, the council resolved itself in the formation of the Confederation of the Spur. Briawicke became the Briawickian Domain of the Spur, and the King of Briawicke remained as a hereditary governor.
Khalfani of Sapenet

Khalfani of Sapenet (602 - 678) was a Kisvaran explorer and merchant, hailing from the town of Sapenet. He travelled mainly through the Trade Lake and Vasterlands, being especially fascinated with the regimented and organised culture of Huon Sa. Upon his return to Kisvara in the 650's, he proposed to emulate the Huon system as an alternative to the tribal system already present in Barcunian culture.
Allnoth Eorlfric

Cyng Allnoth the Wall (462 - 510, reigned 505 - 510) was the ninth Cyng of Talor and the first from House Eorlfric. A burly man, Allnoth was known to be hearty and kind, often throwing lavish banquets. He was also known to be rather lazy, entrusting his son, the future Cyng Aethelhere Strongmace, with many of his duties.

Cyng Allnoth earned his epithet posthumously, during a raid by Varholdian deserters several years after the Battle of Vorgebirge. He held a bridge against the raiders, buying time for his retinue to arm themselves and fight back. He later died of his wounds, having so many mortal injuries that this event gave rise to the Talorian saying 'an Allnoth finish', meaning to do a complete and thorough job of something.

After Allnoth's death, he was avenged by his son in the Sack of Jyltheim.
Amir Tower

The Amir Tower is an abandoned tower in the Castle of the Sun, Qairi.

The Tower was built as part of the original plans, and named after Sheikh Peyman's son Amir Mofid. It served as an inner-wall corner tower until the end of the Siege of Qairi in 738-739, and gained its reputation on the last day of the siege.

On the very last day of the siege, the garrison was starving, exhausted, and generally just prepared to surrender. The Amir Tower was garrisoned by two dozen men, mostly levies from Qairi town. When the garrison of the castle surrendered, they were told to hold their positions and the new Kiban occupiers would round them up to be interned.

The Kiban soldiers sent to the Amir Tower were, for whatever reason, furious at the defenders. When they reached the tower, their officer ordered the Sahri soldiers' hands tied. He then began to push the defenders out of the top-level window. The first three Sahris suffered a fifteen-metre fall to land on the battlements of the curtain wall below. When the rest of the defenders protested, they were pushed back by the Kibans and given a choice - either die on Kiban spears, or fling themselves to their natural deaths.

There was one survivor of this massacre, who vanished into the crowd of Sahri prisoners-of-war, and spread the word of this injustice. The Amir Tower Massacre was one of the reasons for Sheikh Sahand's vicious retribution against the Kibans during the Year of the Plainspeople.

Since the Siege of Qairi, the Amir Tower has been abandoned due to soldiers - Kiban and Sahri alike - claiming to see the dead garrison flinging themselves out of the tower.
Dalforean League

The Dalforean League is a commercial and defensive confederation of countries in the Vasterlands and on the shores of the Trade Lake. It functions by giving members an edge in League markets and also acts as a defensive alliance; members attacked may be defended by the rest of the League.

The Dalforean League is currently at war with Lacrive and Scanbrough in the War of the South Lake.

The current League consists of:

* Dalfore
* Huon Sa
* Vadya
* Harä
* Talor
* Trisk
* Røgolm
* Avzold
* Kafetra
* Dunfleasel
Kiban Intervention

The Kiban Intervention was an event, part of the War of the Sacred Coalition, occurring in the year 667. Taking advantage of Vardanid weakness following the Vardano-Reman Religious Wars, Kiba invaded several Vardanid states and briefly occupied the Solitary Peak. This caused widespread outrage among splinter states across central Tairghol and ultimately resulted in the dissolution of the Kiban state following the Sack of Ojibwe.

The only action fought in the war was the Battle of Moccara, taking place southwest of Mokhar and resulting in the annihilation of Sharaf's armed forces.
Laageward

Laageward is the capital city of Oethen. Situated on the edge of Langress Bay, the city is home to around eighty thousand people, making it one of the largest cities on the Trade Lake.

Laageward sits on the coast road, leading from Landningen to Gehoven, and forms the end of another road leading to Arnburg.

Much of the land surrounding the city is below sea-level, and is liable to flood at short notice.
Korunn River

The Korunn River is a minor waterway south of the Trade Lake. It originates at the edge of the Central Desert and runs northwest until it empties into the Prye River. It has been artificially widened by order of traders in the city of Sahira because it forms Kajasthan's only access to the Trade Lake.
Abrunn (region)

Abrunn is an administrative region of Dalfore, lying in the northeast of the country. Its principal center is the city of Granwald, and other settlements include Salmor, Jalobras, Prensie and Galusar.

Abrunn is sandwiched between the Trade Lake and the Hurva River. The region of Krasnar lies to the west. As with the other northern Dalforean regions, Abrunn used to be a Tungrid splinter state.
Flarinius

Flarinius (c. 690BCE - 635BCE) was a Varappian poet and philosopher of the 7th Century BCE - one of Tairghol's oldest and most revered. He hailed from the then-proud city of Cheuria and was known to travel the surrounding areas frequently.

Flarinius had a very particular attitude in his writings, an attitude which meant he only became famous and popular after his death. He was an obsessive perfectionist, and ruthlessly criticised anything he believed to be ugly or imperfect. These objects ranged from buildings to trees and even people - his criticism of the clubfooted son of the Governor of Terpont is believed to have lead to his untimely death. Perhaps the most famous example of this, though, is his criticism of the fort that would later become the city of Ars Mons. Flarinius gave the city its name in a sarcastic jab at the fort's squat, ugly form.
Azeriko

Azeriko is a town in the Kingdom of Omeland's region of Alcorcia. It lies close to the border with Kajasthan, and is therefore an important fortress town.

## History

Azeriko was settled by primarily by the followers of Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba, known on Earth as El Gran Capitan. Many of these settlers travelled to Tairghol on the Conquistador, a Spanish merchant vessel, but a large minority were malcontents from the ships Gaviota and Luz Mercurio, whose crews settled in Guadalagoza but disagreed over the government of the new settlement.

This new town, dubbed Asercion after the Spanish word 'assertion', was founded on the banks of the river Jeronta. Gonzalo was not content with simply settling peacefully, building a defensive ring of forts around the town and attempting, in his later years, to expand and take the nearby town of Alcorcon. While Gonzalo took the town, he promptly lost it again when the farmers of another nearby town Zarandair rallied to Alcorcon's defence.

Asercion remained a neutral farming town until the formation of the first nation-states in the area during the 1st Century CE. After being taken by various warlords, it passed into the hands of The Spur. Here it remained until the Great Gap.

After the Gap the town's name had bastardised to Azeriko, and was now part of the Marcher Kingdom of Omeland. It has remained part of Omeland ever since, with the local noble families contributing eagerly to the cause during the Omelian Rebellion and the few wars the country has since been involved in.
Hojo Proxy War

The Hojo Proxy War is a conflict currently occurring between the Kaiganese powers of Kitabatake and Igashikuze. Currently Kitabatake is losing badly, but only because the Plainspeople are putting pressure on their eastern border and Kamkara blockading their ports.

The Proxy War is, as its name states, a relatively low-tension war. The combatants both have larger conflicts to consider, and respect and trust each other enough to only lightly defend their front lines. The war has been stagnant for several years, with the front line standing in southern Kitabatake by the coast and central Hojo in the east.

The war was instigated by an Igashikuze nobleman, Jinatama Hayata, who claimed ownership of land belonging to the Takazu clan of Kitabatake. The matter was escalated and the King of Igashikuze was forced to demand the land be returned. In response, Kitabatake Tenmen refused the demand, which led to war.
Harvota

Harvota is a large feudal country on the coast of the Persidian Sea. It is bordered by Tianguo, Kuojya, Tadmor and Dessar, as well as its cultural kin and rival Pyotrpod.

Harvota has a long border with the Plainspeople, a point which, combined with its long amicable history with them, gives Harvota a sinister look in the eyes of other human countries. Even with the expulsion of the Plainspeople during Raskinnis' Rebellion, Harvota has had trouble establishing friendly relaitons with any country other than Tianguo.
Lhantun

House Lhantun is a noble family seated in the Kingdom of Dunfleasel. They hold the Barony of Pantmawr, a small title on the Packmoor. Despite these poor holdings, the Lhantuns are held in high regard by many other Dunn lords, and some have said they are the most influential family on the Packmoor.

The arms of House Lhantun are 'Quarterly, I and IV, Or, a stag trippant, II and III, Sanguine, an eagle displayed of the first'.

The most famous member of House Lhantun is Baron Roderick of Pantmawr, who was a military commander during both the Scanbroughan Secession and the Sultan's War. While both were losses for Roderick's side, he won important victories in both and, in the latter, ensured Dunfleasel would not capitulate entirely, instead being able to bargain for peace.

## History

The first noble Lhantun was Merick, who was raised from a man-at-arms to a landless knight by the Duke of Armel in 565 for his family's longstanding loyalty to the Duke. He was later made Baron of Pantmawr in 589 due to the assassination of the previous Baron - the Duke saw this assassination as an indicator of unrest on the Packmoor, and Merick's job was to stabilise the situation by governing Pantmawr until a suitable replacement could be found, while policing the other lords under warrant from the Duke.

Merick saw this as more than a simple job, though. It was an opportunity. He attempted to put down real roots in the area, befriending the local lords and doing an excellent job at governance. When his term was up in 591, the Duke was forced to admit that Merick was the obvious choice for the new Baron. Thus the Lhantuns were cemented as the new hereditary Barons of Pantmawr.

Merick spent the rest of his life lying low, and his son Herd did the same. The third Lhantun Baron, Roderick, was born into a time of war. He was recognised for his tactical genius and made Aide-Marshal of the Packmoor before outgrowing that and becoming the Marshal of Armel, the commander of the armies of Dunfleasel. The Lhantuns gained stature, and Roderick's son Folster was married to the King's daughter, Tuala Hercouret.

Ever since then, the family has been less Dalian and more Lacrivian, in keeping with their now-royal blood. In recent years, this had gained them animosity from other lords on the Packmoor, though parcelled with a healthy respect due to the family's royal connections.
Lacrivia (region)

Lacrivia is a large sprawling geographical region lying on the southwestern shore of the Trade Lake. It itself is composed of four regions: Greater Lericonnia and Lesser Lericonnia lie on the northern and southern reaches of the Lericonne Mountains respectively, and the same goes for Greater and Lesser Alletoisia with regard to the Alletoix Mountains. These are often grouped into Greater and Lesser Lacrivia based on the same distinction.

## Etymology

Lacrivia's name is generally believed to stem from a folktale told about Clovis Merovingius, the leader of the contingent that settled in Greater Lacrivia during the 6th Century BCE. The story goes that he was able to walk from one side of the Crevier River to the other due to the multitude of shrimp in the water. Thus the land was named 'La Crevette' - 'the shrimp'. Over time this bastardised to La Creve, then finally to Lacrive, its current form.

## Geography

The geography of Lacrivia is split in two - Greater and Lesser Lacrivia have fairly different climates due to the mountains separating them.

Greater Lacrivia is on the coast of the Trade Lake - thus it is green and fertile, with the land used mainly for agriculture. Closer to the mountains the land becomes harsher and is used more for pasture. Summers generally average 25 degrees Celsius, and winters 10.

Lesser Alletoisia is in a similar situation to Greater Lacrivia in that it borders on a large body of water - in this case the Merkata River to the north and the Balantegue River to the south. This is a land of plains and large, fast-flowing rivers tributary to the Merkata and Balantegue.

Lesser Lericonnia is separated from any large body of water, and had an indeterminate boundary where it meets the edge of Suren's Desert. The hot desert winds blow all the way to the mountains, raising the temperature and making agriculture nigh-impossible - Lesser Lacrivians use their hilly, steppe-like land for pasture more than anything else. Large rivers are rare here as well, with the land punctuated by many narrow, deep streams flowing from clefts in the rock and disappearing to run underground.
Godefroy Le Maitre

Godefroy le Maitre (487 - 542) was a Lacrivian nobleman and the second commander of the Fallen Company. He marched the company back to Lacrive after the Battle of Vorgebirge led to the death of his predecessor, Valentin Bousquet, only to find himself, along with the rest of the Fallen Company, exiled.

## Early Life

Godefroy was born as the third son of Roumert le Maitre, one of the many chevaliens living in the city of Clernois. His house was too poor to afford a coat of arms and lived in almost the same style as peasants. Roumert had worked as a cobbler, and Godefroy's two older brothers Revald and Jerome were in line to take over the cobbler's and work as a baker's apprentice respectively. Godefroy was sent to the Fallen Company to try and turn the family fortunes around, carrying nothing but the clothes on his back.

## Battle of Vorgebirge

Godefroy found himself hopelessly outclassed by the proper chevaliens in the contingent, though there were a large number of chevaliens, probably a quarter of the total force, in his situation as well. Godefroy managed to take de facto command of this group by strategy and tact and was acknowledged as its leader by Valentin Bousquet when the former commander died of dysentery on the way to Vorgebirge.

Godefroy acquitted himself well at Vorgebirge; his men, while less heavily armoured, lacked none of the fervour of the other chevaliens and were placed at the front of the Lacrivian force at Vorgebirge. They jogged head of the main force and engaged the Tungrid infantry fiercely, using their speed and mobility to their advantage. It is said Godefroy personally wounded the Tungrid sub-commander Behnam, though there is likely no truth to this tale. When the attack fell apart Godefroy kept his men circling about the front of the Lacrivian force, putting the armoured troops between himself and the Tungrid arrows.

After Vorgebirge it was clear that, in the Lacrivian tradition, Godefroy and his men had brought honour and prestige upon themselves as never before. Godefroy was lauded as a hero even in the wake of the disastrous defeat. It was only natural that, when the former commander Valentin Bousquet died of his wounds, Godefroy was declared leader of the Fallen Company.

## Leader of the Fallen Company

Godefroy followed the instructions left to him by Valentin, taking the Fallen Company west and south through failing Varhold towards Lacrive. Upon reaching the border he was faced by King Jerome Ardouin, who officially exiled the entire force and stripped them of all noble rank.

Taking this in his stride, Godefroy negotiated with Dalfore to hire the company out as mercenary peacekeepers and turned the Fallen Company into a major armed deterrent in the region, establishing a presence along the entire northwest shore of the Trade Lake.

He left behind three sons by two different wives - Philippe and Theodore remained part of the Fallen Company while the administrative skill of the youngest, Gerard, was noticed by the Mayor of Helnas and, spiting his father's wishes, he became Dalforean nobility in Helnas and worked as the Mayor's personal assistant before travelling to Delfar.
Ealsor

Ealsor is the local center of the administrative region of Krasnar in Dalfore, and is the former capital of the nation of Krasnar. It lies on the south bank of the Hurva River.

Ealsor is home to two Aladornic Houses: Quincine and Valcorne. It was founded shortly after the Tungrids arrived in the area, around 505CE, as the tent-city of Alsher.

The town is a major centre of trade along the Hurva River. Though mostly of Tungrid architecture, its first governor Kaihan commissioned many Dalforean-inspired civic buildings which are currently in varying states of repair.
Lacrivian (culture)

The Lacrivian culture is a unique one - highly feudal and aggressive, Lacrivians value honour, valour and prestige above all. They tend to respond violently to threats against these three ideals.

## Architecture

Lacrivian architecture has always been fairly separate from the rest of the world - though it is currently being influenced lightly by Faramondian in the east and Dalforean in the west, this influence is stamped out where it is found as the Lacrivians hold only animosity and hatred towards these two cultures. Any other influence is too far away to have a meaningful impact.

Currently Lacrivian architecture looks a lot like a mixture of Baroque and Gothic styles. Many larger buildings are dark, brooding and gloomy with high spires, gargoyles and flying buttresses, though this is generally seen as an example of the disconnect between Lacrivian culture and the personality of the individual. Smaller buildings, houses and manors in particular, are lighter and more informal in style. The Chateu de Periconne is a prime example of this style; it features stained-glass windows with images of Urcane and Lacrivian folk heroes. Timber is visible in these designs, both structural and ornate, with plaster between load-bearing pillars.

## Folktales

Lacrivian folktales are generally related to knights and their deeds. Currently the Tol d'Gadfreuy is very popular in the country, and is being emphasised by the government or its inclusion of many Lacrivian knights - the Guerr-en-Exile and Sir Verrec being the most popular.

Past this, there are tales of knights and beasts - in the towns of Clanoît and Bòrmomble the story of the Halarack is sung often around campfires and in mead-halls, though this is done mostly to unnerve the Lacrivian soldiers keeping watch. The Halarack is said to feast on brave knights and warriors who venture into the Ruadhain Forest.

## History

Lacrivian culture really begins with Bertrand du Guesclin and Clovis Merovingius - the leaders of two contingents of the Halcyonian Flotilla - the Breton and French respectively. After the English and Irish split from Clovis' command he settled in the Greater Lacrivian region, while Bertrand had already settled across the mountains in Lesser Lacrivia.

Over time the two cultures came to interact and, as they were not too different to begin with, they quickly became analogous to a single culture - Lacrivian.
Kath

Kath is a Parsanian country in Suren's Desert, surrounded by Qar Parsana, Oq Parsana, Sahran and Sharaf.

The capital city of Rayneh lies in the north of the country, with the major towns of the country being Pura, Kermuj, Touysa, Abeyeh and Ilahr.

## History

Kath has always been a fiercely independent region - even under the Vardanid Empire, the Shahanshah was forced to give Kath a large degree of autonomy. Back then, the region consisted of Rayneh and the five towns surrounding it - Pura, Kermuj, Touysa, Majli and Sanaj.

During the Vardano-Reman Religious Wars, Kath was overrun by several rogue Reman legions. Rayneh was sacked twice, in 655 and 657, and the second legion to sack it - Legio de Silvestrius - tried to settle in the area. The Farmandar (governor) of Rayneh fled to Karbad.

The Farmandar of Rayneh died in exile in 658, and his son managed to convince the Farmandar of Karbad to assist him in freeing Rayneh. After this was achieved, the new Farmandar took a much more active approach to defending Kath. He forced the Legio de Nemus out of Ilahr in 661 and annexed it into the region, putting Kath into striking distance of the Farmandar of Rustif - an old friend of his father's. The border has since stood halfway between Ilahr and Rustif, and the Farmandars' alliance was never tested by Reman legions.

The Kiban Intervention occurred in the same year, and Kath joined the first incarnation of the Sacred Coalition, pledging its armies to help defend its neighbours from further Kiban expansionism. Kiba eventually backed off and surrendered the Solitary Peak without a fight.

When Patronya reformed the Coalition in 701, Kath was one of the first states to leave it and strike out on their own. At about the same time the Farmandar of Rustif died heirless and his titles were inherited by the Shah of Sharaf, leaving Kath without allies.
Cwylboar

The Cwylboar was a semi-legendary giant boar said to have terrorised the Cwylming region for decades. It was eventually slain in 433 by either Cyng Eomer Bonespear or Cyng Cyneheah Boarslayer depending on the person asked.

## Description

The Cwylboar was said to be twenty-five hands (2.5 metres) high at the shoulder, with a hide of rough black bristles and glowing red eyes. Its tusks were long enough that, in Eomer's version of the story, his successor Cyng Seaxwulf of the Waves used one of these tusks to craft the main mast of his longship. In this same account, it was said to have killed anything that encroached on its territory, including dragons.

## The Legend

In Eomer's account of the tale, he was accosted by villagers from a hamlet near Eordwald, a town in the Cwylming. They said that their village had been ransacked by this enormous monster. Eomer, ever the upstanding Cyng, gathered the Ricfriding Fyrdmen, two hundred in total, and set out to vanquish the beast.

Eomer entered the Cwylming via Cenholme and, passing Eordwald, camped in the ruins of the hamlet for a week without incident. He decided the villagers were lying and began to head back to the capital, though this time via Cynrheorst - he wished to visit his old friend Leofheah Herewulf, the father of soon-to-be Cyng Cyneheah.

Leofheah held a feast upon his arrival and all the Fyrdmen, Herewulf and Ricfriding, drank until they could no longer stand. Only Eomer, Leofheah and Cyneheah were left standing when, in the early hours of the morning, a bloodied villager burst into the feast hall and told them the Cwylboar had returned, attacking the outskirts of Cynrheorst.

Pulling on their armour and arming themselves, the three men attempted to rouse the Fyrdmen to no avail. Committing themselves to fate, they rushed outside to engage the beast in combat.

After a titanic struggle, the Cwylboar managed to gore Leofheah to death, leaving only Eomer and Cyneheah to face it. In a valiant effort, the pair managed to wound the beast and it limped away into the forest. The two men tracked it and found its nest, a forest clearing littered with the bones of marge creatures, speculated to be dragons, griffins and the such.

The beast attacked them again, though Eomer and Cyneheah held their own With the monster on its last legs, Eomer let down his guard and the dying Cwylboar disarmed and charged him. Here is where the legend differs. In one version, Eomer grabbed a fragmented dragon rib from the ground and stabbed the beast through the roof of its mouth and into its brain, killing it instantly. The boar's momentum carried it through and it still hit and wounded him, however.

In the other version of the tale, Eomer did not grab a weapon and was simply wounded and knocked unconscious by the Cwylboar's charge. Enraged, Cyneheah hacked the beast into an unrecognisable mess. After carrying Eomer's body back to Cynrheorst, he gathered firewood and burned the Cwylboar on a pyre to honour a worthy foe. This second version better explains how no physical evidence of the boar has been found past tusk marks on trees and hoof prints in the ground.
Eremanthus

Eremanthus was a city in the Flentia River valley, part of the Reman Republic before the Great Gap. It no longer exists.

Eremanthus was founded as part of the Reman Republic's push to attack the Fen Boroughs - it was originally a supply depot for the legions, being only thirty leagues from the edge of the Fen Boroughs at the start of the offensive in the 2nd Century BCE.

The city proper sprung up around the year 100BCE when the migratory Tungrids arrived in the area. Though ostracised by the central Reman government like all the other minorities, the Tungrids were tolerated in the far reaches of the Republic and respected by the army officers as auxiliary light cavalry. The majority of the Tungrids lived outside the city in smaller settlements, but a large number gave up their heritage to settle in Eremanthus.

The city was one of many destroyed in the chaos of the Great Gap - its ruins can be seen from the western bank of the Flentia River. In the three hundred years since the Gap, people have forgotten the danger and there are currently plans underway in Llaran - the country on the western bank - to resettle Eremanthus in the near future.
Japanese Group, Vasterlands Fleet

The Japanese Group was a collection of 29 ships travelling with the Vasterlands Fleet during the initial settlement of Tairghol. These were primarily kaisen (medium-sized, fast scouting ships), sekibune (small warships), and shuinsen (large transports). Between them, they carried over three thousand Japanese, Manchu and Ainu.
Baedan

The Baedan was a mediaeval Irish cog, part of the Flentia Fleet. It was captained by Niall mac Eochada, and crewed by around ninety Ulstermen from the 7th to 10th Centuries.

The Baedan was one of three Irish ships separated from the rest of the squadron during the crossing to Tairghol. It attached itself to the English squadron, following in particular the galleon Warwick.

Once the Flentia Fleet reached the Trade Lake, the Baedan followed the Headen River south and the crew settled in what would become the town of Slidon.
Enrique IV de Montverde

Head of House de Montverde

Enrique IV de Montverde, formally known as 'His Most Glorious Majesty Enrique IV, Suppressor of the Parsanians and King of the Omelians', was the first King of the independent Kingdom of Omeland and head of House de Montverde.

## Early Reign

Enrique began his reign as Marcher King of Omeland in 611 following the retirement of his father Enrique III. His new realm was a vast but poor one, taxed dry by its Vardanid overlords. Enrique expressed a heartfelt desire to free his realm, to ensure the independence of his people and return the wealth that had been stolen during the Spurnian Subjugation two hundred years earlier.

## Omelian Rebellion

Enrique resisted the demands of the Vardanid Shahanshah Viterges, to the point of sparking a revolt in 617. This was quickly dubbed 'The Omelian Rebellion', and it gained traction until the entire Marcher Kingdom was at Enrique's back.

Enrique led the Omelian army himself, and won several victories over the invading Vardanid forces at the Battle of the Bandeira Ford and the Battle of Oleiledo. When they returned in 619, Enrique was forced back and confined in his capital Vallavegas. He was saved by the forces of Lastornia and Flenburgh, and after the Battle of Vallavegas the Vardanids conceded independence and moved to machinations over other nations.

## Later Reign

Towards the later end of his reign, Enrique became inflated by the fame of his victories. He let the tales be blown far out of proportion, and as his land became rich through trade with its neighbours, Enrique grew fat and lazy. His ego in his later years is reflected in his titles - during the Omelian Rebellion he demanded to be treated as an equal, called without titles - much unlike the formal title of his later years.

Enrique used the wealth of trade to order superficial civil and military projects. He had his palace guard equipped with silver weapons and uniforms of gilt electrum. His palace was decorated with the same three precious metals, and statues celebrating his military victories still stand in many squares in Vallavegas.

Enrique IV died in 648 at the age of 62, the first Omelian King in recorded history to die at the post instead of relinquishing the throne. He was succeeded by his son Enrique V de Montverde.
Imiyar

Imiyar is a Nagar country pushed against the north of the Mountainfolk realm. Entirely dependent on the two of its three larger neighbours, Kodevend and Lartesis, it is under constant assault by the Mountainfolk and has been cut off by its other neighbour, Eichaon, which sees Imiyar as a possible invasion target.

Imiyar's ruler is styled the Grand Baron of Imiyar - the country has grown exponentially such that its ruler, while originally a Baron, now rules an area that would normally be ruled by a Count. However, the political situation surrounding Imiyar is complex. The title of Count of Imiyar is currently held by a landless noble in the court of Eichaon and to claim the title could possibly mean an invasion.
Kaapunkii

Kaapunkii is a town in southeast Satï, near the border with Ulgard. It is the largest settlement with a majority population of the Maan culture and the western border of the geographical region where the Maan reside. It lies on the crossroads between Jyltheim, Arberg, Bakaður and Sønesla.

Kaapunkii is known for its fur-trapping trade, being near portions of the Vorforst that are deemed spiritually safe to enter.
Flentia River

The Flentia River is the largest river in Tairghol. It originates at the edge of the Central Desert and runs east, before being joined by the Tauric River and running north where it empties into the Bay of Ravlen.

In the modern day, the river forms the border of humanity. During the Great Gap, the people of the Fen Boroughs razed every settlement east of the Flentia and north of the Tauric.
Ferreilarios

Ferreilarios (c.470 - 513) was a Kafetro-Vadyan tribal warlord in the late 5th Century. He carved out one of the first large-scale tribal kingdoms in the area, and is credited for setting the traditional borders of the region of Ferreilia, which is named after him.

Ferreilarios first emerges from the murk of history shortly before the Battle of Vorgebirge. Records state that, hailing from the plains west of Eluneo, he conquered his way east and south taking advantage of the uncertainty and fear caused by the advancing Tungrids.

By the time of Vorgebirge, Ferreilarios controlled the towns of Eluneo, Neza, and Sirio. Following the battle he was somehow able to rally a large number of deserters to his cause and used sheer surprise to conquer the town of Safaburgh from the Kingdom of Talor.

As Ferreilarios' lands grew in size they became harder to maintain. In his advancing age Ferreilarios was forced to delegate administrative duties to several of his courtiers; not all of these were loyal. The lands became fractious and divided.

In 513 the budding Astarcian Confederation took advantage of this and invaded while Ferreilarios was ill. The squabbling administrators of Ferreilarios' lands were swept aside and the warlord himself vanished from history with the sack of his capital Eluneo. It is unclear what fate he suffered.
Bay of Amharon

The Bay of Amharon is a body of water connected to Turquoise Bay. Unnaturally fertile, the bay is home to multitudes of fish and is mercilessly farmed by fishermen from the Vadyan towns of Rijut and Sarkap.

The bay is named after Amharon Toumanian, a warlord of the Toumanii tribe who first conquered the entire surrounds of the bay in the 3rd Century.
Arpia

The Republic of Arpia and Caochynia, commonly known simply as the Arpian Republic, is a merchant state on the southern coast of the Bay of Teuthria. It consists of several large cantonments and numerous smaller outposts, some only a few square miles in size, scattered along the coast.

The primary cantonment, Gran Arpis, is around 120 leagues of coastline and borders Radynkia, Turkya, Azyn, Slovn and Skinarya.

The next two largest, Arpa Jun and Caochynia, are both exclaves encompassed entirely by Skinarya, east of Gran Arpis. Finally, the cantonment of Torcostrum encompasses the southern tip of the Rechalian Isle, and maintains a land border with Ursia.
Aylard Fowke

Aylard Fowke is the Riding Man of Wodeley and one of the major commanders in the War of the South Lake. Recognised as a strategist from a young age, Aylard has been brought up with the utmost respect and, though a brilliant commander, has allowed arrogance and self-importance to seep into his personality. He is the father to two teenage sons, Lenlard and Furlough.

Riding Man Fowke bears the arms of his house with an added label bestowed by Throned Man Stalric. This makes his arms 'Or, a label above a unicorn passant, all Gules'.
Free City of Falkenborg

The Free City of Falkenborg was a city-state centred around the large town of Falkenborg in western Gehemnia between the 2nd Century BCE and the Great Gap.

## History

Falkenborg, like the surrounding towns of Tangerkau, Taushut and Heckelborg, was founded by the Armedeans in the 3rd and 4th Centuries BCE as a farming and trading town.

The shockwaves of the Toumanian Wars during the mid-3rd Century BCE worried the town elders, and Falkenborg was the second of four cities to form their own nation-states for self-defence. It followed the lead of the Free City of Penzlin to the southeast, and had close links initially while the much larger city of Penzlin helped the Falkenborger government get on its feet.

At the turn of the 1st Century BCE, Falkenborg, Penzlin, Ankershagen and Uckeritz formed an alliance to repel any invaders and this alliance was tested early on by the Gehemnians when they arrived from unknown lands north of the Yerlenzee. Volkmar's War ended in a decisive defeat for the Gehemnians under the eponymous Volkmar of Gehemnia, and was one of the factors contributing to their switch from a focus on war to one on trade.

The newly-peaceful neighbouring Gehemnians swiftly filtered into Falkenborger society, and the Free City grew close to the burgeoning Gehemnian Republic of Lintzee, a merchant republic on the nearby coast.

Falkenborg was peaceful for the next four hundred years. It slowly grew apart from its allies Penzlin and Ankershagen, which were both fiercely independent. As Lintzee grew stronger it began to coddle several of its smaller neighbours, including Falkenborg, and drew them closer to its bosom. By the beginning of the Great Gap Falkenborg was part of the Republic of Lintzee in all but name, and following the Gap events had led Falkenborg to resign its independence entirely.
Bellevue

House Bellevue is a minor Lacrivian noble house seated in the fishing town of Juchiere between Avizieux and Rogneus. They hold a small tract of land there and the title of Baronne de Juchiere.

Historically, Bellevue also held a fiefdom on the edge of the Ruadhain Forest, which served as the casus belli for Olivier Bellevue to invade Faramond in 638 and annex land during the Attack on the Ruadhain Forest. However, this land was lost to House Sertois in the early 710's during a small ducal war.

The arms of House Bellevue are 'Azure, an eagle rising with wings addorsed inverted'.
Kingheda

Kingheda is the capital city of Gabrainn, lying on the country's northern coast. It lies on a crossroads between Lough, Kilsale and Mulricke.

Kingheda was originally the residence of the Dukes O Cailin of Garbin, subordinates of the Kings of Faramond. When the latter began to disintegrate, house O Cailin seceded and was declared the ruling house of the new Kingdom of Gabrainn. The country is too poor for a palace, so the royalty has lived in a well-maintained timber longhouse since the secession.

The city is a town in all but name, housing around twenty thousand people. This is because, until recently, Kingheda was only a ducal residence and had no surrounding settlement. The new town is laid out like a barracks: it has straight, square city blocks and is surrounded by a tall wooden palisade taken from the Ruadhain Forest to the southwest. Most agriculture is outsourced to the surrounding towns, so Kingheda mostly produces iron- and steelwork, pottery, wood crafts and rope, using materials mostly obtained from the plentiful imported goods from nearby Ducsport.

Recently Kingheda has been occupied by Lacrivian forces during the War of the South Lake. It held out for six weeks before the garrison, led by Captain of the Guard Reamonn Somhairle, were starved out. A skeleton force of Lacrivian soldiers, led by the Cont Richaud dò Dalaix, currently governs the city.
Havocke's Folly

Havocke's Folly was a siege during the ongoing War of the South Lake. It pitted the attacking Count of Welldale against a Lacrivian garrison led by Signeur Emerie Yves-Thermout, a vassal of House Richeleu.

## Background

Until October 762, Dunfleasel had been neutral in the War of the South Lake. The Count of Welldale, John Havocke, had however been expecting his country to become embroiled at some point. He had ambitions to expand his holdings west by taking the Lacrivian fortress of Mont-Sarmans.

In late October, the war came to Dunfleasel with the invasion of a combined Lacrivian and Scanbroughan force from the north. The Count of Welldale saw this opportunity and, having never particularly cared for the Dunn noblemen whose holdings were threatened by this invasion, moved his forces across the border on the 2nd of November.

## The Siege

Havocke's venture was fraught with misfortune from the very beginning. His closest advisor, Sir Jeremy Penthaile, fell from his horse and broke his ankle on the first day of the march. Two days later a fire broke out in the wagon corral and rendered half his food stores useless.

When the force reached Mont-Sarmans on the 5th of November, they were greeted by a fortress far vaster and more well-equipped than Havocke had envisioned. It quickly became obvious that the Count and his four hundred men would be unable to take the castle, but Havocke refused to listen to his advisors' counsel and continued the siege.

The attacking force was forced to forage for food from late November, an act which earned them the enmity of the locals, and foraging parties were attacked by farmers and labourers on more than half a dozen occasions. A small bout of plague also struck the attacking camp in mid-December, killing upwards of twenty men and confining far more to their beds.

On the 16th of January 763, Havocke received an envoy from his liegelord, King Aostin Hercourét. He was required to make for the city of Armel at once to join the royal army. Over the next two days, Havocke packed down his camp.

On the day Havocke was to leave, the 18th of January, the defenders raised a flag of truce and their commander, Signeur Emerie Yves-Thermout, gifted Havocke with enough provisions to return home, as well as giving his condolences for the Dunn soldiers lost during the siege.
Boith

Boith is a village in Dalfore. It is part of the administrative region of Krasnar. It lies on the flat Isfelian Plains, on a crossroads between Farrav Town, Nuntrick, Helnas and Lefthas.

Boith specialises mainly in farming vegetables - cabbages, carrots, onions and potatoes form the majority of the crop. It is home to a single Aladornic House, House Ranhara.

Boith was founded in the 1st Century and was looked after by the noblemen of House Pollier. When Dalfore arrived from the south, House Pollier followed in the footsteps of the neighbouring town of Nuntrick and was absorbed into Dalfore, with Pollier retaining its nobility. Despite this, House Pollier went extinct during the 5th Century and was replaced by an Aladornic House, Ranhara.