Al'Dina

Al’Dina is a country run by the rich and powerful and values both, its ruling council being a cabal of merchants and mercenaries known as the Gild. While it’s beautiful to behold, its lands are also harsh and unforgiving. The defining feature of the country is the massive amounts of crystal that criss-cross the land in arches and spires, and the mountains and valleys that make it difficult to traverse.

## History

The country of Al’Dina was first established in 98 CF. The naturally rugged terrain and dangerous creatures inhabiting the country lead to the people of Al’Dina being equally dangerous and capable. Villages and towns formed around naturally-defensible locations that had easy access to water, with the largest, Ansedine, being established around a large, gleaming neon orb: a Battery.

### Unification

Al’Dina, being a somewhat inhospitable land, had a natural scarcity of resources. Even the animals were difficult to get meat from, due to their naturally thick, tough carapaces, and the land was ill-suited for farming. The only abundant resource was water, since the mountainous terrain led to the natural formation of rivers.

Ultimately, this led to conflicts between the cities for their various resources. While Ansedine certainly didn’t want for power sources, the southern city of Zirces had less rugged terrain, which allowed for easier farming and animal husbandry. These two, along with the cities of Baskoti and Carlerian, were the main players in the power struggles that took place in Al’Dina.

This lasted 100 years, until the arrival of a man whose only recorded title and name is The Navaratna. A man with a face obscured by a hood, his most striking feature being that his body itself had become partially crystalline. He was a powerful mage, able to manipulate the earth itself in a way that hadn’t been seen before. The Navaratna gathered a small army beneath his name and power and led it against each City-State, first offering parley, and if he was rebuffed, following it with violence that quickly made them reconsider.

When The Navaratna had finally brought each City-State to heel, he established himself as their ruler, with Ansedine as the capital. Now that the cities were all brought under one flag, he was able to manage their resources to the point that no one settlement was lacking any more than another.

### Other Nations

It didn’t take long, only about 50 years, for neighbouring countries to take note of the precious gemstones that casually littered Al’Dina’s landscape. However, they quickly found themselves turned away by The Navaratna’s army, who were uncannily prepared for their encroachment.

Skirmishes across the borders of their territories were frequent, with the Al’Dinans having the upper hand when it came to pure combat due to their knowledge of the landscape and a cabal of mages trained in The Navaratna’s crystal manipulation. As he had been before, however, he was willing to offer parlay, and this quickly led to trade opening up between Al’Dina and their neighbouring countries. Beneath his rule, Al’Dina hadn’t suffered through famine or drought, but they were nonetheless lacking in comparison to their neighbours, who were in turn lacking the natural riches of Al’Dina’s crystalline landscape.

The mining of the crystals, which were used for both decoration and storage of magical energy, became tightly controlled, with merchant factions cropping up, seemingly overnight, in each section of the country to take control of the gathering and exporting.  Once more, conflict seemed to break out in Al’Dina as each faction attempted to muscle in on their competitor’s mines or even steal their shipments, but it was done much more quietly before, as any open conflict was rapidly quashed by The Navaratna’s forces.

### Crystallization

500 years passed almost uneventfully, with the Navaratna remaining alive the entire time, never showing signs of aging. During this time, Al’Dina became a land predominantly defined by the wealth of its merchant class and the rugged hardiness of its warriors, as well as the sage advice of its ruler, who became increasingly withdrawn as time went on.

It was after those 600 years that the course of Al’Dina rapidly changed. Its Battery exploded. The right side of its container breached, smothering a significant portion of Ansedine in shining crystal in the blink of an eye, most notably including the tower of The Navaratna, before sealing itself up just as quickly. Immediately, the country was thrust into panic, having lost its capital, as well as the leader of their nation for the past five centuries.

It didn’t take long for the merchant guilds and the largest mercenary companies to step in and take control, as the richest and most powerful members of the nation. While quite a few had lost their lives in the blast, many more survived, and declared the new capital to be Zirces, with the Gild as its ruling party. Evacuation efforts for the surviving portions of Ansedine began, and entry into The Crystal City was closed for all but approved parties.

# Geography

The entire country of Al’Dina is something that could be considered a wonder of the world, at least when it comes to beauty. It possesses the greatest heights and the lowest lows of Morisia, dotted with towering mountains and plunging valleys across the Steppes. The weather itself tends to be quite windy and hot, with the sun beating down on the country more often than not.

The greatest treasure of Al’Dina, however, what makes it so stunning and wealthy, is the arches and spires of multi-coloured, gently-glowing crystal that burst across and dot the landscape.

Due to the partial destruction of their Battery, wind power is a mainstay of the country, a natural result of the strong winds created by the natural funnels of their mountains and valleys.

The creatures that inhabit Al’Dina are particularly dangerous ones, their diet often giving them tough, thick hides that are almost rock-like, not to mention the Kobolds, Drakes and Dragons that inhabit its harder to reach locations. Earth Elementals are an infrequent, almost common sight within Al’Dina, and are usually fairly neutral towards the natives, though tend to be more aggressive towards outsiders.

The mountainous locales of Al’Dina are an easy place to find adventure, with caves and sinkholes peppering the landscape. Occasionally, ancient facilities can be found, mining away at crystal formations unendingly now that they have no masters to stop them, and they are typically treasure troves of bejewelled items that hold magical power.

## Places of Interest

### Zirces

The capital, Zirces, is an opulent place, a true example of the decadent wealth of Al’Dina. It sits at the base of a mountain to the south of the country, where it uses the funneled wind as a power source alongside the crystals, which are good containers for magical energy. It also contains the Navaratna Tower, named in honour of their previous leader, which serves as the seat of the Gild, the ruling council of Al’Dina. It is divided into nine slivers, each formed entirely of a different precious gem: Ruby, Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Emerald, Red Coral, Pearl, Cat’s eye and Hessonite

### Baskoti and The Crystal Corals

Baskoti is a coastal city, sitting on the mouth of the Baskoti River, in the north-east of the country. Simply being next to the sea already makes it a popular destination for those looking to relax, and it is designed around being such a place, containing many gambling dens, performance halls and even brothels. One in particular is the Blood Sands, a large arena where people can choose to fight for coin and fame. Its main draw, however, is The Crystal Corals, which light up the seafloor and create a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle at night, as one can see many glowing colours from beneath the dark waves. Be sure to close your curtains, however, so that the glow doesn’t keep you up!

### Carlerian

Carlerian is the military center of the nation, situated in the defensible mountain pass Mudamir’s Teeth, that connects Gwynwall and Al’Dina, where their mercenaries travel to support the country. Even a rugged place like that is beautiful when in Al’Dina, however. The peaks are capped with gems, and they power their siege equipment with jewels that can store vast amounts of magical energy.

### The Crystal City

The former capital, Ansedine, is now known as The Crystal City. A tidal wave of crystal stands towering over the right side of the abandoned capital, with much of the rest being blanketed by sheets of precious gems. Only the westmost side remains undamaged, but due to its abandonment and the sheer number of deaths, it's a haven for monsters and the undead.

## Religion

There are two dominant religions in Al’Dina, though they are heavily entwined with each other.

The first are the followers of Ripthene, Al’Dinan Goddess of glory through combat. Her followers naturally seek fame and fortune as gladiators and mercenaries, hoping to become champions of the Blood Sands, or to take over the mercenary seats of the Gild. She expects her followers to fight in open combat, without resorting to hiding or manipulation, but when they are in a fight, any tactics are fair game. There isn’t a mercenary company in the country that doesn’t pay homage to Ripthene, and even individual soldiers will pray to her before a contract or battle.

Ripthenians are often found in the employ of followers of Ennos, Al’Dinan God of wealth, deals and merchants. Ennosian is the predominant religion of Al’Dina, and almost every family home in the country contains a small shrine to him. As the god of merchants, nobility, truth and law, he has a strong following among all levels of Al’Dinan society. It is common to invoke his name to seal a pact, and a Cleric of Ennos can ritually bind a contract so that any breach of it magically inflicts the one who broke the agreement.

## Government

While some of the longer-lived races will remember the time of the Navaratna and his sage rule, the current rulers of Al’Dina are a cabal of merchant lords, heads of mercenary companies, and the Chief of the Staff, the leader of Al’Dina’s military, known as the Gild. There are nine members, and every 5 years, the head of the Gild rotates to the next person in line. While it is theoretically possible to buy out a seat on the Gild and join them yourself, the price for doing so is exorbitantly high due to the amount of time that the leaders have had to build up their wealth.

Each policy to be passed requires a vote from the members of the Gild, requiring a majority of 6-3 or more. While the head of the Gild has the power to veto or pass any motion at their whim, doing so is rare, as it is well within the power of other members of the Gild to discreetly show their displeasure with such an action, and as such is generally kept for national emergencies.

The military of Al’Dina is a well-trained one, hardened against the rugged terrain and dangerous beasts that inhabit its borders. That said, they are also rather small, due to the sheer number of mercenary companies that call Al’Dina their home. Most of them share a common loyalty to their country, refusing to take jobs against their homeland and assisting in times of need for a discounted price.

## Inhabitants

The inhabitants of Al’Dina are varied, since the promise of wealth and power that the country provides draws in people from all over the world. Natives to the country, however, typically have dark skin, hair and eyes, and are generally fairly tall. When it comes to clothing, loose clothing is the most common, to help accommodate for the heat, predominantly in light, simple colours, with flashier ones to provide boldness and richness. Crystalline accessories are naturally common, and woven into hair as decoration. Humans are the predominant race in Al’Dina, but there is also a sizable Oread population among the natives, perhaps due to the Battery’s influence. It’s widely believed that The Navaratna was some kind of Oread with an extended lifespan.

The use of magic within Al’Dina is somewhat unique compared to their peers. The crystals that dot their home are not just beautiful, but also have an impressive capacity for storing magical power. While sedentary structures typically make use of wind power, anything that travels often has sockets for magical-filled gems to provide power, such as allowing a carriage to move without a horse, or a ship to move without the wind.

The most common languages in Al’Dina are Common, Draconic and Terran. The use of Common is obvious. Many Kobolds and other draconic creatures make their lairs in the many out-of-the-way, hard-to-reach locations found within the mountains, valleys, canyons and gorges of Al’Dina. Perhaps due to the Battery’s influence over the country, there are also a large number of Earth Elementals that inhabit the country, and Terran is in fact the native language of Al’Dina.

Al’Dinan cuisine isn’t particularly decadent, due to the land not being very suitable for farming, and the native creatures often having dense hides and strong muscles that give the meat a challenging toughness. Meat from these animals is usually prepared by setting it on a spit before going to bed, and letting it roast until sundown the next day, allowing it to become tender and easier to chew.

While Humans are probably the largest singular group within Al’Dina, they are not the majority of the country themselves. The large connection to the earth that the country has causes a disproportionately large amount of Oreads to be born, making up almost 20% of the population on their own. Dwarves are another notable, but not overwhelming portion of the populace. Not many are native, but a large number are drawn to Al’Dina due to its natural connection to earth, and the underground caverns.

While not considering themselves to be part of the nation of Al’Dina, the extensive mountain ranges of the country hide a not-insignificant number of Strix settlements. Similarly, the underground of Al’Dina leads to the primary territories of the Drow.