Tarteria is an
Azimuth continent located to the south of
Iluvitar and to the southwest of
Gimora. It is known as the homeland of the
orc and
hobgoblin races and is the location of the
Queendom of Keeleon and the
Hobgoblin Khanate.
Map
2021 Map by M.B.
Geography
Rolling hills and wetlands spread across the Northern Orcish Plains, bordered by the major
Rexun River and coastal settlements dotting the edges of the region. The port towns of
Porgorag and
Port Haville in the north and
New Keeleon on the Rexun River in the south contrast with the wild homesteads living off the herds and wetlands of the plains. The upper reaches of the
Orc Highway stretch across these grasses. It makes up a bulk of the
Queendom of Keeleon's claimed territory, but so far from the heart of the queendom, the crown's influence isn't as strong in the northern plains as the southern, and the Keel's Band is centered in the cities, leaving the trade roads with minimal patrols.
Western Valley
The wild plains of the Western Valley are ancestral locations of Keeleon, but they are far flung from the power of the queendom. Those here must survive without the crown's influence to protect them from the monstrous races that make their homes here as well. The orcs in these lands are tribal and always on the move, seeking the resources needed to survive and protect themselves from others doing the same. The valley is expansive and largely barren of cities. To the north is the Orichalcum Peninsula, a cursed place in modern times. On the western coast is
Goliin Hiid, a primarily goblinoid settlement outside the control of Keeleon. The southern stretch of the valley is dominated by the
Fareukev Wilderness, a thick and old forest of ancient growth.
Desecrated Hills
The Desecrated Hills are a blight and corruptive region that threatens the areas surrounding it, including the central
Orc Highway, the
Pandia Gulf, and the
Northern Orcish Plains. Rolling hills and rocky ridges border the coast on the east and the foothills of the
Khushuut Mountains in the west, forming the central valley of the
Red Lake where the ancient city of
Aktrout sits. It is less populated than the northern and southern plains, but as the vital and only land trade route between the two, Keeleon is highly invested in the region. The Warden Rangers patrol the hills and slopes, a detachment of the military largely left to their own that patrol the Desecrated Hills for demons and corruption seeping from
Keeleon Castle.
Southern Orcish Plains
The Southern Orcish Plains are the heart of the
Queendom of Keeleon, containing the capital city,
Kievs, and the supply network that feeds and support the orcish population. Since the capital was moved to Kievs, the regrowth of the country was supported by the lush fields and bountiful forests of the region. The fields to the southwest are supported by the two major rivers, the
Zharigie River and the
Rexun River. Flora and fauna from the
Capuk Forest and the
Serra Coast bring in further supplies, and materials from the
Orog Range to the south support the queendom. As the center of all these moving pieces, this region is also the center of trade in the country, which pulls in the shipping from the east coast, the trade in the north, and the hobgoblins to the south.
Serra Coast
As the point of rebirth for the queendom when
Queen Alena returned, the Serra Coast has expanded and grown over the centuries into both a center of maritime trade for
Keeleon and a symbol for the tenacity of the orcs. The southern extent of the region is both a major trade route along the coast and wild plains farther inland. In contrast to the populated area on the southern portion of this coast, farther north, the region has been reclaimed by the wilds. In the past, the northern coast and the
Pandia Gulf was central to Keeleon trade. After the war, it has been largely abandoned due to the corruptive elements of the
Desecrated Hills, now instead housing thieves and piracy that siphon of the maritime trade passing the region.
Fire Spire Sands
The Fire Spire Sands and surrounding areas are a desert of sand and heat. Even nighttime does not bring an abatement to the rolling heat that permeates the sands. At the heart of the desert is a connection point to the Plane of Fire, which draws in the constant elemental energy that spreads waves of heat and sand outwards, slowly encroaching to the east. At the center is where the
Champion Ruin built his temple to house the
Zenethian Axe for the
Zenethian Heroes that would come next. Though the energies were lessened somewhat when the Heroes activated the final gateway, the heat of the Plane of Fire still must be contended with by the wild tribes that make their home in this region between the
Khushuut Mountains and the
Orog Range.
Orog Range
The red limestone cliffs of the Orog Range form the natural boundary between the
Queendom of Keeleon to their north and the
Hobgoblin Khanate to their south. These peaks are the largest range in Tarteria, though the
Khushuut Mountains farther north are taller. Here only the tallest peaks are perpetually snowcapped throughout most of the year. The high peaks and cliffs are abundant with resources both atop and within the caverns and caves that dot the surface of the mountains. Though valuable, these resources are difficult to acquire due to the risks present throughout the range, and only the most dedicated of efforts venture further in than the foothills at the northern and southern edges. Very few paths exist that cross the range, the primary of which is the Hezrou Pass. There are aarakocra native to these peaks and claim them in their entirety as a holy site of their people.
Monbaraba Fields
The central fields of the hobgoblin lands are a gentle rolling landscape of hills and wilds bisected by the
Ruby Road, the major trading road and the one primary path between the core bastions of civilization in the south. On either side, winds rush through the fields of wild grasses and the bands of horses that run across these plains. At the center of this trade road is the hobgoblin capital,
Monbaraba, standing as both a beacon of culture and civilization and as a fortress for the khanate and the armies of the Grand Khan.
Shamikhan Wilds
The western wilds of the khanate are a great
Orkhon River valley, where the sediment carried by the Orkhon has carved a lush and bountiful delta.
Clan Tarbagan control this area of the khanate and much food and resources are gathered from the river, fields, and forest of the region.
Meenakhan is the western entrance to the region, with many ships that enter the Orkhon’s mouths to trade and barter among the floating marketplaces. The
Baruun Forest stands on the northern edge of the valley, where these tall and sinister trees shadow all that walk beneath the boughs.
Hobgoblin Coast
The long eastern coastline of the khanate is a meeting of rolling hills and rough seas. Winter storms roll up the coast from the
Rimespire Peaks in the south, and the dangers of the foothills and the sea plague the legion of
Clan Przewal. Despite this, the port city of
Narankhan is a great trading post with access to the
Ruby Road and the capital of the hobgoblins. Ships from across the seas are often seen on these docks.
Drackhan Tundra
The terrain on the southernmost edges of the hobgoblin lands is a tundra of frozen hills. Low hills have been carved throughout the area from the constant thawing and refreezing of glaciers. Ice flows and sudden bursts of slurry levies are a constant threat in the summer months, while hypothermia and avalanches are ever-present in the winter. To the south, the land connects to the
The Ice Ways, great frozen chunks of the ocean saltwater that extends far into the
South Sea. These semi-permanent ice shelves are cracked and refrozen constantly with the pressure from the ocean and the changing of the seasons. It is here that the defacto capital of the newest clan,
Clan Bactrian, make their home.
Society
The
Queendom of Keeleon is primarily a nation of
orcs, built and rebuilt by their efforts to tame the wild places and carve their claim in the land of their ancestors. The current monarch,
Queen Voltha, daughter of Rava, seeks to purge the remnants of
Esturk, The World's End’s corruption and finish the work of her ancestor,
Queen Alena.
The southern territory beyond the
Orog Range has long been under the control of the
Hobgoblin Khanate, a land of
hobgoblin clans. It is a government lead by the strong, and the current leader,
Grand Khan Brodur, defends the lands of his people with a virtuous hand and a bloodied saber.
History
The First Age: The Age of Creations
In the beginning of the world, elemental energies rushed out from the Elemental Planes and formed the world of Azimuth. The land of Tarteria was made during this time.
The creation myth of the
orc race says that the first orcs drank from the waters of the
Red Lake in the Age of Creations, which gave them the strength to conquer the land around them.
According to
hobgoblin myth, they were born from an ancient god who struck a great red mountain with a divine axe, and emerging from the rubble came the first hobgoblin, Orog.
The Second Age: The Age of the Severance
At the end of the Age of Shadow,
Zenthai and
Esturk battled in the skies of Azimuth ceaselessly for twelve days and nights. This included the area above Tarteria, and the peoples of this land saw the emergence of the Dragon pantheon.
The Third Age: The Age of Zenethia
The elves built great colonies in the Third Age, including in Tarteria. Tales list the orcs of this time as mostly raiders in small tribal groups. Though the process was slow, elven colonies across Azimuth were left abandoned after Esturk's attack on the
World Tree in the middle of the Age of Zenethia.
It would not be until the Third Age that hobgoblin culture would begin shifting from the truly violent and destructive ways of the past. When the Azimuth Pantheon made themselves known to the races of the world, the hobgoblins began to worship the great God of Strength,
Barduumus, The Battlelord.
The orcish kingdom of the
Warlord Keel, the First Orc King, emerged onto the world stage late in the Third Age. Keel used the rich veins of
Orichalcum in his lands to wage war and press his influence across northern Tarteria and unite the orc tribes under one banner.
At the end of the age was the
Great War. When Esturk emerged with the
Power of Evolution, a great collapse of northwestern Tarteria occured, and the land sunk dramatically. This formed the
Western Valley and parts of the land submurged into the
Seafoam Sea, forming
Green Metal Bay.
During the events of the Great War, much of Azimuth was destroyed and sundered. Many lives were lost as the world came to the brink of total destruction over this century of war. It was during this war that Zenthai raised his
Zenethian Champions, including three natives to Tarteria:
Morazar, Wielder of the Zenethian Swords,
Porgorag, Wielder of the Zenethian Hook and Chain, and
Sanazi, Wielder of the Zenethian Armor. Many armies were gathered to fight the scourge of Esturk and his demonic and bestial forces. As they fought side by side, orc warriors and those of the other races shed blood together and fought and died for the fate of the world. The races of humans, elves, and dwarves were introduced to the valor of the orc warriors and the strength of their weapons, forged from orichalcum. The final battle of the war, the
Battle of the Demons' Blood Marshes, was fought on the northern coast of Tarteria. At its end, the area at the delta of the
Rexun River would be forever corrupted and Esturk was set to slumber beneath the continent once more.
The Fourth Age: The Age of Shadow
In the wake of the Great War the lands of Keeleon flourished with new trade and orcish influence grew greatly in northern Tarteria. Early in the Fourth Age, the orcs expanded southwards to the
Orog Range. While the kingdom of Keel was unified, the clans of the hobgoblins were not, and they could not stand against Keel’s orichalcum so ununified and the
Baloratak War was started. This is when
Monbaraba, the First Grand Khan, rose and united the other khans and claimed lordship and loyalty from them. This
Hobgoblin Khanate fought back the forces of the orcs in a drawn-out campaign of ambushes and blitzes until the orcs pulled back to the north of the Orog Range. The war was officially ended with the Treaty of Sword and Axe which solidified the border between the two nations.
At the end of the age, Esturk arose once more and the
Tarterian War started. Nearly all of Keeleon was destroyed and the royal family was nearly extinguised. The orc populace were scattered and many found their way to the lands of
Santeem and
Endor, the First Mountain. In the south, the Khanate fought the demonic armies to a standstill in the
Hezrou Pass but could not push back and defeat them. It was through the efforts of the
Zenethian Heroes that Esturk was defeated once more and the armies of demons in the country were banished.
The Fifth Age: The Age of Beginnings
After the events of the Tarterian War, the nation of Keeleon lay in ruin.
Queen Alena, daughter of the Last Orc King, brought her people back to this ruined place to start on the path to rebuilding. Alongside the Hero
Grupe, the Monster Hunter, the cities of
Alena's Landing and
Porgorag were founded. The rebirth of this nation was largely fueled by the goodwill of other nations and the influx of people and resources.
The hobgoblins laid claim to areas in the
Southern Orcish Plains after defending Hezrou Pass. At the time, an agreement was struck with the recovering country and dual fealty over this area was established.
Under the stated purpose of intending to help facilitate the trade of goods back into Keeleon after the war, the elves set up the
Calen Estel colony to secure a safe landing place for their trade ships, which helped funnel resources into the country.
To coordinate and manage the distribution of resources to the growing city centers in Keeleon, an organization was founded during the rebuilding: the
Tarterian Traders. They would rise to prominence as the primary mercantile force in the country in this age.
It would be generations of rebuilding before the country resembled what it does today. Many cities were rebuilt or were reclaimed from the demonic taint Esturk’s demons left behind. Though some places, like the Orichalcum Peninsula and Keeleon Castle, would not be so easily recovered. The current leaders of these lands,
Queen Voltha, daughter of Rava, and
Grand Khan Brodur, sit at the heads of the two dominant governments of the region.
2021 Map by M.B.