Aundair
Capital: Fairhaven
Population: 2,000,000 (51% humans, 16% half-elves, 11% elves, 11% gnomes, 5% halfl ings, 3% shifter, 2% changelings, 1% other)
According to the Book:
One of the Five Nations originally founded by the human settlers of Khorvaire, Aundair has a rich tradition of cities dedicated to knowledge and education while the areas outside the cities are known for agriculture. Rich farmlands, pastoral forests, and excellent vineyards abound. Though the borders have changed many times over the centuries, the nation has carried the name of Aundair since 32 YK. When Galifar ir’Wynarn united the Five Nations and formed his kingdom, an unprecedented age of peace and prosperity began. He started the tradition of giving each of his eldest scions one of the Five Nations to govern. His eldest daughter, Aundair, was given control of the nation that within a generation had adopted her name as its own (initially “Aundair’s realm” but soon shortened to just “Aundair”). During the reign of Galifar’s last king, Wrogar governed the nation. King Jarot’s fourth child, Wrogar was a huge bear of a man who enjoyed the rugged lifestyle of Aundair’s countryside as much as he loved poring through the libraries and other depositories for books of history and religion. When Jarot died, Wrogar initially supported his sister Mishann’s claim to the throne (Mishann ruled Cyre at the time), but that wasn’t enough to keep the kingdom together. Soon, the Last War touched even distant Aundair. Prior to the Last War, the nation of Aundair stretched across the northwestern portion of the continent, from the banks of the mighty Scions Sound to the base of the Shadowcrags that marked the end of the kingdom. Today, the kingdom consists of a swath of land bordered by Eldeen Bay to the north, the Wynarn River to the west, Thrane to the east, and Breland to the south. The current ruler of Aundair, Queen Aurala ir’Wynarn (female human), traces her lineage to Wrogar ir’Wynarn, the first king of an independent Aundair and one of the heirs to the Galifar kingdom. Ruling Aundair since 980 YK, Aurala was among the signers of the Treaty of Thronehold. She married a young noble of House Vadalis named Sasik, who gave up his position in his family to become part of Aundair’s royal aristocracy. Despite this, he maintains close ties to his family (including his brother Dalin, the House patriarch), which sometimes leads the other dragonmarked houses to see favoritism toward Vadalis where it may not actually exist. In fact, Aurala goes out of her way to make sure House Vadalis doesn’t receive any special treatment from the Aundairian crown or its vassals. Today, Aundair maintains an uncomfortable peace with its neighbors. Still reeling from the loss of the western two-thirds of its lands (and almost a fifth of its citizens) to the now-independent Eldeen Reaches, Aurala reluctantly seeks to find common ground with the various factions living to the west of the Wynarn River and Lake Galifar. Tensions between Aundair and Thrane remain high due to events of the Last War while the two kingdoms struggle to establish additional treaties and agreements that will wear down the underlying animosities. Breland and Aundair have mostly gotten along throughout the course of the Last War. Except for a handful of skirmishes and one major confrontation with Breland as the century-long conflict rolled on, the two nations have been neutral to friendly toward one another. Karrnath, sitting across Scions Sound from Aundair’s northeastern border, has made the most aggressive overtures for lasting peace since the end of the war.Life and Society:
Aundair’s citizens consist mainly of farmers, scholars, and magewrights. Rural farmland covers much of the countryside. Occasionally enough people gather in one place to form a town or village, but only a few cities disturb the tranquility of life throughout the nation. The life of Aundair’s farmers hasn’t changed much over the centuries. They continue to use their sweat and magic to till the land, coaxing crops from ground rich in nutrients. Central Aundair, from Ghalt in the south to Wyr in the north, is wine country. Vineyards stretch in all directions, producing a variety of grapes used to make Aundair’s signature wines, many of which demand premium prices in markets as far away as Sharn and Vedykar. Much of Aundair enjoys a temperate climate, punctuated by long, hot, fairly dry summers with generally mild winters. The upper reaches of Aundair, north of the Starpeaks, have longer, stormier winters and shorter, cooler summers. Storms regularly roll in from Eldeen Bay to pound northern Audair before sliding across Scions Sound and into eastern Khorvaire. Two major centers of learning command respect and admiration within Aundair. The capital city of Fairhaven boasts the University of Wynarn, the first institution of higher learning ever established in the Five Nations. Today, the University of Wynarn isn’t as famous as Morgrave University, but it is more highly regarded, offering an excellent curriculum in both mundane and arcane studies. Libraries and book traders abound throughout Fairhaven, attracting collectors and scholars of all sorts to the city. Though not quite as impressive as the great Library of Korranberg, the Royal Collection of Aundair stacks up as the second-best repository of tomes and scrolls in all of Khorvaire. The second center of learning is devoted to arcane studies. Arcanix overlooks Lake Galifar, in the southern reaches of the nation. Once, this ancient village was part of Thrane, but Aundair claimed the village and the land around it early in the Last War. The mentors of Arcanix don’t care who claims the village; they only want to continue their studies of the arcane arts and pass along their knowledge to the dozens of apprentices they accept into their floating towers each season. Additionally, small monasteries dot the countryside, in which monks devoted to any number of gods or belief systems spend time in quiet meditation and study. The warrior-monks of the Monastery of Orla-un, located on the edge of the village of Wyr, for example, are as famed for the sweet, dark Orla-un wine as they are for their doctrine of strong minds and stronger bodies. House Orien maintains a number of major trade roads throughout Aundair, as well as lightning rail extensions that connect Fairhaven and Passage to Thrane and Breland. In addition, smaller roads and paths riddle the countryside, making travel throughout Aundair relatively smooth and easy.Adventuring in Aundair:
Travel throughout Aundair is relatively fast and easy. In addition to Orien caravan routes, trade roads, and well-worn paths, a lightning rail connects Aundair with Breland and Thrane, and House Lyrandar constantly moves airships to and from Stormhome, with a stop in Fairhaven along the way. House Lyrandar also runs sea vessels from Lake Galifar to Eldeen Bay and along Scions Sound and the rivers that branch off it. Travel through Aundair is, for the most part, safe. Bandits and monsters sometimes attack from out of the Blackcaps in the south, and all manner of rebels and marauders regularly appear from and disappear into the Eldeen Reaches. Other dangerous regions include the Whispering Rock, certain parts of the Starpeaks, and The Crying Fields between Aundair and Thrane. Aundair and its people believe in and follow the Galifar Code of Justice. That said, it isn’t unusual for a farmer to take matters of protection into his own hands when neither manor lord nor knight is available to help him. In the towns and cities, however, the local officers don’t believe in letting citizens or visitors enforce the law in their place. As a general rule, Aundairians are a friendly and gregarious lot. They are disposed to side with Brelish travelers a bit more regularly than with those from the other nations, and still have more than a few hard feelings for the Karrns and Thranes. While they feel pity for the displaced survivors of Cyre, they have no wish for Cyrans to settle among them and have actually turned away a wave of refugees from the ruined nation. The people of Aundair currently have little love for the settlers of the Eldeen Reaches, since they still harbor bitter memories of the guerrilla warfare that hindered Aundair’s attempts to reclaim the western territory.Industries:
Aundair produces a great number of agricultural products, both for use within the nation and as imports for trade. Cereals, grains, vegetables, and wines from the Aundair countryside are considered among the best in all of Khorvaire. The cities of Aundair contain great centers of learning that at least equal the colleges and universities of Zilargo, and the arcane institutes might exceed those found anywhere else on the continent. For this reason, magewrights, artificers, and wizards trained in Aundair demand the highest pay scale compared to those trained in most other traditions. All of the dragonmarked houses maintain emporiums and outposts throughout Aundair. Two houses, House Lyrandar and Orien, make their headquarters in the nation. House Lyrandar’s matriarch sits in the northern island city of Stormhome, while the patriarch of House Orien runs the family conglomerate from the city of Passage, which rises from the eastern shore of Lake Galifar.Government and Politics:
Queen Aurala ir’Wynarn, a direct descendant of Wrogar son of Jarot, rules the Aundairian monarchy; her family has held the crown since the start of the Last War and the shattering of Galifar. Aundair suffered more than some and less than others did during the Last War, but in general the nation enjoys a relatively safe and idyllic existence. Aurala continues to receive the support and confidence of her vassal lords, and most of the common people adore her. Beneath the royal family, a wealthy group of nobles oversees tracts of land partitioned to them by the crown. Some of these noble families go back to the days of a united Galifar and continue to oversee the land afforded them by the Galifar king. Others are newer, granted title and privilege due to actions undertaken during the Last War. Aurala works hard to maintain the trust and support of her nobles, for they continue to provide the troops and taxes needed to keep Aundair safe and prosperous in this new age of peace. Aurala also enjoys the counsel of the Arcane Congress, a remnant of the original council of wizards created by King Galifar as the royal answer to the Twelve of the dragonmarked houses. The congress is currently headquartered in Arcanix, with an annex at the royal court in Fairhaven.
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Alternative Names
"Aundair's Realm"
Demonym
Aundarian(s)
Major Exports
Wine, cheese, grains, agriculture, books
Neighboring Nations
