Zarrlan

Zarrlan
The Usurpers Throne

OVERVIEW:
Zarrlan is a country that has recently came under the eye of the rest of the Known World. It once was under a different ruler, who was killed and the throne stolen by a warlord despot, trying to enslave all citizens of this small country. A few heroes from Gothmyr took the quest to remove the despot dictator and free the people of the land. They succeeded, and one of their own took the throne for himself.

HISTORY:
Originally founded as a group of towns under a baron during the Age of Bestowment. This was the Barony of Teher.
In the Age of Conflict, Teher was torn down to the foundation stone, and the small country was formed by several knights attempted to bring the dozens of towns and small villages together. As the ohagiocracy grew and banded together, the knight-rulers pushed south and took various fortified keeps and castles that rimmed the southern edge. But the knights pushed further, making theirs a crusade blessed by the Church of Prens. This allowed their army to march south, taking and claiming land along the mountains in Prens' name, until they reached the southernmost river in their lands.
The knights had the new claimed lands scoured, and masons and carpenters built a great Keep, right on the southern borderlands. The mountains still teemed with monsters and brigands, and the castles and keeps built along the mountain edges were erected to hold the Wildrealm back.
The ohagiocracy was torn asunder when the small towns and villages were forced to feed the knights' armies, and almost drove the entire nation to choose between starvation and cannibalism.
During Age of Discovery, the nation was ruled by a nasty green dragon named "Shezeraktylos the Vicious".

Once the land was renewed and the Age of Enlightenment began, the towns all decided not to band together, but rather as autonomous towns. This was short lived as an army from the West marched their host into the capitol city and took it, renaming it Einburg.
During the Age of Fortune the towns voted a new ruler into power and he and his descendants ruled until 8325.

LEADERSHIP:

Recently, a warlord despot named Ookrun the Saint was dethroned from the Einburg Keep and the nation was freed by a band of heroes from Gothmyr. Once the warlord was removed, one of the Heroes took the throne by Right of Challenge, becoming the last ruler of the nation. The land was renamed Zarrlan, after the new ruler, Zarrin Darkblade, First of his Name, Wielder of Shezerak, an Artifact built from the bones and wing of the ancient green dragon, and called "Shezerak".

PEOPLE:
Most of the folk of Zarrlan are hardy, tough people. Being downtrodden by dictators and rulers have made them endure most others could not. Recently, the lands were held and oppressed by the warlord Ookrun and his created monster beastmen named Vornn. The army of Vorrn have terrorized the townsfolk, demanding tribute, food, and committing random unprovoked atrocities.
Once King Zarrin and the other heroes freed them, the Vornn ran and hid, afraid of their fate since their unstoppable Lord was killed in the Battle of Elmwood. Elmwood, the town, was renamed to Willowood as the lands grew willows. These are new to the region since the return of the elves marked an alliance with the human survivors of Zarrlan. The recognized heroes of Zarrlan are:

King Zarrin Darkblade I (King of Zarrlan)
Fazul Mabruk, of Al'Shiael
Tilly of Gothmyr
G'hrok the Gore (Current Baron of Willowood)
Dayereth Galanodel of Rhil'Heeyl
Turgon Rumnaheim, Lord of the Southern Fort Turgen
Lender Jason Blightbane, of Kings Watch

TOWNS OF ZARRLAN:

The nation of Zarrlan is smaller than it claims. The land that King Zarrin claims as his, is actually split in two. The northern half is agreed as lands under the crown, but the midpoint of the recognized lands has a line of ancient keeps and castles that is a line of demarkation from current Zarrlan and the Southern half known as the Barrow Marsh. Free Folk of the Marsh live there in the south lands refusing to be subjects of King Zarrin. The King would like nothing more to march an army into the Barrow Marsh, but Zarrlan's towns, recently devastated in war and oppression, are rebuilding and men do not come cheap. King Zarrin barely has enough men to protect the capitol, and most of the other lands are left to defend themselves. There are still interesting towns and places in the Northern half of Zarrlan that are standing, and worth visiting.

Zarrburg

Willowood (Prev. Elmwood)

Einburg

Dyson Falls

Southdowns

Fort Turgen is named for its current lord, Turgon of Gothmyr. Fort Turgen holds the southern border of Zarrlan and protects the people North of it. Some seventy-five soldiers plus another one hundred townsfolk/militia live within the fort's Walls. Fort Turgen often has invasions of trolls and Fen monsters they fight and prevent from slinking their way into the north.
Elves of Willowood - Large elven city of wood and gray elves, Cathrador is their capital. Fazul, an officer of Zarrlan is their Regent.

There are many many ruined keeps, castles and forts that have been left to ruin. Ages old, some are empty, while others are occupied by monsters, or clans of Wildmen. The northernmost line of ruins is merely a day's walk from the edge of Fort Turgen and they are called the "Teeth of the Barrows". The Free folk of the south still use some of the other southern forts as protection, or modify others into tools, like a semi-collapsed tower into a windmill to mill their rice into flour. These people believe they have no king, and that they are free to live without a crown.

One of the larger towns in the Free South is Oldtown. It sits at the foothills of the Pike Peaks at the head of a river. Oldtown holds approximately a thousand people, and is the center for trade in the South. Many of the Oldtowners used to be from the North, before Ookrun and his wild Vorrn invaded. They see the King in the North as no better than the previous Tyrant.

Kingdom : Noble Court
Domain: Court of War (+1 to Operations/ +1 to Resources)