The Ostoyan Empire (Ost-Oy-An)
Beyond The Grey Spine Peaks lies a land shrouded in mist and shadow. The hearts of the Ostoyan people are as cold and forbidding as the land they dwell in. The empire is an Oligarchy at cold civil war between the Northern region of Raevo and the southern rejon of Soma. Whislt both exchanging violent skirmishes, they still have a symbiotic reletionship for they hate The Bürach Empire more.
A place were the mages of the Ravencourt Sanctuary spin their nebulous plots, The Order Of The Dawn push their fanatical belif system and The Vampire Lords of The Crimson Court are said to devise wicked plans to engulf Etharis in a tide of undead.br]
The lands east of the Grey Spine are a temperate, heavily-forested region filled with hills and valleys. The further one travels east, the more the land flattens into rolling plains, dotted here and there by treacherous heaths and bogs. At the easternmost edge of Ostoya, the terrain breaks into jagged cliffs that border a restless, ice-filled sea. Further eastward across the water, a magical fog surrounds an island that few have ever laid eyes on.
The terrain is not suited for heavy farming. The Ostoyans supplement what meagre crops they grow by hunting and herding. Coastal cities also employ fishing and whaling fleets to feed their burgeoning populations. The Ostoyan weather is typified by Nov Ostoya's skies, heavy rains, sudden snowfall, and endless mists. The sun is a rare sight, and most welcome when it breaks through the mantle of grey clouds.
What Ostoya lacks in hospitable environment, it makes up in tremendous amounts of ore, stone, and coal from the Grey Spine. Lumber is also plentiful, enabling the Ostoyans to build robust structures. These resources lend themselves to frequent trade with other nations, but also lead to violent border disputes with neighbours, particularly the Bürach.
The Ostoyans worked hard to tame the land, clearing forests for livestock and lumber. With the discovery of coal and precious minerals in the foothills of the Grey Spine, mining towns soon opened, followed by roads and byways. Further to the east, explorers discovered a break in the seaside cliffs that led to a natural harbour. Here they founded the coastal city of Nov Ostoya, which became the seat of the Ostoyan Aristocracy.
While Ostoya was not known to have large populations of natural predators such as wolves and bears, every now and then people were known to disappear for good, often with signs of a struggle.
However, the landscape both politically and physichally have changed much since the founding of Ostoya. Since the Dark Fall the empire has become a hellish place shrouded in darkness.
To outsiders Ostoya is a dark land of magical mysteries. Although they present a united front to forigners, within - the nation is split in two. The Vampire oligarchy The Crimson Court rules the Soma rejion (the greater part of the country) from Nov Ostoya. The Northern rejion of Raevo is ruled by a Mageocracy of the living (remnants of the rebelion which attempted to thrawt the concuring Vampires) headed by Queen Vivienne Talisean from the city of Castelore.
Not much is clear about how this cataclysmic event. Only that before long, all of the aristocracy became vampires and hoards of undead joined the Ostoyan Army.
A rebelion of living Ostoyans was formed in the north. Their situation quickly became hopless and the vampires feared the rise of facism in Castinella. Ostoya would be the perfect cause for them to bring others to their acanist crusade. The Ostoyans could not be fractures. This lead to a stalemate and truce between the two governments, whom now have a simbiotic relationship.
A place were the mages of the Ravencourt Sanctuary spin their nebulous plots, The Order Of The Dawn push their fanatical belif system and The Vampire Lords of The Crimson Court are said to devise wicked plans to engulf Etharis in a tide of undead.br]
Landscape
The lands east of the Grey Spine are a temperate, heavily-forested region filled with hills and valleys. The further one travels east, the more the land flattens into rolling plains, dotted here and there by treacherous heaths and bogs. At the easternmost edge of Ostoya, the terrain breaks into jagged cliffs that border a restless, ice-filled sea. Further eastward across the water, a magical fog surrounds an island that few have ever laid eyes on.
The terrain is not suited for heavy farming. The Ostoyans supplement what meagre crops they grow by hunting and herding. Coastal cities also employ fishing and whaling fleets to feed their burgeoning populations. The Ostoyan weather is typified by Nov Ostoya's skies, heavy rains, sudden snowfall, and endless mists. The sun is a rare sight, and most welcome when it breaks through the mantle of grey clouds.
What Ostoya lacks in hospitable environment, it makes up in tremendous amounts of ore, stone, and coal from the Grey Spine. Lumber is also plentiful, enabling the Ostoyans to build robust structures. These resources lend themselves to frequent trade with other nations, but also lead to violent border disputes with neighbours, particularly the Bürach.
A Land of Our Own
Ostoya was founded centuries ago by Bürach secessionists -migrants who fled the fledgling Bürach Empire's tumultuous early days to find a more peaceful country. A nobleman named Elias Beralt led his family and followers through the treacherous passes of the Grey Spine, emerging on the other side to find a country lush with pine woods and rolling hills. He named it Ostoya, which in the ancient tongue means "Our Own." Over the years, a loose confederation formed among the communities trying to carve a living out of the wild lands. The most successful of these became the provinces of Soma to the south and Raevo to the north. Other settlements of note include Malkovia, Fallowheart, Riven, and Voyd.The Ostoyans worked hard to tame the land, clearing forests for livestock and lumber. With the discovery of coal and precious minerals in the foothills of the Grey Spine, mining towns soon opened, followed by roads and byways. Further to the east, explorers discovered a break in the seaside cliffs that led to a natural harbour. Here they founded the coastal city of Nov Ostoya, which became the seat of the Ostoyan Aristocracy.
While Ostoya was not known to have large populations of natural predators such as wolves and bears, every now and then people were known to disappear for good, often with signs of a struggle.
However, the landscape both politically and physichally have changed much since the founding of Ostoya. Since the Dark Fall the empire has become a hellish place shrouded in darkness.
To outsiders Ostoya is a dark land of magical mysteries. Although they present a united front to forigners, within - the nation is split in two. The Vampire oligarchy The Crimson Court rules the Soma rejion (the greater part of the country) from Nov Ostoya. The Northern rejion of Raevo is ruled by a Mageocracy of the living (remnants of the rebelion which attempted to thrawt the concuring Vampires) headed by Queen Vivienne Talisean from the city of Castelore.
The Darkfall
Nearly wo decades into the Ostoya-Bürach war, a terrible earthquake shook the Soma region. Something sinister underneath the ground was making itself known. The skies darkened over Ostoya as necrotic energy poured out of cracks in the earth. This engulfed the entire region into an eternal night. The Bürach warriors fought valiantly against the forces of evil, only to fall and join their undead enemy.Not much is clear about how this cataclysmic event. Only that before long, all of the aristocracy became vampires and hoards of undead joined the Ostoyan Army.
A rebelion of living Ostoyans was formed in the north. Their situation quickly became hopless and the vampires feared the rise of facism in Castinella. Ostoya would be the perfect cause for them to bring others to their acanist crusade. The Ostoyans could not be fractures. This lead to a stalemate and truce between the two governments, whom now have a simbiotic relationship.
Alternative Name(s)
The Shadow Lands
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