Therpena, The Sunny Hills
Divided between the vineyards around the Shattered Peaks and the plains near the coast, the southernmost province of Therpena is also host to Ember Cairn, home city of the Dragonborn and headquarters of the dreaded Arcanist Inquisition.
The Vineyards of Santa Viegre
On the southeastern slopes of the mountains, Therpena’s vineyards benefit from a warm temperate climate. The Shattered Peaks shelter them from the strongest winds and provide shade within the blistering heat, while the peaks catch rare but strong rains that feed rivers. Such conditions are perfect for growing fruit and especially grapes, from which the thoroughful winemakers create marvels that are highly prized all over Etharis. Merchants used to come from all over Etharis for first-hand access to the best wines in the great Therpena Wine Festival, but this tradition has lost most of its vigour as the Castinellan theocracy established progressively tighter regulations on the wine market. Now the government itself is the only exporter to legally deal with foreign buyers, setting steep prices and adding the profits to tax revenues. Naturally a black market has silently emerged. Smuggler ships regularly berth on the southern coast to load the extra production from bold, ambitious, or desperate winemakers. It is a risky endeavour indeed, as the Mighty Fleet of Castinella relentlessly patrols the coast of the three provinces. Smugglers must often risk sailing the high seas south-west before going north again towards Etharis. However, the Mighty Fleet has notably reduced its surveillance after losing many ships in the recent attack on Morencia.
Therpena High Cavalry School
Horsemanship is second nature to the people of Therpena, where riding has been elevated to an artform and a means of subsistence, in amazing riding shows and powerful military formations. The Therpena High Cavalry School offers training for all manners of riding. The Therpenan war riders are renowned throughout Etharis for their impressive ability in horseback fighting. Before the unification, they were Therpena’s first line of defence, constantly harassing and ambushing their slower enemies with either vanguard ranged fire or surprising, bloody charges.
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