Kingdom of Karameikos
Karameikos is full of deeply forested flatlands and hills, bordered by rugged mountains to the North. The territory is largely untamed, haunted by many monsters and tribes of goblins. Civilization is tenuous and engaged in a constant struggle to push the wilderness back. Ancient nations once ruled there, and many mysterious ruins are hidden about the land. There is also cultural struggle between the native Traladaran people and the new Thyatian settlers trying to build Karameikos into a powerful nation.
Karameikos is ruled by King Stefan Karameikos, a Thyatian who gained rulership over the nation in AC 970 by trading his ancestral lands, the Duchy of Machetos, to Emperor Thincol of Thyatis in exchange for autonomous rulership over the Imperial Province of Traladara. The nation was originally called the Grand Duchy of Karameikos, and theoretically owed fealty to Thyatis, but following the great war between Thyatis and Alphatia, which greatly damaged Thyatis and resulted in Alphatia's sinking, Duke Stefan declared himself King, and Karameikos gained greater prominence in the Known World.
History
The peoples of Karameikos know the history of their land well. The earliest history, recorded in an ancient work of poetry entitled "The Song of King Halav" tells of the Traldar people. Generations of Traldar bards and village priests preserved this epic through traditional oral storytelling before historians finally committed it to writing six centuries ago.
Karameikos at the Dawn of Time
The region now called the Kingdom of Karameikos was once the homeland of the Traldar, an indigenous human race. Short, stocky, pale-skinned people, the Traldar decended from the now lost Nithians, an ancient empire of which little survives. Scholars excavating Traldar villages have discovered that the early Traldar relied almost exclusively on fishing and hunting to survive. They made their weapons of wood and stone, constructed rude dugout canoes for transportation, and lived a frugal, subsistence-level existence. In Traldar legends, the Immortals (godlike beings) bequeathed to the Traldar the secrets of working tin and copper into bronze, weaving with spindle and loom, creating pottery with a potter’s wheel, and using many other miraculous tools and weapons. Indeed, evidence indicates that Traldar civilization took a sudden jump in sophistication. Almost overnight, the Traldar were forging bronze weapons and armor, cutting roads through the dense forests, and joining communities into a trading network of some complexity. Traldar hero-kings such as Lavv, Dendros, and Irthu reigned over large forest communities, engaged in trade, and used armor and weapons of glittering bronze.The Coming of the Beast-Men
As the Traldar civilization flourished and expanded, it began to make contact with other civilizations. According to "The Song of King Halav," a fierce horde of beast-men (probably gnolls) descended upon the Traldar, intent upon exterminating the tribe and occupying the rich lands themselves. The Traldar fought the beast-men invaders with their superior bronze weapons and armor, but ultimately, after long and bloody fighting, most of the Traldar and the beast-men perished. King Halav and the King of the Beast-Men slew one another in a great fight at the Volaga River. The surviving beast-men then departed Traldar lands while the surviving humans began to rebuild their homes and make their villages prosperous again. The heroes from the legend, Halav, Petra, and Zirchev, were actual persons. Halav was the chief of Lavv, a fortified village on the site of modernday Kelvin; Petra was the queen of Krakatos, widowed early in the gnoll wars; Zirchev was a man of extraordinary intelligence who had been educated by the Hutaakans (which may be why the later legends gave him a bestial aspect).The Dark Age
The time of King Halav has since been called the Golden Age of the Traldar, for the people of this land sank into a dark age following the death of this great leader and never fully recovered from the devastation brought by the gnolls. According to legends, which have sprung up since this Golden Age, King Halav must return to Traldar lands before this can become a mighty nation again. During this dark time, many evil things appeared in the Traldar forests and mountains. Some evil force cursed the land with vampires, lycanthropes, and other beasts. Today, every village has its legends of neighboring ruin once occupied by a vampire lord, or some local lad turning out to be a werewolf and slayer of villagers. Often the legends are true, and every youth knows that the land has its vampires and were-beings. Because horrid things flourished in the woods, travel between inland villages became unsafe. While coastline villages prospered from foreign trade, only the bravest of traders would risk expeditions into the Traldar interior. As a result, the inland villagers remained isolated and more ignorant than their seaside cousins. Clans of goblins, hobgoblins, and orcs also settled in Traldar lands, away from human communities. They warred upon one another and upon the humans, in general making the land wild and dangerous. Tribes of elves and gnomes also came to Traldar lands, the elves settling in the central forests of the land, the gnomes in the mountain foothills to the north. Both races traded peaceably with the humans and fought beside them against the less friendly humanoid tribes. In time, the Traldar recovered from the inhuman onslaughts. They began to call themselves Traladarans; Hutaakan influence and the passage of centuries had wreaked a natural evolution upon the Traldar, their customs, and their language. Traders from Thyatis and the Minrothad area began making regular trips to the coastal villages, improving their economy. The Traladarans remained a non-nation of independent villages that fought and traded together as the mood struck; they united to repel a foreign invader but had no central government, no King Halav to bring them together under a single banner. A number of petty lords took the title of king, rarely ruing farther away than a day's walk, and often at the length of their sword. Ythron, Ivanovich, and Demara were among these rulers. Marilenev, a village at the mouth of the Volaga River (now officially called the Highreach River), rapidly grew into a town as trade flourished. It was nicknamed “The Mirror Port" by the traders who frequented it, due to the calmness and reflective quality of its sheltered bay.The Thyatian Invasion
By a century ago, Marilenev was a flourishing trade city of 500 residents and the chief port of the Traladaran region. At the same time, improved communications and trade raised the standard of living within the disparate and previously isolated communities farther inland, recreating a sense of national identity. Had the Traladarans been left to their own devices, the various clans most likely would have united into a single council (similar to Glantri’s principalities) dominated by a strong leader, possibly a member of the powerful Marilenev Clan. However, as a result of this growth, the nearby nations of Darokin and Thyatis began viewing Traladara with increasing concern. The forest nation had never posed any organized threat, so neither nation had ever erected any significant defenses against Traladara. But, their leaders supposed, what if the Traladaran people should be united under a powerful leader - or, worse yet, conquered by an enemy foreign power? Darokin began sending merchants and government agents to build commercial ties and alliances with a number of Traladaran clans. The Empire of Thyatis sent troops to Marilenev, the Traladaran capital, and conquered it, claiming Traladara for Thyatis. The Darokinian leaders shrugged at this development but ensured that its border was secure from further Thyatian adventurism. Thyatis took few real steps to secure Traladara for itself beyond installing a garrison of soldiers in Marilenev. The military commander at the time renamed Marilenev Specularum (which means “The Mirror City”) after the reflective beauty of the bay. Taxes were collected on all trade revenue changing hands in the city. Other than that, the rest of Traladara was left pretty much to itself. The more isolated communities were completely unaffected by the “conquest.” Traders suffered a Thyatian tax, but the increased Thyatian interest in Traladara merely resulted in booming trade and increased profits for the Traladarans. Such was the situation upon the arrival of Duke Stefan Karameikos to the land that would eventually bear his name.Demography and Population
A number of diverse races call Karameikos home. Humans are the most numerous, whether they are native Traladarans, newly-arrived Thyatians, or mixed-blood Karameikans . Native elves, as well as refugees from the now lost kingdom of Alfheim to the north, fill the depths of the woods. Dwarves may be found in most major communities, particularly in the rugged uplands of the north. They often share their halls and mines with sturdy gnomes, most numerous in the Highforge area. Lastly, the halflings , also called the hin, live in every settlement of note, particularly in the west, where Karameikos borders on the hin nation of the Five Shires.
All of the above-mentioned races are the standard player character races of the D&D game system. A number of other races reside within the borders of Karameikos, though these normally do not form part of common society, and in fact many are hostile to humans and their allies. Scattered throughout the wilderness, they include hobgoblins, goblins, kobolds, and gnolls. Giants of all types dwell in the mountains, while lizard men thrive in the swamps. Lastly, the occasional lycanthrope, undead, and even a few dragons make their home within Karameikos’s borders.
Currency
In Karameikos, the gold piece is called the royal. On the front is the head of King Stefan. (Versions of this coin made before 1007 have King Halav's face instead - Halav has since been moved to the electrum piece.) The silver piece is called the crona. The front shows the royal palace in Mirros. The copper piece is called the kopec. The great wolf of the inland forests appears on the front. A recent coin added to the Karameikan treasure is called the halav, minted from the bluish metal electrum. King Halav indeed appears on its front, wearing his war helmet. The royal coat of arms of Karameikos is stamped on the back. The Karameikan Royal Treasury does not produce platinum coins at the present time - most platinum coinage comes from Thyatis, where that nation produces the emperor. The front of the emperor bears the image of one emperor or another and a set of crossed swords appears on the back. As these platinum coins were minted over the years, different emperors' faces were stamped into them; the age of the coin determines which emperor appears on it.Territories
The nature of the land shapes the kingdom’s identity and history.
Land Patterns
A continuous line of mountains forms Karameikos's entire northern border, acting as both a barrier to forces beyond and as a lair for evil races and monsters. This spine of mountains runs the length of this northern border, but is called by different names in different places. In western Karameikos, they are called the Cruth Mountains, and are notable for their soft, greenish-tinged hornblende and the frequency of their landslides. In central Karameikos, basalt is more common, and the mountains here are called the Black Peaks, so named for their ebony promontories. In eastern Karameikos, the range joins the much larger, Altan Tepes Mountains and has the tallest peaks in the nation. Here, the mountain range broadens, continuing north toward dwarven Rockhome in one direction and turning sharply southeast into the imperial lands of Thyatis in the other. The highest peak of the range, Mt. Tarsus (alt, 11,380 feet) stands to the east, beyond Karameikos’s borders. Forest vegetation thickly covers these mountains, gradually thinning to bare rock toward the peaks. The average height of mountains in the Black Peak and Cruth ranges is 4,000 - 4,500 feet. The Altan Tepes rise from an average of around 4,000 feet in the west to 9,000 in the east; a number of peaks jut above the timberline. South of this huge range are miles and miles of foothills thickly covered with forest. In western Karameikos, hilly country extends to the shores of the Gulf of Halag; in eastern Karameikos, the most southerly foothills lie within 20 miles of the coastline. Much of the rest of the kingdom is cradled in the crescent formedliby these hills, wedged between them and the Sea of Dread to the south. It is flat, pleasant land, sometimes with gently rolling hills, covered with woods and heavy forest. The land slopes very gently from the northern mountains to the southern coast. The northernmost flatlands (the Cruth lowlands of western Karameikos) are about 1,500 feet above sea level; the flatlands south of the Black Peak Mountains rise to about 1,000 feet above sea level.Vegetation
Karameikos is one of the most thickly wooded nations of the world. In the northern parts of the kingdom, pine forests cover the mountain slopes and the hillsides. As travelers move farther south, they encounter more hardwoods - especially oak. In the southernmost parts of the Dymrak Forest in eastern Karameikos, ancient oaks tower into the sky as far as the eye can see. Three great tracts of dense forest lie in Karameikos. The Riverfork Woods sprawls in the far west, near the border with the nation of halflings (known to themselves as the hin) This thick forest was called the Achelos Woods in the original Traladaran language and remains largely unexplored, uninhabited by humans (except for the soldiers garrisoned at Riverfork Keep), and somewhat dark-hearted. Commonly blanketed in thick fog that drifts in from the Blight Swamp to the south, the woods have been chartered to a number of small clans Alfheim elf refugees who have fled into Karameikos. The woods are known officially as the Estate of Achelos. The Radlebb Woods sits in central Karameikos, a forest inhabited by the majority of the Callarii elves, as well as a large number of Alfheim refugees. Less dark and ominous than the western tract, it still has its dangerous wild animals, rogue monsters, and tribes of evil humanoids. The elven estates of Radlebb and Rifllian share these woods. In southeastern Karameikos lies the greatest of the kingdom's woods, the Dymrak Forest. It stretches all the way from the borders of the Barony of Kelvin to the border of Thyatis. A mighty hardwood forest, its floor never sees the full light of day. Numerous nonhuman tribes call the Dymrak home, mostly violent humanoids but also Vyalia elves in the east and Callarii elves in the west. Most of the remaining land of Karameikos is lightly wooded - scattered small forests with patches of clear terrain suitable for pasturage and tillage. Humans settle in these areas most comfortably. One swamp, mentioned earlier lies in Karameikos - the Blight Swamp, near the western border shared with the Five Shires. It is not a healthy temperate swamp; rather an ugly landscape of dying trees and rotting vegetation dominates the sluggish, swollen delta where the western rivers meet the sea. Disease-bearing mosquitoes infest its still waters, and strange creatures glide under the surface. Mangrove islands are common, dripping with gray moss, adding to the haunted, desolate look. Even the light of day feels subdued and cheerless in this part of the nation. Appropriately enough, the southeastern portion of the swamp lies within the Black Eagle Barony. One large area of moors occupies the land northeast of the Barony of Kelvin. These moors boast flatlands and slightly rolling hills where underbrush is sparse and scrubby. Small rivers trickle through, and large patches of deceptive-looking bog can suck men and horses to their deaths in a matter of moments. This, too, is an eerie area, where strange howls drift through the night and nothing looks friendly or comforting during the day. The Moors of Kelvin and the Blight Swamp are not the only marshy and swampy lands within the Kingdom of Adventure. There are many lowlands, bogs, marshes, and small swamps throughout Karameikos, particularly in more heavily wooded terrain.Water
The map shows numerous rivers crossing through the nation. In western Karameikos, the rivers Cruth, Magos, Gustos, and Achelos tumble down, out of the Cruth Mountains - white-water rivers filled with falls, hydraulic sinks, and rapids. About 15 miles north of the border of the Black Eagle Barony the three smaller tributaries pour into the greater Achelos. The overfilled Achelos then broadens and slows as it passes out of the woody terrain, draining slowly through the Blight Swamp and out into the Gulf of Halag. The strength of these rivers fills the Blight Swamp with fresh water for most of its Iength. In central and eastern Karameikos, the Windrush River flows down from the Black Peak Mountains, and the rivers Hillfollow and Highreach run down from the Altan Tepes. They join near Kelvin and continue on to the sea as the river Highreach. The Highreach is a wide, powerfuIl flow; communities along its bank (including Mirros) are subject to floods with the melting of winter snows. The names Windrush, Hillfollow, and Highreach were coined by Thyatian settlers. The rivers all have older names - respectively Wufwolde, Shutturga, and Volaga - which are still used by the more traditional Traladarans (particularly when giving directions to travelers from Thyatis). The last major river system is the Rugalov River near the eastern border with Thyatis. This strong, young river would slow, though not stop, any imperial invaders. The mouth of the river stretches 8 miles across and is subject to massive tidal surges. Most of the river, while mapped, remains unexplored, in part due to rapids and cataracts farther upstream. Karameikos has many smaller rivers not shown on the map; you can be sure that any community not shown lies near a body of water - typically a small stream or spring if the map does not show it. Most of these smaller streams flow toward the nearest large river, or perhaps directly south into the Sea of Dread. The Sea of Dread, an azure ocean, forms the southern boundary of Karameikos. It is rich in fish and shellfish, the latter found particularly in Marilenev Bay, which is famous for its oysters. The sea is relatively calm to the southwest, though generally roiling and stormy to the southeast, as most major sea storms arrive here. Most natives of Karameikos view the sea at worst as a barrier and at best as a highway to foreign markets in the Minrothad Isles and Ierendi. There is, however, a rich wilderness beneath the surface of this sea, open to those who have the wherewithal and ability to explore it.Agriculture & Industry
Karameikos is a new nation, and most of its trade revolves around its natural resources, both for export and for crafting into finished goods. The greatest resource of Karameikos remains its forests, which carry many names but stretch almost unbroken from eastem to western borders. A hin story tells of an adventurous halfling who bet that he could travel from the
Shires to Thyatis without once touching Karameikan soil - and won.
King Stefan warily regards the disposition of these forests, seeing the ruin that unplanned plundering caused in his native Thyatis. Permits to lumber in quantity must be granted by the crown or by local barons in baronial lands. Lords or ladies of merely landed rank may not grant such permits for their own estates. King Stefan also posts royal advisers (usually elves) to inspect large-scale logging operations. Clear-cutting (removing all trees regardless of suitability) is avoided except in cases where the land will be converted immediately to farming.
The deep woods of Karameikos still lie untamed and unsettled, and the king has established a number of elven estates in these areas to guarantee their continued viability. Very little logging goes on here. Both deep and light woods are home to a burgeoning population of wild game, including both normal animals and monstrous creatures. Deer, elk, stags, and wild boars are common, as are smaller game creatures such as foxes and pheasants, and large predators such as wolves and mountain lions.
Small farms occupy a good portion of Karameikos’s open land, worked by freemen who owe their allegiance to a landed lord or baron. Karameikos's soil is rich and dark. While the nation cannot compete with Darokin, the greatest economic powerhouse to the north, it provides sufficient yields to feed its people well, with enough surplus to export.
Mines are numerous in the Wulfwolde Hills, especially gnome and dwarven ones. These works produce iron in great quantity and small amount of precious metals as well.
Gold and silver are found in the southern Altan Tepes, and many people try to establish mines there. Some meet with great success; most meet with death at the hands of the humanoids that infest that part of the country.
More gold and silver lie in deep places, already smelted and stamped. Karameikos was once the nation of Traladara, its time of greatness long past and its wonders turned into ruined lairs. Many adventurers explore and plunder these lost sites, bringing in further revenue for the kingdom as they return the treasures of the past to general circulation.
Finally, many cave complexes lurk in Karameikos, especially in the Black Peak Mountains and Wufwolde Hills. Caverns are, of course, ideal locations for lost civilizations, hidden bandit tribes, ancient sleeping monsters, and so forth.
Maps
Maps
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Karameikos
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Saltmarsh Region
Founding Date
970
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Head of State
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Official State Religion
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
Related Myths
Comments