Caltheria
Caltheria is the smallest and most remote of the Aurean Empire's mountain provinces, lying in one of the highest portions of The Dragonpeaks. It consists of a series of narrow passes amidst the peaks and glaciers in an area to the east of The Rise and immediately south of Aureapolis Province. Since the only route into The Southern Passes was collapsed during the great purge, the remote province only accessible by a long, badly maintained trail from the Rise and via The Great Stair starting at the base of the mountains near the city of Fallbottom.
The Great Stair is the only route into Caltheria from the north. The edge of the mountains there is mostly cliff face, making it extremely difficult to traverse. A narrow trail rises along the face of the cliff, in some places in the form of literal carved stairs, though long and uneven ones. Pack animals can make the journey in the summer, but it is inaccessible to carts and wagons.
At the top of the stair is the provincial capital of Overlook, which sits at the top of the cliff overlooking Aureapolis and the surrounding area. At the edge of the town sits The Falls of the Gods, where Caltheria’s many glacial streams meet and plunge thousands of feet down the side of the mountains. Beyond Overlook, there are no settlements in Caltheria of over a few hundred people. Most of the province's inhabitants are miners or subsistence farmers and herders, mostly of sheep and goats.
Caltheria is one of the continent's only centers of griffon training, though a few other places, including within the mountain provinces, are home to trainers of the smaller and more docile hippogriff. The griffons are used for travel and transport of some goods between the province’s disparate and difficult to access settlements. Giant Goats native to the higher peaks have also been domesticated, as they travel better on the steep trails then horses and mules.
Due to the area’s isolation it is relatively peaceful, lacking the issues the other provinces have with orcs and hobgoblins , though the smaller goblins can occasionally be a nuisance. However, yeti attacks are commonly reported around remote settlements, and sightings of some elementals are not unheard of.
History
Before Aurean settlement, Caltheria was lightly populated by small groups of gnomes, goblins, and kobolds, whose smaller size made life easier among the narrow glacial valleys of the high mountains, and many still dwell there today. Around the start of the second millenia, small groups of herders began spreading up from the overpopulated Eutoria Superior and the Rise, finding Caltheria to offer good grazing land. In 2246 AY, Empress Nelthera I initiated construction of the Great Stair, one of her many building projects. Upon its completion in 2251 AY the provential capital of Overlook was constructed and Caltheria was made an official province, and the population began to quickly grow.
Founding Date
2251 AY
Type
Geopolitical, Province
Demonym
Caltherian
Parent Organization
Location
