Sarlim

Marble and pillars, along the coast.
for centuries, Sarlim was a populous and prosperous region, its many sprawling cities carved into the marble crags of the landscape, olive farms and vineyards in every valley, fertilised by ashfall from the encompassing Molomet jungle that also acted as a natural barrier to attack. they traded and competed with their neighbours, and refused to lose their independence.
then, some 300 years ago, the Great Eruption in eastern Molomet deposited a huge amount of ash over the majority of the region, blotting out the sun for months and covering the land in a blanket of ash feet deep. the crops failed, and hundreds of thousands - perhaps up to nine-tenths of the population - starved or were buried alive. many of the city-states were totally destroyed, and the remainders were absorbed into the Commonwealth of Reld shortly afterwards in return for vital aid and supplies.
some believe that the eruption was a deliberate act, though who carried it out - and by which mechanism - is a matter of great debate. all in all, it is hard to give these conspiracies much credence.
now, the treacherous and ash-choked areas of the country are being slowly and painstakingly cleared, reclaiming the treasures of the past from ash elementals, guard-magics, and Molomet raiders.
Due to the ease of carving the land around the area, huge amounts of the land is shaped into structures - it's entirely city in some regions. In the west, molten rivulets of copper and tin run down from Molomet's highest stretches, congealing and hardening into sparkling metallic glaciers that are the source of the region's prominent bronze tools.
while paying lip service to the Reldan Gyrism of the ruling class, the Sarlimites still hold true to their old pantheon of gods, as worshipped via representative statues of various sizes. the gods take human and animal forms, and their statues create zones within which magical effects associated with the particular god take hold.  It's undeniable that these statues have miraculous effects - food lasts longer and blades stay sharper when stored near a statue of the bull, for instance - but nonbelievers say that statue-making in this way is merely a type of magic, whereas the faithful claim it's the influence of the gods themselves.
local "magical" traditions:

• stoneshapers: able to quickly and easily split large pieces of marble, enabling the rapid and easy construction of marble buildings (though purely a subtractive process)
• Chiselers: whatever they chip off with their chisels is annihilated. currently employed on a massive scale to clear ash off the land.
• statue-magic: see Sarlimite Pantheon info above.

Demonym Sarlimite.
Marble associations: various colours, carving and chisels, removal and subtraction, statues, refinement and classicism, Greece & Rome.
Locals tend to be fairly uninfused - occasionally some marble-like colour-banding, but this is purely cosmetic.
has a mediterranean climate, olives and goats.
has a native polytheistic faith, based around worship at statue-idols, which is now somewhat displaced by/subsumed into Reldan Gyrism.
Questions:

• is there a slave trade?

Geography

Specific locations:

• Covol: On the coast of Sarlim, the town of Covol rises in serried ranks, marble houses cut into the marble hillside. Statues of The Dolphin spring lifelike from the water at the mouth of the bay, warding back bad weather. For mercenaries adventurers, smugglers, scoundrels and thieves, Covol is a great place to disembark, as the influence of the Commonwealth of Reld is lesser here.

Type

Rolling Hills

Location under

Reld

Owning Organization

Commonwealth of Reld

Related Historical Events

• 300 LF
  The Great Eruption

DEITIES:

• Dolphin: Deity of the sea, weather, and navigation. Dolphin statues will change to reflect the weather, as well as warding against the worst of storms.
• Crane: Deity of light, the heavens, time, healing, writing, Law, and fate. Crane statues can help heal minor illnesses, and provide mental clarity and focus.
• Bull: Deity of the forge and the farm. Bull statues will slow food from spoiling and metal from tarnishing, and items forged in a bull's head furnace will be stronger, sharper, and longer-lasting.
• Wolf: Deity of the hunt, of the home and community, and of war. Wolf statues sow concord between locals and adversity among outsiders, as well as providing strength and endurance.
• Asp: Deity of maladies, darkness, protection, confinement and secrets. Snake statues can induce weakness, cloud the senses, but also ward against poison and infection.