Evani Baruntacht
Surrounded on all sides by the Glacial-Spear Peaks, this region is one of cold, an elevated boreal taiga, a true tundra forest, complete with the strange things living deep within the chilling woodlands. It is ancient, a forgotten relic, preserved and protected for millennia by the glacial armor around it, frozen in a status of neither life nor death. Almost as if in hibernation. Poetic, but also likely not accurate. It is alive and has always been in some fashion, through ancient primordial forces. It is a place steeped in Dulra, in the Manna of Nature herself. Settled again, this value has not gone unnoticed or untapped, and the Evani Baruntacht holds a powerful economic resource within their grips, one provided by the ancient Crystal Woods, and the land herself. Of course such boons do not come without great risk and efforts of labor, as one should expect.
This region is the holding and trust of one Fiolag Samuel Evani, a local hero and legend for his actions at the Pike Point Stand. He is well loved by the local community and peoples and seen as a strong, hard, fair leader. A tough man to help guide a tough peoples in a dangerous region. He has taken to his role well, especially in picking his local advisors and trusted confidantes. He receives council and constructive criticism with an impressive humility and hunger, as if he thrives from the challenge to be better, and his chosen officials and aides generally embody this spirit as well. This bleeds to the people and industry of the region of course, and is a part of why the region is so successful. The lands themselves, a true taiga, an arctic woodland, are a hard place, with many dangers, but also provide opportunity and resources.
This region is the holding and trust of one Fiolag Samuel Evani, a local hero and legend for his actions at the Pike Point Stand. He is well loved by the local community and peoples and seen as a strong, hard, fair leader. A tough man to help guide a tough peoples in a dangerous region. He has taken to his role well, especially in picking his local advisors and trusted confidantes. He receives council and constructive criticism with an impressive humility and hunger, as if he thrives from the challenge to be better, and his chosen officials and aides generally embody this spirit as well. This bleeds to the people and industry of the region of course, and is a part of why the region is so successful. The lands themselves, a true taiga, an arctic woodland, are a hard place, with many dangers, but also provide opportunity and resources.
Geography
GEOGRAPHIC PLACES OF IMPORTANCE:
Foljeim's Path: This river is named for the dwarven explorer and saint of the Kartheart Church, as it is considered a very likely candidate to be the river he followed the path of in his final chronicles, when heading into the 'Mountains with peaks like spears of glass' to seek knowledge and understanding of such a strange phenomenon. He is said never to have returned and to this day his body or any other remains have never been found. Some bold, or stupid, pilgrims still follow this path, trying to find some remains of him, to 'return the wandering saint to his people for a final time' or some such. Very few of these fools return, and none have ever found what they were seeking. The river itself is a moderately fast flowing, but easily navigate able river so far as they come in Suranth. Few to little sudden current changes, no rapids, generally a pleasure.
River Pike: This river gets its name from the type of fish caught here most often, northern pike, as it is their spawn run from Foljeim Lake. They are a staple food in the region and because of this, one will find an almost unimaginable number of recipes for the fish, all with impressively wide variety. A feeder river into Foljeim's Path, the junction where these two rivers meet is also considered a place of great strategic importance.
Crystal Woods: The Crystal Woods, an important location to say the least, for this forest provides the economic lynchpin, even whilst hiding many dangers, of the region. Wolven, filthy wolf like bestials, roam the forgotten corners in packs, vicious and ever hungry. Leshen, strange tainted spirits, dark fey, haunt the misty and seemingly empty corners of these woods, so the stories say. It is unsurprising as beside the variety of timber; pine, spruce, fir and more, the region is known by its name for something far more valuable. Perhaps one in a fifty thousand trees brought down contain a raw, emerald, a true manna shard of nature. These, even at this small rate of discovery, are of massive economic value for a multitude of reasons to the regions populace. Even more valuable, but also wildly more dangerous, perhaps one in a million trees brought down contain a shard of pure Void Stone. The value of these things is not unknown, nor was there sustainability. Early on with guidance from magical advisors, the previous Fiolags of this land laid the laws insuring, in theory anyway, that every other piece of emerald any given lumber company harvests should be replanted in the center of a section of woodlands that has already been cleared. The reason for this, is that the manna will do as Dulra is inclined to do. Take nutrition from the fallen (dead stumps and roots) to feed new lives. New trees will sprout, new vegetation, the little shard of this forest's heart growing more forest, and perhaps, it is theorized (though yet to be tested), even release enough manna to cause other crystals to be born, effectively strengthening the forests 'heart'. In recent years however, some concerning queries have been raised through the courts about how well some lumber companies and groups have been following these pieces of legislation.
River Dar: This river takes its name from the Darish Flower, a hardy and small shrub that grows plentiful and wild along the river, the flowers of which have many medicinal uses and the leaves of which, dried out and ground into a fine powder, are a favorite smoking herb, causing a sense of looseness and calm, of relaxation. A valuable cash crop, and one of the few in Suranth that can be grown without food being the major goal or market, Darish Flower is a shrub seen in many fields, even as a companion plant to the main crop, as it is hardy and needs little to flourish. The quality of the leaf powder is effected quite heavily, however, by how, where and with what other plants it is grown. Wild Darish Powder is the preference of course, for it has a pleasant smoky finish to it when inhaled, much like the pleasant scent of a wood stove. But wild darish powder, unless one harvest and makes it them self, is generally more expensive than that which is grown as a side crop by blueberry or potato farmers or the like.
Fir Hallow Ruins: None truly know how old, or what happened, it seems it may have been an early settlement in the region, older than most, and forgotten. It could even have been before the Sundering, though that seems unlikely as there does, from a distance, seem to be a chapel of sorts, the remains of one, in a Kartheartian style. What is known is this little community would have housed three, perhaps four hundred. But it lies in ruins, the island under an almost perpetual state of fog and cold, with no signs of humanoid life. However some clear and calm nights, its said one can hear strange guttural sounds echoing across the water.
Primordial Peak: The exact peak deep in the Glass-Spears is unknown, but local legend tells of a great and powerful being, long forgotten, slumbering perhaps, or simply seeing the simpleton folk of Suranth as not worth its time. Whatever that may be, the locals do believe that deep in the Glass Spear Peaks lives a true Primordial, a true Dragon, a forgotten relic of millennia upon millennia long past. How true is such a claim? None can say for sure, though it is worthy of noting that those few treasure hunters and wealth seekers, or monster hunters and adventurers whom have went seeking an answer, none of them have ever returned.
CITIES/TOWNS:
Rekarsk (11503): The principal settlement within the Baruntacht, the seat of power for Samuel Evani and his advisors, this large settlement is another of the many here that to those in and of Suranth, they'd call a city, but most folk from further south would call a large town. Regardless, it is a central and principal place, a place of business. Out of the city operate a wide variety of lumber yards, paper mills and other such businesses, utilizing the most prominent resource. Furniture makers here make a killing, as high end wooden furniture, even of spruce or fir, is well liked by the upper working class. Besides this one will find a healthy mercantile industry at work as well, as you could expect. One can also find a university here, though with limited education available. Natural Sciences, Medicine, and Archaeology being three of the biggest. Rekarsk is also unique in that, as an oddity, it is not all self contained. Not all the town's inhabitants actually live directly behind the walls of the town. Some fifteen hundred or so own the cleared land around the towns walls, which is farm land, used to raise goats and sheep, along with some being used to grow what hardy food crops can be grown in the short season such can be accomplished. These people have direct access of course, and should the need ever arise they would be allowed to abandon their homes and take refuge in town, for example if an attack upon the land by some large force was imminent. The town itself is also well fortified, and in full control of the only crossing over Foljeim's Run. The town's river port and docks are also kept outside the main walls of the town center, though none live here. The idea is similar to many such communities in Suranth. Better to lose the docks temporarily than to have an open and unfortified way into the town. Besides that, with a strong and well manned garrison on each side of the bridge to maintain full control of the river crossing, it is seen as easily reclaimable and even defended if needed, simply from having troops on two sides in a flanking position. Like all large towns and cities, Rekarsk has a local police force, which operate out of a few small precincts across the city. The Rekarsk Police Department counts some two dozen or so making up their number, spread about these precincts. As in an town or city, various guilds hold offices here, the largest using their buildings to house their own operations, and renting out spare space to those with smaller interests in the town.
Pike Point (4811): A bustling river community, built on fishing and harvesting all the various resources of the region, they also have a few small lumber yards of course. Built in a similar fashion, defensive fortifications focused around the tight knit town center, where most live, with the cleared areas around the docks, lumber yards and a few small farmsteads as well. The town gets its name from the fishing boom every year during spawning season, when northern pike are plentiful and caught by the dozens. The town embraces their name even holding a festival at the end of the spawn called 'Piping Piking!" where there are all sorts of games, drinking, entertainments from locals and oft from a traveling group should one be in town, along with of course a frankly staggering array of pike themed recipes and dishes being offered and tasted all across the town.
Foljeim's Rest (3313): This town is one well known to pilgrims and industrialists alike, as it is the place born from the supposed last recorded stop on Foljeim's final expedition into the Glacial Spears. As such, here is where you would expect, rightfully so, to find the strongest presence of Sir Kartheart's faithful in the region. But it is also the largest railyard in the region as well, and the stop before the slowest part of the journey on the rails anywhere in northern Valerick, the trip through the Glacial Corridor. This winding section of the tracks is only some hundred kilometers as the bird flies, but is some two hundred plus for the rail tracks. Still, that is nothing in most cases to a locomotive, however with the higher likelihood of ice and snow clogging the tracks, needing to be cleared, or having damaged the tracks so they need repair, means even when a train leaves with added tools, gear, hands and provisions it can still take eight to ten hours if there has been rough weather recently. The town is also well fortified and has a large military presence especially for its size, given the added presence of the largest contingent of Rail Wardens in the region.
Foljeim's Path: This river is named for the dwarven explorer and saint of the Kartheart Church, as it is considered a very likely candidate to be the river he followed the path of in his final chronicles, when heading into the 'Mountains with peaks like spears of glass' to seek knowledge and understanding of such a strange phenomenon. He is said never to have returned and to this day his body or any other remains have never been found. Some bold, or stupid, pilgrims still follow this path, trying to find some remains of him, to 'return the wandering saint to his people for a final time' or some such. Very few of these fools return, and none have ever found what they were seeking. The river itself is a moderately fast flowing, but easily navigate able river so far as they come in Suranth. Few to little sudden current changes, no rapids, generally a pleasure.
River Pike: This river gets its name from the type of fish caught here most often, northern pike, as it is their spawn run from Foljeim Lake. They are a staple food in the region and because of this, one will find an almost unimaginable number of recipes for the fish, all with impressively wide variety. A feeder river into Foljeim's Path, the junction where these two rivers meet is also considered a place of great strategic importance.
Crystal Woods: The Crystal Woods, an important location to say the least, for this forest provides the economic lynchpin, even whilst hiding many dangers, of the region. Wolven, filthy wolf like bestials, roam the forgotten corners in packs, vicious and ever hungry. Leshen, strange tainted spirits, dark fey, haunt the misty and seemingly empty corners of these woods, so the stories say. It is unsurprising as beside the variety of timber; pine, spruce, fir and more, the region is known by its name for something far more valuable. Perhaps one in a fifty thousand trees brought down contain a raw, emerald, a true manna shard of nature. These, even at this small rate of discovery, are of massive economic value for a multitude of reasons to the regions populace. Even more valuable, but also wildly more dangerous, perhaps one in a million trees brought down contain a shard of pure Void Stone. The value of these things is not unknown, nor was there sustainability. Early on with guidance from magical advisors, the previous Fiolags of this land laid the laws insuring, in theory anyway, that every other piece of emerald any given lumber company harvests should be replanted in the center of a section of woodlands that has already been cleared. The reason for this, is that the manna will do as Dulra is inclined to do. Take nutrition from the fallen (dead stumps and roots) to feed new lives. New trees will sprout, new vegetation, the little shard of this forest's heart growing more forest, and perhaps, it is theorized (though yet to be tested), even release enough manna to cause other crystals to be born, effectively strengthening the forests 'heart'. In recent years however, some concerning queries have been raised through the courts about how well some lumber companies and groups have been following these pieces of legislation.
River Dar: This river takes its name from the Darish Flower, a hardy and small shrub that grows plentiful and wild along the river, the flowers of which have many medicinal uses and the leaves of which, dried out and ground into a fine powder, are a favorite smoking herb, causing a sense of looseness and calm, of relaxation. A valuable cash crop, and one of the few in Suranth that can be grown without food being the major goal or market, Darish Flower is a shrub seen in many fields, even as a companion plant to the main crop, as it is hardy and needs little to flourish. The quality of the leaf powder is effected quite heavily, however, by how, where and with what other plants it is grown. Wild Darish Powder is the preference of course, for it has a pleasant smoky finish to it when inhaled, much like the pleasant scent of a wood stove. But wild darish powder, unless one harvest and makes it them self, is generally more expensive than that which is grown as a side crop by blueberry or potato farmers or the like.
Fir Hallow Ruins: None truly know how old, or what happened, it seems it may have been an early settlement in the region, older than most, and forgotten. It could even have been before the Sundering, though that seems unlikely as there does, from a distance, seem to be a chapel of sorts, the remains of one, in a Kartheartian style. What is known is this little community would have housed three, perhaps four hundred. But it lies in ruins, the island under an almost perpetual state of fog and cold, with no signs of humanoid life. However some clear and calm nights, its said one can hear strange guttural sounds echoing across the water.
Primordial Peak: The exact peak deep in the Glass-Spears is unknown, but local legend tells of a great and powerful being, long forgotten, slumbering perhaps, or simply seeing the simpleton folk of Suranth as not worth its time. Whatever that may be, the locals do believe that deep in the Glass Spear Peaks lives a true Primordial, a true Dragon, a forgotten relic of millennia upon millennia long past. How true is such a claim? None can say for sure, though it is worthy of noting that those few treasure hunters and wealth seekers, or monster hunters and adventurers whom have went seeking an answer, none of them have ever returned.
CITIES/TOWNS:
Rekarsk (11503): The principal settlement within the Baruntacht, the seat of power for Samuel Evani and his advisors, this large settlement is another of the many here that to those in and of Suranth, they'd call a city, but most folk from further south would call a large town. Regardless, it is a central and principal place, a place of business. Out of the city operate a wide variety of lumber yards, paper mills and other such businesses, utilizing the most prominent resource. Furniture makers here make a killing, as high end wooden furniture, even of spruce or fir, is well liked by the upper working class. Besides this one will find a healthy mercantile industry at work as well, as you could expect. One can also find a university here, though with limited education available. Natural Sciences, Medicine, and Archaeology being three of the biggest. Rekarsk is also unique in that, as an oddity, it is not all self contained. Not all the town's inhabitants actually live directly behind the walls of the town. Some fifteen hundred or so own the cleared land around the towns walls, which is farm land, used to raise goats and sheep, along with some being used to grow what hardy food crops can be grown in the short season such can be accomplished. These people have direct access of course, and should the need ever arise they would be allowed to abandon their homes and take refuge in town, for example if an attack upon the land by some large force was imminent. The town itself is also well fortified, and in full control of the only crossing over Foljeim's Run. The town's river port and docks are also kept outside the main walls of the town center, though none live here. The idea is similar to many such communities in Suranth. Better to lose the docks temporarily than to have an open and unfortified way into the town. Besides that, with a strong and well manned garrison on each side of the bridge to maintain full control of the river crossing, it is seen as easily reclaimable and even defended if needed, simply from having troops on two sides in a flanking position. Like all large towns and cities, Rekarsk has a local police force, which operate out of a few small precincts across the city. The Rekarsk Police Department counts some two dozen or so making up their number, spread about these precincts. As in an town or city, various guilds hold offices here, the largest using their buildings to house their own operations, and renting out spare space to those with smaller interests in the town.
Pike Point (4811): A bustling river community, built on fishing and harvesting all the various resources of the region, they also have a few small lumber yards of course. Built in a similar fashion, defensive fortifications focused around the tight knit town center, where most live, with the cleared areas around the docks, lumber yards and a few small farmsteads as well. The town gets its name from the fishing boom every year during spawning season, when northern pike are plentiful and caught by the dozens. The town embraces their name even holding a festival at the end of the spawn called 'Piping Piking!" where there are all sorts of games, drinking, entertainments from locals and oft from a traveling group should one be in town, along with of course a frankly staggering array of pike themed recipes and dishes being offered and tasted all across the town.
Foljeim's Rest (3313): This town is one well known to pilgrims and industrialists alike, as it is the place born from the supposed last recorded stop on Foljeim's final expedition into the Glacial Spears. As such, here is where you would expect, rightfully so, to find the strongest presence of Sir Kartheart's faithful in the region. But it is also the largest railyard in the region as well, and the stop before the slowest part of the journey on the rails anywhere in northern Valerick, the trip through the Glacial Corridor. This winding section of the tracks is only some hundred kilometers as the bird flies, but is some two hundred plus for the rail tracks. Still, that is nothing in most cases to a locomotive, however with the higher likelihood of ice and snow clogging the tracks, needing to be cleared, or having damaged the tracks so they need repair, means even when a train leaves with added tools, gear, hands and provisions it can still take eight to ten hours if there has been rough weather recently. The town is also well fortified and has a large military presence especially for its size, given the added presence of the largest contingent of Rail Wardens in the region.
Maps
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Evani Baruntacht
The lands and settlements under the direct influence, trust, and political control of the Evani family.
Type
Territory
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Related Myths
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