Southern Paramountcies
The so-called Southern Paramountcies hark back more than 2,000 years to the time when the exotic lands of extreme southern Libynos were the most distant of the far-flung provinces of the Hyperborean Empire. By the time their soldiers and sailors reached so far, the empire was stretched thin indeed. At that point, they were content to control strategic locations on the coastline and have their subject peoples bring them the riches of the interior. Being the latest settled, the area was also the first abandoned when the times of trouble began later.
Once five imperial provinces, two have been completely lost and the other three are changed beyond all recognition. All that is left of Hyperborea in the region are stone ruins and traditions whose origins have been long forgotten. Only a few people in the area even recall that it was once part of an empire, and none there think of it as “Southern Paramountcies” (that designation survives only in a few former Hyperborean areas outside of Libynos). Instead, the people of the region refer to the “ancient ones” who built their buildings and taught a little of their language, and then left before having a strong impact on the local cultures.
Bordered on the west by the Sinnar Ocean and Mother Oceanus, and on the east by the Reaping Sea, this region encompasses the vast majority of southern Libynos. The terrain varies from clement coastal areas to deep tropical jungle to the high, cold peaks of the Hollow Spire Mountains. One major feature of the west coast is called simply The Delta. The outlet of an extensive network of rivers, it is home to thousands of people who live on or around the water. Both Bhanakhiri and Kaldiloora tried to annex this region in the past but it had no major population center to conquer; when threatened, whole communities just float away. It has been useful enough as a neutral area between the two countries that it now survives unthreatened and at least semi-permanent settlements have developed. The entire Delta is effectively a free-trade area where someone of perseverance truly could buy or sell almost anything.
Castorhage has colonies on the Reaping Coast that were awarded for its assistance in the First Crusade against the Huun at the Sacred Table, and others from Akados also built settlements during the 250 years of the crusades. The degree of integration between colonizers and people indigenous to the area varies, with Castorhage in particular having seen unexpected setbacks in their interactions with some desert and deep jungle tribes.
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