Naledi Empire

The Empire of the Elves

The Naledi Empire is a homebrewed version of the Grand Duchy of Dornig, which is (c) Kobold Press.

Structure

Drawn as a political map, Naledi looks like a jigsaw puzzle crafted by a particularly sadistic gnome. It is a collection of lesser kingdoms, duchies, baronies, freeholds, viscounties, earldoms, ecclesiastic grants, dynastic lands, imperial holdings, fiefdoms, free cities, adulterine castles, and principalities. Many of these territories are not contiguous, and though the nation remains an interconnected whole, its smaller components are continually rearranged by court politics and immediate opportunities.
Mapmakers have literally gone mad in the process of trying to determine Naledi's political boundaries. An urban legend in Salzbach claims that its greatest cartographer, Leox the Gentle, spent four years compiling his masterwork, only to present it to the Imperator and see him use it as basis for redistricting the various baronies on his most recent Jubilee. He fled south along the Bone Road, shrieking and gibbering.
The largest kingdom in this tapestry of political boundaries is officially Naledi itself. All lands within its borders not assigned to any other vassal are the Imperator's private holdings. The smallest independent state is the size of a tavern—an actual tavern, known as the Serpent’s Ward and located in the Free City of Salzbach. The Imperial Court consists of the Imperator and his retinue, who rule with absolute control. He in turn receives support from the three main surviving lineages of the children of Gan, and a slew of lesser houses that serve as vassals to the Houses Major. These three main houses are Hirsh-Dammung, which controls the original Castle Reln across the river from Hirschberg and the strongest military family; Aldous-Donner, which operates out of Reywald on the borders of the Arbonesse forest, the most magically powerful of the families; and the vann Rottstens, who lair in the mountainous uplands surrounding Bad Solitz, near the Orclund Straits.
Each of these houses seek to capture and hold the Imperator’s ear and dominate the other two. So far, the Beloved Last Elf of the Bladesongs has avoided these snares—but given his current non-responsive state, the houses are becoming restless.
The Court of the Beloved Imperator until recently had no set place. Instead, it moved between the three largest cities of the Empire (Reywald, Hirschberg, and Bad Solitz). This Great Procession was a mammoth undertaking, conveying the Imperator, his personal retinue, a court of some 400 courtiers, their personal entourage, and a variety of support personnel. For centuries the Great Procession took place every three years, after the harvest and before the start of the court season. The Movable Feast of the Great Procession is a tradition dating back 400 years, to the first Jubilee of the IMperator. Up to that time, the Imperial Court was based in Castle Reln, near the city of Hirschberg. The Beloved Imperator awarded the castle and city to the Hirsh-Dammung line and, after three years, moved to another loyal lord’s castle.
In part, this tradition springs from the processions of the Archon Court of the elves of old. That court moved from Thorn to Valera to Liadmura to Sephaya to Arbonesse, an undertaking that created the idea among humans that there were many elven nations. The court’s motion signaled to elves the breadth of the empire’s rule. The Movable Feast proved a good idea from both governmental and economic standpoints. A court based in a single location would become entrenched and lose touch with other parts of the kingdom. Similarly, a stationary court would quickly drain the resources of that land. The Movable Feast was akin to crop rotation among farmers—they leave certain fields fallow so the land might recover before the next planting and harvest.
Hosting the Movable Feast comprised both a great honor and a great burden for the three main lineages of the Imperator's kin, each branch vying for the power inherent in its presence and bracing to handle the sudden onslaught of powerful individuals and their demands. The three-year cycle is traditional, but not set in stone. After a treacherous coup attempt by a cadet branch of the vann Rottstens, the Imperator forsook the court in Bad Solitz for an additional six years past its turn. This was regarded as a punishment by both the vann Rottstens and the court.
Currently the Movable Feast does not move, and the Great Procession does not proceed. Due to the Imperator’s incapacitation, the court has come to rest in the city of Reywald. His Beloved Majesty lies in state in Castle Grauburg on the High Platz overlooking that city, while most of the court mills at Thunderstone Castle down the hill, and the entire city groans beneath the fiscal weight of the additional courtiers.
The Imperial Court is served by a host of courtiers, retainers, chambermaids, butlers, valets, cooks, servants, and other necessary staff. In addition to their official stipends, every single one of them is in the pay of one or more of the three Great Houses. This is expected and tolerated. Some of them also line their pockets with gold from Morgau, the River Court, Allain, Grisal, the other Free Cantons, and Endhome. This is frowned upon, and an individual who does so risks the traditional traitor’s punishment of death by flaying and fire.

Assets

Hirschberg

(HERSH-berg)

Located on the western bank of the Rhogarn River, Hirschberg is the largest of the cities of Naledi, and it is a city of both trade and industry. The city sits on routes from Endhome and Salzbach, and the Rhogarn flows into Yoshtula in Krakovar. Large forges mount the bank downstream from the city, operating day and night to produce all manner of armor, swords, and metalwork. Its smiths have mastered the art of folding metal into multiple thin layers that rival the best dwarven steel.
The city sprawls away from the river into the western hills which long ago were plundered of ore. Most of the active mines are now farther west, but the Auldmines are now inhabited by dwarves, halflings, and less savory creatures. Most of the buildings are three and four-story affairs, with an open undercroft beneath for storage, stables, and shops along busy streets, while the residences are on the upper floors. Those structures taller than five stories are government buildings, temples, and large amphitheaters.

Hirschberg Army and Nobles

The military is prominent in Hirschberg, and uniforms are common in the upper-class parlors. The city traditionally holds a strong military presence due to its proximity to the dwarven-held territory of Grisal, but in recent years, the greater threat has been undead-held Krakovar. The sheer number of troops in the metropolitan area makes both these opponents think twice before invading. Those sons and daughters of Dornig seeking glory join the coastal patrol against the Northlanders or are posted out of Salzbach against forces from the Wasted West.
The upstream side of the Rhogarn is the home of the upper classes. Here visitors find great domed gardens where exotic plants are kept year-round. Here are also some of the larger manors and townhouses of the gentry. All of the major families maintain large estates in or near the cities controlled by the other lineages, keeping a continual eye on each other as well as the minor houses.

Visiting Hirschberg

Visitors to Hirschberg, if they have noble recommendations, are put up at one of the large manors by their hosts. Two weeks is considered a proper amount of time to spend—neither too short to seem abrupt and rude, nor too long to place a burden on the household. Visitors to Hirschberg lacking letters of recommendation find the accommodations less appealing; the inns are crowded, the rooms small, and the amenities expensive. Elves and half-elves are treated with respect in the city. Dwarves are regarded as worthy visitors but foreign to the realm. Smallfolk and gaians are treated as servants, with the assumption that they are employed by someone else. Warforged are treated worst of all—they are considered property, and a warforged without proper ownership papers can be declared abandoned and confiscated in the name of the crown.

Castle Reln

Hirschberg is built along a bow of the Rhogarn, and across from it a great promontory displays the white walls and sky blue, slate-roofed slate towers of Castle Reln. Three great spans leap the river from the city to the castle, which is rooted in the bare volcanic Koraithian rock on the far shore. Castle Reln is the oldest and strongest castle in Naledi, and it was the original home of Gan vann Naledi, the Imperatrix’s adoptive father. In the turbulent days following the Great Exile, vann Naledi made this impregnable bastion his main base, and from it, he and his daughter worked through force of arms and strength of negotiation to create the Domains of the Princes.
The castle is kept clean but empty, since it is considered the Imperator's property and held in trust by the Hirsh‑Dammung clan. The grounds might be used for marching drills by the Imperator's army, but these units have barracks around the perimeter of the city. Most recently, Octabian Hirsh-Dammung has recommended that the Imperator’s body be returned (and possibly interred) in the castle.

Shrine of Blades

Donar, also called Thor or Perun, is a powerful deity venerated throughout the domains, but nowhere as strongly as in Hirschberg. The god is regarded as the mythological ancestor of the Aldous-Donner family and benefits from that family’s patronage. For such important site of worship, the Shrine is a modest temple, noted for its heavy walls, narrow slotted windows, and vaultlike apse. It is made of metal, its shingles forged in the shape of sword blades. During heavy rains or hail, the sound within the church is tumultuous, and when hit by lightning (for the shrine draws Donar’s bolts to it, away from the rest of the city), the entire structure glows.
Although other temples in Naledi outshine the Shrine of Blades, it remains a place of pilgrimage. Its leading cleric, Boltmaster Jima Lanternhold (LG male Khelekedhel paladin), has been helping coordinate relief efforts for the Krakovian refugees.

Adventuring in Hirschberg

Hirschberg is the seat of military power in Naledi and controls that part of the nation most directly in the line of conflict, both in a cold standoff with the dwarven rulers of Grisal, and now with the more active hostilities with occupied Krakovar. There are continual sorties from both sides testing out the opposing defenses, and Hirschberg has been shoring up its already prodigious defenses. Potential adventures include:

• Scouting missions into Krakova. Armed with information from refugees, the recruited agents would bring back reports of the current status. Often this may include learning the fate of loved ones or recovering valuables left behind during the ghoul assaults.
• Exploration of Tomierran Ruins. General Embrose Hirsh-Dammung is convinced that the ancient elves had powerful artifacts that can be used against the undead, and he is frustrated that the Saintmistress, who should welcome the opportunity, stands against him in exploring the elven cities in Tomierran. Anyone who brings back such powerful relics will be rewarded, and those who are caught will be left the church’s mercies.
• Cleaning up Castle Reln. Praetor Yohanis Hirsh‑Dammung, the castellan of Castle Reln, wants it surveyed and cleared in the event the Imperator is returned there. Much of the castle is clear, but some passages and wings have been sealed for centuries, and there is no telling what might have crawled into the lower levels from its fey gate.

Reywald

(RAY-wald)

Reywald is situated in the shade of the edges of Arbonesse, the entry port for most of the trade with the Olvaredhel elves of Arbonesse and beyond. It is a bright, brilliant city with no walls built around a small but very deep lake. White stone towers surround its great Twinned Cathedral. Similar towers can be found along the major roads from Salzbach and the Tomierran forest, and extending along the Arbonflow into the heart of the Arbonesse. These towers, all four stories in height, are permanent watch positions. These towers are staffed independently by units recruited from temples, adventuring groups, and military societies. Most towers have great bells, and the watchtowers maintain huge fire braziers as well. The Rey Towers are also staffed with spellcasters in the service of the Lord Arcane.
As a result of his constant vigilance, Reywald is an open city. Its city center is a resplendent jewel, and as one moves away from that city core, more large manors and small vassal communities appear. These large manors are the homes of the gentry and nobility in Reywald, and their land raises horses, cattle and sheep, with bucolic humans tending the flocks and herds.

Twinned Cathedral

The tallest building in Reywald is the Twinned Cathedral in the heart of the city, the greatest temple in the north and the mightiest dedicated to Yarila & Porevit, the gods of field and farm. It is made of nearly translucent gold marble and fitted with amber glass in its great windows, and its glow might be seen from 10 miles off on a sunny day. It has two great spiked towers rising from a huge transept. The Imperator held court within this great cathedral when in Reywald. These great towers are carved with angels and archons, who, the local legend states, will come to life if the city is ever endangered.
The Twinned Cathedral dominates a broad plaza at the heart of the city, surrounded by various smaller buildings of the clergy, and beyond them smaller temples to others of the Crossroads gods—still good-sized but modest in the resplendent glory of the temple of Yarila and Porevit. The Twinned Cathedral sits upon its own fey gate, and Saintmistress Rowanmantle makes use of it to journey to other parts of the kingdom.

Arcane College and Treasury of Antiquities

Reywald is the home of an extensive magic college that operates under the auspices of Naledi’s Treasury of Antiquities. Officially in charge of recovering and examining old magic of the Archon Court, the Arcane College also fields its own units of spellcasters who are attached as adjuncts to Naledi’s armed forces. In its role of recovering old magic, the Treasury approves all investigations in the Arbonesse forests (at one time they controlled the magic of the Tomierran Forest as well, but have lost that authority to Saintmistress Rowanmantle).
The Treasury of the Antiquities is empowered to search unlicensed magical practitioners in these areas, and to confiscate any items. The Arcane College is located in the College Ward southwest of the Cathedral, in a complex of interlocking structures rumored to extend down through basements and subbasements and contains several fey gates. The tower that dominated the ward, the Thornloft, is staffed by members of the college, mostly natural philosophers relaxing on the peak and apprentice scholars doing the work of upkeeping the tower.

The High Platz

To the southeast, the land rises in broad hills traditionally belonging to the now-extinct Grauberg family (a cadet branch of the Aldous-Donners). The comatose Imperator has been installed in a set of suites in Grauberg Castle overlooking the city, and access to him is extremely limited (and must be approved by his chamberlain, Thadia). His majesty is well cared for and breathes normally. Though he does not eat, he does not waste away. No force, magical or otherwise, can reach him. Still, the lower halls of the manor are filled with those wishing to pay their respects, to inquire after his health, or to offer their prayers. Medicos, surgeons, and all manner of humbugs who are convinced that they have the sole remedy for the Imperator's condition also pervade the manor. Some of the court can be found here, but others have taken up residence in other local manors.
Thunderstone Castle at the base of the hill has become the new gathering spot for the nobility waiting for news, one way or the other, to come down from Grauberg.

Visiting Reywald

Visitors to Reywald who have business with the Treasury are advised to take quarters close to the city center. Those of elven heritage might impose on the local gentry, but most find that the social circle consists of visiting each other’s manors for weekends as opposed to larger, more opulent gatherings. Smallfolk are ubiquitous as a servant class, and they have their own community to the north of the city: “Little Reywald,” noted for making few allowances for human- or elf-sized visitors in its rooms and furnishings. Halflings and gnomes are under curfew in Reywald. After the last bell they are expected either to be in Little Reywald or to stay in the quarters provided by their employers and masters.

Adventures in Reywald

Reywald has traditionally been a city of magic and beauty—its proximity to the elves of Arbonesse influencing both. With the Imperator trapped in his slumber and resting in Grauberg Castle, it has taken on a political dimension as well. The rivalries between the church of Yarila and Porevit and the Aldous-Donners have become sharper over the years, and those factions not present in the city are jealous of those within. Potential adventures include:

• Patrolling the Tomierran: Saintmistress Rowanmantle has title to the Tomierran, a state that no one else likes. She is looking for adventurers who can act as agents to keep the worst of the depravations at bay. Though she has turned down General Hirsch‑Dammung’s requests to explore himself, should her agents find something useful, she will gladly pass it along.
• Wandering Sister: Ophelia Silberhaar runs one of the most impressive salons in the city, which has gained in its reputation with the court cooling its heels here. Her sister Romanja, however, is a wild and dangerous sort. An artifact of power has been “removed” from the Treasury of Antiquities, and Romanja has disappeared. Is she responsible, or is she trying to recover it for herself?
• The Oracle: Her Prescience Briga Aldous-Donner, loyal servant to the Saintmistress, has prophetic visions. The most recent dreams indicate the Beloved Imperator is not in Grauberg Castle, but lost in the Arbonesse. No one know exactly what this means.

Bad Solitz

(SO-litz)

Tucked among the forbidding peaks of the Tonder Alps, Bad Solitz lies in a broad, verdant, tiered valley leading up to the massive city-fortress at the far end. Never conquered, the city is in many ways a mirror of the great fortress of Castle Reln outside Hirschberg. A great wall runs along the surrounding hills, and mountain outposts keep an eye on the main approaches to the city. Those approaching the city are struck by the smell. Not of industry and people, as in Hirschberg, but of sulfur and ash. Volcanic vents and hot mud flats litter the moors. The earliest records of Bad Solitz indicate it was used by the Archon Court as a vacation spot, where they could rest in the hot springs and mud pits. This active volcanism continues, and landslides and elemental incursions shake the land throughout the Tonder Alps. There been no active eruptions near Bad Solitz for the entire reign of the Imperator, a connection that is not lost on the vann Rottsten clan that commands this area.
The valley of Bad Solitz is well watered and fertile from the volcanic ash and dust. As a result, the area’s winemakers create some of the finest vintages in the north, the grapes raised in tiers overlooking the valley. The valley also features orchards, winter wheat fields, and carp ponds, in such plenty that if the vann Rottstens sealed the main gates at the far end of the valley, the entire city could survive on its produce and the stores kept deep within the mountain.

Vann Rottsten Clan

The vann Rottstens are recovering from almost a decade of decline and misrule. The head of the family, Jodario vann Rottsten, was killed in what is euphemistically called a “magical incident,” last seen being dragged into the Lower Planes by a host of devils he had summoned. He had, before he apparently perished, recognized his illegitimate son Dimitor as his heir. Dimitor was born to a full-blooded Moriedhel adventurer, Demalla Ravensblood Olthania, who served as regent for the young prince. Though she and Jodario never officially married, the infusion of “true” elven blood into the family line made it possible for Demalla to protect both herself and her son in an increasingly hostile atmosphere.
Dimitor, a spoiled child who is now a spoiled teenager, has come of age, and his mother “stepped back” from her duties. The official line is that she is “resting,” visiting relatives in Ishadia, or “out adventuring,” but the general gossip says she has met a bad end thanks to the child she had supported for many years. Unless someone finds a body or contacts her spirit, there is little anyone can do. Of the three major families, the vann Rottstens are the most volatile. Even under normal circumstances, as a clan they are involved in backroom deals and backbiting gossip. Various cadet branches of the family have initiated plots with Morgau, Grisal, Krakova, and anyone else that might be able to help them. Their plots are usually discovered and overturned, to the relief of the ruling vann Rottsten. Currently, these younger branches of the family look at the young boy-prince and think they can run things better. Dimitor is paranoid, but for good reason: His family is out to get him.

Nobles and Artists of Bad Solitz

Despite all the blackening the name has received over the centuries, Bad Solitz is an extremely well run, open city. It has a strong magical and artistic community, made up of individuals who find Reywald too conservative and Hirschberg too mercantile. Bad Solitz boasts the most complete library in Naledi, ranging from dragonwarrior tablets to the latest plays performed in a half-dozen major theaters. Its sages and loremasters are second to none—though the Great Library of Friula claims to surpass the Bad Solitz holdings (a hotly contested assertion).
The nobility maintain apartments in this vertical city, with favored gentry commanding entire wings. These rooms are laced with secret entries and hidden galleries, yet despite this the inhabitants are relaxed and friendly, since they know as much about their neighbors as those neighbors know about them.

Tourmaline Palace

Off to one side of the major city, on a prominent crag overlooking the city, is the Tourmaline Palace. The Imperator resides here when the Moveable Feast descends on Bad Solitz, and it commands a view of both the city and the valley. The central palace is left empty when the Imperator is not present, and only its outbuildings and lesser halls are used for meetings. Its towers keep pampered prisoners. A small temple to Jormungandr on the grounds is a site of occasional arrivals and departures via the fey road.

Visiting Bad Solitz

Visitors to Bad Solitz find it an imposing but friendly place. Affordable apartments and accommodations are common, if smaller than at the other major cities, and nobility with land elsewhere rent out their quarters through intermediaries. Elves and half-elves are highly regarded, but other races do not suffer any prejudice. There is no evening curfew, though the Drake Guard (vann Rottsten personal guard in red metal armor) prowls everywhere. The taverns, parlors, and galleries are all extremely lively, though most of the upper class decamps during court season, heading for Reywald and the looming shadow of the Imperator.

Adventuring in Bad Solitz

Bad Solitz is an excellent jumping off point for adventure. Its surrounding area is forbidding but potentially rewarding to those seeking out gems and the creatures that hoard them. This was elven territory back in the day, and unspoiled outposts are still sometimes found among the hills, waiting for the bravest souls to reveal them. Court life has its own rewards and perils. Prince Dimitor’s hold on the line of succession is anything but secure, and he dismisses aides and advisers with frightening regularity and often violent outcomes. Those who seek to navigate the labyrinthian passages of the court are directed to the Grand Duke Dymytros Howlik vann Rottsten, who is considered the most approachable, least volatile, and most level-headed of the clan. The Grand Duke Dymytros wisely makes his home in Reywald. Potential adventures include:

• Patrolling the Tomierran: Aymonetta Star vann Rottsten is herald to the house and the only person who can keep Dimitor on an even keel. She is sister-in-law to Demalla Ravensblood Olthania through marriage, not blood—she was married to the previous prince’s younger brother (who in turn died in a suspicious loom accident). Aymonetta does not believe that Damalla wandered off, and she wants someone to either find her or recover her remains for possible resurrection. Of course, Dimitor must not know of this.
• Gemstrike!: A dead body, a bag full of cut gems, and a suspiciously accurate map. Is it the start of a gem rush in Bad Solitz, or some other ploy being played out at the adventurers’ expense?
• Wine War: The rich soil of the Tonder Alps allows for excellent wine and, as for many other things, creates division in its wealth. Two branches of the vann Rottsten clan support different wineries, the “reds” and the “whites,” who are not above subterfuge and sabotage to make sure their vintages reach the tables of the Imperator’s Court.

Donnermark

Donnermark is Naledi’s largest port city on the Orclund Straits, and as a result sees both trade with the kingdoms of the North and reavers swooping down to pillage its territory. Its people have strong Northland affiliation and appearance. The Donner branch of the Aldous-Donner family comes from this area, and the family claims descent from the Northern god Donar. The family seat moved to Reywald 300 years ago, and Donnermark was reduced to a vassal holding.

Hakon’s Invasion

Some 100 years ago, the landscape of the Naledi Empire changed with the arrival of the adventurer Hakon of the Broad Embrace. Hakon was a plunderer whose longship was caught in a great storm. The ship floundered, and a treasured pair of great golden pillars was washed overboard. Hakon swore to the storm that if the Thunderer granted him his life and helped him recover the pillars, he would make those pillars the gateway to a great temple. Hakon survived and the pillars were recovered on the beach near Donnermark. Hakon built his temple, and he collected a great horde of followers. When the Aldous-Donners complained, Hakon recruited every Northlander within a week’s sail to defend the city—and by “defend” he meant “launch an assault on Naledi.”
Hakon’s great heathen horde plunged deep into Naledi territory. Reywald, the home of the Aldous-Donners, repulsed several raids with their elven-influenced magic and watchtowers. Quick-moving Northlander scouts and light infantry reached Salzbach and the Ironcrags before being turned back. Several Northlander units struck into the Arbonesse and the Tomierran forests and were never heard from again. Internal dissension, some of it encouraged by the vann Rottsten clan, weakened the incursion, and at last forces under the command of General Voltanus Hirsh-Dammung drove the bulk of the barbarians back to their boats and captured Hakon east of Reywald.
Hakon of the Broad Embrace was brought before the Imperator, and most expected to see the barbarian leader’s hide peeled off before he was committed to the flames. Instead, the Imperator pardoned Hakon of his sins and invoked the wergild. He and his descendants would pay the crown for damages done. In return, they would be granted control of Donnermark and with it responsibility for trade in the Orclund Straits.

Present Day Donnermark

Hakon’s grandson now rules Donnermark, which swears fealty to the Imperator. The port is both Naledi's gateway to trade with the Northlands and the base of the Dornitian Coastal Fleet, which deals with regular reaver raids from Hakon’s relatives. Yorick Hakonsson and his court are considered too Northern for most polite Naledi society, and too soft for most of the clan chiefs of the North.
Hakon’s Temple of Twin Thunderbolts still stands, and it is one of the great centers of worship for the Thunderer. Hakonsson’s greatest challenge at the moment is not the Northlanders, but the other major families of Naledi. He is considering a political marriage of one of his two young daughters to a great house to cement a bond between the two. Neither daughter, who prefer a life of adventure to that of court, finds the idea appealing.

Adventures in Donnermark

Adventures in Donnermark revolve around raiding to the south or expeditions farther north.

• The Thunderbrand: Hakon’s sword was a magical blade called the Thunderbrand, believed lost when he was defeated. Now word of this famous blade has turned up in the Bleak Expanse, and a scion of the Hakon name wishes to recover it. Some relatives see the sword as a gift of fealty to the Imperator, others as a sign that Donnermark should declare itself independent of Naledi and forge its own future.
• The Legacy: A famous local crew, the Sons of Hakon, is looking for brave warriors to go raiding. They are no blood of Yorick, who they consider to be a weak, southernized leader. That said, members of the Donnermark court would want someone to accompany them to protect the interests of the Imperator.
• The Relic: Survivors of a coastal village stumble into the Temple of the Twin Thunderbolts with a story. Their community was destroyed by reavers in ships with jet-black sails. These reavers plundered the community and stole their holy relic of Donar. Such news strikes a familiar chord to those whose ancestors came to this strange land during a war concerned with recovering religious artifacts.

The Free City of Salzbach

(SALZ-bak)

Situated in southeast Naledi near the Ironcrag Cantons where the Bone Road emerges from the blasted lands of the Darklands, Salzbach was once the home of a fourth major branch of the Imperator’s family tree. The Salzbachs of the Red Tower were wiped out to the last individual in a single large incursion of undead out of the Darklands some 160 years ago. The area around the city of Salzbach was devastated, and despite the incursion being driven back, monstrosities still inhabit the deeper caves and darker woods of the region. The city survived a massive siege by the creatures of darkness only through the actions of its townsfolk, who held out until relief forces arrived bringing Reywald mages and Hirschberg swords.The fall of the house of Salzbach immediately created friction between the other houses as they sought to claim the Salzbach holdings. Rather than endure civil dissension, the crown claimed all the Salzbach lands, which they in turn distributed in bits and pieces as the years passed. Salzbach itself was awarded to the people who stopped the abominations in their tracks. As a result, Salzbach is considered a Free City in Naledi, largely independent of the various houses and owing fealty only to the crown.
Its various guilds elect a lord guildmaster who reports to the Imperial Court. No member of a noble household can be made guildmaster, and the lord guildmaster is held personally responsible for what happens in Salzbach. The position of lord guildmaster is usually taken by an individual seeking to improve the city, or a scoundrel seeking to grab as much as he or she can before being caught.There have been seven lord guildmasters in the past 10 years. Three died mysteriously in office, two were found guilty of corruption and executed, one married into nobility and thereby had to step down, and one was last seen heading for Endhome with several bags of embezzled jewels. The current office-holder, Michoda Swanne, was once the leader of the Company of Lorekeepers, little more than a thieves’ guild that traffics in old artifacts. She is a twisted old spider of a woman who puts on airs of civility, but who keeps information about everyone and anyone who trades in Salzbach.
Salzbach is an open city where the hand of the Imperator rests lightly. Dirty deals are made here and dark secrets are kept. Because of the Company of Lorekeepers, Salzbach is under continual observation by agents of the Lords Arcane, who wish to know what goes where (and perhaps take it for themselves). Sudden deaths and mysterious disappearances are common, and anyone of note keeps a house outside the heavy city walls and a handful of capable and well-paid mercenaries to act as bodyguards. Visitors to the city are advised to keep a careful eye on their belongings, their investments, and their relatives when in town.

Adventures in Salzbach

Salzbach is a city steeped in merchant intrigue and lost items. Any missing artifact or relic has passed (at least once) though its shops and streets. In addition, with the Imperial Court in disarray, its streets are swelling with adventurers, mercenaries, and representatives of free companies to the south, all seeking what everyone anticipates as (at least) a dynastic battle and (most likely) a civil war with the Imperator’s passing.

• Blackmail: Borin the Weaver survived his term as lord guildmaster and married into the powerful Hirsh-Dammung family. His corruption was well known, and someone has come forward with information (treason!) that could well cost him his head. Borin would gladly pay if he knew that his blackmailer would keep quiet, and he is looking for someone to discover the extortionist and obtain sufficient information that might be useful against them.
• Staging Ground: Additional free mercenary companies are drifting into town, but until something dire happens, there is no immediate work. Some are heading east to work for the Hirsch-Dammungs on the Krakova border, but a lot of them are mixing it up in the streets and taverns of Salzbach. Guildmaster Swanne is willing to deputize individuals who will keep the lawless mercenaries from breaking up the city.
• The Lost Guildmaster: Rydney Blinth, a horrible little man, was lord guildmaster for only long enough to stuff a huge quantity of gems into his pockets and head for Endhome. He never got there. Now, however, gems are circulating in the underground artifact trade with the Salzbach moon-and-tower carved on them, and they are believed to be from that hoard. Has someone found a cache abandoned by the former lord guildmaster, or is Blinth finally resurfacing? Vengeful minds want to know.

The Barony of Courlandia

(cor-LAND-ee-a)

At the time of the Great Exile, Courlandia was a colony settled by Naledi on the northwest border of the empire. It survived the early upheavals following the departure of the elves and sought the protection of Gan vann Naledi. Vann Naledi sent protection in the form of a dragon named Zennalastra Gan vann Naledi and the future Imperatrix met Zennalastra when the pair were adventurers. The exact nature of that relationship is unknown, but stories out of the Dragon Empire indicate that Zennalastra was no longer welcome among the Mharoti dragon lords.
Zennalastra relocated to Courlandia and set herself up as the Red Queen. Those who opposed this sudden leadership announcement were either eaten or left the port city. Zennalastra rules Courlandia as a benevolent tyrant. Her maxims are law, and she maintains a small but exceptionally well-trained personal bodyguard made up of retired adventurers. These individuals are highly motivated and well paid, and their sole task is to keep Zennalastra from harm. This is easy within the confines of the palace, but more difficult when the red dragon is hunting bison on the peninsula north of the city or stalking whales in the Orclund Straits.
Courlandia is recognized as part of Naledi, though the Red Queen has never visited the Imperial Court, instead sending dragonkin emissaries as her representation. Such emissaries keep to themselves and do not participate in the regular politics of the court. They listen a great deal and report everything back to their scaled baroness.

Adventures in Courlandia

Courlandia is now surrounded by monsters, squeezed between the dragon-ruled land of Mharoti to the west and the barbarian reavers to the north. Being ruled by a dragon is not the worst of fates.

• The Daughter: Zennalastra had a life before she encountered Gan and Zafara. That life included a daughter, Zayildis, left behind among the Mharoti. Now that daughter is in danger, and she needs someone to bring her back safely to her mother.
• Patrols: Opponents on both sides of the barony are testing its defenses, looking for weak spots. The dragon’s agents are abroad in Hirschberg and Salzbach looking for individuals capable of dealing with such intrusions.
• Diplomacy: Dragons and devils are meeting in Überlauten. Neither side trusts the other much. Pity if something fatal happened at these meetings.

History

The lands along the Boreal Sea and the Orclund Straits were deeply forested when the elves ruled this land. These eldritch beings came from the Summer Lands and appeared first in western Elaysm, spreading east as far as Lados. They dominated the old lands that had been explored by the ancient Mearans, and brought fire, light, and civilization to the native races. It was they, the old elven songs say, who taught the gnomes to make machines, taught the halflings to farm, taught the dwarves to craft, and taught the humans to dream.
The elves ruled for a millennium without interruption, and for another 500 years during the growing rebellion of the restive human Young Kingdoms during the Culling. The rising power of the humans contested the forests and fields that were once securely elven, and the Young Kingdoms’ affinity for dark magic gave the Archons of the Elves pause. Some of the fey fell in with the rebellious humans, becoming shadow elves. Finally, the Archon’s Court sounded the Last Horn and the elves fell into retreat, pulling back through the shadow roads to the Summer Lands. Some remained—the few Moriedhel of the deserts, small settlements of Olvaredhel in the Arbonesse Forest, and scattered tribes of Ramaredhel the south—but only one powerful elf lasted through this dark time.
Zafara Bladesong stayed behind when the rest of the Archons’ Court chose to retreat to the fey realms. She was called Adamant by the Company of the Blessed, with whom she traveled and which was led by Gan vann Naledi, the head of a small nation of elves of a forgotten name. The bards and skalds of the Imperial Court say that she remained in Torar for both love and for duty. When the crystal-armored knights rode from Thorn on that last morning, she wept both for her departing people and for the humans and other races they had abandoned.
The time immediately following the Great Retreat was one of tremendous unrest and uprising. The Great Mage Wars erupted, and while Naledi's nation and the former elven lands were less affected than the lands of the West, more than enough mad wizards sought to plunder the remains of Arbonesse’s courts and the halls of Thorn. Gan's children were slain by a group of diabolists who wished to use the then-Barony of Naledi as a base. Gan, Zafara, and their allies defeated the diabolists, and Gan took Zafara as his adopted daughter and heir, and shortly thereafter passed the leadership of the elves to her.
In the turmoil following the Great Retreat and the Mage Wars, Naledi stood as a bastion of safety and soon acquired its neighbors as vassals, eventually subsuming them entirely. The Baroness of Naledi bore a small host of children over the years with her human husband Cassius, many of whom became great generals and leaders. The baroness became a duchess and then a queen, and at last, with peace established between the shadows of surviving Arbonesse and the Ironcrags, she became the Empress of the lands encompassed by the Naledi Empire. By this time, she had lost her human husband, whose years had been lengthened as far as elven magic could allow. Through strength of will and with the tacit support of the surviving Arbonesse exiles, she made good her leadership and remained in command of the burgeoning empire. Every great and petty house throughout the domains of Naledi can trace their lineage (through blood and marriage and the occasional doctored family tree) to the Empress.
Toward the end of the Culling, the Empress vanished and her son Satora took the reins of the empire as Imperator. His rule has been peaceful, for the most part. The establishment of Donnermark had a civilizing effect on the Northlands barbarians there, turning the straw-haired humans from plundering murderers to rapacious merchants. But occasional abominations reach Naledi’s lands from the Roatgard Forest, reavers from across the Nieder Straits remain an annoyance, and 200 years ago darkspawn from Morgau captured the mountainous border to the south, subjugating its human population.
Relationships with Allain and the druids of Roatgard are more brittle than they have been, particularly with the appearance of a new Dread Walker, but active skirmishes have been few. When Krakova fell to the ghouls and vampires, the Imperator’s court welcomed the queen of that land, and many of its people swarmed into the southern principalities. Through all this, Naledi remained a bastion of stability in a world of trouble.
Yet this steady state now seems imperiled by the very foundation that the nation rests upon—the power that resides within the Imperator himself. In 21480 A.E., the Beloved Imperator took ill of an unknown disease that has refused alchemical, herbal, or magical counter. He now lies comatose at a time when forces from without the country threaten it, and individuals within the nation seek to extend their power. Three major houses now vie for control, along with the church of Yarila and Porevit and two potential aspirants to the Adamantine Throne: the Black Knight of the Shadow Fey, and the Imperator’s alleged granddaughter Kalvora, called the Moonsong.

Demography and Population

3,800,000 (3,200,000 elves, 200,000 humans, 200,000 half-elves, 100,000 smallfolk, 1,000 eladrin.
The following individuals (largely elves or half-elves) are among the oldest and most puissant in the Empire. Some are centuries-old figures whose plans span generations. None should be taken lightly.

Beloved Imperator Satora Stillmind Bladesong-Gansblod

The Beloved Imperator is an ancient elf, his face elongated and narrow, his ears almost touching behind his head, his eyes huge and black with dilated pupils. Before his debilitating illness he spoke in a whisper that could carry the length of a ballroom, and he moved with a quiet grace. His head remains fully shaved and is re-shaved each morning. He wears a simple circlet of copper as his crown. His royal garments are blue and lined with white silk. Even before his illness, the Imperator seemed to be feeling his years. He sometimes referred to a courtier by his grandfather’s name, and occasionally needed reminders about some important unresolved business.
He had good days and bad days, yet still had the energy and determination to engage in perilous activities. Those who assumed that they were dealing with a frail, elderly man in his dotage were surprised by the depth of this withered old elf ’s knowledge and insight. This changed four years ago, when following a cotillion in which the young women of Reywald formally entered society, his Beloved Majesty complained to a man-at-arms of feeling rather exhausted by the proceedings. He retired to his chambers and did not wake the next morning. His personal servants summoned chirurgeons, priests, and finally the members of the Arcane College, but no poultice, potion, or spell could revive him from his sleep. He still breathes, but lies in a coma-like trance (though the passage of time slows slightly around him). None had encountered this phenomena before, and no text mentions such an affliction.
His Majesty’s body was moved to his chambers in Castle Grauburg, where he is guarded by a dedicated staff of utterly loyal servants. For the moment, the approach is to wait for him to recover on his own, rather than risk harm through any experimental spell or magical device. The city below swarms with miracle workers and mages, each of whom claims to know that the matter with the Imperator and how to cure him. The court roils with rumor about what crippled the Imperator, who is responsible, and ultimately what can restore him to full life.
The nation for its part, seethes with indecision. The Imperator having chosen no heir, the nation is currently ruled by representatives of the three Great Houses, plus the Abbess of the Twinned Cathedral. The presence in the court of the Black Knight and Moonsong, who claims direct descent from the Imperator, confuses matters further.

Lord Arcane Heronimus Abysin Aldous-Donner

A heavy Ramaredhel man with sharp features, the Lord Arcane represents the magical resources of the Empire. He maintains a tome containing the names, training, and relative power of every spellcaster in the realm. He is entrusted with the Treasury of Antiquities, which includes everything “rescued” from the abandoned elven ruins of the Archon Court. In the past, he has cut deals with others to advance his own agenda, including allowing unlicensed adventuring parties into Thorn.
Heronimus is officially the ruling regent while the Imperator slumbers, but his continual feuding with the other influential members of the court, including his sister Lyndosa (Princess of Reywald and ruler of the family), greatly reduces his effectiveness. In addition, he argues constantly with the Hirsh-Dammungs about the prospect of war with the Blood Kingdom (he would rather make a pact of mutual nonviolence with the bloodsuckers and let them deal with internal uprising) and has a longstanding grudge against Saintmistress Rowanmantle. In short, he is the most powerful man in the domains, and the most miserable.

Thadia, Daughter and Protégé of Thadeus

Thadeus was the most human-looking among the upper ranks of the half-elves, and the elven blood was supposedly thin in his veins. For many years he served as his Majesty’s personal chamberlain and clerk. During his reign, he held the Imperator's schedule in his thin, bony hands. His acerbic tongue and sarcastic nature would often run afoul of the great egos of the court, but he had had the full support of the Imperator, so his rivals chose to wait for him suffer the death that would come to all mortals.
However, upon his death nine years ago, Thadia, the daughter of Thadeus, took the position of chamberlain and proved every bit as formidable as her father. She has a tart tongue and limited patience for the gossip and rumors of court. Nobles made several attempts to suborn, bribe, or drive her off early in her career—she survived all of them. Some of the nobility even pine for the easier days of her father.
As the Imperator slumbers (her words), Thadia guards physical access to her master and will not suffer any being, human or elf or otherwise, to approach him. She is resistant to attempts to experiment on his Majesty’s recumbent form, but has dispatched agents to the far edges of the world to bring back tales of similar afflictions and curatives.
Thadia is a tall, thin half-elf lady who keeps her shock of white hair gathered in a severe bun. She seems to have the sight of an eagle and hearing of a bat. She has kept the court’s day-to-day operations in check and is deeply protective of her ruler.

Saintmistress Rowanmantle (Halia Rowanmantle Derina)

The Abbess of the Twinned Cathedral in Reywald, the greatest building of its type in Naledi, Rowanmantle is a powerfully built, muscular blonde Ramaredhel lady who looks more suited to driving an oxen team than a major religion. She has been for many years the Imperator’s constant companion and trusted adviser and was a major avenue for outsiders to gain His Beloved Majesty’s attention in personal matters.
In light of Rowanmantle’s long service, the Imperator declared the Tomierran Forest as an ecclesiastic holding for the Twinned Church. This area includes a great deal of original elven land, including the great city of Thorn, the final capital city before the retreat. The Saintmistress supports the Northern barbarian settlements in Donnermark, which was originally Aldous-Donner territory, which puts her on the bad side of that family. Rowanmantle came to the Twinned Cathedral from a militant order dedicated to Yarila, but before that time her life is a mystery. Many courtiers dedicate their efforts to discovering that earlier life story in the hopes of gaining leverage against the priestess.

Prince Octabian Hirsh-Dammung

Octabian Hirsh-Dammung has the blood of warriors in his veins. His ancestor was the great warrior Voltanus Hirsh-Dammung and his son is General Embrose Hirsh-Dammung, commander of Naledi’s military forces. Octabian was in his prime a holy warrior of Perun, but he came to believe that the best defense is good trade and spent his lifetime since enriching himself, his family, and the city of Hirschberg.
Octabian is an ancient Khelekedhel, his lean frame thin and emaciated, and he moves slowly among the trophies of the great victories of himself and his ancestors. He dotes on his youngest son Embrose but often treats him as a child, waiting for him to grow up and put away his toy soldiers and deal with the hard realities of gold and balance sheets. Most recently, he has agitated to move the Imperator back to Castle Reln, which was his original seat of power and is currently under Hirsh-Dammung control.

General Embrose Hirsh-Dammung

The commander of the Naledi forces is almost human in appearance, his elven heritage only detectable in the pointed ears flanking his shaved head. He is a member of the Imperator’s Inner Circle along with the Lord Arcane, and Embrose holds a great deal of weight in military matters. His father is Octabian Hirsh-Dammung, leader of the Hirsh-Dammung family line.
The Hirsh-Dammungs are based in Hirschberg, and Embrose’s attention is drawn directly to the fallen kingdom of Krakova and the potential threat of the vampire lords to his family’s city. He is enthusiastically shoring up the defenses along the border with both Krakova and Grisal. As a result, he is rarely in Reywald, but when there he petitions for more troops to defend the eastern borders, the use of magical relics within the Treasury of Antiquities, and greater access to such old elven sites such as Thorn.
General Embrose also recently requested funds to restore shrines and temples to Valeresh, the elven war god.

Princess Lyndosa Aldous-Donner

The matriarch of the Aldous-Donner clan and the ruler of Reywald, Lyndosa is a beautiful Ramaredhel in the prime of life. She is eternal rivals with her younger brother, who is the Lord Arcane of the kingdom and current Regent of Naledi. Her competition with her brother varies from social slights to seizing and concealing powerful magical devices from the Arcane College.
Due to the Imperator’s “slumber,” Lyndosa’s city is awash with conspiracies, con artists, and adventurers. She would be delighted if the Great Procession would kindly proceed forward and leave her to rule Hirschberg in peace. Whether that plan involves relocating the comatose Imperator or staging a state funeral matters little to her.

Prince Dimitor vann Rottsten

The youngest prince of Naledi is a mere 16 years old and already a terror. The illegitimate son of the former ruling vann Rottsten and an elven adventurer, he has more elven blood in him than most of the rest of his clan, and they hate him for it. White-haired and green-eyed with sharp elven features, he has had to deal with plots against him for most of his life. He has a petulant nature, striking first at any hint of danger and bearing grudges for every slight.
Dimitor’s mother, Demalla Ravensblood Olthania, has not been seen for the past year. The official line is that she has gone on a holy pilgrimage to distant Ishadia, but the smart money is that she is dead and her body put somewhere where his enemies (real or imagined) cannot find it.

Grand Baron Dymytros Howlik vann Rottsten

The Grand Baron appears as a typical Moriedhel, with narrow features, wide eyes, and long white hair worn in a truncated braid. He is a younger member of the vann Rottsten clan, so far down the ranking of precedence that another Mage War would be necessary to put him in charge of his family. He is considered one of the nicest members of his clan, and as a result, one of the least effective. However, more often than not, he holds the necessary piece for a deal to go through, should that piece be the favor of a particular courtier, the deed to some hereditary tract, or a magical item. His quiet dark eyes see much and remember everything, and as a result Dymytros is a valuable ally to anyone seeking to navigate the Court of the Adamantine Throne.

Kalvora Moonsong Kalthania-Bladesong-Gansblod

Two years ago, two years after the Beloved Imperator entered the coma, Kalvora arrived at the Court of Naledi with an outrageous claim: She was a full-blooded elf and the granddaughter of the Imperator. All the noble families claim the Imperator as their forebear, but all of them, even those of the great families, are elfmarked, mixed blood of elf and at least a little blood of humans. Yet this elf claimed to be the granddaughter of Stillmind through a purely elven heritage. Reywald was teeming with various pretenders to the throne, the claims of all of whom could be disposed of by presenting them to the Imperator’s Regalia. And so Moonsong was brought before the regalia, and it did something that it had done for no other candidate—it reacted to her. It reached out to her. It recognized her.
Kalvora Moonsong’s claim may be true. She claimed her father was born before the Imperator took the throne during time he spend in the ancestral fey Summer Lands, and the nature of time in the Summer Lands means little to the fey people. She had heard of her grandfather and left that world for the Arbonesse, and from there to Reywald. She makes no official claim, but she has been recognized by the regalia nonetheless.
Since that time Kalvora has been in the court, making friends, talking to couriers and adventurers alike. She seems honestly amused by humans and tries to understand how human society works. She often sneaks out of the court to mix with the people of Reywald, usually shadowed by agents of the various other powers who want to know what she’s really up to, and to keep any other faction from capturing or killing her. She has already become popular in the eyes of the locals, which frustrates Princess Lyndosa, who has enough trouble with the church under Rowanmantle. No one knows what Kalvora wants. She seems to be waiting for something, or someone. In the meantime, she is a wild card that could imperil the entire nation, or save it.

Queen Urzula of Krakova

When the undead tides of Morgau and Doresh rolled into Krakova, a flood of refugees washed up on Naledi’s shores. They included the widowed queen of the kingdom, her daughter Zosia Waleskam, and her brother-in-law, the Archduke Avgost. The refugees swamped the small city of Kariessen, and with the aid of Embrose Hirsh-Dammung, settled there. Urzula pressed on, hoping to find relief from the Royal Court.
She was disappointed, for the Imperator rebuffed her efforts for several years, growing distant when pressed for troops. Then, when the Imperator slipped into a comatose state, those who ruled in his absence were divided and even less unwilling to commit aid. So she remains the queen-in-exile, welcome to court but unable to do anything to help her people or take back her kingdom. As a result, she does what she can—testing the borders, taking care of her people, and trying not to be a pawn in the power games of Naledi. She has allied with Embrose (who now has a vampire kingdom as a neighbor) and Saintmistress Rowanmantle (who hates the undead on principle). Her ultimate goal is to return to her kingdom and avenge her dead husband. That day has yet to come, but she is gathering friends and planning to raise an army.

Territories

In their heyday, the Olvaredhel elves ruled much of Torar and established great cities in Thorn, Arbonesse, and far-off Valera and Sephaya. Then the elves sounded the Last Horn and the Great Exile began. The rulers, for reasons unrevealed even to their own people, dictated that the elves retreat back to Elfheim along the fey roads. Many remained—some among the lower classes, and some who chose exile over retreat. These are the elves that Torar has come to know. Of the mightiest of elves, only the Imperator remained. If he knew the reason for the retreat, he did not speak of it.
Only half of the land claimed by Naledi is inhabited by its natives. Two huge swaths of primeval forest dominate its map, but they are rarely visited by its inhabitants. These great forests are officially held in trust by the Adamantine Throne in the names of the elven people, both those on this side of the world and those in Elfheim. Arbonesse is larger, occupying a huge swath of the eastern part of the duchy. The Tomierran forest is smaller but considered more dangerous, since it holds the lost city of Thorn, one of the most magical cities of the elves. The Tomierran has been declared an ecclesiastic holding under the control of Saintmistress Rowanmantle.
Another great change in the past decade has been the slow return of the elves. New elven communities have sprung up within the two forests, primarily within the Arbonesse. The communities, currently small villages, appear almost overnight, and their inhabitants treat their domains as if they had always been there. And indeed, given the porous nature of the borders between the Summer Lands and the mortal world in Arbonesse, they may well be right. These new arrivals seem stranger than the elves Torar is used to, and they have greater contact with other fey creatures. They no longer call themselves elves, referring to themselves as eladrin instead.
Most Olvaredhel found wandering across Torar are known as the Arbonesse exiles, and they encompass an uncounted population that ranges from the sea-dead stumps of Lost Arbonesse to the borders of the Wastes. Most members of this group have never traveled along the fey roads. The elders among their people travel to Elfheim, but most of those born in the world remain here. It is unknown if this is by preference or by some dictum from high within the Archon’s Court.
The elder Arbonesse elves move along their fey roads between their lands in this world and those in the Bright Land, and pay little attention to which side of the veil they might be on. The same rules that apply to others for the fey roads and the shadow roads apply to them—they travel only those roads that they know. The nature of the Arbonesse and Shadow is such that one might slip inadvertently between the planes without even realizing it, making it a dangerous place for the unwary.

Arbonesse Forest

(AR-bon-ESS)

The Arbonesse is one of the great forests of Torar, larger than the holdings of the city-states of the Seven Cities. It is primarily deciduous, with oaks, hawthorns, and elms, with swatches of birch and maple and a relatively open underbrush of ferns and carpets of moss. The forest is dotted with open meadows, often marked with dolmens or faerie rings. For centuries, it has been the home of a group of wild elves who never answered the Last Horn and their descendants—the Arbonesse exiles.
The Arbonesse exiles live in small communities throughout the forest, in roughly the same populations as human thorps or villages. These self-reliant communities survive off hunting, gathering, and farming, and also have a rich ceremonial and cultural life. The elves of the Arbonesse know they are the heirs of the once-great masters of this land. They swear fealty to the Imperator, and upon occasion dispatch light units for her petty wars, but they expect little in return.
Not all of the Arbonesse Forest is friendly to natives of Torar. Large regions have been seized by the shadow fey for their own purposes, and these areas are shunned and avoided by the elves of the Arbonesse. With the exception of the River Court, the old cities of Arbonesse have been abandoned and overrun with wild animals. The Arbonesse exiles protect these sites from raiders and on occasion explore them, seeking items to trade with the Lords Arcane of Naledi.

River Court

The River Court has lost some of its luster, but it remains the closest approximation of an active city in the wild elven lands. Notably, it is not built on the site of any known previous city, and the fey roads that lead between it and Elfheim are the shortest and most direct. Here the eldest elves (save for the Imperator himself) can be found, along with fey followers and creatures of the Elflands.
The River Court consists of a string of white stone citadels along the banks of the Neurabon River, with the River King’s castle set in the middle of the river. The land around these citadels has been cleared for cultivation, primarily grapes. The surprisingly rural and domestic area around these castles contains simple houses of a few rooms. Wide areas are set aside for amphitheaters for courtly and religious ceremonies, and the two are intertwined.
The River Court is ruled by Ulorian the First, though his rulership is more attuned to his vested personal interests than any desire to command his kin. He holds the power to roil the waters of the Neurabon, and the temperament to do with increasing frequency. He has established the court as a trading post between this world and the Blessed Realm, and half-elf merchants (with elven escorts, if they are wise) bring goods from Reywald to deal with representatives from the far side of the fey roads. So too do merrow, sylphs, and other aquatic fey come to deal with humans, though they prefer magic and memories as their payment as opposed to gold and silver.
The River Court has lost some of its power, primarily due to the sudden influx of pure-blooded elves into the domain. Ulorian wonders if something occurring in the Feywild is driving this return, or if it is simply a longing for the great halls of old in Torar. In particular, he is concerned about the growing power of the shadow fey and their Black Prince, but at the moment is undecided if he should resist or acquiesce to this rising power.

Tilted Tower

Far to the east, where the Tintager River flows into the sea, stands one of the tallest buildings in Torar, now abandoned by its masters. Over a mile high, the Tilted Tower is made of green glass that catches the sunlight. Its glittering spar can be seen up to 100 miles out to sea, even on cloudy days. During the Mage Wars, when the humans called up the abominations that destroyed much of the old elven lands, a group of venerable elven sorcerers (each older than the Imperator is now) stopped the sinking of the land, which would have consumed the entire forest of Arbonesse. They paid for that spell with their lives, and now their tower stands on the edge of the sea.
Indeed, it leans over the sea, since the ground on its seaward approach has settled and eroded, and the tower has a noticeable cant of about 15 degrees. In some ways it appears less a tower than one part of a great broken arch that extends over the sea to the north.

Koraith, the Court of Scandal

Known more as a legend than as a real place, Koraith is a great mount that once was an elven citadel of living stone. It has long since collapsed upon itself, and its perimeter is patrolled by gargoyles made of volcanic rock. The collapse is tunneled with burrows, and within these burrows the Deichon Court of the shadow fey claims suzerainty. The center of these barrows contains a great hall hosting a perpetual celebration. The prisoners of the court are forced to dance and sing for their masters until they perish—either of ennui or suicide—at which point their bodies are animated to serve those roles until they are too decayed, whereupon they are turned into sweetmeats served to the guests by demonic servants. A golden throne called the Prophet’s Chair set with volcanic glass features at the court. However, it is unoccupied, since the various clans among the scathesidhe are too deeply engaged in internal conflicts and assassinations for anyone to dare claim it. It is said that once a single ruler holds that throne for a year and a day, the shadow fey will march against the River Court and conquer all of Arbonesse.
The passages out of this great hall loop back on themselves and follow paths not possible in the real world. Without doubt these hallways reach into the Shadow Realm, since creatures of shadow haunt the corridors. They also grant access to distant citadels of the shadow fey, so that any of their rulers can be found here. It is not a place where mortals are welcome or tolerated.

The Gentle Rest

The Gentle Rest cannot be located on any map. A fortified inn that wanders throughout the Arbonesse and Shadowfell, to a traveler it looks like a small walled way station, with a wooden stockade surrounding a two-story tavern and several outbuildings. Inside, the fire burns in the common room’s hearth, dinner is always about to be served, the ale is crisp and fresh, and the beds in the upper floor are soft. The staff consists of elves who go only by their titles (“Server,” “Cook,” “Stableboy”) and the clientele is primarily elven, though it includes a number of lost souls who have wandered into the forest or into Shadow and cannot otherwise escape.
The Gentle Rest supposedly appears to travelers at the end of their ropes, who have exhausted their supplies or are fleeing a greater foe. The house has a stated policy against violence among the guests, and those who break it find themselves back where they started, the inn nowhere to be found and their pursuers close. A guide (named “Guide”) can take travelers by the fey roads to any town, keep, shrine, or other location in Arbonesse and Naledi that has a gate.
Those who have found and left the Gentle Rest might attempt to return, but find only elven ruins at its former location. Those who wait for it to return wait a long time.

Tomierran Forest

In the north of this once-great elven domain lies the Tomierran, a different sort of forest entirely. The Arbonesse is still populated by the descendants of the elves, but Tomierran has been abandoned completely. The call for the Great Retreat came from the Towers of Thorn, and within the day, it is said, there were no longer any elves within the forest’s boundaries. It is a place of ancient trees and weathered ruins. The great magic of the elves runs deep in these places, and there are towns within where time has stopped entirely. The food on the tables is still warm from when the elves rose from the table at the sounding of the horn, never to return again.
Tomierran is a land of magical monsters and animated plants, the remains of elven arcane experiments. Treants, dryads, and moss lurkers are commonly sighted here, along with free-willed elementals and magical creations such as owlbears and perytons. These are the guardians of the secrets of the elves.
At Thorn’s heart stands a corrupt and rotting World Tree. For miles around no wholesome beast or bird stirs, and the whispers of Thorn’s tree always seem malevolent. Its twisted foliage hides malformed and unnatural things. Like beetles infesting a rotting stump, they are symptoms of the sickened tree—things that Never Were or Might Have Been, ghosts of unrealized realities and creatures spawned of untaken choices. The weave of fate is threadbare here. Holda's Tree is barely alive, though in recent years a few elven druids have been seen tending to it.
The Tomierran Forest was for centuries the Imperator’s personal demesne, with trespassers and fortune‑hunters found within its borders subject to the full extent of the law. The forest is now an official holding of the church of Yarila and Porevit, but the rules against looters remain in force. Those who are caught must hand over their recovered treasures and share whatever knowledge they might have gained. Official explorations were once sponsored by the Lords Arcane and heavily influenced by the Aldous-Donner clan of Reywald, but these have (officially) stopped by order of Saintmistress Rowanmantle. Church-sanctioned explorations are still launched out of Thornguard, while shadier, more independent attempts depart from the Imperial Conservatory at Tomierau.

Ruins of Thorn

In ancient days, Thorn was the glittering capital of the Olvaredhel. Towers spiraled up through the canopy, palatial halls were pillared by living trees, and dancing lights illuminated the gleaming Archon Court in rainbow hues. Then the dwarves brought it all crashing down. Reaver dwarves naturally had an uneasy relationship with their elven neighbors, who worshipped rivals of their own divine patrons. At first they came like many other supplicant races, to bathe in the glory of the court—though they saw little that impressed them. Soon, however, they learned of mithral and hungered for it in ever greater quantities. It was only a matter of time before trade became tribute, tribute became strife, and strife became all-out war.
Dwarven leaders claimed the war was divinely sanctioned, but for many it was about control of the mithral mines. They didn’t care about conquering the elves, only taking what valuables they could carry and stripping the mines. To the outrage of elves and their allies, everything else was burned. The elves rebuilt Thorn to even greater heights around its World Tree, but the elves have never forgiven this first great affront by the dwarves.

Thorn and the Great Retreat

The gem of the Tomierran Forest, Thorn was the seat of government for the Archon Court when the Great Retreat began, legendary for its power and splendor. The retreating elves took little with them, and despite the stated protection of the throne of Naledi, the spires of this wondrous city have long beckoned treasure hunters and raiders.
However, the retreating elves left behind their guardians, their traps, and their magic that twists the nature of time to foil those who seek to profit from their departure. Between the World Tree and the traps, Thorn is a deadly proposition for the treasure hunter. Thorn was the site of a great deal of magical experimentation, so magical beasts of all shapes and sizes as well as animated plants stalk the wide lanes of this huge city. These creatures know the area well, and avoid the traps laid by their former masters. Many still remember the elves and are aware of the pain that the mages of the Archon Court used to rule lesser creatures. Given a chance, they seek vengeance against all who stride into their domains.
The buildings of Thorn are also filled with traps activated before the elves’ departure, ranging from traditional pits and spikes to unsleeping magical guardians that can only be turned aside by a particular pass phrase selected by a priest now long departed from this world. Some of the fleeing elves left the city forever upon the sounding of the horn of the Great Retreat, but others activated old runes and set spells and mechanical traps on the off chance that they would return. Time has reduced some of these traps, but many survive due to a mighty enchantment worked within Thorn.

Warped Time of Thorn

That enchantment is a warping of time. Many regions have been held in temporal stasis waiting for a living creature to enter them again. Meals are warm from 500 years ago, and perfume in the chambers of ancient elven maidens still smells sweet. By the same token, beasts left behind for later retrieval are also present, waiting for their masters’ return or to defend the household against intruders.
Other areas operate at different time scales, so that a treasure hunter might emerge from a building to find not only his companions gone, but his family long dead. Others might strive against the traps and tricks of Thorn for years, only to emerge to a world where a day has passed. These spells are lost to the Lords Arcane, though they are interested in learning more. Among other reasons, the church seeks to gain control of the forest to keep the families from playing with forces about which they are insufficiently knowledgeable.

Lost Mithral Mines

Legends say that somewhere in the ruins of Thorn lay subterranean grottos of outstanding beauty. These partly natural, partly worked exquisite caverns were a wonder of the ancient world. Lit by sparkling gemstones and mithral that glitters in the slightest illumination, their walls are carved with delicate gypsum flowers dusted with powdered gemstone. Groves stand columned by forests of carved adamantine trees hung with jeweled fruits.
A few mines were lost to dwarven pillagers, but most were sealed and hidden, guarded by potent wards and curses, and tireless constructs that rise at the least provocation. The elves rue the day they first showed mithral to the world.

Raven Tower

The Raven Tower has been despoiled many times in the history of Naledi. Each time, it has been certain that all its tombs have been emptied, all its vaults plundered, and the creatures within have been cowed. Yet with each generation—about fifty years—reports come out of the area of new discoveries, and troves of orichalcum coins marked with the symbol of the Raven. A new cycle of investigations begins. Tombs not on any map suddenly appear, towers shift locations, and traps reset. This effect might be related the temporal magic of Thorn, or something entirely different.
The crows, ravens, and magpies that infest this area remain the same. Collectively they are called the deathbirds, and their swarming multitudes fill the sky regardless of the season. They are the true keepers of the Raven Tower and its surrounding region, and wise adventurers leave them to it. The followers of Wotan in the Donnermark, however, consider the site a holy place of Wotan, and every so often they attempt a pilgrimage to the site.

Stone Galleries

Situated on the southern border with Krakovar, the Stone Galleries are noted for their statuary, whose numbers continue to increase despite the lack of any sculptors present. The city consists of broad plazas and canals now dry and overgrown, bedecked with statues in positions of horror.
The area is a breeding ground of basilisks and cockatrices, and the underground passages are controlled by medusa sorcerers. Numerous military expeditions have been staged through the years, the most recent being the Great Stone Purge of 30 years ago. The heads of 17 basilisks, 25 cockatrices, and a dozen medusae were presented to the Imperator, along with the petrified forms of two dozen men. The bulk of these have large bites taken out of their bodies, and some have heads missing, and as such are in storage until a safe method of recovery can be found. Those few who returned to living state are bandits and tomb raiders who lost some 40 years of their lives, and state that the last thing they remember was a sudden noise and a horrid visage turning them to stone.
Despite these regular raids, a strong presence of petrifying creatures remains. The Lords Arcane believe that some greater power, perhaps demonic in nature, might be at work here. As a result, agents from undead-occupied Krakovar have been spotted in the area, and the church has been seeking adventurers to monitor the situation.

Beach of Thorns

The Beach of Thorns was originally a sheltered bay with a shoal of smooth black rocks, used by the Northerners seeking to explore and loot the abandoned elven settlements. Such attempts were usually repulsed by the forest, making it a landing only for the desperate or the foolhardy.
Over the past decade, in response to the increased pressure from the Church of Yarila and Porevit to control access to the old elven lands, a ramshackle settlement has appeared on the beach. Or rather, just off the beach. Entrepreneurs drove pilings of felled lumber into the muck of the bay, establishing a small trading village on this wooden foundation. They oversee a thriving illicit trade in artifacts, and the Beach of Thorns provides access to those who seek an alternative way into the elven lands.

Lost Arbonesse

Naledi’s third great forest is hidden from the world. Before the Mage Wars, the forest of Lost Arbonesse extended to the west of the current forest. This was a great land of ancient elven cities, compared to which the River Court would be considered a mere hunting lodge. More than 400 years ago, the great beast known as the Isonade rose from the depths and consumed this western forest, dragging it beneath the earth.
The land was assumed lost under the Isonade’s assault, but much survived the wreckage. The craggy plains are lined with ruins, and entire preserved stump forests that lurk in the shadows. The land is said to be haunted, and those who travel this area speak of ghost voices on quiet nights, and the tolling of bells long since submerged. Banshees move across the surface, looking for lost loves and taking tribute from any ship that crosses their path. The land beneath the surface is a tumult of wreckage from the Isonade’s attack.
The elven cities that existed here have been churned to rubble, and what little of the great forest survived is kept pristine by the earth. Ghosts dwell here as well as darker things, such as illithids that moved up from deeper realms, their kingdoms destroyed by the mages’ folly. Small tribes of moriedhel lurk here too, though it is not known if they are original inhabitants of the Arbonesse or immigrants from other regions.
And in its greatest depths, the Isonade is said to slumber still. Grievously wounded in the wars that it was awakened to fight, the behemoth retreated back into the cavernous depths. Some say that the creature perished, and its skull now serves as the throne room of a illithid lord. Others say that the Isonade rests and dreams of the day when it will be roused again and take all the Arbonesse, and most of Torar, with it beneath the soil.

The Summer Lands

Elven culture has declined in Naledi but it thrives in the Summer Lands, a parallel world where the fey rule over their gnome, goblin, and halfling servitors, and dragonborn, humans, and kobolds are visitors at best. The current court there has ruled for more than 400 years. His Royal and Merciful Majesty King Ivannithil IX remains in good humor despite a never-ending cavalcade of diplomacy, state pageantry, and stultifying financial and arcane arrangements. He dotes on his beloved bride and star, Her Radiant and Keen-Eyed Majesty Queen Haldifelli Lakulus III, sometimes called Sifsdottir for her love of that goddess of archery and ale—and her own profound skill with a bow, with which she won her husband’s hand.
Though the king and queen are aging and often retire from the great seasonal balls to their chambers promptly at midnight, the younger set at the Summer Lands court remains magnificently vibrant. The next generation is led by their six children (especially the heir to the throne, His Serene Highness, Crown Prince Raymarran “Oak” Sommerrau) and nine grandchildren. In addition, the royal family includes 27 great-grandchildren, 81 great-great-grandchildren, and four great-great-greatgrandchildren, many of them holding titles as generals, priests of the pantheon, wardens of various lands, and ambassadors to other courts. One of these, the young wizard Dolpharran “Dagger” Sommerau, recently renounced his royal title and left the Summer Lands, some believe to take up with dark forces in the Courts of the Shadow Fey. Others believe he plots a return of direct elven rule to Naledi or Valera.
Visitors to the Court require potent letters of introduction, high status, or rich gifts to make significant headway. The elves of the Summer Court (like their counterparts the shadow fey) are deeply involved with their own concerns, lands, and people, and strangers without significance to those concerns find themselves politely wined, dined, and ignored.

Technological Level

Religion

The humans and elves of Naledi worship a combination of ancient elven gods and the gods of the Crossroads City—primarily the twin gods Yarila & Porevit (called Freyr & Freyja in the Arbonesse), Mavros-Perun (Mavros to the west, Perun in the south, Valeresh to the elves), Lada, Rava, and Volund. While the crown officially regards all deities of the pantheon as equally valid, not all gods are considered equal in the eyes of the people. In addition, an increasing number of citizens now venerate more of the old elven gods. Over the past decade, with the slow return of the elves themselves, the elven mother Holda has extended her influence over the hearts and minds of a growing population in Naledi. Holda is supposedly aligned with Yarila and Porevit but is considered superior to them in the godly hierarchies, a classification that does not sit will the Saintmistress and the clerics of the Twinned Cathedral.
Baccho, also called Baccholon, has also benefitted from the increasing number of elves wandering out of the Arbonesse Forest. A god of poetry, revels, and wine, he is extremely popular among the younger members of the court, and every poetry salon in Salzbach has a small shrine to the god, decorated with smashed wineglasses and broken mugs. Darker rumors swirl around Baccho, connecting him the newest Walker in the Wastes. Of the dark gods little needs to be said, since they are banned from Naledi. Chernobog is venerated by evil things in the wilderness between towns, Blood Lodges to The Hunter might be found in these lands as well, and Marena and Mammon both have their cults. The greatest danger is from followers of Sarastra, patron goddess of the shadow fey and long a powerful-but-dangerous goddess of the elves. While she is not one truly one of the dark gods, the Lords Arcane battle both against spellcasters who seek to learn from the fell fey as well as elves and half-elves who come under her sway.

Trade & Transport

Much of the countryside of Naledi is forbidding for the traveler. Two ancient forests dominate the land—the Arbonesse and the Tomierran—but the rest of the countryside consists of smaller but no-less-deep forests of younger vintage, high moors, and deep, tree-covered valleys. Merchant caravans lurch along ancient roads that were first laid by dwarves working for their elven masters. The rivers all flow east to the icy peril of the Orclund Straits, plagued by Northern reavers. How, then, did the Imperator keep his Empire together? The answer is another legacy of the old Elven Empire—the fey roads. The fey roads are also called shadow roads, the passages tunneled through the Shadowfell linking Torar with the Feywild on the far side of the world.
The fey roads still operate brightly and cleanly between locations in the Arbonesse and the Feywild. The members of the Court of the River King use the roads to bring their subjects to and from Torar, and these roads function normally. However, much of the network has been taken over by the shadow fey, who made dark deals with sinister powers and call Shadow their home. They prey on the unwary and make the transit more dangerous than normal. The roads near Endhome, for example, are notoriously shadowed and do not lead to the Feywild at all. Outside Naledi, the term shadow road is more common than fey road for this reason.
The result is that many of the shadow roads in Elaysm are known to only a few geomancers, Nurian mages, and other arcanists, and even then, most such roads are rarely used and their waystones and wardings are sporadically maintained. Specific routes, such as the rivers and roads that lead to the Court of the River King, are still patrolled by elves, and as such are safe for these people. Naledi makes extensive use of the fey roads, though not in the way they were originally intended. For the rest of the world, such roads are few and far between. Their portals are abandoned, broken, and where they do function, are the birthplace of horrors that leak out into the world.

The Processional and City Gates

The Naledi Empire uses the old fey roads to hold the empire together. The roads do not reach the Summer Lands, but rather bypass the rest of the world, allowing the empire to communicate and move small groups easily. Such connections are more precisely called shadow roads, since they do not reach the Bright Land.
The Imperator made an arrangement with the shadow fey so that they do not bother small groups along the paths (never more than 20 people). The exception is the Great Procession when the Imperator, holding the Phial of Khors in his hand, led the Moveable Feast from city to city in Naledi along the shadow road called the Processional, one of the oldest of these routes. The Imperator kept all shadow creations and evil fey at bay during this procession through sheer force of his will, and this allowed his court safe passage. Those who make the trip could return to their previous locations through shadow at will. With the incapacity of the Imperator, those who know these paths are highly valued as guides.
All the cities of the Empire have functioning gates in the control of the ruling family of that city. These are in turn placed in inaccessible or easily secured areas, with sufficient protection should something, malignant or otherwise, come out of the gates. These gates can take any form, ranging from a simple doorway to a grand arch. In the elven lands, the gates might be a hole at the base of a tree or a cascade of rushing water. The traveler might not even know he or she is entering a fey road until it is too late (though if this is the case, turning around is highly recommended). If this is impossible (the gate was a waterfall, for example), the best chance of survival is to let the road take the traveler where it will.

Infrastructure

The cities of Naledi are not as important as the families who control them. Each of the major lineages makes one of the large cities their main base. In addition, the main family commands the fealty of a large number of subordinate baronies, earldoms, and vassal towns. These towns are not adjacent to the main holdings of the city, but are scattered throughout Naledi. These vassals communicate with the ruling city by means of the fey roads, though they engage in trade with other local cities.
There are three major cities in Naledi: Hirschberg, Reywald, and Bad Solitz, each one of which is the seat of one of the major families. The city’s ruler is also considered the matriarch or patriarch of that particular house. All these rulers take the title “prince” or “princess.” Minor families control vassal states under the rule of these princes. The cities are provincial capitals and the hubs of the major families’ web of vassals and landholdings. Three “crown” cities owe their allegiance directly to the crown and are considered exceptions to the rule: the Northlander city of Donnermark, the Free City of Salzbach (technically independent, but under charter of the Imperator), and the territory of Courlandia, which is ruled by a dragon. Their rulers are officially known as “princes” but do not use the title, except in the Imperial Court.

Courtly Season

Court is in session wherever the Imperator resides, and even in these most unusual times, nobles arrive in a steady stream in Reywald seeking rulings, advice, appointments, blessings, and favors. However, the true social season of Naledi occurs in the winter months, when the snow is thick on the ground and routine travel is all but impossible. During these times, the fey roads bind the families together. Many of them descend on Reywald, Hirschberg, and Bad Solitz for what is normally called “the social season,” or sometimes the Omessali, the Winter Dances, among the older generation.
The social season begins in Redleaf, after the local Harvest Dances for the various feasts, and no later than the Night of the Open Roads (the first winter moon). It lasts until Springmelt and the Mustering, by which time the various clans are expected to be back in their domains for the coming planting season. Various events might keep some members of the family away (a sudden incursion from across the Orclund Straits or an invasion from the Darklands), but the courtly vassals are expected to present themselves to their superiors and report on their achievements of the previous year. The rest of the time, it is a season of dances, feasts, and celebrations.
The Naledian Court Season includes Ghost Night and the Lantern Festival, with traditional celebrations. One of the grandest celebrations is the Imperator's Birthday, a “Crown Festival” that consumes three days of balls as each major family seeks to outdo the others in pomp and splendor. The fifth day of November is the official calendar day of the Imperator's Birthday, though celebrations can be a full two weeks at the time of an Adamantine (100 year) Jubilee. Most recently, such celebrations have been muted by the Imperator’s condition.
During the season of court, the evenings include presentations of new plays, poems, and chamber music pieces, along with grand balls and feasts. The choice of dancing partner is particularly important in the social pecking order, as is where one sits at the feasting table. In general, closer to the head of the table implies preferred status, and those seated “below the salt” (about halfway down the table) are considered to be present to fill out the chairs and not make the hall seem too empty.
Since the season is an opportunity for various rival houses and smaller clans to mingle, friction inevitably follows. There are competitions between rivals, as well as the occasional assassination (kept to the lesser houses, since Saintmistress Rowanmantle stocks up on restorative magic for this time of the year). Duels are officially outlawed (but they occur anyway), as well as romances, flings, and assignations. Young debutantes are traditionally presented to the Imperator during the Lantern Festival, and a swirl of activity envelops any family that has a child of marriageable age. Newly made barons and baronesses arrive the court and find themselves under the scrutiny of the young scions of more established families. Many weddings have come out of the season, as have many feuds.
The season officially lasts until March and the Mustering. All new promotions and postings are announced, and it concludes with a military review and a parade. On the years of the Moveable Feast, the entire court would pack up at this time and the Imperator would lead them to one of the other major cities, which had been bracing for the arrival of the hustle and bustle of the Imperial Court.

Founding Date

25502 A.E.

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Alternative Names

Adamantine Empire, Elven Empire

Demonym

Naledian

Leader

Satora Stillmind Bladesong

Head of State

Satora Stillmind Bladesong

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Power Structure

Feudal state

Economic System

Traditional

Major Exports

Exports are separated by major city.

Hirschberg

Metalwork, textiles, fish, venison, stone and slate, armor, weapons.

Reywald

Leather goods, horses, woolen goods, lumber, art (sculpture).

Bad Solitz

Perfumes, wine, rare minerals, geodes, precious and elemental metals, slate, alchemical supplies, books, lawyers.

River Court

Nuts, timber, elven silk, river wine, brandy wine.

Courlandia

Ships, salt, fish, cattle, oak timbers, smoked oysters, pearls.

Salzbach

Salt, antiquities from the Darklands and Arbonesse, precious metals, grain, beer.

Donnermark

Fish, ambergris, lumber, charcoal, mussels, northern spar crystals.

Official State Religion

Endhavian Pantheon

Location

Naledi Imperial Lands

Controlled Territories

• Naledi Imperial Lands

Neighboring Nations

• Dragon Empire

Symbol

An eagle sable on a red and yellow field, counterchanged.

Provincial Capitals

Hirschberg, population 24,000; Reywald, population 18,000; Bad Solitz, population 14,000; River Court, population 3800.

Crown Cities

Courlandia, population 21,000; Salzbach, population 12,000; Donnermark, population 6300.