"...[name] stood in the [name2] Hall, a hundred peers watching from the galleys above. She called her Provider's name, and all could feel the power she commanded. [name3] summoned his wards, but all that watched knew his efforts were in vain. The next name she offered was his, and the misery of [name3] was legend."

translated from Dekàlan fragment
found in ruined Ildûn

Taldàna (Old Empire)

• Overview
• Landmarks
• History

The City-State of Taldàna (Nor Kalas Taldàna) languishes upon the foothills of the Tor'n Gorgyn overlooking the tranquil snow-white beaches of the Nyr Alùrin.  The state stands a ghost of her former splendor, but remains refined and elegant in her decline.  A pastoral region, Alurin is marked with patchworked farms, trimmed forests, and low hills and mountains.  Unlike the Old Empire states to the north and south (i.e. Oth and Candal), the lands of Amra have not been tortured by centuries of war and unrest.  With the exception of seasonal Ortori raids, life here is as peaceful as any in the civilized world. But even this land has its troubles as evidenced by stirrings from the Kingdom of Saranth on its  western border.  The peace it appears, is about to end.

Alurin (The Cradle): The western coast of the Nyr Alurin has been inhabited by Uren for millennia.  The earliest known Uren inhabitants were the Iksaris "spirit people" (see the Sugorom below).  The area is now the most densely populated of the regions, and home to the capital city Taldàna and western Evermith.

The high road to Shalvasal winds south from the capital city of Taldana. The road passes through four distinct areas: the farmlands of Alurin, the Kardàyn Forest, the rocky Tor'n Muran and the Shalvasal coast. Travelers along this road travel by foot, horseback and carriage.

Through the Alurin, the high road is kept in good repair. Through much of the farmland and low-lying marshes of the Alurin, the road is built higher and sometimes crossed with logs in corduroy fashion. The closer one is to the capital city, the more commonly one finds the ancient Dekàlan stone slabs which mark the Empire's roads. It is common to find cobblestones near and about most towns along the road.

The countryside of the Alurin is mostly pastoral, with small woods and wide-ranging marshes the closer one gets to the Tor'n Muran. Stone piled fences divide the rolling green hills, broken occasionally by the wide grin of a carved stone from times long passed (see Iskaris). At every stream crossing there is either a small village or a road leading off to one. Despite the hills, villages are easy to spot by the climbing smoky tendrils from round stone chimneys. Although there are dozens of towns and villages along this route, the most notable are Naddal, Kirdewym, Ston and Teshal.

Naddal is a largish town two hours outside Taldana. The town circles an old domed temple of Dalàsia. Only half the dome remains, though all the columns that once supported it remain standing in a perfect circle. The town is of some importance to the faith because it is the birthplace of Admira (II) the Fair, a high priestess of Dalàsia who traveled to Lanádus to be wedded to the disfigured High King Arsithir in 723 HK. The legends of Admira tell of how she dutifully attended to her husband despite his monstrous appearance. Arsithir refused to let anyone look upon him except his wife, who was brought to tears whenever he lowered his veil. Upon his death in 734 HK, Admira fashioned for him a mask that he might be presented to his peers and receive their final respects. Renown for her artistic skills, the Mask of Asithir was proclaimed to be the most beautiful face any had beheld. High King Asithir and his death mask were buried beneath Kryr Témèndum, while his wife returned for a short while to her home at Naddal where she lived for some few years and then died. Her bones remain buried beneath the temple devoted to her.

Kirdewym is a quiet town east of Naddal. A tower of some kind once rose from the town, but it has since collapsed and it stones salvaged for other buildings within the village. Only the round foundations (Dwürden) of the tower remain. Though this area is south of the Dwürden kingdom Nurumwar Gurm it is believed that it served as an outpost or lighthouse to watch ships moving along the coast. Additional evidence of Dwürden living in this area are a number of ancient mines that are uncovered from time to time in the surrounding hills. The mines are deep and narrow and thought to serve little purpose in this age except to breed monsters. For this reason, when mine entrances are found the town rallies to seal the passages up.

Ston (stone) is an inland town seated where a large stream from the Tor'n Muran and the road converge. Surrounded by marshland for miles, the roads to and from Ston are mostly earthen-works and log bridges. Much effort is spent each year repairing the roads and bridges (especially after storm season). Other than some domestic fowl and deer, most people eat coru, which is a swamp bird. Children learn from early ages to be proficient with the slings that are used to kill the coru. A lucky child can feed his family for a night with one of the birds. Coru dive and catch snakes in the marshes, so children seeking the birds often catch snakes, tie strings to their tails and use them as bait. Otherwise this is an unremarkable town with a small inn that offers no private quarters.

Teshal is a small town with more shops and inns than are usual for a town of its size. The reason for this is that travelers heading south and north often stop here either to get provisions before pressing through the Kardàyn Forest, or to rest following the hard push through the previous area (forest). For those entering the forest from here, there is a large wind spirit statue alongside the road that many travelers rub for luck. The statue appears to be a rounded (and polished from rubbing) rabbit-bird with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. When the wind blows across the mouth, the statue gives off a hollow sound. Teshal offers a small stone and timber shrine to Amra, three inns, and numerous little shops. The shops here thrive off merchants who are trying to lessen their loads for cheap before attempting to make the run through the forest. All inhabitants of the town encourage this by telling awful tales of the horrors that lurk in the forest. Some of the tales are true, but many are not. The more travelers fear the forest, the longer they stay in Teshal.

The Kardàyn Forest is an ancient stand of trees that stand in the cradle of the rocky Tor'n Marun. An old forest that is in many ways similar to the Othic Northwood, the trees are steeped in shadow and tales of things ill. The road leading through the forest is well-traveled but not maintained, so is scored with deep ruts and hastily removed branches and dead trees that have fallen in the path. The road passes through three towns as it winds through the forest, but two have been abandoned for many years, the fate of their inhabitants is unknown, but suspected. The towns are Riddin (abandoned), Karsan, and Toram (abandoned).

Karsan is small village in an old clearing of the forest. Not a village in the classic sense, Karsan is a lumbering town which cuts and hauls precious old woods from the forest's ancient heart. Many of the artisans of Taldana are very demanding in the woods they use to create their masterpieces and choose carefully the trees and logs they work with. Apart from those woods imported from Candal and distant Panath, these are the choicest pieces along the northern coasts (keeping in mind that these workmen have never heard of the Othic Northwood). Despite the overgrown spirit carving here and there, the Kardàyn Forest is bereft of good spirits, having fled the ancient trees long ago. The people of Karsan sometimes speak of the Dark Heart (Ardìn Durgor) from where the evil crawls. This same evil is what twists the trees of the Kardàyn into their creepy, unsettling shapes. Some artists refuse to work with the wood from this place as they claim it carries a taint. Most serious artists work with it regardless. The priests of Taldana have been explored the forest before, but have never found the Ardìn Durgor, and though they admit to a preponderance of evil spirits do not support the idea of the heart. There are no inns at Karsan (kahr SAYN) and travelers are encouraged to water their horses and continue through the forest with all speed.

The rocky Tor'n Muran are low coastal mountains, covered mostly in trees. The road to Shalvasal is in its worst repair here among the old switchbacks and crumbling bridges that span the rocky terrain. Many valleys beside the road show evidence of tumbled wagons and the bones of horses and livestock that lost their footing in years passed. The falls are not long ones, but enough to cripple steeds and ruin wagons. The Tor'n Muran is home to many small villages that sit on the mountainsides away from the notice of passing merchants, marching soldiers, and tax collectors. The people in this area are descendant of the Iskaris (among others) and still maintain the carved statues that line the mountainous trails away from the main road. The people that live in this region are shorter and have more dark and coarse hair than usually associated with Taldàna. They long ago lost the language that set them fully apart, but retain a rounded dialect that is distinctive (enunciate Os, Ps and Us). The people of this area do not know the term Iskaris, instead referring to their distant ancestors as The Carvers.

There are no inns in the Tor'n Muran but there are plenty of wayside turn outs where caravans can rest or sleep the nights. With the exception of bears and wolves, there is little to fear in this area. Closer to the coast a occupied spotting tower looks out across the sea. Within a perimeter of this tower, Talàdan patrols are regularly seen.

The final region is the Shalvasal Coast. This area is similar to the Alurin area on the northern end of the road. There are fewer marshes here and the farmland is more plentiful. This region is littered with modest towns and villages, small woods and tumbling streams. Perhaps the most famous characteristic of the Shalvasal Coast is the plethora of windmills that stretch from Shalvasal to the Horn of Alurin. Each of the mills mark a small villages or hamlets nearby. The road here is well traveled and maintained, along good process to be made between the Tor'n Marun and Shalvasal. Circa 653 DR much military action could be noted nearer to Shalvasal as troops were mustered and moved to repel the Saranthi aggressions at Kry Norand (to the west of Shalvasal).

Landmarks

Sugorom. Travelers around the Taladan countryside often remark at the strange stone carvings found on roadsides and rising from the centers of field hilltops. In the waning years of the Nurumwar Gurm (ancient Dwürden people) primitive Uren came to this area and established themselves around Nyr Alurin (present day Taldana). Considered godless by early Dekàlans, the people of this area called themselves the Iksaris (or "spirit people"). In truth the Iksaris did follow a small pantheon of gods (Luch "sky", Borm "earth", Shus/Shoos "wind", Murum "sea", Tegka "fire") which in turn were the rulers of kingdoms of spirits associated with each power. Not much is known about the Iksaris except for these five "major spirits". It is known that in times passed, all of the spirits represented by carvings throughout the countryside had names, but most of those names are gone (or changed). A particularly large carving outside of Taldana is dubbed "Sugorom" and is believed to have been an earth spirit. The circular runes of the Iksaris are still visible at the wide-eyed statue's base. The statue appears to be an anthropomorphic frog with characteristic wide eyes and unsettling smile. Earth spirit statues are found in low areas (Sugorom is at a low crossroads, and has been for millennia). Sky spirit statues are found on hill tops (and are often feline). Wind spirit statues are found on cliffs, in ravines, and where forest edges once stood, basically anywhere the wind regularly makes noise. Sea spirit statues appear at the sources of streams, at bridges, and along the coasts. Coastal statues are the largest of the five. Fire spirit statues are not common. Few have survived. It seems small fire spirit statues were placed near hearths.

People

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History (Pre-Dekàlan)

Prior to the Dekàlan settling of the Alurin, the Iksaris people inhabited this region.  A tribal Uren people that are themselves believed to have entered the land in the waning years of the Dwürden Nurumwar Gurm, the Iksaris established many villages along the coast of the Nyr Alurin that exist today as Taládan towns and cities.

Considered godless by early Dekàlans, the Iksaris (or "spirit people") followed a small pantheon of nature gods (i.e. Luch "sky", Borm "earth", Shus/Shoos "wind", Murum "sea", Tegka "fire") which in turn were the rulers of kingdoms of spirits associated with each power.  Not much is known about the Iksaris except for these five "major spirits".  They did not appear to leave a written language.  It is known that in times passed, all of the spirits represented by carvings throughout the countryside had names, but most of those names are changed or lost.  A particularly large wide-eyed carving outside of Taldàna is dubbed "Sugorom" and is believed to have been an earth spirit.  The statue appears to be an anthropomorphic frog with characteristic wide eyes and unsettling smile.  Earth spirit statues are typically found in low areas (Sugorom is at a low crossroads, and has been for millennia).  Sky spirit statues are found on hill tops and appear commonly feline.  Wind spirit statues are found in places where the wind once "talked": along cliffs, ravine cliff-walls that are hard to access and in the open, where ancient forest lines once stood.  Sea spirit statues appear at the sources of streams, at bridges and along the coasts.  Coastal statues are the largest of the five.  Fire spirit statues are not common.  Few have survived.  It seems small fire spirit statues were placed near hearths.

History (Dekàlan)

The Ezmiri-Ortori War (964-966 HK) followed closely on the footsteps of the failed Numurwar Gurm War due to the fall of Krysurgörnn.  Without the protection of the Dwürden kingdom at their back, the Taládan-Ezmìri countryside was open to Ortori invasion.  The Tamar Ort wizard chieftain Varak realized the importance of the opening and immediately seized the opportunity to control the fertile lands on the southern border of his new realm.  This action however resulted in one of Varak's Uren advisors to flee to Oth and report on Lady Sadirah's alliance with the Ortor, eventually bringing down the Kaltharan noble.

In the meantime, Varak's forces swept south from Krysurgörnn, seizing Kelamir and the port city of Eromir in two quick and decisive battles.  Varak established a borderland east of Boronon, setting fire to villages along this line.  The fires forced the villagers to flee west creating a "no-man's land" that his Ortori troops could easily control.  Varak's experience in warfare was to this point limited to mountain fighting against small to moderately sized Dwürden formations.  He and his troops were not prepared for the retaliation to come.  In the fall of 966 HK, Dekàlan troops from Kandal, Oth and Taldàna arrived in Ezmir on two fronts.  The first formations marched along the northern countryside, hoping to cut-off the Ortor at Krysurgörnn.  The second front was a naval strike landing near the port city of Eromir, a battle that would become the bloodiest of the war.  The Dekàlan army stormed across the Ezmiri countryside, setting flame to Ortori encampments and liberating Uren slave corrals.  At Kelamir, the army faced the largest Ortori force ever seen to that time in Eastern Teréthor.  The Battle of Kelamir lasted for eight days and seven nights until a Dekàlan flank was able to reach and take ancient Krysurgörnn.  Cut-off from the mountains, the Ortori troops regrouped at embattled Eromir where Dekàlan warships were pounding the city.  The exhausted Dekàlan army swept south from Kelamir to crush the Ortori army but instead found themselves outmatched "man-to-man" by the desperate and physically superior Ortor.  Instead of pressing of the Ortor, the Dekàlan army waited for the warships to destroy the city from the sea.  The loses from bombardment and fire were great among both Ortor and Uren inhabitants.  This strategy combined with the fact that the Empire had allowed them to suffer under two years of Ortori occupation solidified Ezmiri hatred for their Dekàlan rulers. 

When little remained of the City of Eromir, the Dekàlan army moved in once more and slaughtered all Ortori that were not able to escape into the eastern mountains.  The great losses suffered by Varak in the Ezmiri campaign were not easily overcome and the cheiftain never launched a full-scale war against Dekàlan lands again.  Varak's successor however, had his own plans (rf. Second Ezmiri-Ortori War).

History (Post-Dekàlan)

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The Occupation, 1-113 DR 1 DR 4/2856 (Tal) Elve governor rules the City of Taldàna First Renaissance, 113-226 DR 113 4/2968 (Tal) Daíme completes 20 volume epic "Flowers of Amàrad" ca. 210 -- (Ezm/Tal) Ottarism flourishes in Ezmir ca. 216 -- (Ezm/Tal) Ezmiri inquisition exexcutes Amran priests in Ezmir The Taládan-Ezmiri War, 218-219 DR 218 4/---- (Ezm/Tal) High Priests raise and hire army to reclaim Ezmir 218 4/---- (Ezm/Tal) Battle of Comlan (Ta) 218 4/---- (Ezm/Tal) First recorded use of the "Black and Withered Vine" 219 4/---- (Ezm/Tal) Battle of Pidiros (Ez) 219 4/---- (Ezm/Tal) Battle of Kelamir (Ta) 219 4/---- (Ezm/Tal) Battle of Boronon (Ta) 220 4/---- (Ezm/Tal) Amran inquisition expunges Ottars Time of Calamities, 211-240 DR 227 4/3082 (Pan/Tal) Sleeping Plague sweeps from Panath to Taldàna 234 4/3089 (Tal) Tsunami destroys Colossus, hundreds swept into Nyr Alurin 240 4/3095 (Pan/Tal) Last account of Sleeping Plague Time of Plagues, 368-390 DR 368 4/3223 (Tal) Bleeding Plague emerges in Taldàna, soon spreading to other ports Second Renaissance, 416-483 DR 416 4/---- (Tal) ... Third Renaissance, 620-652 DR 643 4/3498 (Tal) Elesea, Consort of Meol, becomes High Lady Priestess of Amra The Empire War, 653-present DR 653 4/3508 (Oth/Tal) High Lady receives declaration from High Lord Rott of Oth 653 4/3508 (Tal) Night of the Burning Ships in the Kre Taldàna 653 4/3508 (Sar/Tal) Battle of Shalvàsal (Sa)

Taldàna, City of

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Evèrmith, City of

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Shalvàsal, City of

The southern-most city of Taldàna, Shalvàsal is perhaps the least influenced by the wishes of the Albumor. The city is a popular port for those rounding the Horn of Caldàeth.  Shalvàsal is the second most prosperous city in Taldàna, second only to the capital itself.  One of the earliest port cities to open trade following the Last War, the city has grown considerably in the last six hundred years.  Ships from as far as Azálari anchor in its harbor to resupply with goods from the bountiful Alùrin and to partake of Amra's pleasures.  This last reason has given Shalvàsal a poor reputation within Taldàna.  Amrans view prostitution as an opportunity for the wayward to learn of the Lady's mysteries, rather than a chance to make a few Auram.

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Wymêr (Wyme'er), City of

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Alúrin, Region of

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Elárwith, Region of

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Gorgynath, Region of

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Westwall, Region of

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Teréthor
North Coast
Taldàna

Geography

The Gazetteer details the following regions:

Emer (The Lost Isle)
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Tasserus (Wild Lands)
Terèthor (Uncharted Land)
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