"...[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

Saranth (New Kingdom)

• Overview
• Landmarks
• People
• History

The Kingdom of Saranth exists on the western border of the Old Empire city-state of Taldàna and the northern border of the Kingdom of Caramis.  Walled to the west by a curtain of high mountains, the kingdom has remained secure for many centuries.  Originally, the land was part of the great city-state Kandal but was lost following the Second Acentran-Dekàlan War.  Settled by soldiers from Kandal and Ummon following the war, the place name means "nowhere" in the region's native tongue.  Across the centuries, the descendants of the soldiers that settled here have trained exhaustively for the day when they will be able to reclaim what was lost.  Reconnaissance from faraway lands report that the time for waiting is gone, and that three hundred years of preparation is about to be tested.

The seal of the Saranth are three crossed swords with their tips pointed down.  This symbol represents the day when their Dekàlan forebears put down their weapons and acknowledged that the war had been lost.

Landmarks

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People

The people of Saranth are very similar to those of many other Dekàlan areas.  Most people of the area have an intimate knowledge of farming, with the exception of some city dwellers.

All adult males are skilled with either pike and sword, or bow and dagger, having served at least two years in the Saránthi standing militia.  This service is a duty to the crown, and a religious calling.  These young men are supported by their families and communities, and receive no pay for their service.  All Saránthi men are considered to be proficient weapon users.  Women are permitted but not required to serve.  Most women that serve become proficient with bow and dagger.

Saránthi archers use shortbows.  Long distance missile attacks are left to the siege machinists.

Saránthi pikemen are trained to operate in advanced phalanx formations.  Most are capable swordsmen, able to finish off any rabble that get past the points of their pikes.

There are too many ranks within the Saránthi military to detail them all here.  Below, is a Character Package for a typical Saránthi knight.  Knights of Saranth do not necessarily have high social status as the Saránthi military is based on the Ummonian precepts of hard work and promotion, rather than the bequeathing of military honors on nobles and their descendants.

*  The Saránthi Code of Honor does not extend to non-Saránthi warriors.

History (Pre-Saránthi)

In the days and months before the end of the Last War, an army of elite Irul-Ruun troops were marching from Kandal to Taládan when unexpectedly, the war ended.  News arrived telling that Taládan had fallen, and Kandal behind them.  They were too late.  They had failed the Empire.

It was decided that they could not return so shamed to Kandal, and definitely not to Ummon, their mountain home.  Scouts returned from the North and South, reporting that the damage to both city-states was severe.  Despite protests within the ranks of his army, the military leader declared the war lost and gave his troops two options: death or shame, for their failure.  The heads of those who chose death were buried on a hill above the small harbor where they camped.  The inhabitants of the rural communities in that place watched this ritual with foreboding.  With the burials finished, the army leader instructed the remaining troops to begin construction of a fortress.  The enemy, it was decided, would need to fight for every hill of the Empire.  In this place that the locals named Saranth, meaning "Nowhere" the Acentran armies would find a bastion of trouble.

The Acentran and Elve armies never arrived.  The hilltop fortress grew above the harbor; a large structure of white stone bearing the pennants and shields of the Dekàlan army.  Priests submitted plans for a Temple at Saranth but when they sought help from the natives, they were rejected.  Plans to press the idegene into this service were abandoned when the priests explained that doing so violated the Eshàtan, for the natives worshipped Kandlan.  Over time, Saranth grew into one of most fortified areas of the region.

Worship within the borders of this region varied.  Descendants of the soldiers that settled Koróndon worshipped both Irul-Rün and Kandlan while the natives of the area also worshipped Kandlan.  Within the early part of the 1st century however, many natives began worshipping pagan gods, the practice of which had been outlawed since the establishment of the Old Empire, one thousand years prior.  The old ways hadn't died, they'd been passed down secretly from one generation to the next.  The priests of Irul-Ruun and Kandlan, their people outnumbered by the natives, began the heretical process of re-evaluating their religion.  Followers of the priestess Seryl presented a new religious philosophy that appalled the Dekàlan priests, at first.  It was Seryl's contention that the individual Dekàlan gods were not as important as the collective teachings of them.  Furthermore, she proposed that by utilizing the popularity of the native god Orander, who was the father of the pagan gods, they could recreate the god in the image of the Dekàlan pantheon.  The idea of one god was of particular anathema to the Dekàlan priests and faithful because their enemies, the Acentran also worshipped a single god, Ash.  In time, the idea was refined and accepted.  Using only the power of the pagan god's name, the priests were able to reshape the god into their image, and rewrite thousands of years of tradition.

During this time, Seryl of Koróndon became instrumental in teaching the people of Saranth the "lessons" of Orander.  Using a blend of Dekàlan and pagan lessons and claiming to be infused with the spirit of Orander, Seryl performed works of magics throughout Saranth.  Her teachings attracted a vast following by 83 DR when she spoke before thousands in the City of Durul.  When Seryl died in 97 DR, her bones were carried to Koróndon and buried in the place that would become the Temple of Orander.  Statues to the "Teacher" abound in Saranth where to this day she is considered a prophet.  Over the centuries, the skepticism and manipulations of the priests of Orander have been replaced with the belief that a decumvirate of old gods led the Dekàlan armies to this place to give the faithful of the Old Empire a second chance.  It is believed that through their messenger Seryl they have been given great insight.  Armed with this knowledge. they may now cast aside the pantheistic deceptions that held the Old Empire together.  It follows that the destiny of the followers of Orander is to rebuild a new and enlightened empire that does not rely upon the old pretexts, but does great honor to their ancestors and traditions.

History (Saránthi)

By 352 DR, the harbor town of Durul had grown into a small city, attracting trade from hundreds of miles up and down the coast.  In that year a galley arrived at the fortified harbor, from the South.  The galley's captain explained that a blight was destroying the crops of the Southern kingdoms, and that his ships had been sent to establish trade routes.  King Eremor, well versed in the history of Saranth and understanding the implications should his kingdom involve itself with Dekàlan affairs refused aid.  It is not clear what made the king's decision, but many have guessed that he did not want to sacrfice the fledgling kingdom's independence.  Others believe that the difference in language between the ship's captain and the king, led King Eremor to believe that Candal had been conquered by the enemy, and did not remain a Dekàlan state.  It is recorded that the captain was infuriated with this insult, and threatened possible military action against Saranth.  Eremor is said to have taken the captain for a walk at that time, along the city battlements and to look out over the harbor from the fortress parapets.  Durul was not a war-ravaged city, but it was more than prepared for any army of the coast.  The king is quoted as telling the captain that "hungry soldiers make poor armies."  The Candàlan captain did not return.

This exchange precipitated a new view among the Saránthi.  From that time forward, it was believed that Saranth was the only true remainder of the Empire, and that all others were conquered states.  The Saránthi tongue, a derivative of Dekàlan, was accepted by scholars in Koróndon, Durul and Nathsar as the tongue of the Empire.  All encountered who did not speak Saránthi, were surely of conquered regions.  The Saránthi were unaware that their language had changed over the centuries.  It is possible that the Kaval (Kavàl'un) of Nathsar realized the folly of this rationale, but if they did, they made no motions to discredit it.

In the centuries to follow, Saranth became a bustling kingdom.  The people remained true to their military and agricultural heritage, and were devout followers of the teachings of Seryl, in their worship of Orander.  The kingdom consisted of three main cities: the harbor fortress city of Durul, the temple city of Koróndon and the tower city of Nathsar.  The kingdom has grown over the years and is bordered to the North and West by bandit lands, who prey on the rich fields and towns of the kingdom.  Military campaigns into these areas are common to clear the rabble, but the neighboring poor filter back and begin trouble anew.

In more recent years, Queen Idanna II, has begun sending agents to friendly ports to report back on world affairs.  The hope is to map the region and detail a careful campaign to reclaim Dekàlas.  Travelers returning from Taldàna and Candal have reported ruling lineages that trace their lines back to the time of the Last War, but neither reach beyond.  This has lent support to the Saránthi belief that the existing city-states were conquered.  The Queen's current plans involve a march on Candal, which from reports is surronded by the most rich farmlands.  With Candal as a base, she believes her army could reach across the world.  These plans are still very much in their infant stages, though many neighboring peoples have been pressed into service and sent out from Saranth to extend the reaches of the crown.  The nearest city, Merden, is believed to be the first of many to fall.

Most Saránthi do not know the true history of their people, but are aware they are descended from the soldiers of a failed Dekàlan army.  There is a deep sense of pride and purpose within the society and a belief that the Saránthi are destined for the same greatness their ancestors were due, before it was stolen from them.  This sense of destiny is a driving force that may one day propel them to great victory.

Durul, City of

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Koróndon, City of

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Nathsar, City of

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Artàgun, Region of

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Galthor, Region of

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Kadèlus, Region of

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Saranth

Geography

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