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The World of Teréth End - Gazetteer - Terèthor - Dekàlas |
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Links Home "...I stood beneath the dried carcasses peering into the dark tent. The sun beat heavily upon my back, sapping all strength and will to bargain. The fine dust of the Ooldyuh marketplace filled my mouth and nostrils. The merchant spoke quickly, a blend of the Old tongue and some caravan lowspeak. I placed my hand on the book's cover replying '500, no more.' The man scowled and muttered some more profanities. I withdrew my hand and stepped backward into the plaza, suddenly aware of the three closing behind me." - recollections of Idus
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Taldàna Capital: City of Taldàna Nor Calas Taldàna is a city-state of the ancient Dekàlan Empire. Resting along the ivory shores of Nyr Alurin and the feet of Tor'n Gorgyn, Taldàna is a ghost of her former splendor. The columned Kyrm Or'Amra still stands upon Albumor, looking down upon the blue-slate rooftops and white-brick windowed-chimneys. Across the bay stands the bronze feet of a colossus of Amra, patron god of this region. During the spring festivals her toes and ankles are still buried in wildflowers, but her body is long gone.
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). Ezmir (The Warring Coast): The northeastern coastline of Nyr Alurin is a disputed region called Ezmir. In the earliest Uren histories, much of the area was the Dwürden kingdom of Nurumwar Gurm. The same area was later conquered and briefly controlled by the Tarmar Ort circa 964 HK, but the Ortor were pushed back into the Tor'n Evalshat by the Ezmirans seeking to fill the vacuum left by the Dwürden. The region has supported Uren settlers since the 3rd century HK, a people who have developed a self-identity and self-reliance over the centuries, living in a volatile region without regular support from the city-state. Ezmir exists in many ways as a kingdom separate from Taldàna, with its own customs, culture, and religions. A long history of warfare exists between the region and the city-state, but the Ezmirans have never been able to hold onto their lands for very long. The regional capital of Ezmir is the City of Boronon (formerly Borr). Boronon is a port city along the Nyr Alurin known for its many elaborate stone bridges, and the Dwürden keep Kryborr that rises from its heart. This is one of the few remaining Dwürden castles of Terèthor standing in a lowland area. Borr was an important port for the Dwürden. Kryborr fell under Dekàlan expansion in 412 HK, but was left mostly intact. It is now one of the most enduring examples of high Dwürden architecture in Uren lands today. In Post-Dekàlan times, an Ezmiran demagogue named Tamran Ottar (104-160 DR) founded a conservative religious-philosophical movement (Ottarism) in Boronon which required strict abeyance to the Eshatan (see Iràen). Blaming the excesses of the Amran faith for the terrible poverty and blights following the Last War, Ottar and his followers defiled temples and shrines throughout Ezmir. Ottar preached that the ways of the Old Gods were outdated, and that their temples stood as anchors to the past, anchors that must be destroyed to escape the evils of that time, and sever the reach of the old Temples. The Eshatan however was held as a set of great and ancient Truths that had transcended a dark time in Uren history. Priests of Amra accepted the conversion or were killed. Executions took place throughout Ezmir, most notably in Boronon, Comlan, Pidiros, and Valan. In 218 DR, the High Priests of Taldàna gathered an army to reclaim Ezmir, hiring mercenaries to fill her legions' ranks. The Taldàna-Ezmir War lasted for 2 years (218-219 DR) and left many dead throughout Ezmir. One of the more memorable aspects of the war, were tales that priests of Amra moved through the Ezmirans lands employing a terrble enchantment dubbed, "The Black and Withered Vine". As a result of the war, the rgeion of Ezmir was brought back into Taládan control and established as an outpost against Ortori invasion from the north. Dissatisfaction with Taládan control continues to this day, for the city-state forces are slow to respond to calls for assistance. Landmarks Krysurgörnn remains one of the oldest structures standing in greater Taldàna. Once the hold of Nurumwar Gorm, it was invaded in the Spring of 964 HK by the Tarmar Ort who took the keep by a frontal assault. The Ortori chieftain Varak requird the keep to protect his retreatign armies from Yzelesk of Borr, who having raised a great Ezmiran army was persuing the Ortori raiders across the rolling lowlands. Details of the event are not clear, for the followers of Guum, Lord of Krysurgörnn, were never seen again. It is imagined that Yzelesk wished to trap the fleeing Ortor between his own forces and those of Krysurgörnn, but when they reached the Dwürden keep the Ortor were waiting, and in full control of its walls. If Guum did survive the attack of the Tarmar Ort he did so miserably, knowing his father's shield (Shield of Argum the White), which he coveted, was forever out of his grasp. Yzelesk's army tried but could not take the keep and so to the dismay of the Ezmirans, returned to Boronon. Varak's armies looted all they could from the keep and retreated to the mountains. In Borr, Yzelesk was welcomed as a hero, but in many places of Ezmir he was seen as allowing the Ortori menace to live, so that they might raid the lands again next year. For this reason he was seen in subsequent years as a pawn of Taldàna, and less and less an Ezmiran hero. An equestrian statue of Yzelesk stood at the left side of the Gate of Boronon until 219 DR when it was pulled down during the Battle of Boronon. Kyrm Or'Amra. At the crown of Albumor, stands the ruins of a white marble temple built from the first millennium of the Empire to its fall, seven centuries past. The central temple was once a grand dome rising from a ring of columns and delicate arches. The interior dome was covered with beautiful mosaics depicting the Nine Seductions. At one time the dome was entered only by priests for the resemblance to the goddess was so true that the un-initiated would lose all reason in the presence of her gaze. In time, the mosaics have fallen into a pile of tesserae, which are now sold as artifacts to those who visit the temple. Over time, more domes and towers were added to the temple, and Albumor was honeycombed with chambers, and corridors which opened into sculpted porticos overlooking the Nyr Alurin. The High Priestess Elesea (the eleventh to bear that name) has reigned within the crumbled walls of Kyrm Or'Amra since her twentieth birthday in 643 DR, when the former High Priestess Meol (the third) named a successor from her death's bed. The Elesea was no surprise within the temple, as the two had grown inseperable since Elesea's arrival from Evermith in 640. The succession of High Priests and Priestesses of the temple is traditionally a chain of lovers, handed from one to the next. The faithful of the Amran faith revere this as the "Original Love", passed down from the first High Priestess Teada (the first) and Thiel (her consort, and later first High Priest). 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. References
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Places Evermith Dekàlan Lands Azàlari
(of Zalan) Terèthori Lands Arduwu Geography Teréth End is a Dekàlan name meaning "Whole of the Land". This terrestrial world consists of five continents, Emer (The
Lost Isle) nine seas, Acentran
(Inner Sea) and three moons. Mamra (Green Lady) |
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Ref. PHB (Player's Handbook), © Wizards of the Coast  |
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