God Learners fund periodic expeditions to these frigid peaks, to confi rm or deny legends of the Grotarons. These bizarre titans have three arms, the third of which replaces their head; and an eye on the back of each hand. One large yellow eye sits atop a gasping, snaggletoothed mouth, both planted in the middle of the creature’s torso. Armed with gigantic composite bows, they hunt the spirit creature known as the mountain mammoth.
Rathorela
The Rathori Bear People, a nomadic hsunchen tribe, prowl this coniferous forest under the protection of their Great Spirit, the White Bear. It allows them to remain active even when the winter sends other animals to slumber underground. Their other gift, a longbow that can shoot an arrow through the trunk of a thick tree, comes from their aldryami allies from the land of Erigia. The elfs climb under the earth into protective seed pods when winter envelops the land.
Reasons to come here: When the snow hides their food supply, the Rathori take prisoners from Charg and the Janube to exchange for cows and pigs. The locals hire adventurers to drive them off.
Tastalor
This tundra zone is sparsely inhabited and then only by hsunchen. The Uncoling reindeer people drive their reindeer in a vast annual migration. In Sea and Earth seasons they congregate in massive tent settlements. Other animal people prey on them, including Telmori and the Sabadari wolverine folk.
Reasons to come here: God Learner scholars interested in hsunchen myths and magic hire adventurers to do the dangerous research. They are also interested in rumours of an aldryami lichen people.
Slontos
The large and heavily populated region of Slontos wields undoubted economic infl uence within the God Learner Empire. An arch-dukedom ruled by inherited nobles, Slontos presently labours under a cloud of anxiety. The Emperor’s wars against the dukes of Arolanit and Ralios have left its proud ruling class carefully tempering its usual belligerent streak.
X Thanor, the provincial capital. Hilly but fertile land surrounds it. Known as the City of Tricksters, it houses Vilblane College, a God Learner-affi liated school specialising in the study of the various pagan fool and troublemaker deities. As its founders should perhaps have anticipated, it has become a magnet for events both surreal and inexplicable. Thanor is a prime spot to capture madness spirits, especially during one of the city’s sudden Food Rains.
Ramalia
The fertile western plains of Ramalia feed its peasants and enrich its noble landowners.
Its important settlements are:
X Annor, the only good deepwater port along hundreds of miles of coastland. Its underground Ashen Cathedral houses the relics of St. Domb, who allowed all of his bones to be broken, rather than denounce a wretched heathen tribe he sought to convert. Unrest swirls around their disposition: the new baron, Vorell, has ordered them moved to his private chapel in the surrounding countryside. Though of a local lineage, Vorell spent most of his life in the Seshnegi capital and is unpopular here.
He blames his younger brother, Sogcros, for whipping up discontent against him.
X Veakmal, an island base of the imperial navy. Independent until the God Learner invasion, its headstrong natives are now outnumbered by foreign sailors. Brawls between locals and seamen comprise the island’s most popular off-duty pastime. Mostali fund raids against its drydocks, on the grounds that Jrusteli magical ships use secrets stolen from them.
X Soster, a thriving city amid a fertile belt of farmland.
Known as the Sleeping City, its pleasant meadow scent and lackadaisical household spirits sap the ambition and martial fervour of all who tarry here. High offi cials exile potential rivals to administrative posts here, blunting their sharp edges.
X Wesluk, an unloading point for river trade. Its spectacularly palatial villas have tempted thieves throughout the generations, prompting the foundation of the Trap Maker’s Guild, a confederation of artisans guided by a fugitive Openhandist dwarf named Duenge Erro.
X Ravin, a shabby port bordering on the Tarinwood, which trades chiefl y with the aldryami. The elfs of Tarinwood show an unusual appetite for human trade goods, including fripperies and luxury items. God Learner specialists in aldryami culture want to know why; the Ravin Merchant’s Association is anxious to divert any troublesome inquiries that might upset their profi table applecart.
If this text were a proper geography, as opposed to a travelogue for ragged freebooters, it would devote a chapter to the pivotal region of Slontos and naught but a footnote to Kethaela.
— Brother Aran, Monk of Pombric
Slontos consists of three main regions, Wenela, Ramalia and Maniria, and is adjoined by the ungovernable border territory of Kotorsland.
Wenela
Independent-minded barons who yearn for a return to their former autonomy oversee this large eastern peninsula of rugged hills. They encourage eccentricity and experimentation, offering havens to unorthodox God Learner schools. Its few deep and sheltered harbours support a robust shipping industry. Its notable cities are:
X Rothor, a trade and fi shing port. Lately its fi shing vessels have been beset by a long-necked, devouring sea-beast.
Allegedly the screams of its past victims can still be heard echoing in its gullet. Authorities blame its appearance here on the Empire of Wyrm’s Friends. The Fisherman’s Guild has posted a reward for its killing or capture, with a bonus if any of their eaten members are recovered alive.
X Eenlor serves as a base of the imperial navy. Its fl eets guard the coastal waters of Caladraland and the Rightarm Isles and launch raids against EWF outposts accessible from the sea. Herable, the base’s gluttonous, greasy-faced admiral, has thoroughly intimidated the local duke and rules Eenlor as his personal fi efdom. Many of his own men, as well as his wyrmfriend adversaries, would pay to see him dead.
X Narilor, once a busy port frequented by the Waertagi, is now a largely deserted ghost town, where only pirates, smugglers and hardscrabble fi shermen dare to launch their boats. When the Waertagi fl eets were shattered, the ghosts of their dead washed up here and have haunted the place ever since. Waertagi survivors sometimes pull up here, perhaps to commune with the spirits of their slain ancestors.
Maniria
The wild northern reaches of Maniria challenge the dominance of its fi gurehead barons. Orlanth-worshipping former hsunchen battle outsiders and each other, fi ercely resisting tribes and rebuffi ng EWF missionary incursions. God Learner sorcerers are despised here, due to their catastrophic meddling in women’s’ magic. The region’s grain goddess was one of the objects of the notorious Goddess Switch. Despite barbarian hostility to both Empires, their thanes sometimes assemble mercenary bands to fi ght for the Arch-Duke.
These melt back into the hills at the fi rst whiff of non-payment.
Three largish cities were once states unto themselves:
X Guglar, the westernmost Manirian city, sits on the banks of the upper Noshain River, where it serves as break of bulk point for caravans headed overland through the nearby wilds. Nomadic deer people wander its surrounding territories. An otherwise nameless mystic called the Denier prowls both woods and city, robbing imperial offi cials of their greatest skills. Several adventuring parties have tried and failed to claim the bounty for his (or her) head.
X Bemelor, a seaport and centre of shipbuilding. Its Shipwright’s Guild have announced a new marine propulsion system even better than the captive sylphs used in the imperial navy. Spies have fi lled the city hoping to steal the plans for this new engine, whatever it is.
X Herolal, a competing centre of shipbuilding. High walls attest to a history of invasion from Esrolia. Because it has so long been attacked by that nation of women, the men of Herolal fi ercely uphold Malkion’s proclamations of male superiority. Women may not adorn themselves with jewels or bright colours. Nor may they hide their identities with veils. During each summer’s Herolali Festival, female priestesses risk being hunted down and burned at the stake as witches.
X The smaller centre of Kaxtorplose earned fame for holding out against the Gbaji invaders until Arkat came to rescue them. Its weird hexagonal shrines, attributed to Arkat, reinforce the magic of any worshipper, no matter what his faith or style of magic. God Learner attempts to dismantle them for study have been fi ercely resisted by proud descendants of Kaxtorplose’s historic warriors.
Kotorsland
This fallow abandoned region between Maniria and the Kethaealan land of Esrolia, provides a proving ground for the opposing forces of the God Learner and EWF Empires.
Carmania
Extremes of temperature buffet the hills and plains of Carmania, a nation in north-western Peloria which is fast becoming an Empire to rival the EWF. Its people combine
the pride of Dara Happans with the theological certitude of westerners. Landed men of infl uence are either knights or wizards. Lesser nobles bind themselves to superiors through vows of vassalage. Hardcore adherents of the dualistic Carmanian faith have set aside a long-running internal feud to focus their hatred on the wyrmfriends, who once aided them against the region’s previous overlords.
Carmanian lords rule over the Pelandan peasants of the Orinin Valley. These artisans, craftsmen and farmers worship Jernotius, who oversees a cosmic balance of forces. The gods of his pantheon correspond to common occupations and their positions in the six-tier Pelandan class structure. The Carmanians approve these deities as acceptable for worship, though of course not for themselves.
The Carmanians heavily fortify their capital, Kitor, a forbidding city of walls and towers. The region of Spol, home of the darkness witches, sits north of Carmania like a choking cloud.