The Lands Beyond

Our focus is on Kaleth and the Ram's Head will most often appear there but not always and it may help some of you to have a better sense of the larger world. 

Cereborn

Kaleth has seen the rise and fall of several Kingdoms over the course of centuries. In the same time, twenty eight scions of House Rjaran have sat upon the Onyx Throne. The Rjaran Dynasty has persevered through many hardships including several wars, two attempted revolutions and a plague.  

Cereborn is larger and more populous than Kaleth. They are also more predominantly human. There are some Hearthlanders, Dwarves and Elves but all are uncommon. Fey, Hellspawn and Wyldlings are unheard of. 

The people of Cereborn serve their King and a god they call Dain, who they believe to be the "one true god" and "the god of men". Their culture doesn't accept Pantheism, is unfriendly to nonhuman cultures and is a patriarchy that doesn't respect or value women despite there having been six Rjaran Queens.

NOTE: Worship of Dain is practiced in Kaleth in the Freehold of Celedon alongside pantheism. This was the result of missionaries that brought the "good word" roughly 40 years ago. There is tension between the pantheists and the monotheists that seems likely to lead to armed conflict.

Cereborn trades with the dwarves of Kured but has a storied history with Kaleth. At one time, well before Maroth the two Kingdoms fought the "Blood Tide War" which decimated both peoples. Since then, the stance between the two has vacillated with changes in leadership. 

During the chaos of the Banner War, there were fears that Cereborn would see an opportunity and attempt an invasion but it never happened. Relations are still tense. There is a sense that the Cereborn King is waiting to see what happens as the Thanes maneuver for control of Kaleth.     

Ghurat

This large island chain is home to the Uruk. There are countless tribes here of all description, forever struggling with one another for dominance. War Chiefs called "Battle Bosses" rise and fall often in a matter of weeks. To the Uruk this isn't hardship - it is "the crucible of life" and provides endless opportunities for the strong to rise and the weak to become stronger. 

Ghurat is only a concern to other lands when a Boss becomes powerful enough to be able to assemble an army large enough to bother attacking someone other than local Uruks who are the more obvious and accessible target. 

In general, the other cultures have learned that if they leave the Uruk alone, they will return the favor. 

Kured

There are Dwarf Holds on several continents but the oldest and largest of these is the Grand Kured Mother Hold. There are nine Grand Gates and the hold is said to have been dug so deeply that it's lowest reaches aren't on the Mortal Plane - they are in a demiplane adjacent to the plane of elemental earth.  

The Kured Dwarves are even more reclusive than their Durgen cousins. They seldom bother themselves with the surface world. They maintain dominion over a cave dwelling albino subspecies of Uruk they call Thralls who see to anything they need from the lands above. The Dwarves portray their relationship with the Thralls as "benign supervision" but it amounts to slavery and is the root of the hatred most Uruk feel toward Dwarves (no matter where they come from). 

Kured is singularly disinterested in matters beyond their own borders but there is a concern that the Durgen Dwarves formally call upon Kured for aid that Kured will feel compelled to answer the call. Given the forces available to the Mother Hold their involvement would spell disaster for the Uruks of Gharash. There are rumors that the Battle Bosses of Ghurat have warned Kured that becoming involved in the struggle between Durgen and Gharash in Kaleth could lead to all out war between Dwarves and the Uruk. 

There is some trade between the Kured Dwarves and the Kingdom of Cereborn. When the Emrik Kings ruled Kaleth they objected to the practice because it involved the use of Thrall workers to load and unload the ships. Since the fall of Maroth the trade has begun again. 

Norvald 

The vast expanse of the frozen north is home to the Nord tribes. The Nords are nomads with few permanent settlements. Some of those who live along the coast are boatbuilders but there are a few shipyards and crews with the courage and expertise to make the voyage to Kaleth or Cereborn. These trips don't happen often enough to allow for regular trade agreements but from time to time there are those who travel to make a new life for themselves someplace less cold and unforgiving. 

Ohira 

A green and pleasant land that is almost entirely populated by Hearthlanders. Their leaders are tonsured monks who serve the Elder Gods. They report in turn to Prelates that coordinate the efforts of monks in a specific region. There is no one above the Prelates who convene councils to make decisions that affect large areas.

Hearthlanders practice a form of socialism in which everyone contributes the fruit of their labor to the community and the monks help ensure that everyone receives whatever they need to thrive. It is a system that has been attempted by other cultures with disastrous results but seems to work for them.  

Ohira is friendly to all but is not defenseless. There is an order of Cavaliers who ride large, unusually intelligent dogs (Thar Hounds) and fight with spears they can use like lances that are respected for their skill at arms. A Cavalier Fellowship of 12 protects most strategically important settlements and fortifications. 

Paralor 

The ancestral home of the elves. By all reports it is an island paradise, with the Ivory Towers of the Elders looking down from a flying city that floats directly above Highpeak, the tallest point in the Mortal Realm. It is said that the towers can only be reached by magic or by flying ship.

Paralor maintains a diplomatic relationship with as many cultures as they can. When a people demonstrates a willingness to work with them and follow their counsel they will assign a "Shepherd" to facilitate access to their leaders. It is assumed that the elves advise most of the peoples of the world to some extent. 

The elves can capably defend Paralor from threats of all kinds, including military. Their "Bladesingers" are legendary. Few would dare to attempt an attack on the Ivory Towers. The elders have had centuries to weave arcane defenses that would obliterate any aggressors. 

Scholars believe that the role the elves have chosen for themselves after their time as hand of the gods had passed is to guide but not to intercede directly. If they chose to, they could. If a need ever came it is clear they could assemble a flotilla of skyships crewed by some of the most experienced warriors in existence. 

Fortunately for those who fear elven interference they don't seem to consider themselves part of the struggles of the mortal world. They are "above"such considerations. Make of that what you will. 

Ysmar

The Savage Lands are wild and unexplored. They are home to all manner of vicious beasts and monsters. The only native people are hairless humans larger even than Nords and "cannibal halflings" who while much smaller are far more dangerous. The whole region is best avoided. It is incredibly dangerous.