ATLAS OF SKOTHAR
Introduction to Skothar
Dear readers of the Mystaran Almanac, it is a great pleasure for me, Erakliton, philosopher, politician and scholar, to write these few lines to present this new atlas section.
My humble self shall first excuse himself for the errors I surely will make writing in Thyatian, hopefully for your pleasure, in order to correct some information that has been written on the past issues of your wondrous almanac, and to provide Western lands with an insight from our distant shores.
The region you call the Minaean Coast should more properly be called Tarystian Coast, from the name of a population who once dwelled in this region, and from which we are descended. There is one major nation, here, and it is, obviously, the Confederated Kingdom of Minaea. To the immediate east of Minaea, there is the free city of Akuba. Then the Kingdom of Tangor, one of many black-skinned nations that extend eastward in Skothar. Immediately at the north of Minaea are the barbarous Jennite lands, which I will not cover.
Besides the Tarystian Coast, Thyatian correspondents give us reports about two northwestern nations of Skothar: the Alphatian Republic of Esterhold, and the not-too-distant Kingdom of Thonia.
Correspondents for Skothar
Erakliton of Traun
Erakliton is a Minaean philosopher from the city of Traun. He has long been a member of the ruling body of that city, but now he has left all his occupations behind to dedicate himself to scholarship. He has decided to join the almanac after having read the past issues and their imprecise description of the Minaean region.
Vivianna Romanones
An adviser and supporter of Eusebius, Lady Romanones is one of the empire's special envoys. Her duties demand a considerable amount of travel throughout the region under Thyatian influence, and she has been kind enough to provide us with some unclassified reports of these areas, including an extensive description of the heartland of the empire this year. A strikingly beautiful but headstrong woman, Lady Romanones is a skilled negotiator known for her dedication to Thyatis and its interests. She is a strong proponent of reform in Thyatis, and of doing the right thing. Some of her detractors claim she is willing to use any means to achieve what she believes is right, but we can only say she deserves praise for the insightful reports she has graciously sent us. We know our readers will find her unique insight into the Thyatian mindset interesting. Though her writing is very pronouncedly favourable to the Thyatians, everything we have been able to check seems factually accurate.
Yin Tang of Beitung
Yin Tang is a priest of Noumena, explorer and soldier. He spent many years prior to the Great War delving into the mysteries of the Dawnsea region and beyond. When it became apparent to him that Alphatia and Thyatis were bound to clash, he enlisted in the Thyatian military, remaining in service even after Ochalea seceded, out of a sense of duty and an unwillingness to betray his oath to the empire, and also because he believed that Alphatia must be stopped. Because of his unique pre-war experiences, he was sent on far-flung missions, including an effort to foster dissent against the Alphatians in Esterhold, a mission that first brought him to the shores of Skothar. After the Great War he was among those that explored the sunken Alphatian continent and he has worked for the reintegration of Ochalea into the Thyatian Empire, and he recently returned to imperial service as an explorer.
Atlas
AKUBA (City-State of)
ESTERHOLD (Republic of)
MINAEA (Confederated Kingdom of)
SWANAMUTU (Tangor and the Black Human Kingdoms)
THONIA (Kingdom of, a.k.a. Empire of)