Bettellyn Gazetteer
by Jeff Daly Please read, reply, tear apart. It
is placed circa AY2000. If you come across any blanks (?) please
suggest some names...
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Kingdom of Bettellyn
Philosophy
The people of Bettellyn have faith. Those of like faith gather
together around great Cathedrals at the centre of particular
cities. They are not a violent people and will try to convert
through thoughts and ideas, rather than through conquest. They will
not hesitate to fight though, when their values are challenged.
There is a fierce competition between Randel and Bettellyn. Each
side believes itself to be right and superior. Bettellyn tends to
see Randel as a violent, oppressive kingdom, which if Bettellyn and
the Imperial crown did not hold them in check, would enslave every
other land in the world. But at the same time, there is an unspoken
love/respect between the two kingdoms. If one were invaded, no
doubt the other would rise quickly to the call.
Bettellyns don't believe in slavery. While they do practice it, they
believe the future of Alphatia lies in working gradually out of it.
They recognise the reality of slavery in the empire and that
violent opposition will only make the situation worse. Instead,
they treat their slaves with dignity and respect, often teaching
them and paying them a modest salary, and eventually releasing them
well-educated and ready for freedom.
Other Towns
Isoin (pop. 35,000) and Lonval (pop. 30,000) produce grains and
crops. The Grey Mages of Sabetta often are hired on a contractual
basis to help in the digging of irrigation trenches. This is where
all soldiers begin whether they wish to be archers or pikemen or
cavalry. They train here until they reach lvl 5 at which point they
may progress to Dheys to continue in the typical landbound military
or Lewec if they wish to sail in the Bettellyn Navy. Part of the
military service here entails a "community service" in which the
young soldier helps the farmers working the fields or helps to
bring the crops into market. No money is gained from this aside
from regular military pay. It is considered part of the soldier's
duty to help the common man. There are 3 Councillors living between
Isoin and Lonval. Jarastar, Nemwat, and Hulion form the "Triad of
Pleth". Pleth is a barely remembered name from the Alphatian's
homeworld. These three took the name more for its arcane sound than
any real knowledge of what it means.
Lewec: This large town of 20,000 is one of many fishing towns in
Bettellyn. It is the smaller, though more fortified, of the two
Bettellyn Naval bases. Here would-be sailors learn to fight on the
water, under the water, and with their triton allies. An
interesting fact about Lewec is that it is often referred to as
"Leweo" in older manuscripts. Some of the more conservative
residents still prefer the latter pronunciation. There is one Grand
Council member living here. He would rather be a big fish in a
small pond rather than an average fish among many. And in fact
spends much of his time in the form of a huge fish swimming around
in the pond located on his estate.
Weltara: With 30,000 inhabitants, is the other naval base and is
the ship-producing centre for Bettellyn. The shipyards are actually
rather small and the base relies more on equipment gained through
trade rather than building. Two Grand Council members make their
home here.
Vonboby: This town of 10,000 houses the famous UniCorps. This is a
group of 100 women warriors who ride unicorns and owe allegiance
only to Alphatia herself. However, if the King of Bettellyn is a
respectful yet strong leader he can garner the aid of this force.
It is said that any woman wishing to be one of this group must
enter the Purewood and gain the respect of the unicorns. It is
unknown how this is accomplished. Some suggest that the unicorns
look into the very soul of the petitioner and judge her worthiness.
What is known for sure is that the petitioners who are found
wanting are sent back to Vonboby, their legs and arms horribly
maimed. The unicorns are less merciful to any man who enters,
though - they are summarily killed. The Purewood lies to the west
of Vonboby. The only sentient creature that lives in the wood is
the unicorn. This unicorn is more warlike than his shy Known World
counterpart. The Maidens of Dawn tell a story of an ancient heroine
in a time of war between the unicorns and men of Bettellyn. This
heroine entered the ever-shrinking forest and somehow tamed or
gained the respect of the unicorns. Ever since this time the
unicorns of the Purewood have agreed to serve 100 women whom they
find worthy but no more than 100. When one of the UniCorps dies or
retires many petitioners come to Vonboby. Only one emerges intact
with a unicorn mount. Recently the Grand Council member of Vonboby
has been making calls on the current leader of the UniCorps. Some
speculate that Dergath and Volustren have a romantic fling going,
others suggest there is a political tie there.
Dheys: This large town of 25,000 produces many of the weapons that
are found in the kingdom, and in fact the rest of the empire.
Smiths specialising in different armaments may be found here.
Soldiers who have reached the 5th level may come here to choose any
of 3 divisions: Missile, Foot, and Mounted. The missile division is
trained in the heavy crossbow, the longbow and in working with the
shielding priests. The foot division is trained in polearms and all
manner of hand to hand weapons. They are trained to avoid the
blinding flashes of the priests' light spells. The mounted division
is trained in riding warhorses and using the lance. They are also
trained in utilising chevron shields and in accepting the boosts
that the priestly regiments give. Missile and foot divisions go on
to Masala once they reach 9th level. Mounted goes to either Rimpos
or Quanfax. The Alphatian Transportation system has a station here.
From it, a traveller can reach Sundsvall and lands beyond, or
Rimpos. There are three Grand Council members residing here.
Masala: Masala is located in a light forest along a river. This
town of 15,000 produces textiles and much of the paper materials
found throughout the kingdom. Archers and foot soldiers receive
high level instruction here. There are no less than 10 Grand
Council members living in or around the city.
Rimpos: (pop. 30k) and Quanfax (pop. 50k) have vast grazing areas
for cattle, sheep, and horses. A few exotic herds are to be found
here as well. One can find catobolepas, rhinoceri, llamas, various
dinosaurs, stirges, and dragons all being tended by the Mageherds
("Majerd"). Water is brought in through permanent one-way gates and
magical compulsions keep the beasts from straying too far or
fighting with each other. Their meat, leather, furs, and other
products are used all over the empire. Both cities breed the
strongest warhorses to be found in the empire. Rimpos breeds for
speed and endurance while Quanfax steeds are bred for muscle and
power. The Quanfax steeds are huge and bulky and many are bred for
the cold. Magic is often used in the breeding process to develop
steeds that are unnaturally suited for inclement weather. A mounted
soldier of 9th level may choose several paths at these town. Those
of a lawful persuasion may pledge to the church of (?) to become
paladins. A more chaotically aligned mounted soldier may become an
avenger by pledging to (?). Finally there is Castle Arkensheld
which lies to the east of Rimpos. Here are several high level
knights that a young soldier who does not wish to ally with a
church may go to find a sponsor for knighthood. At this point the
young soldier becomes a squire and when the knight sponsor deems
him worthy the young squire is sent on to Citadel there to pledge
himself to the King and be knighted in a grand ceremony. Located in
and around these cities are 20 Councillors. They become more and
more numerous as one moves toward the capital.
Ufacos: Sometimes written "Uffacos", (pop. 30k) is for low-level
clerical and mage instruction. There are more clerics than mages in
Bettellyn yet the mage tower in this city is as large and elaborate
as the central temple. The temple is a huge building housing all
major Alphatian faiths. At a high level some priests are sent on to
Rimpos or Quanfax to help in the instruction there and others are
sent to Brocto to become battle priests. To the northwest there are
ancient ruins. These were left behind by the indigenous people of
Bettellyn. The 5 Councillors consider the ruins sacred and
untouchable.
Brocto: (pop. 30k) is really the central military headquarters for
Bettellyn. Here the battle priests are trained and the various
Bettellyn troops are taught coordination and tactics. This city is a
consumer of products rather than a producer. Its harbour is for
warships only, all "commercial" ships are turned away. Adventurers
hired by the state must produce some kind of proof (usually a
letter of some kind) to dock their ship. 10 Councillors live here,
but only 8 of them are active in military affairs.
Sareba: (pop. 10k) protects the approach to Citadel. Traditionally
the people are all responsible for defence in case of an attacking
army. Realistically, they know attack is highly unlikely. There are
no known Councillors residing here.
The city of Citadel (pop. 40k) is the capital of Bettellyn. This is
a city comprising exactly one building and as large as a mountain.
It was raised, straight up from the earth, by powerful magics. The
topmost suite of the building is built upon the ruins of an ancient
people. Paladins, priests, and knights all come here at least once
in their lifetime. It is a place of pilgrimage as well as an
incredible city. There are 30 Councillors living in or nearby
Citadel.
Sabetta: (pop. 10k) is a mining town that does not see much action,
though it is on the border of Randel, for two reasons. The first is
its fairly snug out of the way position in the Grey Mountains. The
second is the presence of the "Grey Mages". These mages are what
may be termed "geomancers". They comprise a lost school of magic
which fled with the air mages at the end of the other-world empire.
There are very few left and they like to be left alone. In return
for aiding the miners of Sabetta the town provides for their needs
and gives them the privacy they desire. There are 2 Councillors
here who are rumoured to be among the
Grey Mages, but they are not telling.
HISTORY
Upon the Alphatians' arrival in this strange new world known as
Mystara, several mages and generals of the Alphatian army were
given the task of exploring the landfall continent. The great
general Zarthurastram is given the task of exploring the eastern
half of the continent. To do so, he called upon the men and women
that served under him during the war. It just so happens that this
was the corp-sized unit, which was the one that laid siege to the
Flaemish capital. This veritable horde of powerful men and women of
former Alphatia believed in Zarthurastram's leadership ability and
remembered his promises in pre-destruction times
of "lands to rule as their own" and were fully expecting to be
compensated now that a beautiful new land has been discovered. They
thoroughly and methodically explored the eastern portion of the
continent. The great general found things moving rather fast even
for his quick mind and allowed them to lay claim to present day
Eadrin, Randel, Bettellyn, and part of Foresthome before consulting
the Emperor and the Grand Council.
The Council and Emperor apocryphally "grant the General a kingdom
for his services" so as not to lose face and to avoid any
unpleasantness. The mage wanted and expected all that he claimed.
However, the kingdom proposed by the Emperor and council was only
the combined area of Randel and Bettellyn.
The mage used his power to gain concessions. After all, he occupied
a large chunk of Alphatia, and he had a large following, which was
composed of many of the elite, deadly soldiers who had followed him
in the old world.
Using his power base as a major negotiating tool he received:
1.Autonomy in rule.
2.The ability to appoint the ruler of Eadrin.
3.Retention of command in his armies.
The Emperor agreed but added these provisions:
1. Swear the allegiance of not only himself but also his Armies to
the Emperor (Note this was a clause placed by the Emperor. The
Grand Council did not notice the reference to "Emperor" and not
"Emperor and Grand Council" or "government" until it was too
late.
2. Erect a system of schools to train other kingdoms' troops, for
which Imperial funding would be given.
3. Neither the mage's family nor his descendants could lay claim
to the Imperial Throne.
The mage agreed to these, as they were basically what he wanted. He
set up his new kingdom, Zarthura, as detailed in the compact. Since
the lands to the north were of better soil they would be used as an
agricultural base. The southern lands with their rough soil would
be used for the military aspect. Quanfax was the site of the
capital of this magnificent kingdom. An order of knights, now
retired from military service, built Castle Arkensheld and used the
surrounding lands to breed horses. "Horse show" competitions began
in Rimpos and Quanfax. These shows were not the contests of skill
found in Thyatis, rather they were a chance for a breeder to show
off the magnificent creatures visually.
Over the next hundred years or so, the mageking Zarthurastram ruled
over a united country. But those who looked closely could already
see the makings of disaster. The agricultural north was settling
into a comfortable aristocracy - they had served their time in the
military and saw it as the job of the south to provide for the
common welfare. Instead, they spent their time clearing the land
and farming it. Religion was popular during this time and many high
nobles took it upon themselves to put up money for a series of
cathedral-like buildings across the kingdom. This too was a
competition of sorts, as each cathedral was intended to be bigger
and better than the last. Towns sprang up around the cathedrals,
immigrants having heard of the honour to their own particular
Immortal being given in the area.
After the Mageking died, his son carried on as usual. With the
figurehead gone, attempts were made by the Grand Council to bring
Randel/Bettellyn into a more conventional and subordinate role. The
successor proved as stubborn and wise as the founder. He used the
law and agreements to his advantage. The kingdom remained as it was
until the Zarthura War...
The split occurred during the Alphatian war against Thyatis
(AY808). As was customary, the king led his forces in the field.
Large portions of his armed forces were back in Randel/Bettellyn.
In typical Alphatian arrogance, the king of the time completely
underestimated the Thyatian forces. He and his minimal forces were
cut off and isolated.
During this time the forest cutting in the northern region had met
with some resistance. There was a wood in the western end in
particular that gave some trouble. A nearby logging town was
completely depopulated by some savage unicorns. It was debated and
decided that some evil mage must be controlling the unicorns, for
everyone considered the unicorns' actions to be very unusual. A
contingent of soldiers was sent in to investigate. They did not
return. Adventurers were sent. They did not return either.
Finally an all female adventuring group entered and of them, only
one returned. She left the woods riding a unicorn and informed the
people outside the forest that the wood was sacred and would not
suffer being touched by the hands of mortals. She went on to say
that 99 women warriors must enter the forest and join her in a
"semi-holy" cause of protecting the forest from intrusion. She
concluded by saying that if any man entered the forest, he would be
killed. If any woman entered the forest, beyond the 100 "special
women warriors" then she would be seriously maimed for her
insolence and sent on her way.
While all this is going on, the call to arms sounded for the entire
kingdom. Councillor Grakathan told the south to send aid to the
king. He declared the north to be in a state of emergency. The
southern portion was more readily able to mobilise and left shortly
after the call was issued. The northern portion was not as
prepared, and took more time.
The southern aspect landed on Brun and managed to break through to
the king's forces. Unfortunately, much of them were dead, including
the king. The reunited forces fought their way to the coast, and
withdrew to the Alphatian Mainland. There, the finger pointing
began, as blame was sought for the loss of not only the war, but
also the loss of the king. The matter worsened as one of the
northern nobles offered her claim to the throne.
Councillor Grakathan, a member of the Grand Council and an
aristocrat but not actually one of the kingdom's ruling nobility,
offered to take responsibility for his earlier decision and the
crown as well. Many southern citizens suspected the north was
intentionally slow in mobilising its forces to cause the death of
the king, to make a bid for the throne.
At this point Councillor Grakathan apologised for his hasty offer
of taking the crown and stepped out of the running. More insults
were exchanged between the north and the south. The south was
united behind one man but the north had yet to appoint a leader. A
civil war broke out. The larger forces of the south marched toward
the north under their appointed king Randel (cousin of the dead
king). The north finally named their own king, who happened to be a
paladin of Alphatia, named Karamor. He attempted to make some
overtures of peace, but hotheads on both sides continued fighting
and vandalising. He realised that peace was only possible if the
entire kingdom was united behind one man. He began the idea of
"Peace through
Military Strength" that is still prevalent among Alphatia's
followers in Bettellyn.
The North and the South met at a shallow winding valley of a dried
riverbed cut by glaciers when ice covered the continent. Seeing
that such a war could harm the Empire further, measures were
initiated to stop the war. Before the two could engage, the
Imperial Throne and the Grand Council intervened. Delegates
escorted by Imperial troops and skyships gave cause to stop the
war. Not that the force could do so, for it was small. The two
combatants were reminded of their oaths to the Throne, and
negotiations began.
Seeing that no side would give ground, the delegation decided to
split the kingdom. The border would be the lines of battle. That
way both sides could say that they lost nothing to the other,
giving a symbolic show of saving honour. Symbolism and honour were
then and still are very important in Bettellyn. Each town had its
own faith and its own symbol. Knowing that means had to be made to
ensure that neither invaded the other in the future, the delegation
wrote up a pact between the two kingdoms that would forever after
limit the number of troops either kingdom could put into an
invasionary force. Still, the two
governments placed their capitals as far from the border as
possible, Bettellyn building the capital of Citadel in the north,
and Randel choosing the city of Randel in the south.
Citadel, too, is a symbol. The wars that Bettellyn fought against
the unicorns and against their southern relatives were costly
things that took away from the previous cathedral building. So
Citadel is not only a mighty fortress, but also a great cathedral
with vaulted halls and beautiful windows and wall pictures.
Bettellyn was named after a martyr, from the war, named "Tellyn". A
literal translation of "Bettellyn" in the old tongue might be "Land
in honour of Tellyn" or "Kingdom consecrated to Tellyn".
Landmarks
1.The Citadel: It is a "don't miss" for any cleric or paladin.
Tapestries line its walls depicting the history of Bettellyn. It is
very much a living tableaux as the images continually shift and
change. One may watch the entire history unfold by walking its
length. So rapt do people become, the Bettellyns had to install
railings lest onlookers fall down the high stairs or from the
parapets.
2.The Aquarium at Citadel There are no less than 5 levels of
Citadel devoted to aquatic creatures. Many were either captured by
intrepid adventurer mages, or created by priests or mages.
Specially designed "force cages" were built to house these
creatures. A visitor can walk the glass-like halls all day and not
see all there is to see. Diffused continual light spells provide
illumination without disturbing the sea life.
3.Vonboby's Unicorps: Don't miss them, but don't bother them
either. These proud women are only active in times of need, but
they remain ever vigilant and are always extremely serious.
4.The Library at Marsala: Not the largest or the one with the most
writings, but it does have many copies of the more popular books
and tomes. There is a monastery in town, which provides the copying
while the paper mills provide the material. Anyone interested in
researching ancient history or religions of the world should pay
Marsala a visit. Chances are, a long lost manuscript, thought to be
destroyed centuries ago, will surface from time to time here.
5.The Grey Mages' Cabal: A stone tower, seemingly one with the
rest of the earth, rises from the Grey Mountains. It is a
mysterious place that is hard to reach by normal means. Visitors
are unwelcome.
6.The Horse shows of Quanfax: The best in horseflesh can be seen
in Quanfax. Competitions are held fairly regularly.
7.The Races of Rimpos: The people of Rimpos have gone beyond the
horse racing activities of their ancestors. While horse racing is
the most popular sport, just about anything that moves has its own
race now. It is considered fairly crude to participate in or enjoy
human foot races. But any animal that can be bred or magically
created is fair game.
8. The Wormhole Commuter stop in Sareba is the only stop in
Bettellyn. It is located underground and is bristling with defences,
as if the architects were certain attack would come from the
capital itself. The "worms" are creatures known as "Phase Worms" or
"Astral Worms". Although, it is only known by the mages who control
them whether these silver-grey beasts come from the Astral in
truth, or whether they are actually from the Dimension of
Nightmares. One can almost feel the intelligence bound within these
creatures, held tight by shackles of magic, and the hatred that
emanates from them is palpable. There are perhaps a thousand that
travel from city to city in their daily task of taking commuters to
and from the capital. At rest, in the Wormhole stops, they appear
as fat, fleshy creatures with holes that sphincter open to allow
travellers to enter. Once they start moving, the flesh hardens to a
steel-like substance. Suddenly the thing will move with lightning
speed as it enters a burst of light and is gone.
And finally, there are many cathedrals in the kingdom. There is
one cathedral built into the centre of every town.
CATHEDRALS
Isoin: Is one of two theories, or more correctly philosophies,
regarding war. Isoin is the "masculine face", the hard, the
aggressive, half of war.
Lonval: Lonval is the other half of war. It is the "feminine",
seemingly soft, defensive aspect. The complete meaning of the two
philosophies is very complex, but suffice to say that one cannot
win without the other, therefore they both contain aspects of each
other.
Lewec: Protius is honoured here with a small but well kept
Cathedral. As Lewec is one of the older cities, so too is this one
of the older Cathedrals.
Dheys: Eiryndul is honoured with an intricate Cathedral shaped
entirely by trees. The trees have been bent and twisted by magic to
create a huge, strong dwelling. Unbeknownst to Dheysans, Eiryndul
really does not appreciate how the trees were forced into these
shapes. Elves do not tend to travel to this town, and express their
disgust when they do.
Weltara: Vanya has found some following here in the guise of
Zhokastia. Her Cathedral consists of several manmade islands
connected by bridges.
Vonboby: The Cathedral here is to Terra. It is constructed out of
a depression in the earth with trees arranged around the outer rim
and centre.
Sareba: This place is considered a Cathedral in itself. It is a
fairly small city (only 10,000 people) and every building is
connected. The walls are sturdy and the roofs strong. Cathedral
Sareba is dedicated to the natural disorder of things (Chaos).
Citadel: An entire level of Citadel houses a the suite of chambers
and worship areas that comprise that city's Cathedral. When Citadel
was built, the worship of Alphatia was a strong flame sweeping the
empire. This Cathedral was designed to honour her. There is not a
door in the entire area, part of an idea that "no one needs to hide
when Alphatia is with us". The Alphatia-worshipping Alphatians in
Bettellyn believe in "peace through military strength" and support
the nation in its strong defensive military.
Sabetta: houses a Cathedral to Zyxl, Immortal Patron of Heroes
Down on Their Luck. He is "borrowed" culturally from the Thyatians.
But his followers in Thyatis are even less numerous than his
followers in Bettellyn. He often manifests in the form of a fat
"buddha-like" man with four almost elephantine legs.
Rimpos: Kagyar is favoured here with a simple Cathedral. It was
originally planned to be built for some forgotten Immortal, but
plans changed when the split happened. The Bettellyns built this
one as a gesture of hope for peace.
Quanfax: For reasons of its history of being a former capital,
Quanfax is the home of the Cathedral to Razud. Quanfax is the city
that was first colonised by Zarthurastram and it was the capital
during his and his son's reigns. The Cathedral was built both in
honour of Zarthurastram and Razud. The statue of Razud, in the
courtyard of the Cathedral, has facial similarities to both
Zarthurastram and Razud. On the outer walls one will find the busts
of many stout warhorses - but Razud doesn't mind.
Masala: Zirchev is honoured with a fairly straightforward Citadel.
Truth be told, he is somewhat embarrassed by it. Not even in his
native country of Karameikos is he so honoured. Many elves come to
this town just to see the huge Cathedral peeking over the tallest
trees.
Ufacos: A huge Cathedral representing all mainstream Alphatian
faiths is here. It is the largest Cathedral existing in
Alphatia.
Brocto: This is sometimes called the forgotten Cathedral. It is
said the Bettellyns built it with their backs turned. It is a
Cathedral to all those Immortals who generally wish humans or
Alphatians ill. The Bettellyns figured they should build the
Cathedral "just to be on the safe side".
What others say about the Kingdom of Bettellyn:
Pharimor, Lordpriest of Isoin: "Our people are founded on peace
and reverence. Our Cathedrals are magnificent testaments to the
might of the Immortals. The people of Bettellyn, as significant
from other kingdoms of Alphatia, believe!"
Laugwallis, a Draco Magelord: "No, no my lad. Here in Draco we
merely realise the proper use of fighters and we wish them to serve
the kingdom happily. If you believe in equality and are against
slavery then go to that silly kingdom on the eastern portion. They
would have all people be equal. Never mind that slavery is
practised in their realm, mark my words."
Dlocteriol, Grand Council Member living in Haven: "The people of
Bettellyn provide a special resource for the empire. They let us
know whenever we are doing something wrong but of course I say this
in jest. They are good, if somewhat over zealous, people."
Commander Broderick: "If ever a force penetrated far enough, they
would find a surprise in Bettellyn's army. Therein are many elite
units. They are not terribly reliable as an invasionary force
because of their tendency to be more chaotic in their makeup than
say, Randel. Also there is the unfortunate inclination of the
individual to "moralise". In any case some of the greatest warriors
come from this land with an incredible number of paladins and
warrior priests."