Davania, The Izondian Deep

Foreword: This article is based on several ideas I wrote for the 1019 Almanac, so many years ago, and since then hosted on the Vaults here: http ://pandius .com /izonda .html

That’s not the Known World, traveller, that’s Terra Incognita. Here be dragons, and much, much more...

The Izondian Deep Coast, also known by the locals as the Silver Coast, is the northwestern area of the continent of Davania, just under the Arm of the Immortals. Inhabited since unmemorable times by ancient people that still call it their home, the Coast has been invaded countless times during the centuries, from Brun through the Arm of the Immortals, from eastern Davania and even from western Skothar. All of these invasions have shaped a unique world where humans and demihumans are just some of the many people that inhabit this wild and mysterious land. Explore the mysteries of the Silver Coast, from the peaceful crabmen and orc tribes of Jkl’ok to the civilized and noble troglodytes of Ka, but beware the cruel and powerful light elves of Kwythellar!

Legends say that in distant ages only elementals, ents and crabmen lived in this land. Then many others came, in times so ancient you could hardly imagine them. The wurmlings and the flying nations with their colorful wings. The early fairy folks, who once had a non humanoid form, the scorpionfolks and the araneas. Most of these people lived in peace and formed alliances with us, the dragons. Some tried to conquer us and lost.

So came our time, the Time of Dragons and, as happens to all times, it also came to an end. But it was still the time of the many people we created, the saurians, the tortles, the gatormen, the froglin, the serpentines, the wallara. Some of these people became powerful, so powerful they thought they could defy any other power in Mystara, like us, or the immortals. They were wrong, and so they were beaten, and became hateful, and they searched for more power in places beyond the stars and the planes where no sane creature should tread. There were terrible wars and there was the harvest of war, massacres and death, famine and pestilence, and pain. We disowned some of our children as they became cruel, and chose instead others as our friends.

The children of the air founded with us a great kingdom in the land that is now known as western Davania. The sphinxes, the faeries, the faenare, the hsiao, the pegataurs, the enduks. Other people who could not fly were accepted too: crabmen, tortles, wallara, lizardmen, troglodytes, zebrataurs, centaurs, fauns, rakasta, gyerians, all the new people of the Time of Birds and Mammals, the new age that had followed us and our children.

But some of our forsaken children did not want to go into the peaceful night where all suns must set, and they continued to fight. Against us, against the immortals, against everything.

From 8900 to 7020 BC (Pelatan Year 8300 to 6420 Before Iemara):

During this time the Carnifex of Y'hegg-T'uhath, the island off the northwestern tip of the continent, invaded and ruled this land, trying to enslave any other race that inhabited it. We, the dragons, and all the races allied to us fought them for almost two thousand years, eventually defeating and destroying them.

For 4 thousand years we, the gold dragons, ruled northwestern Davania bringing justice and peace to all the races that lived in our Golden Realm: enduks, pegataurs, centaurs, crabmen, tortles, faenare, gyerians, rakasta, Oltec humans from the north, lizardmen, troglodytes, halflings and elves, and many, many more. We had to fight many battles against the Empire of the Serpentines to the east, even if it was never as cruel and corrupt as the Carnifex were, and against the Dragon Empire to the north, and sometimes against the humans of the distant land of Blackmoor - but those we should have fought much more. We should have destroyed them to the last man indeed, because they brought the Great Rain of Fire upon us and destroyed the world.

We tried to save as many as we could, but we could not save all. In the earlier years after the Rain, often we could not even save ourselves. The world was fire and ice and its creatures, big and small, died by the thousands. In the latter years of this time we thought we were near to an end of our suffering, we thought we could bring at least peace and prosperity again to this land. But it was not so.

When the elves came from the south we rejoiced, because we believed them to be our friends. But an elf named Kwythellar swayed many into enslaving the other races, and war ensued. Some of the elves who allied with us stayed, but many others followed Ilsundal to the north. Kwythellar became an empire that we had to fight. That was not the end of our suffering, as Minoides killed Gildesh and the Enduks were defeated, and left us to search for a new home in Brun. Kwythellar elves, minotaurs, humans and lizardmen fought each others for centuries, and many suffered.

The peaceful tanagogres came from the north, and they became allies against more violent races, but the good times did not last because many other races, orcs and ogres and much more, came from the north with swords and wars. And the tanagogres became bitter and darkness entered their souls. They attacked us to steal our secret and our treasures, as many other have tried before. The people of Pelatan fought with us but Queen Eshala was killed in battle and it seemed for a time we were going to lose everything. But then Iemara came, a pale warrior girl with a retinue of warrior maidens, leader of a people without a home, and she killed the dictator of Izonda, saving the land of Pelatan and becoming its first Golden Matriarch.

From 600 BC to 1019 AC (Pelatan Year 1 to 1619 After Iemara)

The presence of Izonda and Pelatan defines the history of the Silver Coast. The powerful dictatorship has continued to expand, conquering nation after nation: gyerians, zebrataurs, minotaurs, orcs, sis’thik, lizardmen, troglodytes, sollux, humans, and scorpionfolks still live in the great desert, now under Izondian rule. Some, like the thri-kreen, still fight back. Others are now fully integrated in Izondian society. The Manticore knights and the Steam Airships of Izonda rule the skies and only Pelatan’s dragons have proven to be strong enough to contain them. But the Silver Coast? How long before it falls into Izondian hands? Now Izonda is at peace,¹ but how long it will last?

7020 BC: Y'hegg-T'uhath is partially submerged, Carnifex disappear, other races of northwestern Davania can breath easy and no single race can dominate over the others. The Serpentine Empire expands in the east, but doesn’t reach the Silver Coast.

5000 BC: The Golden Realm of Pelatan, created by dragons, enduks and other races, expands as far as the Silver Coast to help fairies, centaurs, tortles and crabmen against corrupted troglodytes kingdoms. The Oltec colony of Tikal is established in the eastern part of the coast (modern eastern Kwythellar and Eseri coast).
3200 BC: Northwestern Davania is now a peaceful area, a small Blackmoorian colony is founded between the Adakkian sound and the Silver Coast (modern Alol).

3000 BC: The Great Rain of Fire wreaks havoc on northwestern Davania and destroys whole cities and regions.
2920 BC: The goblin of Kresh crash into the mountains and begin to carve their nation.

2900 BC: The Virdin Alliance is formed in the northwest to resist Kresh goblins and troglodyte tribes expansion.
2700 BC: Duargor dwarves arrive, allying with Virdin against the goblin of Kresh and the troglodyte clans.

2500 BC: Ilsundal’s elves begin to arrive in Pelatan and Izonda, aiding enduks, humans and fairies against lizardmen, sis’thik, troglodytes and scorpionfolk.
2300 BC: Kwythellar’s rebellion forces Ilsundal to leave Davania, the Empire of Kwythellar is formed and begins to conquer the surrounding lands aggressively. A part of the former Oltec colony is conquered by the elves.
2050 BC: Minoides kills Gildesh, the enduk flee to Brun and minotaurs form an empire that soon clashes against Kwythellar.

2000 BC: Tanagoro humans arrive from the west and ally with fairies against the Minotaur Empire and the Kwythellars, and form the nations of Arica.

1800 BC: Kwythellars create the Markresh to fight the minotaurs, but the plan backfires when their creation rebels and attack them.

1750 BC: Aricans and Pelatians unite against the Minotaur Empire, which suffers a crushing defeat and is occupied by the lizardmen empire of Shir.

1300 BC: Minotaurs rebel and return to power, and commence new wars against the Kwythellar.

1250 BC: Peaceful tanagogres, followers of Sumag, arrive in Davania from the Arm of the Immortals, settling in Arica and Pelatan.

900 BC: Great Humanoid invasion from the Arm of the Immortals spreads all over Davania. Fall of the second Minotaur Empire in Izonda. Small groups of lupins arrive too.

870 BC: Tanagogres and ogres are chased away from Arica, Dictatorship of Izonda founded. Pure blood ogres chased away from Izonda too, begin a long migration to Green Bay. Izondians conquer the minotaurs of Tsin and Gord, begin to raid Pelatan.

807 BC: Some Varellyan refugees lead by Iemara arrive in Pelatan, and help to defeat Izondian aggression. Other Varellyan refugees travel to southern Pelatan and found the kingdom of Nivall.

700 BC: Izonda conquers the scorpionfolk of Bal and the lizardmen of Lis’da, raids gyerian territories and Nivall. Kwythellars create Kilmur to attack Izonda.

520 BC: Clans of Ocelasta refugees from the Arm of the Immortals arrive in Davania after a war with jakar rakasta followers of Atzanteotl.

500 BC: Izonda occupies the Kwythellar cities of Lasin and Selain but is eventually repelled.

400 BC: The Minotaur Empire of Ras is created and threatens Izonda, but Izonda resists, defeats the zebrataurs of Adan and expands toward Pelatan.

200 BC: Izonda conquers several territories of Shir, Lalis from Pelatan, the scorpionfolk and sis-thik realm of Soda, the gyerian kingdom of Gyda, and raids as far as Nivall.

150 BC: Izonda attacks in the west and, after 50 years of war, destroys and conquers the minotaurs of Ras, the Tanagoro kingdom of Drazah, and the Pelatan province of Sishu.

435 AC: Humanoid horde invades southern Izonda and eastern Pelatan, but is eventually repelled.

500 AC: Izonda destroys and conquers Rasam. Ashamr, capital of Shir, falls to the Izondians. Large territories of Shain and Shami are conquered too in the east.

700 AC: Minotaurs of Tamar, reptilians of Zhar and Javag troglodytes fall to Izonda, which reaches Duur and also conquers several territories of Kilmur.

750 AC: Failed attack by Izonda against Pelatan.
900 AC: Kwythellar advance toward Izonda but are eventually stopped.

977 AC: Heldannic knights establish the outpost of Schweidnitz and defeat Mogluur.

999 AC: Izonda conquers the orc kingdom of Mokghar, reaching the borders of Ghuur and Kresh.

1007 AC: A priestess of Valerias become dictator of Izonda, beginning a period of peace with surrounding nations.

Description: The northwestern tip of Davania and the islands in front of it were once inhabited only by tortles and crabmen, but subsequently the great island of Y'hegg-T'uhath³ became the power center of the Carnifex of Y’hog. After their demise most of the island was submerged, but was later inhabited again by tortles, crabmen and troglodytes, and renamed Tliath. More recently the island and the tip of the nearby Jakan peninsula became colonies of Gombar and Suma’a, then the two colonies joined together to become a major trade hub, that now receives merchandise from all over the Silver Coast, the Savage Coast, the Yezchamenid Empire, Nastoreth, the gyerians, faenare, enduk, winged elves, pegataurs and rakasta of the Arm of the Immortals, from Tangor and Zyxl in Skothar, from Pelatan and Nivall in Davania. It has food, silk, spices, gems, metals, red steel, silversteel, and even blood obsidian, which is illegal almost everywhere. It’s a trader’s paradise, if only there wasn’t something so very wrong with this place…

Below the waves the city of Y’hog still exists, and its inhabitants always search for a means to escape the confinement decreed by the Immortals. The Outer Beings, too, have not relinquished their taint on this land and so there is something wrong with the crabmen, tortles, wallara, snapper and orcs that inhabit the great island of Tliath and the minor islands around it. It’s also common that the humans, tanagogres, rakasta and others who trade here to have very vivid and disturbing dreams. Many are so scared that they never return here, but many instead experience a sort of dark attraction to Tliath.

Rulers: Ujahi of Muda, the tanagogre inspector of the city and the great island of Tliath, descendant of the first colonists of Gombar. Holds little real authority beyond the city walls, but is extremely rich and influential. Rumors about him being member of a dark, unholy cult are certainly malicious gossip of trade rivals, aren’t they? Isn’t that a common rumor indeed in the fair city of Muda?

Laeai, High Chairwoman of the Union of Jakan and direct descendant of the first families of Suma’a, is a beautiful and imposing tanagogre female in her forties, proud to be able to maintain peaceful relations and advantageous trading agreement with all of her neighbours. She’s also trying to develop more trade with the far away Renardy, Bellayne, Texeira and Vilaverde, and to open a more stable relationships with Nastoreth and the powerful empires of Izonda, Pelatan, Yezchamenid and Zuyevo. She’s also trying to arrange a marriage with Ziande of Amara to reunite the Suma’aian colonies, an idea that Ujahi of Muda would disfavor much, maybe to the point of sending assassins.

Dimension and populations: The island of Tlaith alone is more than 13,000 square miles and with the surrounding minor islands has a population of 200,000 tanagogres, crabmen, tortles, wallara, ocelasta, orcs, ogres and troglodytes. The area of Jakan has 4,000 square miles and around 50,000 inhabitants between tanagogres, crabmen, orcs, tortles, jakar, jakarundi, ocelasta and other races.

Cities: Muda and Jakan, both busy ports that can house hundreds of ships from half the world, have roughly 12,000 permanent residents each but can house at least twice that amount at the height of the shipping season. Here, just below the equator, the best season is the Sun season, from the month of the Giant to the month of the Chimera (Kaldmont to Yarthmont), with a warm climate and slow wind from the north, despite sporadic heavy rains. The Fog season, from the month of the Gorgon to the month of the Warrior (Klarmont to Eirmont) has a colder climate, frequent rains and dense fogs, yet traffic from the south has better winds. Every five years or so, an event known as “The Sea Dragon’s Wrath” causes thunderstorms and floodings in all of Western Davania from the month of the Basilisk to the month of the Pegasus (Flaurmont to Sviftmont).

Adventure opportunities: Enterprising adventurers have found strange magical artifacts in the shallow sea floors of the northern part of the island. To retrieve all of them they will just need some more help against the local, unfriendly snappers.⁴ Inspector Ujahi seems very interested in the discoveries and is willing to finance such an expedition.

Silversteel
Silversteel is a particular alloy of metals, blended with magic, that only the fairies of Virdin, and the elves of Kwythellar, know how to make. It has exceptional durability and can hurt magical creatures, and it also has small curative powers (it heals 1 hp each hour when in contact with skin), so it’s coveted by all the warriors of the Silver Coast.
Blood Obsidian
A magical kind of black volcanic glass that has a red hue inside, blood obsidian has incredible powers that increase the larger the piece is. Each cubic inch doubles the number of spells a wizard can cast each day.⁵ The material however, is dangerous, as it slowly changes those using it, filling their minds with strange nightmares. Also, each time it’s used, the obsidian randomly summons 1d2 strange monsters⁶ nearby (less than 1d100 feet): the monsters will not attack the caster for that day, but will have no regard for anyone else, including his allies and friends. If the wizard encounters the monsters again the next day, they could attack him as per the normal reactions table.

Description: These three cities, along with Edarin in Virdin, are the greatest ports of the Final Bay, moving goods to Muda and Jakan, Pelatan, Brun and Skothar. The goods come here by land from all of western Davania, but not by land only. The shallow waters of the Bay are in fact also the home of organized groups of crabmen, merrow, kna and omm-wa⁷ that happily trade undersea goods with the cities: mostly pearls, lost ship cargoes, fish and crustaceans, edible algae, dyes and more exotic goods. The cities have another unusual trade route with The Storm Realm, a clouds skyhome inhabited by faenares, storm giants and others that moves above Virdin, Saak and Ghur. Muda and Jakan are quite jealous of these trades as their waters are infested by unfriendly snappers and even cläu-rin⁸ and they have no sky realm above, so they are suspected of funding a bit of piracy against the three cities. Other piracy comes occasionally from the dangerous Water-Air Kwythellar vessels.

Amara, being in Virdin, is a city of tanagogres but full of fairy folk of different races, with impressive and elegant buildings. Originally founded by Gombarians, it has now just friendly ties with the homeland as it is more loyal to the fairy Queen of Virdin than any other power.

Tambar is inhabited mostly by tanagogres, orcs, ogres and troglodytes. It was another Gombar colony later taken by Suma’aians, Saakians and Izondians, until it became virtually independent. Although it takes into careful consideration both the will of the Queen of Virdin and of the Council of Saak.

Jan’a was a Suma’aian colony which was later occupied by Aricans and then by Izondians. Its population is a mixture of tanagogres and Tanagoro humans with some orcogres from Ghur. The latter nation has tried to retake Jan’a for centuries, always failing due to the particular conformation of the city, a high cliff with a secluded natural port. In the last two hundred years however the leaders of the city have become more and more tied to the clans of Ghur, to the point that now they consider themselves to be one of them, although an unusual type.

Rulers: She’ada, Princess of Amara, is a young tanagogre with sidhe blood and great magical abilities, known to be willing to face enemies and pirates herself at all occasions.

Muon, Lord of Tambar, is a cleric of Sumag who strongly believes in peace, negotiation and respect. He needs all of his great patience to deal with the pugnacious lords of Saak.

Ishin, First Speaker of Jan’a, is a Tanagoro human with some orcogre blood who used to be a great navy admiral. Now he often enjoys flying on the Armed Balloons that defend the city.

Dimensions and populations: The cities control surrounding territories of almost 4,000 square miles that house about 50,000 people of several races each.

Cities: Around 15,000 citizens live in the cities proper, all secluded ports which are very easy to defend, particularly Jan’a which rests over a cliff. Amara is also known for its fairy glass towers and its flying defenders, the Emerald squad, composed of drakes and strange gargoyles, which is lead by a jade dragon. Tambar relies on its sturdy stone towers and storm giant mercenaries for its defense against airborne Kwythellars or Kilmurians raids (Izondian have stopped their raids in recent years after the revolution that brought Valerias’ church to power⁹).

Adventure opportunities: A Kwythellar air raid just kidnapped the daughter of First Speaker Ishin and several of her friends, all siblings of the noblest families. The whole balloon fleet of Jan’a is moving in pursuit, and all available mercenaries are welcomed to join. The best team will be granted the mission to immediately seek the aid of the airborne defenders of Amara and Tambar.

Description: Jkl’ok is a surprisingly peaceful nation formed by a federation of different tribes with a unifying religion that includes seven immortals: Ka, Sumag, Korotiku, Valerias, Ixion, Koryis and Shaper. Crabmen, the original inhabitants, were able to include other people that came later, notably the hill orcs who came in 900 BC and the jungle orcs who came from Brun too but several centuries later. They had also included aranea, tortles, fairies, troglodytes, ocelasta and kobolds in their society. Each people has its own role: crabmen and tortles as fishermen and traders with undersea races, orcs and troglodytes as hunters, gatherers, loggers and farmers, fairies and araneas as wizards, breeders and artisans, kobolds as miners and smiths and ocelastas as internal traders.

The nation is organized in ten tribes, three comprised of crabmen who have also adopted tortles, araneas and drakes, four comprised of hill orcs that have adopted troglodytes, ocelasta, kobolds and alux (local brownies), and three are comprised of jungle orcs that have adopted centaurs, dryads and fauns. They also have a common central temple. In the last few decades, jikoloks have develop a great eagerness to trade, mostly in Jakan and Amara, because foreign silk and textiles have become a status symbol among the population. Apparently simple and even naive, jikoloks were enslaved by carnifex in ancient times but haven’t been conquered since, relying on crabmen and tortle undersea troops to fight sea raids and on a vicious breed of trained griffons against air raids. They have good relations with Virdin and the trade cities around them.

Ruler: Each tribe is ruled by a Council of Wise Ones that includes the elderly, priests and wizards of the primary and secondary population that form the tribe. The Council of the Seven High Priests in the Temple of Jkl’ok is the informal final authority, mostly to resolve tribal disputes or to decide common external actions.

Dimension and population: At slightly less than 60,000 square miles, Jkl’ok probably has a number of inhabitants exceeding 600000, but there is no available census. Orcs are the majority, followed by crabmen, with sizeable minorities of tortles, araneas, fairies, ocelasta and kobolds.

Capital and other cities: Jkl’ok has no capital, but the great Temple complex of Jkl’ok could be considered one. Inhabited by thousands between priests, acolytes, students and the faithfuls, it occupies a whole valley and is dedicated to the Seven Immortals. The other cities of the nation are the tribe holds, different in architecture and materials depending on its population, but all well hidden and spread throughout the jungle.

Adventure Opportunities: In the Rain Season (Klarmont to Eirmont), Jkl’ok territory is subject to violent floods, but the people have learnt to control and use them for water play. Unfortunately this year the season has become a field day for hydras. Is it be true that a troglodyte shaman who roams the land speaking of strange prophecies is controlling them?

Description: As old as the earth herself, Virdin is the traditional home of the Court of Spring, one of the four original fairy courts of Mystara. Over the millennia, the fairies welcomed into their lands an incredible diversity of people, so it’s said that there is no race of people in the world that doesn’t live in Virdin too. The nation has good trade relations with Jkl’ok and with the enclosed Suma’aian colony of Amara and Gombarian colony of Tambar. It has fought low intensity battles in the past with Saak but more often it has aided them against Kwythellar raids. Virdinians hate viscerally the cruel elves of the east and have a “soul feud” (an un-mending enmity) with them, as they consider the Kwythellar to be traitors of the fairy people. The powerful empire of Izonda to the south, even if not directly neighbouring nor threatening, for now, has always been a major concern of the Court. As a consequence, the Court long ago fostered and created the Silver Alliance, that includes Virdin, Saak, Kresh, Markresh, Duargor and Duur, to contain Izonda and Kwythellar raids and aggressions. Virdin has an effective sea fleet which includes sidhe, tortle and crabmen crew, and an aerial force which includes drakes, sidhes mounted on giant dragonflies, wyverns and dragons.

Virdin also mines and sells the much coveted silversteel, effective against any creature.
Ruler: Queen Mabel, the fairy ruler of Virdin is an incredibly old and beautiful sidhe that looks like a fifteen years old girl. Her favorite pastime is to travel alone in the world to punish the occasional aggressor that mistakes her for a vulnerable youngster. Geas and transmutation spells are the best that can happen to such people. Mabel is always meek and light hearted, but rumors say that she could battle immortals with her left hand, and has even done it in the past. It’s also rumored that she has a mysterious and unknown lover that visit her from time to time. That happens in “fairy time”, so sometimes even centuries apart, but when it happens, everything blossoms in Virdin, stars shine brighter and all the waters of the realm have magical, curative powers. The last of these Bright Seasons happened 53 years ago.

Dimension and Population: More than 65,000 square miles, more than 800,000 inhabitants including fairy folks, ent, dryads, hsiao, crabmen, orcs and ogres, kobolds, ocelasta and other rakasta, tortles, lupins, phanaton, aranea, wallara, gyerians and many other unique people, like insectoid races and groups of dwarves, elves and halflings. Almost all of these people have developed during the centuries and millennia the unique fairy abilities of glamour or shapeshifting.

Capital and other cities: Maderin, with 50,000 inhabitants is probably the greatest fairy city of Mystara, a relic of ages past and also the harbour of the enchanted ships that the Virdinians maintain to defend themselves from Kwythellar raids. At the centre of the Realm there is the Saved World, where the Jade Dragon Dimelian has gathered an incredible number of races on the verge of extinction, shaping the land around her palace of Nive in an incredible and otherworldly way. Intari, the easternmost city of Virdin, is the home of the Exiled Court, the fairy folk that 3,000 years ago had to leave their ancestral land for the cruelty of the Kwythellar elves. They are millenia away from forgetting or forgiving however, and Intari is therefore the more militaristic city of the nation.

Adventure Opportunities: The Discordance Court, rebellious to the queen, has made an unholy pact with Kwythellar agents to stage attacks by ravenous werecreatures against non-fairy citizens of Virdin. This is meant to undermine the fairy party that advocates full acceptance of werecreatures in the nation and to spread hate against the impures ones (those with human and humanoid blood, like the tanagogre colonies of Amara and Tambar).

Description: Once upon a time, only wurmlings, crabmen, tortles and fairies lived here. Then troglodytes came too, and all these people were later enslaved by the Carnifex. After the Carnifex fall, the divided people lived in peace for a while, but later the goblins of Kresh pressed them hard until orcs and ogres arrived in 900 BC. Since then a working military alliance was established between the different races living in this land, also including ocelasta. With time the influence of neighbouring nations made Saak gradually less warlike and more focused on trade instead also transforming their society from a tribal one to a partial democratic alliance with a central government. They have a strong dependency on Tambar, their main trading partner, and recently have been pushing from a stronger Silver Alliance, mainly because the powerful Izonda, once 500 miles away, is now just 60 miles from them.¹⁰ They have recently been building sturdy ships to trade with Virdin, Kresh, Markresh and mostly Makra, and to strike back against Kwythellar piracy. Shipbuilders have been hired from surrounding nations and cities, and even from Texeiras, to that end. They have never had an aerial force, yet they manage to repel (with difficulties) most of the Kwythellar and Izondian raids with a supply of fireball wands bought from Virdin and lightning wands bought from Kresh. Saak has small deposits of blood obsidian, a type of glass-like black purple stone with magical properties that many desires but is illegal to sell, as it’s known to create monsters and nightmares.

Ruler: An elected Council of representatives from each community rules Saak from Liinok, the only true city of the nation. The travellers, as traders are called in Saak, also enjoy considerable prestige and fame. These daring people are a mix of merchants, adventurers, explorers and occasionally pirates.

Dimensions and population: With almost 40,000 square miles, Saak probably has a total population of over 400,000 people.

Capital and other cities: Liinok, as the seat of the Council, is the informal capital and the only big city of Saak; with over 15,000 inhabitants. Its most interesting feature is the Great Market, with people from all over the nation coming to trade and barter.

Adventure Opportunities: Local stories say that an extensive underground cities of insect people and other ancient creatures lies below Saak. The Council would be very interested to know if such people exist and if so, whether they could be convinced to be willing allies against a possible future Izondian invasion.

Description: According to ancient sources, this rugged land of jungle cliffs and gorges was once inhabited by corrupt troglodytes and dark fairies, but after 900 BC a scattered tribe of orcs and ogres began to hide here. Since then, they have stubbornly clung to their land, despite innumerable attempts by aggressive neighbours to destroy them. The land of Ghur is indeed so rugged that invading armies have always been divided and destroyed by the clans: minotaurs, Aricans, orcs, goblins and, in the last years, the Izondians. Ghur is now one of the possible obstacles between the powerful empire and the long desired direct access to the western sea, but the terrain and the inhabitants are so rugged that Izonda could well choose an easier prey, like Mis or Kresh, even if these two nations aren’t really easy either. Despite their fame of invincible warriors who do not need any help, the clans of Ghur are now seriously considering the option of joining the Silver Alliance, and the debate is causing much discussions and first-blood honor duels in the nation.

The clans of Ghur have since formed a new mixed race that others call orcogres, even if normally the two races are not compatible. That’s indeed the work of the Black Chain, a group of araneas and dark fairies that live in the center of Ghur. Known to the clans but unknown to outsiders, the Black Chain has always aided the clans, as they are very effective in protecting the land against outside meddling.

Ruler: Each of the four clans of Ghur has its own chief, its mother and its shaman. The chiefs often meet to discuss joint military operations, the shamans to discuss priestly or wizardly matters, and the mothers discuss all the other matters. The common meeting place is Ghur-sa, a big fortress in the center of the nation, just above the subterranean city of the Black Chain, whose rulers are often consulted as advisors.

Dimensions and population: With 36,000 square miles, Ghur has a population oscillating between 300,000 and 500,000 inhabitants, depending on how bad the war is with external enemies. Any excess of population is almost immediately employed in attacking Mis or Izonda and rapidly depleted.

Capital and Cities: The informal capital of the nation is the fortress of Ghur-sa, where manticores are also bred by the Black Chain as aerial mounts to fight Izonda. The four clan holds are heavily fortified towns, built below the trees of the jungles and carefully hidden from any enemy approaching by land or air. The external perimeters of the towns are also filled with various traps and full of sentinels and archers ready to kill intruders on sight.

Adventure opportunities: No outsiders willingly enters Ghur, as to do so will mean becoming prey of the local warriors in the unforgiving jungle. But some do so nevertheless, because deep in the lands of Ghur there are deposits of the rare white obsidian, that has precious curative and creative properties.

Sidebar: White Obsidian
A glasslike white stone, white obsidian is known to exist only in Ghuur, and it has wonderful powers too, each cubic inch doubling the number of curative and creative (like create food) spells a priest or a wizard can cast each day. It hasn’t any known side effects. Unfortunately it’s quite rare and Ghuurians consider it their exclusive property, leaving the heads of those who tried to steal it hanging from the trees along their borders.

Description: After the Great Rain of Fire, a ragged band of goblin-like beastmen was starving to death in the frozen steppes of Hyborea. The abandoned Blackmoorian skyship they found was their lucky break: somehow they raised it into the skies, steered it to the south as best as they could, and crashed it in Davania. At this time the Oltec humans, crabmen, tortles and troglodytes living in Kresh were few and scattered, and so the goblins were able to carve a big realm. Unfortunately with time many more people came: dwarves, elves, minotaurs, humanoids. All tried to conquer Kresh, but the unyielding clans defeated them all.
The Kresh do not look like normal goblins. They are taller, have bronze skin and are well organized and disciplined. Each clan and community rules itself, but they have a central government, led by a clan chief and by a shaman elected by the elderly, in Vorkresh.
The Kresh have developed a small sea force to trade, engage in some piracy and defend against Kwythellar raids. Their ships are similar to the crabmen “shells” and often have crabmen sailors. They have also a small air force mounted on flying creatures similar to skinwings.¹¹
Historically they have been at war with all of their neighbours, usually not all at the same time, but mostly with Kwythellar. Since the Silver Alliance has come into existence, however, they have been focusing on sending troops to Markresh and on resisting Izonda directly, as the dangerous dictatorship now has a border directly touching Kresh. A sizable minority of lupins have settled in Kresh, all Carrasquitos and Hairless who came from Brun after 900 BC, while the Guarà, that claim to be the original lupins of Davania, live mostly in Pelatan.¹²
Ruler: Sheg’vak, a tall and lean warrior who fights with a trident, has been elected high chief of Kresh for several years in a row, popular for his courage in battle and his skills in finding mediations and common grounds even between bitter rivals.
A’dei, a diminutive but powerful female shaman of Wogar, already elected three times, knows much of everything and everyone and is both trusted and feared. She often hires outsiders to deal with dangerous missions for which she doesn’t like to risk Kreshian lives.
Dimensions and population: With around 110,000 square miles, Kresh is a big nation and its total population likely exceeds 1 million, mostly goblins but with sizeable minorities of crabmen, tortles, lupins, troglodytes, ocelastas, drakes, and centaurs. There is also a relevant population of monsters and dangerous creatures that the Kresh preserve, because their threat is useful to bring out the strong will of the people.
Capital and cities: Clanholds are mostly wooden, but with an architecture more elaborate than many would expect from goblins. Vorkresh is a great temple and sprawling complex that houses more than 100,000 people, as the elderly of Kresh gather there at the end of their lives to serve the Immortals, i.e. Wogar, Hel, Ka, the Shaper and others.
Adventure opportunities: The original Blackmoorian skyship still lies under the temple of Vorkresh. The elderly need adventurers willing to study it and possibly reactivate it, so that it can be used as an effective weapon against the threat of Izonda and Kwythellar.

Liberated Kingdom of Markresh

Description: Vaguely similar to hobgoblins, but even more human-like, the Markresh are a noble race that the Kwythellar created around 1800 BC with the purpose of having the perfect soldiers. They mixed the goblins of Kresh and the dwarves of Duargor, who were too stubborn to be good servants (even if raised from infancy), with simu (Oltec and elven hybrids) and captured Aricans (Tanagoro humans). Their plan backfired when the Markresh lead a rebellion that allowed them and all the remaining captured dwarves and Tanagoro to escape Kwythellar, while also freeing the last pocket of the original Oltec inhabitants of the nation. As Duargor dwarves refused to accept all of them, the Markresh were forced to fight back the Kwythellars trying to recapture them, and they have fought them ever since. Almost 3,000 years of resistance have forged one of the strongest and more unified people of the entire world, even stronger than the tough Izondians, the clans of Ghur or the minotaurs of Mis. Only in the last decades, with the creation of the Silver Alliance, the nearby nations of Saak, Kresh and Duargor have fully recognized the importance of Markresh as the first defense line against Kwythellar, regularly supplying the nation with weapons and troops. Still the Markreshians do not fully trust outsiders, because none of them could ever be a brother, or a sister, like the dwarf or the human that fights beside you, and whose fathers have fought beside yours for 150 generations.
To define Markresh as a militarized nation would be a gross understatement. Children, males and females, listen to the stories of how their ancestors were killed in their cribs. The word for dying in Markreshian is kwythis, as a Kwythellar sword (or magic bolt) is the most common cause of death for an inhabitant of this nation. Kwythellars have not tried to capture Markreshians for centuries, as a Markreshian will not surrender to the Kwy, their word for enemy. Ever. Kwythellar soldiers, wizards and wizard-priests are promoted according to the number of Markreshians, of any age, they have killed, and Markreshian ranks work in the opposite way.
Despite efforts to develop an aerial fleet employing skinwings, pterodactyls, rocs, manticores, wyverns and other flying beasts, and the recent aid of other nations, the Kwythellar Darterships still have dominion of the skies. That doesn’t mean that the Markreshians do not fight back any chance they get. The eastern half of the nation is in all effects a permanent battleground, and isn’t scorched barren only because Kwythellars refuse to use magic that destroy vegetation. However, it’s devoid of any community except for the heavy militarized city of Mirishel.
Ruler: King Mar-Djut is a young warrior of 20 springs, who recently succeeded his father after he and his mother died fighting the Kwythellars. He has two brothers, seven cousins, two children and ten nieces ready to supplant him when he’ll be killed in battle. Markreshian kings and queens rarely last more than a few seasons, as it is their duty to be always first in the line.
Dimensions and population: With almost 60,000 square miles Markresh has a population of slightly less than 600,000, mostly hobgoblins but including sizable minorities of humans (Oltecs and Tanagoro), dwarves, crabmen, tortles, troglodytes, ocelasta and fairies.
Capital and cities : Markreshassar is a beautiful and heavy fortified city with slender towers and about 45,000 inhabitants. Mirishel, the most important eastern city, has more than 65,000 inhabitants and is the seat of the army and half of the air fleet. Rarely a day and a night pass without a Kwythellar attack.
Makra has its own particular story and is the only city in the area that the Kwythellar rarely attack, as it has effective magical beams that can hurt flying attackers. Once an ancient ruin, then a Kwythellar town, it was captured by Markresh and then granted to Gombar and Suma’a merchants in exchange for weapon supplies. The tanagogres tried to reach an agreement with Kwythellar to trade in peace, but as that was not possible, they established contacts with the mysterious island of Riak, 500 miles north into the sea, rumored to be a magical realm inhabited by fairies, crabmen, tortles, wallara or other races, depending on the rumor. The tanagogres however received their protection and now the city is an important trade hub where even ships from the Savage Coast come. Markreshians occasionally go there as well to have some respite from the endless war.
Adventure opportunities: A Kwythellar noble wizard, and two of his soldiers have been captured. Once the Markreshaians just used to kill captives Kwythellar outright, but this changed some years ago and they are now shipped alive to Virdin, where the Fairy Court has decided to try to rehabilitate them. Kwythellars know of this, however, and will try their best to free the noble, a cousin of the Empress. Besides, mercenaries will always find work in Markresh, if they have enough guts to face Kwythellars swords and bolts.

Description: These ancient dwarves came from Brasol around 2700 BC after a civil war split their nation in two. Initially they aided local Oltec humans against the goblins of Kresh, and fought troglodytes that lived in the area. They became more and more isolationist after the arrival of Kwythellar in 2300 BC, even exiling any dwarves that didn’t fit perfectly into their society. After the creation of Duur around 800 BC from the exiled dwarves and orcs, their attitude began to slowly change, mainly because they found themselves on the verge of being destroyed by the Kwythellar on at least two occasions. Slowly the Duargors became more and more integrated into Silver Coast society and trade. This new attitude paid off as eventually they were able to conquer a big chunk of mountains, at the northeast of present borders, once belonging to Kwythellar, therefore connecting their borders to Markresh. Now the Duargors send troops to Markresh, when needed to fight the Kwythellars, and to Duur, when needed to fight back the Izondians. They also forge silversteel weapons of the utmost quality, and sell them to Duur and Markresh at cost price, and to Saak, Kresh and Virdin at a very convenient price. They do not trade with Kilmur and Izonda (and neither with Kwythellar, that doesn’t trade at all), but do sell their weapons to private buyers that are not a direct threat to them. That is as far as it’s possible to know: the weapon market of Danguard has strict controls, but some Duargor weapons have ended up in enemy hands during the centuries. In these cases, dwarven adventurers have done their best to retrieve them.
Duargor has also other weapons which so far no outsider has been able to steal, and which are never sold, not even to close allies. The Blacksmoke cannons are incredible weapons that effectively defend the Duargor cities against aerial threats, making Kwythellars raids very difficult here (yet they still occasionally occur). The high mountains are also inhabited by aerial creatures and giants who have several times fought back against the Kwythellars themselves.
Duargors are slightly taller than dwarves from Brun, dress somberly and seem quite reserved and detached people with outsiders but, if one manages to become their friend, they are more fun, joyful and loyal than any friend could be. Dwarves of other continents however would find them odd in many ways: they have Oltec humans, giants, troglodytes, lupins, rakasta and other races in their nation, fully integrated into dwarven society. They follow some customs of these people, like: greeting the rising and setting sun; crying when listening to poetry; (Oltec), wild dancing, naked and painted, at the new moons; discretely sniff one another when meeting; (troglodytes), hold great fairs each season to meet, trade and marry; (giants). They do produce a distinctive type of beer, but it is nothing like the ones made by dwarves of Brun. They worship many immortals, not only Kagyar but also Valerias, Ixion, Ka, Terra, Ordana, Korotiku and many other, and sectarian discussions are quite common in their society, as religious affiliation is more important than family or clan.
Wizards and thieves do exist in their society, the first being quite a powerful lobby, and the latter quite common as theft, providing it does not includes too much violence, is considered a petty crime in Duargor society, almost a game of skills. Their history doe not explain why they left Brasol and there is a serious prohibition to speak about it, a mystery that has always puzzled scholars of all western Davania.
Ruler: Ajirgi The Bright, cleric of Ixion, is the queen of Duargor. A council of representatives from all the other faiths advise her, much to her suffering. Almost all the existing immortals are represented in the council, no matter how small their following is in the nation, and as each faith has one delegate the work of the Council is very slow and laborious, and violent arguments are commonplace.
Dimensions and population: 75,000 square miles of mountains, valleys and volcanoes are the home of 700,000 inhabitants. Besides dwarves (the majority), there are Oltec humans, troglodytes, giants, fairy folks and other minor races, with an almost endless supply of dangerous monsters.
Capital and cities: Danguard is a mostly above ground but heavily fortified city of 75,000 inhabitants. Duargor has 4 other great cities with less than half the population of the capital. No town in the nation can have less than 1,000 inhabitants. In addition, all towns must have a cannon to keep the Kwythellars away and enough people and silversteels to fight obsidian monsters.
Adventure opportunities: Duargor is the territory with an abundance of metals and precious stones, including blood obsidian. The presence of this material In Duargor often creates portals to unpleasant other worlds, from which dangerous creatures come. Also smugglers and traffickers from other nations are endlessly roaming around trying to find the obsidian, to the point that Duargor has a special military unit to deal with them and a constant demand for adventurers to stop them.

The Wall of Duur

Description: During the centuries of harsher isolationism and xenophobia in Duargor, some dwarves unwilling to fit in were sent to the southwest, along the border with ferocious minotaurs and troglodytes. In times they developed a separate society and, after 900 BC, they did what Duargor saw as an unspeakable blasphemy, they welcomed an orc clan among them. Attacked by orcs to the south, dwarves to the north and Kwythellars to the east, the Duurians received some support from the goblins of Kresh, but it wasn’t enough to survive. So they prayed to any immortal who would listen, and one responded to their prayers. In just one or two generations, the two races mixed, giving birth to children who had the best attributes of both races and an incredible number of gifted sorcerers, wizards and priests. Almost two thousand years later, the Duurians have still survived and now are members of the Silver Alliance. This is an alliance they will need, as now that both the troglodyte clans of Javag and the orc kingdom of Mokghar have fallen into Izondian hands, they have a 500 miles long border with the dictatorship. Every other nation of the Silver Coast thinks Duur is doomed, but haven’t they all thought that for almost 2,000 years?
Duurians look like shorter orcs with beards, or taller dwarves with orcish feature and dusky skin, depending on who you ask. To themselves, they look like Duurians, the best people in the world. They honour the immortal who saved them, an immortal who doesn’t have a name nor images, but has temples and clerics. No one knows who this immortal might be, he or she doesn’t have particular requirements for Duurians, only that they pray to him or her, be kind to each others and forgive enemies when it’s feasible to do so, and fast one day a week.

For most of their history they have been attacked daily by orcs, troglodytes, minotaurs, Izondians, Kilmurians, Kwythellars and others. They have always resisted. When possible they capture prisoners that are later exchanged or given the choice to join Duurian society. That has created interesting consequences with nations that do not exchange prisoners, like minotaurs or Kwythellars, as the Duurians didn’t kill them and the captives eventually became full Duurians, so now the nation has people from all the surrounding nations, even elves. To fight Kwythellar Darterships, the Duurians employ griffons and hippogriffs, and even several dragons that for unknown reasons decided to help them.

Ruler: Aveghan and Kadhj are the high priest and high priestess of the Immortal, married as tradition demands. They are in their fifties and have 6 children, Foiki the first one, a female priest herself, is already 29 years old. They are gentle people that often speak informally with foreigners, enjoying the surprise when they reveal their status.

Dimensions and population: Over 50,000 square miles of mountains and hills, with more than 500,000 inhabitants consisting of Duurians and minor races, as dwarves, elves, goblins, minotaurs, troglodytes, Tanagoro humans, orcogres, orcs, giants and others.

Capital and cities: The capital Vamuur has around 35,000 inhabitants and is quite a militarized city, that however welcomes visitors and trade whenever possible.

Adventure opportunities: Duur is dotted with ancient ruins, dating back to ancient civilizations, and the priests are always looking for adventurers willing to explore them, as the nation needs all the magic and the artifacts it can find.

The Shining Empire of Kwythellar

Description: The Shining Empire was founded in 2300 BC by Kwythellar, one of the early followers of Ilsundal who had become bitter and angry after roaming in Davania had killed his beloved wife, his children and most of his family. Convinced that lesser races, and particularly humans, were a threat to the very existence of the world, he managed to persuade a sizable part of the migration that the only way to defend nature was to adopt a more aggressive approach. Ilsundal tried in vain to reason with him, and eventually was forced to leave northwestern Davania altogether to avoid a disastrous elven civil war. After centuries of aggressions, raids and magical experiments on other people, Kwythellar is a very strong nation hated by all its neighbours.
Over the centuries some dark fairies, centaurs, tortles, crabmen and other races have willingly joined Kwythellar, but half of the population is made of simu, the name Kwythellars use for the half elves - half Oltec humans hybrids obtained long ago by magic. Simu are for all purpose slaves, but as the Kwythellars raise them as such from infants, they really love their masters, would give their lives for them and harbor no thoughts of rebellion at all. To a simu just being in the presence of a Kwythellar is such an honour and pleasure that they ask nothing more from life. Simu are indeed happy slaves, a condition that horrifies the surrounding people but which the Kwythellar consider the right way, as inferior races must be treated as such, i.e. like pets. The Kwythellars indeed do not mistreat their simu, except on rare cases, as doing so would be considered inelegant and gross. Other subject races are more independent, and usually work as specialized artisans in Kwythellar society, but they too are raised regarding the elves as superior beings, so they have few, if any, rebellious thoughts.
Kwythellars have the utmost respect for nature, including monsters and the small dinosaurs that still inhabit their land. Elves and subject races can defend themselves from predators in a non lethal way, but simu will not, as it’s an honour to be devoured by wild animals or monsters.
Kwythellar has strong naval and aerial forces that indeed coincide, as their magical vessels can sail both the waves and the winds. These Darterships¹³ are a sight feared in all the Silver Coast, as Kwythellars frequently raid surrounding nations to steal magical objects, kill leaders, priests and wizards and kidnap female children. The latter will then be given to subject races or to simu to bear children who will then be raised as subjects or simu.
Now they’re developing a submarine force too, with the purpose of conquering local merrow and kna tribes and to attack ships of surrounding nations, a great threat for all the Silver Coast.
Kwythellars honor no immortals and have no clerics, but they have a strange caste of wizard-priests which has led outsiders to think that Kwythellar himself became an immortal. There is also a small resistance movement that follows Ordana, Terra and the elven immortals and hopes to change the nation’s attitude towards its neighbours. A small sect of Atzanteotl is also trying to get a foothold in the nation. Kwythellars do not trade, at all, but through some of their subject races they traffic in blood obsidian, knowing well the adverse effects of the material. They mine and forge their own silversteel and are self sufficient for any other good.
Even if most of the nations of the Silver Coast would define the Kwythellar as the true embodiment of evil, they do not see things this way: they do not consider themselves the aggressors, they are never cruel, they are affectionate and kind between themselves, and even towards the subject races. They never raise a hand, or even their voices, with a simu. They are truly convinced that their subjects and simu are happier with them, as they indeed are. They kill cleanly in the battlefield, they do not spy, betray or torture. They simply have the same concern and regard for non-subjects as they have for pests: it’s not cruelty, sometimes lice must be eliminated. Since the Kwythellars reputation is so dire in the Silver Coast the saying “meet the Kwythellars” is a sarcastic expression for something awful happening, there are elves from Pelatan and sidhes of Virdin who have formed a group, the Apseen (seeking forgiveness) that help nations which have been attacked by Kwythellars or secretly enter the Empire to sabotage ships or retrieve kidnapped children. If discovered, they are executed as traitors.
Ruler: Tariman (excellent queen, empress) Ilmayai (steel flower) is beautiful and elegant, powerful in magic and highly intelligent. She is considering the stopping of all the raids to establish diplomatic relations with surrounding nations and is willing to join a great alliance against Izonda. Once the dictatorship is crippled, it will be easier to focus on the others. If they aren’t willing, it could be done the other way around.
Dimensions and population: With a territory of 165,000 square miles, Kwythellar is the biggest nation of the Silver Coast, and it’s only half of what it once was, when it included also Markresh, Kilmur and parts of northern Izonda. Its population is over 2.5 millions, including 1 million elves and 1.5 million simu, mostly of half elven descent but also several dark fairies, crabmen, tortles, centaurs, dwarves, goblins, hobgoblins and other races.
Capital and other cities: Tiar Thellar is a wonderful city of 150,000 inhabitants, which unfortunately few outsiders have seen as the only way to get to its port would be to be a simu, crabmen, tortle or member or other subject races sailing a Kwythellar vessel.
Adventure opportunities: Outsiders do not enter Kwythellar unless they’re daring spies on a vital mission, like retrieving a kidnapped child, and to survive they would have to mask as a subject race (dark fairies, tortles, crabmen, centaurs and others) or as a simu. In the latter case the difficult part will be to pronounce in the right way all the endless honorific titles that simu use when speaking with the excellent ones (the elves). Being hunted by soldiers, magic and monsters in Kwythellar is not a pleasant experience and those who were discovered and still managed to escape with their lives can be counted on a single hand, in the last millenium.

Description: Once part of an Oltec colony from before the Great Rain of Fire, these lands were on the verge of being occupied by reptilian races from the south when the Kwythellars “rescued” the humans. Eventually all of them became simu and, after 900 BC, Kwythellars began to also breed them with orcs. The new race proved successful, almost too successful as the Kwythellars found their new creation a bit too noisy and smelly to have around. Therefore they graciously granted them independence, i.e. they placed them on their southern border to take the brunt of outside aggression. Despite that, in time both Kilmur and the Kwythellar empire were pushed further to the north as Izonda expanded, conquering territory after territory until it reached the Izondian mountains.
Kilmurians have bronze skin and elven ears, but orcish frames. They imitate Kwythellars in fashion and customs, and have flying ships too, called Kiteships.¹⁴ They raid for magic like the Kwythellars but do not kidnap only female children, they kidnap everyone to obtain slaves. They do not treat them too harshly but punish rebellions and fugitives cruelly. If they suffer a great defeat they are known to seek gruesome revenge as soon as they get the chance, massacring entire villages or setting fire to huge territories. Kilmurian raids against Izonda and the other way around are almost a daily occurrence for the two nations, but Kilmurians also raid everyone else as far as Pelatan, the Adakkian sound or the Arm of the Immortals. Fortunately, they haven’t got a great number of flying ships and they aren’t as skilled and powerful as the Kwythellars, so their raids are usually less common and less disruptive, but quite dangerous nevertheless.

Ruler: Taquen (High Speaker) Sutem is the new emperor of Kilmur as the previous one was recently killed in his palace, along with half the court, by Izondian retaliation. Sutem has since reduced raids against Izonda and is insistently asking Kwythellar for more skyships and magical defences for his palace.

Dimensions and population: With more than 112,000 square miles, Kilmur is big and inhabited by 1 million Kilmurians and at least 100,000 Kwythellars that enjoy staying in the nation as it is much wilder than their homeland. A large part of the territory is indeed inhabited by monsters, centaurs, giants, dragons, fairies, troglodytes and other minor races that Kilmurians were never able to submit.

Capital and other cities: Kilmurlot is a pretentious city of 90.000 inhabitants, always in construction as Izondians bomb it regularly. The Kilmurians’ defences are good enough to repel them, but not good enough to keep them away.

Adventure Opportunities: Kilmurians are known to hire foreign mercenaries for various reasons, mostly to handle the dangerous blood obsidian or to do something against Izonda. Other nations too always look for adventurers willing to go inside Kilmur to rescue slaves or search for lost artifacts. Kilmur is not as dangerous as Kwythellar, but it’s not exactly a playground either.

Description:¹⁵ Eseri is a nation of bronze skinned humans and centaurs that were unified into a single entity by the hardship of the Great Rain of Fire, and even more so by minotaurs, Kwythellars, Shirians, Izondians and Mogluurians attacks. Indeed their great unity has allowed them to survive for centuries despite being surrounded by enemies (except for Rakasi and the humans of Makal and Tikul, with whom they have always had good relations). Recently things have improved, as the Mogluurians have been contained, the Shirians are now quite weak, Izonda is, at least for the moment, at peace, and Eseri is also the only nation of the Silver Coast that Kwythellar does not raid very often. The centaur tribe living in the northeast even hase a bit of trade with Kwythellar, which is a strange occurrence as the elves do not normally trade with any other peoples. Many other nations wonder why this is happening, and none like it much, as they fear the Eserians could ally with the dangerous elves. No one in Eseri however is planning such a move, largely because the seven centaur tribes and the four human clans have a common external policy only in time of crisis (normally each community rules itself).
Despite being a great plain without natural defenses, Eseri has shown incredible resistance for centuries against Kwythellars, Izondians, lizardmen, minotaurs and humanoids due to the courage of its people, the capacity to unite in difficult times and the aid of a very effective air force composed mostly of pegataurs, dragons and pegasi (some with human riders).
Beside the bronze skinned humans and centaurs who are the main population of Eseri there are many other people living on the coast and on the plains, like crabmen, tortles, ocelastas, wallaras, some Carrasquitos and Hairless lupins, fairies, troglodytes and lizardmen, and even some humanoids. Usually these people are at peace with each others, but the centaurs have devised centuries ago a ritualized battle to resolve disputes, called the Shak, that normally ends without bloodshed.

Ruler: Tek'eseri, the King Speaker of the Prairies, a centaur warrior, is now the elected ruler of Eseri. Sis'ari, the High Priestess of the Prairies, a centaur female priest of Chiron, is the elected religious leader, with the obligation to represent all the other faiths too. Daliree, the General of the Army, is an Oltec human female, and famous adventuress.

Dimensions and population: Eseri has more than 125,000 square miles and a population of 1.3 million people, of which around 600,000 are humans, 350,000 are centaurs and the rest divided between more than 10 minor races.

Capital and other cities: Eseri has two capitals, the human one, Tekeri, and the centaur one, Shensae, and many other important human and centaur communities. The centaur cities are quite peculiar, as centaurs do not use much furniture, or walls.

Adventure opportunities: All Eseri is a land of adventure with plenty of strange animals and creatures, old ruins from carnifex, Lhomarrian, Oltec and Blackmoorian times and occasional raids from Kwythellar or Mogluur.

Description:¹⁶ Once this land was part of the Oltec colony from before the Great Rain of Fire, and this is the last corner where the Oltec culture has remained similar to the original one, while in the surrounding nations it was changed much by the contact with other people. The original Oltec colony of Tikal from before the Great Rain of Fire in fact was much larger than the modern day area of Makal and Tikul, as it included most of the eastern Silver Coast.

The descendants of the Oltecs however aren't the only people living here, as there are several ocelasta clans, crabmen and tortles and the jungle is rumored to be inhabited also by araneas, drakes, troglodytes, some humanoid clans, jakars and werejaguars.
In recent years Mogluur attacks have threatened the very existence of this land, which was saved the first time in 985 AC by recently arrived Heldannic colonists and the second time in 1019 AC, when the colonists returned after being almost destroyed by Mogluurians in 992 AC. In the 27 years between the departure and the return of the Heldannic knights (992-1019 AC) the Oltec humans and other native people fought an endless guerrilla war to survive Mogluurian advances. Mogluur clans had indeed effectively occupied the central part of the nation, separating Makal and Tikul territories. The two cities managed to survive only because the first one was heavily aided by the crabmen of Tlik’kkil and the second one by the Eserians.
The Oltecs of Makal, followers of Ixion, are the more militaristic and once dominated over Tikul, where many are followers of Ordana. The recent, renewed alliance with the Heldannic knights has saved them from Mogluur, but native shamans are starting to dislike Heldannic proselytism.

Ruler: Eric Folgen, Heldannic leader from 977 to 992 AC, Wilhelm Folgen, the Castellan, his son, from 1019 AC onward, Harald Brunnen, General of the Knights, Atokul, the Tikul Chief, Tijala, the Tikul Shaman, Mitukal, the Makal Chief, Kiaka, the Makal Shaman.

Dimensions and population: With 23,000 square miles, this nation isn’t very big and has a total population of about 250,000 people. The Heldanners for now are just slightly more than a thousand, but hundreds more are expected to arrive in Davania soon. The Oltecs are about 200,000, the rest of inhabitants made of the other races that live in the land.

Capital and other cities: Schweidnitz is a strong castle and has around 5,000 Heldann and native inhabitants. Makal has almost 10,000 inhabitants, while Tikul has slightly more than 5,000. The other communities of the nation are small, even if Mogluur raids have forced them to have at least 500 inhabitants each.
Adventure opportunities: Wilhelm Folgen has few people to spare so he’s always searching for adventurers willing to explore the territory, forge new alliances, search for lost cities and treasure or spy on Mogluur and other possible enemies. The list of things to do for a new colony is so long that he could keep adventurers busy for years!

Description:¹⁷ Inhabited by crabmen since times so ancient that no one can remember them, Tlik’kkill is the only place that is still completely theirs, even if this race is numerous in several other nations of the Silver Coast (especially in Jkl’ok where they are almost a third of the population). Crabmen lands are quite strange for many humanoids and even for reptilians: the architecture, customs, behaviour, politics and society, yet most nations of the Silver Coast agree that crabmen are one of the more agreeable and friendly races of the region. They have always tried to maintain good relations with all of their neighbours, but in certain cases that has proven to be impossible, like with Mogluur and Kwythellar. The half-orcs of Mogluur have been defeated countless times by the crabmen, yet they never learn and try to raid crabmen lands every season or so. The same goes for Kwythellars: crabmen can attack enemy ships from under the sea and their sturdy “shellships” are tough nuts to crack, yet elven raids are not uncommon, especially at sea. Kwythellar raids on land are much more uncommon as crabmen have strange giant catapults that are quite effective in defending their communities, which are also very well concealed from above and are located partially underground. It must also be noted that the crabmen land is not on land only, as they are amphibious creatures and so an unknown, but supposedly quite large, part of the shallow sea in front of the nation is inhabited by them.

Other races inhabit this land beside crabmen, including dragons, centaurs, tortles, wallaras, shark-kins, several reptilian races that inhabit the central lands of the nation, scorpionfolks, fairies, ocelastas, jakarundi, jakar and others. Crabmen have good relations with almost all of them, but not all of them are friendly with trespassers that aren’t crabmen.

Rulers: Ekli'tke (She of the Magic), Lirk'kil (He of the Immortals), Kai'klie (She of the Shadows), and Mik'hkol (He of the Sword) are the four members of the Council that rules Tlikk’kkill.

Dimensions and population: No one knows for certain, but many surrounding nations suspect that the true extension of Tlikk’kkill is at least three times the 20,000 square miles of emerged lands, and the real crabmen population is therefore something like 600,000 people or more, with at least 50,000 inhabitants of other races in the dry lands and probably many more below the waves.

Capital and other cities: Kilk’kkil, with a population of about 25,000 crabmen, is the official capital of the nation. There are at least three other crabmen cities with around 20,000 inhabitants each.

Adventure Opportunities: Beside the fact that Tlikk’kkill is a land as exotic as you can find in Mystara it’s also a gateway to the nations below the waves that dot the Adakkian sound and the Izondian deep, and a trade hub between air breathing and water breathing people. Crabmen also know the location of many underwater ruins and lost cities.

Sacred lands of Mogluur

Description:¹⁸ Mogluur is such an unpleasant place that it keeps people away, even if no one knows exactly why. Even Kwythellars and Kilmurians almost never raid here, despite the fact that the local half-orcs haven’t much of an aerial defence, except for their shamans’ powers. Mogluur is a dark, corrupted jungle inhabited by corrupted people, claimed by a tainted power that no one understands but that everyone fears.¹⁹ The few people that enters Mogluur do not wish to do so a second time, and go to great lengths to avoid it. The numerous generals of surrounding nations that, during centuries, decided to end the Mogluur threat once and for all entering the jungle in force, disappeared into it along with all of their troops.
Present days Mogluur was founded around 880 BC by a scattered clan of orcs that lizardman armies had almost destroyed. They found a temple in the jungle, where IT spoke to them and promised power and triumph over their enemies. They listened and obeyed, and have been loyal servants ever since. With time they mixed with human captives taken from Alol, Rakasi, Makal and Tikul, no one knows why, and now they are a strong race of half-orcs.
Earlier Mogluur was inhabited by corrupted troglodytes, destroyed around 920 BC by an alliance of Makal, Tikul, Alol, Rakasi and Tlik’kkil. Unfortunately the jungle was not purified of its evil, which therefore returned just a few decades later, finding new servants. Troglodytes still live among the half-orcs in the jungle and below it, and are possibly even more dangerous and corrupted than the half-orcs. The latter seem to revere the troglodytes, supplying them with goods and captives. The half-orcs raid quite constantly the four nations that surround them to take captives that are soon sacrificed to their unholy immortals, or whatever it is they worship.
Since Rakasi, Alol and Tlik’kkil have created quite an effective surveillance at their borders, Makal and Tikul had became their favorite target and were almost destroyed, until the recent arrival²⁰ of the Heldannic Knights, that for now have repelled the half orcs to their old borders.
Ruler: Mor'Uan, The Ancient Priestess, is the one who sacrifices captives to IT in Molkimor. Urd'mog, Great Chief and Chief of Mokloor Tribe, is the actual warrior chief elected to lead all Mogluurians in battle. Four more tribes exists, each with its own chief.
Dimensions and population: With almost 25,000 square miles, Mogluur population probably exceeds 250,000, split between half orcs and a small population of troglodytes. It’s possible that other twisted and corrupted intelligent beings live in the jungle too, beside the abundance of monsters, poisonous snakes, hydras and carnivorous plants.
Capital and other cities: Malkimor is the informal capital of the nation, where the great temple and the market are, where most prisoners are sacrificed in lavish ceremonies and where the tribes gather when needed. There are six other big towns, hidden in the jungle, one of which is comprised of the ancient ruins of a carnifex city called Koarul.
Adventure opportunities: Staying alive is a real adventure in Mogluur. Some are foolish enough to willingly enter this land, maybe because they are stupid, or maybe because they’re trying to rescue a captive. In the first case they’ll die, in the second one it will probably be too late for the captive, and they’ll die too.

Noble kingdom of Alol

Description: Alol, also spelt as Aloor, is one of the few human nations of the Silver Coast. Its inhabitants are mostly descended from two different human colonies from the Great Rain of Fire, the Oltec colony of Tikal and the blackmoorian colony of Alor. After the cataclysm the two people merged and now the typical Alol citizen has tanned skin, slightly lighter than the Oltecs of Makal and Tikul. Nobility is an important feature of Alol society, but the original Blackmoorian concept merged with the Oltec one, and the nobles rather than rich and privileged are more a class of people dedicated to the service of the community; this includes warriors, wizards, priests and other specialized people that can be useful to the kingdom in any way, as ship captains, daring merchants or excellent artisans. Nobility is therefore bestowed by merit by the Queen, it therefore isn’t hereditary and can be revoked if one proves to be unworthy. A council of nobles advises the queen in all matters of government. The title of Queen is hereditary but as it’s common that the best non-hereditary nobles marry into the royal family, even the latter is hardly a monolithic caste.

Alol has flying ships like Kwythellar, and the aerial duels between the two nations have become the stuff of legends, as the elves seem to have a particular hatred against Alol and have often targeted it with their raids. Alol maintains good relations with all of its neighbours except for Mogluur, whose raids have always been a thorn in its left side. There is a friendly rivalry with Rakasi as Alol wizards are quite specialized in air magic, but that has never meant much more than some public contests. In the surrounding nations there are rumors that Alol is often visited by foreign looking wizards, strange skyships, odd looking beings and there are also some Alolian wizards wielding unknown and mysterious magic.²¹

Other people inhabit the jungles of Alol, as rakasta, humanoids, araneas, fairies, troglodytes, lizardmen, frogfolks and even giants, some of them are on peaceful terms with the humans, some just want to be left alone, and some are occasionally belligerent.

Ruler: Queen Adera, a wizard of renown, is the ruler of Alol. She is in her sixties and has ruled for more than forty years, has a husband, the prince consort, and 4 children, of which 1 male and two females have distinguished themselves in the air fleet.

Dimension and population: With 80,000 square miles and at least 900,000 inhabitants, Alol isn’t a small nation and, despite being mostly covered by the jungle, has an efficient system of internal roads.

Capital and other cities: Talool, with 65,000 inhabitants, is the magnificent capital and the biggest city of the nation. Cronal in the north, with almost 50,000 inhabitants, comes next. There are four other major cities with 20-30,000 inhabitants each. A Texeiran colony, Torres Novas, was built on the northern coast in 1007 AC in exchange for a fair share of the trade.

Adventure opportunities: Only some time after the Great Rain of Fire did the Alolians realize that the Blackmoorian devices were poisonous, and so they buried them all deep under the earth. Now some nobles have discovered a path to these ancient hideouts and, as no one now remembers the danger, an expedition will be soon sent there.

Description: An ancient and sophisticated nation of troglodytes that were once slaves of the Carnifex Empire, Ka later included in its population Oltec humans, tortles, crabmen, wallaras, ocelastas, jakar, jakarundi, frogfolks, lizardmen and orcs. Humans and orcs eventually merged into a single population and are now the main bulk of the peasants and laborers of the nation. For centuries only troglodytes could become nobility in the realm, but in the last two centuries the attitude of the ruling elite has changed as they realized they needed the friendship of surrounding nations to survive. Raids from Kwythellars and lizardmen from the other shore of the Adakkian sound had in fact become so frequent as to endanger the survival of Ka. Now the nation has humans and other races among its nobility, albeit just a few, and a quite effective navy to defend itself from lizardmen and pirate raids, and an aerial force mounted on pteranodon to defend itself against the Kwythellars and Kilmurians.

The wars with Alol and Dreka are now almost forgotten in the past, even if there are still fortresses along the borders. Ka even granted a large tract of their coast to Texeirans, so they could establish the colony of Porto Santuario, a choice they haven’t regretted so far as the Texeirans have helped much in fighting pirates and lizardmen.

As in its history Ka has always strived to be “more civilized” than the others, the Great Library of Scrolls in Katrog is indeed one of the more interesting cultural centers in all the Silver Coast, drawing scholars, priests and wizards from as far as Pelatan and eastern Davania.

Ruler: High Sceptre Bearer (Emperor) Va’lish’aken’tiaj, an aged troglodyte and powerful wizard, is the ruler of Ka. He is proud of the safety he has given to his nation and is ready to leave the throne to his niece, Heiwa’ekris a young priestess of Ka, as his son died fighting Kwythellars years ago.

Dimension and population: Over 35,000 square miles and a population of about 450,000, of which over 400,000 are troglodytes and the rest are of other races.

Capital and other cities: Katrog is the capital of the kingdom, a refined city of 30,000 inhabitants. Three other cities in the south have from 10,000 to 20,000 inhabitants each. Porto Santuario has 20,000 inhabitants including the city and its outskirts, more than half of them troglodytes and other Ka natives.
Adventure opportunities : Enterprising Texeiran merchants have discovered some ruins in the jungle and are exploring them. The only problem is that they have forgotten to ask permission of Ka’s government, and now the Most Wise (a council of wizards and priests that advise the king) are concerned that Texeirans could unearth ancient and dangerous secrets of the Evil Ones, the cruel masters that in the remote past had enslaved the Kaians.

Description: This nation was created in ancient times by an alliance of fire creatures, jakarundi and jakar rakasta. In time, some ocelasta, pardasta and lynxman came too, and other people or creatures who were somehow connected with fire or fire immortals, so the nation now has a population of several rakasta breeds with fire genasi bloodlines and other fire genasi races, plus fire giants, dragons, efreets, fire elementals, flame salamanders and firedrakes. Obviously Rathanos, Zugzul, Ixion, Firelord and other energy immortals are the ones most worshipped here. Due to its particular nature as a center of learning and preservation of fire races. Rakasi has always tried to maintain peaceful relations with all, and so has a tenuous alliance with both Eseri and Talkai. When Shir was an aggressive empire in the past, it tried several times to conquer Rakasi, but now the Rakasians supply Shir with fire magic almost free of charge because, even if they haven’t got particularly bad relations with Izonda, they still do not want to have the powerful dictatorship right at their doorstep. Rakasi has good relations with Alol too. The orcs of Mogluur, while not a really dangerous threat, are however a constant annoyance at the northern border.

The nation has almost never had to use it, but it does have, just in case, a wonderful aerial defence force made of fire dragons and phoenixes.

Ruler: Alvafyrsha (great fire keeper) Yew’maye is a fire touched Oltec woman in her forties, a priest of Rathanos, and one of the two rulers of Rakasi. The other is the great wizard Ja’kenafyr, a quite old jakar of great power and wisdom, who has extensively travelled the elemental planes.

Dimensions and population: With 33,000 square miles, Rakasi isn’t big but it has stood for centuries, maybe more, as a centre for fire creatures and fire magic which the interested immortals want to protect at any cost. It has a population of about 400,000 inhabitants, mostly rakasta and fire creatures, but with many others fire touched races.

Capital and other cities: Rakasi is a city of 35,000 inhabitants and is famous for its particular products (all kind of objects made in the plane of fire) and the Academy of Fire Magic, that draws wizards from as far as the Yezhamenid empire in Brun, Izonda, Nivall and Pelatan, the Milenian cities of eastern Davania, and even Kwythellar. For a fee or an interesting magical object, the fire mages accept all, and this attitude has spared Rakasi for centuries from Kwythellar and Izondians raids.

Adventure Opportunities: Rakasi obviously has access to the elemental plane of Fire, and daring adventurers can always find employment to deliver something there or bring something back here, if they can deal with the many factions and creatures of the plane.

Description: This nation is mainly inhabited by jakar, jakarundi and black pardasta rakasta, who according to their sources have been here since the beginning of the world. Probably the fairies, the small insectoid people and the troglodytes that inhabit the same jungle are the true ancient inhabitants, but the different races of Dreka get along quite well. Among them there are even some halflings and elves, who came from the south centuries ago. The biggest threats to Dreka are outside the nation, the usual Kwythellar raids, several Adakkian pirates, lizardmen raiders from the other shore of the Sound and, more recently, the Bellaynish rakasta of Port Elsterbury. Founded in 927 AC with Dreka permission, the colony began soon to attract the more shady Bellaynish, who began to think that the Drekans were savages who should be civilized by them. Sporadic fights broke out and turned into a full war, two Drekan cities were burned, Drekans were enslaved and now the relations could not be worse. The Bellaynish employ orcs and human mercenaries from the eastern lands of Emesi to raid the Drekans, who have already besieged the city twice and are now preparing a third full assault against Elsterbury to conquer the city once and for all.
As in Ka, Drekans rely on flying reptiles similar to pteranodons as their air force, but that hardly gives them an edge against Bellaynish rakasta, who somehow have obtained the aid of some strange looking rakasta on flying tigers.²²
In Dreka society jakarundis are usually, but not always, wizards, priests, rulers, artisans and traders, while jakars are warriors, miners and laborers, while black pardasta and other races are hunters, farmers, sailors and fishermen.
Except for Port Elsterbury, Dreka has good relations with the other bordering nations.
Ruler: Sintae, a jakarundi priest, is the elected leader (for five years) of Dreka. As he come from one of the cities the Bellaynish destroyed, his hatred for the invaders could not be greater, going as far as persecuting the more peaceful party that would try to have a settlement with the Bellaynish.
Dimensions and population: With over 60,000 square miles, Dreka has a population around 700,000 people and had an even larger territory before the Bellaynish stole it.
Capital and other cities: Kan Dreka, a city of 45,000 inhabitants, is the capital of the kinship, where all young rakasta are sent to learn and often to find their mate. Dreka has four other big cities. It had six but two were destroyed by the Bellaynish and, while the Drekans retook them, they haven’t been rebuilt yet due to Bellaynish harassment.
Adventure opportunities: The south frontier to Port Elsterbury is a wild land that Bellaynish have filled with monsters and Emesian mercenaries, so the Drekans always need willing adventurers to contain such raids.

South of Eseri and Rakasi there is the Exalted Land of Shir, a reptilians nation dominated by lizadmen that has been in the past one of the greatest empires of the region, but now is on the verge of being destroyed and occupied by powerful Izonda, and still stands only because bordering nations aid it in any way they can.
South of Rakasi, Alol and Dreka there is the Sun Throne of Talkai, an Ixion theocracy inhabited by humans, giants and sollux.
The Adakkian south is dotted by powerful city states and savage coast colonies.
In the west lies the fabulous lands of Arica and the Golden Realm of Pelatan.
But mostly in the south there is the fearsome Dictatorship of Izonda, which has always been expanding in the last two thousand years, and is eager to reach the Silver Coast.

2 This was originally a 24 miles per hex map but, as I updated the dimensions of Davania in my 72 miles per hex map (see on page 12 of this issue), it should now be considered that the north-south direction of each hex is a length of 30 miles instead of 24. A complete view of this part of Davania could be seen here: http ://pandius .com /izondapelatan .jpg, and a more beautiful one (by John Calvin) here: http ://pandius .com /Davania _IzondianDeep _24 mph .png. Both maps however were done before the dimensions update and therefore underestimate north-south distances.

3 See the article “Recent History of Davania” in this same issue: the modern island of Muda was once much bigger, extending to the north toward the Arm of the Immortals.

5 Some sages believe it was that material that gave Y’hog Carnifex a great power in battle, yet it’s probably tainted by the Outer Being’s touch: http ://pandius .com /lore .html

10 After the fall of the orc nation of Mokghar, that become the northern part of the Izondian province of Edizaro in 999 BC.

13 So called because they look a bit like darters: http ://en .wikipedia .org /wiki /Anhinga

15 A first description of this nation appeared in the 1019 Mystara Almanac: http ://pandius .com /eseri 1.html

16 This nation also was included in the 1019 Mystara Almanac: http ://pandius .com /schweid 1.html

17 Also this nation was already include in the 1019 Mystara Almanac: http ://pandius .com /tlikkil 1.html

18 This land was already described by me in the Mystara Almanac AC 1019 several years ago: http ://pandius .com /mogluur 1.html, but this description adds to the original one.

20 The Knights arrived in 977 AC and defeated Mogluurians in 985 AC, holding effectively against them until 992, when they were overwhelmed and fled the colony. They returned in 1019 AC, driving away Mogluurians again, see here. http ://pandius .com /schweid 1.html

21 The DM can use these rumors to introduce Alphatian, Spelljammer, Psionic and/or Sky Creatures contacts as he or she prefers.

22 These would be myoshimans: http ://pandius .com /themoons .html. The DM may decide that Port Elsterburty, effectively abandoned by Bellayne, has now been occupied by Myoshima.