EAST AZOTH

East Azoth is the heavily populated side of Azoth and most of the events occurring on the continent take place here. It is composed of four large nations and a smattering of other "lands" which are not always clearly defined as separate nations. A wide range of races inhabit East Azoth but it is the humans that are dominate, especially in the nations. This may be a result of the nationalistic tendencies of the human race as opposed to the other races who think more in terms of being a "people" rather than a separate nation defined by the political ideas and agendas of their respective leaders.

 

The Four Nations

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Ardonia was founded by the former inhabitants of the Island of Ardonus. While they were establishing a new base on the continent of Azoth, there was a seemingly endless battle between Drohm and the Kingdom of Thorin. Ardonia, seeking to protect itself from either one of those powers erected a great wall surrounding the Kingdom. Their way of life was shaped by their religion which was that of the goddess Othariss, a being of divine light and goodness. Mysteriously, the land began to shun the magic that dominate Azoth and turned to a new direction, that of science. Great schools were developed, flight utilizing air balloons were perfected, and basic principles of nature were understood. The Kingdom is ruled jointly by a King and Queen who have virtual unlimited power. Other strong power guidance also comes from the Priesthood of Othariss which openly uses magic but only for good and never for personal reasons. The Rangers from nearby O’koth serve as the general militia and are almost like a police force in Ardonia, it is considered almost an extension of the Kingdom and the city of Semiramas serves as the base for the rangers. The city is actually two separate cities as the Sirillian Rivers divides it. The larger portion is within the wall of Ardonia and a large gate permits passage from the smaller part on the other side of the river. A ferry caries traveler back and forth.

The elite guard of Ardonia are the White Unicorn which is the all female army headquarters in the city of Medellion. Here all young girls who are chosen for the army are trained from as early as the age of five.

Another principal city in Ardonia is Abaroxas which is the educational center not only of Ardonia but all of Azoth. Here education is pen to all even a certain allotment of non-human. This city also contains the great library of Ishridal which is said to house all of the wondrous books of the land. Gitchtel is the trading center of Ardonia and handles all of the importing and exporting of goods. Vesta is perhaps the oldest of all cities on the continental Azoth and is virtually cut off from the rest of the mainland by the small group of mountains (O’koth Mountains) between itself and the capital of Castle Mesmar. Other major hamlets include Kelderia, Kirkwood, and Llamania with Kirkwood verging on becoming a town of some significance.

PRINCIPLES OF ARDONIA
King & Queen of Ardonia are both disciples of Othariss. Although they purport to support science over magic, the Queen seems to have a strong command of magical forces herself. The Queen is much more the dominant ruler. They have no children to leave their kingdom to. Their daughter died at birth, their son Kajig was banished from Ardonia for an unspecified crime, and their other son, Bakta died in battle against Terroreck’s legion of dead.

 

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The kingdom or nation of Brachman is divided into twelve tribes with each one being named after the major city of the region. Many smaller towns and hamlets also exist but the city often is where the greater populace is. Although the tribes of Brachman have little in common with each other and very little similar interests, self preservation has formed them into an uneasy alliance. Brachman as an entity has little control over the individual tribes but the Council of Brachman which consists of two members of each tribe and one Headman chosen at large votes on all issues regarding military defense, treaties, and matters of intra-commerce trading. Since the voting is by simple majority, a great deal of heated debate goes on with a continuous threat of pulling out of the fragile union by various members. Darkoth, as all of the rest of Azoth, considers many of the tribes as the massive goblin army of the Darklord that enabled him to defeat some of the tribes in his quest to rule Brachman. The twelve tribes are as follows:


    ASHMEDAI- A great warrior race who pride themselves on their legendary fighting skills. Warfare is virtually all that they live for and they train constantly. When they have no common enemy to fight, they fight each other.

    CHA’TAK- Considered the masters of metal and jewelry, the metalsmiths here create some of the finest jewelry in all of Azoth. Their forging of weapons is second to none as well.

    EPICURUS- The seamen of Azoth. Their navigational abilities of the waters of Azoth is second only to their brawling and drunken ways. They are the only race to have mapped out all of the seas surrounding the continent. In the epic battle against Darkoth, they were on the verge of victory until the field wizard Norvose used his great magic to stop them.

   JUDHAN- Because of their northern position and high altitude, this area is almost always cold. Not much is known about the Judhanians except they are the greatest of hunters. It is said that if a Judhunian is hunting you down, you’d might as well give up right away and save yourself the trouble as they always catch what they are hunting. They are a savage, hostile race dressed in skins and furs and say they also use human skin and it is believed they practice cannibalism.

   KAMLAK- Led by Chief Hormok, this is a race of savage fighters that often attack at night. Excellent horsemen, they breed only black horses to compliment their fighting techniques. They are a fearsome sight when attacking at night as they have painted their weapons, shields, and even their bodies black to blend into the night. Kamlakans often hire themselves out as mercenaries regardless of who they might serve.

   KHUR-UM- A relatively new tribe that was formed from the traders along the Black Adder river. Almost communal in construction, the growth of Khur-Um is methodical and deliberate. A hierarchy has been established to develop the tribe of Brachman. There are rumors that Khur-Um has long range plans on growing large enough to separate and form its own nation.

   ORMUZD- Some have claimed that this was the first civilized race indigenous to Azoth but that most of the evidence has disappeared. Some ancient temples and buildings have been discovered but currently the race lives a subsistent level of the great race they have claimed to have been in the past.

   TIGONN- This desolate region of Brachman is a place where no one bother anyone or asks questions about the past. Known as a haven for reformed criminals and the like, tolerance of crime in Tigonn is very low. The subjects may have committed them against their fellow Tigonni. Vigilante justice rules here. It is swift but far.

   VAL-HUR- As Brachman is divided into various tribes, so are the Val-Hurs. Clannish, the clans leaders constantly foray into other clan areas to add to their "family". Only the fact that the entire race is water-like prohibits one clan from taking over the others.

   ZU-HUR- These peaceful shepherds are nomadic and the area known as Zu-Hur serves as their base but they are often found through out Brachman. Even though their various grazing animals can cause damage to the soil, the Zu-Hurians always plant seed after their animals have grazed an area.

   POPOL-VAH- The great farmers of Azoth. They provide little in the way of any other goods but agriculture but have established a trading network which brings the other goods in exchange for their food.

   SETH- A very religious sect that discourages any travelers from setting foot in their land. Virtually all their men are priests and the women and children have been seen by very few.

 

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Carahill was formed after a military battle between two smaller kingdoms. The first Lady Falla of Shamir defeated the ruling party of Carahill and merged the two together. In other to appease the population of the defeated nation and to effect a more harmonious union, she took the name of the merged kingdom. Carahill thus became the name of union and the capital became Shamir. Shamir is a thriving metropolis with Castle Shamir as the ruling house. The throne is passed from mother to daughter with the ruler always carrying the designation of Lady Falla in honor of the first great descendant. Carahill strives to maintain neutrality in Azoth and seldom interferes in the affairs of other lands. It permits almost unlimited access within its boundaries and practices little in discrimination against any race. The city of Dendera which was the former capital of the old Carahill still maintains its position as the great city of Azoth. It is the financial center of all the between warring factions of other lands. Other major cities and towns include Rubaton, Selthor, and Elohim of the old Carahill; and Meung, Ti-bor, and Heydon of the former Shamir Kingdom.

PRINCIPLES OF CARAHILL
Lady Falla is the designation given to all of the rulers of Carahill. The ascendancy to the throne is always from mother to daughter. Carahill is an under developed kingdom that attempts to stay neutral in all matters and this has been a consistent trend amongst all of its leaders. In the first volume of the Realm, very little was revealed regarding the current Lady Falla although she comes to prominence in the second volume and Legendlore.

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Drohm is one of the four recognized kingdoms under rulership of Lord Darkoth who resides at Castle Darkoth in the Bay of Drohm. Although Castle Darkoth holds the political base in the figure of the Darklord himself, it is the city of Thraldor that is the heart of Drohm. Former capital city before the erection of Castle Darkoth, Thraldor still maintains its position as the commercial, industrial, and cultural center of Drohm. Still present are the many palaces and magnificent buildings from the days before Darkoth and virtually all non-political transactions within the kingdom of Drohm are handled in Thraldor. The city of Darkhol is a city where virtually everything is allowed to happened. One of its primary economic bases is the slave trading that is conducted there. Raiders from all over Azoth bring slaves here for trading and selling. Lawlessness is rampant with only the fear of reprisals from Darkoth himself keeping the city from slipping into outright anarchy. The city of Adorn seems mis-placed in Drohm. Here a multitude of different races live peacefully together. It is a city of manufacturing the deep deposits of iron ore and supplies much of the raw materials for weaponry through out the Realm. Although other areas also have ore deposits, here it is mined efficiently and cheaply. Darkoth realizes that he has a commodity that is not of particular great demand, so he supplies it in volume so other areas won’t have to develop their own and maintains a steady source of income into Drohm. The town of Daath once was a vibrant city and was the capital of the small Kingdom of Daath. However, when Darkoth annexed Kingdom, the mass exodus of Daath began and the town has suffered greatly. It holds little of value and only the standing army under General Kiri provides enough business to keep the town alive commercially.

Darkoth1.GIF (9716 bytes)PRINCIPLES OF DROHM
Lord Darkoth is the Darklord ruler of Drohm and envisions a day when he will rule all of Azoth. Claimed by some to be a half breed, the sorcerer Darkoth is seemingly ageless and has been casting his darkness for a great part of Azoth’s history. Any early days of Darkoth are unknown but with the help that he thinks he can manipulate Sandra into, he hopes that his name will be associated with the future of all of The Realm.zarcon3.GIF (24523 bytes)

Zarkon is the blind grand wizard of Lord Darkoth. It is he who is personally tutoring Sandra to realize the full potential of her powers. Already he realizes that Sandra is indeed much more powerful than either he or Darkoth thought. His loyalty to Darkoth is very questionable and in fact, there seems to have been some episode in the past when he crossed Darkoth and paid dearly for it. His ambition is curtailed in his service to Darkoth but never forgotten.

OTHERS OF DROHM
General Ramus
is the military leader of Darkoth’s troops. He strives to prove himself and suffers little with incompetence of others. Feels Darkoth doesn’t appreciate his loyalty or skills enough.

Captain Parkam is the adjunct to General Ramus.

Kor is the leader of the hobgoblin army which serves Darkoth and is under direct command of General Ramus.

cebran.GIF (21679 bytes)Bonecrack leads the great goblin army which is often called into service on Darkoth’s behalf.

General Cebran, commander of Thaldor. Led the battle against Epicuris who are known as one of the great warrior armies. He had to receive help from the field wizard Norvose which diluted his glory of victory.

kiri.gif (17297 bytes)General Kiri, commander of Daath. Led successful campaigns against Ormuzd and Khurtum, two nations that gave little resistance. The youngest of Darkoth’s generals, she holds her ambitions in check until the time is right.

General San Vulba, commander of Adurn. A leader of little imagination but solid in his preparation and alignments. Effective in the sense that he won’t lose a battle he should win but neither will he win a battle he should lose.

Norvose is the field wizard of Darkoth. He is one of Darkoth’s most trusted aides.

Des Vilba is the apprentice of Norvose. He has failed in his first few missions for Darkoth due mainly to the unexpected powers of the group. While he realizes his mistakes, he feels he is being punished unfairly by Darkoth and thinks Darkoth is unaware of what they were up against.