The Eidolorn Empire

The Eidolorn Empire

Carbadi (1st Province)
Standard: Maiden with sword aloft, grapes in off-hand.
Population: 116,000 [mixed; 79% human, 9% halfling, 5% gnome, 3% dwarf, 2% elf, 1% half-elf, 1% half-orc]
Ruler: Emperor Freth Borth, 'The Cobbler'
Cities: Lammorth (38,000), Inverfar (capital, 27,000), Lochba (16,000)

A rich land of orchids and forest glades, Carbadi is the heart of the Eidolorn Empire and its first province. Originating some 300 years before the establishment of the Empire, its people were originally scattered among the vast Ribald Wood, clans of hunters, harvesters and fishermen that united in order to combat the imposing dangers of surrounding territories. Centuries later, after succumbing to a curse Lord Admiral Bedry Coventavon gifts Carbadi and the conquered lands of Rothe and Nobbish to his beloved general Eleste, who founds the Eidolorn Empire. Today, Carbadian cities are hubs for merchants and high civilization, with a higher average cost of living than is found in any other province. Wines, garments, furs, spices and jewelry are exported across the Empire, and reap large profits. The people of Carbadi are fair skinned, with graceful features, blonde and brown hairs, and they speak in the Common tongue of the Empire. The province is also the most well defended in the Empire, as numerous castles and tower forts dot its regions, some of them abandoned, and some from centuries before the establishment of Imperium Domine. The current seat of power is held by the first Emperor-Elect in Eidolorn History, a generous former cobber from Nobbish named Freth Borth.

Floivin (7th Province)
Standard: Leaping bass over crossed hammers.
Population: 11,000 [mixed; 79% human, 9% dwarf, 5% elf, 3% halfling, 2% gnome, 1% half-elf, 1% half-orc]
Ruler: Regent Reginald Bauerkroft
Cities: Floivin Keep (capital, 7,000)

Floivin Province is the most recent and peaceful acquisition of the Eidolorn Empire, annexed in 722 from the Gnarlbottom Clan, who agreed to Imperial dominion after Eidolorn guard helped drive out orc invaders from the Fyreklaw Barrens to the south. It is perhaps the most isolated of the provinces, also known as the Vernal Valley, ringed almost entirely by the Vernal Wall, which houses several abandoned mines once delved by the Gnarlbottom dwarves. Floivin has a small population, the smallest of any province, and the people ply their trades on the massive lake known as the Udders Well, and in the small sub-regions that surround it. Several millennia in the past, the Valley was once very much flooded. But thanks the marvel of dwarf craftsmanship, a great damn known as the Udders was built to regulate the flooding from the Dimnesse. Today, the capital, Floivin Keep sits atop the Udders, at a highly defensible vantage point. The Imperial Navy builds ships to one day cross the Dimnesse, transport soldiers and invade treacherous Sothos Karr, but the day is long off, due to the present Emperor's peaceful disposition. Numerous dwarf crypts and ruins lie within the Valley and in the Wall surrounding it, so the province is a hotbed for adventuring types.

Melethesz (6th Province)
Standard: Mechanical bronze horse.
Population: 106,000 [isolated; 96% human, 2% gnome, 1% halfling, 1% other races]
Ruler: Regent-General Shann-hai Riggings
Cities: Haldur (capital, 21,000), Gargoun (18,000), Tesleb (14,000)

The sixth province of the Empire was perhaps one of its most hard fought, and the great tragedy of its taking lingers across its plains and woodlands today. A people of bronze complexions with great minds for culture and invention, they were forced to rely upon an ancient artifact, the Scepter of Plagues to defend them from the superior Imperial force, but even they did not realize its far reaching consequences. Many thousands were slain by the Scepter, including innocents as far as the heart of the Empire, until the Eidolorn guard finally managed to destroy it. Enraged, Emperor Vylon Varr ordered the near genocide of the entire Melethesian upper class, with the exception of a few inventors and merchant families who would be of use to the Empire. He would have proceeded into the lower classes, until stopped by a young Eidolorn Captain known as Dascomb Darl, who would succeed the vengeful Emperor. Today, Melethesz is still a haven for invention and culture, and has a higher population of gnomes than any other province of the Empire. The cities of this province are quite advanced in art and architecture, and sky sailing ships and balloons are used as the primary source of transport for merchants, though they rarely leave the safety of the region. The province is home to a great many bands of explorers and adventurers who travel ever south, discovering exotic places and bringing back tales of plights and distant peoples, that is...if they return. Though the people have now fully prostrated themselves before their Imperial rulers, many refuse to follow the call of Eleste, and they keep alive their native faith/philosophy of Radol Thidhe. Melethesians are also known to ride camels and llamas in place of horses.

Nobbish (3rd Province)
Standard: Oxen snorting fumes.
Population: 93,000 [isolated; 96% human, 2% halfling, 1% dwarf, 1% other races]
Ruler: Regent Krispin Bowyerson
Cities: Scourie (17,000), Durmoral (capital, 11,000)

Another of the founding provinces of the Empire, the pastoral land of Nobbish was the second to fall below the Carbadian armies under Bedry Coventavon. Though a quaint and peaceful territory, it was once ruled by the horrifying Blood Witches, who made great taxes upon their people in the form of curses and sacrifices. It is said that the natives rejoiced as Coventavon slew the Blood Witches to the last, but they would ultimately prove his own undoing, with a curse placed upon his very heart. Centuries later, the Nobbs are still frightful of their previous overlords, and implement various superstitions and charms to ward off their vengeful spirits. It is said in some circles that the Witches still exist, biding some return to power. Today, Nobbish is known primarily for its vast tracts of farmland, and well over half the population of the province lives outside its towns and two cities. All manner of crops are grown here and exported throughout the Empire, and it is also the primary source for livestock. At any time, hundreds of herds are driven about the Snath Plain, one of the most powerful resources in all the Empire. Nobbish folk are as fair skinned as their Carbadian neighbors, but often tan due to the time spent outdoors in grazing and harvesting months. They are generally shorter, and wartier than other humans in the Empire.

Rothe (2nd Province)
Standard: Octopus wielding eight scimitars.
Population: 22,500 [isolated; 96% human, 2% halfling, 1% dwarf; 1% other races]
Ruler: Regent-Admiral Harriet Rhys, 'Witch of the Waves'
Cities: Grand Mooring (capital, 9,000)

Rothe is the 2nd of three founding provinces of the Eidolorn Empire, conquered in pre-ID years by the Lord-Admiral Bedry Coventavon of Carbadi. It's the sole province located off the mainland of the continent Thault, on a chain of three large islands East of the Imperial capital. It was once a free hold of the Raiders of Rothe, who were known to terrorize the Sea of Chimes, putting a quick end to early attempts at trade along the eastern coast of Thault. Rothe boasts a small native population, scattered across the three isles of Scythe, Szandor and Lemay. The capital of Grand Mooring lies on the southwest shores of Scythe, the largest isle. Rothans are a festive, rowdy folk, with swarthy complexions and hair of ash. They speak the Common tongue of the Empire, but also the ancient tongue of seafarers, Bydish. Most of the folk here make their living off the sea, whether as merchants, shipsmen, mercenaries or fishermen. Many are enlisted within the Imperial Navy.

Toul Tabor (4th Province)
Standard: Open tome with inverse raven talons on its pages.
Population: 132,000 [mixed; 79% human, 9% halfling, 5% dwarf, 3% gnome, 2% elf, 1% half-elf, 1% half-orc]
Ruler: Regent Dharmark 'Spellhammer'
Cities: Olgest (capital, 36,000), Delvesh (23,000), Faenak (19,000), Tarair (8,000)

Toul Tabor is the largest and most populated province of the Empire, and was one of the more difficult to conquer, as it was once a haven for the great magicks wielded by its Sorcerer Kings. Having suffered great losses to both the First War of Expansion and later to the forces of the White Dragon Woe, the people here are proud of their heritage and durability. Toul Tabor has four cities, and its people engage in a wide range of trades, from forestry, animal husbandry and fishing to a great many crafting professions. Despite the fall of the Sorcerer Kings, the magical tradition is kept very much alive here, through the Wizards Elite, a large academy dedicated to the training of the various schools. The Elite supplies the Eidolorn guard with most of its gifted, sorcerous conscripts, and you're always likely to find a few of the common folk armed with a spell or two. However, the Elite is very strict with rules, and certain spells are banned from use in public places, with dire punishments in place. Though not as rich as Carbadi, Toul Tabor's large population and wealth of local color and resource make it one of the more prestigious and wealthy provinces in the Empire.

Wintersbreath (5th Province)
Standard: White dragon's head.
Population: 14,000 [integrated; 37% human, 20% dwarf, 18% elf, 10% halfling, 7% gnome, 5% half-elf, 3% half-orc]
Ruler: Regent Brisby Balewhyte
Cities: Vettlar (capital, 5,000)

Once the domain of the White Dragon Woe, the province of Wintersbreath was officially annexed in 151 ID, some 30 years after the vicious and cunning wyrm herself was slain, and most of the more dangerous frost giant chiefdoms were driven out of the land. Had Woe never launched her own preemptive strike against the newly conquered province of Toul Tabor, the Empire may never have chosen to launch the Second Expansion War against it, but they maintain the region today with a fairly small population centered in the city of Vettlar. Most who eke out their existence in Wintersbreath are loners or survivors, who prefer the solitude of its cold swept dunes and ice glazed rivers and ponds. The region remains eerily cold throughout most of the calendar, and there are few resources to be found, but nonetheless, furs and other exotic goods are exported with enough frequency to support the small economy. Of all the seven provinces, Wintersbreath remains the most dangerous. Frost giants and yeti remain in the region, and things even more dangerous. But the people, almost all immigrants save a few native elves and dwarves, represent some of the heartiest of the Empire, and they feel they are more than up to the challenge of taming its frigid wastes.