Fragment Lore - Rahor.

Rahor is one of the ten small "satelite" fragments that orbit near Rynne. It is about 25 miles wide and 20 miles long. It is about a 4 to 5 day journey from Rynne (about 5000 miles). The fragment is also known as the Blood Land.

There is little of what one would call "major" trade with the fragment. Many small indepedantly owned dragon ships come to Rahor to trade some of the local goods. Usually they come because they have brought a passenger who is intrigued by the fragment's reputation for stangeness and mystery. Sometimes a ship comes to do business with the Blood Mages.

This small fragment is rumored to have survived the shattering without the aid of an Earthstone. Certainly it was isolated and insular before the shattering, and no less so now. How did this come about - is this even the truth?

The Blood Land is hill country for the most part, rising toward mountains in some areas. About half the fragment is thickly forested, pines and other hill-country trees. Streams spring from the ground, only to vanish underground again after a few miles. There are no wild animals or birds of any sort on the fragment - only the domesticated ones kept by the local inhabitants. The silence of the forests is eerie. The soil is rich here and crops grow well.

The Blood Land are sparsely populated, there are few towns and no cities. Most of the populace live as peasants in scattered villages. Scattered across the Blood Land are the high red towers of the Blood Mages. The Blood Mages rule the Blood Land absolutely through their appointed representatives. No-one has ever seen a Blood Mage, or anyone ever entering or leaving a tower....

The prevalent attitude of the inhabitants of the Blood Lands is one of awe and fear towards the Blood Mages, or even those who are somehow appointed to represent them. The Blood Mages see all and hear all - the Blood Land would not be without them.

The Blood Land trade with Rhynne and nearby smaller fragments - the Blood Mages require their subjects to produce the beautifully crafted objects that the Blood Land are famous for. These are traded for the esoteric and valuable items that the Blood Mages apparently require.

Few non-humans live in the Blood Land, these mostly in the towns.

Blood Mages

The Blood Mages rule unseen from their high red stone towers. They require absolute obedience from those they command, but rarely make proclamations or interfere in any way. Those that make trouble have ben known to simply disappear into the forests.

The Blood Mages require the Tithe of all who would enter or live in the Blood Land. The Tithe requires that a little blood is spilled onto open earth every day by every inhabitant. Those that die in the Blood Land are drained into the earth before being burned - so that their mortal shell will not sully the land by it's corruption.

The blood that is in the land can be called upon by the Blood Mages in many ways. In the past, monsters and forms of the dead composed of liquid blood have risen out of the earth to confront those the Blood Mages were displeased with. Emissaries from other fragments have been caught in showers of old, half-dried blood....

But who are the Blood Mages? No-one seems to know. Even the representatives that speak their will deny any knowledge. Certainly the Blood Mages are powerful, isolationist and protective of their land.

Stroigvar

The town of Stroigvar is near the flattest edge of the fragment and is where most dragonships will dock. Goods are not tithed - most incoming goods are destined for the Blood Mages in any case (powdered diamonds, unusual feathers, etc). All who step onto the fragment are required to give up blood for the Tithe immediately and every day thereafter. Stroigvar is a quiet town, full of quiet people. There are rarely many foreigners here. While there is no law forbidding travel away into the fragment, few will chose to do so.

Bloodletters - for the benefit of foreigners, the bloodletter will perform the necessary cuts to give the Tithe each day.

The Tower - standing atop the forested hill closest to Stroigvar is the only red tower that most visitors are likely to see. It has, as is usual, no windows or sign of an entrance. It stands some 100' high and is 40' across at the base. It is circular.

The Loose Rock - this is the only inn in Stroigvar, run by a young elf who makes quite a killing. The prices are ludicrous at times, but it's the only game in town. It looks ramshackle, but is well-kept inside. There are numerous rooms and several common sleeping areas. The Loose Rock tends to be either nearly empty or nearly full, depending on whether a ship is in port or not.

Shops - there are few shops here, certainly none selling anything out of he ordinary. Most cater to the locals and are reluctant to serve visitors.

Marketplace - this lies at the edge of the fragment, where the dragonships land. Here are sold all the finely crafted goods that come into Stroigvar to be sold to merchants or traded for goods for the Blood Mages. Many odd and valuable items can be found here, but the traders of Stoigvar are canny, suspicious and difficult to bargain with.

The human inhabitants of Stroigvar tend to be cold towards visitors, the demi-humans less so (most of them come here rather than being born here).

Rumors of the Blood Land:

Deep in the fragment lies a ruined red tower. Only a handful have reported ever being there. But none have spoken of what they found.

The Blood Mages are willing to pay large amounts for the paraphernalia of dead wizards.