Foundation of Dag'bodear

From the Journal of Captain Valkier Niiersan:

Entry One, Day One: (419cr) Never Before in all my twenty years as the captain of this exploratory vessel have I seen a land so uncorrupted by Human Hands. Here the rivers run wild with no man to tame them, and the wind is as pure as a newborn child.

-Last entry-

The colony of Dag'bodear was founded in 420cr, not far from the shoreline of Eastern Suun. The City of Light had commissioned several colonies to be built, in order to expand the area of the City of Light. Breiges Howl, the newly appointed captain of the expedition, who had accompanied the ship across the vast ocean, also guided the newly arriving, and led them into their respective places within the city. The town grew quickly under Howl's leadership, and became the largest port town of all the five colonies. The human towns grew and prospered over the surrounding areas. The people of Dag'bodear burned forests to produce farmland, helped each other build houses for all, built shops and bazaars as well a domesticated some wild buffalo that they had come across in their investigation of the north lying areas.

Society continued as it always had here, man made friendships with beings resembling the elves of their homeland, yet slightly different in custom, and life became a harmonious double of that in the original City of Light. The land of Dag'bodear continued to grow and prosper uninterrupted until several years later.

The Red Scare of Barrowig

As the dread races of evil attacked the fated City of Light, a single fishing ship escaped to warn the people living on the continent of Suun. As news reached Dag'bodear of the raids upon the City of Light, the populace of Dag'bodear began to question all areas for approaching evils. It became a dark and dread time as strange hermits and old widows were falsely accused of horrible crimes, not least among them magics. They were burned at the stake when they would not confess, or worse yet, deprived of oxygen, as it was generally thought that evil did not breathe.

On a winter night in Dag'bodear (423cr) a hunting party returned to town to show Howl, who had gained public opinion as a leader and noble man by deed, a wounded creature of which they had never seen before. He looked as if he had the lower body of a white tailed dear, somewhat large, and the upper body of a male Elf. He called himself Raith'lin, and his people Eldier. Upon his revival, he spoke quickly to deliver a message. He told of a great monstrosity, which had come from the very sky to attack a hunting party of his race, far to the north, and ever since had plagued his people, and attacked them to near extinction.

Considering this news Howl promised in front of the entire town to see personally to the defense of this creature's people. The time was now to vanquish these evils!

Before they would ever reach the second City of Light, fateful Dag'bodear. Upon Hearing this Raith'lin reported to Howl the location of the Eldier city far to the north. Howl gathered a party of men, roughly thirty in number, and sent them to the Eldier city to defend it, and the "innocents" within.

It was not long before the people of Dag'bodear were involved in a campaign of murder, as unlike in the City of Light where evils attacked the city of good, here the so called "Second City of Light" emerged as the attacking force.

Many would voice their objections to a campaign that they knew nothing of, but Howl was a convincing man, and all those that would speak up were silenced, either in mind, or in body. As the bloody war continued, Lord Howl, as he had begun calling himself, gathered the support of many and was proclaimed King of all Azmuuth, kingdom of man, which was headquartered inside of the first land, Dag'bodear.

Desolation of Azmuuth

Many of the men of Azmuuth were dead, killed in a war started by blind fear and rage. Although still faithful to the cause, the kingdom of Azmuuth sent little aid to the Eldier after 433CR, as the war had settled down considerably. The land of Barrowig was largely a burnt scorched earth by this time, as most of the fighting took place in this general location, and despite their staggering loss of numbers, and the efforts of Eldier, Man, and Elves, the Orcx and Reptaur seemed to prosper in the once beautiful but now harsh environment.

Dag'bodear was made the capital of Azmuuth with Lord Howl as the king. Slowly ties to The City of Light eroded, as travel between continents became impossible. Soon the technology that had previously existed in ships, and ocean going vessels decayed into nothingness, if it were available it would have been pointless as the Siege of Shadows continued, and soon entered a climax.

The Dread Lord of Azmuuth

In the year 440CR, the King of Azmuuth, Lord Howl of Dag'bodear, bore his first and only son, Vinsiier. From the East traveled a man in dark brown robes and pigment-less eyes, who spoke to the king of an omen that the wizard could see beyond the reach of man-sight. No one really knows what the old wizard, naming himself Miir'deep Ranthean, said to King Howl, but from that day on he took over private tutelage of the prince, as the boy was indeed the subject of great import.

Lord Howl taught his son the arts of aristocracy, introduced him to the now forming upper classes, the role of etiquette, as well as the arts of swordplay. The Mage Miir'deep led the boy in his more scholarly bent pursuits, that of training his mind. Meanwhile, farther did the New City of Light erode into that of darkness as Lord Howl's pursuit of the destruction of evil lead him to murder innocent hundreds. In his attempt to rid his land of the darkness, he executed many innocents in the name of light, suspecting them of conspiring with evil. In this way many good and loyal people were sent to death, thusly inviting the evil deeper into the heart of the lands.

Howl had established an aristocracy, a noble right, and sent his troops to war with creatures he had never even seen, nor spoken to. Those that spoke up against the atrocities were soon convicted as being conspirators with evil, and traitors to the kingdom of Azmuuth. They were thusly executed, most who held objections to the scare usually told only those they dearly trusted, or else spoke not of it at all. In this way the King, lord Howl tightened his grip on the lands of Azmuuth to the point of exhaustion.

Death of king Howl

In the year 471cr Lord Howl of Dag'bodear died at the age of sixty-seven of food poisoning. He left a wife of forty-eight winters, Queen Lilihia, and a son of thirty-one, who naturally took his place at the thrown. Vinsiier proved to be as able a king as his father, and far more charismatic. With the advisory of his mother Lilihia, and personal aid, teacher, and advisor, the mage Miir'deep, King Vinsiier quickly gained a hold on the slipping empire, that his father left in shambles.

Vinsiier redoubled his fathers efforts at exterminating the 'evil' in Azmuuth, and this earned him the nickname "Lord of the last Right". He would never hear it to his face however, as the mocking laughter would shortly be ended by the tip of a dagger. Vinsiier employed all methods of eradicating this 'evil' from his kingdom, from trained spies and assassins, to youth groups taught to report any misdeeds of their parents. Such groups were small, and hand picked by the mage Miir'deep. Ranthean also used scrying magic to target traitors to the King, which constituted anyone who would dare speak out at the 'cleansing' of Azmuuth, as these men were said to possess the greatest evil of all.

Death of Cyryllynese

In 486CR Contact had been cut off from The City of Light so there was no knowledge of what presently existed on the content of Aredakar. The last news had been of destruction of the fabled city. On a cold rainy night, sound asleep in his bed chambers the archmage Miir'deep dreamt prophetically. In the dead of the night he received a vision of the future, and he could not breathe, as in real life he unconsciously struggled for breath. In his dreams he witnessed a fury of battle between two incredibly powerful life forces. One of those life forces was that of the God Mage Cyryllynese, and the other was of an equally powerful force, but not as of yet witnessed and therefore unrecognizable.

In a second of dreams he watched years and years of warring between the two God Mages. In a multi-colored cloud of ash and death they tumbled through the sky, far into the heavens and far outside the reaches of mortal man. In the great blackness of space they would struggle for many more years, until it climaxed in a vibrant explosion, leaving nothing behind except a glowing, fading and brightening, color shifting orb of incredible power. The second Sun.

He awoke finally, screaming the name Abithanoir! His lungs nearly collapsed as he realized the importance of this dream. After a minute of an old mans struggle for breath he ran to the window as fast as his shaky gnarled legs could allow, and looking into the sky, he saw the object of his dream. The shifting of the light was near blinding, and he could not hold its gaze… teary-eyed he knelt to the ground as he saw his vision was true. The God Mage Cyryllynese was dead, and a new world had begun in the old one's stead.

The Second Age of Azmuuth

Before the mage could regain his breath completely, he heard a sound that could only be made by a thousand torches suddenly coming to light in one breath. On the outskirts of Dag'bodear laid lying a circle of fire, one that would completely surround the city, as it would slowly begin to envelope her. The guard was called to bear and the militia and army awoke to find frantic faces yelling orders to them in a whirlwind of chaos. As fast as it could possibly assemble the fighting forces of Dag'bodear came together on the very walls of the city.

Drumming from the distance marked the beginning of the siege, as thousands of death curdling screams erupted from the darkness and a massive cloud of savage beasts fell to the doors of the great city. Arrows of men rained onto the creatures below the walls, as arrows of fire killed entire families inside the city walls. The lower classes seemed to be the first to die, as their houses were made of lesser things, such as straw and other flammable material. The wealthy seemed to be somewhat safe, at least until the walls came down.

The trying times in Dag'bodear had sorrowfully left much of the town in disrepair, and the Beasts, now recognizable as Orcs, Reptaur, Orcxen, Kobolds, Goblins, and Hobgoblins, Trolls, Curr, and Ettins, Wild elves, and undead bashed easily through the weakened walls, left in shambles by the hatred and fear within the royal family. The sky grew red as the souls of the dead escaped to the heavens. The Siege of Shadows had finally reached fateful Dag'bodear as a king brought death to his own kingdom, in a siege that did not begin at the city walls, but within the heart of it’s ruler.

Soon the various 'races of evil' broke through the wall and fighting began within the very city.

In the morning the city lay in ruins, luckily the humans had managed to fight the creatures off in one of the largest single battles ever witnessed in all of Suun. Less fortunate, more than ninety percent of the populace lay dead. Most of the survivors dispersed, some forming small villages that to present still dot the countryside. Some choose to stay, and attempt to rebuild.

King Viinser Howl escaped during the beginning of the siege, but was so hated by the commoners that he was assassinated, along with his single escort, upon reaching a nearby village that had suffered through his murderous rule. The Archmage Miir'deep was witnessed to be killed early in the battle, but his body could not be recovered, which was more common then not, since hundreds of bodies were burnt well beyond recognition. When the town was re-founded on top of the ruins of Dag'bodear (080sr), and a scarce living began again in New Dag'bodear, a counsel of lords was elected to rule, mainly from the Noble classes, but some commoners were admitted. It didn’t matter a great deal anyway; everyone looks the same when nobody has anything.

The Council of Lords was mainly concerned with rebuilding, and maintenance of the military forces. From the rebirth of Dag'bodear came a law stating that no non-humans would be permitted residence within the kingdom, as clearly from the Siege of Shadows, they could not be trusted, nor tolerated in human lands. Every able bodied man was to serve at least one year in the Armed forces by his twentieth year, or he would not be considered a citizen of the kingdom, and would be banished.

Council of Seven

By 095sr The Seven Lords of Dag'bodear ruled openly and fairly in an attempt to rebuild. Much of the former city was buried beneath a layer of dirt and debris, and new structures were built atop the ruins. Much of the former city can still be found beneath New Dag'bodear, but few choose to brave the ruins, as it is said that great evils lurk beneath, and though many of these tales were started by parents to keep there children from trying to excavate the ruins, several adventuring parties have vanished beneath the city.

Every once in a while a child would also disappear, but these occurrences were few and far between. Above the surface, the classes seemed to stabilize somewhat, but staying true to any free trade economy, a lower, middle and upper class did establish itself, though it was not as obvious as in the days in which the royal family ruled. The years of the witch-hunts were finally over, but to replace this horror, a new fear of non-humans seemed to establish itself.

The Elf Wars

In the year 115SR things in New Dag'bodear had stabilized greatly. With the increasing population, the Nation of Azmuuth was slowly being pushed west into the Far Reaching Woods. Soon the humans were building as fast as they could, as strip and burn operations prepared fields and fertile farmland for their coming. This posed problems for the wild elves of that region, whom were being forced back toward the west with the not so far reaching, Far Reaching Woods.

Soon, word of this continuing problem was sent to the High Elves of Lor'Norian who quickly sent a team of ambassadors to the human lands of Azmuuth to beg of them, and warn them to not proceed with their deforestation activities in the Far Reaching Woods. Three lone Elves from Lor'Norian, including the princess Callisseliy, were sent to the south to seek audience with the Council of Seven, in Dag'bodear.

By the law, no non-humans were permitted in Dag'bodear, and as such the three elves, bewildered and confused were captured by the border guard, and taken to Fort Crondillath as prisoners of Azmuuth. Though the three elves pleaded with the guardsmen to first speak to the Council of Seven, they were denied this and made prisoners. The Council of Seven received word of the prisoners arrival, and seeking to make an example to all non-humans, hastily ordered them executed for their crimes.

A letter was sent to the High Elves in Lor'Norian to make them aware of the fate of the trespassers. After a week of starvation and sleeplessness the three elves were led into the light, which blinded their eyes. They were tied to a single pole, in the middle of Fort Crondillath, and there burnt at the stake as the garrison watched, wide and bright eyed. Within a single hour a half elf (who were as of yet, still allowed to reside in the kingdom) reached the high elf king Eirine Greycloak of his only daughter's demise within the city.

He was similarly sadden and enraged remembering that many years ago in the Orcx wars he had personally stood alongside Dag'bodear's greatest general, who is presently a member of the Council of Seven, in those trying times for the kingdom of Azmuuth. He could hardly believe that his former allies and long ago friends could murder his only daughter. His daughter and two close friends were on a diplomatic mission… of peace. This enraged him further, to and past the point of madness.

In the year 115SR, yet another battle song, this time in despair, cried out in the nation of Azmuuth. The name of the siege was dubbed the War of the Stake, after the fallen three. Elvish men and women alike poured down from the north like rain into a stream to fight the forces of Azmuuth. The High Elves of Lor'Norian came together with the Wild Elves of The Far Reaching Woods. Ice Elf Warriors came down from the Frozen Woods, bringing with them their deadly precision with the bow. The Sun Elves came from the west on Desert Lizards with speed of mount never before seen in the Human lands of Azmuuth. Hole tribes of male elves from White Wood Forest traveled to revenge the death of the two ambassadors, and the most widely known of the elvish princesses. A few Eldier warriors were also seen amidst the battles.

Although this was a formidable force, the humans had blunt battle tactics that seemed too rash to trigger the well and long thought out elvish traps. Strength of quick breeding on their side kept their numbers high as the elves slowly declined in numbers. Seeing their moment desperate, the Council of Seven even made treaties with some tribes of humanoids, who were previously their greatest enemy. One tribe of Orcs fought side by side the Knights of Dag'bodear, barely defeating a battalion of White Wood footmen, and Sun Elf Lizard Riders, winning the day for the finally rebuilt town.

Soon the Elvish forces, greatly reduced in numbers were pushed back deep within their homelands. The humans did not possess the strength to continue, but did end up with more land then they originally had. The Council of Seven, who now militarily controlled all of Azmuuth, ceded much land to the Orcs, and various other humanoids who had helped them during this onslaught. This debt was now considered repaid, and the humanoids were still not permitted in Dag'bodear, nor the rest of Azmuuth, excluding the half elves, who were allowed to stay, but secretly, and sometimes openly hated by most. Thusly in the year 210SR it is said that the War of the Stake came to a dreadful conclusion.

The Scholar Ramthies Carr recounts his vision.

Carr 211SR: This land is truly a dread Kingdom. I have lived all of my twenty years in this war plagued place, and have seen the falling of empires. However, never before in all my life, have I seen a war so wrong. The nation of Azmuuth has befriended its greatest enemy, and that is ignorance, which has truly been the door that welcomed the Siege of Shadows into this land with open arms. Before my very eyes I watched the Goodly Elves become bitter with hatred for mankind in this region. I have watched mankind's sworn aggressors stand beside them in a mockery of the legendary City of Light. I have seen twisted and despicable creatures known as the Eldier, who twist tales to make the kind hearted Orcx and Reptaur seem as monsters to reflect their outside ugliness. Can no one see that the so-called "Elf Kin" the Eldier are true evil incarnate? I've seen them murder Reptaur children who strayed to far from home, and stake their ruined bodies up for the world and their families to see. It is truly a dark time for Azmuuth… There is a light side that I can see lying beneath all this turmoil. The nation is so torn, as is the entire continent, that at least for now, there is no spirit for battle, nor are there the necessary resources to maintain any sized military campaign for the people of Suun. So ironic that it is through death and destruction that we finally find some measure of peace.

Aftermath, and Isolation

Many years after the Elf Wars, the Elves had regained a foothold and formed stronger defenses. Man was not permitted in the majority of the Elven nations, and though the newly elected Council of Seven removed the laws that denied non-humans the ability to reside or travel within Azmuuth, the commoners, who were for the most part human, still looked upon other races, particularly the elves with fear and hostility.

Common humans did not travel outside of their cities, or even homes for that matter, unless there was no avoiding it. The Nation of Azmuuth, which was founded in wartime, slowly became less unified, though it did still officially exist.

A semi feudal system evolved as lords loyal to the Council of Seven held leadership of the individual cities, towns, and villages. With little contact existing between humans and other races, or other races and other races for that matter, the distrust of each other dulled, but was present no less. Many of the Elves became more akin to their Sylvan cousins, in custom, and in regard for outsiders. The once civilized society of the Sun Elves decayed into a scattering of desert tribes loyal to their individual leaders.

Many humans who had settled outside of Azmuuth organized in similar goblinoid societies in which the strongest man would lead. They adopted the lifestyles and customs of many of the Humanoid tribes that they had fought alongside during the Elf Wars.

An area developed north of the Far Reaching Woods which was dominated almost wholly by human barbarian tribes. Meanwhile back in Azmuuth, a dark age seemed to settle in as a more advanced world was forgotten, and technologies were lost. Primitive religions seemed to flourish at this time, which were summarily corrected by the vary gods. By the year 313SR much of the history of the world and its origins had become akin to children's stories of ghosts and creatures beneath the bed. The nation of Azmuuth and its ruin was almost completely lost, as contact from the Council of Seven was a rare thing indeed. Rebuilt Dag'bodear is a city of massive proportions, which is built upon the ruins of original Dag'bodear, which was built upon the original colony of Dag'bodear.

Most of the ruins have yet to be discovered, and many secrets hide within. The town became dark, still ruled by the Council of Seven, who had become a reclusive lot, and ruled behind numerous local rulers that they had placed to be in charge of the cities' every day needs.

Many, many years passed by, and not much of significance happened in Azmuuth. Contact from the unsociable Council of Seven came to nil, as the dark years progressed the individual lords gained more power until they had separate warriors of their own, and now held authority without the presence of the Council of Seven.

Seven Powers for the Council

It was about this time (529sr) that the Seven Powers came into authority in Azmuuth, which by this time was more of a region, than a kingdom. The Council of Seven had all but disappeared, and Seven nobles came to surface in Azmuuth, each claiming to be the chosen successor of the council of seven. Coincidentally, these lords seemed to hold a monopoly over the lands of Azmuuth, and had a great number of followers separately. Since all seven of the lords claimed the right of succession, and similarly dismissed the right of succession of the other six, it seemed that the peoples of Azmuuth were destined for yet another senseless slaughter. Thankfully the toll of the Elf Wars were great, and none of the individual lords wished for such a confrontation.

The Seven met in secret and concluded that each of the sevens tales seemed genuine. That night in 530SR a treaty was signed in which all seven lords announced that each was to be proclaimed the rightful rulers of Azmuuth. They divided the region of Azmuuth into seven equal parts, each being ruled by one of the Seven. They also decided that they would continue to meet to discuss happenings of great importance to the region of Azmuuth. They imaginatively dubbed their council, The Council of Seven.

Dag'bodear

Lord Falcrum Kierst ruled over the region of Dag'bodear centering his capitol in the ancient city of the same name. Dag'bodear was located just west of the fishing village of LiirGondalin, which possessed the largest port in all of Azmuuth. When Lord Kierst took control of the region, the people greeted him with open arms, as he seemed to rule openly and fairly, yet unseen to all but the most trusted of his servants, was an operation primarily concerned with the build-up of his own personal wealth.

Lord Kierst's present successor (813sr) is Lady Jeeniliy Kierst who rules the kingdom in much the same way, as did he, with most of the Lands goings on kept secret from the general populace. Lady Kierst married into the line by the way of a young Lord Mar Kierst, who lived but two months succeeding the marriage. He was slain in the night by a guardsman under the influence of her grace, and summarily executed when it was proven that he was the culprit. Most suspect fowl play of the lady, yet nothing is said for the punishment is imprisonment for an indeterminate length of time. This is harshly enforced, and any who dare speak such ill words of Lady Kierst, are dealt with in the aforementioned way.

Morowmoon

His Lordship Miirgol Grecynor claimed the Land of Morowmoon as his own in 530SR. The servants of the land came under his control and he acquired the rights of the entire region. Nobles of various wealth levels were only permitted to retain holding by proclaiming themselves loyal to his lordship.

In the Thirty years in which Grecynor ruled Morowmoon the levels of homelessness, illegal prostitution, and crime came to levels previously unimaginable in the lands of Azmuuth, both in frequency and severity. He was seceded by his son Lord Miirgol Grecynor II, who mainly ignored the problems of the region, instead preferring to indulge in the fineries of the noble life.

It was not long before prominent thieves' guilds took control of the entire region. Notable were the two main guilds, The Unseen, and the Black Eye's Band. If anything was to be done in the region it must be done through the Thieves Guild's who struggled bitterly for control of Morowmoon. The Thieves Guild's did succeed in cleaning up the area vastly as crime (outside of the Guild) decreased rapidly and many brigands and murderers were dealt with by the Guilds.

The present heir (813sr) in control of Morowmoon is his lordship Miirgol Grecynor IV, who rules by frolicking with the rich, overtaxing the poor, and allowing the thieves guilds to battle each other in a bloody war for true control of the region of Morowmoon.

Muerdekeep

When Muerdekeep was claimed by Captain Sarowman, who formerly lead the guard of Dag'bodear, he first built a wall inclosing the area from the rest of Azmuuth. He then outlawed travel, short of trade, into Muerdekeep to keep out villagers and travelers from the other Six lands of Azmuuth. The captain built a great castle near the middle of Muerdekeep and moved the capital to Beillnoc.

He walled this city as well, with stone towers reaching four houses in the air, yet still allowed visage of the great castle which was positioned on an enormous hill inside the city. Lord Captain Sarowman settles all disputes in Beillnoc personally in his court, and expects all his vassals to do similarly in the towns and villages in which they rule.

There is no higher authority in Muerdekeep then any individual vassal in his lands, excluding of course Sarowman himself, who rarely travels out of Beillnoc, but is kept well informed of all the happenings in his land.

Muerdekeep has few large towns, and mostly consists of small villages. Muerdekeep is full of forests and mountains, and is truly the most beautiful of all the lands of Azmuuth. Primary in the culture of Muerdekeep is a great respect and worship of death, and the life cycle. The people are superstitious, and give proper respect to all whose lives come to an end. Their passing on is seen as a joyous occasion, and is celebrated as relatives wish their deceased onto great things in their next lifetime. The people strongly believe in reincarnation, and look forward to their next lives. In the year 813SR, Muerdekeep is still under the rule of Lord Captain Sarowman at the age of three hundred five, still living in his glorious castle in Beillnoc, Muerdekeep.

Darc Legion

Edwin Jhentarious Took control of the Darc Legion in 530sr and became its official ruler. Little is known of Jhentarious but the people don't seem to mind, as they are concerned with him about as much as he is they. Edwin Jhentarious was a powerful wizard with a history stretching back to 486CR.

Miir'deep Ranthean, once known as the Archmage of Dag'bodear disappeared with the death of the God-Mage Cyryllynese, and went into hiding to gain strength and wait for a proper time to emerge and begin to rebuild, as he had prophesized the destruction of the great nation of Dag'bodear.

He took refuge in an underground cavern in present day Darc and waited. He followed the movements of the original Council of Seven from its birth, and was responsible for the disappearance of the second Council of Seven. He tutored one of the members in the arts of spellcraft, only to slay him and take his position. When the second Council of Seven left succession to the Seven lords, he gave his lands to Edwin Jhentarious, who was in reality one of his many identities. From time to time he arranges for his own death, and "replaces" the proper heir and begins to rule once more. In this way he has become the most powerful Wizard in all of Suun, and his manipulations seem to stretch even to the lands of Talisham. Since his entrance into Lichdom He hasn't bothered to rule his people, and they are largely self-sufficient even to the present day (813sr).

Presently he rules under the name Chrondrath Vig VI.

Kiir'jor

Kiir'jor was claimed by a human woman by the name of Kiiera Kiir'jor. She was a young noble woman who had quite a large holding (Roughly one tenth of Azmuuth) and was adding to it every day when she received a letter from Gard Kiir'jor, who was her grandfather, and a member of the second Council of Seven. It asked her to meet him in private in a stated location outside of her lands.

She complied and met him only to discover it was actually a summons from the Council of Seven. There she was informed that she was to be heiress to the lands of Azmuuth, which she later claimed. In 530SR she took control of one seventh of Azmuuth after agreeing to split claim between the seven lords. She named her region after her family Kiir'jor and began her rule. Her land was a site of massive battle during the war of the elves and even today in 813SR there is much to rebuild. Kiir'jor is presently ruled by Geersip Kiir'jor. Presently the lands are probably the most culturally similar to the dark times of Azimuths' Dark Age. Few people leave their homes if it is not necessary, and many dangers await those that do.

Arcscawl Lake

Arcscawl Lake is named for the large salt lake, which is contained inside its center and is connected to the sea to the south through an underground salt river. Lord Rake Everfest claimed it in 530SR and became a member of the Third Council of Seven.

It is mainly uninhabited except for several rather large cites which dot its countryside, most importantly Arcscawl Keep on the bank of Arcscawl Lake. The individual towns were run by nobles who made a living by taxation and slave trade with Morowmoon. Most of the people had a decent life and their wealth level was higher then average for people in Azmuuth. In 714SR Slavery was outlawed by the then ruler Denton Everfest, but it continued illegally in most places, as the Lordship lost power and became mainly a figure head. Vecklim Everfest, son of Denton Everfest, presently rules Arcscawl Lake, and lives the life of an extremely rich and somewhat powerful man, but essentially a figurehead.

Region of Tispier

Argon Bane Claimed Tispier in 530SR as the seventh member of the Council of Seven. He took control of his land as would a king, yet under the name of a lord. He was only in control for about twenty years before a massive horde of Curr eliminated about half the population. Much of the land has grown wild and is under the control of the Curr, with high Curr mages in control. The other Six Lords have done nothing to help the growing situation. Today Tispier is ruled by one of Bane's descendents, Janis Bane, who lives in a fortified village in south Tispier. Despite the Curr threat the people of Tispier prosper to some degree, and harvest in a great number an herb called Argon-root which doesn’t grow outside of Tispier. It is a cash crop, which is used by many in drinks and medicine, as it is said to retard the affects of memory loss and bone pains associated with old age.

Azmuuth to the Present Date

Today Azmuuth seems to be enjoying a period of little change, and little threat of war (excluding of course Tispier). Its people trade readily with each other and many humans in other areas of Suun. They also trade hesitantly with many non-humans, especially the dwarves who make many highly skilled and valuable tools and weapons, even if outlandishly, and outrageously priced, partly do to the dwarves unwillingness to leave their mountain homes, in addition to the great skill of their wares. They have also improved their seamanship so much that travels between the continents is rather extensive and common place. There exists in Azmuuth a number of powerful war lords who wish to claim portions of Azmuuth as their own, yet none are powerful enough to dare challenge any of the third Council of Seven.

Geography and Environs

Azmuuth's geography is somewhat flat, being mostly plains and forests. Muerdekeep however enjoys a largely mountainous region and is slightly cooler then the rest of Azmuuth. The temperature stays relatively even in the hot months giving the people a semblance of stability. The people eat mostly wild game and harvested vegetables, but also enjoy a large amount of seafood fished from the Great Winged Sea to the south, and from Arcscawl Lake. The people are almost wholly descended from the inhabitants of the City of Light, in present day Talisham. Common Woodland creatures include Gray Wolves, Grey, Black and Brown Bears, Coyote, Rabbits, Mice and other rodents, many varieties of birds, and several herds of deer, elk, bison, buffalo, and antelope.