Altara

     Altara lies between the more powerful nations of Illian and Amadicia.  Altara itself is barely a unified nation, with most Altarans preferring to refer to themselves as subjects of one noble or another.  The only reason Altara was not taken over during the Whitecloak War was the aid of Illian; Illian intervened only to maintain Altara as a buffer between Amadicia and itself.

     Altara is currently ruled by Queen Tylin, of House Mitsobar.  She is the second of the Mitsobar line to sit on the Throne of Winds.  If her son Beslan takes the throne, Mitsobar will be only the second house in a thousand years to hold the throne for more than two generations.

     The Altarans are a fierce, but polite, people.  This is most evident in the prevalence of dueling in Altaran culture.  Most men and women have participated in at least one duel by the time they reach adulthood, priding themselves on their courage.  As in many other countries, men duel over the rights to a woman, with the woman going to the victor.  Unique to Altara, though, is women dueling over men.  The death of a man at the hands of a woman is justified unless proven otherwise, which results in men treating these dangerous Altaran women with the utmost respect.

     Nowhere is the Altaran nature more evident than the capital city of Ebou Dar.  Ebou Dar is divided into two sections by the River Eldar.  The west side is filled palaces and large buildings.  All of these buildings are pale, made of white rock or lightly colored marble.  The west side of the city is surrounded by a large, thick wall.

     The east side of Ebou Dar is known as the Rahad.  The Rahad, poorer than the western portion of the city, is filled with lightly colored buildings, painted white to resemble the richer buildings on the opposite side of the river.  The streets are more likely to be alleys, and are filled with a much rougher population than the west side of the city.  Duels are an hourly occurrence, and those foolish enough to wear fine clothes into the Rahad are often killed for them.

     Altara is a nation weakened by a lack of unity, and is available for the taking by a nation powerful enough to seize it.

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