Dear Friends:
The southern continent was never meant to be united.
Harsh deserts, dense forests, and sheer mountains crisscross in all directions. The land was carved by scarcity. Its tribes, divided by blood, language, and centuries of enmity, warred for every speck of grain.
It took the iron will of Anton Kazirian to weld the Dragonlands into one empire.
And when Anton disappeared, the land fell back into chaos.
Out of the ruins of the Scourge, two powers emerged.
First came Blevenia, “the First,” forged by King Thon Bleven.
Then came Solantia, “the Second,” united by Emperor Taran Solant.
Tribal affiliation. Most Solantians hail from the dragon tribe, with their signature blue hair and wings. But the land is a patchwork. Silverdrakes, a silver-haired and winged offshoot of the tribe, live in the Far Coast—they are tall and willowy, with purple eyes, a peaceful people, isolated from the wars though not the schemes of the remainder. The ports of the Great Sea such as Zaldanport, Artanport, and Sivatrai, house traders from across the realms. The River Axis holds a substantial Aloi population, as do the free cities of Vetra and Arteva.
Language. The “Western” or “Artanian” tongue, often simply called “Solantian,” is spoken throughout the Empire, though the Silverdrakes of the Far Coast speak their own language, and Kazians of the Borderlands speak what remains of the ancient tongue.
Geography. Solantia should never have risen. It had few navigable rivers and a formidable mountain range dividing it. With harsh land, fractious lords, and a warrior people more feared than respected, it was regarded as backward—powerful only when hungry enough to take what it could not grow or buy.
Its best farmland lay in three distant and isolated regions: The Far Coast, famed for its wine, lay distant from the Solantian heartland. The River Axis was contested by the even more warlike Aloi. The Borderlands were fiercely contested and suspicious of outsiders.
- The Far Coast, famed for its wine, but distant from the Solantian heartland
- The River Axis, fertile and crisscrossed by the Spider River, but contested by the even more warlike Aloi
- The Borderlands, fiercely contested and suspicious of outsiders.
History. Emperor Artan Solant rose from tribal chieftain to warlord, expanding his realm west. He established the capital of Artania, and nearby seafaring city of Artanport to facilitate defense and trade. He turned the eastward outpost of Eltrazan into a military keystone and made Kazia—the name kept out of deference—into a duchy. However, suspicious of the Borderlands, he made Eltrazan, a city of Westerners, into the provincial capital.
The Borderlands never fully bent the knee. They kept to their old language, cling to ancient superstitions, and follow their own customs. Both the Blevenian and Solantian capitals regard them as backwards and insular, but their loyalty is to survival, not a throne. They ally with Solantia, for now…
Solantia stood a distant third behind Blevenia and Avicia. But then came the Black Moon War.
After years of mountain skirmishes, Agni Kazirian—then a newly-minted general—led a brutal campaign that broke Western Blevenia’s back. Almost ten years later, their lands still suffer drought and famine. Meanwhile, the Borderlands—and all of Solantia—has flourished. Its crops rich, its trade booming. The faithful call it divine favor. The ambitious call it opportunity.
Internal climate. The empire is a powder keg. Emperor Taran Solant, revered as warrior and sage, ruled unchallenged. But he is aging with no heir. Many watch for his final breath like a cat waiting to pounce.
Foremost is Duke Verlan Ristana, his top counselor, who weaves alliances with lord and merchant alike. Duke Rowan of the River Axis controls the grain that feeds the realm, and the border with Aloi, whose bands could tip the scales. Duke Hauran of Kazia plays at Verlan’s lapdog but would stand more to gain from a second war with Blevenia. Duke Danan of the Far Coast remains aloof but calculating. Minor lords plot to break the dukes’ hold on power.
And all of them watch Agni Kazirian. He holds no duchy, no seat at court…but the love of the people.
If Solantia fractures, the whole Mortal Realms might bleed. They may press claims to Blevenia, or even reparations from Avicia.
And beyond these mortal schemes, Anton Kazirian watches.
For the Borderlands,
Joe