Type of government: Oligarchy
Title of leaders: Regals
A harsh and unforgiving land, the country of Notirot was originally declared its own sovereign state by General Richardson, a dissent leader from Distisil. After being commissioned by King Lionel to explore the land and inspect its land for potential conquest, General Richardson marched south with the intent of forming Distisil into the basis for a massive human empire. Instead of establishing new territories for Distisil, though, General Richardson simply sent back word to King Lionel that he was forming a new nation. This action quite disturbed the leaders of both Distisil and Istinis, though as other wars were brewing on the horizon, there wasn't much that could be done about it. For many years, as Notirot established itself, no one really knew what had happened.
Eventually, though, around one hundred years after its foundation, Notirot opened its borders for true and proper trade. And, gradually, the story began to unfold.
Thousands of years prior to proper human habitation, humanity had been born in the land of Donitor, across the mountains behind the Vamsick Desert. When they inadvertently gave birth to the plague of vampires and werewolves, they fled across the mountains and through the desert, calling upon the elves and the dwarves for help. This resulted in an extraordinary war that raged across the forlorn sands, costing thousands of lives. Eventually, the threat was declared expunged, and the armies withdrew to their respective countries.
When General Richardson marched down into the desert, he had only heard tales of this war. Upon arriving and almost immediately losing nearly all of his advance scouts to vampires living deep within the desert, he found himself faced with a deadly reality. Desperate to contain the creatures, he declared Notirot as its own state and barred anyone else from entering. From there, his army embarked on a war to eradicate the vampires from existence, with the plan to rededicate the lands of Notirot to Distisil. As the war continued to drag on with no end in sight and the aqahartis came down from Tifingor to join, an elderly Richardson was forced to realize that this was the simple reality of the land.
With reluctance, he reached out to the vampires of the desert. After some time, they signed a truce, the contents of which were never disclosed. However, as the foul creatures retreated within the sands, Richardson formally stepped down. In his place, a small group of individuals took his place, consisting of several army officials and a handful of civilian leaders. As the years have drug on, the families of these individuals have grown extraordinarily wealthy, governing Notirot from a pile of gold greater than nearly any other individuals in Calsin. While many on the outside look at the system as unfair, Notirot has one of the happiest populations in Calsin, a testament to the wisdom and watchful eyes of their regal overlords.
Icka
Built on the border of Notirot and Istinis, Icka was once little more than a military base intended to be used to launch deeper investigations into the jungle and desert. It continued to be primarily militant in nature, maintaining a steady supply of soldiers to keep an eye on Distisil and provide contact with the growing country. When the Regals finally opened Notirot for trade and travel, Icka became a hub for curious individuals seeking to learn what lay within the mysterious and forbidden sands. As such, it quickly became a prominent focal point of trade, and has remained prosperous to this day.
Ritovam
Founded before any other major city, Ritovam was a collaborative effort between General Richardson and Tifingor. The aqahartis were a relatively new species altogether, and their small country simply hadn't had time to prove themselves properly. When Xisis, leader of the aqahartis, sent envoys to General Richardson, he dismissed their pleas and elected to continue to focus on the vampiric wars. However, the individuals carrying the message back to Tifingor found nearly five thousand aqahartis standing on the edge of the desert, waiting.
The news intrigued Richardson, who was always on the lookout for allies against the vampires. Turning away such industrious and dedicated creatures would have been incredibly unwise, and he quickly sent troops to help them build up a new border city. While the aqahartis did most of the work, the soldiers guarded them, making it an even process.
As the city began to grow, the vampires became attracted to the newfound settlement. When they attacked and began to slaughter the aqahartis, General Richardson instructed his soldiers to take a step back and see what would happen. The results were astounding, as a veritable armada of aqahartis descended upon the city to drive off the undead. A pact was signed with Tifingor almost immediately, inviting aqahartis to enlist in the Notirot army, while an academy dedicated to fighting the undead rose from the sand within a matter of years.
Ondigor
Home to the palace of the Regals, Ondigor was built in the years following the truce between Richardson and the vampires. All prior attempts to build anything on the shifting sands had failed miserably, both due to the instability of the landscape and the vampire assaults. This time, though, no harm came, while powerful dwarven enchantments and human spells were used to stabilize the foundation. A powerful palace rose from the border, in a way, becoming a physical embodiment of the truce itself. Since then, it has been a popular location for the denizens of Notirot. The springs that bubble up from within the walls provide refreshment not found many other places in the desert, while treasure hunters seeking to uncover great fortune enjoy using it as a base.
It also stands as a place of great revelry for those who live there. Monthly parties thrown by the Regals draw thousands from across Notirot, bringing in great wealth for the city. Fruit trees, sustained by the same magic as the wells, provide incredible sources of food only rivaled by the gardens of Elsinor. Of course, it isn't easy to afford a house in Ondigor. Simply renting an apartment for a month costs as much as a year's salary in other locations. That said, the people who are wealthy enough to purchase such an extravagance have all declared their lack of regret.
Dinou
As Ondigor began to flourish, the borders were officially opened for the nations of the world to come in. Aqahartis had already had a unique relationship with Notirot, but were now allowed to explore the country far more freely. Filled with joy and an unhealthy curiosity, swarms of aqahartis rushed across the open lands, angling for the as-yet unexplored jungles. Upon entering, hundreds of the explorers were slaughtered by the beasts within, but this only encouraged more aqahartis to come down, very much against the wishes of the leadership of Tifingor.
Eventually, as more and more aqahartis flooded into the jungle, they began to drive the monsters back and make the land their own. A particularly beautiful location became a center for the explorers there, a large cliff from which a waterfall poured from a cave about halfway up. The subsequent river down below was dammed up, forming a large lake in the jungle trees. Buildings were constructed both above and below the waters, forming a city unique outside of Tifingor.
Ondin
More of an expansion of Ondigor than anything else, the wealthy and high-class society from across Calsin flocked to the city as it gained notoriety. Before long, the city was overflowing. Not wanting to present such a disgraced image to the outside world, the Regals commissioned the construction of Ondin as a sort-of suburb. It was close enough to ride in for the festivities, close enough to be associated, but not so close as to clutter the view.
Despite its rather selfish origin, it quickly became a hotbed for people who either couldn't afford space in Ondigor or simply weren't quite high-class enough to join the crowd that surrounded the Regals. To this day, it remains as one of the highest-class locations in Calsin. This has caused a series of small class wars between the two cities, most of which have been resolved bloodlessly or through the blood of hired mercenaries.
Drint
A natural expansion of Dinou, Drint was formed as the aqahartis rapidly began to overflow their city. Not wanting to move back to the sands of the desert and enjoying their freedom from the far stricter high priests of Tifingor, they began to push deeper into the jungle. Once more, the jungle pushed back, resulting in a furious war that lasted nearly a decade as aqahartis soldiers, along with humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, or anyone else who wanted to join, fought to secure a new haven within the trees.
Eventually, a location was discovered that showed a great deal of promise. It was a large pit surrounded by high rocky crags, well-protected from the surrounding jungles. Construction of the city took quite some time, but the brave adventurers were more than willing to bear the burden. Soon, stone buildings rose nearly to the level of the jungle trees while roads were marked out and secured through the jungle.
It should be noted that, as word of Drint's formation reached the ears of the Regals, they collectively issued a warning that no further cities would be allowed to be built without their expressed permission, and that Drint would stand as the boundary line of Notirot. It wasn't clear why they offered this warning, but it's quite certain that the aqahartis of the jungle only obey this edict in an official capacity, as dozens of smaller villages fill the jungle while the aqahartis continue to expand.
Sounou
The final city built up in Notirot, Sounou was a bit of an abnormality. Coastal trade, while not unheard-of, was and continues to be quite difficult in Calsin. On the eastern shores, the vast majority of the coastline belongs to orcs, vampires, and giants, while the waters themselves are inhabited by extremely aggressive merfolk.. Nevertheless, many have made attempts to establish solid trade routes. Nearly five hundred years after Notirot's formation, letters arrived from King Jof of Sintison that he wished to establish a seafaring trade route that would travel between Sintison, Tifingor, and Notirot. The Regals at the time thought that it was a bad idea, as travel over land was far superior, but they agreed to give it a shot. As trade routes were mapped out and boats were tested, construction workers and building materials were shipped over the sands to the proposed location of the city.
This entire plan proved just as disastrous as one might imagine. It took the better part of a decade before a fleet of ten ships launched from Sintison, sailing down the coastline to bring food and materials to the settlers of Sounou. At the same time, the same number of resources were sent down over land, to determine which would truly be faster and more efficient. While sending the materials over land proved to be far more expensive than over sea, and several wagons were lost to bandits, the inexperienced sailors lost all but one ship in the fleet and arrived nearly two weeks after the wagons. One was sunk almost immediately by a cyclopes as they circled Gintor, three more fell to the orcs as they passed those nations. A storm subsequently blew up and capsized another, then a seventh was blown onto the orcish shores and sacked. In an attempt to steer away, the three remaining ships sailed for deeper waters, only to become lost and run afoul of the merfolk. When the single surviving ship arrived, the sailors all got off and refused to ever set foot in the water again.
While the Regals were prepared to cut their losses and withdraw official support from Sounou at this point, the settlers who had already spent a decade there refused to leave. The Regals reluctantly allowed for it, and the settlers subsequently built up a castle and have lived there ever since. A hearty and resilient people without almost no contact with the larger country of Notirot, the people of Sounou are true survivalists, indeed.
Title of leaders: Regals
A harsh and unforgiving land, the country of Notirot was originally declared its own sovereign state by General Richardson, a dissent leader from Distisil. After being commissioned by King Lionel to explore the land and inspect its land for potential conquest, General Richardson marched south with the intent of forming Distisil into the basis for a massive human empire. Instead of establishing new territories for Distisil, though, General Richardson simply sent back word to King Lionel that he was forming a new nation. This action quite disturbed the leaders of both Distisil and Istinis, though as other wars were brewing on the horizon, there wasn't much that could be done about it. For many years, as Notirot established itself, no one really knew what had happened.
Eventually, though, around one hundred years after its foundation, Notirot opened its borders for true and proper trade. And, gradually, the story began to unfold.
Thousands of years prior to proper human habitation, humanity had been born in the land of Donitor, across the mountains behind the Vamsick Desert. When they inadvertently gave birth to the plague of vampires and werewolves, they fled across the mountains and through the desert, calling upon the elves and the dwarves for help. This resulted in an extraordinary war that raged across the forlorn sands, costing thousands of lives. Eventually, the threat was declared expunged, and the armies withdrew to their respective countries.
When General Richardson marched down into the desert, he had only heard tales of this war. Upon arriving and almost immediately losing nearly all of his advance scouts to vampires living deep within the desert, he found himself faced with a deadly reality. Desperate to contain the creatures, he declared Notirot as its own state and barred anyone else from entering. From there, his army embarked on a war to eradicate the vampires from existence, with the plan to rededicate the lands of Notirot to Distisil. As the war continued to drag on with no end in sight and the aqahartis came down from Tifingor to join, an elderly Richardson was forced to realize that this was the simple reality of the land.
With reluctance, he reached out to the vampires of the desert. After some time, they signed a truce, the contents of which were never disclosed. However, as the foul creatures retreated within the sands, Richardson formally stepped down. In his place, a small group of individuals took his place, consisting of several army officials and a handful of civilian leaders. As the years have drug on, the families of these individuals have grown extraordinarily wealthy, governing Notirot from a pile of gold greater than nearly any other individuals in Calsin. While many on the outside look at the system as unfair, Notirot has one of the happiest populations in Calsin, a testament to the wisdom and watchful eyes of their regal overlords.
Icka
Built on the border of Notirot and Istinis, Icka was once little more than a military base intended to be used to launch deeper investigations into the jungle and desert. It continued to be primarily militant in nature, maintaining a steady supply of soldiers to keep an eye on Distisil and provide contact with the growing country. When the Regals finally opened Notirot for trade and travel, Icka became a hub for curious individuals seeking to learn what lay within the mysterious and forbidden sands. As such, it quickly became a prominent focal point of trade, and has remained prosperous to this day.
Ritovam
Founded before any other major city, Ritovam was a collaborative effort between General Richardson and Tifingor. The aqahartis were a relatively new species altogether, and their small country simply hadn't had time to prove themselves properly. When Xisis, leader of the aqahartis, sent envoys to General Richardson, he dismissed their pleas and elected to continue to focus on the vampiric wars. However, the individuals carrying the message back to Tifingor found nearly five thousand aqahartis standing on the edge of the desert, waiting.
The news intrigued Richardson, who was always on the lookout for allies against the vampires. Turning away such industrious and dedicated creatures would have been incredibly unwise, and he quickly sent troops to help them build up a new border city. While the aqahartis did most of the work, the soldiers guarded them, making it an even process.
As the city began to grow, the vampires became attracted to the newfound settlement. When they attacked and began to slaughter the aqahartis, General Richardson instructed his soldiers to take a step back and see what would happen. The results were astounding, as a veritable armada of aqahartis descended upon the city to drive off the undead. A pact was signed with Tifingor almost immediately, inviting aqahartis to enlist in the Notirot army, while an academy dedicated to fighting the undead rose from the sand within a matter of years.
Ondigor
Home to the palace of the Regals, Ondigor was built in the years following the truce between Richardson and the vampires. All prior attempts to build anything on the shifting sands had failed miserably, both due to the instability of the landscape and the vampire assaults. This time, though, no harm came, while powerful dwarven enchantments and human spells were used to stabilize the foundation. A powerful palace rose from the border, in a way, becoming a physical embodiment of the truce itself. Since then, it has been a popular location for the denizens of Notirot. The springs that bubble up from within the walls provide refreshment not found many other places in the desert, while treasure hunters seeking to uncover great fortune enjoy using it as a base.
It also stands as a place of great revelry for those who live there. Monthly parties thrown by the Regals draw thousands from across Notirot, bringing in great wealth for the city. Fruit trees, sustained by the same magic as the wells, provide incredible sources of food only rivaled by the gardens of Elsinor. Of course, it isn't easy to afford a house in Ondigor. Simply renting an apartment for a month costs as much as a year's salary in other locations. That said, the people who are wealthy enough to purchase such an extravagance have all declared their lack of regret.
Dinou
As Ondigor began to flourish, the borders were officially opened for the nations of the world to come in. Aqahartis had already had a unique relationship with Notirot, but were now allowed to explore the country far more freely. Filled with joy and an unhealthy curiosity, swarms of aqahartis rushed across the open lands, angling for the as-yet unexplored jungles. Upon entering, hundreds of the explorers were slaughtered by the beasts within, but this only encouraged more aqahartis to come down, very much against the wishes of the leadership of Tifingor.
Eventually, as more and more aqahartis flooded into the jungle, they began to drive the monsters back and make the land their own. A particularly beautiful location became a center for the explorers there, a large cliff from which a waterfall poured from a cave about halfway up. The subsequent river down below was dammed up, forming a large lake in the jungle trees. Buildings were constructed both above and below the waters, forming a city unique outside of Tifingor.
Ondin
More of an expansion of Ondigor than anything else, the wealthy and high-class society from across Calsin flocked to the city as it gained notoriety. Before long, the city was overflowing. Not wanting to present such a disgraced image to the outside world, the Regals commissioned the construction of Ondin as a sort-of suburb. It was close enough to ride in for the festivities, close enough to be associated, but not so close as to clutter the view.
Despite its rather selfish origin, it quickly became a hotbed for people who either couldn't afford space in Ondigor or simply weren't quite high-class enough to join the crowd that surrounded the Regals. To this day, it remains as one of the highest-class locations in Calsin. This has caused a series of small class wars between the two cities, most of which have been resolved bloodlessly or through the blood of hired mercenaries.
Drint
A natural expansion of Dinou, Drint was formed as the aqahartis rapidly began to overflow their city. Not wanting to move back to the sands of the desert and enjoying their freedom from the far stricter high priests of Tifingor, they began to push deeper into the jungle. Once more, the jungle pushed back, resulting in a furious war that lasted nearly a decade as aqahartis soldiers, along with humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, or anyone else who wanted to join, fought to secure a new haven within the trees.
Eventually, a location was discovered that showed a great deal of promise. It was a large pit surrounded by high rocky crags, well-protected from the surrounding jungles. Construction of the city took quite some time, but the brave adventurers were more than willing to bear the burden. Soon, stone buildings rose nearly to the level of the jungle trees while roads were marked out and secured through the jungle.
It should be noted that, as word of Drint's formation reached the ears of the Regals, they collectively issued a warning that no further cities would be allowed to be built without their expressed permission, and that Drint would stand as the boundary line of Notirot. It wasn't clear why they offered this warning, but it's quite certain that the aqahartis of the jungle only obey this edict in an official capacity, as dozens of smaller villages fill the jungle while the aqahartis continue to expand.
Sounou
The final city built up in Notirot, Sounou was a bit of an abnormality. Coastal trade, while not unheard-of, was and continues to be quite difficult in Calsin. On the eastern shores, the vast majority of the coastline belongs to orcs, vampires, and giants, while the waters themselves are inhabited by extremely aggressive merfolk.. Nevertheless, many have made attempts to establish solid trade routes. Nearly five hundred years after Notirot's formation, letters arrived from King Jof of Sintison that he wished to establish a seafaring trade route that would travel between Sintison, Tifingor, and Notirot. The Regals at the time thought that it was a bad idea, as travel over land was far superior, but they agreed to give it a shot. As trade routes were mapped out and boats were tested, construction workers and building materials were shipped over the sands to the proposed location of the city.
This entire plan proved just as disastrous as one might imagine. It took the better part of a decade before a fleet of ten ships launched from Sintison, sailing down the coastline to bring food and materials to the settlers of Sounou. At the same time, the same number of resources were sent down over land, to determine which would truly be faster and more efficient. While sending the materials over land proved to be far more expensive than over sea, and several wagons were lost to bandits, the inexperienced sailors lost all but one ship in the fleet and arrived nearly two weeks after the wagons. One was sunk almost immediately by a cyclopes as they circled Gintor, three more fell to the orcs as they passed those nations. A storm subsequently blew up and capsized another, then a seventh was blown onto the orcish shores and sacked. In an attempt to steer away, the three remaining ships sailed for deeper waters, only to become lost and run afoul of the merfolk. When the single surviving ship arrived, the sailors all got off and refused to ever set foot in the water again.
While the Regals were prepared to cut their losses and withdraw official support from Sounou at this point, the settlers who had already spent a decade there refused to leave. The Regals reluctantly allowed for it, and the settlers subsequently built up a castle and have lived there ever since. A hearty and resilient people without almost no contact with the larger country of Notirot, the people of Sounou are true survivalists, indeed.
