Atlas

Imarel Travel Guide - by T.A. Saunders ©2010 v1.2

Farwind The Sovereignty of Anthalas Annex

Anthalas (Southern Capital)

Anthalas has played an integral part in the fortunes of both the Shar'Vaire Empire and of Imarel as a whole. Initially, Anthalas was founded as a port city and the place the ruling Theocrats decided to build the first airship yards. While a wealthy enough city in the ancient times, it didn't hold the prestige of D'Mir, or later even Farwind. A great deal of commerce occurred in Anthalas in those days and with the Shar'Vaire conducting much in the way of dimensional travel to alternate prime planes, Anthalas became a hub for visiting wizards and magi from hundreds of different realms.

When the War of the Betrayers began with the burning of Mithrys, Anthalas received many of her refugees and a great sense of vengeance to see justice done upon the Dragons who began the war. Working tirelessly in secret, many of these same refugees pitched in at the airship yards, to get the first of these vessels ready to meet the threat of the Dragons. By the time the Dragons were routed at the Battle of D'Mir, Anthalas and her airships were ready to meet the call to war.

Many centuries later, at the conclusion of the War of the Eternals, Anthalas was made the new capital of what remained of the Shar'Vaire people, by edict of Mourne Dur'lane and his immortal Enforcers. Since that time, Anthalas has grown in power and prestige to the heights of which were seen in D'Mir, in its heyday with vaulting spires of ivory, whole buildings afloat on the skyline and the immense Anthalas School of Magic looming in the midst of the city like a great hub of knowledge. Anthalas is known for her airship yards and School of Magic certainly, but people also tend to forget the great many seafood dishes that come from Anthalas and the discerning Shar'Vaire palette. Also, Anthalas is known for housing some of the greatest Shar'Vaire smiths, including Mourne's son, Darechon Dur'lane.

Damaria

Damaria is an example of a city that had been destroyed during the War of the Eternals, infested with demons and undead of all sorts, then rescued by a reclamation effort started by Mourne Dur'lane as he fought to reassemble what remained of the Shar'Vaire people. The city itself was once a great city of arts and knowledge for the Shar'Vaire before infighting there with various factions, then the cataclysmic destruction of D'Mir forced Damaria to be abandoned as well. The unchained fiends that roamed unchecked destroyed what remained.

Intent on salvaging his people's quickly dwindling heritage, Mourne set his Enforcers to take the city at all costs from the demons that occupied it. In a series of battles that lasted over seven years, the city was finally cleansed of its demonic usurpers. With so much damage and loss, there was indeed very little salvage for the Enforcers, save what they found hidden deep in cellars and in hidden caches throughout the city.

Today, Damaria a war machine city, where many Shar'Vaire soldiers and their families live on the edge of the Burning Lands. It is from here that many forages into the wastes are launched in the ongoing effort to purge the Burning Lands of the infernal evil and heal the land the Shar'Vaire themselves once destroyed with reckless disregard. Damaria also serves as a favorite place for powerful adventuring parties and treasure hunters to use as a waypoint between runs into the Ruins of D'Mir in hopes to strike it rich with an ancient Shar'Vaire relic.

Las Entranras

Known as the City of Fortune and City of Fools by some, Las Entranras is another city on the edge of the Burning Lands, but was spared most of the destruction that other cities in the old Empire faced. The monikers it has earned come from the bevy of treasure hunters, gamblers and cutthroats that call it home. Several gambling houses and mining companies have also sprung up around Las Entranras because of this. Also, Quar'Vess and Shar'Vaire archeologists from the the Schools of Magic in Farwind and Anthalas often use Las Entranras as a base of operations for their digs in the Burning Lands.

The population of the city consists mostly of Shar'Vaire, a handful of Quar'Vess and more than a few Tashrani and Half-Shar'Vaire sired with Tashrani people. In many ways, the city reflects a bit of the flavor of Tashran, while maintaining a clear Shar'Vaire identity. While the laws themselves are strict, as they are throughout the sovereignty, here on the fringe of the wastes, things tend to be a bit more lax.

Las Entranras is best known for its free-wheeling society, loose morals and the vast amount of boromandite, starmetal and other precious ores it exports. The Burning Lands is rich with deposits deep in abandoned mines originally created in the age of the Old Empire. These mines have been overrun by all manner of fiends, so it has become a very lucrative business for powerful enough adventuring bands to escort these mining companies into these abandoned mines.

The Ruins of D'Mir

While no longer a city populated by living Shar'Vaire, it is still a part of the Sovereignty and considered under Shar'Vaire control. Control however is an operative term, considering the city itself is infested with the presence of many extremely powerful undead and infernal beings that not only fight amongst themselves, but will gladly turn upon anybody foolish enough to enter this city.

While the whole of the Burning Lands is considered a no-man's land with wandering fiends, sorcerous abominations and worse, D'Mir is the central point of such darkness. Within the city itself is rumored to be a permanent portal to the Hells that perpetually corrupts and withers the land. Those who have ventured to D'Mir's gates describe it as Hell on Imarel realized; a twisted portrait of its vast glory, with the skies around it stained as black as sack cloth and never enjoy the light of the sun. It is said that D'Mir is so far from the grace of the Old Gods, that the powers of their devout are actually diminished here in the face of such great Evil.

Ra'Vash

 The city of Ra'Vash is a fairly new city in the Sovereignty, having been founded by the refugees of D'Mir when it fell at the conclusion of the War of the Eternals. Much of the historical, artistic and cultural lore of the Shar'Vaire people can be found here, much of it having come with the refugees that fled the city when the Voraath sacked it.

While not a large city by any means, it does maintain some of the ancient architectural styles from the Old Empire with vertical spires of smooth ivory, with exotic designs and brilliantly done stonework. It is the home of the Turin es Masare, or Museum of the Past. Within this grand structure, amongst other treasures is a flawlessly reconstructed Shar'Vaire Wind Cutter and the Sun of D'Mir, a priceless relic that used to float over the city and moderate the weather, so it was never too cold, or windy or rainy.

Ra'Vash is known for its tourist business, its lore-seekers and its secrets. Some whisper Ra'Vash not only houses many of the cultural treasures of the old Shar'Vaire Empire but many of its sorcerous secrets as well, that are by royal order kept hidden deep within secret chambers under the museum, should there ever be a day that terrible knowledge is needed again.

Kasha

 Of the cities of the Sovereignty, Kasha is most reflective of who the Shar'Vaire have become as a people, versus where they have been. Like Ra'Vash, Kasha is a newer city, constructed after the War of the Eternals. The population is mostly Shar'Vaire with a good many Quar'Vess mingled throughout. There are some Humans of Tashrani descent within the city's population, but what makes Kasha so interesting is, there are Moon Elves that live under Shar'Vaire rule.

These Tallis-Shei are more liberal-minded than their ilk and seek to learn from the Shar'Vaire culture, recognizing that their own Sivanoshei ancestors are not without their own blights upon their histories. They also break from tradition in that they have chosen to study magics normally forbidden to their by Elvish culture, such as Necromancy which is accepted as normal sorcerous study in Anthalas. These liberal-minded Tallis-Shei refer to themselves as Kasha-Shei, or Elves of Kasha and while they do maintain faith in the Old Gods, they are at best scorned by their Tallis-Shei peers and threatened with death or worse by the Shei-Toru of Vale.

Kasha is known for its production of Starweave, a fabric manufactured by a highly guarded process that allows the cloth to store and gather Mana. Because of this ability, it is the fabric of choice amongst spell- casters for their robes and most importantly for the masts of airships. Because of this trade alone, Kasha is considered a boom town and enjoys great wealth and prosperity. Kasha is a very liberal-minded city as well and is often the staging ground for political protests and rallies against the policies of the Farwind government.

New D'Mir

 Often referred to as the Star of the South, New D'Mir is a city of both impressive cultural preservation and vast excess. There was a great debate in the Sovereignty several hundred years ago, whether the city now known as Ra'Vash or this city that was once known as Zaj'Dana was to be renamed New D'Mir in honor of the fallen capital of the Shar'Vaire people. While Ra'Vash managed to preserve much of the lore, knowledge and cultural relics, Zaj'Dana had been, with the help of House Orah and House Vujaii, able to preserve whole buildings and statues from the city, even as D'Mir burned. Because of this (and with two of the three Noble houses of the Shar'Vaire claiming this city as home) Zaj'Dana took the name New D'Mir.

While the political seat of power is in Farwind, New D'Mir is seat of lavish excess and frolic for the Shar'Vairian nobility. When not at the Anthalaen court, many nobles can be found here enjoying the weather, the nearby sea and generally any kind of debauchery the mind can imagine. The population is almost exclusively Shar'Vaire or Quar'Vess with a few Tashrani servants, pleasure slaves and performers that have come here to seek their fortunes.

While there is a thriving tourist business from travelers seeking to see some of the Old Empire splendor without risking a walk in the Burning Lands, it is well known that the Shar'Vaire here tolerate Humans and Half Elves, but all other races are given the upturn of the nose. Elves, Dragons and Voraath would be best advised to stay clear of this city, unless traveling with Quar'Vess or Shar'Vaire companions; many of these Shar'Vaire have the heart of the Old Empire still beating in their chest and have little qualms about writing the edicts of such things in the blood of an Elf or Dragon.

The Sunken City of Jas'Rasa

 Like D'Mir, while no living Shar'Vaire populates this city of the Old Empire. Dating back to the days of the Asyndi before The Curse, Jas'Rasa was thought to have held the only architecture, lore, art and sorcerous knowledge from the time when the Asyndi were still the chosen children of the Old Gods. However most these treasures have for the most part been long since plundered or ravaged by Time.

Or have they?

Jas'Rasa fell during the great battle between Zorah and Gurhjuua the Witchflame, sinking both the city and a sizable portion of what would become the continent of Tal'Rah below the waves. While true that a great deal of the Asyndi lore of that twilight time was destroyed, ransacked by treasure hunters or weathered by age, it is rumored that there are still pockets of undiscovered treasure and relics ripe for the taking for somebody brave and clever enough to reach them. Of course, the spirits of long dead Asyndi are said to protect their city still, locked in a battle that has never stopped for them. Other, more sinister things sleep in the darkest depth of the submerged city as well…things so terrible that their names cannot be spoken aloud.

In reality, Jas'Rasa is occupied by a rare race of merfolk, known as Xalayi. They use the folklore of the place to be left alone for the most part from curious diver and treasure hunter alike. that isn't to say there aren't still ghosts, but the Xalayi know where to go to avoid them as well.

Lyr'Kana

 The city of Lyr'Kana is an old and proud city that survived a great deal of the destruction handed out during the Cataclysm of D'Mir. Many of her buildings are throwbacks to a time when the Shar'Vaire ruled much of Imarel, with lofty ivory towers ringed with ivy and streets paved with polished marble. While small in comparison to many cities of the Sovereignty, it makes up for its size with its sheer splendor of appearance. Aside of skirmishes with the Wild Elves and Humans to their immediate north and the occasional wandering terror from the Burning Lands, life in Lyr'Kana is mostly peaceful.

Like all cities in the republic, Lyr'Kana is run by a lord or a governor appointed by the council. Unlike other cities in the this part of the republic however, Lyr'Kana's lord is not Shar'Vaire, but a Quar'Vessian aristocrat named Lord Bryn Kyssar that subscribes to the Shar'Vairian philosophy of Asyndi supremacy over all life on Imarel, versus the Asyndi nurturing of all life on Imarel philosophy that most Quar'Vess believe. While not especially popular in the Kingdom of Farwind, Lord Kyssar has been more than welcomed amongst the Traditionalists and Theocrats of Anthalas.

Lyr'Kana's main attraction is its comfortable proximity to the Burning Lands for treasure hunters that prefer to be a little further back from the danger and Traditionalist Shar'Vaire that enjoy hunting Elves and capturing Humans as pets. Indeed, this city's main export is not surprisingly, human slaves.

K'Sora

 Like a phoenix from the ashes, K'Sora is one of the most recently recovered cities from the ashes of D'Mir's destruction. A direct result of former Sovereign Chance Reign Dur'lane campaign to reclaim sections of the Burning Lands, K'Sora up until five years ago was infested with powerful undead. After several decades of fighting and purging the city of its filth, the effort of re-population has begun. For obvious reasons, the city is very pristine and new with primarily the families of Shar'Vaire marines and scholars settling here, with a few Quar'Vess and Humans that have taken interest in the rebuilding effort.

K'Sora attracts those who are looking for a new beginning and new opportunities. With the ground finally able to sustain crops and livestock again, Shar'Vairian farmers have begun eagerly tilling the soil around the small, pleasant-looking city. There are disreputable types that wander through this city however, looking to score on a dug-up piece of Shar'Vaire history or take advantage of people trying to get established in their new home.