Kingdoms of Vasteras

Vasteras' known lands are divided among three contenents: the Western Lands, the Eastern Lands and the more recently discovered A'an A'an Zuk. There are also a handful of island kingdoms. Scholars debate whether the world is a sphere or a flat plane. Two moons share the sky overhead.

Before the game begins, you will need to select a kingdom of origin. You will start the game in the kingdom of Eshkad, which has numerous port cities. As a result, you can conceivably be a traveler from anywhere, seeking fame and fortune or to escape tyranny and retribution. As the action gets underway, you will be in a caravan traveling from the port city of Varmar to the boom town of Cirmar.

Ain Yin: Although people of Ain Yin can be found all over the globe as merchants, sorcerers and scientists, few outsiders have actually set foot on this ancient and powerful island kingdom. Ain Yin is known for its ancient civilization which has left many marks on the people and cultures of the West. Possessing a powerful navy and unsurpassed skill in shipbuilding, the kingdom trades regularly with other lands, but outside of commerce, its people are secretive and distrustful of outsiders. Indeed, many think them to be an entirely separate race from humanity � although one with shared ancestors. Its main city, Kam Ji, is said to be constructed of iron and ominous black stone and is ruled by a sorcerer king of immense power. Its people have their own pantheon of gods and a religion that embraces the dispassionate cruelty of nature. Their chief god, Dhol, also is worshiped in slightly different form across the West.

Varl: Located near the top of the Eastern World is Varl, a barbaric land of ice and volcanic mountains that is largely cut off from the rest of the continent. Its people tend to be large and sturdy, and are skilled hunters and seafarers. Although some warlike tribes of Varl have mounted raids on island kingdoms and villages along the coast of Bakshaan, most seem content to stay within their frigid realm. Varl's people are ruled by a royal family in the coastal city of Mogaard, but each tribal area has its own laws and customs. Many Varl expatriates are mercenaries or sea traders. They largely worship the Hunting god Olorun.

Eshkad: With its rich farmland and lengthy coastline, Eshkad is one of the most prosperous of the Eastern Kingdoms. Its people have been open to an influx of outsiders, and consequently have developed a variety of useful trades and constructed some of the largest and most vibrant cities on the continent. Varmar, on Eshkad�s southernmost tip, is perhaps the largest metropolis in the known world and central to its trade routes. However, its other coastal cities, including Jakmar and Cirmar, have become recent boom towns. One of the largest known Elven cities, Nargis, is located in the forest running along the border of Eshkad and Bakshaan. People here worship a wide variety of gods. Eshkad is ruled by Empress Zorxalia, whose kin control the various fiefdoms that make up the region.

Daar: Said to be both the birthplace of both the Dwarven and Orcish races, Daar is a rough, mountainous area that has been racked with conflict for hundreds of years. Few humans try to live here, as its rocky land isn�t well suited to farming or easy travel, and roaming parties of orcs and other subhumans largely hold sway here. The subhumans� constant intertribal warfare has prevented it from making economic or technological advances. Dwarves, however, have ancient subterranean strongholds in the eastern part of the territory, even if many have left its confines in search of safer dwelling places. Dwarves largely worship Moradin, while the subhuman creatures of Daar worship a wide variety of evil and chaotic deities.

The Toiling Lands: Sparsely populated and largely inhospitable, the Toiling Lands are lawless, frontier areas. Its natives are small, wiry people who eke out a meager existence as hunter gatherers or herdsmen. They live in small groups and seem content in avoiding outsiders. Some from the western part of the continent have moved into the Toiling Lands to farm, mine or escape civilization, but their settlements are few. Bandit riders are said to roam the expanse, taking advantage of its lawless state. Natives of the Toiling Lands worship Zawina, a goddess of fertility and nature.

Bakshaan: Rich in farmland and resources, Bakshaan has become a thriving community of commerce and trade. Caravans pass between its cities and those of Eshkad, and its ports regularly host ships from Ain Yin, Laut and virtually every other kingdom. Its capital city of Bringarl is one of the largest cities in the Eastern Lands, and holds the castle of powerful King Imrin, commander of the largest army on the continent. The Hemm Forest, which runs along its border with Eshkad is home to numerous elves, and Mehfil, the largest known community of halflings is due north of the forest. Bakshaan�s eastern border with the Toiling Lands, however, is more dangerous. Ancient Zeth, known as the city of thieves, has fallen under criminal control and become a safe harbor to bandits, rogues and beggars of all stripe. And along the north, near the Rust Mountains, dark elves are believed to have developed underground cities.

Laut: Laut is an ancient island kingdom with customs and beliefs that vary greatly from the rest of the Eastern Lands. Long cut off from outsiders, they have developed their own magic and a confusing pantheons of over 5,000 gods, many of whom seem to be amalgams of human and animal or human and plant. Its people are awash in color, dying their hair and beards and adorning themselves with intricate tattoos. Its cities, such as the capital of Kinjj, are chaotic and sprawling urban centers with impossibly high towers and intricate architecture. The people of Laut have thrived as traders, artisans, inventors, wizards and alchemists, although their chaotic ways leave many on the Western Continent distrustful of them. What�s more, their island has become so overpopulated that it now must import many natural resources from Eshkad and Bakshaan.

Steppes of Thio: Located along the top of the Western Lands, the plains of Thio are home to nomadic horse clans known as fierce warriors and raiders. Squat and sturdy with blunt features, the barbarians of Thio are among the most vicious of human combatants. Many shove beads or bone fragments under their skin to form decorative ridges or bumps in their faces, and some in the northern part of the region are even reputed to eat the flesh of their enemies. Despite their vicious reputation, some Thioans work in other parts of the world as horse trainers or mercinaries. They have their own pantheon of deities, the most widely known of which is Cec Lo, a horse-headed god of war.

Chanzan: Descended from the same genetic stock as the residents of Thio, the people of Chanzan have developed a largely agrarian society ruled over by feudal lords. The revered emporer, Quanthok, rules with an iron fist and commands a powerful army, largely used to deter the Thio clans from raiding and destroying its villages and croplands. Groups of elves and gnomes are said to inhabit the woods and mountains in the south of the country, while the coast is dotted with large trading cities. The people of Chanzan are strong warriors since many have been drafted to serve in the Emporer�s army. Many in Chanzan revere the deity Hwan, the Lord of Law, and monks and clerics devoted to the god have traveled the globe evangelizing for him.

Grey Marshes: Rumored to have been the site of an ancient civilization before vast cosmic changes altered the planet�s weather, the Grey Marshes are now largely inhospitable stretches of swampland. Troglodytes, ogres and other monsters and subhuman creatures have settlements in the bog, but few humans or demi-humans have bothered to settle there. Compounding the marshes' frightening repuation are rumors that vast armies of undead � former residents of the cities that once stood there � roam its deepest reaches.

Tourketh: Tourketh is comprised mostly of desert to the north and the Teeth of Varak mountain range along its southern border. The desert region is spotted with ancient nomadic tribes that maintain an uneasy truce with a royal family of mages that reside in cities hewn into the cliff walls in the southern moutainous region. Caravan routes cut through the desert to the coast from the Blue Kingdom to the West and provide work for some of the region�s warriors, scouts and guides. Races of desert gnomes and desert dwarves are said to reside in underground lairs carved into the mountains. Few if any have been able to trek over the staggeringly high range, which is said to be the home of giants and a variety of strange, mystical creatures.

The Blue Kingdoms: Shut off from the rest of the continent by mountains and marsh, the mysterious Blue Kingdoms are a loose confederation of city states and farms that have enjoyed wealth as trade in the spices and narcotics they grow has increased via desert caravans. The decentralized nature of the Kingdoms� rule has left people of the region with a strong disdain for the deities of law and a distrust of their law-and-order neighbors in Chanzan and Nihrain. Women hold many of the decision-making positions within the kingdoms with men largely farming and tending to families. The favorite gods of the people of the Blue Kingdoms are K�awra, the goddess of dreams, and Vau, the god of thought.

Nihrain: While a desert region similar to Tourketh, Nihrain�s tribal residents have long been stripped of any power by its brutal king, M�chaizdr. M�chaizdr has developed a powerful, well-equipped army which has fought numerous border skirmishes with neighbors and is rumored to be preparing a land grab to give the kingdom a greater stretch of coastline and increase its trade with the East. Much of the kingdom�s wealth comes from deposits of silver and gemstones in the rocky areas around its capital city of Ma�attha and from tribal slaves it trades to Ainyin and Bakshaan. Many gem traders, slave traders and alchemists hail from Nihrain.

A�an A�an Zuk: Across the Vermeil Sea lies this large jungle kingdom. Trade routes are just now opening between the between A�an A�an Zuk, and little exploration has been done of its thick jungles, which are rumored to be crawling with exotic beasts and littered with ancient ruins. Its people are largely dark skinned with shaved pates or top knots and are skilled fishermen, healers and scouts with an ancient civiliaztion built around a complex code of law. Their king and a council of regional representatives meet in B�za Valas, a massive coastal city of ornate spiraling towers. While a handful of A�an A�an Zuk magic users have been seen in the large cities of the Western Lands, relatively few of the kingdom�s people have made the trek to other continents.

Forbidden Cliffs: This sprawling range of steep cliffs and spiny mountain peaks is the northernmost known feature of the Western Lands. Few have successfully explored deep into the mountain range, and little is known what lies on the other side. Many, however, speculate that it�s a vast icy waste.