The Wonders, the Mysteries

[Wensleydale]

Ginni Colonies

Capital: Ginni
Population: 600,000 (Majority Elves, Humans and Hariij)
National Languages: Gurr, Hariiji, Draconic (the latter is used for government documents)
Imports: Hariiji Goods
Exports: Gold, Silver, Marble
Government: Governor (occupied)

The Ginni Colonies are a small area of coastline scattered with small villages and three towns (known collectively as Ginni) currently occupied by the Hariij. It is all that remains of the once large nation of Ginni.

Regional History

The Ginni Colonies were originally settled by fleeing human slaves claiming their freedom from the fallen daemons. They fled to the east, and here they had to stop, for the sea blocked their way. Their fishing villages and inland towns grew stronger, and eventually they founded the city-state of Djinni (although city-state was a grand term for it). Their capital city was built atop the remains of a shattered daemon skybarge which they had used to make good their escape, and the interior of the ship itself was stripped and turned into a cathedral of a god that had long been worshiped by human revolutionaries, the Mordicant. However, one hundred and thirty two years later, the Hariij Empire required colonies on the mainland, and they attacked, claiming the coastal portion of Ginni as their own. Deprived of their main source of food and income, the rest of the state succumbed relatively quickly to the Hariij, who then traded off pieces of it to the surrounding states as peace offerings.

Over the next few centuries, the Hariij lost and regained the Colonies several times, the last time being eighty years ago when it was lost to the Hirran Horde. Since then, the Colonies have been used as a base for attacks and trading movements into Hir.

Life and Society

The Ginni Colonies contain very few freeborn humans, even though they are the natives of this land. Most of the freeborns here are elven and orcish immigrants from the Hariij empire. The average human's life involves tilling the fields every single day, except holy days, or working in a mine, or some other menial task. That is, unless you are lucky enough to be a bodyservant or a scribe (although for the latter you must be capable of reading and writing), in which case life will be slightly easier. Orcs and elves are mostly craftsmen or guards and soldiers, and most of the Hariij live a life of genuine luxury in the towns. The current Governor for the Hariij is Maajj the Third, Counsellor to the Imperial Family, and Orhul the Ninth, Official Counsellor of War, is the High Captain of the armed forces within the colonies. Many human slaves are conscripted into what is known as the Chainguard, a force used essentially as meatshields for the Hariij casters and elven archers in war. Through this they may earn their freedom, although such is rare.

Geographical Features

The Axes: A large island chain just off the coast (and extending beyond the width of Ginni), the Axes are -all- formally claimed by the Hariij Empire. However, other than the occasional tax collector amongst the more populated of the islands, their influence is low here. It is rumoured that the exiled eldritch sorceress Massilin has taken one of these islands for her own, although why she would choose here of all places few truely know.

The Barrowfields: Said to have been a burial place of kings in the times before the daemonwar, the Barrowfields are a beautiful green land of groups of unnatural hills and overgrown stone circles. Some say that Wild Dead from before the daemonwar exist here, but this is almost certainly myth - necromancy was only made possible during that fatal conflict, after all. An old man known as Kossir the Hermit wanders these lands, and they have remained mostly unpopulated other than a few isolated farms. Kossir is said to be able to work miracles with animals, and reports have been heard of him performing strange rituals amongst the stone circles and worshiping at their altars.

Arran Pits: The Arran Pits are actually rocky hills covering Ginni north of the Barrowfields. They have recently been found to contain not only gold, but traces of silver as well - making them a prime mining spot for the Hariij Empire.

Important Sites

Tien: Large Town (pop. 4,500) After the capital of Ginni was traded off to Arru, Tien became the new administrative home. Built across the mouth of the River Aan, Tien is the most densely populated area in all of Ginni, and is a minor port, sending silver and gold to the outside world (mostly just the Empire).

[Tybalt]

I actually quite like this setting. First of all: I like the sections of necromancy and magic the best. I like such explanations to be fairly straightforward and thus are yours. The idea that magic is both mysterious and yet partly definable makes it more interesting to me than a set of rules that have an utter lack of mystery to them.

I also like the nation descriptions, particularly the Ginni Colonies which make a lot of sense given the basic ideas about myth and religion you have presented.

I will have more questions later but here's one to start with: Why is Hir an unhappy nation mostly?

Also who rules Annil?

[Wensleydale]

All righty. Hir isn't unhappy - it's just never really evolved. It's superbly protected against pretty much everything including sky cities and sky barges (high mountains mess up their navigation) and has never really had any need to change, other than the effects of Dannis on the north and the Ginni Hariij to the south. The Hariij wish to encourage infighting so that they can seize at least southern Hir for their own - providing them with a source of ready-trained orc scouts and positioning them for a safe pass through the Moonspires (which will allow them to move armies easily to threaten Dannis, and possibly even force it to become a subject kingdom (the orcs of Hir would provide little problem for a large body of the Hariij military).

Annil is ruled by no-one in particular - it is a continent. After the fall of the Annil daemons, various human empires appeared and disappeared within a short span of time, but no-one has truely claimed all Annil for their own since the Daemonwars (history before then is clouded due to several reasons, including differing languages and seemingly indecipherable alphabets). The three major powers in Annil are the remaining Daemons (although they are mostly more inclined towards pirating than forming nations), the Hariij Empire, and Gurr (which will be explained in a later post).

I'm updating and completing the Ginni Colonies and Hir right now, so watch this space!

[Wensleydale]

Done with the Ginni colonies.

[Wensleydale]

Arru

Capital: Qemphis
Population: 600,000,000
National Languages: Daemonic, Gurr
Imports: Slaves, Hariiji Goods
Exports: Slaves, Gold
Government: Monarchy

Arru is a large, spread-out empire controlling nearly all of the lands around its main body, including the majority of Old Ginni. The nation is famous for its reducing Karr to its present state, and for its militaristic attitudes and slave trade. Although it is technologically advanced, it depends upon designs thousands of years old rather than creating its own. It, along with the Daemon Nations, is the true descendant of the original Daemonic Empire. Arru itself is not the inhabitants' name for the nation, instead coming from the Hariiji word Ari, meaning 'Favoured' or possibly 'Blessed' depending on context. The locals call it 'Punt', which simply translates as 'Land' in daemonic.

Regional History

Arru is possibly the human society most directly influenced by daemonic culture. It was originally settled by the waves of humans escaping the wrath of the fallen daemons who believed in some of their cultural ethos - and as daemonic remained their first language, and they continued the practice of owning slaves, the Arru rulers became more like daemons by the day. Although a single royal family has held the throne for several hundred years, this is extremely subject to change, and assuming they will hold it permanently is folly. Around five-hundred years ago, Arru gained still unknown supporters and quickly began to expand its borders. The militaristic Karran Imperium was smashed by this drive, and its colossal holdings were reduced in a few generations to a scattering of lands isolated from one another in the high mountains. Since then, Arru has consolidated its borders and is now a mighty power, and not one to cross.

Life and Society

As said above, Arru society is influenced heavily by its daemonic counterpart. Although the people of Arru lack sky barges or much daemonic technology, they retain the ceremonial vestiges of daemonic culture - such as taking blood from a still-warm corpse and storing it. This is purposeless for a human, but in a daemon, the blood can then be used to breed MORE daemons from humans and other non-daemonic races. However, the Arru retain it as a cultural trait.
Although daemons are not really accepted as allies in Arru society, the Arru will trade with them, and Uakh II, the current leader, is said to have supporters amongst the daemon sky cities of the south. Slaves are an integral part of Arru life, as are debt-born - those who live to pay off their ancestors' debts.

Geographical Features

Iannar River: Running across the width of the country, the Iannar river begins in the Moonspires and ends in the sea. Several major cities, including Qemphis, have been built across it, and it has been engineered at several points to allow ease of travel along it, most particularly at the Ste-Usr Dam (see below).

Important Sites

Ste-Usr Dam: Built long-ago using the Daemon technology still relied-upon today, Ste-Usr literally translates as 'It-Strong', or 'It is Strong'. It is a colossal affair, less a dam than six huge lock-gates, but does as its name claims also, providing Qemphin and other cities further downriver with a source of water. A huge amount of traffic passes through each day, carrying slaves to the rich cities of the south.

Qemphis: The gem of Arru, Qemphis is built in the style of a daemon sky-city with various human constructions added in - for example sewage systems, which are unneeded by true daemons due to their complex biology. It is built over the shining Iannar River, and the most expensive houses (along with the Palace) are built over this watersource. The roofs of the innermost buildings, and of the towers of the outer wall, are plated with gold.

Apermeret: A sarcastically-named trading settlement along the northern borders of Arru, Apermeret translates as Slavehome. It is known by the more independent humans as Ne'Sethemhehk instead, or 'Place of (Many) Slaves', for those who dislike the many uses of the word 'Meret'. It is here that official trading between the Daemon Nations and Arru takes place.

[Wensleydale]

Updates to Arru...