Located far south of the equator, Saravon is an often cold and inhospi- table place. Nevertheless, men — and one other species — have found ways to live and thrive here.
BU’LHAN
Ruler: Governor Tereghar (House Drex)
Capital: Dzangtep Languages: Lhanese
Resources: Farming, herding, fishing Bu’lhan is a land divided in two. Toward the south and west, as one approaches the Altalai Mountains and the hills running off them, it’s a plateau where the people tend to live as herders and farmers. But about halfway through the country the plateau descends sharply, in some places through chains of cliffs (like the Fire Cliffs, so named for their reddish stone), and the low- lands begin. Here the people live as farmers (with different crops than the uplands) and fishermen. Tension between the needs of the uplanders and the needs of the lowlanders has fueled many conflicts and civil wars over the centuries, particularly since the rulers of Bu’lhan, based at the lowland capital of Dzangtep, tend to favor the lowlander point of view.
The Lemurian conquest put an end to most of these sectional quarrels, since the Lemurians wouldn’t tolerate unrest and put it down quickly and viciously. To this day the governors assigned to Bu’lhan keep a tight hand on the reins of power. The current Governor, Tereghar of House Drex, is bitterly hated, largely because of his tendency to take any beautiful Lhanese women he sees back to Dzangtep to serve as “palace slave girls.”
Although they’ve been forced to worship the Lemurian gods, the Lha- nese once had a strange religion that involved worship (or more accurately, placation) of various demons rang- ing from minor troublesome spirits to devil-princes. It’s said that Lhanese wizards are experts at summoning and controlling demons due to knowledge of thousands of years’ worth of Lhanese devil-lore.
KHENDAI
Ruler: Governor Helkaen (House Jyln)
Capital: Siahan Languages: khendai Resources: Farming, fishing
North of the turbulent Shangkam River lies the land of Khendai, said to be one of the most ancient and mysterious of lands. The Khendai people are secretive and quiet (at least among outsiders), and their language is extremely complex and difficult to learn, so few people have ever become familiar with Khendai society and culture. The Lemurian governors, such as the current Lord Helkaen of House Jyln, typically ignore the placid populace and amuse themselves with whatever pursuits they prefer. In Hel- kaen’s case, that tends to be hunting the large, dangerous Khendai black-furred bear. Sometimes these bears grow to monstrous size; Helkaen yearns to hunt such a bear, not caring that it would kill dozens of Khendai and possibly destroy villages and towns before he got to it.
The northern part of Khendai is a hilly peninsula, and the people who live there are known as the Hill-Men. A particularly fierce and independent group, they’ve never acknowledged the overlordship of Lemuria. Periodically the Lemurians send an expeditionary force into the hills to destroy them, but the Hill-Men simply abandon their villages and fade into the landscape they know so well. Their highly-skilled archers, who have the magical power to
transform their arrows into darts of fire, can then pick at the Lemurians until the Lemurians decide it’s not worth the effort and leave.
UDONGAR
Ruler: Governor Temgath (House Reng)
Capital: Baroda Languages: Udoni
Resources: Farming, fishing, craftwork A green, temperate land between the Banag and Shangkam Rivers, Udongar is a tranquil place where the people — mostly farmers and fishermen — live their lives much as their ancestors did centuries and millennia ago. It’s most noted for its wines; Udoni wines grace many a Lemurian table and are even sold and consumed in Atlantis.
Governor Temgath is one of the highest-ranking nobles of House Reng and noted in Lemurian society for his wit, grace, and good looks. He was exiled to Udongar after he accidentally offended another noble who was a close friend of the Priest-King. He and his friends back home are constantly scheming to get him back to Lemuria. Currently he’s focusing his efforts on an ancient Udoni legend that the earliest Udoni people, whom they call the Great Fathers, possessed great treasures and awesome magical powers that were lost long ago. He believes he may find some of these treasures, and the power they contain, in the forested hills to the west, and has begun searching them eagerly.
VANGKOR
Ruler: Vaash-la Taa’thess Capital: Srithshal
Languages: Serpent-Man Resources: Mining, craftwork Vangkor is unique in the world as the only realm held by non-humans. Its inhabitants are the Serpent-Men, reptilian people who’ve lived there ever since either the Lemurians or Atlanteans can remember. When the Lemurians first began to conquer the lands around their archipelago, the Serpent-Men sought alliance with them, and for reasons unclear to the rest of the world received it. Alone of all the provinces of the Empire they have a large measure of self-rule. They must answer to the Priest-King, obey his orders, and send him a yearly tribute, but otherwise can see to their own affairs. In all the years since they joined the Empire, they’ve remained its loyal and helpful subject, often lending their mystic power and insidi- ous cleverness to ensure the success of its enterprises.
Ordinarily the Serpent-Men would prefer lands nearer the equator, but for some reason have settled in and refuse to leave chilly Vangkor. To make their land more comfortable for them, they have used powerful spells to tap sources of underground heat to warm Vangkor. Crossing the border into Vangkor one can easily notice the sudden increase in temperature and humidity. The Vangkoran concept of
“hell” is a high place of eternal cold and snow; the Serpent-Men do not care for mountains.
The Serpent-Men have a rich and ancient culture. They organize society into many different classes, and class distinctions are prominent, rigid, and usually unwavering. A Serpent-Men born into a high class has the unques- tioned right to abuse, give orders to, and in some cases even kill lesser-ranking Serpent-Men with impunity. The nobles entertain themselves with many strange pastimes, including gladiatorial combats pitting purchased or captured slaves (which are common in Vangkor) against one another or beasts.
The Serpent-Men are known to possess great magical power. Their sorcerers usually wear distinctive skull- caps, and robes of a dull yellow (a color restricted by law to their use) marked with the symbol of their brotherhood, a five-branched rune whose true meaning is known only to them. Most of them are solitary, but a few work in groups of two to seven on a regular basis, and annual conclaves are held in major cities to share lore and fellowship. Circles needed for ritual castings assemble whenever and however the initiating sorcerer can manage it. Sorcerers have high rank within Serpent-Men soci- ety, and are usually feared by ordinary Serpent-Men.
The Serpent-Men are ruled by a Vaash-la, a word in their language which translates roughly as “priest- king.” The vaash-la is the political leader, war chieftain, and high priest of his people; most of his bureaucrats, gov- ernment officials, and military officers are priests (or at least have some strong
connection to the temple). Substantial “donations” to the temple (and thus ulti- mately to the vaash-la in most cases) are necessary if an individual Serpent-Man wants to transact significant business with the government (for example, to get the vaash-la’s permission to finance and lead a trade expedition or a slave raid). The current Vaash-la, Taa’thess, is an exceedingly clever Serpent-Man who’s constantly scheming and conniv- ing to obtain greater power, wealth, and influence for himself.
VASTAM
Ruler: Governor Gelledan (House Felv)
Capital: None (see text) Languages: Vasta Resources: Herding
Vastam is a long “strip” of grasslands between the Altalai Mountains and the sea. It’s home to a nomadic people, the Vasta, known for their skill at riding horses and herding the semi-domes- ticated sheep that are the foundation of the land’s economy. A Vasta man’s days are occupied by hunting, herding, skirmishing with rival clans, and similar pursuits. Twice yearly the Vasta assem- ble at great conclaves to trade, conduct business, resolve disputes without bloodshed, and arrange marriages.
The Lemurians conquered Vastam easily, since few of the clans are willing to work together for long, and even as a united people the Vasta couldn’t have held off the Lemurian army. However, Vastam has little of value to Lemuria, so the Lemurians are content to leave the Vasta to their traditional lifestyle provided they pay a monthly tribute of sheep to the Governor (currently
Gelledan of House Felv). Since the Vasta do not build cities (or even permanent villages), the Lemurians constructed Governor’s Tower (actually more of a keep) at a defensible position in the hills. Other than occasional patrols to ensure all is well, the Lemurians stay in the Tower and hope to be re-assigned to a better posting soon.