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Teluré |
Milyeu Tôm |
Blak |
Glaethur Province
The province of Glaethur is found in the
northeast corner of the kingdom, and is perhaps the most developed of all
the provinces of Lorn, for in age it is second only the Teluré province,
which is uninhabited holy ground. The Glaethur province encompasses
the cities of Fline and Lamsin along with the towns of Bhym, Kaylim and
Mentowne. It is bounded on the north by the edge of the Great Forest,
to the east by the Ire-dae (humans call them the Mountains of the Unknown)
and to the south by the Lake of Tears and the Éluvin River.
Its western boundary lies approximately halfway between Åliph and
Starglow and is determined less by physical boundaries than by loyal hamlets.
Like most of
Lorn, the vast Great Forest covers the bulk of Land in the Glaethur Province.
The exceptions of this are the fertile lands about Mentowne and the Éluvin
River, the plains to the north and west of Bhym, and the lifeless foothills
that separate the Great forest from the Ire-dae.
It is important to
note that the capitol city of Starglow lies well within the boundaries
of the province of Glaethur. While the lands directly adjacent to
the city are loyal directly to the King, Hælor is no fool: he has
selected the duke of Glaethur with great care. Indeed, Fausem Pravum
is incredibly loyal to his sovereign and will defend Hælor and Starglow
to the last man.
Most cities in the
province, namely Starglow, Fline and Lamsin, are nearly as old as the ancient
Kingdom of Lorn itself. The age shows: surviving two massive wars
against the orcs and their abominations and then the Age of Shadow, cities
within the Glaethur province are usually layered. One can often see
where a portion was breached, raided and razed, and then built upon when
peace returned. Ancient fortresses and ruins are scattered about
the forest, forgotten and misused.
Duke Fausem Pravum is the
head of a prosperous and diverse state. Needless to say, he is almost
always a very busy man. Duke Pravum’s main estate is situated just
outside the city of Fline: a gracious but formidable castle that radiates
both great power and delicate beauty. The Duke has had some three
centuries to fine-tune his ability to both lead and govern, and has consequently
gained a great deal of skill as a statesmen and diplomat. He is a
prestigious and admired man throughout the kingdom and most favored by
King Hælor himself.
Teluré
The Teluré Province is the elfin
holy land, for legend holds that the Awakening took place along the shores
of the Lake of Tears, which was for many centuries called Révæ.
Teluré Tower keeps careful vigil over the land from the west, where
it stands upon the graceful crests of the Milyeu Mountains.
Teluré Province is
bordered to the east by the Ire-dae, to the west by the Milyeu, and to
the north by the Rût. Its southern border is somewhat more
difficult to define, though there is little worry about such ambiguity,
for only priests dwell within the Teluré Province: druids, and priests
of Corieandar, Llewneth and Goranthor. Numerous monasteries and sacred
groves dot the landscape, which is kept carefully pristine.
People often take pilgrimages
to Teluré, taken under the wing of one of the local monasteries
or group of druids. It is an experience somewhat expected of every
Lornian citizen, at least once in his life.
Llewyn
A simple and only lightly-inhabited province,
Llewyn is often referred to as “The King’s Hunting Grounds”, for it is
true that in his younger days Hælor – and many nobles besides – would
adore spending long fortnights in the woods of Llewyn Province during the
hot days of Chôd or the cool hunting season of Stranachassé.
Åliph is the only
major town of Llewyn – little more than a stop-over along the Rût.
Åliph is little more than a collection of inns, taverns, stores and
brothels which cater to the traveler’s every whim. Besides mere pleasure
or goods, many establishments offer other services for the visiting noble
and his company: hunting guides and teams, fine restaurants and even catering.
Of particular note in Llewyn
Province is its namesake: Llewyn grove. This one of two surviving
magical groves of the Great Forest. These are places of great power,
sacred to druids and Trinity priests alike. The other remaining grove
is Tôm, within the province of the same name.
Milyeu
Milyeu Province receives its name from
the small mountain range which dominates the center of the Kingdom of Lorn.
The Milyeu mountains are small in comparison to the Ire-dae, which tower
still on the eastern horizon. Instead of grey, jagged peaks, the
Milyeu are rounded, rolling mountains, whose tallest peaks are less than
two kilometers high. Covered in the greenery of the surrounding forest,
they do not stretch above the tree-line, but nonetheless offer their share
of cliffs, crags, caverns and steep slopes.
The boundaries province
itself are defined by the Rût to the north, the Milyeu Mountains
to the east, the foothills of the Jagged Mountains and Blakmyr to the south,
and end of the Great Forest to the west, where the great coastal plains
of the Kôtom Province begin.
The people of Milyeu Province
are hardy and simple folk compared to the sophisticated and “soft” inhabitants
of Glaethur and Kôtom. Nonetheless they are universally recognized
as the finest weaponsmiths and jewelers in the kingdom. The nearby
mountains are full of valuable ores and gems and the people Milyeu have
spent centuries perfecting their crafts.
Adolescent Lornians, particularly
those bent on becoming warriors or even soldiers, often come to the rugged
Milyeu Province to test themselves against the elements and the natural
(and unnatural) dangers which lurk upon the mountainsides.
Having so many mines and caverns, which inevitably lead to the Underdark,
Milyeu is often attacked by the evil but mighty forces which dwell beneath
the surface of Alina, especially the Modi, the Dark Elves.
Tôm
The province of Tôm stands at the
tenuous eastern border between Lorn and the old kingdom of Syemfin.
Tôm is the least developed or explored of any of the provinces.
Here, wilderness runs rampant: there are no major cities, towns, or even
roads to run through the dense and ancient forest. Many of the inhabitants
of Tôm are only grudgingly subjects of Hælor’s crown, having
much in common with the wild elves of Syemfin.
Nonetheless, this province
is home to Tôm grove, one of only two surviving sacred groves of
ancient elfin tradition. The Tôm grove is a great symbol of
Hælor’s hope to one day reconcile the wild elves of Syemfin with
the more “civilized” citizens of Lorn. It seems this hope remains
alive despite the centuries, for the grove is often a sight of common rituals
and worship where Lornians and Syemfinites come together in peace.
Kôtom
The heart of the old kingdom of Bolin,
the people of the province of Kôtom remember their heritage proudly
despite a millennium and a half under the rule of Hælor Luine.
Few of them are agitators or secessionists, but rather they focus upon
the skill which has always brought the Bolinites renown: commerce.
Kôtom’s boundaries
are defined mostly by the sea: the great expanse of the Ocea Primum composes
its entire western border. To the north, Kôtom is bounded by
the River Pô and the gnomish land of Kizle; to the south, Blakmyr
and the handful of towns of the province of Blak; to the east, the dense
woods of the Great Forest itself.
The people of Kôtom
are expert merchants and sailors. It seems to be in their blood to
be able to haggle and bater, and to sail the open sea. Kôtom
ships ply the Ocea Primum from Nované to Utrom, shipping goods all
along the coast and even to the far-away land of Feyrn.
Mercer is the heart and
capital of the province, its major port and commercial center. Indeed,
its splendor and size is matched only by Fline and Starglow to the east.
Newcomers often find its grandeur more daunting than that of Rackash.
Blak
As suggested by its name, the province
of Blak is dark and somewhat sinister place. Its towns and cities
are small, its people uninspired and often suspicious of strangers.
The vile atrocities of Baûl’s reign still haunt this land.
The great swamp of Blakmyr
dominates this province, and its strange denizens, grotesque but fearsome
lizard men menacing will o’ wisps, often terrorize the local populace.
The Jagged Mountains, which
lie to the south and east of Blak and form a natural boundary between Lorn
and the land of Armaugh, are also a source of constant worry and frustration,
for they are nearly impassable, and constantly produce raiding parties
of orcs and even more powerful monstrosities.
