# Freeport: The Continent

## Bone Lands


Formal Name: None
Symbol: Crossbones (informal)
Ruler: None
Important Cities: Port Krom
Important Landmarks: Vinro’s Necropolis, Crimson Falls, Giant’s Reach
Allies: None
Enemies: Druzhdin, Hexworth, Rolland, Vorizar

The Bone Lands is a catchall term for the northern part of the Continent, most of which was dominated by the Empire of Ashes. Today the area is overrun with nomadic tribes of savage humanoids and other strange and monstrous creatures. Raiding into Hexworth, Vorizar, and Rolland is constant, though larger incursions have always been beaten back.

The hobgoblin tribes are the best organized and most powerful and they may yet strike south in numbers not seen in centuries.

### History

The Bone Lands were originally given the name because the fall of the Empire of Ashes and the destruction of the Necro-Kings had littered the region with smashed skeletons of all races. It is equally appropriate to think of this part of the Continent as the boneyard of past empires. There are ruins scattered across the landscape that date back to the time when giants dominated the Continent, not to mention those of Valossa, the Empire of Ashes, and the lands of the Necro-Kings. This naturally makes the whole area a magnet to adventurers and treasure hunters. Many brave the ruins, but few return. This merely throws some fresh bones on top of the pile.

Since the time of Rajko the Ghūl, this region has been barren. This is why the victors of the Starfall Alliance never extended their borders further north. Instead, these wastelands became the home of tribes of orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, and monstrous humanoids that embodied the forms of man and beasts. Some human tribes roamed the Bone Lands as well. All of these groups lived nomadically by necessity, going to where food could be found. Raiding became a way of life, as did eating the dead. In a land where little grows, food was whatever could be choked down, even if it was goblin meat.

The mountains at the northern border of the Continent have remained remote. Sheer cliffs drop into the sea, so ships cannot dock there. And it is just as well, as these mountains are the last refuge of the giants that used to rule this land. They were hemmed in by magical wards millennia ago, and they are trapped here still. They live a primitive existence, fighting with other strange monsters of the mountains and telling tales of their bygone glories.

## Druzhdin


Formal Name: None
Symbol: A grinning skull.
Ruler: The Dark Apostle
Important Cities: Obelek (capital)
Important Landmarks: Cairns
of the Troll Kings, Wyrm’s Bones
Allies: None
Enemies: Everyone

Druzhdin isn’t so much a land as a people. They were nomads for nearly a millennium but 200 years ago, they began a migration that ended with the conquest of Wyrm’s End, an island off the north coast of the Continent. Now the Druzhdin are skilled sailors and dreaded raiders. Their society worships the God of Death above all, and many Druzhdin mortify the flesh on their faces as a sign of this dedication. They believe killing appeases the God of Death and forestalls his coming for the killers. Due to this doctrine and their deadly raids, the Druzhdin have few friends on the Continent.

### History

The ancestors of the Druzhdin were human mercenaries in the service of the Necro-Kings. They fled north, scattered and disorganized, ahead of the victorious Starfall Alliance. Those who survived coalesced into three tribes. They became nomads in the Bone Lands, always wandering and always fighting against the savage humanoids of the region. This continued for countless generations. Century after century slipped by and though leaders rose and fell, the Druzhdin lived as their forefathers had.

Then one day everything changed. A man appeared among the Druzhdin as if from nowhere. He was tall and dark, and his words enthralled the barbarian tribes. He was the Dark Apostle, and he had been sent to lead the Druzhdin out of the Bone Lands to a land of their own. Once before they had served the God of Death, he said, and if they would do so again, they would be rewarded. Death is the herald of change, after all, and they would need the god’s help to escape from the Bone Lands. The three tribes of the Druzhdin often squabbled among themselves, but no one raised a voice against the Dark Apostle. They packed up their camps and followed their new leader east. The journey took years, as the Druzhdin fought their way past tribes of orcs, goblins, monstrous men, and hobgoblins. At last, they reached the ocean’s shore and they despaired when the Dark Apostle told them that their land was across the sea. What did the Druzhdin know of the sea? The Dark Apostle smiled and said that he could teach them the crafts of the sea, and so he did.

A year later the Druzhdin had a fleet. It did not need to sail far, just across the straight to the island of Wyrm’s End. The Dark Apostle had promised Druzhdin the island, but they would have to fight for it. Although named for an enormous and ancient set of dragon bones, Wyrm’s End was in fact overrun with trolls. Aided by the Dark Apostle’s magic, the Druzhdin fought a pitiless war against the trolls and seized the island yard by bloody yard, each corpse a prayer to the God of Death. After conquering Wyrm’s End, the Druzhdin developed into a true seafaring nation. In many ways, they simply adapted their nomadic lifestyle to sea. Their ships are constantly on the move, raiding up and down the Coasts of the Continent. Their raids are quick and violent and before superior forces can react, they are in the wind. Four years ago they made the mistake of going to war with Rolland, and then compounded that mistake by trying to capture Freeport. Since suffering defeats with grievous losses in both conflicts, they have returned to their old raiding ways.

The Dark Apostle left them once Wyrm’s End was theirs, saying that he would return one day. Most of the Druzhdin thought him long dead, but just a year ago the Dark Apostle did in fact return. This has galvanized the Druzhdin after their recent defeats and Continental nations are watching developments warily. Some say this new Dark Apostle is just an imposter, others that he was always a devil and this proves it. A few learned men have an altogether more frightening theory: the Dark Apostle is none other than the Crawling Chaos.

## Hexworth


Formal Name: Empire of Hexworth
Symbol: A black tower on a red field
Ruler: Empress Mariota I, the Glory of Hexworth
Important Cities: Gullwater, Redcastle, Queensport (capital)
Important Landmarks: Church of the Avenging Angel, Greatbridge, Wight’s Hill
Allies: Kizmir, Rolland, Vorizar
Enemies: Bone Lands, Iovan, Tagmata

The Empire of Hexworth dominates the western Continent and for centuries it has been an active and expansionistic power. Hexworth was once one of many small human kingdoms in the region, but over time it subsumed or conquered them all to create a true empire.

Empress Mariota I, the Glory of Hexworth, rules over the largest territory on the Continent. The Empire itself is made up of a bewildering array of provinces, principalities, marches, dukedoms, and free cities. Nearly all the power is in the hands of the noble class, whose families feud and scheme as they intermarry. Although most areas are firmly under imperial authority, some perennial trouble spots have never accepted the Empire’s yoke. These regions always simmer with rebellion and periodically attempt to free themselves. While these uprisings have led to a rich library of romantic songs about doomed heroics, Hexworth has always stamped them out in the end, after great loss of life.

### History

After the defeat of the Necro-Kings, King Chaldris I of Hexworth was the preeminent human monarch. The western region of the Continent did not unify as the elven lands did, however. There remained many petty kingdoms, each with its own traditions and way of life. In an attempt to bring some unity to the human lands, Chaldris hosted the Council of Harmony, a synod of prominent temples. At the urgings of the council, King Chaldris I issued the first Necromantic Censure, a sweeping set of laws and edicts to outlaw the practice of of necromancy was prohibited. Possession of animated dead was forbidden. Trading in mortal remains was subject to imprisonment. The purchase, sale, trade, and even possession of various magical and non-magical items of a necromantic nature (scrolls, books, wands, grave earth, salts, potions, etc.) were forbidden. Even undertakers had to tread carefully, lest they be accused and condemned as “necromancers.”

The task of detecting and discovering necromancers, who were assumed to be hiding throughout the land in secret cults dating from the time of Rajko the Ghūl, was given to the Royal Arcane, the minister in charge of magical affairs. He in turn selected Seven High Inquisitors to root out the entrenched foe. Only the Royal Arcane, the Council of Harmony, or the king himself could challenge their powers of arrest and interrogation. The Merciful and Just Lord Judges of the Arcane—all Inquisitor-Mages— handed down the sentences for necromancy in the Magus Court.

The Council of Harmony and the king had hoped that the other human kingdoms would follow the lead of Hexworth. As the violence and mania in Hexworth spun out of control, this hope evaporated. Thousands of suspected necromancers—sages, madmen, hedge wizards, seers, the misunderstood, and innocents uncounted—were all dragged before the courts and summarily sentenced. Thousands died, their bodies burnt and their bones ground to dust. The other human kingdoms felt that the threat of necromancy had ended with the death of the last Necro-King, and they wanted no part of Hexworth’s obsession.

This Inquisition lasted roughly 200 years. King after king not only reaffirmed the Necromantic Censure, but also strengthened and expanded it. Finally, King Hadris II issued the famous Decree of Hadris. The Inquisition, which for all its power had always been “temporary,” became permanent. More than a few families, great and small, packed up and left Hexworth. They were fearful of being falsely condemned like so many before them. The exiles found homes other lands, for the most part taking care to vanish behind false names and false professions lest they invite more trouble. This was wise, as it proved, for Inquisitors made careful note of who departed and sent many a zealot to follow and dispatch the refugees, when they could locate them.

Five years after the Decree of Hadris, Hexworth was at last pronounced cleansed. King Hadris II, however, was not satisfied. Surely many vile necromancers had simply taken refuge in neighboring human kingdoms. Should a domineering figure like Rajko the Ghūl rise again, these rival kingdoms could prove a grave threat to Hexworth. King Hadris knew he had no choice. The petty human kingdoms must become part of his Hexworth, whether they liked it or not.

Today, the 300 years of conquest that followed are known as the Wars of Unity. Of course, the victorious men of Hexworth wrote the histories that made the subjugation of previously independent kingdoms seem like a hard but necessary choice. Some of these kingdoms joined Hexworth peacefully, in return for certain guarantees of their rights and customs. Others were simply conquered and integrated. When no more petty kingdoms remained, armies swept north to reclaim land formerly part of the Empire of Ashes. This was to act as a buffer zone between the core provinces of Hexworth and the monster-haunted Bone Lands further north. King Veldris IV ordered the construction of a series of border fortresses, to stretch from the mountains to the sea, to keep Hexworth safe. The so-called “Gates of Veldris” took a generation to complete, but they now form the northern boundary of Hexworth.

Some 500 years after the fall of the Necro-Kings, Hexworth was the colossus of the western Continent. Queen Marvis V decreed that Hexworth was no longer a kingdom but an empire. None dared to gainsay her and she became Empress Marvis I.

## Iovan


Formal Name: Autocracy of Iovan
Symbol: A gargoyle
Ruler: Autocrat Silivas Redmantle
Important Cities: Craski, Razma (capital), Vabin
Important Landmarks: Palace of the Conclave, Bluesky Eyrie
Allies: Kizmir
Enemies: Hexworth, Ivory Ports, Rolland, Vorizar

The Autocracy of Iovan, home of the crag gnomes, is the most isolated nation on the Continent. A militaristic society ruled by an Arcane Conclave of powerful sorcerers, Iovan has alienated all of its neighbors over the centuries. Although it started the War of Crowns sixteen years ago and ultimately was defeated, Iovan is still on the map because of its difficult terrain, well-trained army, and gargoyle slave-soldiers. With the failure of its attempts at conquest, the crag gnomes have retreated into the shadows, there to try to win with sorcery and subterfuge what they could not on the battlefield.

### History

While the Starfall Alliance fought against the Necro- Kings in the north, an entirely different struggle was raging in the south. In the Korbu Hills, communities of gnomes were constantly at odds with the kobold tribes. Both races claimed the hills as their own, mining them for metals and other resources.

The kobolds professed descent from the serpent people. Gnome scholars asserted they were just another servitor race, though the kobolds denied this, seeing themselves as the favored children of their progenitors. Whatever the truth, the two races escalated the violence as time went on, from raids and skirmishes to outright war. The Korbu Hills War was a long and brutal conflict and in the end it came down to magic. The gnomes mastered sorcery faster than the kobolds; this enabled the gnomish legions to finally push the kobolds out of the hills entirely. The remaining kobolds moved further south, into the dark forest of Nham. Here they spent centuries dreaming of revenge against the gnomes. It was not to be. A mighty gnome sorcerer named Iovan magically enslaved the gargoyles of the Ironhome Mountains. He used his new pawns to take over the Korbu hills and proclaim the Autocracy of Iovan. Emboldened, he then embarked on an ambitious campaign of conquest. Armies of gnomes and gargoyles pushed south, taking more and more kobold land. For a time Iovan seemed unstoppable.

After decades of conquest, however, the Autocrat made a grave error. He turned his eyes north, to the lands of the Vorizar League. Always there had been peace and oaths of friendship between the gnomes and the dwarfs, but Iovan cast them aside and sent his legions into the mountains. This was his undoing. The dwarves had experience fighting gargoyles and they were masters of underground warfare. They cursed the gnomes as oathbreakers and fought with righteous fury. The Autocrat’s armies were stopped in their tracks and at the Battle of the Glimmering Pools Iovan himself was slain. The gnomes retreated in confusion, and it seemed the Autocracy might fall.

The gnomes regrouped in the Korbu Hills, and a conclave of powerful sorcerers chose a new autocrat. The Dwarf-Gnome War was ended and new campaigns were mounted against the kobolds. Since then the Arcane Conclave has continued to rule Iovan, choosing a new autocrat when required. While the politics of the conclave can be vicious, and many an Autocrat has been assassinated over the years, the system has endured. So has the gnomes’ domination of the gargoyles, and their hatred of the kobolds.

## Ivory Ports


Formal Name: None
Symbol: A black axe (Blackburn), a lion’s head (Grenato), three golden fish (Pikebridge), a silver crown (Silverus), a chain with twelve links (Thalburg)
Rulers: Lord Protector Feargus Rorac (Blackburn), Patriarch Ivo Simoni (Grenato), Mayor Chester Ruggles, (Pikebridge), Prince Attis Galba (Silverus), Council of Guildmasters (Thalburg)
Important Cities: Blackburn, Grenato, Pikebridge, Silverus, Thalburg
Important Landmarks: Plaza of a Thousand Columns (Grenato), Twilight Colossus (Blackburn), College of the Antiquity Scholars (Silverus)
Allies: Rolland, Tagmata
Enemies: Druzhdin, Iovan, Kizmir

The Ivory Ports are a loose coalition of five city-states in the Continent’s southeast. While those in the north were dealing with the Empire of Ashes and Necro-Kings, the people of Ivory Ports looked outward. They explored the seas, set up trade routes with distant lands, and eventually founded colonies. They made contact with the lands of Khaeder in the south and first imported the commodity that gave the cities their name. Although the city-states have fought amongst themselves from time to time, they have grown their influence by pursing a mercantile path. While the ships of the Ivory Ports have suffered more than most at the hands of Freeport’s pirates in the past, these days there is much trade between them and the City of Adventure.

### History

The region now known as the Ivory Ports has long been a place of refuge. During the dark days of the Anarchy, men and women of all races came over the Towers, the mountain range that isolates the area from the rest of the Continent, seeking safety. The history of that era is obscure, but a few facts are clear. First, petty kingdoms, freeholds, and tribal groups rose and fell quickly in this region. Second, a diabolic threat from the Towers caused bloodshed on a massive scale for many years. Third, a desperate coalition managed to stop the threat but the peoples of this alliance fell out as soon as the threat had passed. Thus a dominant political entity never emerged here.

By the time of the Kingdom of Rolland’s founding, all of the towns that would later become the Ivory Ports had developed from small holdings into larger settlements. Over time, each grew into a sizeable city and dominated the surrounding countryside. In this way the Ivory Ports became full-fledged city-states, each controlling a series of villages, towns, and fortresses, and eventually including overseas colonies.

The Ivory Ports currently consists of five city-states. There was a sixth, Newtown, but Kizmir sacked and destroyed it nearly fifty years ago. The remaining citystates are:

* Blackburn: This is the most militaristic of the Ivory Ports, because it is closest to Kizmir and must frequently deal with its raiders. A Lord Protector rules Blackburn, advised by a council of guildsmen.
* Grenato: The powerful Simoni family controls this city-state and has dominated its politics for the last two centuries. The Simonis are ruthless to their enemies, but they have poured money into public works and turned Grenato into the most beautiful of the Ivory Ports.
* Pikebridge: This city began as a small fishing village, and the harvest of the sea is still its most important business. Once every five years each citizen in good standing may vote on the next mayor.
* Silverus: The only city-state with a true aristocracy, Silverus was once a center of democracy. This rule was overthrown by the so-called “merchant princes,” who fancied themselves true princes. Now a powerful group of families, led by a ruling prince, runs the citystate.
* Thalburg: A city noted for the quality of its wool and textiles, Thalburg is controlled by its craft guilds. It is the Council of Guildmasters that makes the laws and runs the city-state, always to the benefit of the guilds first and foremost.

Due to the history of the region, the Ivory Ports are easily the most diverse cities on the Continent. Humans, elves, halflings, gnomes, and dwarves of many cultures are found in all of the city-states. Indeed, halflings are found nowhere else on the Continent in such abundance, and their villages play a key role in keeping the cities fed.

## Kizmir


Formal Name: Sultanate of Kizmir
Symbol: A flame inside a golden ring
Ruler: Sultan Mourtos II, Master of the Azhar and Keeper of the Eternal Flame
Important Cities: Gratasi, Milsar (capital), Yuilluck
Important Landmarks: Temple of the Eternal Flame
Allies: Hexworth, Iovan
Enemies: Druzhdin, Ivory Ports, Rolland, Tagmata

Kizmir is the youngest nation on the Continent, having been founded a little over a century ago. The people of Kizmir are the azhar, and for the most part, they look human. Their eyes, however, are a deep red and they claim the blood of efreets run in their veins. More than that, they say the foundation of Kizmir ended decades of wandering after the azhar left the fabled City of Brass. Whatever the truth of their origin, the azhar created a dynamic nation in Kizmir and changed the politics of the south forever.

### History

The Sultanate of Kizmir was founded 102 years ago when the forces of Sultan Mustafa VI invaded the southern coast of the Continent. A massive fleet disgorged thousands of soldiers in a lightning assault. They quickly conquered the coastal plains, which were home to a disorganized group of fishing villages. The Sultan’s forces then pushed inland to the forest of Nham, where they clashed with the kobolds. It didn’t take long for word to filter north to the Autocracy of Iovan, which promptly launched a fresh campaign against the kobolds. Trapped between Kizmiran and Iovani forces, the kobolds were crushed. The arrival of the azhar changed the political balance of power. In less than a decade, Kizmiri and Tagmatan ships were clashing in Giant’s Bay. This naturally led to an alliance with Hexworth, which still harbored dreams of conquering Tagmata. The Ivory Ports, as the preeminent sea powers in the south, did not react well to the foundation of Kizmir. The competition was economic at first, but several wars did flare up. These have become known collectively as the Wars of the Southern Sea. Most led only to stalemate, but in the Second War of the Southern Sea some fifty years ago, Kizmir won a decisive victory, sacking and destroying the Ivory Port of Newtown.

Over the years, Kizmir has cleared huge tracts of the forest to build ships and cities, and now a string of strong ports hug the coast. They have had less success pacifying the interior. The remnants of the kobold tribes have waged a guerilla war against them for the past century. While this has never been a grave threat, it is a constant drain on the Sultanate.

## Rolland


Formal Name: The Ever-Vigilant Kingdom of Rolland
Symbol: An eagle soaring in front of a sun and a moon
Ruler: His Royal Highness Merovech II, Moon King of Rolland
Important Cities: Dragoumont (capital), Port Clovis, Ravencourt, Saverac
Important Landmarks: Cairncross Hill, Shrine of the Hunter’s Moon, Windgrass Grove
Allies: Hexworth, Ivory Ports, Tagmata, Vorizar
Enemies: Bone Lands, Druzhdin, Iovan, Kizmir

Rolland is one of the oldest and most respected nations of the Continent, and it is home to the majority of the region’s elves. Over the centuries Rolland’s society has become highly polarized. Although all its inhabitants are descended from the same tribes that fought Rajko the Ghūl, the kingdom now divides itself into three groups: high elves, wood elves, and sea elves. The high elves are the dominant group. They live in large cities full of tall towers and see themselves as carrying the torch of civilization. They prize both intellect and magical power, though increasing displays of opulence make it clear gold also has sway in Rolland’s cities. Scattered across the kingdom are hundreds of rural villages, where wood elves farm, hunt, and fish in a manner almost identical to that of their ancestors. The high elves, of course, look down on the wood elves, even as they import foodstuffs from the countryside to their cities. Those that live along the coast, the sea elves, have developed their own culture and they are mistrusted by both high elves and wood elves. The sea elves live in ports great and small, and they look to the ocean for their needs. They are great travelers and born adventurers. They also control all the sea trade with other nations and the fleet that protects Rolland from outside threats.

The current monarch, the Moon King Merovech II, is clever enough, but he does not see how the internal divisions of Rolland’s society make it weak. Perhaps because he grew up surrounded by magic, he is greatly interested in technological advances. A demonstration of firearms caught his imagination to such a degree that he immediately ordered five hundred of the weapons and created a new regiment for his army, the Royal Musketeers.

### History

The hero Thodomer Windgrass had unified the various elf tribes under his banner during the wars, but keeping them that way proved challenging after the final defeat of the Necro-Kings. Many of the tribes wanted to retreat to the forest and take up the old ways once again. In the end, it was not the aging Thodomer Windgrass that completed the unification of the tribes, but his daughter Aregund. She was a devotee of the Goddess of the Sun who spoke passionately about the darkness that still touched the land. During the grim days of Rajko the Ghūl and the Necro-Kings, many lesser evils had been left to fester in foreboding moors, dank marshes, and twisted forests. Here orcs, goblins, lizardfolk, and other savage humanoids still dwelt, launching raids into elven lands. Rallying under Aregund’s leadership, the elves now turned their martial and sorcerous might against these monsters and drove them from their lairs. Most were killed. Those remaining were driven north into the barren wastelands of the former Empire of Ashes, or south into the Carrion Swamp. The Ildis River was demarcated as the northern border of Rolland, the Veldor River the southern, and it so it has been ever since.

The campaigns begun by Aregund, known collectively as the Wars of Light, lasted over 200 years, but the hardest fighting took place in the first decade. After the Battle of Trollmoors, Aregund was proclaimed the Sun Queen. The Kingdom of Rolland dates its existence from her coronation. Many of her followers want to name the new kingdom Windgrass in honor of Aregund and her father, but she declined the honor. Neither king nor queen should ever think of the land as their property, Aregund asserted. Instead the kingdom was named after the mythical forest home of their ancestors.

The Kingdom of Rolland finally knew peace after the end of the Wars of Light. They turned their wooded hill forts into gleaming castles and their cities grew larger and larger. The Sun Queens and Sun Kings led their people wisely and it seemed none could challenge them. When they looked outwards, Rolland’s monarchs could see no true threats to the elves’ well being. While they looked for hostile armies, a single beast almost brought Rolland low. His name Kanagar the Wolf Lord, and he was a werecreature of terrible power. Kanagar came to the province of Driken. Deep in the forest he ambushed elves and turned them into werewolves like him. For seven long years he hunted until the forest was so full of his minions the elves shunned it. At first the Sun King, Dagobert I, paid the happenings of Driken little mind. This was a costly mistake, as the Wolf Lord struck out from the forest and attacked settlements across Driken. Within a year the entirety of the province was under Kanagar’s control, and its cities echoed with howls of werewolves. Kanagar proclaimed, “The king rules under the sun, but I rule under the moon.”

King Dagobert realized his error almost too late. By the time he had mobilized the army, werewolf raiders were striking in almost every province. Dagobert and his generals had to come up with new tactics and techniques to fight the werewolf armies. The so-called Moonlight War lasted for fifteen years and the elves of Rolland paid a dreadful price for their victory. At last, though, King Dabobert brought Kanagar’s host to battle and won a crushing victory at the Battle of the Wolf ’s Head. It was said the elf wizard Beladore killed Kanagar, but his body was never found. Though individual werewolves were hunted for decades to come, the war was over. To commemorate his victory Dagobert took the title of Moon King. Since then reigning monarchs have alternated between the Sun and Moon title. Rolland’s current monarch, Moon King Merovech II, was preceded by Sun Queen Melitt, for example.

## Tagmata


Formal Name: Holy Oligarchy of Shining Tagmata
Symbol: A burning torch shining out on a field of darkness
Rulers: High General Arete, High Priest Petros, and High Wizard Mavros
Important Cities: Ehiza, Kyos (capital), Larikon
Important Landmarks: Cathedral of St. Vasili, Tower of the Chalice
Allies: Ivory Ports, Rolland
Enemies: Druzhdin, Hexworth, Kizmir

Tagmata is a seafaring country in the southwest part of the Continent. It is the one human nation that successfully defied the Empire of Hexworth, a fact that leads to border skirmishes with its northern neighbor to this day. Its naval power has helped keep it safe for centuries, though the rise of Kizmir has proved a great challenge to the Tagmatans. Run by an oligarchy representing the military, the church, and the mages, Tagmata is a deeply devout nation. The state religion is the Church of Astrape, a dualistic faith at odds with the paganism of other Continental nations. This does not stop pratical-minded Tagmatans from engaging in trade or alliances with nonbelievers, however. Tagmata has even hired Freeport’s privateer fleet on a few occasions.

### History

Most humans on the Continent are descended from the same stock and speak a common language. They make up the majority of the human population of Hexworth and other human enclaves. There were some smaller groups of humans with different origins, though many have been destroyed or assimilated into Hexworth over Beyond Freeport Chapter XIV the centuries. Only one human culture succeeded in both maintaining its identity and defying the expansionism of the Empire of Hexworth. They are the people of Tagmata. The Tagmatans have lived in the southwest of the Continent since the dark days of the Anarchy. With the sea surrounding their land on three sides, they only had one real border to defend. Since Tagmata was far to the south, Rajko the Ghūl never directly threatened it. Units of volunteers did go north to fight the Empire of Ashes, however, as well as the Necro-Kings. This was in keeping with their dualistic faith.

The origin of the Tagmatan religious faith is unknown, though it does seem to pre-date the fall of Valossa. The Tagmatans don’t worship a god per se—more the ideal of the light. In their worldview there are servants of the light and servants of the darkness. If you aren’t on the side of light, you are de facto on the side of darkness. If you have been deceived into working against the light, you can be saved. If you have embraced the darkness, you are damned for all time. The church believes the light chooses exceptional mortals to be its champions. This has led to the development of a “pantheon” of saints quite similar to the pagan religions they revile (though it is not advisable to make this comparison to a Tagmatan).

In the early days of Tagmata there were kings, but this came to an end after a series of corrupt monarchs. A powerful group of generals, priests, and wizards came together and overthrew the last king. Since then Tagmata has been an oligarchy, ruled by a triumvirate consisting of the High General, High Priest, and High Wizard. While this does sometimes create fractious politics, the structure also makes it difficult for one person to dominate the country.

During Hexworth’s Wars of Unity, Tagmata greatly expanded its army and navy. It also saw a population explosion, as refugees from Hexworth’s conquests flooded south. Several petty kingdoms uprooted entirely and moved to Tagmata to escape the rapacious armies of Hexworth. Tagmata welcomed anyone willing to convert to their religion and become part of the Oligarchy. Thousands suddenly discovered a newfound love of Tagmatan religion. The faith of all Tagmatans was tested soon enough, when the war machine of Hexworth attacked Tagmata by land and sea. The land war was a bloody stalemate, but at sea Tagmata won a string of decisive victories. These in turn allowed the fleet to raid up and down the coast of Hexworth. The Empire, concerned that this show of defiance would embolden its conquered subjects, made a quick peace with Tagmata and ceased its southern expansion. Its northern campaign into the Bone Lands was seen as a face-saving measure, so the Wars of Unity could end with a victory instead of a defeat.

## Vorizar


Formal Name: The Vorizar League
Symbol: An upturned armored gauntlet
Ruler: The Ironhome Council
Important Cities: Demka, Starosk (capital), Troskun, Zakrovo
Important Landmarks: The Diamond Gallery, the Well of Despair, Halfmoon Pass
Allies: Hexworth, Rolland
Enemies: Bone Lands, Iovan.

The Vorizar League is a coalition of dwarf cities, bound by history and common struggle. They fought in the Starfall Alliance and then in a secret war against the things from below. Long remote from Continental politics, Vorizar reemerged nearly a century ago and retook its place amongst the Continent’s preeminent nations. Vorizar is in an enviable position, controlling the mountain passes that allow trade between the eastern and western halves of the Continent. They make the most of this and also sell their own masterfully crafted goods. The dwarves were surprised by the gnome invention of firearms, but have struck back by creating the much-larger and more destructive cannons. The breakthrough discovery was an alchemical compound. Powder barrels treated with this compound are prevented from blowing up when hit by fire. A small number of ships now mount these cannons and their success has led to increased demand and skyrocketing prices.

### History

Dwarves have lived in the Ironhome Mountains for as long as anyone can remember. Even during the worst years of the Anarchy, small dwarfholds managed to survive when all around them there was chaos. The threat of Rajko the Ghūl brought the Ironhome dwarves together into the Vorizar League, a coalition of cities and settlements. This league joined the Starfall Alliance in the fight against the Necro-Kings. When that war was won, the dwarves knew something of peace for the first time. Over the following two centuries, the dwarves expanded their cities massively and created roads both above and belowground to connect the league’s settlements. Their control of the mountain passes brought them goods and revenue and they had strong trading partners in the elves and humans of the Starfall Alliance. Deep beneath the Ironhome Mountains, however, madness and terror bubbled towards the surface.

Unbeknownst to the dwarves of the Vorizar League, there used to be a serpent person fortress far beneath the mountains. It was there the chosen of Yig performed many hideous experiments and bred a series of servitor races. When Valossa fell, a cabal of serpent people sorcerers had been performing a breeding experiment. They were in the midst of a powerful ritual when the Unspeakable One manifested. Even this distant from Valossa, the Primal God’s power was felt. The serpent people were driven mad—this insanity tainted their ritual. They had been trying to breed a servitor race with the adaptability of humans and the sturdiness of dwarves. Instead, they created a horrid half-breed race of demented killers. These abominations survived, as did other of the serpent people’s experiments.

While the dwarves of the Ironhome Mountains built up the Vorizar League, the things from below moved ever upwards. Two hundred and thirty-four years after the defeat of the last Necro-King, a dwarf outpost was attacked from below and destroyed by forces unknown. Sporadic raids like this continued for the rest of the century, which caused the league to expand its army substantially. When Iovan’s gnomes and gargoyles attacked from the south therefore, the Vorizar League was ready to fight and it defeated the oathbreakers in short order (see Iovan’s entry for more on the Dwarf- Gnome War).

It was not long before the things from below returned. The dwarves repulsed them in one place but they would then attack in another. They would disappear for a year and then launch three attacks in a month. In what became known as the Long War, the Vorizar League spent nearly seven centuries fighting nameless horrors in the depths of the Ironhome Mountains. The High Guard kept the mountain passes safe and that kept trade flowing, but meanwhile the Deep Guard fought a merciless war away from the eyes of the Continental powers. The Vorizar League could have asked for help from its allies, but its leaders were too wary of Iovan taking advantage of the situation. So the dwarves fought on, alone and unheralded.

The price was high. Tens of thousands died, cities were destroyed, and always the Vorizar League seemed on the verge of ruin. In the end it was the development of two key weapons that brought the war to an end. First, the dwarves learned to use gunpowder to their advantage, not with the firearms that the gnomes would later invent but with grenadoes, bombs, and petards. Second, dwarf spellcasters developed new magical warding techniques. These allowed tunnels to the depths to be closed and then warded and this drastically reduced the ability of the things from below to continue their attacks. Not quite a century ago the Vorizar League emerged from its long nightmare. Long remote from Continental politics, it began to engage with its neighbors once again. The dwarves pulled back from the brink, and since then they have thrived. Despite this success, not all is quiet in the depths. Deep beneath the Ironhome Mountains, unnamable things still gibber in the darkness.