Lands of Kaliteth

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Map of the World of Edæroth

Main: Kaliteth

The Known World

Although many a bard’s tale tells of faraway lands, inhabited by fanciful beings and holding vast treasures guarded by fearsome monsters, the maps and books of the historians and scholars of Kaliteth provide details of only three mainlands within the whole world of Edæroth [ed-ə-roth], the known world.

Jedok

Dägenhild [dā-gen-hild]: the only known large settlement of Jedok, a capital city of sorts for the Vedir, where the clan chiefs meet to discuss trade and law.

Far to the northeast, over the Sea of Tæhör, are the distant lands of Jedok [je-dok]. The people that live in this cold, icy land are strong warriors and survivors, but otherwise live in very primitive ways. They call themselves the Vedir [ve-dir] but are known to those in the southwest as “Gothard” [goth-ard] (derived from “goat herders”).

Due to the scarcity of wood, they build stone huts in the shape of small domes and burn goat dung for their fires. They have very few ships or boats, so their only trade with outsiders is with those that sail to them.

Goat, seal, shellfish, gulls and what fish can be caught close to shore are their primary diet and source of building materials. They have learned to collect iron ore found on the ground and craft crude tools and weapons of iron, however, the majority of their tools and weapons are crafted solely from bone, leather and stone.

The people of Jedok are some of the largest in the world, both in height and girth (their blubbery bodies keeping them warm in the cold) and easily distinguishable by their vibrant blue eyes, pale skin and show-white hair.

Within the lands of Kaliteth, the pale-skinned natives of Jodak are commonly thought of as savage primitives possessing nothing beyond a primal instinct to rape and kill. They are often referred to as “barbarians” or “snow apes”. Encountered outside of Kaliteth, or as a raiding party within Kaliteth, they are reacted to like monsters, Social Stigma: Monster, -3 reaction, otherwise, they are considered a slave race, Social Stigma: Subjugated, -1 reaction.

Kaliteth

The lands of Kaliteth [kal-i-teth], aka. the Isles of Kaliteth, are made up of a grand archipelago located to the southwest of Jedok and north of Om’Buccar.

Regions of Kaliteth
Over time the people, historians and scholars have come to identify four regions within the Isles of Kaliteth.

  • Calippion [kal-ip-pēon]: a ring of islands located in the northwest.
  • Leginon [leg-i-non]: the largest island, located in the center.
  • Mundilon [mun-di-lon]: a collection of many smaller islands, located in the southwest.
  • Östifar [ōs-ti-far]: a couple of larger, long islands, located in the southeast. Typically referred to as the “Whole of Östifar” to distinguish between the region and the territory of the House of Östifar.

Territories
See The Great Houses of Kaliteth below.

City-States
There are five independent city-states in Kaliteth, each having a unique government and society from that of the rest of Kaliteth. Although holding only very limited amounts of land, the success of these city-states, their influence and power, is primarily due to their long tradition of neutrality, serving all the Great Houses equally in business and little else.

Om’Buccar

Raz'jan
Arzin

Far to the south, over the Sea of Rekkon, are the distant lands of Om’Buccar [om-bū-kar]. These hot, desert lands are a harsh and dangerous place to live, but in the isolated regions of fertility that surround the rare oasis or river have become homes to a number of tribal communities.

Tall, slender and dark-skinned (called Sakari [sa-kar-ē] but known in the north as “Burnt Men”), the people of Om’Buccar are a proud people who have achieved a high level of technology (especially in mathematics). The majority build their homes of dried mud bricks, however, there are several large cities that have tall walls and castles built of yellowed sandstone. They have skilled engineers.

The sultans (lords) all have great wealth and power. They adhere to a very strong caste system, with a ruling class, tradesman class and laborer class (treated as slaves).

The coastal cities have fleets of fishing ships and with wood traded with the north, they have built a navy of galleons and floating fortresses (dreadnoughts) which defend their shores.

  • Raz’jan [roz-jon]: grandest city of northern Om’Buccar, a port city that is a hub of trade and home to five noble families which hold a significant amount of power in the north.
  • Arzin [ar-zin]: the only other city located on the norther coast, home to nine noble families (lesser power than of Raz’jan).

Within the lands of Kaliteth, the dark-skinned natives of Om’Buccar are commonly thought of as cannibalistic primitives having little more than animal intelligence. They are often referred to as “heathens” or “dark demons”. Encountered outside of Kaliteth, or as raiding parties in Kaliteth, they are reacted to like monsters, Social Stigma: Monster, -3 reaction, otherwise, they are considered to be a slave race, Social Stigma: Subjugated, -1 reaction.

Geography

The archipelago of Kaliteth is comprised of numerous islands, large and small, which formed unknown ages ago. Although most of the shorelines have gradual inclines with sandy or pebbly beaches, there are a few less inviting shores strewn with perilous rocks or with cliffs that rise high above.

The central lands of the Mundilon are tidal marshes which offers very little in the way of dry land when the tides are at their highest and vast expanses of mudflats and tidal pools when the tides are at their lowest.

Aside from the tidal marshes, most of Kaliteth has lands of varied terrain and elevation that remain well above sea level, including a number of sizable mountain ranges. The Grand Tæton Mountains, located at the center of Leginon, has five great mountain peaks--often referred to as the “Five Brothers”--that reach elevations over 9000 feet, making them the tallest in all of Edæroth: Mt. Bailör [bā-lōr] (10,056 ft), Mt. Cerrik [ser-rik] (9,972 ft), Mt. Görmin [gōr-min] (9,720 ft), Mt. Gilmanlar [gil-man-lar] (9,694 ft), and Mt. Mehrkel [mār-kel] (9,107 ft). These mountain peaks are always white with snow, even at the height of summer, and several glaciers can be found in the highest valleys. There are a few other smaller mountain ranges in Kaliteth, but only two other mountains of significant elevation: Mt. Tirano [ti-ran-ō] (8,628 ft) located on the largest island in the territory of Donji and Mt. Poros [por-os] (8,381 ft) located in the southern island in the territory of Umbria.

Although trees are common all throughout the islands, found in every style, there are clear divisions between the grassy plains of the lowlands and the dense forests of the highlands and lowland jungles. In the coldest reaches of the highlands, few trees are found besides evergreens and even these become stunted and fail to grow above height of 7,000 feet or more.

There are numerous rivers, streams and creeks which flow from the mountains and wind across the lower forests and grasslands, however, there are only three rivers of major size: Marao River [ma-ra-ō], Shenmanü River [shen-ma-nū] and the River of Hom Sük [hom sūk], all having their source within the Grand Tæton Mountains. There are only two large freshwater lakes, both located in the Grand Tæton Mountains: Lake Hom Sük is located in the southwest and Lake Raidek [rā-dek] which is a giant caldera lake located at the heart of the mountains.

Surrounding the isles of Kaliteth are five seas: Sea of Corcoran [kor-kō-ran], Sea of Fyr Duwin [fīr dūwen], Sea of Tæhör [tə-hōr], Sea of Rekkon [rek-kon], and Endless Sea of Valkendaal [val-ken-dā-al] which lays to the west and is so vast that now have ever found other lands beyond.

Climate

During the winter months (Nani - Vela), the lands of Kaliteth experience longer nights and cooler temperatures. The north gradually accumulates an average of 20-inches of snow which persists through the winter. Average temperatures range from 26°F (high) to 10°F (low) in the north to 72°F (high) to 40°F (low) in the south.

During the summer months (Miya - Axa), the lands of Kaliteth experience longer days and warmer temperatures. The south generally experiences at least one period of drought which last on average 14 days, although longer or additional droughts have occurred. Average temperatures range from 78°F (high) to 44°F (low) in the north to 101°F (high) to 80°F (low) in the south.

Kaliteth climate.jpg

The lands of Jedok have much longer winters, lasting from the months of Ciri to Anya, during which they an average of 60-inches of snow which persists through the winter. During other four months, their summer, the snow melts off and grasses flourish in the mild temperatures.

The lands of Om’Buccar have much longer summers, lasting from Bixa to Öreina, during which they receive little or no rain and experience very hot temperatures. During the other four months, their winter, the temperatures cool and they experience extreme storms and monsoons which often flood many areas.

Calendar

Within the lands of Kaliteth, many civil traditions persisted after the Fall of the Empire, including the use of the Ödika calendar, in which the 349-day year is divided into 12 months of 29 days each plus a single day for the new year celebration (“The Day of Fools”). When this calendar was established, post dated to the foundation of the empire, the 12 months were named for Ödithrax’s most favored daughters.

Spring Summer Fall Winter
3) Bixa [bi-sha]
4) Anya [an-ya]
5) Miya [mī-ya]
6) Isa [ē-sa]
7) Ilya [il-ya]
8) Axa [a-sha]
9) Ciri [sir-rē]
10) Öreina [ō-rē-na]
11) Nani [na-nē]
12) Dira [dir-a]
1) Räsha [rā-sha]
2) Vela [vel-a]

Culture of Kaliteth

Appearance & Fashion

Members of the noble houses will generally wear their house coat of arms in some form as a display of their social status/rank… most often as a metal medallion worn as a brooch or necklace, but occasionally as a tabard, sash, shoulder insignia. Members of the various orders and large businesses follow similar practices.

Ladies of virtue (nobility, of age, vigin, eligible to wed, etc.) must wear a veil across their face when not in privacy of immediate family; any man removing such a veil is committing an insult to the house nearly as severe as raping a woman.

Long hair for women is a sign of wealth/status… any not of nobilty are not permitted to have hair longer than shoulder length and peasants hair must not go past ears. Men with long hair are treated as barbarians.

Sub-Races

Primitive Humans: There are small, tribal groups of humans living in isolated areas of Kaliteth, who live very primitive lifestyles common to the ancient people who existed before the foundation of the Ödika Empire. In physical appearance, they look the same as other people of Kaliteth, but their common practice of body piercing, tattooing, and scarification is seen little outside of their cultures. Those having such are commonly judged to be a primitive, even if the individual isn’t in fact from one of these tribes. Racial Reaction: -1

Dwarves: Seldom encountered outside their dungeon homes in the Taeton Mountains, they are little known. Tales often depict them as rude, greedy and ill-tempered, so in general humans treat them with cautious disdain. Racial Reaction: -2

Elves: Being highly elusive and averse to humanity, they are rarely encountered by the people of Kaliteth. For this reason they are commonly believed not even to exist, being only the fictitious characters of myth, folklore, or the ravings of drunks. In the rare case that an elf is encountered by a human, they are often treated with cautious awe. Racial Reaction: +2

Orcs: They are in fact quiet monstrous in appearance and possess ill tempers that usually lead to combat when encountering humans, but beyond this, very little is known about orcs. Historically, they have always been enemies of humanity. During the time of the Ödika Empire, the emperor committed vast resources to the armies assigned to hunt down and eradicate the "vile orcs". Few now ever encounter an orc, but when they do, it is generally with a very strong level of distrust, fear, and hatred. Racial Reaction: -3

Half-orcs: In fact, orcs and humans are genetically incapable of breeding. The rare half-orcs that exist in Kaliteth are the result of magical hybridization experiments conducted in secret by unknown people near the end of the Ödika Empire. However, few know of this information, so most humans view half-orcs as filthy, ignorant, unholy cross-breeds. They are typically not well accepted by the people of Edæroth, however, some posses a moderate amount of pity for the "unfortunate child of a mother raped by a beastly orc". Racial Reaction: -2

Politics & Government

Free Orders

Within the lands of Kaliteth, there are several sanctioned orders--often referred to as Free Orders--which have a tradition of holding no fealty to any noble house, instead offering their services to any deserving or able to pay.

The Great Houses of Kaliteth

Great Houses of Kaliteth.jpg

Within the Isles of Kaliteth, there are many noble houses of the families who hold rank and title, but only seventeen of which hold lands. The landholding houses make up the Great Houses of Kaliteth. The lesser houses are bound by oath to serve the great house for the lands they live upon. The territories of Kaliteth hold the name of the great houses which rule them.

Within each territory, the law of the land is dictated by the "Lord Overseer" (the terms king, chief, etc. are not used), the highest rank/title of the ruling house. Rulership is inherited, first by eldest sons, then by eldest daughters, or otherwise the most closely related family.

Territory Pronunciation Colors Emblem Capital
Aikondyl [ā-kon-dīl] purple/white Casotto
Bærharn [bər-harn] burgundy/blue/white Durrös
Califrey [kal-i-frā] green tree of life Salinitri
Donji [don-jē] red/white/navy-blue Vela Loki
Du’Fohl [dū-fal] red/gold badger Balikesir
Foellestri [fōl-les-trē] green/white stag Bravnani
Idris [idris] red/white/green Äramoor
Lör’Ghal [lōr-gol] black/white bear Örn
Kaiden [kā-den] burgundy Conde Nast
Kördith [kōr-dith] blue wolf Himär
Mærtosh [mər-tosh] gold falcon Tanös
Östifar [ōs-ti-far] black stallion Törtura
Pelinör [pel-i-nōr] blue/white Lantegos
Rook [rūk] gray Greysmark
Tirgenthü [tir-gen-thū] purple sea serpent Öjeda
Umbria [um-brē-a] gray-blue skeletal octopus Kres
Wehrdeg [wār-deg] black/green/white Gölkek