The Sere Coast

The northeastern shores of Aduria are known as the Duor Gaen (DEW-oar
Gain), or the Sere Coast. Arid grassland and brown, rocky hills march for
hundreds of miles from Baerghos Island, scoured by a surprisingly dry
easterly wind. In the summer months, plumes of dust stand for miles out to
sea, coating the decks of passing ships with fine red grit. In winter, the winds
shift to the north and pound the coastal hills with the endless storms for
which the Miere Rhuann is named.
The Sere Coast is largely uninhabited. In fact, it has never been settled by
civilized folk, although a few scattered copper mines sponsored by Anuirean
and Brecht guilds huddle along the coastline. The interior is dry steppe,
haunted by great bands of nomadic gnolls and a handful of fierce human
tribesmen.

The Gold Coast

Running south from Mieres for some 1,200 miles is the desolate coastline
known as the Gold Coast, named for the sandy deserts and dry grassland that
stretch as far as the eye can see. Like the more northerly Sere Coast, this
region was scoured by the energies released during the destruction of the
ancient gods at Mount Deismaar when once lush grasslands turned into
desert. Some regions have recovered in the proceeding years, but the land
still suffers.
Four small city-states dominate the majority of trade along the Gold Coast.
They were once under the control of the Anuirean Empire, but broke away as
that empire fell and have since chartered their own course. Unlike the older
colonies to the west, few traces of Anuirean rule remain and the states of the
Gold Coast are now more influenced by the southern empire of Nehalim than
they are by Anuire.

The Anuirean Colonies

A collection of city-states, kingdoms, and empires that are still influenced by
their former Anuirean masters, the Anuirean Colonies cover a vast area,
testimony to the Anuirean Empire?s wide reach. First conquered about seven
centuries after Deismaar, when the Empire was at its height, the Colonies
include land that was once home to the Brecht, Andu, Rjuven, and Masetian
peoples. Of the five tribes driven out of Aduria by Azrai, only the Vos, who
originated further to the southeast, did not come from this region.

Oeried, the first major settlement along the northern coast west of Cerilia,
once lay at the heart of the Masetian Empire, before they were conquered
and expelled from their land by Azrai during his great war. Azrai gave the
conquered territory to Naizad, one of his greatest generals, these lands later
became the Naizad Empire, which survived until the death of Azrai at
Deismaar when it collapsed into chaos. Nearly seven centuries later, Anuire
conquered this ancient city and took control of not only the city, but also the
rich grasslands to the south.
To the west of Oeried lies Rhandel, a rocky peninsula jutting out into cold
waters of the Miere Rhuann. Once home to the Brecht people, it fell to Azrai
along with the rest of the northlands and was given to Naizad along with
Oeried, Lurech, and much of the rest of far northern Aduria. Following Azrai?s
death, a rebellion toppled the Naizad governor and for a short time, the small
state was ruled by a popular line of kings. In the seventh century after
Deismaar, an Anuirean invasion successfully conquered Rhandel, and
installed a Lord-Governor who reported to Anuire. This system survived until
nearly four centuries after the fall of the Anuirean Empire and today a
hereditary Overking rules the peninsula.
Rich in both ore and wood, especially large forests of tall ceder trees, which
give the nation its common name of The Ceder Kingdom, Rhandel is a rich
nation supplying weapons, wood, ore and skilled mercenaries to surrounding
nations. Many of the old Anuirean guilds have a presence here and in many
places, the merchant class has replaced the old nobility. These merchantprinces truly rule Rhandel, although they are rarely united on anything and
constant feud amongst themselves, only ever united to bring down an
Overking who is overstepping his authority.
West of Rhandel is a second great peninsula, this one a rocky spine that
arrows straight into the setting sun for nearly five hundred miles. Riven by
deep fjords, its rugged mountains make any landward approach nearly
impossible. For more than a thousand years, this land has been known as
Lurech ? a loose kingdom of feuding lords, divided by racial strife but
undaunted by any foreign power. Lurech?s people are composed of two
distinct cultures: the Luren, descended from the old Rjuven stock, and the
Duatha, invaders from the isles of Mor Atha who carved a foothold in this land
three hundred years ago.
South of all these nations is the empire of Alitaene, which includes the
ancient Hurimar empire and land that was originally home to the Andu
people. At the height of the Anuirean Empire, this land was its most important
colony, and even today, it remains a rich and powerful nation. Great castles
dominate the hilltops and the elite still keep their Anuirean links and titles.
Many of the old Anuirean families have ties in Alitaene, as it was the practice

of many of the noble families during the Anuirean Empire, for the nobility to
send their second or third sons off to Alitaene to fight against Hurim rebels.
Today, the Hurim are second-class citizens, ruled over by an Anuirean elite,
who controls virtually all of the empire. It is a simmering hotbed of rebellion
and racial hatred, and this is not aided by the constant threat of war with
Lucitia to the south, or raids by pirates sailing from Mor Atha and the pirate
Isles.

Mor Atha
The largest of an archipelago of rocky islands stretching for hundreds of miles
west of Aduria, Mor Atha is home to the Duatha, a race at home on the sea as
the ancient Masetians, and perhaps the only tribe in Aduria to successfully
resist Azrai?s armies. Unmatched on the ocean, the fleets of Mor Atha travel
across much of the known world, both as traders and when the need arises,
merciless pirates and raiders.
Home to perhaps half a million people, Mor Atha itself is a large rocky island
nearly five hundred miles long, and a hundred wide. Forested mountains
cover much of the north of the island, while in the south the forests are
replaced by farmland, grazing land and civilisation. Duathan, the capital of
Mor Atha is a deep-water harbor dominated by the masts of heavy warships
and the swift raiders that have made the Duatha so feared.
Ruled over by a High Captain, Mor Atha is a nation always poised on the edge
of rebellion. The High Captain always controls the largest fleet, and with the
loyalties of Mor Atha?s captains a fickle as the summer winds, the leadership
of the nation changes often.

The Beastlands
The ancient homeland of the Vos, the Beastlands is where most of Azrai?s
armies ended up following Deismaar. Cast out by the newly freed peoples of
the great empires, the legions of Azrai were driven into this land of barren
mountains and swampland. It was hoped by the human empires that these
vile beings would die out due to their constant in fighting and thus end
forever the threat of Azrai. Instead they have thrived, dominating the region
and posing an ever-growing threat. Raids by Beast-men into surrounding
territories are a growing problem, and rumors coming out of the Beastlands
now speak of a new ruler. This being of power has somehow managed to
overcome the traditionally violent and chaotic natures of the Beast-men and
is forging them into a new army of the like that has not been seen since the

days of the Shadow War.

Empire of Nehalim
One of the six great empires of ancient times, Nehalim is a vast empire on
the eastern coast of Aduria. A land of desert and dry grasslands, it is home to
a hundred different ethnic tribes and ethnic groups, the most prominent of
which is the Neha. Although small in number, the Neha somehow managed to
conquer the entire region, and have ruled it now for nearly three thousand
years. The northern half of the empire is divided into small rebellious nationstates who owe allegiance to Nehalim, but in practice are virtually
independent, allowed to make their own way in the world as long as they pay
the taxes demanded by the empire. These states are rich in resources and
grow almost all of Nehalim?s foodstuffs.
Nehalim, the great city that it capital to the empire sits at the mouth of a long
river, surrounded by desert and desolate grasslands. The largest city in the
known world, it is home to hundreds of thousands of men and woman from
across the empire. A great trading city and port, it was briefly conquered by
the Anuirean Empire about eight hundred years ago, but was held for less
than a decade, before an alliance of tribe drove out the Anuireans. Bad blood
between the two empires continues to this day, and many Nehalim
merchants will refuse to even deal with Anuirean traders.
During the War of the Shadow, Nehalim fought bravely against the legions of
Azrai, but was eventually undermined as Azrai bought the allegiance of each
individual tribe in turn until only the Neha and their staunches allies
remained. Following their defeat, the majority of Neha tribe were enslaved,
and forced to fight at the front of Azrai?s armies, while the Empire was given
over to those tribes who has supported Azrai. The entire race was almost
exterminated during the centuries of war that followed, but somehow a few
survived to Deismaar, switching sides to fight alongside the six tribes. Those
few that survived Deismaar returned home to their empire as blooded scions
and soon overthrew the emperor installed by Azrai and reclaimed the throne.

Empire of Lucitia
Dominating central Aduria, this large empire was the first to be seduced by
Azrai?s dark promises. Seven hundred years before Deismaar, Lucitia was
little more than a loose alliance of waring city-states, but that was before the
coming of Azrai. The worship of the dark god spread through the corrupt
states of Lucitia and soon the fires of war had erupted across the region. The

old rulers were overthrown and before long all of Lucitia was controlled by a
single leader, the first chosen of Azrai, Emperor Xalin I. The new emperor did
not waste time, and within a decade, Lucitian armies spread out across the
continent, conquering any who resisted. The legacy of nearly two thousand
years of almost constant warfare can still be seen today and several regions
of once fertile land are now nothing more than desert.
Today, Lucitia is an empire in name only. Following Deismaar, the people
overthrew their monstrous rulers, but new evil powers were quick to fill the
void created by the fall of Azrai and the disappearance of his most powerful
generals. Shadow-mages, Awnsheghlien, Beast-men, all plague the land. The
ancient capital, Azraidin, once the heart of Azrai?s empire is now a blasted
ruin, the site of a seemingly never-ending war between the various city-states
whose leaders seek to claim the lost power of the old emperor. For nearly a
century after the death of Azrai, the empire held together, dominated by a
need for the people to atone for the death and destruction caused under
Azrai. The legions of Beast-men and their followers were driven out and for a
few decades it looks like the empire would survive the fall of Azrai intact, but
the lure of power drew sorcerers, awnsheghlien, generals and even a dragon
to Azraidin, the old capital, and soon war had broken out. Each of the ancient
city-states is now ruled over by one of these dark powers, although a few on
the fringes of the empire have resisted the corruption and lure of power. The
Lucitian civil war is now into its second millennia and shows no sign of
ending. Those who have not fled have now been enslaved to work the land
and feed the hungry armies of the city-states.

The Great Desert

A vast desert covering more than 500,000 square miles, the Great Desert is
the home of the Ssarak, a powerful race of snake-men sorcerers and priests
who dominate the region. One of the oldest races alive, they date back to the
Age of Monsters, when the dragon sorcerers ruled the skies and the cities of
the giants ruled the plains and man was little more than a few hairy tribes
hiding in the southern jungles. From their great fortress, The Spire, the Ssarak
worship their dragon god and harvest the surrounding lands for food, slaves,
and resources. In the Great Desert, none can challenge the might of the
Ssarak and any who tries are destroyed. Even Azrai?s legions were defeated
when they fought the Ssarak Dominion, although the Ssarak did eventually
ally themselves with the dark god, but Azrai paid a very high price for their
service.
Today, the Ssarak are mainly confined to the territory directly surrounding
their capital and a few smaller outposts deep in the desert. A heat-loving race

they are disinclined to depart their territory, but within the desert they are
masters and humans must be very careful where they travel. However, some
hardy human tribes do exist, moving from oasis to oasis herding goats and
camels. They are forced to fight not only the Ssarak, but also tribes of gnolls
and other monsters, but somehow they manage to survive. In the east,
another threat can be found, the powerful M?Botan, the Wemic tribes of the
grasslands. While they can be found across Aduria, in northern Ghanim and
the eastern reaches of the Great Desert they have risen to dominate the land
with a primitive, but powerful society or hunters and raiders.

The Ghanim Empire

Another of the ancient empire, Ghanim is a large region of mainly grassland
dominated by nomadic human tribes. In ancient times, it was ruled over by a
great chief, who was elected by the nomadic tribes, but during the War of the
Shadow, the land was ruled by the shadow-mage Karish, a power unmatched
in modern Aduria. Fortunately for the people of Ghanim, he vanished with the
death of Azrai and is thought to have been destroyed at Deismaar. Today the
empire lives as it did in ancient times, although in the past few centuries, the
nomadic way of life of it people has been slowly ending and new cities are
appearing.

The Mountain States

A mountainous region of Aduria, the mountain states once formed the ancient
empire of Justminia, one of the first to pledge allegiance to Azrai. However,
following the death of the empire?s last emperor, Grayconel Adriss, at
Deismaar, the empire was consumed in a civil war, just as civil war claimed
Lucitia. The warring states fought on and off for nearly two centuries,
exhausting their treasuries, their people, and the land. Thus, the empire was
easy prey for an invasion fleet from across the seas. The Huachi people from
Djapar soon conquered the faltering Justminian empire and claimed this land
as their own. Today, the empire no longer exists, instead the land is divided
into a series of loosely aligned states spread across the mountains.

?aynni
Oldest of the human empires, ?aynni is the site of the first human
civilization to arise following the end of the Age of Monsters. As the great
giants fled the dragon war and the dragons slaughtered themselves by the
thousands over what is now the Great Desert, the human who had hidden

away in the jungles of the south slowly spread north to conquer Aduria. The
oldest human city can be found here, the ancient port city of Reichmaar, built
on the site of an abandoned giant city, it became a center of learning and
discovery, famous for its libraries and universities. Today, Reichmaar?s great
library is renowned throughout the world.
During the Shadow War, all of ?aynni was ruled by a single emperor, based
in Reichmaar, and for more than two decades, the empire held out against
the invaders. But eventually it was betrayed from within and the entire
empire fell quickly to Azrai. A region rich in resources, both wood, food, and
metals, ?aynni supplied Azrai?s legions throughout the final century of the
War of Shadow and many of its soldiers served in Azrai?s legions. Following
the fall of Azrai at Deismaar, the recriminations of those who suffered under
Azrai?s rule, split the empire. It has since collapsed into a hundred or more
tiny states, emirates, and kingdoms, but remains relatively peaceful when
compared to the rest of the continent.
Unique to ?aynni are a race of spirit beings known as Djin. Rumoured to be
living mebhaighl, these being can transform into humans and often live
among the people of ?aynni. Very powerful members of the Djin race
occasionally serve the princes and sultans of the region, but their price for
this service is always very high.