Four Rivers Kingdom

No region in the Wilds Winds Desert and few in all of Ghornarna can boast the wealth that flows through The Four Rivers. Due to the unique magic of the region, not only does The Four Rivers Kingdom have easy and continuous access to fresh running water, but it also has salt. This export, more than any other, makes the region so wealthy.

Capitol

Tel Khahuk

Government

Monarchy

Religions

Tem-Et-Nu, Azul, Taiia

Imports

Metals and metal goods, silver, gold, weapons, timber, stone

Exports

Live Stock, Wood, Parchment, Salt, olives, olive oil, wine, dyed fabrics, cheese, spices, fish, seafood, fruit, wooden goods, books, ale

Major Geographical Features

The Four Rivers The Turo, The Khemat, The Khonsu, and The Herhut were all once distributaries of the great river, The M'kharat, before whatever happened to turn this land into the desert it is now. Now, each of them lends life and food to their kingdom and much of the Wild Winds Desert. These rivers steadily dry out over nearly 100 miles, leaving behind mud and dirt rich in minerals, especially salt. Much of the salt for northern Ghornarna and southern Arnareth comes from the Four Rivers Kingdom, making it extremely rich. A complex series of underground aqueducts are used to divert the river and irrigate the kingdom's land, making it extremely rich and fertile.

Important Sites

Tel Khahuk

One of the oldest cities in the Wild Winds Desert, Tel Khahuk, is a true wonder. The city's oldest parts are made from pink stone with black veins running through them. This stone, known as Pink Ivy, gives the ancient and grand buildings the illusion of being covered in black vines. The city straddles the Turo River, with the oldest portion on the eastern bank. The El'Mahhine market is one of the largest and most vibrant markets in all of Ermendia. Goods and people from all over the great continents flow through the city.
Tel Khahukl is also home to one of the most famous or infamous mercenary companies in the whole circle of the world. The Dark Angels started as a small company of lordless knights several centuries ago. They then rose to an army of several thousand strong who helped shape many kingdoms across Ghornarna before being given an offer by the Sovereign of Tel Khahuk. The company settled in Tel Khahuk and became its protector, and by extension, the protector of the whole of the Four Rivers Kingdom, in exchange for a handsome yearly salary. The Dark Angels have resided in Tel Khahuk ever since. While there are chapter houses to the Dark Angels, their home citadel has been located in Tel Khahuk ever since.

An Naysan and Al Karidmur

The cousin cities of Al Naysan and Al Karidmur are easy to get confused. They share nearly identical layouts, so much so that if you are familiar with one, you can easily navigate the other, even down to the location of many shops and public buildings. This is no coincidence. Long ago, when the cities were being built, the ruler of the Kingdom, Queen Hatshet, hired a famous city planner named Beurdenar The Magnificent. Whether out of laziness or by accident, she accidentally designed the cities nearly identically, and no one noticed until it was too late to change things. Many guilds will only have a full guild hall in one city or the other, with a small annex in the cousin city.

Heribad and Huramim

Heribad and Huramim are two large villages undergoing significant change. For centuries, life in these villages centered around harvesting the salt and minerals left behind as the rivers dry out. Since the railroad started running through the south of the kingdom, these villages have begun to grow rapidly. They have evolved from large villages of mostly laborers and farmers to major trading hubs for all the goods coming into and going out of the kingdom. While the largest caravanserai in Four Rivers is still located at Tel Karbadu, the city sees much of its wealth and influence redirected to these southern villages. This influx of wealth and trade has brought all those industries to which money gives rise. These villages have become hotbeds of thievery, smuggling, murder, and so much more. They have become towns of great opportunity and more than a little peril.

Tel Karbadu

Tel Karbadu is an ancient and powerful city that has protected the southern reaches of the Four Rivers Kingdom for centuries. It is the kingdom's second-largest and most fortified city, only outdone by Tel Khahuk, the capital. Both cities predate the cataclysm and are made from stone and other materials that are no longer found in the region. Lately, the city has seen much of its power and influence diverted to Heribad and Huramim. The ruler of Tel Karbadu, Lady Rarmenan Hotfoot is an ambitious and clever woman. There are whisperings that she means to claim the two southern villages for herself and declare a new and independent kingdom. This move would have to be met with overwhelming fury by Tel Khahuk and would no doubt result in a bloody and catastrophic war.

Life and Society

Most of the people living in The Four Rivers Kingdom are farmers. Over half of the food grown in the Wild Winds Desert is grown in the Four Rivers. Because of this, the kingdom is well protected not only by the fearsome mercenaries employed to protect it but also by the cities of the Great Sand Sea that rely on the food grown in the Four Rivers. The farmers and salt harvesters who live in the Four Rivers are safer and better-taken care of than most others. Recently, a large number of Harrongen moved to the region from Askor. While there was some initial friction with the people already living in the region, they've become accepted and are now seen as part of the people of the Kingdom. Thanks to the great wealth that flows through the kingdom, the cities are home to many highly skilled crafters and several great schools of magical and mundane study. Life in the cities is busy and fast-moving.