Smigrin Empire

The largest and second-most-populous civilized nation in Ferkathas, ruled by the Smigrin Regime.

Geography

Smigrin Empire

Open full size

Surroundings & Relationships

The Empire lies along the coast of the Diedald Ocean to its south. Darsdan River and the current military border with Morraka form the western border, while River Yu and the Biworr Peaks constitute the northern border.
The southeastern part of Smigrin is separated into two branches by the Krygar Peaks, a mountain range that surrounds the broad river valley known as Draigdar Basin. In between the Krygar Peaks and the Biworr Peaks, a branch of the Empire reaches east to touch the Ieta Ocean just south of the Alerad Islands and Rydini Sea.
There are four close neighbor nations to the west: Tanash-tok-Biworr, Morraka, Risfvor, and Sondadarsda. (At present, no border is actually shared with Risfvor.)

Regions & Communities

In the east, a broad fertile river valley lies between Biworr and the Krygar Peaks, and is known as the Vernland.
The western Biworr Peaks are rich with minerals, and their foothills are known as the Mining District. It hosts a few small mining villages, and a few ghost towns where mining villages withered away due to lack of mining success and pressure from Biworr monsters.
The central area of the western half of the empire is filled by Foltzhai, a large deciduous forest. The central eastern area is sometimes called Old Smigra, being the oldest part of the empire (from before it was an empire).
A noteworthy offshore element of the empire is Piqh Island, to the south of the Empire's western end.

Big Cities

Sytoma is the capital of Old Smigra, and was the capital of the Empire until Jirion, having finished his war with Furgrin in the east, founded Jirjing for the benefit of the western wars. Sytoma remains the largest city in the nation by far, and one of the oldest, and its cultural heart.
Jirjing lies on the western border, touching the Darsdan river, not far south of the border with Morraka. While Jirion has made efforts to diversify it and make it more than a military town, it still has a militaristic feel.
Shiang is the capital of the Vernland region, and a major exporter of agriculture to the rest of the Empire. While its land is incredibly fertile, its wealth is hurt by its proximity to Biworr and its former proximity to Furgrin's realm. It's the gateway to all the rim of the Rydini Sea, which is not a very heavily populated region, but affords Shiang some trade; it also means the dwarven minority is larger in Shiang than elsewhere in Smigrin. Shiang still retains some cultural flavor from its pre-imperial days.
Vaultang is an aristocratic city on the southern coast. The traditional home-away-from-home or wealth-showcase of noble families since the early days of the Empire, it is the wealthiest area with the most impressive architecture and some highly coveted beaches. Jirion has actually neglected his House's holdings in Vaultang.
Elthakun is the capital of the Mining District, with rich enough natural resources that it survived the entire period between waves of mining activity in the Empire. Besides continuing to be an abundant mine, it is known for having the best smithies of Smigra, and for being an important military organization point for tensions with nearby Tanash-tok-Biworr.
Lorar Nov, on the western half of the southern coast (near Piqh Island), is one of the two main cultural centers for gnomes in all of Ferkathas. It also has a substantial elven minority and even a handful of draconic residents. It rivals its coastal neighbor Vaultang in art, Elthakun in craftsmanship, and the Vernland in fruit orchards. It is the origin place of the Daelist Way, and many of its residents would attribute its prosperity to the gnomish values espoused by this religion.

Other Cities

Kyvasha in the midst of the Foltzhai is a smaller city with a largely transient population, drawn from the wood elves living throughout the surrounding forest. Although relatively few of the elves settle in this town long-term (preferring their smaller villages), it remains their effective capital, and the greatest population of elves in all of Timir. Kyvasha tries actively to maintain good relations with its imperial Smigrin overlords, but is generally pretty high-strung about letting outsiders (except elves and sometimes gnomes) visit its territory or move into the town.
Reddawn is a small southeastern city, built by ethnic Smigrins about 150 years ago from the devastated remains of the war in which Smigra conquered its hilly surroundings. The war's extended bloodshed was secretly orchestrated by Furgrin, and his proximity continued to be a present danger to Reddawn throughout most of its history. Though Furgrin is no longer a threat, the people of Reddawn maintain a reputation for being brave, feisty, and just plain stubborn.
To the far north of the Empire's heartlands lies Felwarren. Unlike most of its fellow towns in the Mining District, it did not wither and disappear after its mine closed, but thrived as a frontier tourist town advertising itself as a proving ground for would-be-adventurers. Its connections to Biworr, especially through its old mines, make it a dangerous but (to some) exciting place to live.
Furgrin's Ruin is, unsurprisingly, a city where the Dark Lord's tower complex used to stand. Though many are wary of this area still being under a curse, Furgrin's Ruin has found abundant economic opportunities to sustain it, in the form of leading exploration and exploitation of Draigdar Basin.
Vanguard's Head and Vanguard's Tail are military encampments that Jirion has renewed in order to bookend his armies that maintain the border with medusa-ruled Morraka.
Ganthakun in the Vernland is a center for the Baldreic Church.
Other cities of modest note (some too small to feature on the map) include:

• Serudyn across the river from Sytoma;
• Rispadd and Stidyndra in the rest of Old Smigra;
• Fadratas in the western Vernland;
• Lulozu and Imut north of the Foltzhai, east of Vanguard's Tail, and southwest of the Mining District;
• Ranmosskun in the southwest on the coast near Sondadarsda;
• Loom on the penninsula between Lorar Nov and Vaultang;
• Ittryle as the main settlement of Piqh Island;
• Imet in the eastern end of the Foltzhai, in the shadow of Vaultang;
• Drakeshore on the eastern south coast, south of Reddawn.

Natural Resources

Rice, lumber, iron, silver

Alternative Name(s)

Smigra

Type

Territory

Location under

Timir

Included Locations

• Foltzhai
• Honeycombed Hills
• Smigrin Mining District

Included Organizations

• Smigrin Regime

Owner/Ruler

Jirion Brightblade

Percent Arable Land

23%