Galladia
Oriented on an North-South axis, this is the western continent of Gloratium. It is home to three kingdoms, four major races, The Spine mountain range, the forests of Gallis, several large cities, and diverse climates and rivers.
Geography
Galladia is dominated by the large, north-south running mountain range, known as The Spine, which is said to be the body of Tenebrus itself. The continent has two major forests fed by warm eastern winds bringing moisture to the area. A large sand erg has formed on the western face of The Spine, next to the Sea of Meridea. This sea is the remnants of a failed rift, and is guarded at the entrance by two large pincer-like peninsulas. Another failed rift sits across the continent from the sea of Meridea leading out to Bay of Kings. Formed by two gulfs, Delphs Gulph and The Gulf of Sibus, are the Galladian Lowlands. This nearly unending sea of grass contains scattered hills known as Spine's End, a long-eroded remnant of The Spine. While largely dry, small rivers and creeks flowing down from the Spine supply some water. The Tercian Plains are a feature formed north of the North Ricea River, and constitute a broad, flat, most low-lying feature series of gross lands with broad hills. Both of these areas, the Lowlands and the Plains, provide a vast majority of the staple crops for Galladia and Glacius.
South of the Galladian Lowlands, are the South Marshes, a series of bogs and swamps formed at the base of the Gallis Highlands along the Ekips River. Many small settlements can be found along the winding tributaries along the river, hidden among willows and moss. On the opposite side of the Gallis Highlands, lie the Gallis Forests. These ancient forests contain many elven and gnomish cities scattered among the trees and along the primary river, the Whitewood. Speaking of which, this is one of the few remaining regions with a measurable number of Whitewood stands.
In the far noth, The Northern Arm and Northalnds are dominated by tundra, pine forests, tundra and rolling hills. The Northern Arm, with a slightly warmer and wetter climate than the Northlands, supports better agricultural lands and larger population centers. Various rivers flow into the principal river in the region, the Mundi, which feeds Lake Mundi before reaching the ocean. These rivers pour over rolling foothills of the Spine, creating stunning landscapes. This process also creates wide swathes of arable land along the banks of the river.
South of the Galladian Lowlands, are the South Marshes, a series of bogs and swamps formed at the base of the Gallis Highlands along the Ekips River. Many small settlements can be found along the winding tributaries along the river, hidden among willows and moss. On the opposite side of the Gallis Highlands, lie the Gallis Forests. These ancient forests contain many elven and gnomish cities scattered among the trees and along the primary river, the Whitewood. Speaking of which, this is one of the few remaining regions with a measurable number of Whitewood stands.
In the far noth, The Northern Arm and Northalnds are dominated by tundra, pine forests, tundra and rolling hills. The Northern Arm, with a slightly warmer and wetter climate than the Northlands, supports better agricultural lands and larger population centers. Various rivers flow into the principal river in the region, the Mundi, which feeds Lake Mundi before reaching the ocean. These rivers pour over rolling foothills of the Spine, creating stunning landscapes. This process also creates wide swathes of arable land along the banks of the river.
Fauna & Flora
Fauna
Lots of creatures inhabit this continent including the Narex, Archar and Bane Wolves. It is also home to the fearsome Tenmar, which prays on the docile Valar in the plains of Galladia. Ekipters also inhabit these plains. Nerpenta can inhabit the lakes of this continent but they are hard to spot, as are the Silver Eagles that roost in The Spine.
Flora
Gold Knot is a famous fungus used in potion making that inhabits the northern edge of the Silver Wood. Enormous White Wood trees also inhabit this region, but many have been cut down. Marsh Feathers grow in the The Lowlands are known to have incredible healing powers.Natural Resources
The huge White Wood trees were used, and in some places still are, as an excellent source of hard wood. Timber in general from these large forest is abundant.
Marble can be found abundantly in the Northern end of the Spine, while most of the rest of this range is granitic. This provides excellent building materials for the people of the region. Because of the central location of The Spine and the abundant geologic activity that once acted on it, access to metals is fairly easy. Although, Silver Glass was never found on the continent, or if it was once mined on Galladian lands, was quickly depleted.
Valar are raised in the cold Northern plains, while the Southern planes around The Crossroads, Divale, and Sibus provide ripe agricultural land for grain. The areas around Lake Mundi and Lake Tercior are also farmed extensively.
History
Galladia is home to a large variety of peoples. These ethnicities include:
Wood Elves and Gnomes form the primary racial groups in the Gallis Forests, although, smaller gnomish villages also exist in the Silver Wood. Halfling villages and settlments can be found dotting the country side of the Tercian Plains, The Lowlands and the Northern Arm. Dwarvish communities dot the Spine, from the Northern Arm to Spine's End. Galladia is generally considered the birthplace of the Dwarven race. Half-orc populations are largely confined to the northern reach of the continent, although small enclaves have been founded in the South Marshes.
Among the human ethnicities, the Tethyrian and Chondathan are the primary. ethnic groups. The Chondathan primarily hail from the Galladian Lowlands, with some also living in the Forests of Gallis. Tethyrians can primarily be found in the Arborvale, although significant populations also inhabit the Lowlands and Tercian Plains. These populations are the most inter-mingled of the human ethnicities in Galladia, with some scholars proposing a new term for the conjoined ethnic group. The Calishite peoples primarily inhabit the coast of the Sea of Meridea and the Dancing Dunes, with smaller enclaves in the Tercian Plains. Finally, the Illuskan peoples inhabit the Northland and Northern Arm, with a large population also residing in the city of Arnea.
For many centuries, the geographic barriers of Galladia (The Spine, the Dancing Dunes, the South Marshes and Galladian Highlands) made large scale conflict very difficult. However, these barriers also severely hampered the flow of knowledge and resources. The first civilizations are known as the Forest Folk, a series of gerontocracies of wood elves, humans and Gnomes scattered throughout the Silver Wood and Gallis Forests. From the Forest Folk emerged the Alarim, a magocracy centered around a deific ruler, which erected enormous pyramidal temples in the forest of the realm. As the Alarim began to expand their rule across the southern half of Galladia, other major civilizations emerged. The Olagren Sea Princes consolidated the rule of various Illuskan and Calishite rulers in northwest Galladia, and with their expert sailing skills, came to dominate most of the Meridea Coast, as well as hundreds of miles inland territory. Still today, some of the best sailors in the world hail from Arnea and Colton. With these two major powers forming on either side of the Spine, a council of dwarvish leaders formed the Fenmarin Empire. The Empire expanded to cover much of the lands in the Northern Arm and Tercian Plains, and began to trade heavily with the Olagren Sea Princes. At last, a major human civilization entered the Galladian stage, with the Ottenian Kingdom, first formed of a small band of bandits and marauders. The Ottenian Kingdom conquered many settlements in the Tercian Plains and Lowlands, primarily inhabited by humans, seeing themselves as liberators, driving elvish and dwarven overlords from their lands. However without a formal bureaucratic structure, the Ottenian Kingdom largely fell back into a feudalistic society, with landowners only providing soldiers from their fiefs for the defense of the Kingdom. In time, the weak central government, and strong local leaders, lead to a sense of individualism amongst the various human cities of Galladia, a sentiment still kept today.
However, as the divides of the major geographic barriers softened, the major powers of Galladia became fierce rivals, jockeying for land and settlements. This only intensified during a period known across the world as The Wars of The Gift. Eventually the Ottenians, with the support of a number of the Olagren Sea Princes, pushed the Alarim back into the South Marsh and Silver Wood. Meanwhile, the city of Meridea was able to remain largely neutral, with local leaders able to effectively ameliorate the Sea Princes through various tributes acquired by facilitating a trade network with the Fenmarin and Ottenians. This facilitation of trade, in turn, gave rise to the Bank of Galladia, and still today, Meridea remains one of the largest financial and trading centers on the continent. In the Northern Arm, human and half-orc elements, sensing the weakness in the Fenmarin Empire, began a revolt that succeeded in taking a large swath of the Northern Arm. Contingencies of dwarven citizens in the Northern Arm, claiming the Fenmarin had mistreated these other local races for centuries as lesser classes, sided with the revolutionaries. Eventually, the conflict reached a stalemate, with the Fenmarin allying with the remaining elements of the Alarim in the Silver Wood, entrenching themselves in hilly strongholds. This stalemate ended with the arrival of the Forefathers at King's Rock.
Methodically, the Forefathers finished the remaining Fenmarin strongholds in the Northern Arm, and began to push south. After word spread of the rout of their forces in a number of skirmishes near modern day Grand Fort, Ottenian landholders were quick to swear fealty to their new overlords whenever their banners crested the horizon. Much of Galladia came under Forefahter rule in this way. The Forefathers then targeted the Alarim to the South. Following their sequestration in the Forests of Galllis, the Alarim entered a period of pacifism, then isolationism, and finally stagnation. The Forefathers made a swift move on the capital, but soon the conquerors realized 1) a protracted guerrilla campaign would ensue when taking the remainder of the densely forested and sparsely populated region and 2) many of the beliefs of the Alarim and Forefathers, both culturally and racially, aligned. Hence, the Forests of Gallis were granted a semblance of autonomy unique among many of the regions of Gloratium.
Finally, turning back to the mountain-bound Fenmarin Empire, the forefathers offered a peace, understanding the difficulty and impracticality of sieging hundreds of dwarven mountain holds. The peace was refused. Following recent success across the Silver Sea, the Forefathers were able to bring a greater force to bear against the Fenmarin, and with the help of dwarven saboteurs, began to isolate, and then siege, major dwarven strongholds. Thus began a period known to the surface world as The Mountain Campaigns, or perhaps as it is better known to the Dwarves, the Shattering of The Mountain. Over the course of 20 years, 14 dwarven strongholds were put under siege. However, the greater damage for the Fenmarin came from elsewhere, as many more dwarven cities were embargoed and starved. Propaganda campaigns, waged by the Forefathers and local sympathizers and rulers, succeeded in further fracturing the empire, with individual cities breaking away. Eventually, the Empire collapsed, and a peace was signed shortly thereafter amongst the holdouts. The dwarves would keep their own country under the Spine, governed through the city of Spine's End. Yet, this new country would only be able to produce weaponry in the forges of Spine's End and the Keep of Kings, under heavy regulation and the watchful eye of Forefather soldiers. Additionally the 100 finest dwarven soldiers would be required to serve in the Forefather legions. This final point, while highly contentious in the initial phases, turned into a strong point of pride for the dwarven populations, as this contingent was often regarded as one of the fiercest regiments in the army. Eventually the dwarves moved away from militarism, with a renewed focus on technological advancement. Thus began the Forefather rule of the entirety of Galladia.
Following The Cataclysm, Forefather power projection waned. Governance of the continent moved to Arborvale, but the chaos that ensued following the Cataclysm left many rulers to fend for themselves and with out clear guidance. The various courts of the realm, which had largely been left to their own devices except in the areas of magic regulation, religious tolerance, taxation and defense, began to hold referendums for independence. Without fear of retaliation from Auriti (now the Splitsilver Isles), the former Forefather homeland which had been the driving force of unity before the Cataclysm, various parts of the empire broke away. First, with minimal numbers of Forefather troops or garrisons in their realm, the Emerald Throne claimed independence. The dwarves slowly reduced their contributions to the royal armory, as well as local tariffs, to a trickle. Eventually, only the Northern Arm and districts within central Galladia claimed some sort of allegiance to the Forefathers, although even this was largely nominal. With the death of Behard the Great, the final Governor of Galladia, the reign of the Forefathers ended. The Northern Arm pulled away, still holding many Forefather traditions as sacred, while the cities of central Galladia federated into the New Kingdom of Galladia.
For many years after the fall of Behard, various small disputes emerged between the Emerald Throne (Forests of Gallis), The Northern Arm and The New Kingdom. However, seeking to live up to their original purpose, The Academy at Arborvale brokered a peace settlement between the three countries, known as The Galladian Alliance.
- Tethyrian, Calishite, Chondatham and Illuskan humans
- Gnomes
- Dwarves
- Wood Elves
- Half-Orcs
Non-Human
Wood Elves and Gnomes form the primary racial groups in the Gallis Forests, although, smaller gnomish villages also exist in the Silver Wood. Halfling villages and settlments can be found dotting the country side of the Tercian Plains, The Lowlands and the Northern Arm. Dwarvish communities dot the Spine, from the Northern Arm to Spine's End. Galladia is generally considered the birthplace of the Dwarven race. Half-orc populations are largely confined to the northern reach of the continent, although small enclaves have been founded in the South Marshes.
Human
Among the human ethnicities, the Tethyrian and Chondathan are the primary. ethnic groups. The Chondathan primarily hail from the Galladian Lowlands, with some also living in the Forests of Gallis. Tethyrians can primarily be found in the Arborvale, although significant populations also inhabit the Lowlands and Tercian Plains. These populations are the most inter-mingled of the human ethnicities in Galladia, with some scholars proposing a new term for the conjoined ethnic group. The Calishite peoples primarily inhabit the coast of the Sea of Meridea and the Dancing Dunes, with smaller enclaves in the Tercian Plains. Finally, the Illuskan peoples inhabit the Northland and Northern Arm, with a large population also residing in the city of Arnea.
Rise of Nations
For many centuries, the geographic barriers of Galladia (The Spine, the Dancing Dunes, the South Marshes and Galladian Highlands) made large scale conflict very difficult. However, these barriers also severely hampered the flow of knowledge and resources. The first civilizations are known as the Forest Folk, a series of gerontocracies of wood elves, humans and Gnomes scattered throughout the Silver Wood and Gallis Forests. From the Forest Folk emerged the Alarim, a magocracy centered around a deific ruler, which erected enormous pyramidal temples in the forest of the realm. As the Alarim began to expand their rule across the southern half of Galladia, other major civilizations emerged. The Olagren Sea Princes consolidated the rule of various Illuskan and Calishite rulers in northwest Galladia, and with their expert sailing skills, came to dominate most of the Meridea Coast, as well as hundreds of miles inland territory. Still today, some of the best sailors in the world hail from Arnea and Colton. With these two major powers forming on either side of the Spine, a council of dwarvish leaders formed the Fenmarin Empire. The Empire expanded to cover much of the lands in the Northern Arm and Tercian Plains, and began to trade heavily with the Olagren Sea Princes. At last, a major human civilization entered the Galladian stage, with the Ottenian Kingdom, first formed of a small band of bandits and marauders. The Ottenian Kingdom conquered many settlements in the Tercian Plains and Lowlands, primarily inhabited by humans, seeing themselves as liberators, driving elvish and dwarven overlords from their lands. However without a formal bureaucratic structure, the Ottenian Kingdom largely fell back into a feudalistic society, with landowners only providing soldiers from their fiefs for the defense of the Kingdom. In time, the weak central government, and strong local leaders, lead to a sense of individualism amongst the various human cities of Galladia, a sentiment still kept today.
However, as the divides of the major geographic barriers softened, the major powers of Galladia became fierce rivals, jockeying for land and settlements. This only intensified during a period known across the world as The Wars of The Gift. Eventually the Ottenians, with the support of a number of the Olagren Sea Princes, pushed the Alarim back into the South Marsh and Silver Wood. Meanwhile, the city of Meridea was able to remain largely neutral, with local leaders able to effectively ameliorate the Sea Princes through various tributes acquired by facilitating a trade network with the Fenmarin and Ottenians. This facilitation of trade, in turn, gave rise to the Bank of Galladia, and still today, Meridea remains one of the largest financial and trading centers on the continent. In the Northern Arm, human and half-orc elements, sensing the weakness in the Fenmarin Empire, began a revolt that succeeded in taking a large swath of the Northern Arm. Contingencies of dwarven citizens in the Northern Arm, claiming the Fenmarin had mistreated these other local races for centuries as lesser classes, sided with the revolutionaries. Eventually, the conflict reached a stalemate, with the Fenmarin allying with the remaining elements of the Alarim in the Silver Wood, entrenching themselves in hilly strongholds. This stalemate ended with the arrival of the Forefathers at King's Rock.
Methodically, the Forefathers finished the remaining Fenmarin strongholds in the Northern Arm, and began to push south. After word spread of the rout of their forces in a number of skirmishes near modern day Grand Fort, Ottenian landholders were quick to swear fealty to their new overlords whenever their banners crested the horizon. Much of Galladia came under Forefahter rule in this way. The Forefathers then targeted the Alarim to the South. Following their sequestration in the Forests of Galllis, the Alarim entered a period of pacifism, then isolationism, and finally stagnation. The Forefathers made a swift move on the capital, but soon the conquerors realized 1) a protracted guerrilla campaign would ensue when taking the remainder of the densely forested and sparsely populated region and 2) many of the beliefs of the Alarim and Forefathers, both culturally and racially, aligned. Hence, the Forests of Gallis were granted a semblance of autonomy unique among many of the regions of Gloratium.
Finally, turning back to the mountain-bound Fenmarin Empire, the forefathers offered a peace, understanding the difficulty and impracticality of sieging hundreds of dwarven mountain holds. The peace was refused. Following recent success across the Silver Sea, the Forefathers were able to bring a greater force to bear against the Fenmarin, and with the help of dwarven saboteurs, began to isolate, and then siege, major dwarven strongholds. Thus began a period known to the surface world as The Mountain Campaigns, or perhaps as it is better known to the Dwarves, the Shattering of The Mountain. Over the course of 20 years, 14 dwarven strongholds were put under siege. However, the greater damage for the Fenmarin came from elsewhere, as many more dwarven cities were embargoed and starved. Propaganda campaigns, waged by the Forefathers and local sympathizers and rulers, succeeded in further fracturing the empire, with individual cities breaking away. Eventually, the Empire collapsed, and a peace was signed shortly thereafter amongst the holdouts. The dwarves would keep their own country under the Spine, governed through the city of Spine's End. Yet, this new country would only be able to produce weaponry in the forges of Spine's End and the Keep of Kings, under heavy regulation and the watchful eye of Forefather soldiers. Additionally the 100 finest dwarven soldiers would be required to serve in the Forefather legions. This final point, while highly contentious in the initial phases, turned into a strong point of pride for the dwarven populations, as this contingent was often regarded as one of the fiercest regiments in the army. Eventually the dwarves moved away from militarism, with a renewed focus on technological advancement. Thus began the Forefather rule of the entirety of Galladia.
Following The Cataclysm, Forefather power projection waned. Governance of the continent moved to Arborvale, but the chaos that ensued following the Cataclysm left many rulers to fend for themselves and with out clear guidance. The various courts of the realm, which had largely been left to their own devices except in the areas of magic regulation, religious tolerance, taxation and defense, began to hold referendums for independence. Without fear of retaliation from Auriti (now the Splitsilver Isles), the former Forefather homeland which had been the driving force of unity before the Cataclysm, various parts of the empire broke away. First, with minimal numbers of Forefather troops or garrisons in their realm, the Emerald Throne claimed independence. The dwarves slowly reduced their contributions to the royal armory, as well as local tariffs, to a trickle. Eventually, only the Northern Arm and districts within central Galladia claimed some sort of allegiance to the Forefathers, although even this was largely nominal. With the death of Behard the Great, the final Governor of Galladia, the reign of the Forefathers ended. The Northern Arm pulled away, still holding many Forefather traditions as sacred, while the cities of central Galladia federated into the New Kingdom of Galladia.
A New Peace
For many years after the fall of Behard, various small disputes emerged between the Emerald Throne (Forests of Gallis), The Northern Arm and The New Kingdom. However, seeking to live up to their original purpose, The Academy at Arborvale brokered a peace settlement between the three countries, known as The Galladian Alliance.
Type
Continent
Location under
Included Locations
Included Organizations
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