Calian
POPULATION: 800K
RULER: Taigund Ehelmon, Duke of Calian
CAPITAL: Procco
CITIES: Domlus, Norams
TOWNS: Tobyteentan, (Navirdi: Fith Ud, Dwestan, Ghourvinter)
VILLAGES: (Navirdi: Cil Massaeg, Derriwend, Diaced, Outhmoren)
Calian is best known as the centre of the once-great Kingdom of Khyr, an empire of the classical world whose heyday concluded over 3 millennia ago. Khyr would be of peripheral interest were it not for the great Sage, Beryth, who along with his disciples established an unprecedented symbiosis between the kingdom's mundane and arcane inhabitants, a relationship which would later empower the Khyr's great rise to prominence. This story is laid out in the world's oldest account of the history of magic, The Ildhuat Soher, a book the Drakoyan conquerors turned to 1000 years later as a model for social order in the founding of their own Empire.
To this day, the Berythian Tradition remains the most powerful and longstanding Tradition on earth, although even Berythians are nowhere as keen about their origins as are the Navirds, Calian's largest minority ethnic group and direct descendants of the ancient Khyrgan race. On account of their heritage, Navirds regard themselves the rightful inheritors of the Kingdom's grand legacy and cleave proudly to their roots. That present day historians argue few Navirdic traditions are consistent with Khyrgan history bothers them little. Goi Davur, their mother tongue, is indeed heir to the ancient Khyrigintal*, and those that most wish to to speak it live within the area known as the Goisyllow, between Ghourvinter and Outhmoren. Here, all other languages are prohibited by law. Countless touchstones of Navirdic culture are inspired by original sources, if not issuing from them directly. The Ballad of Ulann and Moradhwii, an epic tale sung at weddings, is a vital example of old world myths reinterpreted through later musical styles to comprise the new.
by midjourney
Above: The Tuhuldaulgad Tivornher.
A very few architectural remnants from the Kingdom remain in Calian, the most important of which is undoubtedly the Tuhuldaulgad Tivornher, an impressive ruin south of Fith Ud. The Navirds refer to the structure simply as Daulgad, ("The Crystal Crown"), supposing it to be the palace of the last reigning monarch of Khyr - once again, despite historical evidence to the contrary. Due to its place in collective imagination, the Daulgad's visual motifs often find echoes in modern Navirdic construction. The Duchy's proximity to Ceweren and the fact of its prior annexation under the Eannelk Occupation have meant a tide of Northern influence, not only in building design, but other areas of daily life as well, such as popular idioms and cuisine.
Despite their culture's outsize presence in the Duchy, the Navirdic people still represent less than one quarter of its overall population, which remains largely Draksi. By and large, the Navirds have been well-treated as a separate group since the land of Goi Dav officially fell under Drakoyan rule in 932 during the Middle Empire. This is observed in the lineage of the present Duke, Taigund Ehelmon, who boasts Navirdic heritage (one-quarter, via his paternal grandmother). Taigund's grandfather, Hoserva Ehelmon, had the honour of being the second and most recent Merit Lord for his role in facilitating initiatives of the Capital during the Reconstruction, and as a result was permitted to marry outside of Draksi stock. Navirdic citizens look up to his leadership on this basis, but Drakoyan Dukes and Duchesses view him as a "junior" member of Parliament on account of his very recent pedigree. His House crest bears a broken blue sword against a white background, representing the family's soldierly heritage.
The Bonneru people, Draksineon's largest minority group, have long held a chip on their shoulders for the glaring historical differences between they and the Navirds in terms of their respective treatment by Drakoyan lords.
Calian, like Odureas, has a strong timber industry, and supplies Sabellis much of its yield. The Molersa Wood between Dwestan and Tobyteenan is the site of the largest number of logging camps in the region.
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