Western Coast

• Boeruine
• Talinie
• Brosengae
• Rhuobhe
• Taeghas

• Northern Imperial Temple
• Peaceful Seas of Nesirie
• Hidden Temple of Cuiraécen
• Western Imperial Temple
• Temple of Fortune

• Brosen Royal Guild
• Taeghan Outfitters
• Boeruine Trading Guild
• Upper Anuire Traders
• Andien and Sons
• Stjordvik Traders

• Taeghas
• Mage of Talinie
• Mage of Boeruine

The Western Coast reaches from the waters of the great bay called the Tael Firth down to the Straits of Aerele and extends east to the Seamist Mountains. It looks like a wilder place than most of Anuire. The tops of pines rise high against the blue of the sky and the backdrop of the mountains. Wooden stockade towns appear here and there on the tree-covered landscape, their strong walls keeping out the wolves, bears, ogres, trolls, and other creatures from the mountains that still call the land their own.

Only the Northern Marches are more sparsely populated than this region. Perhaps settlers have avoided it because of the fierce storms that lash the coastal provinces. The Seamists protect the rest of Anuire from the worst of the storms, but the Western Coast has no such shield. The challenges of the coastal climate have made those who live here a hardier breed. Though still civilized, they possess a coarser edge than one might expect from Anuireans.

More savage than the South, the West feels the lash of fierce storms off the Miere Rhuann (Sea of Storms). The locals, most of whom make their livings fishing and farming, regard the storms as divine tests of character and face the winds and waves with grim fortitude. Though Haelyn remains their patron deity, they also revere Cuiraécen and Nesirie.

The Western land is wooded and rocky, with jagged mountains to the east. The air feels constantly chilly, and fog regularly rolls in from the sea. One might expect locals to be as gloomy as their land, but this is not so. Once the workday ends, they give themselves over to mirth, for only rarely do they face hardships beyond the storms. One awnshegh, the Elf Rhuobhe Manslayer, lives nearby, but he seems more intent on destroying kings than peasants.

The Aelvinnwode runs through the coastal areas, but there is little danger of the Gheallie Sidhe (the Elven Hunt) from even the most human-hating elves. Those elves who have not withdrawn to Tuarhievel or the Sielwode attack the gnoll and goblin populations that plague the West.

Though it goes mostly unnoticed, there has been some migration into the Western Coast. Of course, they expect they can find the comforts of home within their wild new environment, which raises the hackles of long-time Western Coast residents. Progress is slow, it’s only a matter of time before the newcomers adapt to more rustic life, or pack up and go home.

More goes on in the politics of the Western Coast than anyone realizes. Personal grudges and familial feuds dominate smaller kingdoms of the region, and policy is decided as much by personal loves and hatreds as by what’s best for the domain. One serious contender for the Iron Throne lives in the region, and the archduke Aeric Boeruine intends to keep it that way, working to keep his rivals down while building himself up.

• Rumors circulate that a forester from the kingdom of Talinie found a tighmaevril weapon, then disappeared from public view. Scions are converging on Talinie from all over Anuire; some arrive from as far away as the lands of Vosgaard! If indeed the stories hold truth, and a mere woodcutter wields the weapon, then it’s a prize worth the taking indeed! Of course, some inevitable doomsayers call the tale a trap for those of the blood. Yet, who could think to eliminate so many scions and regents all at once?

• Spies and scouts report that Rhuobhe Manslayer, the elf awnshegh, has begun preparing a major offensive against the human kingdoms nearby. It seems his kingdom holds more elves than previously thought, and their martial readiness has frightened the regents of the area. And if the scouts saw the elves, there’s no doubt that the elves could see the scouts -- and that means Rhuobhe has plans more devious than simple land grabs. The only problem lies in finding out what those plans are.

• Explorers continue to discover ancient elven towers in the Aelvinnwode -- some of them with their wealth and treasures still inside. They also contain traps enchanted with magic beyond the comprehension of some of the best mages and thieves in the area. Friendly elves say that the towers’ owners left them loaded with wealth as temptations for the greedy humans, a final act of defiance to the encroaching tribes.

Further, these elves claim that the items left in the towers are just baubles and junk -- yet elves have been seen attempting to breach the defenses of certain towers. Surely they would not risk their lives for garbage -- or so the reasoning goes. Perhaps the elves’ behavior merely adds another layer to their ancestors’ subtle ploy to lure humans to their deaths, but the elves might be attempting to recover for themselves the lost wonders of the age before man.

• Armies from the domain of Boeruine mass on the border of Taeghas to the south, signaling the start of another period of skirmishes between Boeruine and Avanil (Taeghas’s eastern neighbor and liege). It seems that once again the diplomatic process has broken down, and the kingdom of Taeghas will suffer for it.

The people of Taeghas feel truly sick of their role as pawns in the continual maneuverings between the two contenders for the Iron Throne. Harald Khorien, Count of Taeghas, has let it be known that the domain seeks aid from someone who can keep the conflict between Boeruine and Avanil on a plane that does not involve armies.

• Folks whisper that the trolls and giants of the Seamist Mountains grow ever more restless in their mountain holdings. Raids and forays into human-held lands increase in frequency, but nearby regents seem too busy with political games to take much notice of a few monsters. They have concerns more immediate than a few mountainside villages; until trolls destroy a larger city, the regents simply can’t be bothered. Scions unattached to realms might find the mountaineers suitably grateful for assistance in ending the troll raids, however.

• Orog and goblin attacks from the Seamist Mountains have become much more frequent lately. Folks murmur that the creatures have finally managed to break through the ancient dwarven defenses that had kept them locked underground. Some say that Rhuobhe’s elves had a role in the breakdown of the dwarven barricades, which means the abomination has insidious plans for the provinces of the Western Coast -- plans that just now are beginning to reach fruition.