This is rather a large realm so I have not written up every province,
only the important ones. I will try and finish a map soon so it all
makes more sense.

- --
Ian Hoskins

e-Mail: hoss@box.net.au
ICQ: 2938300
Home Page: http://www.box.net.au/~hoss/birth.html

>From the Darkness we came,
and to the Darkness we will return.


The Adurian Wastes

Alignment: Varied
Status: Not Available


Province Law Temples Guilds Sources
Mus (0/5) BR (0) RTR (0) - -
Royla North (2/3) BR (2) RTR (2) - -
Royla South (1/4) BR (1) RTR (1) - -
Diyarbakir (0/5) BR (0) RTR (0) - -
Blitis (0/5) - - - SCM (1)
Hera Kol (0/5) BR (0) - - SCM (3)
Mordin (0/6) BR (0) RTR (0) - -
Snowy Peaks (0/7) - - - -
Siirt (1/4) ES (1) SWA (1) - SCM (4)
Ssisku (2/3) ES (2) SWA (2) - SCM (3)
Murat (1/4) ES (1) SWA (1) - SCM (4)
The Spire (4/1)* ES (4)* SWA (4)* - SCM (1)*
Iri-Dagh (0/5) - - - SCM (4)
Nemrut (0/5) - - - -
Minar (0/6) - - - -
Salt Flats (0/8) - - - SCM (1)
The Cauldron (0/5) - - - SCM (5)
Desert Deeps (0/5) - - - SCM (5)
Combese (0/5) - - - -
e-Sahand (0/5) Kr (0) - - -
Summel (0/5) - - - -
Jeghir (1/4) Kr (0) - - -
Sa'indezh (2/3) Kr (1) ATA (0) - -
Savuur (0/5) Kr (0) - - -
Fizuha (0/5) - - - -
Khorda (0/5) Oc (0) ATA (0) - -
Qareh (0/5) Kr (0) - - -
Nelluz (0/5) - - - -
Istilil (0/5) - - - -
The Wastelands (1/4)* Oc (1) ATA (1) - -
Blood Falls (1/4)* Oc (1) ATA (1) - -
Octaviius (2/3)* Oc (2) ATA (2) Oc (0) -

Abbreviations: BR = Breena Royla; RTR = Royla temple of Reynir (Breena
Royla); ES = Emperor Skussii (Skissshar Empire); SWA = Skissshar
worshippers of Azari; SCM = Skissshar Circle of Magic; Kr = Kroharn; Oc =
Octaviius II (Governor of the Wastes); ATA = Adurian Temple of Azari.

Province/Holdings: The Adurian waste is a large inland area of Desert and
Badlands. Most of the land in uninhabited, but there are a few areas that
have creatures living in it.

* Law: Four different regents control the law of the inhabited
provinces.
* Temples: Temples to Azari are common in the southern lands, while a
small temple to Reynir can be found in the far north of the wastes.
The Skissshar also worship Azari.
* Guilds: With almost nothing worth trading there are no major guilds in
the wastes.
* Sources: The Skissshar circle of magic hold some of the sources of
this land.

Regency Generated/Accumulated: -

Treasury: Skissshar = 95 GB; Oc = 8 GB; Kr = 4 GB; BR = 2 GB

Army: The Skissshar have the largest army of the Wastes, but Aduria also
supports a small portion of the 5th legion to protect against a Skissshar
invasion.
Skissshar = 7 units of Skissshar warriors
Octaviius II = 3 units of Legionaries, 1 unit of Cavalry.
Kroharn = 1 unit of nomad horsemen, 2 units of nomad camel riders.
Royla = 2 units of nomad horsemen.

Regent: No-one ruler can claim control of the Adurian wastes as none
control enough provinces to do so.

Important NPCs: Emperor Skussii (MSk; W13; Az, great, 76; Age Unknown) as
head of the SKissshar empire is the most powerful regent in the wastes. He
is also head of the circle of magic, as the ruling council is known. A
powerful Skissshar sorcerer he also has access to powerful realm spells and
magic the other regents of the Wastes do not. With the Skissshar Empire
once again being reformed the other will soon be seeing much more of
Skussii.
Breena Royla (FAd; Pr, Reynir, 7; Unblooded; Age 73) is the original
founder of the Royla temple of Reynir. The temple was founded in Suakien
nearly thirty years ago and the priests then moved into the Wastes in an
attempt to restore the lost grasslands. They have had some small success in
the northern provinces and they temple has several holdings and villages in
these provinces. So far however they have had little success in the central
provinces, probably because of the influence of the Skissshar. Although she
is now quite old Breena still appears youthful leading some to speculate
that she is using magic to maintain her youth.
Kroharn (MJh; F5; Unblooded; Age 25) is the young leader of the southern
nomads. He has founded a small empire in the southern provinces by
combining several tribes. He has yet to make a major influence though. A
fiery young man he leads with a passion that is most uncommon in the
Wastes. Most of the tribesmen he has gathered around him follow him out of
respect following Kroharn's defeat of a small Skissshar patrol several
years ago. The Skissshar do not like the young nomad, but are still too
weak and distant to cause a problem at the moment.
Octaviius II (MAd; F1; Unblooded; Age 45) currently serves as the Adurian
governor of the Wastes. As all of the provinces are claimed by Aduria the
Adurian thought it necessary to appoint a governor to rule them. Octaviius
though, like the other governors before him actually only rules the three
fortified provinces in the far south-east of the Wastes. He never leaves
his fortress in the province he named after himself and spend much of his
time on holiday in Udine or one of the southern Adurian cities. The post of
governor of the Wastes is actually quite a sought after one as it brings
with it a high salary. Octaviius is the oldest son of one of the original
Adurian families so he was lucky enough to be granted the position.
General Yantrinus (MAd; F6; Unblooded; Age 39) is the actually leader of
the Adurian soldiers in the Wastes. It is his job to watch the wastelands
to the west for any sign of a Skissshar revival. His cavalry occasionally
make sorties into the provinces surrounding the fortresses, but never go
that far. With only a single unit of Legionaries in each fortress he has
few resources to maintain an effective guard against any invasion and would
quickly be defeated by the Skissshar wizards and their warriors.

Description/History: In the past the Adurian Wastes were arid grassland
home to several tribes, including the Andu and the Vos. Following the
Adurian expansions that drove out the other tribes these lands were settled
by Aduria. The land was poor however and there was little water for the
Adurian farmers and most of the settlements were moved closer to the coast.
For many years this meant that the Wastes were empty of any major
population, except monsters and other nasties.
Following the battle at Deismaar the returning soldiers from the Adurian
armies ended up here after being driven from Udine by the priests of Azari
because they threatened their rule over the Empire. These soldiers ended up
in the Wastes and over several centuries were changed by the strange magics
to become the snakemen known as the Skissshar. From their base in the Spire
the Skissshar set out to conquer the continent.
They did not end up succeeding thanks to the magic of the Adurian Priests.
However the magical war between the priests and the Skissshar wizards
caused a great devastation though out the wastelands, changing much of the
land into barren desert. Where once there was once rough grassland and
barren hills was now a stony desert. The Skissshar were trapped deep inside
their mountain and the Adurian withdrew from the Wastes, building three
forts in the far south-east to maintain a watch in case of a Skissshar
return.
With the land now abandoned once more it became home to several tribes of
Juh horsemen, fleeing the constant tribal warfare from that land. Over the
years they spread throughout the wastes living mainly from oasis to oasis,
and herding sheep, goats, and camels. This situation has continued much the
same until this day, with the recent arrival of the priests of Reynir in
the north being the only real change.
The Adurian wastes is a vast desert comprising thirty two provinces. It
stretches from the Azure peaks in the west to the coastal kingdom like
Kiskum and Suakien in the east. Most of this vast land is unpopulated and
extremely inhospitable with high winds and a hot climate. A few provinces
support some life though, either Skissshar outposts of Nomad tribesmen.
Rain is very uncommon in the Wastes occurring maybe only once each decade.
When it does occur however the desert comes alive with life. Many plants
and animal have adapted to the harsh land and grow and mate only when the
rains come. During this time thousands of different species emerge from
hiding to frolic in the water. Then as the water drains away they go back
into hibernation until the next rain.
There is almost nothing of value in the Wastes, unless you want rock and
sand. Aduria has searched several provinces for ore or gemstones, but so
far nothing of value has been found. This land is now avoided by most
intelligent races. Only those who have nowhere else to go will live here,
usually as bandits or raiders.

Provinces: Most of the Adurian Wastes in just that, wasteland and desert.
There is little difference between most of the provinces. Several however
do stand out, either because of their occupants, or because of a special
feature.

A: The Skissshar Empire.
In the heart of the Wastes sits a massive mountain of rock known as the
Spire. It is the ancient home of the Skissshar race, who live within the
mountain. Heavily fortified and magically protected the mountain is a
fortress that even the might of the Adurian empire could not penetrate.
What they could do however was use spells to collapse the entrance tunnels,
trapping the Skissshar inside their mountain for many years. They have now
emerged however and already their influence has spread to several other
provinces.
The Spire (4/1), Siirt (1/4), Ssisku (2/3), and Murlat (1/4) are the
provinces that now make up the Skissshar empire. Each province is home to
an outpost, or village of Skissshar warriors. With the gathering of food an
important part of their job, hunters scour the sands for anything that
could serve as food, usually Nomads. The Skissshar will eat almost
anything, with snakes being the only exception.

B: The Royla Colony.
In the far north of the Wastes in the small colony of druids ruled by
Breena Royla. She control only the two provinces, North Royla (2/3), and
South Royla (1/4) but has recently spread her influence into several other
provinces. Situated in the far north of the Wastes Royla is considerable
less barren than the other provinces, thanks mainly to the efforts of the
priest of Reynir.

C: Kroharn's Domain.
Tghe Juh nomad prince Kroharn controls two provinces, Jeghir (1/4), and
Sa'indezh (2/3). Both of these lie along the southern border of the Wastes
where it joins with the Juh grasslands. Although not present in large
numbers the Juh are a presence in the Wastes and Sa'indezh is their
capital. The Juh are mainly nomads however and no real settlement has ever
been built, although one is beginning to form around the temple of Azari in
Sa'indezh.

D: The Adurian Forts.
In the south-eastern corner sit three massive Adurian forts, supposed to
prevent any further Skissshar invasion. Although each could hold several
thousand soldiers, only a few hundred are stationed here at the moment. The
provinces controlled by Aduria are,
- - The Wastelands (1/4) [Level 5 fort]
- - Blood Falls (1/4) [Level 5 fort]
- - Octaviius (2/3) [Level 7 fort]
Each fortress is more like a small town with many people living and working
here. The forts are designed to serve a large Adurian army should it ever
be needed and are constantly being maintained and kept well stocked,
despite the low numbers of soldiers currently stationed there.
The Governor's home is in the massive fortress in Octaviius province, but
he spends little time there.

E: The Wasteland.
In the rest of the Wastes there are only a few provinces that are of any
important, the rest being barren wasteland.

- - Salt Flats (0/8). This province is well below sea level so during the
rains this province becomes a lake and is home to flocks of birds and fish.
The hard salt pans can hold water for several months following a good rain
storm and the province becomes a small inland sea during this time. As the
months pass however the water slowly evaporates and the lake dies up once
more. When dry it is the most inhospitable of all the Waste's provinces
with no water do be found anywhere in the province. Lying south of the
Skissshar province, and west of the Cauldron it prevents a Skissshar
expansion south of their current lands.

- - The Cauldron (0/5). A smooth, almost glassy sand surface of this province
make it a death trap for anyone who tries to cross it. The sun beating down
on the desert is reflected off the surface making it much hotter than the
other provinces. Lying just south of the Spire this province was the scene
of heavy fighting during the Skissshar wars and the bones of the dead still
litter the land. Many have tried to recover some of the wealth and magic
that is said to lie buried with the bones, but so far none have succeeded
and the piles of bones have only grown larger. Both the Skissshar and the
Nomads avoid this province.

- - Snowy Peak (0/7). West of the Salt Flats the land suddenly rises as the
Wastes enters the Azure Peaks. This province was once home to the Skissshar
slave mines where much of the ore for their war machine was mined. It is
now empty, but the mine holes still exist dotting the province. Several
overgrown tracks also wind their way up into the mountains here.

- - Desert Deeps (0/5). The third most inhospitable province in all of the
Wastes. It is a landscape of howling winds and deep sand dunes and
monstrous creatures. Even the Skissshar are wary when travelling in this
province. It lies south-east of the Spire forming a line with the Cauldron
and the Salt Flats. These three provinces prevent any travel from the
Skissshar land into the southern lands of the Wastes. There is nothing to
prevent them moving east to the coast however.

- - Hera Kol (0/5). In the north of the Wastes, just south of Mus province
Hera Kol is the resting place of an ancient city. Who built it is unknown
but it is famous as the home of at least two Adurian Dragons who have lairs
somewhere in the city. Far from those who hunt them these Dragons are safe
in their homes, and can often be seen gliding east over the desert hunting
for food. Those who live in the desert are smart enough to leave these
creature be. Dragon are also reported to be living in other provinces of
the Wastes and it is though as many as fifty may live throughout the
various provinces. There is even reports of one living somewhere in the
Cauldron. Much more common that the Cerilian Dragon the Adurian Wastes is
one few places where they can still be found.

Allies: As the wastes is not really a kingdom it has no allies.

Enemies: The Skissshar remain the most hated race among the people of
Aduria and the east coast. Should they arise once more all the realms would
combine to crush them once more. So far however has noticed that they have
emerged from their mountain.

By Ian Hoskins