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Here is the last of the northern empires, and it has a map too (avalible
from my webpage). I will be moving onto the great empires next probably,
starting with the Empire of Aduria, but I will also be creating some new
maps of the north, as well as one for each kingdom so you can see where
all the provinces are.

Enjoy.
- --
Ian Hoskins

e-Mail: hoss@box.net.au
Homepage: http://darkstar.cyberserv.com
ICQ: 2938300
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The Principality of Dara



These cultists are not worthy of your time my boy, evil creatures all of
them, the very spawn of Azari himself. Oh not heard of Azari have you, well
he is the god of the Adurians, yes the same people who even now are
attacking the lands of our mighty empire. He is an evil and cruel god who
cares not for the people who worship him, but rather only in his own power.
I would stay well away from his temples if you wish to live, for it is said
that they sacrifice little boys like you.

Teacher to his pupil after seeing priest of Azari in the marketplace, 2611
AR.



Alignment: Lawful Good
Status: Recommended

Provinces/Holdings: Dara is the oldest of the northern principalities,
founded nearly three hundred years ago after the building of the road
across the Azure peaks. Despite its age only the coastal provinces have
been settled and explored with many areas inland, in the forests and
mountain still wild and untamed. It is these wild areas that the priests of
Azari have gained a foothold, fighting against the traditional religions,
more common along the coast. Dara is also the only one of the northern
principalities where the Neha goddess, Nestellia is worshiped, with the
others favouring gods such as Brenna and Reynir.

Click Here for the map of Dara.

Province: Law: Temples: Guilds: Sources:
Siyal (5/0) PL (5) TCB (3) DM (4) SP (0)
- DTN (2) - -
Gadan (2/5) PL (0) RFW (2) - SP (5)
Atash (1/5) PL (0) - DM (1) SP (5)
Babal (8/0) PL (8) DTN (7) DM (4) SP (0)
- TCB (1) DF (4) -
Garra (3/4) PL (1) RFW (1) DF (3) SP (4)
Quass
(2/4)* DTA (2)* DTA (2)* DM (0) SP (0)
Morgan
(5/0)* PL (5)* DTN (5) DM (5) SP (0)
Durba (3/4) PL (2) RFW (2) DF (2) SP (4)
Haras (2/5) DTA (2) DTA (2) DM (0) SP (0)
Amal (5/0)* PL (5)* DTN (3) DM (4) SP (0)
- HTV (2) DF (1) -
Kanista
(4/3) PL (4) DTN (4) DM (4) SP (0)

* indicates a fortified holding.

Abbreviations: PL = Prince Leostis (Dara); TCB = True Church of Brenna
(Untrini the wise); DM = Dara Mining (Olli Brarc); SP = Silver Princess
(Halwan); DTN = Dara Temple of Nestellia (Partilen Kerwin); RFW = Reynir's
Forest Wardens (Harri the druid); DF = Dara Foresters (Gorgi Brightaxe);
DTA = Dara Temple of Azari (Suris Hormien); HTV = Halwan Temple of Vorynn
(Anna Storinius).

* Law: Along the coast of Dara the law is held by the prince, and he
tolerates no-one working against his rightful law. Inland once the
land becomes wilder the law tends to lapse, and in two provinces the
temple of Azari has much more control that the prince would like. So
far he has been unable to dislodge them though, as they sits safe in
their fortress, despite several attempts in recent years.
* Temples: The Dara Temple of Nestellia (Neha Goddess of Life) is the
dominant religion, as her temples are throughout Neha. Several other
religions have gained some power though, most notibly the temples of
Brenna, Reynir, and Azari. Also a small shrine to Vorynn has been set
up in the southern province of Amal, near the border of Halwan. The
temple of Azari is the most dangerous at the moment as it is only a
year or two old and has already expanded through two provinces and is
building temples elsewhere in Dara and Tarbul. If the other regents
are not careful then they will soon have considerable power and be a
threat to all in the region.
* Guilds: Only two main guilds exist in this principality, the foresters
and miners guilds.They both have elected heads and each five years a
new guildmaster is chosen. Often the current guildmaster will be
returned for another term, but it all depends on the profits he has
bought in over the past five years. Both of the guilds work together
well, and do not interfere with each others interests. So far the
mining guild has proven the more profitable as it also control large
number of business and trade along the coastal areas, while the
foresters are generally restricted to on of the forested provinces.
The Foresters guild has less members though so it work out about the
same.
* Sources: The only source holder in this principality, and in fact in
most of the north is the Silver Princess, the Erhshegh ruler of Halwan
which lies south of Dara. She does not work against the people of
Dara, although is currently involved in a war of sorts with the temple
of Azari after they destroyed her source holdings in the provinces
where they control the law.
* Provinces: Prince Leostis officially controls all of Dara, and along
the coast this is true. Inland though the ruler is less clear. The
provinces are still claimed by the prince but in two of them the
temple of Azari has taken control, extorting taxes from the locals and
mustering their own army. The prince is most concerned about this but
so far has been unable to successfully attack the cultists fortress in
the mountains of Quass.

Regency Generated/Accumulated: 0/0
As the prince does not have a bloodline this realm does not collect RPs.

Treasury: 57 GB
The Dara treasury is a little lower than normal at the moment as Prince
Leostis has been financing a large army that has been sent south to aid the
Imperial forces against the Adurian Legions. Taxes are heavy through out
the principality, but the temple of Nestellia assist the prince in assuring
the people remain loyal behind him. In the wild lands to the east though,
where the Azure Peaks meet dark forests the people are not as loyal to the
prince, and taxes are generally not paid.

Army/Navy: Dara is used to supporting a large army, but currently nearly
half has been west south through the mountain pass to Nehalim. The rest is
either attempting to drive out the Azari cultists or are based in the
southern forts.
5 units of swords, 2 of archers and 3 Elephant units are currently with the
Imperial Army in eastern Nehalim while the rest of the army, 3 sword, 2
archers, and 1 chariot unit remains. Dara also maintains a small fleet of 5
war galleys that are docked at the capital. These ships are mainly used to
fight off pirates and keep an eye of the large Halwan fleet.

Regent: Prince Leostis (MNe; Pl9; Unblooded; Age 56) rules Dara with the
strength of justice. He is a paladin of Nestellia and as such is well
respected and revered by the the people. His family has long ruled this
land, since it was first settled over three hundred years earlier. Under
Leostis's rule the people have become used to his firm, but fair leadership
and even without the support of the temple of Nestillia he would be well
liked. Leostis is a tall, white haired old man who even now in his fifties
retains much of his youthful good looks. He is a skilled swordsman and even
today remains one of the best warriors in the principality. As a young man
he served in the Nehalim army, and was involved in ending the Kowr uprising
when that realm attempted to break away from Nehalim. Although he never
rose beyond the rank of captain (or unit leader) his became quite famous in
the southern principalities before returning home just over twenty years
ago after his father died. Since taking over Dara he has changed much,
improving the conditions of the people of Dara, and repairing damage done
by pervious rulers. He also serves as supreme judge for the realm and deals
with the trials of the worst criminals personally. His dislikes any who
break the law, and especially dislikes the priests of Azari who have built
a fortified monastery in the eastern mountains. He would like nothing more
to remove them once and for all, but so far has had little success in his
five attempts so far.

Important NPC's: Olli Brarc (MNe; 0-Level; Unblooded; Age 43) is the
current guildmaster of the Dara Miners guild which controls much of the
merchant activity in Dara, and a little in the southern parts of Tarbul.
Olli has just been elected to the position of guild head after his
predecessor made off with much of the treasury. The newly elevated Guilder
Brarc has worked for much of his life in the headquarters of the guild in
the administration section. He was chosen because he was seen as the least
harmless of the choices available, and being a small man, with little
stomach for a life on the run would be unlikely to repeat the performance
of his predecessor. Olli has so far been busy rebuilding the losses of the
past year and preparing for new expansion into Tarbul soon. The mining
guild has also recently lost two of its main mines when Azari cultist over
run the camps and killed many of the miners. The guild has now been force
to withdraw from this areas until the prince can destroy the cultist's
headquarters.

Partilen Kerwin (MNe; P5; Unblooded; Age 83) serves as the current high
priest of Nestellia in Dara, as he has done for the past fifty years. He is
now a very old many, and relies on his servants to assist him in walking
and conducting sermons. He still is renowned as a man of great wisdom and
often gives advice to the rulers of Dara. He follows Nestellia, the Neha
goddess of life, and one of the two greater powers that dominate the Neha
pantheon. In Neha religion all the other gods, both old and new, are
believed to be the children of the early power, of which Nestellia is one.
Most common in the actually empire itself the worship of Nestellia can be
found throughout Dara, although it is the only one of the northern
principalities where this is true.

Gorgi Brightaxe (MNe; R6; Unblooded; Age 23) is the youngest of the
guildmasters in the north. He runs the Daran forester's guild which deals
mainly in the management of Dara's forests and the export of timber to
other lands. This young ranger only recently took over the guild after the
death of his father. The other members of the guild council decided to
appoint him following his fathers death as that would avoid a council
meeting of the all the merchants and foresters that make up the guild,
something that takes a long time to organize. Gorgi did not really want the
position, but now that he has it he intends to make the best job of it that
he can, doing as much as he can for his fellow foresters. Similar to the
miners guild the DF is a collective of the various lumber camps and
merchants that deal in the timber products of Dara's forests. The leader is
elect once every five years and usually only serves on term. The Daran
foresters are not as rich as the mining guild, but still manage a good
income. They have so far not been effected by the uprising of Azari
cultists in the east.

Suris Hormien (MAd; P7, Azari; Az, tainted, 4; Age 39) is currently the
most hated man in Dara, at least by most of the people. He arrived here
recently from the west, after travelling across the wasteland and then
making his way south along the mountains until he reached the pass into
Dara. He is an official missionary from the Adurian Temple of Azari and has
orders to establish a holding here in Dara to assist Aduria in the war
effort by preventing troops from the principalities reaching Nehalim. So
far he has been somewhat successful in this, but only in keeping back Daran
forces to fight him, and the couple of units that were left behind because
of him would make little difference to the war. Suris is however a much
more dangerous force that many believe, even his superiors back home in the
great temple of Azari believe. He has a tainted bloodline, and believes
himself to be a god. Some of his new followers actually believe his claims
of godhood and as he does have the blood ability of animal affinity this
helps a few believe him. Currently he sits in his fortress in Quass
province plotting ways to increase his power and dominate the entire land.
He sees himself as one day becoming a great power and perhaps even rising
to rule all of Aduria. At the moment though he is little more than a mad
priest with one fortress to protect him. His followers do not have the
military power to conquer the rest of Dara, and he can not leave Quass for
fear of being captured by the Daran army that is out looking for any
priests of Azari.

Description: Dara is a land of contrasts. The provinces along the coast are
as civilized as any in Nehalim itself, but travel only one province further
inland and the land reverts to wilderness. A vast forest dominates the
central provinces, with some logging occurring along its western borders.
Further to the east the land becomes more hilly and eventually rises in the
impassible Azure Peaks (Deismaar range). The people of the coast live much
the same as those in Nehalim, and the mountain pass means that there is
only a few days travel from the capital of Dara to the borders of the rest
of the Nehalim Empire. Several large inns and fortresses have been built
high in the mountains, mainly to assist in fighting off attacks from
beastmen and other creatures that may dwell high in the peaks.

* Siyal (5/0) is the most northern of the Daran provinces, right on the
border with Tarbul. A road travels through this province, following
the coastline and a constant stream of wagons and horse travelling to
Tarbul passes though on their way north. Primarily a farming province
there is little of interest here, although there are a couple of large
regional centers that serve as both markets and stopovers for traders
heading north.
* Gadan (2/5) lies just to the east of Siyal, but the difference between
the two provinces is quite noticeable. There is little farming here,
with most of the population working in the logging camps, or looking
after the miners travelling down the road to the mountains in the
east. The road through Gadan serves much of eastern Dara and is an
important life line to the vast mines of the east. Now though the
traffic is considerably lower than it once was with two of the eastern
provinces now infected with Azari cultist who have shut down many of
the mining operations.
* Atash (1/5) is one of the main mining centers of Dara. Based in the
village of Atash there are over six hundred miners. Four large mines
are gathered around the village and caravans carrying goods travel
from the village toward the coast at least once a week. This is a
lawless province, wild compared to the rest of the principality, with
fights between miners over gold and silver that is occasionally mined
here are common.
* Babal (8/0) sits on the central coast of Dara. It house the capital of
Dara city, as well as several other large towns. The city itself is
home to over a hundred thousand people and the rest of the province is
dedicated to farming in the most part, although some of the smaller
towns are also centers of manufacture, producing furniture and other
goods. The city is also the center of trade in Dara with most goods
being shipped out to the south by boat from here, although caravans do
travel through the pass into the empire to the south.
* Garra (3/4) is a heavily forested inland province. Forestry is a the
most common industry, although much of it is now from fast growing
plantations, with only a few trees being taken from the old forests.
The forest itself is thick with ancient trees and monsters, so few
journey into its depth, preferring to log around the edges. Only the
druids of Reynir's Forest Warden know much about what exist in its
interior, but rumours of ancient treasure filled ruins are common
place.
* Quass (2/4) This hilly province is the center of the Azari worship in
Dara. From their mountain fortress the priests have gained
considerable power and now control much of the villagers lives. The
Dara Mining guild used to run a large mine, even bigger than the mines
in Atash The priest have driven off most of the miners and now control
the rich mines which they use for their own purposes.
* Morgan (5/0) A large coastal provinces it stretches from the south of
Babal province to the border of Halwan. Much of the land is taken up
by vast areas of farmland, especially around the large Durba river
which runs from the mountains to the sea near Morgan's largest city.
In the far south of the province on the border of Halwan is a large
fortress that in the past has been used as a base for attacks on
Halwan city. Further south is the wall which was recently built to
hold off any Halwan counter attacks. None have come so far though, so
it not know how well it would stand up to the wizardly magic of Halwan
Erhshegh ruler.
* Durba (3/4) lies south of the large Daran Forest, and like Garra is
home to a large number of loggers. This province has been heavily
logged over the past few hundred years, but still large areas of
forest remaining. Logs from the camps in Durba are floated down the
river to Morgan where they are generally transported off to the
southern lands.
* Haras (2/5) This province is also threatened by the expansion of the
priest of Azari's little empire in eastern Dara. Like Quass the
trouble has caused the closing of the mines, but the Daran military
has been busy in this province attempting to drive out the priests.
* Amal (5/0) borders the kingdom of Halwan, and is home to a large
number of troops that guard the border in case Halwan's armies venture
north. They never do though, and it is always the Nehalim armies that
invade Halwan, not the other way around. Until recently the province
was home to a large force of soldiers from the Empire, but with the
war with the Adurian Empire threatening western Nehalim these troops
have been withdrawn. Only a few hundred of these soldiers now remain,
with the rest, and also much of the Daran military sent south.
* Kanista (4/3) takes up the southern region of the principality. A road
from the Nehalim Empire travels through a mountain pass and down into
Kanista. There are several mountain villages that guard this pass from
monsters and enemies and ensure that caravans are able to pass without
any trouble. In the past this was the only way into the northern lands
as the war with Halwan stopped any transport by ship. Much of what is
now Dara was owned by Halwan at that time, but when settlers came
north three hundred years ago the large Nehalim army was able to
capture Halwan's northern provinces and claim them as their own.
Halwan has never forgotten this but their armies are not as good as
their fleet, and if it had not been to the magical skills of their
regent Halwan city itself may have fallen long ago.

Allies: Dara is allied with the rest of the northern principalities and the
Empire itself, but has no other allies. The prince is very loyal to the
empire and would not think of betraying them at any time.

Enemies: Halwan is the most dangerous enemy that Dara faces. There are
other threats such as the priests of Azari, and the monstrous beastmen who
live in the mountain, but these are minor compared to the threat that
Halwan poses. Fortunately for Dara though Halwan is ruled by a peaceful
regent who does not attack unless provoked.

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