Far Away Friday

Maybe I should rename this Far Away Saturday. I thought I would be posting more over reading week but instead I've been more busy than ever. Anyways:

Media

Media is the warmest province of the High Kingdom with a nearly tropical climate. Grape vineyards hug the rolling hills and produce the finest wines of the whole kingdom (although competition is fierce with the vineyards in Southern Aurellius).  Media runs along the coast of the balmy Shallow Sea and warm tropical winds blow further inland towards the hillside villas.
Media city (the largest city in the whole High Kingdom) sits on a spur of land which straddles the Shallow Sea and the Northern Ocean. The city is a great center of commerce and trade, people from all over the known world can be found here navigating the plazas and bridges spanning its famous canals.
Media maintains a massive Navy but no standing land forces, instead the province sponsors several large and independent mercenary academies. Each academy is well trained and well equipped - ready to fight for the right price. In the center of the city sits a sports arena of truly epic proportions. The arena is one of the technological wonders of the world, featuring many complex mechanisms to enhance the spectacle of the gladiatorial battles held within.  Over the centuries numerous additions have been built onto the arena giving rise to rumors of a lost labyrinth beneath the structure which is home to all manner of escaped slaves and beasts.

 Media is the only province of the High Kingdom in which it is still legal to own slaves, although this is slowly becoming less fashionable. Slaves are generally treated well and it is considered inappropriate to mistreat a slave (at least publicly). 

-(For Media I was thinking its a very Roman -Gladiator era type city mashed up with Venice and all the cannals and such.)-

Far Away Friday (kinda late)

Ilam (ilam)

Ilam is the breadbasket of the High Kingdom, a land of gently rolling hills, cool slow streams, and very sparse woodlands. The earth is extremely fertile and thus the entire province is given over to farmland. Many of the other provinces depend upon the agriculture of Ilam for their food each season.

The people of Ilam are used to hard work and generally have sandy hair and deep brown tans from their days spent in the fields. They have a reputation for being weak because of Ilams idyllic landscape, but nothing could be further from the truth especially since the destruction of Triam and sporadic raids from the west. The farm community is extremely close knit;  if one homestead is threatened a mob of angry neighbours will quickly gather to drive off marauders.  The farmers are used to hard labour and will fight viciously to defend their lands.

As a derogatory term the folk of Ilam are sometimes called "lambs" implying that they are weak and stupid, there is no surer way to goad an Ilamian into a brawl.  

 Ilam is divided into parcels of land, usually along the many small rivers which crisscross the landscape, each parcel and all the farms on it are governed by a local Elder. The Elders meet in a council occasionally to discuss politics and trade which effect the whole province.   

Far Away Friday

Alright so just taking a short break from my Legendary Creatures stuff. I`m struggling with it. Not really sure how to implement in rules what I feel so strongly conceptually is right.  Anyway I thought every friday I could have a little post on some of my main setting.  I actually have a game tomorrow, we are playing Pathfinder but its going to be in my setting. I can`t think of a name for my world, try as I might and Im getting pretty frustrated. Anyway:

The High Kingdom of Leor is made up of 12 provinces. The Provinces are mostly autonomous and independent, each with their own laws, government and military. On paper each province is loyal to the capital province Leorland, but in practice the Kingdom is fractured and undergoing a period of social unrest. Some of the provinces are even on the verge of seceding completely.

The High Kingdom is mostly temperate, colder in the northern provinces and higher elevations, nearing tropical in the south and along the coast of the Shallow Sea.

Leorland

The Capital province of the High Kingdom; Leorland, the standard to which all of the other provinces aspire. Leorland is predominately forested with light woodlands as well as lush fields and cool deep lakes. Peaceful cities and villages dot the landscape, guards in gleaming armor patrol the clean paved streets. Also dominating Leorland's landscape are massive statues and monuments to the heroes, victories, and tragedies of the long history of the High Kingdom.

Emissaries and dignitaries from far off lands can be found visiting Leorland and newsletters are distributed throughout the province. Thus even the most common people of Leor have a better idea of worldwide events and politics than most people from the other provinces.