CrownedSun/FarEastRegion

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The Far East Region of the Scavenger Lands

The Old River Province was divided into many districts, which have faired differently over the ages since the fall of the First Age. One of these was known as the Maruto District, located along the banks of the Maruto River. It ranged from great metropoli to dark expanses of forest, with many millions of citizens living within it's borders. Much of the Realm's lumber came from this district, shipped up the River to Hollow and Deleshen before it made its way to the rest of the Provinces. Trade routes stretched out into the lands beyond the district, where the riches from the Borders of Creation would enter into the Old Realm.

In the days of the Shogunate, the various Daimyos of the Maruto District fell into the same petty infighting and intrigue that marked the rest of the Dragon-Blooded Shogunate and especially the lands of the River Province. Many of the far Eastern settlements were abandoned in this time, and the forest slowly overgrew the old places that weren't settled by some Wood Aspected Lord or another.

It was in the Maruto and Velen districts that the Great Contagion first got its start, though it spread throughout Creation with such speed that only a few savants know of this fact. Nine in ten died, human and animal both. Of those lost settlements in the depths of the forest, that remained, the destruction was more complete -- no living soul survived destruction, and entire towns fell into the Underworld. Even to this day, in some of the deepest parts of the East Forests, the borders between Creation and the Underworld is thin.

With the coming of the Fae, the destruction in the East was almost total. Before they were driven back, the Maruto District was savaged to such extents that human habitation was destroyed entirely -- the Wyld Bubbled up and surged. No cities remained, only their twisted ruins; even to this day, no city exists in the Region that wasn't built over the ruins of it's previous incarnation. Most of the Wyld Zones have receeded, leaving fairly solid yet still confusing Tainted Lands behind in their touch. Only those places sheparded by powerful Exalts or Gods remained untouched, the Lunars and the Gods helping to keep some sembalance of existance in these far places of the World.

For hundreds of Years, the former Maruto district remained fallow and uninhabitated except for Barbarians. Slowly, however, the civilized peoples of the Scaverger Lands slipped back into the Region. First, of course, were the Scavenger Lands -- milling through the broken cities and taking what they could find. Then, came settlers and homesteaders; gradually, the fertile lands between the Sandy River and the Forest began to be resettled by hardy folk of the Province. There was some conflict with Barbarians, conflict that continues this day (the Arczeckhi to the South, the Ten Tribes and Forest Tribes to the East). Now, the former District remains one of the Frontiers of the region. In the deep Forest, some ruins remain still unlooted and many dangers lurk in the dark leafy confines of the Forest.

The Six Cities

Constructed on the ruins of six great first age cities, the six cities of the Maruto District are the only real settlements of any size of the area though they are still very much on the frontier. Their importance in the Confederation of Rivers is somewhat borderline, though they are renowned for their skill in dealing with Barbarians. Many of them, in fact, are from the same stock.

Located in the most direct line for the Arczeckhi Hordes, most of these cities have been rebuilt a few times even since the Great Contagion. The people are hardy and strong, and are havens for Scavenger Lords and the adventerous. Unlike in the First Age, trade is somewhat rare -- though it is picking up, as the Guild gains more and more influence in the region.

Nechara
On a tall bluff overlooking the Maruto River, the city of Nechara is the largest of the six and the unofficial capital of the Maruto district by dint of it's connection to the rest of the Confederation of Rivers. The city itself is divided in half. Lower Nechara, on the base of the river-side cliffs, is typically called the docks; amidst the extensive slums also lay warehouses and other buildings that cater to passing river traders, and the waterfront itself. Somewhat rough and tumble, it's regarded as somewhat dangerous for outsides to be there after hours -- more than a few bodies found in the dark alleys every few mornings, from those not wise enough to head up to Upper Nechara. Located on the bluffs overlooking the River, the section of the cliffs with the best view of the river is home to the wealthy and powerful of the city while the further one gets from the rivers-edge the more common the people become. Upper Nechara is home to the estates of wealthy traders and guildsmen, the Palace Complex of the Cities God-Blooded leader, rows and rows of tradehouses and artisians, and the housing for those who can afford to live in the upper reaches.

A powerful city-state, Nechara maintains a number of forts along the expanse of the Maruto River and has gained the featly of a number of small villages and even a few smaller towns. One group of barbarians, the Ismasi, serve the city-state and act as client people -- relationship between the Necharans and the Ismasi have been good for nearly a century, and the rulership of the two groups is tightly interwoven to the point that they are practically the same people. The heritary leader of Nechara, yet another of the God-Blooded children of the Emerald Waters Queen, is the self-styled 'King Drommond'. Well-known for his lusts, he's currently had some 17 or so wives, marrying one and then tiring of her and having her beheaded so that he might move on to the next. Even so, most of his divine heritage of the Royal Line has been spent through generations of breeding with the Ismasi and other Noble families, and all of the King's children have been completely human. Since the appointment of the Grand Vizier, Callandra, Drommond's marriage spree has come to an end, as has his true reign over the city. Entranced with the lovely Callandra, he hardly noticed her whispers more often then not came from his mouth at court. By the time he realized what she was doing, she had gained the loyalty of his ministers and most of the court.

Meresh, Aryvyras, and Darangin
The sibling cities of Meresh, Aryvyras and Darangin have a long linked history -- each claiming to have been the original capital of the Maruto Province in the First Age, each possessed of powerful First Age caches and potent Manses. The three cities have warred with each other since the end of the chaotic years following the Great Contagion, and occasionally drawing other cities into their wars as well. Scarcely a decade passes in which a war doesn't break out between at least two of these cities, and more often all three. On some occasions, these wars have raged on for ten year stretches at a time or followed only a few scant years after one another.

Meresh is the smallest of the three, situated on the outgrowth of the great eastern forest. It's people are primarily herdsmen and foragers, known for their knowledge of the great woods and their lightning fast raiders. Also the wealthiest of the cities, due to trade with the Guild on the bounty of the East, the trade routes through the region invariably pass through Meresh. Even given it's fairly small size, the city maintains an impressive army of it's own and commonly employs mercenaries as well. The ruler of the city, the aged warrior Sigfiel Gloss, lost his male heirs in a war that broke out after the news of the Empresses disappearance and currently seeks a young bride to give him a new prince. This only infuriates his daughter, Copria, who seeks some way to earn what she sees as her throne.

Aryvyras is perhaps the most vocal and religious of the cities, and is at the heart of no few of the wars -- the Theocracy that rules over the city from the God-Manse in the center of the city maintaining that Aryvyras is the rightful capital of the Maruto Region and that all of the other cities should pay it tribute and featly. If not for their control over the God-Manse itself, the city would likely have been gutted by now; however, even Terrestrials from the Realm have perished trying to pry the Theocracies grip on the Manse -- it's defenses and cache of first age weapon making the city almost immune to direct siege. The city has the weakest army in the region, but is known for it's trickery and tenacity. Combined with the impenetrable stronghold, the two Legions of Aryvyras hold their own.

Darangin is the largest of the cities, devoted almost entirely to the art of war. Rich fields surround the city, and the produce grown here is shipped to most of the other cities as a matter of course, but the greatest accomplishment of the Darangin is without a doubt their Legions. With their control over a number of lucrative iron mines, and the presence of a good amount of labor, the Legions are among the most well-equipped outside of Lookshy or the Realm -- with sharp blades and spears, and heavy armor being fairly common. The city also maintains extensive slave-legions, which have long since taken over the governance of the city itself -- a polite fiction not so long ago, the 'slave bodyguards of the ruler' took over defacto control of the city some 37 years ago.

The latest war broke out some five years ago, upon the Death of the Empress, when Darangin decided to attempt to conquer the other two cities (starting with Meresh, of course) and perhaps even move into the rest of the region. The war ended only months later, when the Guild hired mercenaries from Nexus to defend Meresh -- but even after the end of the war, it took nearly a year for the violence to settle down. Following fresh proclamations from Aryvyras, tensions are growing in the region that another war is brewing.

As for which city was actually the capital? The matter is one of no little confusion, as the records are quite jumbled. However, a few Savants know the truth -- it's none of the three at all, but the city of Cho-Holuth.

Cho-Holuth
Only scarcely considered a city at all, Cho-Holuth is by far the smallest of the six great cities. A small walled community located not far from the Sandy River, Cho-Holuth only hosts about six thousand or so people with about twice that many living on farms and ranches under the authority of the City-State. Most of the people in the city itself are artisans, but the city has a sizable number of Scavengers -- for the city is located just on the outskirts of a massive blackened patch of land, where a First Age manse exploded sometime before the Contagion and leveled the old city of Cho-Holuth. Most of the ruin has been bled dry by Scavengers, but enough new things are found now and again to keep the occasional aspiring Scavenger's attention. Thus, the city serves as something of a clearing house for the Scavenger Lords of the East, a stopping point where they prepare for expeditions further in the East or Southeast.

The fact that the Ruler of Cho-Holuth, Rinibin Bloodlashes, is a retired Scavenger Lord also helps the city gain it's reputation. He was not always the ruler however, an honor that once belonged to an old Seventh Legion deserter and their lineage of Dragon-Blooded. However, in one of his trips into the Southeast, Rinibin discovered an artifact of great power -- a golden arm, which replaced his own limb. Strong as a God and filled with immortal power the Scavenger Lord has ruled the city of Cho-Holuth for almost 400 years now, ever since he killed the previous lords. Since then his rule has been fair, and he is regarded as one of the better rulers of the Scavenger Lands.

Matetha
Sometimes called the City of Ruins, Matetha has been built and rebuilt more than any other city in the region. The Arczeckhi Horde has razed the city time and again, nearly nine times since the end of the Great Contagion, seeming to view the city as a particularly favored target. If it wasn't for the cities large deposits of Jade, the site would likely have been abandoned. Most of the city is situated around the Jade Mines, with places for the workers to live and entertain themselves. Caravans that move the Jade to Lookshy, the Realm, and a few other places also bring a bit of buisness to Matetha -- but the city never grows too large.

The Guild is the undisputed leader of the city, and has been for quite some time. They run the Jade Mines at peak efficency, trading the Magical Material to the Realm (or, in somewhat lesser qualities, to Lookshy). The defacto leader of the community, currently a former Caravanhead named Dintho Brale, is completely indebted to the Guild and in their control. The mercenaries that watch over the city will only defend it to a point, keeping the order among the miners and warding off minor troubles. If things start to look too bad, however, the Guild will abandon the city just as it has in the past. The City, after all, can be rebuilt -- much more important to guard the mines.

Other (Impotrant) Towns and Villages of the Region

Farhold
Of all the cities located on the very edges of the Civilized Scavenger Lands, Farhold is the largest and most important. Surrounded as it is by the great forest of the East and the lands of the Barbarian, Farhold is more than a little exposed -- it survives due to the influence and protection of the Guild and the lack of organization of the local Barbarian Tribes. Ever since the local Forest Spirit abandoned the Ten Tribes in favor of the Loggers from Farhold, the raids have grown more frequent but less dangerous -- none have gotten past the pallisade, as the Barbarian Warbands lack the coordination and numbers to do much more. Carvans leave the town back to the Scavenger Lands themselves constantly, ladden with Lumber and the other bounties of the East.

Eastend
One of many small towns on the banks of the Maruto River, Eastend is one of the larger ones, a small port on the South bank of the river surrounded with a wooden pallisade wall. Not far upriver from Farhold, a day by ship or a bit longer by trail, the small town makes it's living off the plentiful bounty of the Maruto River as well as trade with local Barbarian Tribes (who mostly leave the settlement alone). Peaceful and settled, the village is only barely known in the Scavenger Lands -- it's simply not important enough to register, unless something draws ones attention there for some reason. One of the foremost 'reasons' is the Cities ruler, the Princess Lenore. Fabled for her beauty across the East, this daughter of the Emerald Waters Queen (seeCrownedSun/FarEastRegion/ThousandRiversCourt above) resides in a small stone fort in the center of the village. Through trade with barbarians and innumerable suitors, she has amassed quite a fortune without actually promising herself to anyone. Though she has many lovers, and a fair number of children, she has never truely desired for the settled life.

<bCrownedSun/FarEastRegion/Kental</b>
A small forest town near the Maruto, where the hills meets the forest, home to many mysteries -- and those who watch over those mysteries.

Other Threats and Interests in the Region

CrownedSun/FarEastRegion/TenTribes
The Ten Tribes of the Oak, the most active and largest group of Barbarians in the region.