Shabarcht

The mountain stronghold of Klev

The province of Shabarcht in Elothnin's northeastern quadrant, is a land of harsh terrain and stalwart people dedicated to the extraction of the valuable resources that lay beneath its rocky surface. The majority of its area is made of the Klevarcht Mountains or their foothills, making it rather useless with regard to agriculture and forestry. Thus, the bulk of Shabarcht's inhabitants earn their living toiling in the numerous mines that descend into the rocky depths of the mountains.

In addition to the Elothninian population, there is a substantial number of Dwarves that inhabit the province. Relations between the two peoples have been largely peaceful, lubricated by the mutually beneficial relations of trade: indeed, the dwarves are able to acquire the food and timber resources they need in the markets of cities like Klev and Tresleneer in exchange for their well-crafted metal goods and rare gemstones. Of course, as one would expect in such a situation, there have been instances of conflict between the two disparate peoples.

Elothninian expansion into Shabarcht was long and slow, but peaceful as well. Initially, humans were drawn to the admittedly spare timber reserves in the age of Otellian. However, when these were exhausted -- the soil in Shabarcht is highly acidic, lending itself to slow growth of soft pines, making it a less than ideal location to produce timber -- endeavoring settlers turned to the mineral rich mountains. This led to occasional clashes with the territorial dwarves, but, ultimately the commercial instincts of the dwarves won out when they realized the great potential for wealth production from relations with the humans.

Ostrassa

the scenic eastern coast of Ostrassa

Elothnin's southernmost province, Ostrassa, is notable both for its coastal bounty and fabulous arts: it is a land of both arts and trade. The province lies to the south of Helletiern and Shabarcht, and has the longest coastline of any province in Elothnin. Thanks to it's extensive access to the sea, and many hospitable ports, the bulk of Ostrassa's population make their living fishing and carrying goods to other Elothninian ports, and those beyond.

Ostrassa is also home to the mysterious Pokelocken swamp. The Pokelocken, an enormous, virtually impassable expanse of wetlands, is alleged to be inhabited by the most unimaginable creatures. As a result, this area has captured the imagination of many Elothninians, though few have been courageous enough to penetrate its forbidding boundaries.

Without a doubt, Ostrassa's most famous attraction is the fabulous port city of Opleneer. In addition to bustling fish markets, a diverse and ever-changing group of traders, and an unceasing parade of ships from as far away as the Elvo-Felintark Empire, the city is home to the most vibrant artistic scene in all of Elothnin. Countless practitioners of all the arts (particularly Silothil) congregate around Opleneer's universities and its numerous, wealthy patrons.

Helletiern

Helletiern is the central province of Elothnin. The political capitol of the empire, Neerhemhind, is located in this province, making it effectively the 'province to be in' for those seeking the glory and amusements of the Queen's court.

Helletiern borders each of the other provinces, as well as the Klevarcht Mountains and the Great Land Sea. The majority of the Great Land Sea falls within Helletiern's borders, but this province primarily uses it to transport goods rather than fishing.

Helletiern is also the oldest province in Elothnin, and is generally considered to be the original beginning of the great empire. It was here that King Otellian first brought his band of human settlers, and in the process, he displaced many of the red elves, who subsequently settled in the Fethil. Some of the ruins of the elves' ancient cities still litter Helletiern's landscape.

Perejin

a bustling logging camp near Fennilmar

The province of Perejin supplies the majority of wood to the Elothninian Empire. It was, in fact, first established for this very reason. After exhausting the meager timber resources from the lower sections of the Klevarcht Mountains, King Gimmelthorpe launched an aggressive expansion into the southwestern hinterlands. These settlers made their home at the edge of the forbidding Erkenheld Forest and quickly began exploiting their new home for its resources.

The resources of Perejin flood the empire through the 'Great Wet Way,' as it is referred to by the rather rustic locals. The Great Wet Way is a series of waterways the logs are floated down, and comprises a network that reaches ever the farthest corners of the empire. Generally, cut logs are brought by land to either Fennilmar or Pertalhorne, the province's capital city (see left). From there, the logs are placed into the nearest body of water and sent to the other provinces via rivers and a few accompanying canals.

Unlike Lilhelndine's expansion of the Fethil, Gimmelthorpe's efforts were met with little outward hostility by the indigenous inhabitants. Prior to the human settlers, Perejin was home to several clans of gnomes and a few herds of centaurs, but both races merely retreated deeper into the forest when their new neighbors arrived. While Perejin has the reputation of being full of magickal creatures, it should be noted that humans and other beings only coexist in the western parts of the province which actually fall within the confines of the Erkenheld. In the deepest border towns, such as Narfroth, humans and centaurs have extensive contact with one another. Though racial tensions still exist, some claim that deep human-centaur friendships have occurred.

Rumor has it that the Rebel Forces have moved south of the Fethilian front, and arecurrently remobilizing in the region, prompting Imperial generals to station a number of spies here to gather information about the rebels' plans and tactics.

See Also:
Phinneas Flumpert
Caspio McNab
Nelhoepher and Lem
Bertronius Worthis

The Fethil

the rolling, grain-covered hills of the Fethil

The Fethil, home territory of Jarthen, is the breadbasket of Elothnin, producing a large part of the country's grain relative to its population. The majority of the region's rolling hills are devoted to agricultural products, primarily the cultivation of wheat, as well as the fabled Fethil sheep, famed across the land for its fine wool. The largest part of the territory's population live on isolated farmsteads or the smallest of villages: West Fethil (shown left), Neerhemfeth and Susselfen, neither what one would describe as thriving metropoli, are the largest towns in the Fethil.

Historically, the Fethil has provided a disproportionately high number of draftees to the Queen's army, leading to the area having a significantly lower male to female ratio than is to be expected (As a result of the high risk of conscription, many young men in the Fethil have taken to hiding themselves by masquerading as women, leading to the use of the word Fethilian, as a slang term for a homosexual). The reasoning behind this was that because of the Fethil's proximity to the Erkenheld Forest and the marauding rebels, it should have to bear the brunt of its own protection. As a
result, there is a certain amount of tension between the Fethilians and their eastern counterparts, which is played out in discussions over national governance.

See also:
Imperial Army
Worthis Clan
Bertronius Worthis
Nelhoepher and Lem