Darka/Lands

The lands of Darka by von Globbers family, edited by Mr_Jones and Valglin Back to Intro

South Darka, before the civil war restarted (at the start of play)

South Darka, at the fall of North Darka and end of the civil war.

Darka today, with all the original Darkan lands.

Region Descriptions

Alani

This province is most well known for its horses, some of the best in the world are bred here and in the neighboring province of Bitana. The province’s economy is based on horses and fishing, with small farming communities further inland. Alani is probably the happiest region on the Sinclair peninsula, having avoided the hardships the rest have suffered and maintaining a thriving economy.

Azzal

Azzal started out as a small settlement on Lake Itza. Its position along the lake made it a focal point for trade in the area and it quickly grew from village to town, and taking advantage of its position, grew from town to city. The kings of Azzal slowly increased their domains to include the Olzesa region. The last king of Azzal had lost all of his sons fighting the nomads of the Talerian plains. He married off his only living daughter to the crown prince of Darka and bequeathed to them the kingdom of Azzal. Since the beginning of the civil war, Azzal has swelled from several waves of immigrants. The first of settlers from the conquered sections of the Talerian plains, the next of loyalists from Saler, another of people from Siver who wished to escape North Darka, and finally the people of Bisquez city abandoning their burned out homes. The city has become quite cosmopolitan, and slowly become the center of overland trade on the west coast. The conflicting views and peoples of the city led to a new idea on the government of a Darka, and a new meritocracy was established in place of the old aristocracy. A peaceful revolution succeeded in uniting the far flung peoples of the capital where the flag of the new, united Darka flies. Azzal is enjoying a thriving economy and new peace and such it has been called the silver tree.

Bisquez

Former capital of the Duchy of Bisquez. Bisquez was the center of a small, heavily fortified and populated realm until it finally succumbed to the expansionism of the separatist Northern faction in Darka. The city was burned to the ground during the siege and little besides the old castle remains. The people who still live in the area have become tough living off of the ashen land. As such, the men who guard the castle are elite troops armed to the teeth to prevent another disaster like the fall of the Bisquez.

Bitana

The former breadbasket of the Duchy of Bisquez. The last eruption of Mnt. Sinclair devastated it’s once famed farmland, and over half of the province’s famous horse breeders were wiped out. The area now survives mainly on whaling and boat building.

Mnt. Sinclair

The history of the Volcano Folk is sad one. Between volcanic eruptions, and maintaining the church of the Volcano Goddess, they fought invasions from all sides, especially from the Duchy of Bisquez, to maintain their independence. Though fiercely independent, they became nominal vassals of the old Darkan Empire for protection, and remained untroubled until the civil war. When Saler revolted, the regime in Azzal was powerless to protect the Volcano Folk, and the northern veterans of the civil war marched in and seized power. Their overlords from Saler scarred the landscape with mines to extract the precious metals and gems within. Hundreds died in the sulfurous hell of the mines, and fighting as irregular troops in against Bisquez. When the war re-erupted, they suffered huge losses in the attempted invasions of Tolhuar and in defense of Saler. Though their fiery independence being at odds with unity, the stability of being part of Darka is helping their recovery from the atrocities of the past, and they are likely to remain content as the new empire's religious centre.

Olzesa

Olzesa is a rich, populous region that has been spared the destruction the rest of Darka faced. This region formed part of the hereditary lands of the king of Azzal. When that realm merged with Darka a peaceful transition took place, and the people have grown fat and happy under the enlightened rule of the post-civil war monarchs.

Rantire

The heartland of the old Empire, and along with Zin and Entire it formed the old border with Bisquez and the divided realms of the Azzal steppes and Talerian plains. Rantire was the most populace area of the empire in the old days, even rivaling Saler for its population and industry. Unfortunately, its central position in the late Empire meant that the majority of armies marched through, and thus the majority of battles occurred there. It has slowly recovered since, and was mercifully spared from more devastation in the last war. After so much devastation, all the people of Rantire want is to live in peace.

Saler

Guess again, freakshow. - Mr_Jones

Äitis oli. - Winters

Siebmar

Siebmar has been part of Darka further back than history records. It formed the demesne of the old nobility of Saler and its fortunes have been tied to the city ever since. When the nobility of Saler rose in rebellion against the old Empire, Siebmar formed its backbone and fed its armies. They remained loyal to the very end of the re-conquest, and have felt a great feeling of loss after being severed from Saler.

Siver

Until it lost its status as an independent city-state to the expansionism of North Darka, the port city of Siver was the trading center of the northwestern part of the continent. It's small, pleasant population offered their hospitality and a northern harbour that, warmed by Mnt. Sinclair, did not freeze over like the ports of Icegate, or drive away merchants with high tariffs like Saler. The people of Siver wished to remain at peace and refused to take sides in the Darkan civil war. When North Darka decided to take it as the first step in dominating the Sinclair peninsula, they met with little resistance and much of the population moved to Azzal, taking with them the land-born trade. The city is much smaller now, but maintains a stranglehold on northern and western sea-born trade.

Tolhuar

Tolhuar. The name conjures up imagines of historic battles and great heroes. In the Darkan civil war, the northern rebels' victorious armies were defeated for the first time on the plains of Tolhuar, preventing the entire land from succumbing to the northerners. Tolhuar joined the Darkan Empire peacefully in exchange for limited autonomy. Every man in Tolhuar possesses an axe which he carries to war to fight on the frontlines, or a horse to serve as excellent scouts and messengers. The Second Defense of Tolhuar is already legend despite the fact that it only happened within the last year. The very peasants themselves rose up to fend off the endless waves of North Darkan troops, and turned the war very quickly against the north.

Winser

A previous eruption of Mnt. Sinclair devastated the entire region except for the heavily populated coastal areas. When the North Darkan armies declared war on Duchy of Bisquez, most of the people fled to the city and were lost in the sacking of Bisquez. Today the area is mostly abandoned, but a few determined survivors have willed themselves to stay and scrape out a meager, but slowly improving, living. However, through the efforts of the Home Guard and the notable Lord Vicious, the area has vastly improved, and is one of the most loyal regions of Darka.

Xutltec

A sparse and arid land, Xutltec is a land of steep hills and deep canyons. Populated by a mainly conservative people, they have been quiet, reserved supporters of the Darkan Kingdom since before the Darkan Civil War. The elite cavalry of the Templars of Orim are raised and trained in this badlands border region.

Zin

The people of Zin were loyalists through and through for the Darkan Empire. They are the southern version of the north’s Siebmar. In the civil war the elite heavy cavalry native to Zin kept rebel forces out of Zin, and the people were extremely bitter when their province was given away to the rebels in the peace treaty. At their first chance they switched sides in favour of rejoining what they saw as the rightful (southern) regime.