This page is currently at version 1.1, reflecting the state of things on Uurth in the Spring of the year 542 AC6.
If you encounter bad HTML or just would like to nudge the completion or improvement of something please feel free to email me at alcore@uurth.com.
(Last Major Modification of this page occurred on Sunday, Feburary 27, 2011.
The last minor revision was on Tuesday December 26, 2017.)
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Following the 6th Catacylysm this area was separately recolonized by groups of all the major races. Rather that come into conflict, they formed trade relationships and mutual defense pacts against the Orcs, Giants, and related kin that held the area. The area was sparsely settled until the fall of the Entorre Confederation in 150 AC6. During the next fifty years the area grew rapidly, largely due to waves of refugees escaping the Phonicon Empire.
The Eanf Republic is a new nation with old roots. During the First 50 years following the transformation of the Entorre Confederation into the Phonicon Empire, many people fled outwards hoping to find new lands untouched by war to settle. Most such groups were fairly uniform in composition, but the groups that arrived in the Northern Eanf River basin area were a diverse bunch including Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Gnomes (among others). The Demi-humans, in particular, were seeking safe havens because the Empire had recently conquered the home territorries of each. In a remarkable spirit of togetherness the combined group founded the Eanf River Democracy. Founded in 200 AC6, this nation lasted almost 190 years until absorbed in the last great expansionist push of the Phonicon Empire in 390 AC6.
During the years of the occupation, the ideal of the democracy persisted, especially in the less reachable parts of the Elven, Dwarven, and Gnomish Enclaves. Among the human population, the few surviving Eanf Democracy patriots were driven North into the Cochee Swamp... where they flourished rather than dieing out as expected.
The Cochee Rebels persisted; and, after a series of blunders and massacres by the Phonicon Imperial Army through the year 500, they went on the offensive, drawing on a massive groundswell of popular support. This first offensive in 110 years was not very successful due to poor organization and a lack of coordinated support between forces of the Elves and Dwarves. The Gnomish people paid the price and were virtually exterminated when they arose as a nation and were squashed. The Dwarves paid dearly as well, as the army they had secretly raised and sent to the Gnome's defence was caught unprepared and outnumbered. More than 2000 were captured and sent into slavery. The Elves drew the eternal enemnity of the Dwarves for backing down at the last minute and thereby sparing themselves a similar loss.
The rebellion fell on hard times. Operating in secret, they undertook heroic acts of guerilla warfare and sabotage. The individuals at the street level kept the rebel cause alive. When the Empire began to shake apart following the assassination of the Emperor, the rebels moved quickly, giving birth to the new Eanf Republic in the year 505 AC6.
In a strange twist of fate, King William Phonicon asked for membership in the Republic for his loyal territorries in exchange for protection from the bulk of the Empire. In addition to the Empire as an enemy, the Lakefort Holdfast has been substantially aggressive towards the young republic since it regained its long lost lands. They claim lands given over to the Republic by William Phonicon as their rightful territorry, and have made no secret of their willingness to sieze these lands should they be given provocation and opportunity to do so.
As of the spring of 542 AC 6, the Lakefort Holdfast and the Eanf Republic are at war over this territorrial dispute.
Lastly, as if the young Republic didn't already face terrible problems, conflicts between the Dwarves and Elves have been escalating over control of what was formerly the Gnomish Enclave lands. Other problems include growing levels of corruption in government traced to Phonicon Spies. Many of the groups that helped organize and support the rebellion seem to be quietly trying to "dig in" in anticipation that they will soon need to return to their days of covert freedom fighting.
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This relatively small area is ruled by the Queen of the Diamond Dragons, and has been so ruled since the time of the 1st Age during the war of Atrien and Harlokken. Even the Queen of the Diamond Dragons is not immortal, and the Valley has been passed down to a new queen ten times since the valley was first occupied. There are some who believe that the changing of the Diamond Dragon Queen is one of the things that can cause (or accompany) a Cataclysm.
The Valley is actually Dragonkind's Embassy to the world. It was founded in this particular location because of it's proximity to the Towers of Atrien and Harlokken during their war. The Dragons feared that the power of the ancients was becoming a threat to them, and to Uurth, and felt that it would be best to create an outpost where it would be easy to keep an eye on things. The Clan of the Diamond Dragons was chosen to oversee this project due to it's nature as objective, balanced, and uninvolved observers.
The Valley is not open to outside visitors unless they have meaningful business to discuss with the Council of Wyrms (the ruling body of dragonkind). As of 542 AC6 the only humanoid institution with open diplomatic ties to the Court of the Diamond Dragon Queen is the Heirarchy of Druids. The Druids and the Diamond Dragon Clan share much in the way of worldview and the Dragons respect the Grand Druid and the other higher ranking Druids as beings of respectable power.
Other than these few facts, little else is known about the Valley. Even this information is generally unknown except to the most learned scholars or people with direct connections to the area.
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In ancient times this region was known as the Harlokken Emirates. Some scholars still use this name. In beginning times during the 1st Age this area was a semi-arid grassland where nomadic tribes tended migratory herds of herbivores and tamed the Great Burrowing Worms of the plains as transport and engines of war. It was here that the Great Sorceror Harlokken arose and began his conquest of the world. Shortly coming into conflict with the Arch-Mage Atrien, who's seat of power was a magical tower and citadel hidden someplace in the mountains to the west.
During the course of the Great War of the Ancients, Atrien used many foul and devious means to weaken and destroy his opponents. One such tactic was to permanently alter the weather patterns across the northeast corner of the continent. He arranged for most of the rain and other precipitation that would have reached the Emirates to instead be blocked by the mountains and fall on the already marshy area of the Cochee Jungle (located in the northern areas of what is now the Eanf Republic) instead. (Since Atrien was also at war with Norton Hamar, turning his homeland into a bottomless swamp was just a bonus in favor of this tactic.) As a result, the Emirates transformed from grasslands to a deep and inhospitable desert.
After Harlokken finally defeated and enslaved Atrien, he forced Atrien to build a new magical citadel and tower in the center of the desert to serve as the new capitol of his empire. He was promised that the tower would be able to reverse the damage to the land and would recreate his shattered body. Instead, Atrien tricked him, and instead the new tower imprisoned Harlokken's soul and bound him to the land, now deep at the center of an unlivable desert. Not being entirely trusting of his enslaved servant, Harlokken had taken certain precautions and Atrien's physical form was destroyed at the same time that Harlokken became trapped.
The Emirates have had a loose form of Tribal/City-State government, that until the recent destruction of Harlokken's Tower of the Worm, was dominated by whoever was the Master of the Tower. This has remained a constant throughout all the Ages and Cataclysms.
Virtually all settlement and population of the Emirates was huddled along the coast and the southern boundary river (which due to other after-affects of the Great War of the Ancients was contaminated with poisons of untraceable origin). Other than the legendary riders of the Deep Desert Sandworms, nobody lived in the interior or mountain steppes of the Emirates due to the sheer inhospitability of the land.
The Tower of the Worm was destroyed in the year 528 AC6 at which time the native people, freed of the dominating magical power of the Tower, began to explore alternative forms of governance. So far the net result is a mixture of Sultanate and Caliphate City-states that remain in loose alliance. Thus far no effective central ruler or power has appeared to replace the Master of the Tower, and the people of Wilmar prefer it that way.
In the year 532 AC6 a volcano in the heart of the Western Mountains, near the ancient site of Atrien's capitol erupted. Shortly afterwards, it rained in the interior desert for the first time since the Great War of the Ancients, and when the ash-fall from the volcano washed downstream, the Southern River cleared itself of the ancient poisons. Life and vitality are now returning to the region. For the native people of Wilmar this is the beginning of a new great age of adventure, freedom, and prosperity.
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This page is owned and maintained by: Eugene H. Pharr, Jr.
All original material presented in these pages copyright © 1997 - 2017 by
Eugene H. Pharr, Jr. and may not be reused for profit without express consent.
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E-mail: alcore@uurth.com
