Western Arrotha

Mylberath, Valendar, and Esterburg

Arrotha, Labeled

Western Arrotha is home to many diverse human kingoms. One of the most notable of these is Mylberath, located centrally in the western end of Arrotha. Mylberath is a common trading post for those who may be passing down the Western edge of Arrotha, many ships stopping in Mylberath after having doing trade in Brealia, or on their way North to trade with Brealia. Therefore, of the three cities, Mylberath is the most active when it comes to trade. However, many ships will travel along the Wyvern Trail River, which flows from the Dragon's Spine mountains, to do trade with Valendar and Esterburg respectively.

The cities of Mylberath, Valendar and Esterburg are well-known for their strong alliance, relying on each other as much as their own defenses in fighting off any potential threats that may arise in the area. Being located so near to wide mountain ranges, they are often faced with very diverse dangers, including orcs, goblins, and highwaymen; these threats being the most prominent in the region. But occasionally, they are faced with more terrifying threats from giants who are most commonly found in the Dragon's Spine Mountains, werewolves, which are commonly found in the Forest Pass, or Gnolls which are ever-present in the Silver Ore Bluffs. These are only some of the common threats that these allied cities face.

The alliance was brokered long ago by King Deren Striker III of Mylberath after a magical construct, a tower of power, had been erected within the Forest Pass, and a powerful Warlock had threatened his Kingdom with servitude. Once the threat was identified, Clara Voidstorm, the archmage and appointed Voice of the City in Esterburg, easily garnered support from the ruling council to join in the alliance. Duke Grant Billows, on the other hand, a major rival in trade with Mylberath at the time, wasn't convinced of the need for his city to join into the alliance, until the threat of the Warlocks domain unexpectedly arrived at his doorstep in the form of wraiths riding powerful acid dragons, wreaking devastation on his city in short order. The alliance was quickly drawn up and established as an ever-lasting agreement, and the combined forces of the three cities quickly overran the Warlock and destroyed his evil construct, ending a dark era for the western cities of Arrotha. The alliance, which still stands in present-day Arrotha has forever been known as the Karen Hopper Treaty, named after Clara's sister, who, like Clara was a powerful spellcaster, but had unfortunately lost her life in battling the Warlock. The name was presented by Duke Grant Billows himself as a show of respect and recompense for Esterburg's loss of a great hero.

Today, the cities of the Karen Hopper Treaty remain the most prominent powers in the region.

The Southern United Tribes

Often referred to as "The Southern Tribes" or even "The Nomads in the South," The Southern United Tribes are hardly that, competing fiercely with each other for dominance of the region. However, when threatened by outside intrusion, the tribes are known to ban together to protect their old ways of life, preferring to work together rather than allow their lands to be overrun by outsiders.

The tribes of barbarians who live in the land continue the old traditions of hunting migrating herds and living off the land. They compete regularly amongst themselves to demonstrate their strength and power, and they maintain old traditions of honor. Among those traditions is a generally accepted revulsion to magic, believing that spellcasting is the trick of a coward and that true strength is found in physical prowess.

Among these tribes, the Spearhead Tribe, the Mountainpass Tribe, and the Earthskin Tribe are the most dominant. Although the tribal names once held great meaning for the tribes, generations of breeding between tribes has caused many of the more obvious distinctions between the barbarian tribes to become more or less homogeneous between the tribes. It is said, however, by those who have traveled to those southern reaches where the barbarian tribes call home that the barbarians are unlike any other civilization of men that had seen, in terms of height, strength, and thickness of the skin. Wild tales of the barbarian tribes talk about barbarian heroes stopping the thrust of an orc spear against his bare skin as if he were wearing a powerful mage armor. Whether this is true or not is widely unknown amongst the more civilized societies.

Sanctum of Azaos

Sanctum of Azaos

Arrotha, Silver Ore Bulffs

In the northern peaks of the Silver Ore Bluffs, there resides the famous Sanctum of Azaos. The sanctuary was established by Kihm Nokha, or often times referred to as "The Enlightened One" by followers of Azaos. The stories of Kihm Nokha speak of him as being a common soldier in a great war between two human cities. After watching his friends and family fall to the blade of his enemies, he went into such a battle fury that he took out several score of combatants by himself, cutting the way through the ranks and ultimately turning the tide of the battle. When his enemies lay dead at his feet, he was overwhelmed with grief, and overwhelmed just as much by the senselessness of violent warfare. He retreated to the mountains where he lived in solitude for fifteen years before returning to the place of his birth. But he only returned to offer his family a better path. His family, thinking him to be mad, rejected him, and he turned to the streets, living among those who slept in the gutters and alleyways, instructed them on "The Path of Azaos" and ultimately leading them to his sanctuary in the Silver Ore Bluffs.

That is the legend of Kihm Nokha. How much of it is true is up to speculation, but they continue to thrive as an independent monastery, teaching "The Path of Azaos" and preaching about an universal strength greater than the gods.

Brealia and Auxoria

Brealia and Auxoria

Arrotha of the World Mithia

These two kingdoms both reside on the Northwestern edge of Arrotha. However, despite the proximity of these two kingdoms, they are quite distinct, both in their origins and in culture.

Brealia occupies the Northwestern region surrounding the Enchanted Peaks Mountains that resides just Northwest of the Duskwood in the Northwestern most reaches of Arrotha. The success of Brealia lies in their location, serving as the nearest port to the Northern preaches of Aeror, and the nearest port to Tailus, though there is not nearly as much trade coming from Tailus as there is from Aeror. It is also worthwhile to note that the Gobi Desert is due West of Brealia, and therefore, while the kingdoms in Gobi Desert are scarce and generally a lot smaller due to the harsh conditions, Brealia also does a lot of trade with the kingdoms of the Gobi Desert as well. It is these ports that have led to the success of this kingdom, and unlike many kingdoms in the land, Brealia is operated by a council of high captains, not by a single lineage.

Auxoria, on the other hand, grew much more slowly than did Brealia. While Brealia's growth was spurred on by trade in their harbors, Auxoria grew from a single castle, owned by an old wizard named Auxoria. Auxoria had travelled the lands wide and far, originally from the far-off lands of Zabrun, and she had eventually migrated to Arrotha and decided to find a place to call her home. Her castle would be considered humble compared to the great castle that now stands at the base of the mountain, and the once-lonely castle is now surrounded by many dwellings and tall towers. The transformation happened very gradually, as generations of young spellcasters had come to Auxoria seeking to study under her tutelage, and as the old wizard accepted more and more apprentices, they began to grow in number, at first from the apprentices themselves, but eventually from the families of the apprentices, and so on. Eventually, the mountains were covered with small hamlets, each belonging to a different lineage, and they all unified together, electing a new leader every several years to represent their affairs, but acting more as a republic in all practice. The city is heavy with magic, and many have began living there who are not practitioners of magic, but it is said to have some of the highest concentration of magic users in all of Mithia.