Eppen

Eppen

Overview

With the Urdmoon Mountains to the north and the Gal Eduth to the south, Eppen's natural geographical defenses have proved insurmountable for even the greatest of armies. As such, this small, peaceful nation has retained its ancient cultural bent and neither Amman, through war, or Karnish, through trade, has had any significant cultural influence.

Eppen is primarily a rural nation of hamlets and villages, with Jala being the most significant town. The lands are populated by a wide range of races, with dwarves being represented in significant numbers. The old alliance between Eppen and the dwarves of Kri-Aruk, which stood fast against the might of Amman, has lead to a lasting friendship and respect between the two races.

This is also true, though to a lesser extent, of the relationship between the elves of Gal Eduth and Eppen, who again stood in alliance so valiantly to defend their realms from the onslaught of the Amman forces, despite their eventual defeat in the face of overwhelming numbers. Here, even the elves and dwarves get on uncommonly well.

Eppen is resource rich, exporting large quantities of iron ore. However, they mine adamantine and cold iron from the heart of the Urdmoon Mountains, which greatly augments the wealth of the nation, though the adamantine mining in Eppen is not on the scale of that found in The Red Hills. Eppen is also rich in copper deposits, another of its major exports, as well as Malachite, chrysoprase, azurite and jet.

Historically an inward looking nation, Eppen has latterly embraced mercantilism as it has seen the benefits of trade with the other nations of Arrasia and the small settlements along the coast of the Aggenbor Sea have grown proportionately, though remain relatively small on a world scale.

Significant Trade Export

Adamantine: The discovery of adamantine in the Urdmoon Mountains had added to what is already a resource rich region. Though not as significant in size as The Red Hills, adamantine is a rare and precious metal and commands high market prices. There are some rumors that the Urdmoon Mountains are in fact rich in adamantine and it is only matter of time before the dwarves unearth a large reservoir of the mineral. For the moment, however, this is purely speculation.

Cold Iron: Yet another of the precious metals found in the Urdmoon Mountains, the dwarves have dug deep to mine it. Cold Iron is a commodity that is highly sort after and sells at high prices.

Copper Ore: Found throughout Eppen, cooper ore is shipped around Arrasia. While steel armor has long since replaced bronze, its malleability and luster mean it remains an important resource.

Iron Ore: Iron ore is common throughout Arrasia, but the large quantities of ore mined here make it a valuable resource in high demand.

Precious Stones: Malachite, chrysoprase and azurite are all abundant in Eppen, being found at all the major copper mining regions. Jet is also abundant throughout the country.

Brief History

Eppen was largely unremarkable for the early part of its history, being isolated and thought of as having little value. However, its prime location, acting as the gateway to the Falagrim Peninsula, would later see the eyes of Amman turn in its direction as rumors of the wealth of the peninsula began to circulate.

The first great episode in Eppen history came when Destor and Hakkan fought in Herophet and Destor dropped Aruk, the Hammer of Adria, which is said to have fallen upon Arrasia to the north of Eppen and caused a great scar in the land. This scar - a range of mountains that swept east to west, from shore to shore - would become known as the Urdmoon Mountains and would form part of an impenetrable, natural barrier against their enemies. It is also where the dwarven citadel of Kri-Aruk would be founded, which would, in time, become close allies and friends of the men of Eppen. These events would prove crucial to the future of Eppen and their allies and, indeed, to the world as a whole.

Having seen the greater part of Arrasia fall under its control, Amman began to turn its attention to the rumors of wealth and riches in the lands of Eppen and The Falagrim Peninsula as a whole. After a couple of failed expeditionary forces - which never even made it through the elven stronghold in The Green Forest - Amman declared open war on the elven kingdoms and swung its armies against The Endless Forest and The Green Forest, as well as moving to annex the small nation of Eppen and add its wealth to that of its own.

The early successes were a false dawn for the Amman military forces, which were by now severely stretched as they continued to fight their enemies on all fronts and expand into new lands. Pushing through The Green Forest and Palanar, the Amman forces were defeated in the Battle of Urdmoon Mountains and, later, routed in the Battle of Rynok, a devastating battle at the foothills of the Urdmoon Mountains, as the men of Eppen and the dwarves of Kri-Aruk massed in completely unexpected numbers and who fought ferociously to defend their lands and freedom.

Having been sucked into a vicious war with the elves of The Endless Forest and finding themselves under mounting pressure from the Urgolian horse tribes in the east, the Eppen conflict was no more than a backdrop to the greater events unfolding and a siege of the dwarven citadel of Kri-Aruk was set in the hope that they could succeed with attrition what they had failed to do so through force of arms. However, with the greater part of their army required elsewhere and with those stationed there decimated with disease and illness, there were simply never enough numbers to enforce the siege, which, while long, became something of an embarrassment to the emperor and people of Amman.

Despite the failure of Amman to take Eppen and break into the Falagrim Peninsula, the lure of gold and promised wealth was enough to keep it toward the forefront of Amman thinking and with their empire shaking from revolt, it was decided to finally bring an end to the debacle and smash Eppen resistance. Circumnavigating the Urdmoon Mountains entirely, a great fleet was assembled and a massive army set sail toward The Falagrim Peninsula and Eppen.

The landing of Amman troops onto Istenpur went largely unchallenged and much of the peninsula fell quickly to the overwhelming numbers of Amman soldiers. Having secured a foothold, they now turned their attention to the elves of Gal Eduth and Eppen, which lay beyond. The decisive Battle of Harean's Point saw the elves and men of Eppen routed, finally opening the way into Eppen and its capital city, Jala, where the armies of men, dwarves and elves were mustered to make their last stand.

Amman, however, had one last trick to play, for they had sent the greater part of their army to Jala around Gal Eduth, on board the vast number of vessels that had ferried them to the peninsula, and which waited offshore for the land troops to arrive. As the Battle of Jala commenced and the two sides clashed in a bloody battle, so the fleet appeared on the horizon and the hearts of those standing opposed to Amman sank as the full might of their enemy was revealed to them and they stared defeat in the face.

But as the ships came into the bay, Sassa rose from the seas, where she had been hidden, and caused the sea to stir into a great swell and a ferocious storm saw the waves crash against the approaching Amman fleet. The ships floundered and the few that were not sunk were scattered and countless numbers of men and humanoids were lost to the sea that day. Onshore, the events were watched with horror by the men of Amman and joy by the allies of Eppen and with a renewed effort and against dispirited foes, the great army of Amman was routed and victory - and freedom - secured by Eppen and those fighting alongside them.

For the rest of Arrasia, these events were the tide upon which the balance of power turned. With its fleet sunk and its armies destroyed, the rebellion in the southern lands could not be halted and out of the ashes emerged the specter of Fandor and Karnish. The destruction of the Amman forces on the fields outside of Jala left Amman vulnerable to the elven armies of The Endless Forest who, after regrouping, returned to the battlefield to find themselves, for the first time, no longer fighting overwhelming numbers. These events marked the start of the rapid decline of the Amman empire.

Eppen played its full part in the continuing wars against the Amman forces, helping to drive their enemy out of The Falagrim Peninsula and liberate the peoples of those lands. And while there were no representatives of Eppen in the field of the Great Battle of Amman, none underestimated the importance of their victory at the Battle of Jala.

The Major Towns and Cities

Jala: (pop: 4,500) A green and luscious place, Jala would hardly be worth a mention in the larger nations of Arrasia. In Eppen, however, it is by far and away the largest town and there is little that does not pass through Jala when entering or leaving Eppen. It also home to the King, whose magnificent palace sits atop a hill and overlooks the town below. Much of the town remains agricultural, with small farms forming much of the outskirts. Even the port area itself is open and spacious, though in Jala is considered narrow and enclosed. Generally, the people are friendly and though there is crime, the organizations are small and generally without power.

Important Personages

King Feynoras II: The Harsborog dynasty has ruled Eppen since the decline of the old order after the fall of Amman and has maintained close ties with the elves of Gal Eduth. Feynoras II is himself a half-elf of striking looks, with sharp definitions and sparkling eyes. He is also wise and benevolent and has formed a good relationship with the dwarves of Kri-Aruk, who remain loyal to him and Eppen, who have long since learned to overlook the elvish blood running through the Harsborogs.


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