Yarath

Yarath

Overview

The largest of the southern Karnish provinces, Yarath is also the most multi-cultural too, with elves, gnomes, halflings and dwarves, as well as humans, all represented in significant numbers. Yarath itself is primarily agricultural, with the port of Yarathwaite the only major city. The old racial rivalries, which previously manifested themselves in a great conflict that tore the country apart, remain and tensions often overspill, meaning that people tend to stick with their own kind.

Humanoid activity is frequent in the southern areas of the province, with orcs particular problem. Living in The Malvus Peaks, war parties often raid deep into Yarath, meaning that life can be tough for those living in vulnerable regions. The few remaining Karnish forces stationed here are stretched, with the great majority having been called west to the war with Zykerathox, are too few to police the borders effectively. As such humanoid activity has been on the increase and local communities are having to take measure to defend themselves. It is also not unknown for the occasional barbarian tribe to sweep as far as the eastern borders of Yarath.

Greenwood is primarily home to wood elves and sylvan creatures, but also to large numbers of less welcome denizens. The elf communes are scattered throughout Greenwood and find themselves in regularly conflict with the unwanted creatures who make their home within the forest. Those areas within the forest that are fortunate enough to be located near a sphere of elven influence are pleasant and mystical, while those areas that go untouched by their caring hands are often dark, with a sinister atmosphere. The journey through Greenwood on the East Karnish Road is considered amongst the most dangerous anywhere along its stretch.

Significant Trade Export

Copper Ore: The Kraggen Hills are abundant in copper ore and are dotted with small mining communities. Most of the ore usually ends up in Faraleigh, which is more industrialized and able to cope with the quantity mined here.

Grain: The wide expanse of fertile lands supplies large quantities of grain, much of which eventually ends up in Badathur to feed the soldiers there and help maintain the war effort against Zykerathox.

Leather Goods: The leather trade is well established in Yarath, with the quality of workmanship known and sought after throughout Karnish. Clothing, equipment, armor, and all manner of leather trinkets make their way out of Yarath. Some even end up in foreign markets.

Precious Stones: Azurite and malachite are found throughout the Kraggen Hills and are mined extensively. In the east, agate, chalcedony, chrysoprase, citrine, jasper, moonstone, quartz and rose are all mined.

Brief History

The disintegration of the Amman empire in the southern continent saw the rise of many rebel warlords and the invasion of the barbarian hordes from east of The Malvus Peaks. The instability and violence of these conflicting factions within the political vacuum seriously threatened to overrun the emerging nation of Karnish, whose armies were still fighting with the Amman enemy.

It was within this maelstrom that a unified rag-bag army of elves, men and dwarves, who had seen their homes and livelihoods destroyed by the chaotic forces that now dominated these lands, brought law and order to the eastern border of Karnish, by driving the barbarians back beyond the Annasë River and subduing the local warring warlords and forcing their allegiance.

The political climate within Yarath remained unstable and the eastern border insecure. Local warlords continued in many places to oppose the new authority, while the barbarian hordes from the east and the humanoid hordes from within The Malvus Peaks continued their relentless assault. However, the unified armies brought a strength to Yarath and while the attacks against them could not be stopped, they were able to repel the worst of their enemies.

The first Kings of Yarath were dwarven and set about stabilizing the nation and securing its borders. However, the lure of wealth was always too much and this eventually led to a failed war with their neighbor Sorendale, where gold, silver and copper were common. The war, however, brought outrage from large numbers of the human and elf population, who regarded their actions as aggressors as unpalatable, and civil strife soon followed.

It was during this time, when humanoids and barbarians were left unchecked and the borders had become extremely dangerous, that Lord Borothon Maydor left Yarath and led his loyal followers east, to find new lands where they could establish themselves away from the madness of Yarath. So it was that they began their journey and crossed the Annasë Rver. The Trail of Tears saw many of Borothon's people decimated by disease or killed by humanoids or barbarians, but they continued until eventually arriving at the sea, where they established the community of Nend, which would eventually lead to the emergence of a new nation, Borodor.

As Lord Borothon Maydor and his followers made their terrible journey along the Trail of Tears, Yarath was riven with internal war and the power struggle was such that the dwarves of U'gunn and even Ki-Dyer came to the defense of their brethren within Yarath. During the Battle of the Broken Alliance, man and elf stood against man and dwarf. The battle was savage, but inconclusive and so the bloody war continued.

With the arrival of large numbers of dwarves from the dwarven citadels of U'gunn and Ki-Dyer, so the wood elves of Yander Hothinbelim also became embroiled, supporting their elven brethren of Yarath and Greenwood. As the war slowly escalated, so the horror of the battles grew and while some were more decisive than others, neither side could force a decisive victory that would bring an end to the civil conflict.

It was the intervention of a large combined orc and human army from Uradun, who crossed The Malvus Peaks and threatened the security of Yarath, which proved the turning point in the internal conflict that had engulfed Yarath. With this new threat emerging, the civil war was forgotten and old enemies stood alongside one another in a desperate fight for survival. The conflict with Uradun was a harsh one, with Yarath weakened from their years of civil strife, but several decisive battles saw them ultimately victorious and the Uradun threat removed. Neither the elves of Yander Hothinbelim, nor the dwarves of U'gunn and Ki-Dyer, returned their troops to Yarath, for their own lands were now under threat.

With outside forces no longer operating within Yarath and the opposing armies exhausted from their many years of strife, the opposing factions in Yarath settled their differences and a new King anointed - King Renet Poris, a nobleman of royal lineage who was seen as acceptable by all parties. With the war resolved, the old wounds between the opposing forces took much longer to heal and occasional outbreaks of violence still occurred. Large numbers of dwarves, resentful of having their own King overthrown, retreated from Yarath and returned to their ancestral homes in The Malvus Peaks. However, the desire for peace was now greater than that for war, so these outbreaks grew less and eventually largely disappeared, though racial tensions remained.

The emergence of Borodor secured the eastern border of Yarath, though relations were always tense as Yarath disputed the independence of the fledgling nation. Relations with Karnish were also strained, with an occasional border squabble never far from the surface. For a while, Yarath consolidated after years of strife and it seemed that peace in the region had finally been achieved. However, when Uradun made a second attack and their hordes fell upon the plains of Yarath, the peace was shattered and the nation once again found itself embroiled in war. It was only the intervention of a rising young general, General Tharg, who saved the day in an outstanding tactical triumph in the Battle of Bordel, where the armies of Uradun were routed and forced into retreat.

With victory achieved, however, Yarath turned their anger toward Sorendale, who had offered no assistance to their neighbor and through whose territory some of the Uradun forces had been apparently allowed to pass unhindered, according to the Yarath authorities. With heightened tension, a petty border dispute between the two nations escalated into open warfare and the peace of Yarath was shattered once again. This was quickly followed by the declaration of war upon Yarath by King Tharin II of Borodor, after years of squabbling between the nations. The renown general Tharg, however, who would later make a claim upon the throne of Karnish itself, led a successful campaign against Borodor with two decisive victories that forced their neighbor to sue for peace, which was soon followed by peace with Sorendale.

As always with Yarath, however, the peace was short lived, as General Tharg made his claim upon the throne of Karnish and Yarath threw their weight behind him, giving him command of some four thousand of their troops. Tharg was later defeated by Deymus, who was pronounced King of Karnish and, after chasing his enemy out of the southern lands, he turned his attention to those that had aided Tharg. War between Karnish and Yarath was inevitable and when it occurred, Yarath was soon overwhelmed. King Deymus I annexed Yarath into the Karnish empire and their independence was at an end.

The reaction of the people of Yarath to their new predicament was mixed, with many believing that the nation would self destruct into civil war again and that their new rulers would impose law where there seemed to be none. Some, however, were opposed and continued to fight, though their numbers soon dwindled as Karnish rule saw the stability and wealth of the region increase.

More recent years have seen the threat from the humanoids of The Malvus Peaks grow as soldiers who once patrolled the border regions have been called away to the war against Zykerathox. The increased danger, along with the increased tax burden that everyone throughout the Karnish empire have been subjected to, has seen resentment grow among the people and a small, but vocal sepetarist movement has called for their independence. As yet, there seems little of substance behind this, but as history shows, the least of sparks in Yarath is enough to ignite the firecest of fires.

The Major Towns and Cities

Yarathwaite: (pop: 31,500) As well as being a significant Karnish port, Yarathwaite is also an important agricultural center through which much of the produce of the southern provinces passes on its long journey along the East Karnish Road. Yarathwaite is renown for its livestock and agrarian markets and is regarded as being the central point of distribution for essential foodstuffs around the Karnish empire. Yarathwaite itself is a city divided along racial grounds, with humans, dwarves, elves and gnomes all having their own quarter. The elven quarter is green and leafy, abundant with trees where many of the elven homes can be found. The dwarven quarter is found on the eastern hilly side of Yarathwaite. While it is less attractive than the elven quarter, with stone buildings built along the undulating slopes, it is still green and lush. The port area is well built up, with cobbled streets lined with stone and wooden buildings, where back streets and alleys form a haven for those that wish to lose themselves in the city.


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