Borodor

Borodor

Overview

Primarily agricultural, the Karnish province of Borodor is dotted with a large number of small farming communities and is often referred to, along with the bordering province of Fenn, as the garden of Karnish. However, the north of Borodor is dominated by the Swamp of Souls, over 35,000 square miles of swamp inhabited by an array of undesirable creatures. Virburgh is the most significant city, acting as the major port to the northern continent, but also to the other Karnish cities located along the coast.

For those living around the Swamp of Souls life can be tough and unpredictable, with creatures regularly straying from within it's fetid borders. Once it was well patrolled, but in recent years, with troops being assigned elsewhere in the war with Zykerathox, the horrid denizens of that place are now free to wander far from their home. Such has been their imapct that whole communities have been uprooted, retreating away from the dangers and setting up elsewhere, leaving errie ghost villages and communities. Humanoid activity from the Anhorn Peaks is also on the increase and raids are much more common than they used to be, but with the large tribes concentrated much further south, they are much more of a concern to their neighbor, Ormex. Although well placed to avoid the worst of the barbarian incursions, it is not unknown for tribes to occasionally wander this far north and harrass the southern borders, but the threat remains slight.

Despite what Borodor would consider major threats, Borodor is one of the most lightly defended areas within Karnish, with The East Karnish Road being the most heavily patrolled, especially around the town of Thorn and the Brokk Hills. Thorn is a busy market town, where merchants purchase large amounts of grain and other foodstuffs, which is then sent on to the larger cities of Karnish. It is also a significant military staging post for soldiers going to or from the border province of Gorind, though since the rise of Zykerathox and the need for the majority of thearmy in the west, this has been less so in recent years.

The Swamp of Souls is said to be home to the ancient witch queen Jara Yen, whose black art is renown throughout the province. Mothers are often heard telling their children "be good, or Jara Yen will take your soul in the night". The swamp is also home to a large number of lizardfolk and dragons are not unknown.

Significant Trade Export

Grain: Often referred to as the garden of Karnish, the fertile agricultural lands of Borodor supply large quantities of grain to Karnish and its empire. Much of this makes its way to the City of Karnish either along the East Karnish Road via Thorn or in merchant ships from Virburgh.

Brief History

It was during the terrible civil war which saw Yarath almost torn apart that Lord Borothon Maydor undertook his great journey, which became known as the Trail of Tears. Disgusted with the war that was ripping through his country, Lord Borothon Maydor took all those that would follow him - which amounted to several thousand - and went east to find a land of their own. The journey was horrific, with disease taking the lives of many and barbarians and humanoids accounting for many more.

With the odds stacked against them, and long since forgotten in Yarath, Lord Borothon Maydor and those that had survived finally came to the coast and set up their camp, which they called Nend. At first, life was almost impossible, under constant attack from orcs and wildmen, but slowly the base established itself and over time began to grow. As rumor went west of their survival, so others, disillusioned by the war in Yarath, did likewise and made for this new land of promise.

So it was that Borodor emerged, under the stewardship of the self proclaimed King, King Borothon Maydor. At first, survival was the sole aim and attacks against the key humanoid tribes saw the borders of the new nation expand, slowly at first, but after a while more rapidly. By the time of the conclusion of the civil war in Yarath, brought about after the Uradun invasions, Borodor has established itself and had proclaimed all the lands east of the Annasë River, excluding the elven lands of Yander Hothinbelim, as the nation of Borodor.

Borodor saw an explosion in its population as many people left their homelands in Yarath and headed east to find a new life. Politically, however, the existing structure could not cope with such a rapid expansion and much of the land fell into lawlessness, with communities forced to fend for themselves. Despite the best efforts of the fledgling monarchy to impose a lawful structure on the country, they were never entirely successful and corruption became a way of life. A brief border war with Yarath erupted, but came to a swift end with the crushing defeat of Borodor's army by the renown general Tharg in the battles of Raging Gorge and Jend.

It was within this climate that King Tharin II made the fateful decision to split Borodor into three, with each of his three sons ruling their portion of it. His eldest son, Tharin III, was given governorship over Borodor itself, to which was given the best lands and coastline. Next, Gelbert was given Ormex, which included the capital Nend, but which was much more wild and inhospitable. The youngest son, Borim, was given the much smaller, but exceptionally fertile, lands of Fenn. On the death of King Tharin II, Borodor was thus divided and his sons each had a kingdom to rule over.

King Tharin III of Borodor immediately declared his father's actions illegal and rescinded them, ordering his brothers to return their lands or face his full wrath. The two brothers refused and war soon broke out between them. The first merciless act of King Tharin III was to have his brother Gelbert murdered, afterwards reclaiming the lands as those of Borodor's and blaming the elves for the murder of his brother. He then retook Fenn from his younger brother, who was executed for high treason.

Although the borders of Borodor were restored, the people were outraged and unrest was in the air. To distract attention, King Tharin III blamed Karnish, who by this time had annexed Yarath, for driving his father insane, forcing him to split the nation into three and with it break the strength of Borodor. He also invaded the elven realms of Yander Hothinbelim. This was a critical mistake, for Karnish had a long standing agreement with the elves to help them in times of war and so it was that the Karnish forces came to their aid.

The Battle of The Three Peaks saw the almost total destruction of Borodor's army and the death of King Tharin III. With no apparent heir to the throne and with large numbers of humanoids mustering in the Anhorn Peaks and the wildmen of the east on the rampage, Karnish acted quickly, annexing Borodor into their burgeoning empire and dividing it as King Tharin II had requested, with each a separate province within the empire. There was very little national resistance to this, though locally the powerful lords who had lined their nests did what they could to undermine an easy transition.

Despite this, it took little time for Karnish to impose itself over the provinces and soon enough they found themselves abiding by Karnish laws and embracing their culture. With several key victories against the humanoids in the Anhorn Peaks, the Karnish armies pushed even further east, eventually establishing the province of Gorind and, at that time, shoring up the Pass of Merin through which so many of the barbarian tribes passed. In recent years, however, with the defenses of Gorind reduced and weakened, the threat of humanoids and barbarians has grown, though perhaps not as much as in many of the other provinces of the region.

The Major Towns and Cities

Virburgh: (pop: 15,000) The capital city of Borodor, Virburgh is also a substantial port city which is an important stopping off point for those traversing the southern waters of the Sea of Guardians, especially the merchant ships which are traveling to or from the League of Ordwyn, as it represents the first major port along the long and hazardous route to the City of Karnish. On the hilly shores of the Bay of Cearia, Virburgh is a city of steep roads, with houses built nestled amongst the hills. A common feature of the buildings built on the hillsides is flat wooden platforms with supports dug deep into the earth, which keep them level. The center of the city is the port area, which is the only flat area, nestled between the hills and the bay.

Thorn: (pop: 5,000) An important market town, much of the agricultural produce of Borodor, Fenn and Ormex pass through this town at some stage. Thorn is well known for its large livestock auctions and the large quantity of grain, wheat and other essential foodstuffs that are sold here. Merchants purchase in large quantities, before shipping their goods west along The East Karnish Road. The town is well spread out, with a large number of farms and orchards forming the outskirts, with the center a busy metropolis. It is also home to a large number of dwarves, who mostly live on the hilly side of the town, as Thorn is situated at the base of the Brokk Hills.

Important Personages

Fayn Narath: The Royal Overlord of Borodor, Fayn Narath has a large reputation as a man who enjoys nothing more than to indulge himself in the luxuries of his position. A womanizer and gambler, his flamboyant and extravagant lifestyle has caused some resentment amongst the population. Amongst both the nobility of Karnish and Borodor, he is also regarded with some contempt.

Jara Yen: A powerful witch, Jara Yen is reported to live in the Swamp of Souls, where she lives as a grotesque queen in a palace made of mud and slime. It is said that she often leaves the swamp at night, disguised as an old hag, and makes away with the children who live near swamp's edge, though none can say why.


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