Sean's Journal
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Amarrin

Nations and Kingdoms
Elven Nation/I'rik'sha
The various elves have one kingdom, though there is a great variety within the kingdom. The elves hierarchy is based on families. There are five noble families within the elven kingdom. The King of the Elves can only come from one of these families. The leader of each family sits on the King's Council. The elves are also divided by different elven races: High Elves, Dark Elves, Wild Elves, and Wood Elves. The High Elves make up the noble families and are the most aloof. Their city of I'rik'sha is secluded from the other nations and is well protected. It is a religious and cultural center with no non-elves allowed. Even the woodland allies of the elves, sprites, fairies, and nymphs, are not allowed into the city. Anyone caught in violation of this strict rule is immediately put to death. Even the most unruly wild elf knows not to violate this law, and it is usually the only law they bother to acknowledge. The Wood Elves are the most socialable of the elves, seeking out other races and nations to trade with. The Wood Elves saw the value of an open city and began construction Eli'Etherian as a trade center. It is a mish mash of structures weaved into the trees and buildings built on the forest floor. Since it is still under construction, it is also the temporary home of many surface dwarves and human artisans. The Dark Elves live in the caves in the mountains bordering the great forest of the elven kingdom. They pay lip service respect to the King of the Elves but exist wholly unto themselves. The families that make up the Dark Elves have long standing feuds with the families of the High Elves and take any opportunity to cause harm to them at any cost. The Wild Elves are spread throughout the kingdom, living in an almost perfect state of nature. They are nomadic hunter-gatherers, they have spurned the trappings of culture to live their long lives as part of nature instead of apart from nature. They are winsome, clever, and as chaotic as nature itself. They rarely acknowledge the laws of the elven king, spurning any elf that tries to draw them into contracts and binding agreements. This makes trading with Wild Elves difficult as they are just as likely to steal as they are to buy. The only law they abide by and help enforce is keeping non-elves out of I'rik'sha.

Goblin Lands
While technically not of one race, the various tribes in this region have all been labelled Goblin. They consist of Orcs in the mountains to the North, Goblins, Gnolls, Ogres, and Giants on the plains, and Lizardmen and Pollywogs near the river to the south. They have similar structures of governance. They are all tribal, with each tribe defining and defending a bit of land as their own. Wars between the differing races is very common as they each struggle for their own survival.

Tarkus
The largest city in Amarrin, Tarkus is ruled by a King, Priest, and Mage. All races are represented in Tarkus with some notable exceptions. It is very rare to see any High Elves or any of the Goblin races in Tarkus. Tarkus has seen a few Deep Dwarves, though. Tarkus is a very lawful city, with strict laws that govern almost every activity. An immense justice system with Monitors and Enforcers keep the city in line with the laws. Tarkus has been trying for decades to annex and control Illesburg to the south, but due to the influence of the other nations and kingdoms, they've been unable to extend their influence to that town.

Magdel
Magdel is known as the Thieves Kingdom. The original ruler of Magdel was a great thief who stole her fortunes. She stole enough to found a city. For many, the rigid organized life of Tarkus was too much to bear and they made the hostile journey from Tarkus to Magdel. Even though it was founded by a thief, Magdel was not lawless. The few laws, dealing mainly with harming others and basic property rights, were at first enforced by a militia. But the militia grew corrupt. A new solution came in the form of a band of woodsmen calling themselves Rangers. The Rangers enforced the simple rules even handedly. When the original leader died, there really wasn't a need to declare a new one. People liked the simplicity of the legal system, the openness of trade, and the freedom to practice their beliefs as they desired. A Council was appointed from known business leaders, the leader of the rangers, and from any member of the city who had been in the city longer than ten years and who could find ten people to vouch for him or her. This council could create, change, or remove a law by unanimous consent. The council could not demand tax from the people or force the people into military service. The money for common defense, city services like paying the rangers and maintaining the wharf came from donations and a charge for entering the city if you do not have a residence inside the city. The far flung town of Moash came under Magdel's control after a minor conflict. The Mayor of Moash, a most evil man attempted to sack Magdel with a fleet of ships. After two days of fighting, Moash's navy was sunk and a counter attack by way of land, led by volunteers from Magdel and the Rangers was initiated. The way was long and treachorous for the small army, but once they arrived at Moash, they attacked with great vigor and seized the town. Not long after beheading the mayor, Moash agreed to become part of Magdel's kingdom. New rangers were trained, the land between Moash and Magdel was patrolled and made as safe as it could, and Magdel became a kingdom without a king.

Dwarven Nation
The Outside Races know very little about the Dwarven Kingdoms buried beneath the Koneskell Mountains. There are three distinct kingdoms which interact with little friction. The Deep Dwarf Kingdom has secured the deepest sections of the mountains for itself. The dwarves of this kingdom rarely come to the surface, spending their time mining primordial metals from molten lava. The weapons and arms of the Deep Dwarves are far superior to anything found on the surface due to their ability to smith from the purest of sources. The Deep Dwarf Kingdom is very lawful but due to their location, they've come into contact with some of the more vile and evil creations in the world, with whom the deep dwarves have brokered truces and alliances. The Silver Dwarf Kingdom is spread out throughout the mountain range following veins of iron, copper, silver, gold, and platinum. The silver dwarves are chaotic, held together by a loose alliance between the various tribes. They also tend to have minor conflicts with the deep dwarves when veins venture to far into the depths of the mountains. The Surface Dwarf Kingdom sits atop the mountains, in the gorges and valleys at the southern most part of the mountain range. The surface dwarves interact the most with the Outside Races, trading goods and services, seeking adventure beyond the mountains, and mining for rare metals and quarrying stone to sell to the Outside Races. The influence of outside cultures have made the surface dwarves less concerned about issues of law and order and more concerned about the concepts of Good and Evil. The Surface Dwarf Kingdom is the only dwarven kingdom that has an official temple and encourages religious activity. The dwarves don't have any cities, with most trading and social activity occurring at mine sites, quarries, and smithing sites.

Illesburg
Originally a small mining and farming town, Illesburg became a crossroads between various cultures and has down all that it can to maintain that status, which has meant, at times, defending against armed incursions from the city of Tarkus to the north. Tarkus is both a supporter of Illesburg, reaping the benefits of trading with various cultures, and also a detractor as it attempts to capture the trade for itself. Illesburg is ruled by a Mayor called the Lord's Mayor and a council called the Lord's Mayor Council. The council is composed of the leaders of the various guilds in the city and a representative from each race that has more than fifty permanent residents in the city as of the beginning of the harvest cycle. Goblin races appear in Illesburg often, but never have any taken residence. The elves rarely make it all the way to Illesburg for trade, but a large number of Wood Elves and a few Wild Elves have taken to living there. The Wild Elves have taken to the woods to the north and south of Illesburg. The council of Illesburg decided that if they wish, the Wild Elves can have a seat at the council, but to date, no Wild Elf has come to claim it.

Portway
Portway is a city in the process of being built. The founders are unknown, but some claim they are financed by Tarkus to attempt to take the trade business away from Illesburg. Unfortunately, its location is on the frontier and is often attacked by various Goblin Races. It is currently ruled by a group calling themselves Paladins, a group of knights that have attuned themselves to a religious life. A massive temple in the center of the city alerts everyone who enters that this is a no nonsense city.

Poisoned Desert
Contrary to common belief, the Poisoned Desert is not devoid of life. Life in the desert is very harsh and deadly though. There is a nomadic tribe of humans that exist within the desert, but their contact with others is very limited. Their closed off culture is based on small kingships, with a kingdom containing up to a hundred to two hundred people. Their warriors of the desert are skilled in the poisons that come from the spiders, scorpions, and snakes that also make their home in the desert. Their mages are skilled in the powers of air and wind, communing with the spirits, and practices of illusion. The rangers of Moash have become adept at traversing the Poisoned Desert and have befriended some of the small kingdoms in the Northern part of the Desert, where they share lore and knowledge.

The Cursed Sea
Brutal storms brew in the Cursed Sea, making sea voyages very dangerous. Leviathons of the deep increase the risk dramatically. Most ships hug the coast line between Magdel and Moash. A few sailors claim they've gone far out into the Curse Sea and have discovered islands filled with shipwrecks and more treasure than any one ship could carry back. They sometimes are able to back their boasts with a cargo hold filled with treasure. Most of the time, they rant about the treasure after they've drifted onto the land clinging to the last pieces of wood from their ship. The small islands to the east of the mainland are a source of rich spices, rare treasures and giant monsters. Further east are another chain of islands that do seem to catch most of the shipwrecks caused by the storms.

Sea of the Muse
This sea, while rarely visited by any sailors is the home of an aquatic race of mermen. They have a city deep beneath the waves and are welcoming to any visitors from the surface, fascinated by life on land.
Frigid Sea
This sea is frozen for most of the year making any sea voyage too far to the north quite dangerous as icebergs and ice storms lay waste to ships. Nights of quick freeze sometimes lock a ship into the ice until the thaw, several months away. Further North is another land, that is home to a brutal race of humans. During the thaw, sometimes they send out their longships, quickly rowing through the icy waters and attacking other ships. They have landed on Amarrin a few times and burnt settlements, killed, and stole. The Elves tell similar stories of the Northmen's activities in their lands.