Old Empire, The Inheritor Kingdom
Saranð, ca. 654 DR
Government
- Type – Dekàlan Constitutional Monarchy
- Ruler – Queen Idanna Darçàndra the Second of Saranð
- Capital – City of Durul
- Cities – Durul (50,470), Merden (32,200), Koróndon (25,110), Naðsar (17,690), Taðdan (11,440), Salávin (10,360).
- Calendar – …
- Festivals – …
People
- Population – Saránðyr (650 DR) 1,510,040
- Races – Yrūn 94%, Dwürden 2%, Ōéle 1%, Gnor 1%, other 2%
- Ethnicities –
- Languages – Saránðic, Trade
- Religions – Orynder
Trade
- Currency –
- Imports – Ore, produce, textiles, wool
- Exports – Iron, timber
The seal of the Saránðyr are three crossed swords with their tips pointed down. The symbol represents the day when their Dekàli forebears put down their weapons and acknowledged that the war had been lost.
Regions, Geographic
Regions, Political
Cities, Towns, and Villages
- City of Durul
- City of Koróndon
- City of Merden
- City of Naðsar
- Town of Dulark
- Town of Galéð Dur
- Town of Heúldur
- Town of Kêdurdin
- Town of Keldur
- Town of Larúnin
- Town of Ordòluz
- Town of Salávin
- Town of Seúlken
- Town of Taðdin
- Town of Tormàrken
- Town of Torzen
- Town of Zelkàranð
Landmarks
People
The people of Saranð are very similar to those of many other Dekàli areas. Most people of the area have an intimate knowledge of farming, with the exception of some city dwellers.
All adult males are skilled with either pike and sword, or bow and dagger, having served at least two years in the Saránði standing militia. This service is a duty to the Crown, and a religious calling. These young men are supported by their families and communities, and receive no pay for their service. All Saránði men are considered to be proficient weapon users. Women are permitted but not required to serve. Most women that serve become proficient with bow and dagger.
Saránði archers use short bows. Long distance missile attacks are left to the siege machinists.
Saránði pikemen are trained to operate in advanced phalanx formations. Most are capable swordsmen, able to finish off any rabble that get past the points of their pikes.
There are too many ranks within the Saránði military to detail them all here. Knights of Saranð do not necessarily have high social status as the Saránthi military is based on the Ummòni precepts of hard work and promotion, rather than the bequeathing of military honors on nobles and their descendants.
History
In the days and months before the end of the Last War, an army of elite Īrul-Rûn troops were marching from Kændal to Taldàna when unexpectedly, the war ended. News arrived that Taldàna had fallen and Kændal behind them. They were too late. They had failed the Empire.
It was decided that they could not return so shamed to Kændal, and definitely not to Ummon their mountain home. Scouts returned from the North and South, reporting that the damage to both city-states was severe. Despite protests within the ranks of his army, the military leader declared the war lost and gave his troops two options: death or shame, for their failure. The heads of those who chose death were buried on a hill above the small harbor where they camped. The inhabitants of the rural communities in that place watched this ritual with foreboding. With the burials finished, the army’s leader instructed the remaining troops to begin construction of a fortress. The enemy, it was decided, would need to fight for every hill of the Empire. In this place that the locals named Saranð, meaning “Nowhere” the Acèntyri armies would find a bastion of trouble.
The Acèntyryr and Eylfāe armies never arrived. The hilltop fortress grew above the harbor, a large structure of white stone bearing the pennants and shields of the Dekàli army. Priests submitted plans for a Temple at Saranð but when they sought help from the natives, they were rejected. Plans to press the indigene into service were abandoned when the priests explained that doing so violated the Eshætan, for the natives worshiped Kændlan. Over time, Saranð grew into one of most fortified areas of the region.
Worship within the borders of this region varied. Descendants of the soldiers that settled Koróndon worshipped both Īrul-Rûn and Kændlan while the natives of the area also worshiped Kændlan. Within the early part of the 1st century however, many natives began worshiping pagan gods, the practice of which had been outlawed since the establishment of the Old Empire, one thousand years prior. The old ways hadn’t died, they’d been passed down secretly from one generation to the next. The priests of Īrul-Rûn and Kændlan, their people outnumbered by the natives, began the heretical process of re-evaluating their religion. Followers of the priestess Seryl presented a new religious philosophy that appalled the Dekàli priests, at first. It was Seryl’s contention that the individual Dekàli gods were not as important as the collective teachings of the whole. Furthermore, she proposed that by utilizing the popularity of the native god Orynder, who was the father of the pagan gods, they could recreate the native god in the image of the Dekàli pantheon. The idea of one god was a particular anathema to the Dekàli priests and faithful because their enemies, the Acèntyryr also showed preference to a single god, Ash. In time, the idea was refined and accepted. Using only the power of the pagan god’s name, the priests were able to reshape the god into their image, and rewrite thousands of years of tradition inside a few generations.
During this time, Seryl of Koróndon became instrumental in teaching the people of Saranð the “new lessons” of Orynder. Using a blend of Dekàli and pagan lessons and claiming to be infused with the spirit of Orynder, Seryl performed works of magics throughout Saranð. Her teachings attracted a vast following by 83 DR when she spoke before thousands in the City of Durul. When Seryl died in 97 DR, her bones were carried to Koróndon and buried in the place that would become the Temple of Orynder. Statues to the “Teacher” abound in Saranð where to this day she is considered a prophet. Over the centuries, the skepticism and manipulations of the priests of Orynder have been replaced with the belief that a decumvirate of old gods led the Dekàli armies to this place to give the faithful of the Old Empire a second chance. It is believed that through their messenger Seryl they were given great insight. It follows that the destiny of the followers of Orynder is to rebuild a new and enlightened Empire that does not rely upon the old pretexts, but does great honor to their ancestors and traditions.
By 352 DR, the harbor town of Durul had grown into a small city, attracting trade from hundreds of miles up and down the coast. In that year a galley arrived at the fortified harbor, from the South. The galley’s captain explained that a blight was destroying the crops of the Southern kingdoms, and that his ships had been sent to establish trade routes for much needed supplies. King Erémor, well versed in the history of Saranð and understanding the implications should his kingdom involve itself with Dekàli affairs refused aid. It is not clear what made the king’s decision, but many have guessed that he did not want to sacrifice the fledgling kingdom’s independence. Others believe that the difference in language between the ship’s captain and the king, led King Erémor to believe that Kændal had been conquered by the enemy, and did not remain a Dekàli state. It is recorded that the captain was infuriated with this insult and threatened possible military action against Saranð. Erémor is said to have taken the captain for a walk at that time, along the city battlements to look out over the harbor from the fortress parapets. Durul was not a war-ravaged city, but it was more than prepared for any army of the coast. The king is quoted as telling the captain that “hungry soldiers make poor armies.” The Kændàli captain did not return.
This exchange precipitated a new view among the Saránðyr. From that time forward, it became a popular belief that Saranð was the only true remainder of the Empire, and that all others were conquered states. The Saránðic tongue, a derivative of Dekàlic, was accepted by scholars in Koróndon, Durul and Naðsar as the tongue of the Empire. All encountered who did not speak Saránðic, were surely of conquered regions. The Saránðyr were unaware (or unconcerned) that their language had changed over the centuries. It is possible that the Kavàllun of Naðsar realized the folly of this rationale, but if they did, they made no motions to discredit it.
In the centuries to follow, Saranð became a bustling kingdom. The people remained true to their military and agricultural heritage, and were devout followers of the teachings of Seryl, in their worship of Orynder. The kingdom consisted of three main cities: the harbor fortress city of Durul, the temple city of Koróndon and the tower city of Naðsar. The kingdom had grown over the years and was bordered to the North and West by bandit lands, who preyed on its rich fields and towns. Military campaigns into these areas are common to clear the rabble, but the neighboring poor filter back and begin trouble anew.
In more recent years, Queen Īdànna Darçàndra II has begun sending agents to friendly ports to report back on world affairs. The hope is to map the region and detail a careful campaign to reclaim the Old Empire. Travelers returning from Taldàna and Kændal have reported ruling lineages that trace their lines back to the time of the Last War, but neither reach beyond. This has lent support to the Saránði belief that the existing city-states were conquered and remain under enemy influence. The Queen’s current plans involve a march on Kændal, which from reports is surrounded by some of the richest farmlands known. With Kændal as a base, she believes her army could reach across the world. These plans are still very much in their infant stages, though many neighboring peoples have been pressed into service and sent out from Saranð to extend the reaches of the Crown. The nearest city, Merden, is believed to be the first of many to fall.
Most Saránðyr do not know the true history of their people, but are aware they are descended from the soldiers of a failed Dekàli army. There is a deep sense of pride and purpose within the society and a belief that Saranð is destined for the same greatness their ancestors were due, before it was stolen from them. This sense of destiny is a driving force that may one day propel them to victory.
Time Line
(Dek) The Second Acèntyri-Dekàli War, 1244-1246 HK
- 1245 HK, 4/2854 ER; (Dek/Umm) Armies march from Ummon
- 1246 HK, 4/2854 ER; (Dek/Kæn) The Army of the North (Kæn) meets with Ummòni forces
- 1246 HK, 4/2855 ER; (Dek) War ends
(Sar) The Coming of Orynder, 1-309 DR
- 1 DR, 4/2856 ER; (Sar) Army settles in northern Kændal
- 53 DR, 4/2908 ER; (Sar) First record of Seryl, first of Orynder
- 83 DR, 4/2938 ER; (Sar) First open worship in Durul
- 97 DR, 4/2952 ER; (Sar) Seryl dies, her bones are carried to Koróndon, interred
- ca. 126 DR, — ER; (Sar) Temple of Saranð at Koróndon begun
- 227 DR, 4/3082 ER; (Sar) Sleeping Plague strikes Saranð
(Sar) The Rise of Saranð, 310-417 DR
- 310 DR, 4/3165 ER; (Sar) The Temple of Orynder at Koróndon is completed
- 325 DR, 4/3180 ER; (Sar) King Erémor refuses aid to Kændal
- 369 DR, 4/3224 ER; (Sar) Bleeding Plague reaches Saranð despite blockades
- 411 DR, 4/3266 ER; (Sar) Knights of the Failed established in Naðsar
- 418 DR, 4/3273 ER; (Sar) King Surkàlar assassinated on Founders’ Day
(Sar) The Saránði Civil War, 418-436 DR
- 418 DR, 4/3273 ER; (Sar) Great Koróndon Fire erupts near docks
- 419 DR, 4/3274 ER; (Sar) Battle of Koróndon (Mo)
- 420 DR, 4/3275 ER; (Sar) Battle of Durul (Mo)
- 420 DR, 4/3275 ER; (Sar) Imperialists scattered to countryside, Bandit Kingdoms arise
- 431 DR, 4/3286 ER; (Sar) King Terúin assassinated
- 433 DR, 4/3288 ER; (Sar) Queen Dalòra poisoned, succession disarrayed
- 433 DR, 4/3288 ER; (Sar) Second Battle of Durul (Mo)
- 434 DR, 4/3289 ER; (Sar) Battle of Naðsar (Im), Knights of the Failed eradicated
- 434 DR, 4/3289 ER; (Sar) Battle of Koróndon (Im)
- 436 DR, 4/3291 ER; (Sar) Battle of Marwag (Im)
- 436 DR, 4/3291 ER; (Sar) Third Battle of Durul (Im), Monarchy falls
- 436 DR, 4/3291 ER; (Sar) Border Bandit Kingdoms are ‘cleansed’
- 438 DR, 4/3293 ER; (Sar) Temple of Orynder establishes Reformation Council
- 440 DR, 4/3295 ER; (Sar) Reformation Council recommends Crown and Chamber; Constitution signed
- 440 DR, 4/3205 ER; (Sar) King Myldrûn (the First) of Darçàndra crowned, Darçàndra Dynasty begins
(Sar) The Preparation, 554-651 DR
- 554 DR, 4/3409 ER; (Sar) Knights of the Failed reformed, quested to explore Old Empire
(Dek) The Empire War, 651-present DR
- 651 DR, 4/3506 ER; (Car/Sar) Saranð invades Carámis
- 652 DR, 4/3507 ER; (Oð/Sar) Emissaries killed near Genter, Oð
- 653 DR, 4/3508 ER; (Sar/Tal) Ships set ablaze in the Kre Tàldana
- 653 DR, 4/3508 ER; (Sar/Tal) Battle of Kry Nòrand (Sa)
- 653 DR, 4/3508 ER; (Sar/Tal) Battle of Shalvàsal (Sa)
Dynasties
Post-Dekàlan
- First Saránði House of Darçàndra (440 DR – present)
Nomenclature: Saranth Dekàlic: Saranð (place), Saránði (pertaining to), Saránðyn (resident), Saránðyr (people), Saránðic (language)