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Kriti
Kriti is the main island in Divinus' Archipelago. To the north lies Thanisi, the west, Kyklisi, and the south, Roovnisi. Every nation on Kriti is part of the
Divinus Confederation, the political body ruling the archipelago. Within the confederation there are eleven states: nine on Kriti itself, and two on
the other islands, namely Kyklisi and Roovnisi. The map below shows the capitals of the nine Kritian states, all of which share their names with their state.
Originally, there were thirteen states on the islands. However, the southern desert kingdom on Kriti, Caenad, and the peoples of Thanisi withered with their land.
Being part of a larger political union, every state uses the same money, and has a number of laws that are consistent throughout the confederation. Each states contributes a certain percentage of their tax as well as produced material
goods to a central stockpile, which is used to ensure that every state has adequate access to commercial goods. Other nations can trade with any state within the confederation, or with the Divinus Confederation as a whole.
There is also a national army, comprised of recruits from every state, in addition to the small militias employed by each region. However, this army is used much more as a national guard;
its purpose is to defend the archipelago from invasion, as well as to restore order in rebellious provinces.
Beyond this, the government provides a number of guilds, meant to improve the welfare of its citizens. Among these, the most important are the Healer's Guild, which is a rudimentary hospital system used throughout the archipelago, and the Adventurer's
Guild, used to protect people from threats too unusual or small for the national guard. In fact, it is rare to find a healer or adventurer who is not or was not at some point part of these guilds.
The people of Kriti and the Divinus Confederation are almost as diverse as one can find on Khaldûn. One can find every species one would normally expect to find, as well as a number of less
common humanoid species.
Note that in the map below, the black lines denote the important roads, whereas in the regional maps, the black lines are regional borders, and the brown lines are important roads.
The Duchy of Kissamo
The Duchy of Kissamo extends across the Kissaman peninsula, ending roughly halfway through the Northern Mountains. The terrain is predominately rolling
hills, just steep enough to make farming difficult. As such, much of the time, the duchy ends up importing the majority of its food from the confederation stockpile.
What the duchy lacks in arable land, it makes up in its mining capacity. A number of gemstones, as well as sizable iron, gold, silver and copper deposits have been discovered over the
years, leading to the duchy's vast wealth for such a small region. In contemporary terms, there three major mines still open in the mountains, as well as a large number of abandoned
ones as their veins dried up.
In the region, there are two main settlements, the capital of the duchy, Kissamo, and the main mining center, Noltodir. Kissamo is a coastal city, with a bustling port; it is the main
city where people enter and exit the duchy and also the only true trade node in the region. Almost every marketable resource and good produced in the duchy is funneled through the capital,
and almost all imported resources and goods enter through Kissamo. As such, the city hosts almost every Guild Headquarter for the region, with the notable exception of the Miner's Guild Headquarters.
That is located in Noltodir. Being the main mining center, situated in the middle of the Northern Mountains, it makes perfect sense. The town was founded by a group of Dwarves who became rich from the rich veins in the mountains.
Hearing of their success, others started moving to the town, exponentially increasing the town's population. Once almost as large as Kissamo, Noltodir has slowly begun to wane; as more
ore veins dry up, the more the city shrinks. Now, the city would be lucky to be called a small town. Despite this turn in its fortune, the Miner's Guild still is headquartered in the town, and has no plans on moving
unless another settlement becomes the center of mining in the region.
Throughout the hills of the duchy, there are a number of unmapped villages and hamlets, eking out an existance in the relatively inhospitable land. In comparison to the capital and the mining towns, they have little population,
and as such, are afterthoughts in the minds of the politicians, the bureaucrats and the Duke of Kissamo. Whereas many of those living in Kissamo or Noltodir are ambivalent, if not accepting of the Duke and those running the duchy,
the people living in the rural villages dislike them.
The Principality of Samar
The Principality of Samar extends from its western borders with Kissamo, to its eastern borders with Rethimno, spanning north-south
that stretch of the island. Along its western borders, the Samarian Hills stretch, largely uninhabited. Some mineral wealth has been found there in the past, but nothing in
comparison to Kissamo. Instead, Samar contains some of the best farmland on Kriti, the Winterhere Plains.
There are a number of villages scattered throughout the section of the plains controlled by Samar. The most prominent of them is Windrift, which also doubles as a fishing
village with a small port. The only other major port in the region is in Samar itself, resting on the mouth of the Samar river. This city is the largest in the region, hosting
the region headquarters of all the major guilds.
To the east of the capital lies the Orc Plains, the northern savanna dominanted by Orc and Hobgoblin tribes. With the exception of scattered integrated villages on the southern
edge of the region, there are no non-Orc or non-Hobgoblin villages. There are however, a string of forts, both active and abandoned, along the northern edge of the plains, within
sight of the Deadlands.
The Deadlands were once part of the Kingdom of Thanisi. Thanisi, and all the lands the kingdom controlled are technically part of Samar, but no one lives there. For some reason, the
land died, and the people withered away by a deadly plague, killing every last individual of the lands. The forts in the Orc Plains are a remnant of a time before the Divinus' Confederation,
reactivated once the lands died.
The Kingdom of Rethimno
The Kingdom of Rethimno is one of Divinus' Confederation's largest
food producing regions. It is located in the center of the Winterhere Plains, with very irrigable land. To the west, it borders the sea and Samar, the south, Bal, and
to the east, Lentas. The Orc Plains, just like the section in Samar, has orc and hobgoblin tribes scattered around it, with very few other inhabitants.
To the south lies the Central Mountains, home to the Kritian Dragon Reserve. As such, due to the inherent fear most people have of dragons and dragonborn, many avoid
the border, as well as the section of the Northern Central Hills.
Given that the region is centered in the Winterhere Plains, there are a number of small farming hamlets throughout the land. Most of these are not worth talking about, unless
one is passing through them. However, two are worth mentioning due to the fact that they actually have small ports, rather than just a fisherman's docks: Costalton and Portsburg.
Costalton is located on the coast of Kyklisi Bay. It, along with Kissamo, capital of the Duchy of Kissamo, and Windrift, in the Principality of Samar, are the only three ports on
the bay north of the Central Mountains. On the otherhand, Portsburg is located on the shores of Midel Lake, with the only other major port being Lentas.
Rethimno is located on the banks of the Sun River, extending across the eastern shore of the small unnamed lake that marks the intersection of the Empty Stream and the Sun River. As with
all of the other regions, Rethimno, being the most populous city in the region, holds all of the major guild headquarters for the region.
The Barony of Chania
The Barony of Chania is the most west substate in the states of the Divinus' Confederation
north of the Central Mountains. To the east, it borders the Kingdom of Rethimno and Midel Lake, and to the south, the Kingdom of Lentas.
With the exception of the city of Chania and a small amount of land surrounding the city, the entire barony is north of the Winding River. Prior to the formation of the Divinus' Confderation,
Chania was not actually an independent state; rather, it was a puppet state of Lentas. Over time, the barony has grown more and more independent. On paper, it is still a satellite of the Kingdom
of Lentas. However, in practice, it is actually just another one of the eleven remaining states of the confederation.
With the exception of the Penin Hills in the north of the region, the entire barony is on the Winterhere Plains, making it a high food producing region. Beyond this, with its large
coastline and higher concentration of docks than other northern regions, the barony produces a large amount of seafood. For the most part, when one is on the seaside Chanian shore, one will always be in view of
some fishing or even commercial docks.
Unlike most other states, most of the population the Barony of Chania does not live in its main cities. The majority live out in villages scattered throughout the plain. In fact, Chania
itself is not that large of a town; it truly is just a glorified village that has the Baron's Keep. Despite this, it still holds the headquarters of the major guilds of Kriti.
The Kingdom of Lentas
The Kingdom of Lentas is the only substates within the Divinus' Confederation
that officially have a puppet state: the Barony of Chania. In practice, however, the barony is as independent as the Kingdom of Lentas.
The kingdom stretches along the southeastern part of the Winterhere Plains, from the kingdom's border with Rethimno in the west, to the sea in the east. To the north, for the most part,
the Winding River is the border, except for a small amount of land around the city of Chania. To the south, the kingdom excompasses roughly two-thirds of the Northern Central Hills,
with its southern border being the Central Mountains. These hills hold a number of large quarries, from which much of the building stone used on the archipelago is mined.
Along the eastern coast lies the Napocan Forest, named for the main Gnomish city in the forest; Napoca. The forest also holds several other forest cities, namely those of Gnomes and Wood Elves.
Lentas the largest city in Divinus' Archipelago. It lies at the center of many trade routes in the north, as well as almost all trade coming from the Chanian ports. Because of this, almost every major
and minor guild has set up their guild headquarters (not just the regional headquarters) in the city.
The Principality of Bal
The Principality of Bal is the largest state in the Divinus' Confederation.
To the north, it borders the Kingdoms of Rethimno and Lentas, to the south and east, the Kingdom of Choru, and to the west, the Island State of Kyklisi.
The state is centered around Balian Lake, which gets its name from the capital, located on its northwestern shores. Bal, like the other capital cities of regions, is home to
many of the regional headquarters for the different guilds. Smallport, nearly on the exact opposite side of the lake from
Bal, is one of two major ports around the lake. Travelling south down the Mourt River is ore, as well as stone, mined in the quarries and mines in the land around Rockshire. Due to the size
of the mountain range, Bal should be mining capital of the Divinus' Confederation.
However, the vast majority of the mountains is actually part of the Kritian Dragon Reserve, home to a number of dragons, varying in size and age, as well as dragonborn, devoted to
the dragon's protection. Because of this, many people do not actually use the roads that pass through the mountains. Instead, they sail around them. The exception to this general rule
is when people travel to Rockshire, to which one must use the roads.
Much of the land encompassing Bal is part of the Southern Plains. This land is arable, but not nearly as much as the Winterhere Plains in the north. As such, many of the farms on these
plains are much more of subsistance farms.
The Kingdom of Choru
Choru is one the flattest regions in Divinus' Confederation.
To the north lies to Principality of Bal, and to the east, the Kingdom of Spathi. As with its northern neighbors, the portion of the Southern Plains that the Kingom
of Choru occupies is dotting with small subsistance farmers. The land is just not nearly as good as the Winterhere Plains in the north.
Much of the regions northern border is the Longg River. At the mouth of the river lies the city of Wecost. Because this is the only port on the open ocean, Wecost is an important
commercial hub not just for the Kingdom of Choru, but also for the Principality of Bal. It is so important, that the Maritime Trade Guild is headquartered in Wecost, rather than in
Choru. However, all of the other major guilds are headquartered in Choru.
Along the southern loop of the Longg River lies the Longg Forest, named for the river, in which there are a number of small Wood Elven villages. They are the caretakers of their
woodlands, as well as the roads within the forest.
To the north of the city of Choru lies the Ruinis Savanna. The "savanna" was aptly named. It was once a lush savanna, host to a plethora of plants, animals and people. However,
over time, the land became wetter, and that savanna turned much more into a swamp. The people left the swamps, leaving behind many ruins in which many Lizardfolk live.
The Kingdom of Spathi
The Kingdom of Spathi spans from its western border with the Kingdom of Choru to its eastern border with the Tribal Nation of Palocho.
It contains both the eastern edge of the Southern Plains and the majority of the Spathan Plains. The Spathan Plains are much more fertile than that of the Southern Plains. In fact,
they could rival that of the Winterhere Plains if the Spathan Plains were larger. However, they are not. However, they are able to provide much of the food for the Kingdom of Spathi
and its neighbors.
On its eastern border lies the Barre Lake, which provides both maritime trade and land trade routes to the kingdom. As such, Barreshield is an important commerce center for the kingdom. However,
it is not as important as Spathi, through which much of the maritime trade of the kingdom is funneled. As such, every major guild in the Kingdom is headquartered in Spathi.
South of Spathi lies the Lakeside Forest and Colshaw Hills. Between these two regions, there are a number of Wood-Elven and Gnomish villages. However, there really are not any that are
noteworthy.
To the west of Spathi lies the eastern half of the Ruinis Savanna. This swamp infested land has a number of ruins, left behind by its former inhabitants long ago. In comtemporary times, many of these
ruins are inhabited by Lizardfolk, eking out a living in the swamp.
The Tribal Nation of Palocho
The Tribal Nation of Palocho in essense is a confederation of Hobgoblin tribes within the Divinus' Confederation
Beyond this uniqueness, the tribal nation is also the only state in the confederation which does not have any regional guild headquarters. In fact, the guild members are rarely present in the region because of this.
The land across the tribal nation is treated as roaming land; there are no farms, not even on the portion of the Spathan Plains the nation controls. For the most part, the tribes are completely self sufficient. Due to this, for the most part,
outsiders are not welcome. Beyond this, there is a high sense of patriotism within all of the tribes, which does lead to conflicts between them.
There is one main site shared by the tribes of Palocho; the "city" of Palocho. In reality, it is nothing more than a building surrounded by some campsites used as a neutral location
for any sort of negatiotions between differing tribes.
The Island State of Kyklisi
The Island State of Kyklisi, ironically enough, is not just the isle of Kyklisi. It also includes the Western Woods to the south
of the island, on Kriti. The island itself has three distinct sections: the Kyklisan Mountains, the Kyklisan Woods and the unnamed plains between.
The mountains and foothills are home to a number of small mines and villages, completely dependent on the income made from selling the ores, gemstones or stone that is mined. The plains
yield enough food for the island state, but not much more; they are just not that large. On the southern edge of the island, in the plain section, lies the capital of the island state: Port Shept.
This city is the main port of the island, and the only commercial port on the island.
The Kyklisan Woods, as well as the Western Woods, are home to a number of smaller villages of Wood-Elves. The island state's Kritian borders are what they were prior to the foundation of the
Divinus' Confderation. When they joined, they had control over the Western Woods, and as such, have retained control over the years.
The United Kingdoms of Roovnisi and Caenad
The United Kingdoms of Roovnisi and Caenad controls the isle of Roovnisi and the Kritian Desert. At some point in the past, the two kingdoms
combined to form their united kingdom. However, as time went on, the desert became more harsh; the rivers dried up and the farms failed. The people fled to Roovnisi, and didn't look back.
All that remains of their long settlement is withering ruins and sand filled holes.
The only villages that still remain in the desert are those on the edge, close to the coast, such as Derets. Even with those, life is difficult; the natural resources are scarce and the money is worse.
The island of Roovnisi is very different than the Kritian Desert. At almost the center of the island stands the Lonely Mountain with the Circle Hills covering the land surrounding it. The only non-hill land
on the island is the dense Roovnisi Forest. The people make their living mining the hills and Lonely Mountain, with some steppe farming occurring. There are a number of very small hamlets on the island. However,
all of the trade is funneled in and out of the only true settlement on the island: Colofort.
This fortress contains all of the guild headquarters, and the majority of the population on the island. As such, the island is not that wealthy, and usually last when receiving resources from the
confederation stockpile.
Death's Land
The once proud Kingdom of Thanisi used to control the Isle of Thanisi and what is now known as the Deadlands. It is said that Divinus himself,
after he retired, settled on Thanisi. The people took this knowledge with great pride. No amount of pride, however, could save them from their fate. First, their crops died. Then, their animals.
Finally, the people began dying. Those who were still alive fled the island and the Deadlands, looking for a life somewhere else.
They settled in various places, but they could not escape their fate. One by one, the "survivors" died, leaving nothing but ruins and their legacy behind. There have been hypotheses as to what killed them.
However, no one truly knows. What kind of plague kills everything it touches?
Given this legacy, the people of Divinus' Archipelago fear the Isle of Thanisi and the Deadlands. Very few venture into them, and even fewer return.
