Riven Kingdoms¶
"The Riven-scum seek refuge in the lands of the faithful because their own pathetic gods can't provide it." — a Sancturi taunt (S132)
The Riven Kingdoms, or Rivenlands, are the free kingdoms of the Broken Sea that lie outside the Sancturi Empire: "many Riven Kingdoms across the continent, from tiny city-states to moderate sized kingdoms", spread over the lands that were once Dalmar, Faragond, Arnyr and the northern shore. The Sancturi call their peoples and gods "Riven" with contempt; the kingdoms call themselves by their own names. Five of them, Alghert, Brusau, Miydal, Ozaustein and Uthein, "stand out in power, prestige and influence", and most of the region's conflicts revolve around them. The survey below reflects the autumn of 704 SM in the Fifth Age, the vantage of the fullest source.
Also called: the Rivenlands, the Northern Kingdoms (in the Imperium's usage), the Kingdoms. The Proturan histories of a later century speak of the North and South Broken Sea Kingdoms.
Overview¶
In 704 SM roughly 5.2 million people lived in the Kingdoms against 5.1 million in the Imperium and 2.3 million in the wilds between. The Kingdoms held most of the Broken Sea's Danari humans (2.6 million) and large shares of its Curcian and Naher humans, its Dwarves (81,000), its free Wood Elves (52,000), nearly all its Gnomes (33,000), and large populations of Oesterkull and Orcs. Lizardfolk were not counted.
Trade in the Kingdoms runs on bronze. Iron is worth its weight in gold and steel marks nobility, so "many merchants in the Kingdoms deal exclusively in bronze and will refuse to trade in gold or gems"; the Imperium's gold Suns and bronze Crows circulate alongside the old gold and copper pieces (see Currency and Trade). The Broken Sea Merchant Alliance trades across Kingdom and Imperial borders and holds warehouses in most Broken Sea ports, while the Pirates of Azmeran sail from Riven ports as merchantmen and prey on Sancturi shipping. Oesterkull raiders strike weak settlements along every shore and sell their captives to Sancturi slavers.
Hollows are a fact of life in the Kingdoms, which lack the Imperium's apparatus of Vigils and monks. Several great Hollows are themselves political powers (see below), and campaign notes record that "some of the Riven Kingdoms have embraced Hollow-corrupted animals and plants". Mercenary witch and demon slayers such as the Keepers of Abaddon and the Knights of Ex-Malefica make their living here, and the Brotherhood of the Sun, the White Fire and the Black Ring all operate across the Kingdoms. The scattered Dwarves of Dru'Bazan live among the kingdoms and dream of their lost holds in the Blue Mountains.
History¶
After the Age of the Dark Sun ended, the survivors around the Broken Sea rebuilt; in the first century SM the nations of Alghert, Angorra, Arnyr, Athagilion, Droburg, Dru'Bazan, Ruathim and Paecoria "as well as many tribal and nomadic groups are rebuilding and prospering". In the 200s SM much of Dalmar and Faragond was consumed in dragonblight as Ebony dragons raided from the Cloudwall Mountains, and many people migrated further west. The Faewild Wars of the 400s brought two Draconian armies against the region, and Floren was settled by Kalari refugees after them. By 535 SM "the Northern Kingdoms have reasserted control in Dalmar, Angorath and Faragond".
The Sancturi, who rose in the ruins of Sanctorum from 522 SM, treated the northern kingdoms as heathen lands. Their Great Purge of 554 to 565 SM made the worship of the "Riven" gods, the Kalari and the Rakkari, a crime within the Imperium, and the Sancturi Campaigns of the 600s and 700s SM pressed into Riven lands one after another: Arnyr (from 691 SM, "the largest Riven kingdom in the North"), Faragond (from 695), the Hills of Ghorresh (690 to 698) and Dalmar (from 700). Brusau meanwhile annexed three petty neighbours in 652 SM. In 684 SM a remnant of the Keepers of Abaddon, outlawed in the Imperium, relocated to the Northern Kingdoms.
The Kingdoms in the Proturan age¶
The Proturan histories of the Fifth Age, which count in AL rather than SM, describe the same lands in a later century. There the North Broken Sea Kingdoms appear as a civilisation from about 140 AL alongside the South Broken Sea Kingdoms and, later, the Sancturi Empire. Alghert, "a reclusive, but very prosperous neighboring kingdom", fell to the Guhvils during the Great Guhvil War and "was left a sunken swamp after a series of massive floods"; its refugees spilled south into the other northern kingdoms or east into Proturas. In the Second Araxian War "the northern kingdoms fell one after another despite having numerically superior forces", Lorsythe holding for nearly twenty years before it broke and Droburg for two more; the Proturan counterattack left the former territories of Lorsythe and Droburg "cursed and blighted". A bare timeline places the "Fall of the Northern Kingdoms: Lorsythe, ?, ?" in the year 1210 of its own count. Ruins of Alghert, Brusau, Floren, Uthein and Miydal are later found scattered across the Sunaram Cluster of the Rift, and the North's last human bastion is said to lie "near the old kingdom of Alghert, north of old Dalmarr".
Gap
The sources never convert between SM and AL, so the interval between the 704 SM survey and the Guhvil and Araxian wars cannot be stated. Whether the year 1210 of the Fifth Age Timeline is SM is not said.
The Five Kingdoms¶
| Kingdom | Character | Patron | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alghert | "The Jewel of Dalmar"; prosperous, isolationist, no army has entered it in a century | Kalar | Tugard dynasty, absolute monarchy |
| Brusau | On the Broken Sea between two Sancturi provinces, "at constant war for as long as anyone can remember" | Rakkar | Lorimer dynasty, the Erubule diminished |
| Miydal | Island trading and seafaring kingdom with a small, superb navy | Sidhe | King and an effective Erubule |
| Ozaustein | Hardy mercenary kingdom of three duchies, "a positive stabilizing force" | (not given) | Ozau dynasty, "a bit more like a republic" |
| Uthein | The largest kingdom, a melting pot and haven in former eastern Dalmar | Lonyss | Wyrne dynasty, under a regency |
Other kingdoms, city-states and Hollows¶
The lesser polities of the Rivenlands, as the survey of 704 SM records them. Those with pages of their own are Arkuun, Athagilion, Delvarn, Droburg, Floren and Luiria (on the Vael'Dorais page); the Xaluk Pact of orcish clans is a faction.
Calyra¶
A kingdom of humans, "Nahar horsemen that live in frontier-like conditions with an Assembly of Clans for a central government. A Warchief will be elected if the clans go to war."
Gath'gorim¶
A valley of dwarves and humans ruled by the Djarn'surk (Blackbronze) Clan. Its people are well-known crafters and miners and "a significant source of bronze, copper and tin. Their bronze is easily identified and known as Gorim Bronze."
Hacros¶
A witch kingdom ruled by the Bloodhand Coven, "a place of relative prosperity and odd customs". By 704 SM the Sancturi Arnyr campaign was pressing on it (see Active conflicts).
Icrophan¶
A theocracy of Anariel, "ruled by the Anarial clergy, headed by the Oracle of the Morning".
Krimeris¶
"A collapsed kingdom that has fallen into banditry. It is presently occupied by various groups of bandits and mercenaries which hold no loyalty towards each other and hold no more than a few towns or forts each."
Melandi¶
"Once a part of what was Arnyr and is now Hacros, it is a shadow of its former self, ruled by mostly independent lords who barely are able to band together for common defense."
Oshkun¶
A city-state founded by Sancturi slaves, with liberal laws similar to Uthein's.
Paecoria (Oesterland)¶
One of the nations rebuilding in the first century SM, Paecoria was conquered by Oesterkull about 694 SM, "only 10 years ago" in 704, and is now called Oesterland, "ruled by a loose group of Khagans (Oesterkull chieftens)".
Ruathim¶
"A small and well defended bastion kingdom that dates back to the Age of the Dark Sun, they have successfully defended against overwhelming threats on numerous occasions." It is governed by the High Lord and his Lord Captains, and "the High Lord is rumored to wield Chasmatius, one of the Seven Swords".
Tharne¶
"A petty kingdom and de facto vassal of Alghert. It struggles with immigration and ends up taking most of the emigrants turned away at Alghert."
Trikavan¶
An Oesterkull city-state founded by Kalari converts that "has grown into a powerhouse of trade and industry", governed by three Jarls. The Keepers of Abaddon keep a small hall in the city.
Udenica and the Bay of Angor¶
Udenica is "a small nation on the Bay of Angor. It was founded shortly after the days of the Dark Sun by pioneers from the Dalmar area. Governed as a Kalari theocracy." It has been at war with Zetrij for more than a decade and "most consider the fall of Udenica forgone".
Gap
The Bay of Angor is named only as Udenica's seat. Its position on the Broken Sea and any relation to Angorra or Angorath are not given.
Vrudal¶
"An Oesterkull republic forged through conquest and diplomacy. Ruled by the Dal'Khagan, which rules over the Khagan of each clan." Like Hacros it stands in the path of the Sancturi advance from Arnyr.
Wugrum¶
A dwarven settlement whose name "means Mud Cliffs in dwarvish. It is a small, dirty settlement carved from mudstone, but there is iron and coal here, making it a very rare source of steel."
Zetrij¶
Pronounced zet-ree, and also spelled Zentrij. "Spanning a large area and coastline, this Lizardfolk nation is strong and feared. Forged over a hundred years ago in blood by the Jah'Hara (God-Queen) Vazh-Cjat-Rij, she rules as an absolute monarch with an iron fist and has crushed clan distinctions in an effort to unify her people. This had led to the creation of an unusually organized and cohesive Lizardfolk nation."
Thullozil Hollow¶
"A large Hollow centered around the old city of ?? in western Dalmar. Thullozil is ruled by the Archdevil Thullozil. He is notorious for involving himself in the local politics and has easily repelled all attempts to contain him." Its sister power, the Arkuun Hollow in the ruins of Dalmar's ancient capital, draws hollowlocks and witches from across the kingdoms to trade.
Gap
The source leaves the name of the old city at Thullozil's heart as a placeholder.
Peoples of the wilds¶
Beyond the kingdoms live small independent clans of tribal Oesterkull along the shores, tribal Orcs "in the wildlands a fair distance from the Kingdoms", and tribal Lizardfolk in wetlands and along the shores of lakes and seas. Two human peoples wander between the kingdoms:
- The Norvedil, migratory river folk whose "housing and buildings are built on boats", organised under River Dukes and a River King or Queen, who charge tolls on the waterways they control outside kingdom territory.
- The Rovers, migratory humans who travel the wilds in large groups and come to the kingdoms to trade. Each Rover clan "is a group bonded by shared values and experiences and not necessarily blood". They rely heavily on witches to deal with Hollowing, which "reinforces the idea among many that they are evil"; kingdoms sometimes bring out the army to drive them off.
Rovarion¶
The Rovers "are fairly common in the lands which were once northern Dalmar, Faragond and Ghoresh (these lands are now commonly referred to as Rovarion)". The Norvedil also levy tolls there.
Active conflicts, autumn 704 SM¶
- Udenica and Zetrij. Diplomacy "broke down completely more than 10 years ago and a state of war has existed since". Udenica lost considerable ground before the fighting stalled; Zetrij "seems content to wear down Udenica through attrition and raiding".
- Sancturi Dalmar against Floren and Brusau. The Sancturi have taken significant territory from both and are "in a infrastructure and building phase before the next major offensive which most people predict to occur within the next year". Rumour says the legion is positioning for an invasion of Ozaustein in the spring.
- Sancturi Faragond against Delvarn and Athagilion. The Sancturi advance in Faragond "has been all but halted" after a catastrophic loss to the Riven two years earlier; they have since lost ground to Athagilion.
- Sancturi Arnyr against Hacros and Vrudal. "The Arnyr campaign continues to be an unmitigated success story for the Sancturi"; planners expect Vrudal and Hacros to fall "within a few years".
The Great Library at Altandon, "the largest of its kind among the Riven Kingdoms", lay in Sancturi hands in this period and was being purged by Sancturi Sages.
In Play¶
The Sancturi campaign framed the Rivenlands as a choice: "help unite the Rivenlands, help keep them stay independent or help the Sancturi conquer them". Its plot notes saw Princess Ewe of Alghert worrying that her kingdom "are ignoring the rising storm (Sancturi, Hollows)", and Uthein under its weak regent "at risk of falling apart or into chaos", with "the Sancturi see an opportunity to split the riven kingdoms apart". See the Sancturi Campaign chronicle.