Pictia¶
Pictia, the Pictish Jungles, is "a region of the northwest covered in jungle. The majority of it is wild, though parts have been previously occupied by the Picts. Recently, however, their numbers have dwindled, and as a result, they now only control a very small portion" (S387). It is the western end of the Storm Coast and the northern neighbour of Pherox and Rhovun.
Also called: the Pictish Jungles, the Pictish Jungle (S387, S498).
Overview¶
The Picts "are considered by most to be a barbaric people, who, before the Shattering, roamed west central Astia. Afterwards, however, they forged a thriving civilization in the North. Nonetheless, a recent war has left their civilization on the brink of complete collapse, their people diminishing with every passing year" (S387). The compendium counts them at less than one per cent of the continent's humans, "a few city states in the north" (S372).
History¶
"Pictish Kingdoms spread across the Pictish Jungles" in the Age of Lords, 810 to 1260 MA (S372). The Draconian Empire of Pherox found the jungle "especially difficult to govern, with the advantage of flight being largely negated by the dense jungle. After plundering the Pictish kingdoms, the Draconians abandoned it. The Draconians led many additional campaigns into Pictia, but never again occupied it. Generally, these campaigns were not much more than highly organized and oversized slave raids" (S372). Pherox still "launch campaigns aimed entirely at keeping these areas wild" (S372).
The war that broke the Picts was the Nexa-Vinian War of 2270–2271 MA: "The Pictish homeland was hit hard by the Nexa-Vinians. Their legions of Undead destroy every Pictish city state except for Txacali. Though the war is over, Undead hordes still roam the Pictish jungle and some return to haunt the now empty cities of their origin" (S372, S429). The order is described on the Nexa-Vinian Order page.
Txacali¶
The one Pictish city-state to survive the Nexa-Vinian undead (S372).
Gap
Nothing describes Txacali, names the other Pictish cities, or says what became of Pictia after the Age of Magic. The Picts' own entry in the compendium's peoples section is an empty heading.