EMPIRE! A Community World-Building Tale of People & Discovery

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Hrathan and Tuor: the land of the nine guilds.

Terrain:

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At the center of region ten is Hrathan, the city of caves. Wracked by frequent dust storms, and possessing no nearby forests or stone quarries, the sutface of the bustling metropolis is dominated by mud brick and cloth hobbles. Beneath the city is a huge network of tunnels and caves that provide shelter from the scorching midday sun and aforementioned dust storms; this is where the vast majority of the populace live, although living conditions vary widely and the cave sectors inhabited by the lower class have been known to collapse on occasion. Fortunately, the hard packed earth, for the most part, holds firm.

North of Hrathan is the brown hills, a arid, rugged region covered in dry riverbeds and ravines. It is also home to the highly venomous spiny basilisk.

South of Hrathan is an unremarkable plains region, good for grain farming but not much else.

Along the coast is Tuor, the other great city of the nine guilds. It is a heavily fortified port, and an important center of trade.

People:

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The inhabitants of Hrathan are generally pale with dark colored hair, because they spend most of their lives underground. Those that live above the city, in Tuor, and elsewhere in the region are blonde and tan. The extended, intertwined family that includes most of the guild masters has a much larger than normal percentage of red hair, leading the Hrathanesse to view red hair as more attractive and a sign of prosperity.

Resources:

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Craft goods: five of the nine guilds are craft guilds, and they impose a high standard on their trades. Metalwork, pottery, leather, jewelry, and clothing from Hrathan are almost unfailingly higher quality than equivalents from other lands. Note: this does not include weapons and armor, which fall under the central government's purview and thus do not benefit from the guild system.

Basilisk Venom: Only the guild masters and the assassins guild have access to this deadly resource. It is not for sale. The black market knows better than to get on the wrong side of the assassins guild, so don't look there either.

Assassins: If you REALLY want someone dead and money is no object, hire a guild assassin. The high guildmaster gets a small discount.

Resource dependency: The lands of Hrathan and Tuor are unsuitable for growing vegetables and fruits. Hrathan in particular is at constant risk of scurvy outbreaks if the city fails to import enough fruit.

Stats of Loki Ethmorl:

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Diplomacy 4
Military 3
Curiosity 2
Luck 2
Faith 1

The Ethmorl line:

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The Ethmorls are one of the smaller offshoots of the huge extended family that rules most of the nine guilds. They have held the office of High Guildmaster since the third war of succession ended sixty years ago. Loki is the current eldest male of the line, and the first High Guildmaster in three hundred years to also hold the office of Bearer of the Cerulean Scythe (highest judiciary official) He is twenty seven years old and unmarried. He has a younger brother of twenty-three who is commander of the Tuor city guard, and three female cousins ages 9, 11, and 14.

Religion:

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For untold centuries the people of Hrathan and Tuor worshiped the moon and stars, who they believed were benevolent but enigmatic protectors. The sun was regarded as evil, because it withered crops, burned skin, and blinded those who dared to look upon it's face. Within the past fifty years the Temple of Fire has been rapidly spreading it's influence, and The Lord of Fire has found many willing converts. However, staunch keepers on the old beliefs were quick to realize the similarities between the Blazing Avatar and the sun, and equated the Temple of Fire to devil worship. Many religious riots had to be put done, and at the current time tensions are high but there is no violence... Yet. The Loki Ethmorl keeps the old beliefs, but has a policy of toleration. His brother is less forgiving, and has openly stated that if he was high guildmaster he would make "That sun-worshiping ****" illegal.