Serathyr
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Capital: Rastios (population: 48,000)
Population: 1,342,000 (87% Ralani, 9% Iskari, 2% Eloysians, 2% other)
Demi-humans: 72,000 (60% dwarves, 25% elves, 15% halflings)
Humanoids: some
Government: Monarchy (currently ruled by the Hansafar Dynasty)
Current Leader: King Doran II
Coat of Arms: three gold interlocked rings on a dark green field
Exports: salt, timber, ships, stone, fish, fruit, copper


Located in the Marshlands, Serathyr is a Ralani nation long bereft of glory, living on the laurels of the distant past.

Once a major part of the ancient and glorious kingdom of Ralas, the Kingdom has slowly withered away little by little until the present day.

Its rulers are now dour and suspicious, and its people suffer for it. The laws are strictly enforced here, and the pursuit of wealth and power is the only goal most Serathians have these days.

In recent wars against both Tar Vielca and Rennsfar, the Serathians have not fared well, and their injured pride has led to a hard and grim attitude with most outsiders.

Borders


Serathyr's eastern borders with the Reach and the dwarf-realm of Kharos-Thûngol are the massive peaks of the Cairn Mountains; its western border is the stony coast of the Iron Sea.

The Kingdoms's northern borders with Elyria are the nearly impenetrable Purple Mountains; and its southern borders are the marshy, salt-encrusted shores of the Sea of Ralas.

Because of a long history of bloody border skirmishes and disputes, Serathyr constantly patrols its northern border with its rival kingdom of Elyria, and maintains large military garrisons at all its northern outposts.

Politics


The current ruler of Serathyr is King Doran II, who is the 22nd ruler of the long and distinguished Hansafar Dynasty.

King Doran rules the kingdom from the ancient Dragon Throne, located in the Great Hall of the enormous fortress of Iron Crown Keep.

The Castle is located on a towering slab of salt-encrusted rock; protruding from the Bay of Rastios, overlooking the capitol; Rastios.

Politically, Serathyr is a monarchy, but local and administrative rule is sub-divided into 17 Duchies and 122 Baronies, all of whom are ruled by powerful Vassal Lords, chosen mostly for their complete loyalty to the Dragon Throne.

Prominent Serathian noble families: House Almeda, House Arkalan, House Belvoir, House Enzadi, House Gregano, House Hansafar, House Karston, House Lukazi, House Masavoy, House Orzano, and House Valencio

Military


Serathyr is a nation of of few major fortifications. This is due to the fact that historically, these lands have never been threatened by a massive invasion.

The Marshlands has always been a relatively tranquil region of Corwyn. The only current threat against Serathyr are coastal raids by the hated Corsairs of Tar Vielca; and even these are few and far between.

Despite this fact, Serathyr has a powerful and well-trained military; this is for national pride, more than defense. Serathyr has a large standing army of 12,000 well-trained, heavily armed soldiers.

But in times of war, the Kingdom can muster well over 60,000 troops, due to large noble contingents.

Despite its often-bloody history, Serathyr has few major fortifications. These include: Castle Seaguard, Erôn-Esroth, and Iron Crown Keep.

As a major sea-power; Serathyr maintains a large navy of 52 warships, which are identifiable by their dark green armored hulls, yellow silk sails, and dark green banners bearing three golden rings.

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Climate


northern Serathyr is made up tall mountains, sharp, jagged hills, and deep valleys. Southern Serathyr is flat, with many wetlands and bogs.

The climate here is cool and dry in the north, but warm and humid near the coastal regions. In the summer, the entire realm is almost oppressively humid and damp.

Life & Society


Many Serathians make a good living as merchants and dealers, and have grown wealthy from their status as intermediaries of trade.

Much of the Rennsfari wine and olive oil comes up through the Serathian seaport of Rastios, as well as southern dwarvish crafts, toys, and weapons, going south toward the sea, and the Serathian people make a profit on all these commodities as they pass through.

Serathians are also known as the great shipbuilders of the South, and their ships carry the goods from the Reach, Rennsfar, and Iskandar.

Serathians enjoy sales of rich iron, and most of all the wonderful and exotic rich timbers of the Celadon forest, their greatest natural resource. What sets Serathians merchant apart from others is their greed combined with their conniving nature.

There is a common saying about untrustworthy characters that they are as ‘crooked as a Serathian trader.’ With a reputation for swindling and ruthless governmental rules regarding trade and taxes, it is not exactly a free market system.

In fact these unfair Serathian trade practices have led to bloody wars on more than one occasion.

Geography


Laughing Forest: small woodland region in northwestern Serathyr, located south of the Sea of Almyron.

Saltmarsh: large marshy region lying between the two forks of the Eldir Vaas River, in southeast Serathyr.

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Important Sites


Alordan: site of a important battle in 695/6 during the Second War of the Saltmarsh.

Castle Seaguard: strong military outpost of the kingdom of Serathyr, located in the far southeast region of the kingdom at the southern base of the Cairn Mountains.

Dragon Throne: the royal seat of the kingdom of Serathyr, located within the Great Hall of Iron Crown Keep.

Erôn-Esroth: ‘castle of eastern winds.’ (Svt) large fortress located south of the Purple Mountains, along Serathyr’s northeast border with Elyria.

Ironclaw Point: site of naval battle in 697/6 that ended the Second War of the Saltmarsh.

Iron Crown Keep: the royal citadel of Serathyr. The fortress is located on a jutting slab of rock which protrudes from the Bay of Rastios.

Korthos: (population: 38,000) Serathyr's second largest city, located in the northern foothills of the Cairn Mountains. The city is ruled by Axel Arkalan.

Rastios: (population: 48,000) Serathyr's capital and largest city, located on the far southern point of the kingdom. The city is ruled by Vharan Sternhelm.

Saltmarsh: (population 9,223) Serathyr's third largest city, located on the Kingdom's southern coast. The city is ruled by Algor Enzadi.

Sedgebrook: site of a battle in 668/6, where the Corsairs of Tar Vielca were defeated

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Local History


The kingdom of Serathyr was founded in 553/6 in the wake of the bloody War of the Celadon, also known as the Ralani Civil War. This war began with unfair price gouging and taxes on timber from the Celadon Forrest which was traded with the southern peoples of the Isle of Renthara. Renthara was itself a southern province of Ralas at that time. By the Sixth Age, Ralas was no longer the glorious nation it had been. The Ralani monarchy was cruel and corrupt, and Ralani vassals who objected to the king’s policies were usually thrown down and their peoples put to the sword. The cruel King Durendil II was the worst of the Ralani monarchs, and his policies regarding taxes and the rich timber of the Celadon Forest finally caused the southern Ralani nobles of Renthara to openly revolt against him, led by a noble lord named Alaron Baranthyr. For nearly three bloody years the Ralani nobles fought one another as Durendil tried to crush the rebellion by brutal military force. Durendil ultimately failed and was later slain by Alaron in the Battle of Edgecliffe, ending the war once and for all. In 553/6, the mainland provinces of Ralas became the nation of Serathyr, the island of Renthara became Rennsfar.

Serathyr and Rennsfar remained bitter rivals until the War of the Saltmarsh, beginning in 663/6. Both kingdoms were invaded by a fleet of raiders from Tar Vielca, their historical common enemy. Much of Rennsfar was occupied and the Rennsfari royal family fled to Rastios for protection. The Ralani nations soon joined forces and their combined strength defeated the Tar Vielcans and defeated them at the Battle of Sedgebrook in 668/6. The Serathian King Ketharon Serati was slain in this battle. The Serati Dynasty had previously ruled Ralas and had continued to rule Serathyr until this time.

The throne of Serathyr was then assumed by Lord Atanamir Sinclair, whose dynasty lasted only a short span of 27 years. Atanamir was slain in the Battle of Krell in 674/6, and his only surviving son Arondel was slain in 695/6, during the opening skirmishes of the Second War of the Saltmarsh. A mighty warrior named Damron Hansafar was named king of Serathyr during this war and went on to avenge Arondel in the Battle of Ironclaw Point in 697/6 and in the campaign to capture Tar Vielca that same year. Damron had been a veteran of both the First War of the Saltmarsh and the War of Crows.

After the Second War of the Saltmarsh, the kingdom of Serathyr came to be ruled by King Damron Hansafar. The Hansafar Dynasty was nowhere near as harsh and cruel as its predecessor, but the rule of law was still strictly enforced, with harsh penalties for even small crimes. Later kings of the Hansafar Dynasty were not above declaring a quick war for a territory grab. The worst of these incidents resulted in the War of the Fallen Crown; fought between 1008-1011/6, when the King Durand of Serathyr decided to invade Elyria after it had suffered a nasty internal conflict. The war spun out of control, drawing Iskandar and Rennsfar into the conflict.

There was so much slaughter that it is still said that the only victors were the flocks of vultures who feasted on over 100,000 corpses by war’s end. King Durand was killed in 1011/6, at the bloody Battle of Anley.

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There was a period of relative peace in this region until about twenty years ago, when the kingdom of Rennsfar discovered new deposits of emeralds deep in its gem mines. The savage jealousy of this precious resource led to a whole new round of trade disputes, and ultimately; the Emerald War. In 1227/6, King Doran II invaded Rennsfar to capture its emerald mines and crush the upstart nation once and for all. Doran’s father; King Damron III, was so crazed with greed and hatred, that he demanded a bloody war when he could have easily negotiated a simple trade deal. Only two years after Damron’s death, his young son attacked Rennsfar. This war went very badly for Serathyr. In 1228/6, the invading Serathian army was smashed at the Battle of Kestra by a far smaller Rennsfari host, and in 1230/6, the Serathian navy was nearly annihilated by the Rennsfari fleet at the Battle of Falcon Bay.

Shortly thereafter, the humiliated King Doran had almost to beg the Rennsfari Queen Arathea for terms, which were indeed harsh. The Queen undoubtedly gave such terms because her husband Argilan II had been killed in the war. Since that time, Serathyr had consistently upped tariffs on Rennsfari goods, and begun to rebuild her shattered military. In the last few years, the Serathian court has once again made bold statements and veiled threats against Rennsfar, and yet another war doesn’t seem out of the question. King Doran still broods over his defeat 17 years ago, and the Rennsfari nobility do not let him forget it.