Pathfinder Regional Deep Dive: Ustalav

[Music] hi there I'm the myth keeper welcome back to my Channel at the end of last week's video I said that we'd be covering some evil Gods this week well in fact that'll be next week this week I'm doing another region Deep dive and just like my first one of varicia this one's going to be super long so you don't have to watch it all in one go use the chapter titles to help you find the content that's useful for you and your play group of course this week since we're coming up to Halloween I decided that what I'd like to do is to tell the history of ustalov that is galarian's spookiest Nation it is a nation that was settled by varicians but it's got a really rich and storied history and I think you'll enjoy this one ustalov sits on the Northern shore of Lake and carthan and has a rich and storied history it has exchanged hands numerous times over the many centuries covered by the history of the Inner Sea and today it is a fog shrouded nation of countless Horrors including such inhabitants as vampires werewolves and even stranger alien Terrors not easily described despite the grimness of their surroundings and the many Horrors in their distant in recent history there were many good people living in us to love and they've made good homes for themselves in this region regardless and they are willing to lay down their lives to protect it if you haven't spent much time here in the game World sit down and relax because this should be a fun video for you ustalov is one of the coolest nations in the Inner Sea and a great place to have Rich and horror-filled Adventures the history of ustalov unlike varicia ustalab was relatively quiet during the age of serpents in the age of Legend it lay just outside the confines of ancient Thessalon whose borders extended only as far as modern-day belksen and the domain of the serpent folk didn't spread this far to the North either instead for many thousands of years ancient ustalab was the dwelling place of the central lavistinian Khalid people in particular various clans of the sarkorian khalids who Ward constantly with one another for kingship over this rugged but fertile land one group that did make their way to ustalab in this early period of the intercase history were the elves who built one of the ayudhara in the epinwall forest just south of the hungry mountains however just like they did everywhere else the ebenwald elves fled the world before the Earth fall cataclysm and they used to Lobby settlements were left abandoned for thousands of years the ancient empire of thesalon that was destroyed during the Earth fall cataclysm had one small encroachment into ustalov in this time as well the runelord of gluttony Master of the Thessalonian realm of gestash created the cenotaph an ancient monumentally large pillar of black rock that arose from a cliff on the southern tip of the Tusk mountains the cenotaph was constructed on this location and to its height specifically to allow access to a natural planar portal that was used by the Rune Lord in his necromantic Endeavors as he was a master Necromancer it would also later be used by the whispering Tyrant for the same purpose perhaps all of ustalab's many long troubles with the Living Dead could be dated back to the construction of this Dreadful obelisk moving on to the age of Darkness the Orcs first emerged onto the surface World in this period and they made their home in belksen as a result there would be many clashes between the Khalid people and the Orcs along the various border regions during this age shortly after the arrival of the Orcs the dwarves also emerged onto the surface which was a great reprieve for the kellids as the Orcs And dwarves were ancient enemies dating back Millennia before either of them had ever reached the surface in their hubris the dwarves established their largest settlement right in the center of the orc emergence point the sky Citadel of kaldukar they did also establish the Dwarf Fortress of gerdum in the Tusk mountains as well and laid claim to much of these rugged Hills during the age of Anguish the Orcs And The Dwarves continued to wage war upon each other for dominance of the region of belkan for hundreds of years during this time period along the Far Western coastlines of avistan there emerged nomadic people for which that land would later be named these were of course the virusian people who traveled the length and breadth of that land never settling in one place for too long they established a number of far-reaching Caravan routes in their Homeland the most significant of which for our purpose today was the sklakari road which branched from the easternmost reaches of the Yonder bakari this route continued across the storville plateau into lands to the east avoiding the orc and dwarf conflict zones eventually following the river-esque to a small settlement along the shores of lake and carthan that would later become the city of vigil in -3708 the Orcs laid Siege to and eventually overran called the car in the Battle of nine Stones the Orcs renamed the city ergir meaning first home in their native tongue and the victory over the dwarves led to the orc's great Golden Age the orc Kingdom of belkzone was secured when it was obvious that the sky Citadel of calde car was going to fall the last king of the Citadel durlach II entrusted The Oath Keepers a priesthood dedicated to taurag's wisest son Coles with a sacred Duty protecting his daughter and the prophecy of ascendants according to the prophecy a descendant of king targic would one day lead their nation into a new golden age King durlach's daughter was the last of targic's bloodline the priests of calls accepted the duty and retreated to gerdum the surrounding Hills were cleared of Dwarven settlements and when the Fortress closed its doors the only hints left of gerdum's existence were its small front Gates and a number of ventilation shafts cleverly disguised to look like natural rock the descendants of the dwarves who moved to gerdum still dwell in the Fortress guarding their secrets they have maintained the most valuable Treasures of Dwarven kind for over eight millennia meanwhile for varician Nomads who made their way across the skokari road in the lands around Lake and carthan they were cut off from the rest of varicia and the orc dominion and belken had made this klakari unsafe to travel the varicians instead began to spread East into the lands now known as Gustav forming new Caravan Trails throughout these kellid ruled lands although there were some clashes between the two people by and large the settled kellid tribes cared little about the nomadic people that had entered these lands and largely kept on the Move sometimes even valuing them as neutral trading partners between the fractious colored Clans a few thousand years would pass and though there would be periodic exchanges between the eastern and western virusian Nomads for many the lands north of lake and carthan started to feel like a new Homeland these varicians continue to live largely peacefully with the khalids this area would be initially largely unaffected when in the year zero far to the South the Mortal man aredan ascended to godhead and his new Faith would begin to spread like wildfire through the southern lands it was only 500 years later however that they would be as the talent Empire spurred on by their belief in the coming golden age of humanity would expand northwards and around the Great Lake pushing the native kellids who would not abide Talent rule northwards into sarcorus or Southwest into the lands of modern-day last wall and their mothers some of the kellids remained but were pushed up into the hungry mountains where the taldons didn't settle or begin to build cities the less combative varicians however who stuck to their nomadic lifestyle and slow-moving Caravan Trails tended to remain in tailed and occupied ustalov largely accepting the rule of the Conquering taldons in 837 in the cracky Cliffs of the hungry mountains a sarcorean colored child was born in the time of talden occupied ustalov that child would be named tar Buffon and not much is known about his early childhood what is known is that by the age of 24 tar buffalon had become a self-taught wizard and he embraced the magical School of necromancy using armies of the Living Dead to make his first Conquest kestrelian the largest city on the Isle of anteper the city was occupied by palakari khalids that had migrated North from Juma but tarbathon did not consider them Kinsmen and slew them all without a thought he renamed the city's in grafar following the conventions of the Rune Lords of old and gave the island the name it still holds today the Isle of Terror as his ambition grew with his power he sought the cenotaph resting place of runelord zutha and unlocked the necromantic power of the sleeping runelord by 880. he used his Newfound power to claim the whole of the Isle of Terror for himself slaying the black dragon karmaros that laid claim to much of that Island in order to do so now bent on world Conquest he recruited Orcs And Undead to invade all of avastan with so many Orcs bowing to his power Belk Zen was his first Conquest but western and southern ustalov soon followed this soon attracted the attention of the god king aridan himself however tarbathon attempted to lure the god king into a trap at a place called The Well of Sorrows on the Isle of Terror but he failed and their conflict ended when Aaron killed him in 896 and buried him there his corpse however was retrieved by his followers and reburied in his birthplace of ustalov after tarbifan's death talden rule in the lands formerly occupied by tarbifan and his Legions of Living Dead never fully solidified instead for almost a thousand years ustalab remained a sort of No Man's Land containing numerous taled and Military outposts the remnants of the tyrants Undead Legions orc Invaders as well as the diaspora of both virusian and Khalid communities it is in this messy context in 2319 that a virusian child would be born in the city of Ardis his name was soy Vidya Gustav even as a young man he recognized that for all the dark history of that land varicians had dwelt there now for several thousand years and in the wake of all that terrible history there was a real opportunity to create a Homeland for themselves he was a great speaker and he traveled from town to town using the old well-worn Caravan roads and he began to unite the versian people both the nomadic and settled as a young man he personally led the forces that drove the dreaded death's head tribe Of Orcs from the hungry mountains forcing them to relocate to the hold of Belk's end to the West his Growing Power in the region led him into conflict with the sarkorian khalids who were quick to point out that they had lived in those lands long before the coming of the versions no Accord could be reached between the virusians and the khalids in that time and War soon broke out between them after defeating the Khalid Shaman King vokes Gustav wrapped the stormheart Clan's meniere and dragged it from its holy place to Crusaders Square the Central Square in ustalov's New Capital of artists this Final Act broke the spirit of the khalids and ended the war the varicians had claimed ustalab for themselves and soy Vidya ustav was crowned King of the New Kingdom of ustalov in 2361. although King Gustav at Ward with the Orcs And khalids to claim his crown he did not have to contend with the talent conquerors from the south he made peace with the taldons who were happy to have a buffer State between themselves and the orc lands of belkzan and who were equally worried about having the responsibility of patrolling ustalov to quell the constant threat of the Living Dead they set a border between ustalov and the furthest extent of the old talden Empire along the west Sullen River King soy Vidya ustav's descendants ruled ustalov for over 500 years bringing about what many consider to be the nation's Golden Age the majority of ustalavi varicians went from being a largely nomadic people to a sedentary people they settled in some of the many towns the talibans had established during their reign and in some new towns and cities as well although it is true that in this time the line of ustalabi Kings were slowly purging the realm of the living dead and not surprisingly worship of the Goddess farasma grew considerably in this time there were a few notable exceptions to this rule particularly when it came to vampires in many places Accords were struck with the aristocracy of the night because unlike the Mindless dead raised a feast on the living by tarbathon vampires could actually be reasoned with and the humans in those times longed for peace and security sadly the taldons would end up being proved the wiser for having allowed King Gustav to establish himself in those fans as in the year 3203 tarbathon resurrected himself into a powerful Lich the whispering tyrant in less than three years the Tyrant re-established his dominion over those lands killing king ardurus the last king of ustalov at the Battle of Don Marsh the Fallen King reanimated as the Grim gesture called the shrieking Sovereign preceded the tyrants Legions into Ardis and hung himself from the palace Tower thus began nearly six centuries of nearly uncontested rule by the whispering Tyrant the rule was nearly uncontested but not quite the vampire Aristocrats who had grown in power and influenced During the period of the first Kingdom of usalov were not happy with the tyrant's return the vampires put up a pretty significant resistance until in 3220 the whispering Tyrant acquired the Loyalty of the Elder vampire lord malius in turn Lord mallius led a purge known as the blood drought slaughtering or exiling all vampires within ustalab who refused to pay allegiance to the whispering Tyrant not all the vampires were defeated or cowed by Lord mallius but active opposition to the Tyrant by the used to lovey vampires was greatly reduced some continue to challenge his rule however Chief among them being the Elder vampire luvik servage who waged a guerrilla war against the Tyrant wherever he could in 3801 the ardenite organization called The Shining Crusade secured a beachhead in ustalov around the township of vontil in 3818 arrodden's Herald the warrior goddess arasny was sent down from heaven to Aid in the fight sadly she was no match for the Lich and tar buffalon humiliated and killed the rasny in 38-23 inspired by her bravery and sacrifice a then mortal Knight of ozem named ayamide led the crusade in the final battle against the tyrant in 3827. in the battle tarbifan cast a terrible magic upon his enemies but a mighty artifact known as The Shield of aridan absorbed the magic before shattering into a dozen pieces one of those pieces embedded itself into the lich's hand and the whispering Tyrant burned with Holy Fire incapacitated the lich's soul fled his body returning to the phylactery beneath his Fortress Tower of galospire unable to destroy the Lich the Crusaders instead erected the Great Seal locking him within gallowspire beneath which they hoped tarbathon would be eternally entombed in 3828 the nation of last wall was established by ayamide in the Knights of ozem to be a Vigilant Bastion against the possible Return of the whispering tyrant meanwhile in ustalov with the tyrant's defeat the eustelavi people entered into a period of rebuilding a prominent figure to emerge in this time was a man named Elm host Weist ilmhurst was a scholar and a Civic leader of ustalov who gained great influence in the wake of The Shining Crusade among various other accomplishments Elmhurst was responsible for commissioning the reflecting pools and accompanying columns and caliphasa's restoration Park depicting the Crusader's victories against the whispering tyrants armies one of the things that ilmhurst believed in very fervently was that in order for ustalab to rebuild itself it needed some line of continuity to the Old Kingdom founded by the legendary King ustav someone who could serve as a unifying symbol for the eustelavi people unfortunately the Royal Line had died out during the country's Long Dark Age and the few surviving Nobles only had tenuous ties to their former ruling family nevertheless Elm host was undeterred and he initiated a Country-Wide census to search for the surviving Nobles and researched their family trees so he could help the nation identify the true heir he embarked on the census in 3832 and it took him two years to reveal his findings in 3834 he declared the best claims to the throne were in The Heirs of the orduranti and calavasa lines andrados ordranti was selected from among those two as the first prince of the newly restored Immortal principality of ustalov while sassadia calabasso instead refounded the city of caliphas and became the count of the greater county of caliphas the rest of the country then divided itself more or less into the modern County structure of today comprising from top to bottom the counties of villand loseri canterwall oduranto scenaria barstoy ordeal verlik ammans Alcazar versus varno and the aforementioned County of Greater caliphas the original country also comprised the counties of genoit and melkat in the area that is now modern-day resmirin although they had already joined together to form the independent archduchi of melkat member state of the river kingdoms by the time the nation of istalav was re-establishing itself by 3859 the Orcs of belken had also started to recover from their own suffering and expansionist desires had led them to regularly raid Western ustalov the county of canterwall began the construction of the Bleak wall the insufficient defensive barricade between ustalov and belkzen also in this time a farazman priestess named mother cavapesta began preaching upon the shores of Lake de vermis spreading a somber vision of farasma's worship known as the farazman penitence the Priestess cavapesta died in 3879. her followers founded the town of cavapesta nearby and renamed Lake de vermis as well they also erected a great Cathedral outside the town in her honor in 3988 Aldous Alden Canter future count of vieland returned from Explorations in Assyrian and deep Garand Upon returning home he began lecturing on foreign philosophies and mystical paths to magical power within a year Canter and his followers founded the esoteric order of the Palatine eye Aldous Cantor was later removed as head of the esoteric order allegedly due to ever increasing erraticism and dementia the esoteric order opened a membership to any with the wealth to pay its yearly dues attracting young Nobles from across the country Cantor himself vanished under mysterious circumstances in 4028 and it is not known what happened to him in 4042 count andachi of tamravena desperate in the face of mounting orc threats put out a public call for Aid offering land entitled to any who would answer a Charming but Sinister mercenary named casavon arrived in response to this call and he assembled a significant Army of mercenaries borrowing a good deal of money from count and dachi to do so Lord kazavon successfully drove the Orcs from Western ustalov in the wake of this he established the keep of scarwall in belken and founded his own realm amid the conquered orc lands over the next 16 years kazavon revealed his true nature not as a human at all but as a mighty blue dragon committed to the dark Lords on kuthon 's Ambitions grew and his domain expanded both westwards into the store of a plateau where the shoanti people fell victim to his wrath and eastwards into both the last wall and eventually the county of canterwall kazavan eventually killed countdandachi the very man who had called for him in the first place at the Battle of the screaming tree here andachi's forces were slaughtered and kazavan ordered andachi and 50 of his officers to be impaled alive on a massive Thorn Tree kazavan then conquered large parts of Western ustalov including andachi's large Castle along the Bleak wall in 4058 kazavan was eventually defeated by a group of Heroes and mercenaries from the esoteric order of the Palatine eye led by a knight of last wall named mandravius after kazavan was killed his body was dismembered to keep him from rising from the grave and each of the pieces were hidden at secret sites around the Inner Sea in order to make sure the evil dragon would never be able to reform again in 4144 the Countess robeskia of Alcazar had the residence of the monastery of the veil quietly slaughtered in the name of nor gorber then sequestered the library of ancient Secrets held there the new Cult of the reaper of reputation established in the monastery dedicated itself to keeping and collecting varied Secrets forming the order of Assassins known as the Agents of anaphexia in 4288 numerous blatant vampire attacks in caliphas led to a widespread Purge of the city's blood drinkers hundreds of vampires were killed the vampire's leader louvic cervage the same one who had galvanized opposition to the whispering Tyrant to Millennia ago ordered his followers to go into hiding and adopt subtler practices in 4399 the home of Aldous Alton Cantor caught fire just moments before the beginning of the new year the fire revealed the story's tall Monument of Black Stone hidden within its purpose unknown in 4422 brothers lyron and cataman treyas investigated and destroyed the mound structure known as calyx Court in viland they founded the world-renowned University of lepidstadt to house their findings and pass on their research in 4536 count ristamortyak of the county of varno became Afflicted with vampirism becoming the first major count of ustalov whom is broadly known to be a vampire despite his best efforts to hide the truth in 4606 the age of lost Omens began with aridan's death the world wound opened in sarcorus in 4611 the growing World wound forced hundreds of sarkorian refugees to flee their home princess marate or Durante denied her nation's historic enemy Sanctuary leading to a Slaughter of countless innocence along the country's northern border fear of sarkorians bearing demonic corruption led to the invasion being called the demon skin War in 4662 the charismatic traveler named rasmir from the river kingdoms conquered the Arc duchy of melkat he declared himself a living God and His priesthood violently encouraged his worship to any non-believers following this chaos in the South worship of the god rasmir became forbidden in ustalov by 4669 rasmiri missionaries claimed lands along the undefended southern border of varno the vampire count tyriac openly seeded hundreds of additional acres to the zealots disappearances in the discovery of bloodless corpses soon began in these lands deterring further attempts by the rasmiri to take morush to Lavi land in 4670 something interesting happened weakness and mismanagement led to the upheaval and bloodless rebellion in Western ustalov the counties of lazari tamrivena and veland all abandoned hereditary rule and adopted a cross-country parliamentary democracy but they remained loyal to the crown and they became known as the platnates in 4674 the ustalovic capital was moved from artists to caliphas Prince valislav orduranti died of a persistent but unnamed illness soon after the following year Prince Edward III ascended the throne and Marcilla calavaso long-time consort of the Fallen Prince gave birth to a child she came to be valaslav's son naming him reynes or Durante in 4687 counter rickny neska of barstowy and count oleman venick Dalia of ardeal had political disagreements over the forkina region of the dragasvet Plains troops from barstoy occupied Eastern ordeal beginning the war without Rivals appeals from our deal for justice and Royal censure against barstowy became mired in political squabbling by 4689 varno got pulled into the conflict siding with our Deal's nobility and the fields of dragasvet turned into an endless series of long muddy trenches in 4690 the brilliant scientist of lapid star Dr Henry Moritz was murdered by a monstrous amalgamation of corpses and monster Parts given unnatural life the terror went on a rampage killing numerous famed citizens and members of the ruling Council in lapidstadt the monster would come to be known as the Beast of lapidstart in 4693 after years of protracted combat count nesca recalled his troops and seeded for Kina back to our deal but not before burning insulting hundreds of square miles of Farmland the fire scarred trench-ridled land has been renamed the furrows this either brings you up to current time if you're still playing first edition or we move on to the latest development if you are playing the New Edition in the summer of 4719 the whispering Tyrant not only returned to the world but finished the development of a superweapon using the shards of the shattered Shield of arnescent and naming it the radiant fire as his agents in the Whispering Way conducted numerous crimes to destabilize last wall he used the radiant fire to devastate its capital of vigil and send hordes of his Undead to destroy last wall and its Defenders within a season the nation of last wall was no more its last ruler Watcher Lord ullthun II retreated to Absalom while its most influential priest iluna Varvatos and recently arrived magambayan philanthropists were organizing daily evacuations by ship from the port of volumis last wallet ceased to exist and the region has now been called the gravelands although a group of Heroes were able to critically injure tarbathon once again he was not destroyed instead he retreated to lick his wounds in the Isle of Terror the threat from the Tyrant was far from over meanwhile in the gravelands hordes of Undead commanded by tarba font Lieutenant roamed the countryside of the gravelands as do a few goblins Orcs and those who chose to Ally with a whispering Tyrant traveling across this land now is to invite death but despite overwhelming odds the surviving Knights of ozem continued to combat the tide of evil now calling themselves the Knights of last wall most of last while surviving citizens have fled by way of the port city of volumis and only the most desperate still stay in their crumbling Farms or fortifications legendary fortresses like castle ever stand and Castle fearney stand empty in Grim as their garrisons no longer able to count on supplies were forced to abandon them last Wall's countless fleeing refugees have created problems throughout the region especially in the ustalovic port city of caliphas where the last wall refugees have experienced treatment as second-class Citizens and occasionally xenophobic abuse this brings us to today the ancient emblem of the kingdom of ustalov the nation that was Bears Crimson Stars surrounding a tower at night black antlers rising from it in in the golden years after soy video USTA found that his Nation the seal symbolized all the realm was and would be the palace Tower Rose from the heart of the capital of artists its lit Spire window representing the sleepless vigilance of istola's Kings for each of the Realms 16 original noble families and later 16 counties a single star shown with the blood spilling by these heroic Lords the horns of the king stemmed from the antlers crowning the first King's battle helm the nation's colors midnight blue and Royal Purple were also present on the first King's battle standard as meaningful as the realm's emblem once was no symbol could also better represent the wounds suffered by the ancient Kingdom of the grand Noble family's all but two lie dead the palace Tower stands in disuse amid a rotting City and the use of line has ended yet ustalava somehow managed to endure despite all its hardships it is a nation surrounded by the Restless Dead of the gravelands in the southwest the persistent threat of the Orcs in the west a demonic Wasteland and various tribes of often vengeful Khalid Barbarians in the North and the despotic theocracy of rosemaran in the Southeast it is only thanks to the Grim resolve of its people owned by many Millennia of hardship that it continues to persevere against the odds the counties of ustalov an is ustalov's northernmost County it is surrounded by the shutterwood on one side and the Tusk mountains on the other side making it a fairly insulated and secluded region and one of the later regions to be settled by the yustelabi people as a young Province its capital city the erudite city of lebedstat was only founded in 3898 after the tyrants return in second defeat and even then it only established itself as an important Cultural Center over 500 years later when the brothers treas established the famous university there in 4422 vlind is also connected directly to belkson Via the whisperfall pass and the threat of both the orc from the west and the colored from the north have been an unceasing struggle for its people veland was also the second of the platinates to turn those counties that 50 years ago abandoned hereditary rule in favor of rule by an elected Council of the three councils ruling the platinates the Council of villain functions most like the Realms Architects intended to the endless frustration of the land's people populated by several of the County's wisest and best intentioned citizens the council's members include altruistic landowners deep thinking Patriots esteemed judges and learned members of the University when the doors close upon the council chambers the matters discussed often have less to do with regional Administration and more to do with philosophies and more Rays on the ideal government that is to say with the literacy and control governance Strays from the needs of the moment into endless academic debate yet would things have remained any better if the noble karamark family were still in charge of the country accounts record count karamark's a beneficient abdication of his title and with all his spare time and resources now the former count Spends His declining years delving deeper into life's mysteries knowing that even the supposedly Advanced thinkers of lapidstart would condemn him for his research he keeps his experiments in their sometimes horrifying results hidden in his Grand estate at Schloss karamark on the edge of the shutterwood few know that it is alpon himself that has created the Beast of lapidstart a flesh Golem possessed of near human intellect and a naturally peaceful if inquisitive demeanor but who has often been blamed for various killings across the country in any case despite the council's inefficiencies there are those among them that have been known to move the needle on pressing issues facing the country's citizens including architect Eton valrin local judge embrith daramid and Dr Les Richelieu of the lapid start University School of Medicine these council members have been known to employ personal agents to affect change utilizing their own fortunes calling in favors and patronizing adventurers to create the change they joined the Palatine Council to Foster let's take a closer look at the County's Capital the community of Labor start rose upon the Lesser boutre River about 700 years ago when it was little more than an outpost of farmers and woodsmen who trusted in the Merc of the diplomere to keep roving bands Of Orcs And coloreds at Bay the brothers lyron and cataman treyas changed that 200 years ago as the audacious exploration of the Spiral chromelek revealed Treasures of a mysterious past their value in gold and mystery outstripping the threat of ancient curses soon an army of Scholars and Adventure Seekers made the city their Garrison besieging the ruins of the ancient land labistad became the permanent home of numerous academics whose works and families promoted the growth of the local University and over time elevated it to the vaunted center of scholarship it's known as today within the past 40 years much of Labor start has been renovated with centuries-old hovels replaced by freshly imported wood and marble yet only the city's Elite preoccupied themselves with idyllic aspirations and as one wanders away from the central plazas Old Stone homes and repurposed Mills show through the modern veneer their residents living as they have for centuries rolling their eyes at every new convolution of the city's higher Society bastions of both the superstitious past and audacious future crowd behind lapidstat's walls their opposing philosophies warring for the city's mind and souls places of interest in the city include the spiral cromlet although the name refers primarily to the central Monument the spiral chromeleck is comprised of an incomplete outer ring of Standing Stones two alternating Circles of moon white menieres and a Twisted 16 foot tall Central Spire of unidentifiable Black Rock etched with images of naked colored revelers joined by demonic nymphs and curvaceous incubi in their spiraling Skyward debauchery grave charge Cathedral an army of skeletal horses race across the facade and Central Dome of lapistat's Cathedral of farasma ever rising in a course similar to the goddess's symbol as they ascend into a ethereal domain father aswain kirimoicus holds daily Services his pulpits situated behind a mass grave where the ancient bones of the soldiers and steeds of baldrum and velas brother in arms to Soy video ustav are interred in ages past these legendary Knights did battle against the dragon kulcither fighting off its poison breath long enough to defeat the Beast and rest the land from savagery the pious claimed that the land Sevilla still pins shut the jaws of kulsither within the 20-foot deep ossuary lapits.university ustalov's internationally renowned center of learning lapits.university endorses the so-called mortal Sciences espousing the ability of medicine mathematics and the Sciences to unveil wonders rivaling the Miracles of magic presided over by Dean asiani vikari the campus includes the Laurel Gage Library vikier Hall the treas Museum of Antiquities half of the nearby Fort Cinder Cairn and various other lecture halls and dormitories aside from its faculty's advances in the understanding of anatomy and Medicine the school is also known for its numerous dueling fraternities brotherhoods like gateguard and malkenclaw that Pride themselves on teaching the Artistry in honor of swordsmanship before graduation fraternity members meet unarmored upon fifth stone hall the city's Southern rise and duel their fellows one at a time until cut upon the face such late scars are held as marks of Pride and prowess recognized by Duelists throughout the world the Brazen skull is a favorite Pub of members of the University's dueling fraternities the Brazen skull holds the rapiers of famed alumni in places of Honor upon the Taproom walls arranged in ranks like deadly tally marks above the hearth's forest of trophies hangs the blade of owner Casia kazinsick along with a bronze Stone Giant skull said to shed a single tear every time a member of one of the University's dueling brotherhoods dies the county of lazari lazari is the land of the hunter where man and beasts struggle endlessly in the depths of both the Eldritch forest and the Mortal heart the shutterwood dominates the wildest of usilov's counties where secret valleys sluggish rivers and monuments to civilizations failures lay hidden beneath the canopy of merciless green many considered lazari in the Shadowood synonymous seeing little difference between the deadly Wilderness and the scattered Villages that wearily eye its edges for here the Hunter's Maxim holds true By Moonlight all men cast the shadows of beasts although the philosophies of the Platinum stem from Vilan Scholars the spark of revolution first flared in chastel for Generations the people of shastel had suffered the harsh decrees and high taxes of the bowturn family yet public outcry finally turned to revolt after count Beau turn tried to have Gillen lochnave an outspoken local Brewer and clergyman of Kaden kalian executed by having him thrown into a pit of hungry wolves the Merchant's popularity in the viciousness of the execution led to a public Uprising ending with bow turn falling into the pen of starved wolves and suffering a vicious mauling before he and his sons fled first from their home then from the county entirely the uprising spread throughout the county and provoked similar action in canterwall and veland within a year most of the land's few Nobles had either fled or made more business-like arrangements with their Serfs although lazari no longer acknowledged Regional peerage wealth and influence it turned out could live beyond titles allowing many formerly noble families to continue to enjoy political control and opulent lifestyles of the current 17-member Council only two don't trace their birth to former noble families Shaden lochnave nephew of revolutionary leader Gillian lochnave and rogief yarlock a man who Reigns among the most famous Hunters of lycanthropes in lazari speaking of werewolves the Palatine Council of lazari is not the only law in the land the werewolves of lazari and the greater shutterwood have their own Society divided into packs each with their own individual leaders called Pack Leaders but they also jointly swear fealty to a single pack Lord who oversees the interests of all the tribes of werewolves and keeps peace between the tribes typically the pack Lord is chosen from among the Pack Leaders and is named paclord at a ceremony at a sacred place called The Stairs Of The Moon where the new pack Lord consumes the heart of the old pack Lord the current tribes of the shutterwood are the broken ones these lycanthropes settle in remote or isolated territories building small provincial communities near the Woods Edge for the most part they pose a simple Farmers or Trappers occasionally traveling to larger communities to sell or trade for goods they live and hunt in small packs targeting lone Travelers or those who stray from larger groups physically smaller than the other tribes the broken ones transform into red wolves their pack structure is matriarchal and their current leader is the druid sebrisa dorsenev the demon moves the smallest and most recently formed pack in the shutterwood the demon wolves are an amalgam of newly affected werewolves and Exiles from other tribes all of whom worship the Demon Lord giselda Mistress of the hungry Moon the tribe's founder adamarus yonaku was once in fact an Afflicted werewolf who willingly contracted the disease and Devotion to his demonic Patron in 4711 after the old pack Lord was killed the demon wolves led by Adam Maris hatched a plan to recover the heart from Agents of the Whispering Way who had stolen it adamarus was slain in the course of these events it is not known who succeeded him as tribe leader the primals the smallest of the shutter Woods tribes the primals are also the most homogeneous as they are all descended from the ancient Khalid tribes who once inhabited these lands before they were driven out by invading talibans or versions at present less than 30 remain settled deep in the woods and traveling in small migratory hunting packs living much as their ancestors did despite their declining numbers the primal's ability to transform into large gray direwolves makes them an influential Force among the wolves the wood until his assassination in 47-11 the pack leader kavalka sane was paclord over all the Wolves of the shutterwood it is not known who succeeded kavalka as pack leader for the primals the princess wolves varician werewolves with ties to the tsarni crime families the prince's wolves were so named because they were intentionally created by Prince andradius verholt's efforts to rid the lands of the Agents of the whispering tyrants centuries ago the prince's wolves maintain a tight pack structure and spend much of their time traveling in small family groups performing or pickpocketing to support themselves before moving on to do it again somewhere else of all the werewolves the shutterwood they have the most relations with humans because of their tsarni ties The Binding ties of the crime families run deeper than blood or ancestry it seems the prince's wolves transform into wolves with brown or gray fur and their current tribe leader is a roguish scoundrel named rakis zadro in 4711 a group of adventurers backed rakis in a battle for leadership of the shutterwood werewolves he has since ascended as the new packlord of the shutterwood the silver hides known for their gray white fur the silver hides are more aggressive than the broken ones yet possess more composure and subtlety than any other tribe they rarely form standard packs instead living much of their lives as solitary lone werewolves more so than all the others the silver highs have been successful at blending in with normal humans and living secretly within their communities with a few bold individuals even settling in some of usalov's major cities in 4711 the silver Hyde pack leader Mathis mordran act collaborated with the cultists of the whispering way to have the previous packlord of the shutterwood kavalka sane assassinated and almost took the position of the packlord for himself however his treachery was revealed by a group of adventurers who were hunting down the leader of the Whispering Way cult and Mathis was killed in the struggle it is not known who replaced Mathis as pack leader of the silver hides tribe canterwall a single vast mower surrounds Lake Elias stretching to the boggy Escher wood to the east here weariness and ruggedness breed a sturdy lot a county of quietly determined folk all too aware that Fortunes in Blood and back-breaking toil often Buy Rewards no greater than continued hardship and a swift death the land of canterwall once known as Tamra Vena has no love for its people even though generations of stalwart ustalovs have poured their lives into the land only to fall under the wicked Blades of Belks and Orcs or other dangers of the land in the fears of ustalov invasion has always come from the West the Orcs of belksen whose realm of Cruelty and Slaughter sprawls just beyond cantorwall's threshold since the nation's founding the counts of the region have attempted a diverse array of tactics to guard the Western lands against the Savage hordes here one can find The Bleak wall the ruins of dozens of fortresses and watchtowers some built mere yards apart marking the belksen border and testifying to the efficacy of past Defenders the history of istola's defense is a tale of tragedy and Madness with moments of Calamity punctuated by epics of disaster none greater than the deceit and dark promises that unleash the dragon General casavon upon the world canterwall isn't just a border Province though it's a fertile region watered by the vistia river and checkered by fields and Farms sometimes it is even referred to as the breadbasket of ustalov while wolves and foxes endlessly torment Farmers the Lion's greatest annoyances come on black wings vast flocks of obstinate Ravens and seasonally swarming locusts wreak arbitrary destruction on the land a balance between lightly wooded planes and Bleak Moors cover the entire region all cloaked by dense fog that rolls in from the southern lowlands of the mountains canterwall is the third of ustalov's palatnates and from the capital at tamravena the nine members of canterwall's ruling Council oversee their County's Administration well aware that several lands depend on the County's fields for survival and that the nation's brisk Prince might react forcefully to any suspicion of Deceit or extortion the council goes to Great length to reinforce the Region's reputation as a realm of undemanding hard-working and essential laborers while such proves generally true the administrators keep a tight guard on the land's ample purse fearing the jealousy of neighboring Nobles only towards the cause of defending the county are significant expenditures budgeted with regional militia being well rewarded and outfitted especially those who guard the wall of Tam Ravenna of the council's members River Captain cheridan Banks landowner talada jovanki and reluctant representative zonesthel agitate most fiercely for their particular agendas those being National influence Regional security and simple fairness respectively aside from administering County policies and arbitrating significant disputes the relatively effectual Palatine Council of canterwall hears reports from both wings of their divided County militia the four guard who stand guard over the County's borders under the commander Captain dalamund Quinn and the wall guard who protect Tam Ravenna as directed by the paranoid Captain Belton razrikin as for the capital itself the people of Tam Ravenna have long known fear Tam Ravenna was constructed as a readout against the orc hordes or barbarians should they ever rage from the North in recent years however the town's reassuring walls have turned cold and foreboding as paranoia has crept among the people and its leaders the townsfolk have experienced increasingly strict laws on passage of the Town what goods are permitted for sale what constitutes morally appropriate services and so on with fines levied or shops shuttered as the town's laws grow even more restrictive and numerous and all the while from vague sources come word of growing criminal syndicates mysterious saboteurs and massing Orcs in the East leading the town's residents to hurry home from their jobs and wonder which of their neighbors might be in League with the Unseen but encroaching evils places of interest in tamrivena include fort village the headquarters of the wall guard Tamra vena's military police force fort village guards the north and west entrances to the Town Fort Pale Stone home of the foregard fort Pale Stone named for its walls of white granite watches over the southern entrance to Tam Ravenna Travelers find entry through the Pale Stone by far the least invasive way to enter the town as the foregard aren't as zealous about dangers as the wall guard have become under the increasingly paranoid leadership of manic Bolton razerkin the River House beneath the green shingles and bell tower of Tamara Venice Town Hall the Council of canterwall meets to direct the fate of the platinate citizens over the past years many have succumbed to Captain razrikan's constant fear-mongering and fearing work incursions of the plots of faceless criminal elements have forced the adoption of strict laws prescribing immorality public privacy Magic free entry into the City and any number of other basic rights widely enjoyed elsewhere in the county soldiers rest unusual among ustalov's temples and cathedrals of farasma soldiers rest Harbor shrines to a rastal Gorham ayomide and torag beneath its spiked onion Dome father anman broshlov served in the wall guard decades ago before answering frasma's call and though it is goddess's Will to stoically endure hardship he has little patience for the overzealousness of the modern militia the county of adranto varician-born Wonders were not the first people to claim the lands of ustalab as their own for Untold generation tribes of brutal khalids ruled the region making forgotten pacts with the spirits of the land and sowing their bones in the earth only by blade and bloodshed were the barbarians driven out and for centuries their vengeful ancestors raged against the northern Gates of the nation that stole their ancestral home long have the counts of adranto watch these Gates raising fearsome castles to protect against the bewildering savagery of the northern hordes castles built of stone for sworn to Barbarian Lords and bricks made from clay sewn with the dust of colored Kings even after ustalab's rebirth oduranto continued to face incursions with the coming of the world wound to sarcorus Khalid refugees flooded towards ustalov refusing to see her family's Homeland overrun by our nation's historic enemies princess marate or Durante commanded that all sarkorians crossing the moutre river face steel as Invaders lest their demonic taint in fact ustalov as well thus countless arkorans fleeing the nightmare of their tainted Nation rushed full into the Pikes and quarrels of adranto's Defenders so went the series of massacres deceptively called the demon skin War a conflict that ended only after no sarcorans remained to flee their hellish Homeland for the first time in history the borders of adronto rest quiet though Victory proves Bleaker than any of the Realms Defenders could have imagined today the people of odrato live somberly none quite convinced that even after nearly a century the threat of invasion is truly gone the current count of odronto by the rules of hereditary succession is conrastmarald but as he is descending into madness much of the Region's Administration has fallen to his wife Lira Bella the devoted Countess Lira Bella Caesar has been struggle every day and quietly seeks to Aid him against his growing Madness but she does not suspect the truth conrast moralt is in fact partially possessed by the spirit of a long dead Necromancer the former count Iceland odranti who served the whispering Tyrant during the dark years of his reign Iceland was decapitated by the tyrants vampire Regent mallius during a disagreement but his necromantic powers have kept his Spirit Alive within the severed head all these years now rediscovered by count con rest the head of the undying Necromancer seeks to claim mental control over his weaker will successor the county of sonaria on the shores of Lake porphyria the ancient khalids bound their holiest sacrifices and most revered oracles committing them to the spirits of the marsh amid the bog muck and sucking Lake mud rest the skulls of ancient colored witches and seers they are rot mixing with the sickly Waters and beasts of the swamps imbuing the land with the sights of the Ancients and their inheritance of Timeless pacts and Savage magic today belief in the Eerie magic of great mere swamp and Lake porphyria permeates the minds of cenarius people as an absolute truth criminals colored refugees and practitioners of strange Magics have long taken Refuge amid the swamp's gnarled trees and veils of hanging moss giving rise to an inteller race of proud swore the Khalid varician swamp dealers locally known as leech folk or Swampers beyond the shunt depths of the grade mere swamp rolls a land of Meandering streams scattered ponds and wet grasslands the people of sanaria have great respect for the Mysteries and creatures of their land although City dwellers and even the country folk often scorn Swampers and view members of these reclusive Clans with suspicion all know that for the right price the Bayou dwellers might jinx a foe read Omens in the algae or even concoct a medicine to raise the dead even still resentful pride and underhanded literality characterize most dealings with the raft dwellers and often the hexes brought to stymia foe come to haunt the buyer a hundredfold to defend against such old magic witch Wards hang upon the lintels of Windows and Doors throughout the county Countess sassandra Liv Grace rules the county of cenario with a gentle hand in her youth she boarded at carcal Conservatory in the shadow of the County's famed opera house while she never became a star of the stage she is known as a fine soloist and not an unskilled dancer and violinist long before taking over from her elderly father as Countess of cenario when Cassandra was only 14 and in the sixth year of her conservatory's program cenario was abducted and disappeared for three months rumors abound that she was abducted by the Opera's Infamous Phantom but the truth of the matter has never come to light her elderly father bermanon live Grace still resides with her at the live Grace estate the Starling house where the pair live quietly and modestly although several years her Junior a former Street Thief named venel andrenail has long called upon the Countess and the pair share a quiet romance though the lady quickly dismisses any discussion of nuptials without explanation an equally uncharacteristic fashion it is said certain Tunes provoke unexpected reactions from the Countess such as bursts of song and strange tongues or the recitation of strange facts Countess live Grace in her companions disguiser fits well though many wonder what connection these episodes and her youthful disappearance hold Cassandra foremost among them cenarios capital of karkau can be found where the mutra empties into Lake porphyria a Delta of dozens of tiny Islands ringing with song music has transformed a muddy Trading Post on the clay tinged lake waters into a city of culture and hope but also of Secrets and dash dreams spacious Gardens Avenues lined with Linden and walnut and a lack of fortifications gives car cow an airiness unique to ustalovic cities locally mined Limestone pale marshwoods and an architectural love of arches balconies towers and elaborate Windows also Aid in opening the city filling the streets and structures with light yet the brightest lights cast the darkest shadows and car cow hides an equal amount of Darkness beneath the city streets a system of waterlogged Caverns partially reinforced expanded and repurposed the sewer Tunnels for centuries these black walks have served as avenues for escaped criminals debauched cultists and unspeakable things from the nameless depths carcal rightly earns its epithet as the village of voices echoing across plazas and ringing through Alleyways the city's musicians and hopeful apprentices practice almost endlessly a local trait that many visitors find turns from Charming to obnoxious with startling speed what many in the South would consider Opera dress invades the local fashion with capes long gloves tall hats and daring gowns accentuating daily wear it even the most pretentious residents find it difficult to forget their City's sprawls at the edge of a particularly fitted swamp as biting flies and fat mosquitoes rise from the nearby lake thus especially in the spring and summer months car cow Fashions take on an air of mystery with women donning ornate veils and men wearing masks places of interest in car cow include the ellucia building home to zafiro Le siege's ellucia company purveyors A Fine Funeral experiences morbid statuary make the tower look less like the headquarters of a wealthy business and more like some gigantic Mausoleum while the structure's heights hold lucier's personal Penthouse rumors abound that beneath it are hidden Laboratories where Alchemists and dark Wizards Plum deaths darkest secrets the karkau Opera the car cow Opera stands as the most prestigious School of the Arts in Northern avistan the karkau conservatory the live Grace Orchestra the dimir Opera House the Museum of song and several staff and student boarding houses stand upon its campus near the city's heart elegance and tradition characterize most Outsiders vision of the college but residents know the Institute hides a darker side and trade stories of secret passages a submerged Labyrinth an exclusive osuary for the remains of the most celebrated alumni and a hidden balcony where Spectators from other worlds adore the greatest performers this world has to offer the Starling house ancestral home of the live Graces cenario's line of ruling counts the grand Manor's Pale Stone walls granted a spectral quality as it hides amid the cottonwoods and hanging moss the Countess treats her child at home as a personal sanctuary and often retreats to The house's lofty Windows to overlook her City and sometimes exercise her melodic voice the county of barstowy barstoy has always been the Backwater of eastelove we're both counterwall and oduranto stand against the threats from abroad they do so in defense of a rich country barstoy on the other hand has traditionally been held as a matter of national pride cementing the country's hold on all the lands from the Tusk mountains the West Sullen River up until recent decades the rocky Earth and sickly Fields hid Myriad dangers from prowling monsters to kelled zealots claiming scattered caves or Stones as Holy Ground with the death of count beers in 4665 barstowy's ruling line ended Prince valeslavordranti sought to raise several favored Nobles to rulers of the land but all declined not caring to inherit the destitute perhaps cursed land unexpectedly after the county had spent months without an administrator a tin Mogul named Eric nineska a member of a lesser of a sex Noble family and treated the prince for provisional term as its administrator he promised that given a term of three years he would rest the crown a prophet from the harsh land with no other candidates daring such claims Prince valislav accepted nesca swiftly implemented massive social projects in the region financing them with his own wealth and attracting droves of workers mountains of scattered rocks were moved new for asthma monasteries were constructed barbarians goblinoids and Drakes were slain and fit mercenaries won titles as Knights of the land exploration into the pits and caves riddling the country also revealed a wealth of salt in its Northern Hills before the end of nesca's three-year term borstoy's reputation had changed from that of a worthless dangerous Heath to a safe Countryside rich with potential princess marate herself bestowed the title of count on Eric ni neska four months before the end of his challenge true power brought a swift change to neska's rule determined to see bar story rise Beyond other counties the count continued vast building projects constructing new border forts roads towns and county-owned farms and salt mines he also instituted a host of strict new laws reaching Beyond criminal sanctions to enforce authoritarian moral sanctions he absolutely forbid the use of Arcane magic and he insisted on the Countrywide worship of farasma punishment for devianc proved harsh from the outset but as the count aged his mandates grew even more Draconian finally resulting in a single punishment for all crimes death in 4687 nesca's intolerance of incompetence and Corruption ignited a six-year-long civil war between his County and neighboring ordeal while his Crusade ultimately proved fruitless it reduced the once-rich region of forkina into the trench riddled Wasteland now known as the furrows today barstowy is technically one of the fittest counties in ustalov a police state of uniformed townships and even Fields where oppressive Knights clad in nescus Gray heraldic Condor and dark robed thrasman witch Hunters are endlessly scrutinizing a fearful populace while toil obedience and mercilessness cloaked in patriotism see individuals rewarded with land and gold whatever wealth barstowy's people find in their pockets it is countered by the hopelessness they feel in their souls the county of our deal our deal takes its name from ardelia first wife of ustalov's unifier soy video for nine centuries ustalabic Kings ruled from the city of Ardis driving back wild khalids Belks and Orcs and other threats as they expanded and tamed their rugged country here are duras last king of ustalov faced the Conquering Legions of the whispering Tyrant and fell breaking the line of ustalovic Kings after The Shining Crusade our deal once more became the home of ustalov's royalty while a newly risen nobility fractured the nation's fertile Heartland into multitude fiefdoms for Generations the noble squabbled over the realm's richest lands some coaxed great wealth from Nature's Bounty While others reduced the country's greatest resources to fields of dust it is in this context that Prince valeslav orduranti made a decree to move the nation's capital to caliphas and the county of our deal suffered greatly from the sudden withdrawal once bustling Noble Estates now stand empty their lands left fallow or in the hands of squatters as the rightful owners followed the Royal Court the caliphas the sprawling city of artists stands as a withered shadow of its former Grandeur its population decreased by thousands its Industries struggling to survive and dark things creeping in to replace the human deserters a sentiment of righteous bitterness against the country's government and nobility flourishes among our Deal's people abandoned serfs across the countryside find themselves forced into subsistence farming immigrating to cities or banding together in pitiful hamlets defending against neighbors turned to banditry in larger communities especially in the capital of artists the opinion grows even fiercer as shops and industries wither and Die daily casting whole families into poverty City dwellers with a means to continue on daily face the sneers and begging hands of the growing number of destitute in dark alleys and amid whole abandoned blocks prowl growing numbers of Thieves deluded revolutionaries and the insane desperately struggling to survive these Bleak days and see a dawn with little hope of being any brighter the current Countess of our deal Countess Solis Mina cross Camile once entranced the people of ustalov with their talent and Beauty sweeping the country as a Leading Lady of National Theater her charms won her armies of suitors but in 4648 she settled for none less than count oliman vinic Dalia Lord of ardeal marriage and the births of her children did little to impact her lifestyle with her four daughters being raised largely by nannies and valets after the difficult birth of her fourth child and a lengthy convalescence the Countess made her return to society with a self-panned self-themed performance titled worth the wait the play however proved an utter embarrassment and it ended abruptly after it had run for only two of its scheduled 40 nights when she raged off stage mid-performance to the jeers of the audience thereafter she disappeared from public eye surrounding herself with sycophants and former Associates clinging to memories of her Heyday the Aging Countess views herself as ustalov's most Charming socialite the Pinnacle of what an ordelian lady should be rarely leaving her artist a state of lavender Hall she spends most of her days a bed refusing to acknowledge the weight of her age and instead constantly complaining of being overtaxed or susceptible to the vapors despite all the hard times the county has faced native our delians still refer to artists as the true capital of ustalov regardless of whether they remember the city's slow desertion with the stubborn arrogance of those still bristling from The Sting of decades-old defeat the people of artists cling to their pride their traditions and their vaunted past as nearly all else has passed them by gargoyles clamber upon the needle-sharp towers and lean onion domes of artists aged architecture sweeping arches somber spiers and rib-like buttresses once served to give the city center an air of hallowed circumstance as if every dark stone edifice were the setting of some great import yet as if no longer supported by the magnitude of the Deeds that once transpired within their Halls many formerly great buildings show the weight of somber years appearing ever more like neglected Crypts and sagging tombstones places of interest in artists include the blindstone after the defeat of the Khalid Shaman King vokes and the Exile of the last Khalid from his land King ustav had the godstone of the Fallen storm heart Clan dragged to his capital in Chains as a symbol of his victory centuries later the ancient many are called the blindstone still stands at the center of Crusader Square accounts of the country's founding describe the stone as Central to the shamanistic rights of the stormheart bearing images of Barbarian dancers cavorting to its 21-foot Summit where a being made of Storms and eyes welcomes its children none in Untold Generations have seen these carvings however as The Rusted Links of ustav's massive and mighty chains bind the monument even after an age the evercrown cemetery once a lavish Garden full of majestic monuments honoring the heroes and royalty of ustalov's past the resting place of the nation's former Kings now stands unguarded its once glimmering stones and quiet statues Now besieged by creeping vines Brazen gangs and the righteously offended dead the palace Tower thrusting from among the vaulted roofs and thorny spiers of stag Crown the abandoned former home of the country's Royal Court the palace Tower stands as a symbol of ustalov's dauntless past and dismal present so a video ustav constructed the tower so he might personally keep guard over his lands but in the ages since the ominous black spear has been a home to Madness a prisoner to traitors and the death of more than one ruler here King ardurus the last king of ustalov later reanimated as a shrieking Sovereign hung his crackling carcass over artists shrieking a score of Doom and profanities as the legions of the arklich massacred the city today it lies in abandonment and the citizens of artists whisper that ustalov's Royal spirits take umbrage at the capital's desertion and lightly holds spectral Summits and Regal Rebels once more from the echoing throne room to the moaning Heights of the palace Tower the county of verlik the chain-bound Steeples of Gallo Spire the stake in the heart of ustalab looms over an accursed Wasteland of shattered mountains and dark magic a monument to an age of genocide and blasphemy spreading around it tainted by proximity to the whispering tyrant's Throne sprawls the scar of the arklich's first maniacal Vision a realm of Ruin racked by uncontrolled spell storms and prowled by the abandoned miscarriages of Unholy experiments for Untold centuries verlik bore more than just the wounds of history for within its crumbling womb slept the architect of that dread epic the deathless obscenity tarbathon the whispering tyrant of course as we now know three years ago the Tyrant arose once more but thankfully turned its gaze southwards towards the nation of last wall that had been raised as a Bastion against his inevitable return and he reduced that nation and its great cities to Rubble thankfully for the use of Avi people in their Nation the Tyrant abandoned Gallows fire and retreated to his old fortress on the Isle of Terror but Darkness like his takes more than a few years to dissipate today little lives in verlik though the realm is hardly uninhabited while the Eastern hungry mountains are known for their driving rain and violent lightning storms these take on a terrible aspect to the west where Twisted magical ethers imbue the harsh weather with seeming malicious intent Tales of living dust storms and lightning Phantoms pass among those forced to travel near these lands such apparitions sometimes being visible from Miles Away natural creatures do exist in verlik though the sparse vegetation and incessant storms make even the meanest beasts ill-tempered and fierce small packs of mangy wolves spiny beetles feral rodents and all manner of carrion Birds scour the land's corpse in search of its sparse vegetation and trespassers slain by things with no need for food verlik does not have a count nor is it truly considered among the counties of ustalab but rather as a blight on the land to be guarded against and watched over the county of ammans clenched in the teeth of the hungry mountains amman's careens from the heights of ulcazar to the Hill Country of the Gorka Passage a land of seclusion storms dense mist and deadly Beauty ammans refuses to yield easily to either plow or blade something of the old Mountain's cold unrelenting Stone pervades every field tree and stream relegating the land's few settlers to faltering edges and quiet Hollows of the hardwood wilderness the Hardy residents of tiny hamlets and homesteads eat lives from the valleys and forests only at the leave of the Lion's Grim spirit and do all they can to avoid the heights supposedly unnatural storms or the ghostly Servants of the lich's ancestral domain to the West although mountains cover most of oman's its Infamous hundred haunted veils hide diverse ecologies dense forests prove most common yet some valleys hold foggy bogs expanses of jagged scree or Deep Mountain Lakes the people of oman's distinguish themselves as either cavap pestins or Veil folk the residents of cavapesta devotedly worshiped for asthma living austere lives wary of passions and excess Joy fearing that surfeit pleasure might weigh against them when the goddess of death judges their lives the stern people mistrust worshipers of other faiths artists and lighthearted visitors fearing moral pollution and The Temptations of the quick Veil folk 2 are a suspicious lot dozens of tiny hamlets stop the slopes of the highlands of omans where quiet courteous folk live in islands of relative Tranquility amid the mountains these sleepy communities value their privacy and seek not to offend the Myriad nature Spirits fairies and hags of their rampant folklore in such land it's not uncommon for travelers especially non-humans to be mistaken for mischievous Fey in Disguise to such ends Vale folk often carry neck pouches of iron dust old horseshoes or bent nails to cast it strangers to prove their nature as local superstitions say that iron burns treacherous spirits and forces them back into their true shapes amman's count is named lucinian galdana a rugged gentleman with sun-baked features a Mane of dark hair and a physique better suited to Soldier than ruler count galdana often appears uncomfortable amid the trappings of his station and quickly shrugs off the bonds of traditional rank though possessed of a keen mind and a strong will his tastes Trend towards Simplicity with little patience for discouragedy elitism or posturing we'll want to ask kava pesta's devout for asmens their view of the count most would tell Tales of lurking Incubus eager to tempt the week of Faith to his den of debauchery the County's nobility unless prudish residents however taken out look closer to the truth viewing him as a lifelong bachelor with respectable intentions but few political agendas Beyond those that further his interest in good drink rousing hunts and fair ladies another important figure in the county of ammans is Bishop ulametria of the farazman penitence who would Tower over most of her congregation if she could stand straight yet a lifelong regimen of self-mortification has crippled her to a perpetually kneeling posture despite her religious Zeal Bishop ulametria possesses a keen mind performs daily sermons and believes in Healing The Sick and easing excess burdens yet she also sees virtue in pain and several clerics of cryptgate bear scars and disfigurations the holy mother refuses to let them heal Alcazar the county of Amman claims all but the chilling Heights of the hungry mountains they are amid the spiers jagged crowns treacherous goat paths and lashing winds poisoned The Citadel County of ulcazar an impregnable natural Fortress where brutish elements viciously strive to assure that the realm's secrets remain unknown Alcazar was fashioned as a prison once a county in name only with little arable land and few resources worth exploiting a doom of seclusion and poverty for those condemned to its Rule The Prisoner for which it was designed was none other than niliviso ulka a second cousin and field commander of sovidia ustav Infamous for betraying the first king of ustalov to the armies of the Keller Chief thornborough it said ulka starved in his estate upon the slopes of Mount laufus and then it was quiet for an age centuries after the conclusion of the whispering tyrants rule however a new corruption came to ulcazar what began as a simple refuge for monastic scholars in the service of the lady of graves transformed through tragedy and revenge into the Throne of a deadly silence in the monastery of veils grew a cult of Secrets called the anaphexia which have grown to be the new masters of Alcazar although no communities in okazar even reached sizes large enough to be considered Villages a half dozen or so scattered hamlets and communes find shelter enough to eke out poor existences amid the unforgiving Peaks those who choose to live in the county number among either its handful of pathetic Nobles in their attendance its religious anchorites seeking Enlightenment amid the austere stones or joyless peasants living in poverty secrecy or exile many in okazar go mad by degrees smothered by the weight of the unsympathetic land of their own pasts the master of the monastery of veils and the acting counter volkazar is Bishop yes Martin senir the third son of the third son is Martin senir was not destined for power rather in following with the used to live at custom his fate was to serve the Third born son of any Noble family being tradition bound to take Oaths of Devotion to ferasma departing the senior family Holdings and artists the estate of low Mound the spoiled young as Martin begrudgingly traveled to the cold harshness of Alcazar plotting naive schemes of eluding fat monks and returning home within a week Bishop rithwain the then Master of the monastery wasted no time in revealing the monastery's secret Patron dragging the boy into the cloister's depthless library catacombs and locking him within the sanctuary of ner gorber yes Martin screams would be his first offering to the reaper of reputation for nearly a month Bishop rithwain tortured and starved the boy visiting every midnight to ask if the reaper had spoken to him despite the boys please curses and Promises the lord of the anaphexia had no mercy finally on the night of the new moon a voice spoke from the shadows and moats of Ruby light dripped like blood from the blades of norgor's effigy yes Martin would be the hand to shelter and guide the gods blades and work to steal and Safeguard the secrets of an age of Fools and preparations for a future fit for their exploitation in return he would be a lord like none in his family ever were with wealth power and cunning beyond the petty concerns of mortal nobility though terrified the youth exalted in the promise of freedom and life and swore allegiance to the dark God that night when Bishop rithwain came to the boy yes Martin did not cry but drew a blade across his body and offering in the years that followed yes Martin grew in power just as the dark God promised as Bishop of the monastery of the veil his blade struck out against his own family slaying his brothers that the mantle of lordship came to rest with him maintaining his guys as a Stern Bishop of ferasma Bishop cenier holds both political and sectarian influence exploiting members of the Court through political guile manipulations of faith and the findings of his Brotherhood of Assassins and spies the county of versex is Hills mayander from Mountain to Coast their Rocky slopes gradually shrouded by a mixture of stunted grasses and dense mosses strewn with Eerie spiraling fairy rings the Earth proves ill-suited to farming with most crops growing stunted or crooked the beasts of respects have long suffered from similar unwholesomeness with wild animals and livestock alike falling victim to phage a starving Affliction distinguished by unnatural paleness starved appearance erratic violence and horrifying deformed progeny the county breeds a stiff private people Shackled by traditions of reservation and aloof civility the beliefs that proper folk don't meddle in the Affairs of their neighbors and that the upright don't make their lives the worry of others socially isolate townsfolk and City dwellers alike most of the County's inhabitants don't bother with their neighbors and if they do it's typically only to malign their improprieties the hereditary lordship of the county of Versace sits with count Hazard and Lowell's IV if ever Noble blood ran in the veins of the Lowell's family it's richness spoiled long before the birth of hazatron IV the fourth consecutive count Hazard and Lowell is to rule versex the middle age count was long known for a near crippling social awkwardness having ruled for sex for 24 years he finds governance tedious leaving most of his responsibilities in the hands of grasping Mayors and magistrates from his family's thrushmore estate of Iris Hill hazardton used to apply himself to a rigorous but erratic curriculum of History theology antiquarianism philology poetry and occultism refusing to tolerate tutors considering such instruction beneath his Grand intellect he spent hours daily corresponding with peers and Rivals at the University of lapidstadt porvos's Academy the Cinco macti School of Sciences and absalom's foray logos considering himself an expert on many matters above the minds of lesser Scholars Hazard and penned numerous rambling treatises extrapolating upon dubious and under research theses his minds of the atlante a history of the history of versex and the stars are not among us the latter ending his tempestuous relationship with the cincomactity school can be found at many centers of scholarship in ustalov but more due to the Count's generous patronage than scholarly Merit over the last few years the typically withdrawn count completely sequestered himself within his Library testing the ability of thrushmore's booksellers by demanding load after load of varied and specific tombs Midway through his Retreat he dismissed his entire house staff replacing them with the retinue of strange and Silent foreign assistance along with his dramatic changes in appearance and scholarly interests count Lowell's personality has also changed suspicion muttering preoccupation and the occasional Furious Outburst now overshadow his social awkwardness for sex counties austere capital of thrushmore marks the northernmost point of the vast Lake in cartham and though its sheltered docks and well-used fishing dories suggest nothing more than a community of hard-working seafarers the town's Elders make the spiral of farasma over their hearts as they swear weird currents carry all that strange and unnatural into the depths of Avalon Bay while the homes and structures upon the lake show the damage of lashing waves and frequent flooding those in the higher ground the territory of the town's quality folk posture is the home of wealthy landowners with pristine Picket Fences sharp Gables and columned facades while few in thrushmore are truly wealthy the townsfolk go to Great Lengths to keep up appearances standing respectability and appearance concerned most of the townsfolk who do all they can to avoid embarrassment in the critical eyes of their neighbors yet in the shadows of attics and basements languish the sins and repressions of thrushmore where deranged children possessed artists and the utterance of unnameable gods form an uncounted population of freaks and lunatics just beneath the town's mask of propriety places of interest include Iris Hill home to the Lowell's family since the rule of pragmus lowells over two centuries ago Iris Hill meanders over the summit of the rise with the same name the central estate attended by Stables servants quarters and guest Cottages until recent times it was thrushmore's most elegant home but over the past year it has fallen into neglect the Count's longtime servants dismissed Ivy and weeds besiege the structure loose shutters Creak and even the slightest Breeze and several broken windows admit the wind and weather yet Iris Hill has not been abandoned and within count lowells and his shadowy assistants occupy themselves tirelessly amid the Manor's ever-expanding Library interrupted only by the occasional midnight delivery by an unmarked black coach the sleepless detective agency run by its Founder The Mysterious quesadia rents this well-connected highly organized and unscrupulous professional agency of guards and detectives hires out to anyone with a coin to pay for its services while the organization touts its successes at finding lost persons exposing Corruptions and hunting down members of the Whispering Way it downplays many members inclination towards invasiveness sabotage and strong-armed harassment the star Steely the scholars for the cincomactity school have long attested that no true colored tribes lived in the ver sex region yet thrushmer's star Steely seems to refute the fact three 12-foot tall semicircular monoliths stand in an equidistant triangle atop Town's Hill each etched with unidentified non-colored runes and a misshapen star the county of varno Thai means little in varno Generations are born life passes and death eventually touches servants and princes alike such has been the philosophy of varno's people since the khalids were driven from the land and such remains their mantra today when Legions of the Dead Rose an envious war against the living most of varna's people held their lives a greater value than their land departing ustalov to settle among the people of the neighboring Arc duchy of melkat rejoining their wandering Kinsmen in distant varicia or seeking new Vistas exploring taldor's vast Empire after the dead turned to dust some wandering varicians resettled in varno bringing with them their ancient ways and the reminder that a land holds no memory only its people can do that mild slopes roll across varno in a gentle surf of emerald Orchards and golden fields to the West The Forest of veils knots in a tangle of dense Cypress Laurel and Alder its bows Rising high like the buttresses of some Grand Cathedral a sanctuary that burns every autumn in a riot of crimson leaves most of the County's population work modest Farms Orchards and Vineyards or on the Estates of the Region's few noble families but several still keep to the ancient virusian wandering lifestyle Conte Aristo martiriak is the Lord of varno and his story is a tragic one returning to corvuscour from a holiday Aristo Mars coach was ambushed by brigands an explosion sending the conveyance reeling into a ravine escaping the wreckage the wounded nobleman proved a skill with a Rapier slaying several Highwaymen despite a spear of jagged wood piercing his breast his soon-to-be bride iltanya however was not so lucky desperation and love granted the young count the resilience to escape with the unconscious form of his soon-to-be bride but the mysterious attackers were not so easily deterred Within inside of Lake corsonoria the brigands overrode the count and knocked him from his horse and beat him to the threshold of death with the Count's family still in the country servants retrieved their Lord's body it fell to count tyria's aged house mother Radia to see to ristamar's care but even her enigmatic skills were not enough and ristamar's life waned possessed by her Devotion to the family the wrinkled house mother gave strange orders and in the direness of the moment the servants obeyed by midnight the still form of the vampire berusso captured and staked by a noble Huntsman years earlier Leon course Nori's Great Hall Bound by chains of garlic and verbena removing the stake piercing the creature's breast and brandishing desna symbol Rodeo bid the vampire breathed life back into the count even if it must be the breath of his accursed kind when ristamar arose it was with a hunger he had never known radaya watched over him explaining how she had saved him although terrified and Furious ristamar knew that so long as El Tanya was safe his death would not be in vain when the baffled house mother reported that his fiance's body had never been found his mind snapped and the blood-starved madness took hold Awakening the next night among the gore-soaked ruins of the family Chapel ristamar found the castle empty the servants massacred or fled only the Daya remained her body shattered but her faithful ghost lingering on as ristamar knelt upon the palace's highest turret awaiting the dawn's purifying destruction the spectral Crone explained that should he die as he was his soul would be condemned to the Charnel pits of Hell whether altanya was dead or alive he would never see his beloved again so the count despaired and cursing the witch fled the manor since his death Rista martiriak has journeyed far reappearing to his people in 4536 as a cousin of the heartbroken rulers he took control of varno employing agents to hold his proxy at court traveling often in his search for a cure for vampirism tyak is known in Many Lands sometimes by his own name sometimes under aliases and often adopting colorful Corruptions of his title such as kante charming and eternally youthful he retains a shadow of the humor he possessed in life though an age as a predator has granted him the cunning and manipulative forethought of an undead Lord yet while his research has made him scholar of strange Arts he is sought after cure continues to elude him the county of Greater caliphas in ustavlavic history the county of Greater caliphas once held reputation as the demesney of witches and their soullesservators Legends say that with the defeat of the country's last king the mysterious Sisters of the albier woods parlayed with the whispering Tyrant to take control of the land they considered theirs but the uncaring Lich spurned them and Scattered their numbers after the tyrants fall caliphas numbered among the first counties reborn its rulers the calabasso family being one of only two Noble lineages to survive the lich's rule rivalry between the coastal County and the capital of artists began almost immediately exacerbated by contention between the Calabasas and the newly crowned ordronti line a bitterness that persists into the Modern Age caliphas claims a dramatic landscape sloping down from the rocky peaks of the hungry mountains through woodlands and fertile River Country to the rocky coast of lake and carthon and Avalon Bay although the people of caliphas Pride themselves on their Enlightenment their superstitions merely take a more Urbane quality folk medicines and Rural portents replaced by racial prejudices and peddled Omens such faux worldliness leads many City dwellers to dismiss the supernatural as Hokum unsuited to Modern reason personal Independence and a dismissive attitude towards the crown typify local Outlook according to region its reputation as a Haven for dissension and a leader among counties opposed to the monarchy even as it Harbors the throne the hereditary count of caliphas is the Countess carmilla calavazo a decadent schemer with an insatiable lust for power Countess carmilla calavasso is also an unmatched Beauty at more than 70 years of age she looks less than half that age and is known as the ruby of caliphas she is a venomous critic of grand Prince Edward or Durante III taking every opportunity to point out his numerous flaws trying to undermine his authority and scheming to turn his people against him her criticism has become steadily more outspoken as her young charge reynus odranti has grown to manhood reynus is the son of Malera calabasso and supposedly is the bastard son of the previous Prince valeslav orgranti few doubt that carmilla calavaso plans to put her charge in nephew reynus on the throne of ustalov there are darker rumors that she may plan to sit next to him as she supposedly is involved in an incestuous relationship with him and I is the title of Grand Princess covetously caliphas is also the seat of power of the monarch of all of ustalov the grand Prince Edward orgranti III as the Second Son of Prince marate or Durante and Duke adderton holtzfur Edward rodranti never expected to rule by the time Edward reached his majority it was obviously a little taste for the life of a Pampered princeling possessing a hearty Constitution and a headstrong disposition and a predilection for the outdoors hunting in the company of soldiers after completing his schooling Edward traveled the country's Wilder reaches hunting and touring the forts of the Northern Western borders and discovering an appreciation for military life although the death of his brother and his own ascendants to the throne had never been his desire adword accepted it as far asma's will taking the throne at age 29. rough unprepared and overly trusting in his divine right to lead the early years of AdWords Reign were characterized by brashness and political naivete at a time in which Eastern ordeal was scoured by the war without rivals in the more than 40 years sense Edward continues to put great faith in frasma's guidance and an adopted tradition of military stoicism but has also grown more skilled at manipulating political rivals he still despises endless debates leading to occasional flares of ire and abrupt ends to courtly proceedings although he tries poorly not to let his private opinions show the prince loathes count neska and Countess calabasso for their arrogance and endless scheming and finds that platinet's endless changing spokesperson simpering cowards but enjoys a kindred spirit and dependable political Ally in oman's count galdana sailing from Lake and cartham passed the reaping rocks a thousand fog lamps reluctantly emerged from the swirling Haze and the weirdly echoing din of countless faceless Souls Herald's one's arrival in caliphas mistrouded capital of ustalov constructed behind the treacherous Shield of a natural Breakwater the capital city of calafas flourishes of the nation's wealthiest most accessible and most Cosmopolitan City these factors along with other more mysterious Persuasions argued for the Royal Court's relocation to within the city walls 40 years ago although a new capital caliphas is still an old city and the Grimm statuary soaring buttresses sharp Gables and endless intimidating embellishments common to the nation's oldest cities Adorn its ominous structures new Industries also belched black clouds into the sky mixing with a frequent fog to cloak some parts of the city in a wretched coat of Ash yet numerous Gardens private menageries and fenced Parks dot the crowded cityscape making caliphast feel more alive than many ustalabic cities the past decades have brought thousands of immigrants to the capital as well as as many refugees from neighboring last wall while the nobleborn find and create luxurious housing with ease their attendants have considerably more trouble such has led to not just overcrowding increased squalor and Street violence in parts of the city but to stranger crimes against which the overwhelmed constabulary has little defense such as kidnapping hidden slavery underground fighting bouts mysterious murders and rumors of Terrors lurking amid the city's Labyrinthian sewers places of interest include Castle Strife the imposing Spire Crown Citadel rises from the city's Center like a bladed fiendish heart trapped amid a web of mounting buttresses it is home to the audience Hall and black antlered Royal Throne of Prince orgranti the echoing Hall of Piers with its 16 traditional stations the portrait Hall known as the gallery of ancestors the Royal archives a private wing for visiting dignitaries and a maze of shadowed alcoves conference Chambers and salons The Haven guard Lunatic Asylum a most unusual hospital spreads its bat-like wings across the crumbling Cliffs overlooking caliphas under the direction of its founder the dedicated but locally slandered Dr Beau rigman Trice the asylum's physician's attempt to protect understand and heal without the aid of expensive magical interventions though many admit incomplete understanding of the maladies they treat or missteps in their more experimental Therapies lithian Manor private Gardens of sweetly scented poisons and watchful statuary hide the ancestral town home of caliphasa's counts built upon Laurel height Hill the luxurious estate of carmilla calabasso serves the most frequently used of the countess's residences as well as the Abode of her all-male staff and the site of her frequent private Fates those who enter the countess's personal invitation recall decadent accommodations and hedonistic entertainment amid impressions of scandalous innuendos and constant observation maiden's choir a gigantic Dome of amethyst feigned black marble stares unblinking heavenward from caliphas's Temple of thorasma like some vast empty socket at the Chapel's heart stands a silver mausoleum-like reliquary said to Bear such holy Treasures as the sarkorian song skulls the scroll bones of father gazenji and the armored gown of Tears the quarterfo archives both Museum and Academy to califasa's Young Nobles the curators of the quarterfo archives seek not to explore the world but to bring its wonders to usalov whether gathered by traveling professors or purchased from unscrupulous organizations the artifacts of the Museum's collection range from Orphan longboats and mysterious Northland fossils to living Elven root sculptures and strange mwangi fetishes currently of greatest local interest are the canopic ethers of manatees XIV discovered by a serientologist Abron shallist and the temporary display of the Milo family's ancient treasure the nvidian eye and what to say after such a long video I'm glad you're still with me next week we're going back to gods and goddesses if you enjoyed this content please be sure to like And subscribe it really helps me out I'll see you next week [Music]

Channel: MythKeeper

Views: 24,403

Keywords:

Id: 82sXsVFFpGI

Length: 87min 22sec (5242 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 20 2022