Geography, Climate, and Politics (Mantáer Supplement)

A Shattered World

300 years after the fall, the people of Mantáer are barely on their feet, and struggling to redefine a world they barely know. Very few maps remain of the world before the Fall, and those that do are hardly recognizable. Mayne may have been the old Vortari capital of Kadana, but it was never on a coast. Although inhabited by humans Arafel is probably the ruins of Garadfel, an elven commerce city on the coast, and its architecture bespeaks that. The Outer or Barrier Mountains are completely new, as is the sinister Cimmerian wood. Maneth'rin'drelle survived the world by long ago retreating from it, but Lothuein has sprung up in the last 50 years from the elves who stayed behind and took shelter from the Fall. The list goes on, but the point is that Mantáer is a world still very much searching for a new identity. Many names are not yet even solidified, and speculation and wild stories make for a grim picture of the world beyond the Vortari Lowlands.

The Vortari Lowlands

The huge coastal basin stretching from the mountains to the sea is, as far as anyone can tell, what used to be the breadbasket of the Vortari Empire. The cities of the Lowlands are in a relative state of peace, but relationships are still falling into place, and a lot of questions are left unanswered. Land, people, towns, ruins, trade, mines, all are up for grabs. The elves have yet to make a splash on the stage but they are sure to, and the enigmatic 1st Dynasty of Phaeron Talankh'amun looms in the west. Trade has just begun along the road west from Arafel, with brave adventurers and braver merchants heading west in search of wealth. Ships too, have appeared on the Sea of Sindar, speaking strange tongues and bearing stranger goods from far off islands.

The Ruins of Vortar

Mayne

The largest human city to survive in the Lowlands, Mayne is most likely the ruins of Kadana. The pocked and scarred white walls of Mayne encase a once shining city, still grand though bereft of its former glory. The Rose Palace sits atop the bluffs overlooking the sea, with its causeway to nowhere hanging a hundred feet or more over the emptiness. Commerce, agriculture, trade, and the lives of everyday humanity crowd its streets now, and life has filled the city since the Darkness. The vast field of rubble and ruins that was once the Arena of Champions has been cleared and a Grand Market erected; more trade fills it's growing galleries every day. So life in Mayne goes on, XXXX

Illyria

The proud and militaristic people of Illyria, secure their frontiers and pride themselves on exploration. XXX

Sindar

The ruined city, the crossroads of the Lowlands. XXXX

Arafel

Arafel, despite the lingering damage from the Fall, is a beautiful city. It's probably the old elven city of Garadfel, and despite being inhabited by humans for several centuries now, is clearly elven. A new wall's foundation encircles the city, and skeletal towers stand vigil ofer the construction, but once past the perimeter the city is art flowing into art. Slums encase the docks, but everywhere else the fine hand of the elf is evident. Trade and fishing drive life in Arafel, and a more and more cosmopolitan population considers their place in the world. XXXX

The Scarred Coast

Along the road to Arafel fly news, rumors, and trade from Mantáer beyond the Vortari Lowlands. Up the coast, the cities of ancient Cafarania and Harkon have shattered into a patchwork of warring hegemons and dictatorships.

The Bleak

The world beyond the mountains and the still unknown Scarred Coast. Only the vaguest rumors and wildest stories dare speculate what lies in the misty realms off the map.

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