Setting
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History
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The traditional heartland of the Qaderi Dynasty and the Hanti nomads. For nearly a century, the Qaderi family ruled these lands with an iron fist, following their conquest of the native, nomadic people - the Arlanni. Under Caliph Qaderi Murshid ibn Abdullah al-Yasmeen, the Qaderi Empire spread east as far as Murrakach. However, Crusaders prevented further expansion and forced Qaderi to invade the Hushadi in the southwestern mountains to gain a strategic foothold that could be used if the Crusaders ever directly invaded Nasiria through the Valley.
Then in 78 BE, Zaahid ibn Hasan betrayed his father and secretly had him executed, telling the public that their previous caliph was merely exiled. Once he had a taste of power, Zaahid never looked back. Instead, he decided to outmatch his father's accomplishments by taking on a risky plan to invade the Crusaders in Undasia to the south, which Murshid had wisely decided to avoid. When Zaahid's plans went awry, much of his army was slaughtered, and the Qaderi hold on the Valley weakened considerably.
In 68 BE, Zaahid was found dead in his chambers, apparently strangled to death while in bed. Nobody found the murderer, but the caliph's death had an everlasting effect on the people. Much of the land has since been divided among several major factions, each vying for power over the valley.
The capital city of Fesz has been a key central point for these conflicts. Two powerful viziers, known as Zinida and Haffshi, repeatedly captured and lost the city over the course of three years. Neither were particularly good rulers: Haffshi taxed the people into poverty, and Zinida ignored the city's needs. Finally, an elderly merchant named Arzemorr, angry with the death of his grandchildren from the neglect of the two viziers, gathered a coalition of poor and starving families and drove out Zinida in Gulael 1544 (Octobrius 46 BE).
In the meantime, the Hanti nomads, credited with sharing the same ancestry as the Arlanni, rallied forth from the southeastern mountains and conquered a large swathe of land surrounding Murrakach, including much of the abandoned heartland lying in the center of the Valley. Separated from the administrative center at Fesz, and surrounded by the Hanti, the garrison at Murrakach surrendered to the nomads. Shortly after, the nomadic sect of Alli mystics, priests and shamans of the Hanti tribes, flocked to Murrakach and set up their center of worship in the old monastery found there.
All this chaos provided the perfect opportunity for the mistreated slaves, both human and kehlan, of the Qaderi people. Under the leadership of a human slave-warrior named Banu Haala, these slaves have fled into the northeast and have made their home near an unnamed oasis they call Amal (meaning Hope in ancient Nasiriac). While the Hanti have left them alone, the Bedrin bandits and slave traders from the Haidar Badlands repeatedly harry them. That said, their numbers continued to grow over the course of a decade thanks to Banu Haala's raids further west against Haffshi and Zinida.
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Geography
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Bordered by several small mountain ranges to the southwest and southeast. It boasts many bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich oases. Southwestern mountains subject to earthquakes, while much of the east suffers periodic droughts. The southern part is characterized by Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe, while the northwestern plains include Mediterranean Acacia-Argania dry woodlands and succulent thickets. The southwestern mountains include Mediterranean woodlands and forests, while much of the central and eastern parts of the region consist of Permanent Maghreb and North Saharan steppe and woodlands.
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Politics
---
Ever since the death of the caliph, these lands have been divided into numerous warring factions, each with a claim of some sort over either part of the valley or its entirety.
The royal viziers, Zinida and Haffshi, have gained the support of the majority in the west by defeating their opponents and forcefully subjugating numerous cities and villages. Zinida retains much of the southwest, including the southwestern mountains and territory just north of Undasia. Haffshi retains much of the northwest, including the northwestern plains. Both are heartless tyrants of a sort; Haffshi is known for his merciless greed, while Zinida is often cruel and bloodthirsty. Both act as puppets in a proxy war fought between the Crusaders (Zinida) and the Mahmoud (Haffshi).
The Arzemorr coalition consists of the people of Fesz who revolted against both Zinida and Haffshi. Led by an elderly merchant named Arzemorr, they're in a perilous position between the two viziers. They have many motivated soldiers, but the army is mainly composed of people who have never even held a sword or a spear. Negotiations with the Volgi over an alliance look unlikely since a Crusader invasion of their lands, and the Hanti are too busy consolidating their gains to help. While morale is generally high, it's only because many don't realize how badly things look for their city.
The Hanti tribes rule the entire eastern 2/3 of the Valley, but are notoriously few in number. As a result, their armies are spread thin and often bothered by Bedrin bandits and slave traders. Furthermore, they are not experienced adminstrators, having long avoided a settled life. They technically control Murrakach, but the city is governed independently by a High Priest of the city's Alli mystics. Their homeland is located in the southeastern mountains, where they grew accustomed to fighting the Crusaders - some even going so far as to join them as mercenaries. In any case, the Hanti claim the Valley as descendants of the ancestral tribes of the Arlanni - the natives who were enslaved by the Qaderi following the Invasion.
The Liberation Front of Banu Haala stay out of the way of most factions, having set their camps around the Amal oasis in the northeast (some distance northwest of Murrakach and east of Fesz). Composed of former slaves and "indentured servants", the Liberation Front raids much of the central and western Valley, rescuing slaves and drawing the attention of Bedrin bandits and slave traders - especially since their chosen 'homeland' lies right on the border with the treacherous Haidar Badlands, home of the fierce Bedrin nomads.
History
---
The traditional heartland of the Qaderi Dynasty and the Hanti nomads. For nearly a century, the Qaderi family ruled these lands with an iron fist, following their conquest of the native, nomadic people - the Arlanni. Under Caliph Qaderi Murshid ibn Abdullah al-Yasmeen, the Qaderi Empire spread east as far as Murrakach. However, Crusaders prevented further expansion and forced Qaderi to invade the Hushadi in the southwestern mountains to gain a strategic foothold that could be used if the Crusaders ever directly invaded Nasiria through the Valley.
Then in 78 BE, Zaahid ibn Hasan betrayed his father and secretly had him executed, telling the public that their previous caliph was merely exiled. Once he had a taste of power, Zaahid never looked back. Instead, he decided to outmatch his father's accomplishments by taking on a risky plan to invade the Crusaders in Undasia to the south, which Murshid had wisely decided to avoid. When Zaahid's plans went awry, much of his army was slaughtered, and the Qaderi hold on the Valley weakened considerably.
In 68 BE, Zaahid was found dead in his chambers, apparently strangled to death while in bed. Nobody found the murderer, but the caliph's death had an everlasting effect on the people. Much of the land has since been divided among several major factions, each vying for power over the valley.
The capital city of Fesz has been a key central point for these conflicts. Two powerful viziers, known as Zinida and Haffshi, repeatedly captured and lost the city over the course of three years. Neither were particularly good rulers: Haffshi taxed the people into poverty, and Zinida ignored the city's needs. Finally, an elderly merchant named Arzemorr, angry with the death of his grandchildren from the neglect of the two viziers, gathered a coalition of poor and starving families and drove out Zinida in Gulael 1544 (Octobrius 46 BE).
In the meantime, the Hanti nomads, credited with sharing the same ancestry as the Arlanni, rallied forth from the southeastern mountains and conquered a large swathe of land surrounding Murrakach, including much of the abandoned heartland lying in the center of the Valley. Separated from the administrative center at Fesz, and surrounded by the Hanti, the garrison at Murrakach surrendered to the nomads. Shortly after, the nomadic sect of Alli mystics, priests and shamans of the Hanti tribes, flocked to Murrakach and set up their center of worship in the old monastery found there.
All this chaos provided the perfect opportunity for the mistreated slaves, both human and kehlan, of the Qaderi people. Under the leadership of a human slave-warrior named Banu Haala, these slaves have fled into the northeast and have made their home near an unnamed oasis they call Amal (meaning Hope in ancient Nasiriac). While the Hanti have left them alone, the Bedrin bandits and slave traders from the Haidar Badlands repeatedly harry them. That said, their numbers continued to grow over the course of a decade thanks to Banu Haala's raids further west against Haffshi and Zinida.
---
Geography
---
Bordered by several small mountain ranges to the southwest and southeast. It boasts many bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich oases. Southwestern mountains subject to earthquakes, while much of the east suffers periodic droughts. The southern part is characterized by Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe, while the northwestern plains include Mediterranean Acacia-Argania dry woodlands and succulent thickets. The southwestern mountains include Mediterranean woodlands and forests, while much of the central and eastern parts of the region consist of Permanent Maghreb and North Saharan steppe and woodlands.
---
Politics
---
Ever since the death of the caliph, these lands have been divided into numerous warring factions, each with a claim of some sort over either part of the valley or its entirety.
The royal viziers, Zinida and Haffshi, have gained the support of the majority in the west by defeating their opponents and forcefully subjugating numerous cities and villages. Zinida retains much of the southwest, including the southwestern mountains and territory just north of Undasia. Haffshi retains much of the northwest, including the northwestern plains. Both are heartless tyrants of a sort; Haffshi is known for his merciless greed, while Zinida is often cruel and bloodthirsty. Both act as puppets in a proxy war fought between the Crusaders (Zinida) and the Mahmoud (Haffshi).
The Arzemorr coalition consists of the people of Fesz who revolted against both Zinida and Haffshi. Led by an elderly merchant named Arzemorr, they're in a perilous position between the two viziers. They have many motivated soldiers, but the army is mainly composed of people who have never even held a sword or a spear. Negotiations with the Volgi over an alliance look unlikely since a Crusader invasion of their lands, and the Hanti are too busy consolidating their gains to help. While morale is generally high, it's only because many don't realize how badly things look for their city.
The Hanti tribes rule the entire eastern 2/3 of the Valley, but are notoriously few in number. As a result, their armies are spread thin and often bothered by Bedrin bandits and slave traders. Furthermore, they are not experienced adminstrators, having long avoided a settled life. They technically control Murrakach, but the city is governed independently by a High Priest of the city's Alli mystics. Their homeland is located in the southeastern mountains, where they grew accustomed to fighting the Crusaders - some even going so far as to join them as mercenaries. In any case, the Hanti claim the Valley as descendants of the ancestral tribes of the Arlanni - the natives who were enslaved by the Qaderi following the Invasion.
The Liberation Front of Banu Haala stay out of the way of most factions, having set their camps around the Amal oasis in the northeast (some distance northwest of Murrakach and east of Fesz). Composed of former slaves and "indentured servants", the Liberation Front raids much of the central and western Valley, rescuing slaves and drawing the attention of Bedrin bandits and slave traders - especially since their chosen 'homeland' lies right on the border with the treacherous Haidar Badlands, home of the fierce Bedrin nomads.
The Arlanni Valley
"Legend tells of a nomadic people called the Arlanni, who once ruled these lands. Then one day, a cruel warlord by the name of Qaderi conquered them. Now, a century later, the Qaderi reap what they sowed as the Valley is divided."
Minimap
northwest |
north |
northeast |
west |
You are here. |
east |
southwest |
south |
southeast |