In the far south, beyond the reach of Ticonderos’ tallest, most treacherous mountains, lies the mysterious and scorching heat of the Kingdom of the Alo Pagtria. United by faith, by tradition, by loss, by perseverance and power of will, three once-independent city-states are now ruled by a fourth Sovereign State providing order, security, and prosperity to the entire region.
The city-states themselves are densely-packed, adobe-style metropolises, vast cities even compared with most of the wealthy cities in the north. They are the oases of the scorching deserts and must accommodate over ninety-nine percent of the Alo Pagtrian population. The three city-states represent a triumvirate coalition ruled from the newly-constructed and ever-expanding Sovereign State by the recently chosen God-King Rogelio Xhecote, an enterprising, charismatic figure huge both of personality and physical frame. The God-King is, ostensibly a title given by the holy men of the Alo Pagtria, as was done with Xhecote’s predecessor; however, the circumstances were different then and the political climate has shifted such that Xhecote was chosen by men and “confirmed” by god, so to speak. While the counsel of the holy men holds significant sway, they do not make the final, or even initial choice, in who will sit the throne in Sunshadow, the opulent bronze palace at the heart of the Sovereign State. The Alo Pagtria believe no foreign power should ever rule the southern desert again, and many believe that they are the rightful owners of Ticonderos. There is significant political motivation within the Alo Pagtria leaning toward open warfare on the rest of the kingdoms of Ticonderos to reclaim lost native territories and restore dominion of the entire continent to native peoples and their descendants, driving out foreign invaders. It is perhaps ironic that much of the Alo Pagtrian population is of mixed heritage, yet also impossible to ignore the injustice and genocide taken against the native peoples of Ticonderos, who are not entirely gone, who have descendants everywhere across the continent who, regardless of their mixed descent, may agree with such a bold course of action.
At the base of the Dragon’s Tail, the archipelago that swings off of Ticonderos’ southwestern corner, at the western edge of the desert, lies the oldest of the three city-states, Beltheraine, overseeing miles of humid, mountainous jungles and villages in the foothills. Though the region has been conquered many times, Beltheraine has arguably been ruled for centuries by an ancient lineage of proud warriors whose line can be traced to the first native peoples that lived in the tundra of Elnard, and whose citadel itself had never been taken by any foreign force, the Dolmas, led currently by King Eduardric Dolma. Beltheraine is known throughout Ticonderos for the manufacture of armor, specifically exquisite suits of plate armor and not only supply such pieces to extravagant knights and lords of the northern kingdoms but also maintain their own retinue of knights in a fashion quite unlike the military of the other city-states and outfit them with some of the lightest, sturdiest, and most stylish armor on the continent, the secret blessings of their ancient, northern gods engraved into the plates to keep the metal cool even in the southern noonday sun. Their Knight-Captain, King Eduardric’s uncle, is also called Keeper of the Starslayer after the legendary sword he bears the burden of carrying and caring for that is said to have been forged from the crystalline chitin of a monster that emerged from a meteorite that struck Elnard thousands of years ago.
At the southern edge of Ticonderos, arid cliffsides divide the Cochimec Bay on the west from the Tloch al-Laam Inlet on the east, and as the high desert mountains slope back into the shifting sands near the end of the inlet is where one would find the great agricultural heart of the Alo Pagtria, the Devejhraine city-state. The Alo Pagtria of Devejhraine have grown many varieties of corn, hot peppers, and beans in the area for centuries and have recently introduced dates, melons, and drought-resistant grains such as millet and sorghum due to the massive and varied influx of (and importation by) foreign bloodlines. Religion is very important to the region and many rituals and festivals are dedicated to Devejhraine’s gods and goddesses of harvest, rain, wind, sea, and more. The holy men of Devejhraine choose their sovereign, in the current case, Queen Ashakti Baranar who is at once warm yet devious, pious yet worldly. She is a fiery, populist politician, a powerful orator, and a merciless debater. Though not a warrior herself, Queen Ashakti is served by the Seven Spears of the Sun, an old, militant, ascetic order and her personal guard, ordained by the highest clergy in the land.
Finally, tucked in the shadows of the mountains along the desert’s eastern rim lies the mysterious Teluraine city-state just south-west of the ominous Tower of Eternal Flame. No one knows the origins of the Tower, it stood when the native peoples of Ticonderos first roamed the desert in search of places to settle and is said to be a playground for imps and devils and demons, or perhaps a prison. Teluraine is known throughout Ticonderos as a place of superstition and cults, the dwelling of witches and warlocks, and a home for dark magic and evil secrets, but they also produce weapons of fine manufacture and magical properties. In truth, within Teluraine two cults do form the most significant expression of religion in the area, the Water Finders and the Cult of the First Fire, and Teluraine is currently ruled by the enigmatic King Elazar Lazuli, High Priest of the Water Finders. The streets of the strange city of Teluraine are lined with apothecaries and vendors of odd dolls and other curios. Fortune tellers and star-readers and numerologists (with the occasional mathematician) are not uncommon, and even the rare demonologist or warlock might be found in unexpected and/or unscrupulous places by one who knows where to look.
One might say, in the Free City of Tyfaine, there is, in fact, a fifth city-state in the south of Ticonderos, apart from the Sovereign Capital, not subject to the triumvirate coalition of Beltheraine, Devejhraine, and Teluraine; however, the tale of the Free City is one all its own.
The Waybetween 