In ancient days Petaxaleena was a province of the elves great domain, but from that time little has survived. The men of Petaxaleena were, and remain, hardy folk accustom to life farming soggy fields of the south; the departure of their overlords all those centuries ago meant little to them. Unlike Lorea or the many other regions both Humans and Elves elves cohabited it is largely only pure blood Humans that remain in Petaxaleena, a side effect of the harshness of the country and the rather unsettling wildlife that resides there.

However, in the north, among the warm foothills, there exists a notable exception. Nearly all the Kingdoms nobility is concentrated in its northern reaches below the great mountains that separate Petaxaleena from the rest of the east, and they have long sought to preserve the Elven blood in their veins. In most cases this has been accomplished through careful breeding, but the most charismatic of the nobility have found ways to seduce Elven brides. More than just blood, the nobility has almost nothing in common with those they rule over. The Great Lords of Petaxaleena worship the old gods Kepa and Ele, the sun and moon, whereas the common folk worship ill defined gods of harvest and the wild.

Of course the nobility might well worship the gods of the wild too, if they spent any time in the south. Among the swamps and fields of that godforsaken region there are real monsters, wicked beasts that spend their time in the water only to come up when they hunger for flesh. Every year the families of those crippled or killed by the beasts demand action from the nobles living their pampered lives in their resplendent castles, and every year they are mocked for the presumption. The monsters cannot be a problem unless the nobility says they are, of course.

In reality the nobles know they could never really end the beasts. The ancient elves doubtless tried, as did a dozen forgotten kings, none even came come to eradicating the scourge. Why waste lives more than are already lost? Peasants may be easily replaced, but to lose a whole generation in the foolish effort to extinguish the ancient beasts of the south would be catastrophic. Petaxaleena has never been rich, despite its size, to lose the workforce would be to lose the entire nation to anarchy and chaos.

In recent times though, the menace has been... Reduced. The beasts of the east, ever longing for a challenge, extended their services in exchange for a fortress in Petaxaleena and the chance to recruit a limited number of peasants, for an army it was all too easy an offer. Their valiant efforts rid the world of countless beasts, not enough, but still. For the first time in centuries the population of Petaxaleena has exploded as peasants start families without fear and clear land further into the swamps than was imaginable. The nobility knows that, in time, the beasts will replenish their numbers, but the luxury the boost in taxes has permitted them was well worth the bargain with the strange creatures of the eastern reaches.

Name: Kingdom of Aontas.

Location: At the northeast corner of the Sunrise Lands, stradling along the north and south faces of the cliffs of the Great Northern Range, and extending into the taiga and frozen seas beyond.

Description: Aontas (pronounced Yontis) is a kingdom of the north, a stretch of frozen mountains and dense pine-forests once home to raiders and barbarians, unto whom civilization and the light of the one true faith—the Church of Aurelia—has been firmly thrust. The people of Aontas, the Aontans, have a reputation in the Sunrise Lands as traders and explorers, master sailors who foolheartedly brave the craggy and ice-plagued seas of their snowy homeland to venture all across the continent and beyond. Theirs is a kingdom dominated by mankind, where beast and elf alike are feared and poorly understood, those exotic beings rarely seen outside the more cosmopolitan trade-ports that dot the coasts. The capital of Aontas is the eponymous city of Aonthall, situated at the southern most point of the so-called 'Icefang', a fang shaped bay situated along Aontas' northern coast. Silverport, the largest city in the kingdom and a major trending centre in the Sunrise Lands, is built along the River Lumen, in the south-west. As would befit its name, Silverport primarily exports silver, harvested from the bountiful mines of the Great Northern Mountains and transported downriver to the port.

The Kingdom of Aontas is the final product of a successful crusade by the Lumenistic Order, a group of zealous followers of the Church of Aurelia originally founded to defend the shores of Boros, Aontas' southern neighbour, from pagan attackers. The Order, and the kingdom they defended, were struck a major blow by the sacking of a great port city of Boros by a massive war-party from a Aontan tribe, whose lands were along the banks of what is today called the River Lumen. Funded by donations from the Church of Aurelia and the King of Boros, the Lumenistic Order launched a counter-offensive into Aontas, landing on Aontan shores to bring the fight to the pagans at long last. The tribe responsible for the attack, the Hopia, were soundly defeated by the seasoned and well-equipped knights of the Order. The river along which the Hopia lived was renamed the River Lumen by the victors, in their own glory, and the women of the Hopia were taken as wives by the knights, their children raised in the light of Aurelian church. Further conquests followed in successive generations, until the whole of modern Aontas south of the Great Northern Range was conquered and converted by the Order.

Eventually, a champion arose from among the Aontan tribes to face the Lumenistic Order, a chieftain who saw himself as the successor of the mighty warrior-emperors of the Great Northern Empire of days long gone. This champion, known to history as Folam, united by strength and by virtue the scattered tribes of the northern half of Aontas, establishing suzerainty over all the Aontan people yet unconquered and styling himself as emperor. Folam led the Aontans against the Lumenistic Order in the Battle of the White Sky, in the modern kingdom's eastern lands, inflicting a heroic and crushing victory against the Order and killing or capturing nearly a third of their fighting men. As the knights of the Order retreated the field, however, the clear sky that had shone the brightest blue over the course of the battle turned white, and a blizzard rolled in from nowhere, as if materializing before Folam's very eyes. The Aontan warhost was unable to march home through the horrifically fierce blast of winter, and were forced to make camp in the fields and weather the storm. Having taken so few casualties, and with so many prisoners in tow, their camp's supplies of food quickly run out, as days went by without the blizzard shifting or weakening. Folam, the virtuous pagan, sought to share the camp's food and blankets with the fighting men of the Order, but his generals, the Aontan tribal chiefs, objected that any Aontan should die that a foreign invader might live, and refused to properly feed or clothe the prisoners, jealously hoarding all they had. Folam himself, seeing the southern knights shivering, suffering from frostbite and succumbing to the cold, is said to have removed his own bear-skin cape, the regalia of his kingship, and offered it to a prisoner in need. Aurelia, so moved by Folam's gesture of mercy, forgave the Aontan warriors their barbarous ways and dispersed the storm. Witnessing the divine might of the Lady manifest itself, Folam converted, and came to peace with the Lumenistic Order. The territories of the order on the mainland were surrendered to his demesne, and the Lumenistic Order—still possessing the isles of the South Aontas Sea—swore to aid him as loyal servants in converting the rest of his people and upholding the teachings of the Church of Aurelia in his kingdom. So was it that Folam became King Folam I, the founder of the Kingdom of Aontas, and that nation and its people were bathed in Aurelia's light.

Alternative Names: Kyrennopolis, Kyrennes Commonwealth or just Kyrennos.
Demonym: Kyrenno (m.,n.), Kyrenne (f.) or Kyrennoi (pl. or gen.) - mostly exclusive to citizen
Dominant Species: Centaurs (they refer to themselves as Yppolo, Yppoloi for plural)


Kyrennopolis (back then called as Arioce) used to be nothing a small fishing town and part of a human kingdom long forgotten. This changed when the kingdom came under attack by the distant lands of Kenteiros. Using it as their main port Emperor Aetion turned the small town into a flourishing city named Ariopolis. After the conquest of kingdom the territory became a crown jewel to the Empire, often managed by the royal heir. Ariopolis became small yet rich province thanks to the trade incomes, turning more and more extravagant with each successive ruler. Under Empress Melanctene the city (and the entire territory) was renamed Kyrennopolis (city of sovereignty) and she even considered turning it to the new capital of Kenteiros. Yet disasters struck the Empire and after a line of inept rulers came the dominance of the infamous Emperor Abikenos. His reign of terror led to a massive civil war and Kenteiros invaded and split into many parts. At the same time Kyrennopolis had enough and murdered their governor while declaring their independence. Tired of monarchies and fearful of the rise of a new tyrant they form a democratic government ruled by none but the direct will of all citizens. Being the center of culture even before the Empire's fall they've redoubled their focus on art, thought and knowledge. Hundreds of scholars leave the city each year in search for knowledge and to spread their wisedom through the world. The Kyrennoi University, one of the world's first, is well-renowned and students can attend from all races and nations. While most centaurs chose to live as nomadic savages the Kyrennoi are better recognized as teachers, priests and scholars with their philosophies influencing thinkers throughout the subcontinent.

Kyrennopolis is at times called the capital of free thinkers yet when referring to the country as a whole the situation is different. Democracy only involves the free and wealthy citizens of Kyrennopolis and nobody else. They themselves form a rich elite. Because following the old Kenteiros traditions slavery and oppression are rather common. Kallos are a goblin-like diminutive race who follow Kyrennosians wherever they go. That is because they are effectively their slaves, born for serving the centaurs. Being large half man and half horse creatures there are certain tasks they'd find difficult or impossible. As such before even the formation of Kenteiros they managed to enslave a weak race who would not resist them, the Kallosi. Since then these small humanoid creatures accompany the centaurs as servants. In spite of that they are rarely unhappy with their circumstances and they are treated relatively well. Aside from them Kyrennopolis also practices debt slavery and enslaving their defeated. Non-citizens and especially non-centaur populations in general are also treated as secondary countrymen. Territories outside the city have their own small governments that are subservient to the Kyrennopolis leadership. In this sense anywhere but in the city people still experience monarchic rule, only replacing the authority of one person with that of a whole city. Aside from local militia the army and warfleets of Kyrennos are both under central control with citizenry at their core. For people of such reputation of enlightenment Kyrennoi are quite militant and would not hesitate to wage war when it serves their interest. When waging war is necessary the Demos appoints a Strategos and their cadre of military officials to lead the army albeit at times of turmoil it isn't rare for such titles to be retained even during relative peacetime.

Demographics wise Kyrennos is rather diverse. Kyrennopolis is chiefly populated by centaurs and their Kallosi attendants. Rural villages and towns are mostly inhabited by humans albeit albeit centaurs are also common. The central lands were used to be swamps filled with various swamp beasts. Since then large scale irrigation networks built by the Empire while making a deal with the Sauros (lizardmen), one of the more civilized aquatic beasts. The lizardmen communities gradually forced the other beasts out from their now changed environment and can be practically considered a collection of tiny countries subjected to Kyrennos. Up North are wildlands where the law only has limited hold. This territory is dominated by centaurs who chose a more free but also savage lifestyle.