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THE
UNITED
KINGDOM
OF SANTHARIA |
Gigantic kingdom comprising all lands
dominated by humans of the southern
Sarvonian continent.
The lands which are now part of Santharia and which were ancient times eight
kingdoms of their own are as follows:
Erpheronia,
Centorauria,
Caltharia,
Kyrania,
Eyelia,
Serpheloria,
Avennoria and finally
Stratania. The United
Kingdom of Santharia was founded in the Age of Changes, at the year of 1648
following the Cournanian Calendar, by the former Tharanian king,
Santhros the Wise which was acclaimed by all races inhabiting the southern
Sarvonian
continent. The name "Santharia"
derives from this king
"Santhros", who united the kingdoms peacefully, and
"Thar", a powerful
Erpheronian regent, who prepared
the way for
Santhros by uniting the
northern tribes to the Tharian kingdom.
Location. Santharia
comprises all lands of southern Sarvonian
starting from the dragoninfested Tandala
Mountains. Part of Santharia are also the adjacent Isles of Ram (east of the Tandala), the Isles
of Churican
(near the peninsula of Paragonj west of Voldar), the Isles Nommeros and Parda
west of Kor Donion and finally the Island
of Hope in the midst of the Aetryam Sea.
Description.
Still to be added.
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Coat
of Arms/Sign.
The design of the Santharian Coat of Arms was also the initial
design, intended by Santhros when he
ascended to the Santharian throne. In the center of the Coat of Arms the famous
sign of the so-called Sarvonian Alliance can be found: four linked hands, each
one supporting the other, forming a square or a wheel. The four hands
represent the four main civilized races of Sarvonia:
elves, dwarves,
halflings and
men. Brownies by the way are not
included in the design as they weren't part of the Alliance. This Alliance
comprising all the mentioned races secretly fought the dark elven Lord
Saban Blackcloak and so also the
sign of the Alliance once was a secret mark to identify members of the
organization. With Santhros it became
official and thus also a sign of transperancy between the races.
To each hand/race the Coat of Arms additionally bears runes of each race: The NW
rune is named Avásh, the elven symbol of
Wind/Air, the NE rune represents the letter
"T" (for the famous king Thar) in an ancient
Erpheronian writing style. The
SW rune also stands for the letter "T", but this time its a
dwarven rune and is a shortcut for the term
"Thergerim", the name the dwarves use for
their own race. The SE rune finally is a
halfling rune and in fact one of hospitality, adorning many
halfling dwellings. In its essence it
represents the small folk and its part in the Santharian community quite well.
The races runes are placed on a golden cross which together with
the silver cross seperating the background sections of the Coat of Arms form a
gold/silver star, which was the ancient sign of the
Tethiás'quarón, the Oath of the Young,
sworn in 501 b.S. between the elven Avá'ránn
Vilanciash and the Erpheronian
sovereign Karthach of Ishmarin. The blue and the white background also represent
the dominating and once rivaling races of humans
(blue for the Water Element) and
elves (white for the
Wind Element), now joined through the sign
of the
Tethiás'quarón.
People.
Still to be added.
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Map of the 8 provinces of the United Kingdom of Santharia. Picture drawn by Artimidor. |
Provinces. The United Kingdom of Santharia is divided into eight provinces which intentionally were not based on the borders of the former kingdoms, but on regions which existed aside from the political borders. The introduction of new provinces instead maintaining the kingdom scheme by the king and his advisors was a bit problematic at the beginning as people from different kingdoms suddenly were ruled by an idependent count, who was installed by the king himself. But in the course of time the decision of Santhros proved to be a wise one as the new administration finally led to better understanding among the people and also among the various different races. The eight Santharian provinces are (from north to south):
Nermeran (Capital: Nyermersys, the ancient Thevelin)
Nermeran is the northernmost province and includes the Isle
of Narvos to the West, the Warnaka Mountains, the Calmarios forest, the
Alsis'caey Mountains as well as the Silvermarshes, most important towns
aside from the capital are Astran and Weyring.
Vardýnn
(Capital: Voldar)
The largest province of Santharia, covering most parts of
the former Erpheronian
territory. Vardýnn includes the peninsula of Paragonj, Churican, the
Thaelon, the Aurora Fields and the Heath of Jernais as well as the
Goltherlon and the enclave of Alvang. Most important towns are Thyslan,
Cemphiria and Jernais.
Xaramon
(Capital: Ximax)
Xaramon, the province of magicians, consists of the
peninsula of Chá'dómm, the Steppe of Kruswik, the Vontron Forest and the
Shivering Woods, the Ilean Plateau as well
as the Lower Fores. Important towns: Caelum, Naios and Horth.
Enthronia
(Capital: Carmalad)
This northeastern province is pretty large, surrounding the
Ancythrian Sea, but contains desolate land parts like the Seanian Swamps and
the Plain of Truoor. You'll also find the Paelelon and the Istarin Forests
on this territory and important towns like Cavthan, Doovens and Veltin.
Sanguia
(Capital: New-Santhala,
Capitol of the kingdom)
After Vardýnn Sanguia is the largest province of Santharia,
containing the Mountain Range of the Rimmerins Ring, the Zeiphyrian Forests,
the Quallian, the Almatrar as well as the Heath of Cjur. Towns worth
mentioning are Chylikis, brinsley, Elving, Onved, Hog and Kor Donion.
Manthria
(Capital: Marcogg)
Manthria on the eastern coast of Santharia contains the
Mithral Mountains, the
Auturian Forests and the Tolonian Heath. Places of
notice are Klinsor, Ciosa, Chrondra and the
dwarven realm of Kor Donion.
Brendolan (Capital: Bardavos)
Stretching from the Sharadon Forests till deep into the
Ráhaz-Dáth desert, Brendolan contains the
Narfost Plain and the Occen Lake
as well as important towns like Antiragon and Mehmetsh.
Truban
(Capital: Thalambath)
The desert province of Truban represents the western part of
the Ráhaz-Dáth. Places of notice are the Oasis of Nirmenith, Varcopas,
Strata and Thalambath.
Government.
Governmental organization in Santharia has a long tradition. Though the
uniting of the ancient kingdoms through the ascension of
Santhros the Wise to the Santharian
throne brought a new governmental structure to the lands on the highest
levels and also led to the re-naming for ranks and titles on lower ones,
most parts of the power hierarchy lived on in the one way or the other when
the new kingdom was formed. As the system of feudalism was the foundation of
society in the ancient kingdoms, so it was continued in Santharia: In a
pyramidical manner land was given from the topmost level, the Crown, to
sub-oridinated landholders, who divided their portions to other
sub-ordinated landholders below their level, and so forth, until the
landholders on the other end of the pyramid are reached, who administrate
the smallest parcels of land.
Though rights and duties for the single levels of the hierarchy were defined
in the King's Act back in the time of
Santhros, the historical and regional differences and developments of
course still reflect as well in specific titles and powers of regional
leaders, who still may exert their independence from the King to a certain
degree. The actual power constellations compared to the theoretical
definitions therefore are much more intricate and complicated, but still
they operate to a vast degree in the layed out confines. More details on
Santharian ranks and
titles can be found in
an own entry
dedicated to this issue.
The organisation can be described in detail as follows. Note however, that knowledge of Santharian history is essential to understand how government works in such a vast kingdom:
The Santhran (Santharian
King)
The King, who is always human, is the figurehead of the United Kingdom of Santharia. Since the death of
Santhros the King also bears the title
"Santhran" honouring the famous and by now legendary deeds of the first Santharian regent. The King's spouse is also
referred to not only as "Queen" but as "Santhranna".
The power of the Santhran however shouldn't be overrated. Due to the vast
size of the Santharian Kingdom alone, the Santhran has only a very limited
influence in the matters of the provinces themselves. Though he represents
the kingdom and can prescribe decrees and laws for all of the provinces by
his own decision, there have been several occurences when the Thanes refused
to enforce these regulations or suspended already existing ones. Thus only
very few decrees are actually passed out by the Santhran himself without the
consultations of regional leaders, basically these are only slight
amendments to already existing regulations. These difficulties demonstrate
on how complex it is for the Santhran to govern over Santharia and also on
how important it is to have a charismatic and convincing leader. It has
proven to be essential for a strong Santhran to try to seek contact with the
provincial rulers in order to strengthen his own position while at the same
time guaranteeing cohesion within this vast realm and to nurture
understanding of each other's needs.
While the King in the ancient kingdom of Tharania was used to be selected by his predecessor, thus
making him a family member or an advisor for example, the Santhran is
elected among the Thanes of the provinces in the so-called "Thanemoot", a
gathering held usually shortly after the Santhran's death. At rare
occasions, when the time of death of the regent is obviously imminent or the
Council of the Linked Hands sees the necessity to elect a new Santhran, the
Thanemoot will take place while the Santhran is still in office.
The Council of Linked Hands
The human Thanes meet together with the
King at the Council of the Linked Hands to make national level decisions.
The Santhran is also the head of the Linked
Hands, a council making national level decisions. The Council mandatorilly
includes the leaders of the provinces, the Thanes. Other members of this
council are the elven
Avá'ránn, the leader of the
High Elven Circle, who can speak for all tribes, and is usually the most
respected, or perhaps the eldest elf among
elven leaders.
In this Council the Santhran instructs the Thanes of the eight provinces and
proposing the laws of the
land, though these laws mostly must be kept open, as each race has a certain autonomy of
rule. The elves of the
Aellenrhim have a saying
derived from watching their human
neighbours: "A law is passed, and a way past it is found", implying that to
some extent, even humans are ruled more by
provincial law than by the Santhran.
The Santhran's Orders
The Santhran's actual power comes from a series of orders, who swear an oath of loyalty
to the kingdom of Santharia to preserve its boundaries and laws. More
importantly they swear alligance to the Santhran. In return, the orders receive
certain privileges and status.
The Thanes (Provincial Regents)
The Thanes of Santharia are both mediators of the Santhran’s rule and the basis
of provincial and regional autonomy. The title "Thane" probably derived from
the former Erpheronian king
Thar the Great, who already named his
representatives "Thanes" in the kingdoms he annexed in 482 b.S.
(Centorauria, Kyrania and Caltharia). Often Thanes also have additional
titles related to the history or the geographical position of the province
like Marshal in Nermeran, Tristin in Truban or Steward in the province of
Sanguia. Only former Thanes can become Santhran when they gather enough
votes in the Thanemoot meeting, deciding upon the succession after the death
of the former Santhran.
Thanes have semi-monarchal status in their provinces and represent the links between
the
national and the regional administration.. These human
regents are responsible for the day to day running of their own province and
can be compared to the former kings of the ancient
Sarvonian kingdoms as they can reign independently to a certain degree.
This independence is mostly pre-determined by the strength or weakness of
the current king. The position of Thane constitutes the topmost rank
in the regional hierarchy of the province, standing directly above the
Dukes/Duchesses, who control between 3 and 5 Duchies, in which each province is
devided.
The Dukes and Duchesses
Each of the eight Santharian
provinces is split into further districts of administration, the Duchies.
Large elven woods, however, which form a
complete unity of their own (like the
Auturian
Woods in Manthria or the
Sharadon Forest in Brendolan) are called
"Stý'cáls" ("Lands of the Elves").
Dwarven or
halfling territory usually is not as
large as to reach the size of an elven
Stý'cál in order to form a similar administration unit as a Duchy.
Constituting the second highest rank in
the province just below the Thane, the Dukes govern over all the local
lieges, the Gravens. They need to report to the Thane regularly, consult him
and make sure to exert the kingdom's and the province's laws in their given
counties.
In general it can be said that the way in which local decisions are made
by the Thane, the Duke or the Gravens varies from place to place, and tribe to tribe.
The influences from the provincial governors are very dominant in certain
regions, while in others (e.g. scarcely populated ones) the local autonomy
plays a much larger role and is tolerated by the Dukes.
Similarly certain races or tribes have their own form of independence.
The Gravens (Markgravens,
Landgravens and Moundgravens)
The Gravens (male
and female form is identical) are instated by the Dukes to maintain a
certain fief they have been granted. The Gravens often have a close
relationship to the Dukes, are relatives or personal friends and swear faith
to them, just as the Dukes do to the Thane and the Thane to the Santhran. The fiefs are segmented by the
Gravens, the lieges, and granted to subordinate landholders (nobles and
aristocrats), their vassals. Sometimes
these landholders can have a special privileged status as well (see
Privileged Nobility
below). Such a fief is not owned by the occupant, but is managed by the
occupant for both, the superior landholder and the occupant's heir. There
are different titles and functions for Gravens, the most popular are:
- Markgravens. Markgravens control 'marches',
mostly border territories or passes and therefore are deemed as the most
import lieges.
- Landgravens. Landgravens hold basically land
and farmlands.
- Moundgravens. Moundgravens (in certain
regions called Hillgravens or Mongravens in slang expression) are
responsible for mountainous or heavily forested regions.
Privileged Nobility and Aristocrats
(Barons, Viscounts etc.)
Barons, Viscounts
and several other mainly province specific titles
represent minor nobility who have special rights
and/or duties. They often possess individual holdings - usually a
castle, manor, or other fortified dwelling, and
of course a substantial portion of land to go with
it (given by the Gravens), which commonly exceeds the
amount of land regular nobility possesses. They are responsible
directly to the Gravens
above them just like every other landholder and
for the individual people who farm, herd, fish, or
otherwise toil on their holdings. However, they may exert
as well their special powers and freedoms in making decisions, granted to
them by their liege. In some cases privileged nobility may act nearly
independent in their given land.
The Landholders (Lords and Ladies)
The Landholders
are the nobles and aristocrats at the lower end of the Santharian hierarchy,
living in manors. They are responsible for ensuring that the land is being
cultivated by the peasants, who produce and make income. The
Landholders' duties are to show loyalty, honesty and
usefulness to their liege - this includes to provide financial assistance,
attendance at court if necessary, and military service. Usually the position
of landholder is inherited or transfered to people through marriage. In
other cases clerics or nobles may be granted a fief to maintain.
Honorific Titles
Finally there exist several titles in Santharia, which are not directly
integrated in the described hierarchy. These titles include Knights, Mages,
Sages, Masterbards, Masterartisan etc.
Climate. The climate
of Southern Sarvonia is as different as its
landscape. Stretching from the center of Caelereth
to far into the south, the kingdom of Santharia knows the frost clanking
winters of the Tandala Highlands as well
as the heat ridden summers of the southern
Ráhaz-Dáth. And in-between all variations from mild winters and
agreeable summers to extreme seasons with a lot of snow till far in the
south or heat waves till the distant north can be experienced.
One major influence however is the shape of the
Sarvonian continent, where Santharia represents the southernmost large
kingdom. It is stretching very long from north to south and its extension
from east to west is comparably small in relation to its length. That means,
that most times the sea has a balancing effect on extreme weather
conditions, especially in all coastal regions, however, it can bring death
and destruction as well at times, which are not predictable.
Generally, the weather is the coldest in the northern
Tandalas, which are in high summer about
twice as far away from the warming rays of the
Injèrá than the southernmost point,
the Scattersand Shoals.
In normal years frost holds its grip on the lands till south of the
Sharadon. The roofs of Dasai,
lying much higher than Varcopas, can well be seen
covered with a white cap at times, despite the closeness to the sea. The
Narfost Plain sees regularly frost and snow
in winter. Varcopas is the northernmost town
which is frost free during winter, Bardavos,
located away from the sea, can have frost as well at times, as does the
central Ráhaz-Dáth, though only when the skies
are clear for several days, snow falls there very rarely. The Nirmenith
Mountains have new snow every winter, an important precipitation to maintain
the equilibrium of growth and aridness in the deserts of the
Ráhaz-Dáth to the east. Even the
Aj‘nuvic Grounds, being a valley of high
altitude, have frost and sometimes even snow. An everlasting snow-cap is
greeting from a point even farther in the south than the Nirmenith
Mountains: The top of the Norong‘Sorno is always white due to it being the
highest elevation in Southern Sarvonia.
Most of Santharia north of the Sharadon is
covered with a white blanket of snow during winter. How much snow this will
be and how long it stays varies with the place and the local conditions
however. So the snow in Ravenport lying at the sea will rarely cover the
ground for more than a few hours each day, melting with the rising
temperatures till midday, whereas on the north slopes of the Rimmerins Ring,
though this mountain stock lies fairly south, can last till the month of the
Changing Winds.
Though at times a lot of snow can fall, even till sea level and though it
can be very frosty, most winters in Santharia are mild compared to those
north of the Tandalas. Even the province
of Nermeran is no exception, protected from
colder northern winds by the
Tandalas, the Warnaka and the Allsiscaey
Mountains.
The summers are mostly very agreeable in Santharia. It is of course warmer
in the more southern regions. Strata has at times a
climate comparable to Shan‘Tai, lying not much more north than the Aeruillin
town. It can be hot and dry in summer and the
wind from the Burning Sea brings no
relief.
But north of the Sharadon the summer heat may
initiate a grass fire in the
Elverground after a period of no rain, but
mostly it is bearable. Even Nermeran has a mostly
friendly and warm weather in summer, though citizens from
New-Santhala would find it too cool. There
are most times not more than a few summers in a row which are so hot, that
the harvest is in danger of being lost, rainy summer follow for certain. And
a very hot summer in Brendolan, Sanguia and Manthria
mean often a good harvest in the northern provinces of
Nermeran, Enthronia and
Vardýnn. So in our modern times within a united and peaceful kingdom
draughts in the south or crop failure in the north due to a rainy summer are
not the cause of famine anymore.
Every now and then, unpredictably, extreme weather conditions can occur.
What causes this weather is not known. As one example the winter in the year
1597 a.S. shall serve. It came early, already in the
Month of the Dead Tree with
a lot of snow, but not only this. It stayed so cold for three months, that
even the Gulf of Maraya started to freeze and the more northerly located
bays like the Cyan Sola Bay froze completely. Snow lay several
handspans high even at
the shore which we know from reports kept in
Lorehaven. All traffic came to a standstill for the snow inside the
country. In New-Santhala the its heights
exceeded four peds, how
much covered the open land can only be guessed. It is said, that the Lower
Fores were not much more than soft bumps. Varcopas
had frost, so that all climbers which gave this town its name died and an
unprecedented event occurred - there was snow on the
Shendar
domes, something even very
old tribe members had never experienced, but knew just from stories told
around the fire. In this time even the
warm core of the elven forests shrunk
considerably.
However many considered this less harmful than the series of winters early
in this century, where no frost hit the lower regions of the whole of
Santharia. Snow fell only on the highest mountains. Many believed, that this
would not be a big problem, but after the third mild winter it got apparent:
The vermin like snails, bugs and other insects had not been killed during
the frosty period and had multiplied, wrecking havoc to the harvests, more
severely than the draught at the end of last century. The strong winter in
the year 1611 a.S. ended this, thanks to the gods.
There is however one exception to the above described weather conditions -
the elven forests. They seem to generate
their own climate, be it the Sharadon in the
south or the Thaelon in the north. In the
summertime they are always cool, but not cold, moist and agreeable to live
in, despite a possible heat wave and long lasting aridness in the lands
around them or a season of summer storms and devastating rains. In winter it
is even more obvious. When approaching an elven
forest in the cold season after some time of heavy frost a marvel can be
encountered. If it has a lot of snow, the white precipitation will enfold
the elven trees as well, though the snow
seems to lie there even thicker and heavier, the huge trees appearing like
white giants. If it was just cold and one is lucky enough that the
Injèrá is smiling from a cloudless
sky, then one of the greatest natural wonders of
Caelereth displays before one's eyes: The trees, be it the huge
coastal redwood of the
Sharadon Forest or the
adlemir and
peace pine from the
Zeiphyrian Forests, or the tops of the
mahood euwen in the centre of
the Thaelon, all are are covered with a thick
layer of ice. It may be well several
nailsbredth thick,
coating every branch, every sprig, every pine-needle. Sometimes the
wind has blown at a certain direction,
then the ice has strange, crystal like forms, often a
fore long. And all is
glinting and sparkling like a forest of jewels. The most marvellous sights
one can have is if one stands on one of the mountains near the Vale of the
Brownies and looks to the south. There
the Quallian presents itself like a giant jewel
twinkling in all colours of the rainbow.
However, only the trees and bushes at the borders are covered with ice, as
the very tops of the trees. If one could avert the eyes from these
splendours and dare to break through the icy walls, a warm, green, - though
at times, when it snows on top of the icy coat - slightly darker world
greets the surprised wanderer. Normally it is not as dark as one would
expect. The ice ensheathing the branches at the tops of the treeschannels
the rays of the sun in a way, so that
light falls into the forest. It is however a different kind of luminance
than in the summer, more serene, for the movement the leaves display in the
warm season is missing.
Not much is known how this can happen, or is achieved by the
elves. Many claim, it is the dense growth
of the elven forests which holds the warmth
produced by the life inside it and protects it from the chilly
winds from the north, the evaporating
moisture being responsible for the ice-coat. Others claim, that only old
elven magic
not known to Ximax can accomplish this.
Flora. Still to be
added.
Fauna. Still to be
added.
Myth/Lore. There
are various stories and tales about Santharia, its history and its destiny
in the future. The most important tale obviously is the famous "Avaesthoría"
myth, which recounts the travels of Eyrin Fontramon and Leander S'Ingvendar.
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Map of the expansion of the Erpheronians. Map drawn by Artimidor. |
History.
The map to the left shows the overwhelming expansion of the Erpheronian
kingdom which was the main source for the creation of
Santharia. Thar, the strongest Erpheronian king so far, united the four
northernmost tribes of the southern Sarvonian continent - the Erpheronians, the
Centoraurians, the
Kyranians and the Caltharians -, crowning himself to the
sovereign of the newly founded kingdom of Tharania at 482 b.S. (1166 CC). The
main reason for the willingness of the tribes to subdue themselves to the
powerful Erpheronians peacefully was the urging need for support concerning the
reconstruction of their destroyed lands after three great
Sarvonian Wars. As the Erpheronian Kingdom was constantly
becoming more and more powerful, the remaining Kingdoms of the
southern Sarvonian continent still lacked a guiding hand and a strong
leadership. As the so-called Sarvonian Alliance was formed it was only a matter of time
when the Tharanian Kingdom would become the only Kingdom dominating the southern
Sarvonian continent. Under the reign of Santhros the Eyelians, the
Serphelorians, the Avennonorians and last not least the
Stratanians finally
peacefully joined the Tharanian Kingdom in order to unite the realms of the
southern Sarvonian continent.
It's a historical fact that the coronation of Santhros to the Santharian throne
was the direct continuation to the strictly confidental Sarvonian
Alliance
between the leaders of all three main races of the southern Sarvonian continent,
humans, elves and
dwarves. This alliance already existed since several years in
order to hinder the endeavour of the dark elven lord, the Móch'rónn, Saban
Blackcloak, who descended the Hèckranian volcano in order to topple the Earthen
Titan from his throne in the depths of the dungeon Hegedorn.
With the creation of the Santharian kingdom an essential counterpart was formed
in southern Sarvonia to the barbarians and the orcish cultures developing in the Northlands.
But not only this: The new kingdom also brought peace to the many disputes among
the races which still reigned the lands. Therefore it is indeed justifyed that
all historical incidents taking place after Santhros' ascension to the throne
are measured after the new Santharian
Calendar.
At the beginning of the reign of Santhros many difficulties had to be mastered, but
soon the realm thrived. It also didn't happen accidentally that the Moch'rónn
who was the reason for the unification of the realms also was defeated by a
party of heroes comprising members of all three races - and a halfling too. At
the Golden Age of Kings (500 a.S.), with the new king Weyarhin Santharia's
economic development reached its current summit.
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