After a somewhat shaded beginning, the Caltharian Tribe is now one of the most defenceless tribes in Santharia. Their humiliating defeat in the Age of Awakening has since changed the tribe’s entire outlook on life. Instead of concentrating on their swords, they now work with their hands, creating amazing art works.

Picture description. A Carmaladian dyer at work. Drawn by Bard Judith.

Appearance. Being average height for humans, some taller some shorter, the Caltharians are generally ‘fair’ coloured with their skin tone regardless of how much sun they get. Their hair pigmentation is also light, as is their eye colours. The reasons for this are unknown.

Their hair is generally long and unkept, “dread locks” are not uncommon within the tribe. They wear colourful bandannas about their heads, and tie bands about their wrist and often ankles also. Caltharians are generally very stocky build, both men and women.

Although their presentation isn’t considered civilised or sophisticated they are still clean and care about their own self image.

Coat of Arms/Sign. Also fairly basic, in the shape of a circle. The Caltharian coat of arms also changed when their people changed. From a sword in front of a shield, to a sword with a cloth wrapped about it, signifying their once proud army, and their now more subtle way of life.

The Caltharian Coat of Arms designed by Finnael and Koldar Mondrakken.

Territory. The Caltharian borders are: the eastern shores of Santharia as far south as the tip of the Ancythrian Sea and the Seanian swamps, to as far north as the bay south of the village Veltin. The western borders consist of the western shores of the Ancythrian Sea, the Goltherlon Forest, the Hèckranian volcano and the Higher Fores and the city Elsreth.

People. The Caltharians are skilled with dying cloth. They export the cloth to other tribes. Various treaties have capped their fighting skills, and they have no known talent when it comes to magic.

They are also quite skilled with woodwork and other "hand craft" skills, of which they also export to other tribes and races. It isn’t rare to see one or several members from this tribe in markets about the Santharian continent selling their wares.

Housing. The Caltharians live in modest wood build homes, with various wood decorations hanging from the roof. This is done to show the skill of the craftsman who lives inside. Each house is lightly stained with a bright colour. It isn’t unknown for a house in the area to reach a second story.

The main Caltharian population lives in Carmalad, which once was the capital of the Caltharian kingdom before it became part of the United Kingdom of Santharia. Scattered throughout the area are smaller huts, built and owned by less crafted wood workers and "dyers".

A Caltharian woman wearing a characteristic bandanna. Image drawn by Quellion.

Clothing. Caltharian clothing is somewhat primitive when compared with other human tribes, consisting of roughly torn cloths and rags. The colouring of the clothing however is spectacular. The tribe, unable to focus on it’s military endeavours, focused on their ability to dye cloth.

Diet. Living in the forest areas they hunt and eat meat. Fish is also in their diet. Plant life isn’t really paid any attention; it’s viewed as something to snack on rather something to keep you healthy. They have no specific requirements other than meat, which is generally served medium raw.

Map of the ancient kingdoms of Santharia (482 b.S.). Click on any kingdom to read more details at other kingdom entries. Picture drawn by Artimidor.

Weapons. As the Caltharians had restrictions placed upon them for many centuries, their current use of weaponry isn’t anything fancy. Various guards walking about Carmalad carry your general swords and shields.

Occupations. Men are generally wood workers, and women are generally the cloth dyers, although this isn’t ‘written in the law’ it has been known to be vise versa. Other than the military, woodworking and cloth dying there are no specific occupations in the tribe other than the various serving wenches and bar keeps.

Government. Since their early hierarchy system didn’t do the tribe much use, to be the King or the Queen ‘lost’ some of its glory. The Military leader and the King or Queen now rule fairly closer, the Military adviser often causing some friction between the two when one wanted to rule on something and the other disagreed. In such situations the King or Queen simply overruled the Military adviser, reminding him on her/his position.

Production/Trade. Caltharians are highly skilled in woodwork and dying of various cloths. Using their skills to show their superiority over other tribe members and other tribes and races. Since their fighting and magical skills are nothing to boast about they take pride in their ability to use their hands.

Natural Resources. None that they are aware of, and none that they care to discover. They are content with using their own skills to generate their wealth.

Festivals. Taking their newfound celebratory way of life, they celebrate once every month to honour the God that it is named after, thanking them for their existence.

TIME TABLE OF THE CALTHARIAN MEN THE ERA OF CONSOLIDATION (YEARS 8.500 B.S. - 3.400 B.S.) 4752 b.S. Battle at the Alianian Hills Orcs assemble a large army to get rid of the Jhehellrhim. The elves get word of it, and march on joining forces with Cavthan army. Ambushing the orcs unprepared they destroyed the orcish army. THE AGE OF AWAKENING (YEARS 1.655 B.S. - 822 B.S.) ca. 1200 b.S. to 1150 b.S. Carmalad is settled Serphelorians escaping the civil war in the south found Carmalad, which is intended to be a city-state independent of Serpheloria. Some contact is kept with the nomadic Serphelorians by those who settle there, but over time this too fades, allowing Carmalad to eventually become part of Caltharia. People seek peaceful and prosperous times and the town grows quickly. This means also more progress for the nearby Jhehellrhim elves, but will turn out as a catastrophe in the end.    846 b.S. Erpheronia declares War on Caltharia An Erpheronian herald, who is related to the Erpheronian king family, is killed in Caltharian territory by rogues. The powerhungry Erpheronian king Myrwodin, who seeks for a pretence of invading his weak neighbours for quite a while, interprets the death of the herald as an open offense against his kingdom and declares war on Caltharia. Construction of Everygrey Bridge Evergrey Bridge, bridging the fast flowing Cylian River between Ephirn's Lake and the Ancythrian Sea, is supposedly built about the year 846 b.S. by the Erpheronians to aid their war against the Caltharians. A new structure can support vast numbers of troops and heavy siege equipment that a wooden bridge can not. Certainly the structure is not build no later than this, as Evergrey Bridge represents a critical strategical location during the War for Ancyros (846-822 b.S.).    843 b.S. Battle at the Twinnean Peak As was to be expected, the Caltharian king, Artero "the Weak" (as he is named later on), isn't used to deal with military affairs. Having a badly trained army and no alliances with other supportive kingdoms Artero loses the final battle at the Twinnean Peak. Erpheronia and Caltharia sign the Declaration of Doovens After 3 years of war Artero, threatened to lose his own life as well as the rest of his kingdom, is forced to sign the "Declaration of Doovens". Thus Caltharia is forced to sign the very disadvantegous peace treaty, where the Caltharian king is reduced to no more than a vassal of the Erpheronian king. Contained in the declaration are the following key demands: 1.) It is forbidden to the Caltharian king to maintain a larger army, which could serve more than defending purposes. A royal guard is granted, however. 2.) The Caltharians have to pay a very large sum in gold and supplies to Erpheronia immediately as well as high taxes every year to come. 3.) The region of Ancyros, north of the Ancythrian Sea, which is rich on minerals, is now property of the Erpheronian Kingdom. Alliance of the Hobbitshire with the Erpheronians in the Ancyros War The halflings of New Hobbitshire become mixed up in the Ancyros war as an ally of the Erpheronian king Erdolomin against Caltharia. They are assigned to supplying the Erpheronians with food, clothing, and other such things. It is believed the alliance is forced upon the hobbits through threats.    834 b.S. Civil War in Caltharia Frozen Rivers. Nine years after the signing of the Declaration of Doovens a civil war erupts in Caltharia. Supported by most of the other dukes in the land, the Duke of Cantollio, Mertogran of Carmalad, tries to finally seize the throne. Everywhere in the kingdom rebels can undertake actions against the king without being hindered, exept for the capital, where the Royal Guard desperately defends the palace. In Frozen River the rebels lay a siege to the palace and demand Artero to resign.    833 b.S. Mertogran seizes power in Caltharia After two months of siege, the rebels take the palace and King Artero "the Weak" is slain. Duke Mertogran proclaimes himself king and starts immediately with his second objective: regaining Ancyros, the land lost to Erpheronia. He starts to build an army, collecting all forces the dukes throughout the land can provide, violating the treaty with Erpheronia. This causes reinforced border patrols in Erpheronia.    823 b.S. Caltharia invades Erpheronia The Caltharian army crosses the Erpheronian border north of Carmalad in a surprise attack, led by the rebel duke Mertogran, who slew the weak Caltharian king Artero, and vowed to regain the lost region of Ancyros. Although the stationed troups there put up a good fight, they are overwhelmed and slain. The new Erpheronian king Erdolomin rallies his allies, which include the halflings living in Silvershire. The halflings are assigned to supplying the Erpheronian army with food, clothing, and other such things. It is believed the alliance is forced upon the hobbits through threats. THE AGE OF THE BLOOD (YEARS 822 B.S. - 50 B.S.) 822 b.S. Battle of Salazar Awakening Earth. After first losses the Erpheronian army defeats the Caltharian invasion force. Massacre at the Silvershire Singing Bird. The victorious Erpheronian army in their battles against the Caltharians marches through the the halfling-land of the Silvershire (then known as New Hobbitshire) to resupply, but they find several wounded Caltharian soldiers there. The soldiers are being treated by the halflings, as it is commonly known that they don't care much for the politics of the "big people". Others say that these halflings are believed to not have known anything about the alliance between Erpheronia and the shire as a whole. Parts of the Erpheronian division consider this as treachery and attack the village where these halfling treat the wounded men and within instances the rest of the division joins the massacre. The soldiers slay everyone they encounter, Caltharian and halfling alike. There is no resistance. Hundreds of halflings are murdered in this massacre, their homes are destroyed, and their crops are laid to waste. Many halflings escape to the Silvermarshes to hide there as they cannot go south through Caltharian lands. Treaty of Veltin Rising Sun. In the Treaty of Veltin the demands of the Declaration of Doovens are renewed and even more Caltharian lands are taken over by Erpheronia, among them Thantocha, north-east of the Ancythrian Sea with the important city of Doovens. Beheading of Khizaar Burning Heavens. The Erpheronian commander Khizaar reports the halfling-incident at the Silvershire at the capital to his king. The destruction of the Silvershire is explained as a crime committed by the Caltharian forces, where the Erpheronian army came just too late. The commander gets promoted to colonel, but only a few months later, more and more reports of the true occurences at the Silvershire reach the king. Though Khizaar manages to hide for several weeks, he is prosecuted for his unrightful attack caught in Weyring where he is also beheaded in front of the public to state an example.    806 b.S. THE BEGINNING OF THE FIRST SARVONIAN WAR (SW I): THE WAR OF THE BLOOD Battle of Annihilation at the Zeiphyrian Forests Five years after the murdering of Gorm a ruthless assault on the elven fortresses at Elving, south of the Zeiphyrian Forests, is initiated by Viginold Dereswungen. Although not all human tribes approve to the declared war on the elves, the strength of the human forces is gigantic. Some human tribes, mainly those which felt oppressed by the Erpheronian tribe, even join the elves and on the other side also dark elves support the elven cause, fighting especially the dwarves, who are promised to receive valueable mines for their help at the Rimmerins-Ring by the human leaders. The battle lasts for many months and thousands of soldiers of all races die at the brutal slaughtering, but no army can decide the enormous battle, which causes terrific destruction among both sides. Elving is destroyed completely and most parts of the Zeiphyrian Forests as well as the adjacent Auturian Woods are burnt. The first major Sarvonian battle at the Zeiphyrian Forests indeed is a cruel slaughtering which is unique in Sarvonian history so far, but it is only be a glimpse of even fiercer battles to come: It is the beginning of the so-called War of the Blood which will last nearly 80 years and which will result in lots of bloodshed but will bring no victory to any of the fighting races.    788 b.S. The Red Rebellion Carmaladian royalty fears an armed uprising among its citizens, over the new taxation policy where all cloth dyed red will pay a high levy because at the time, the colour comes from the teki seed, which gives off a powerful, offensive odour that the king dislikes strongly. The rebellion is quickly stopped, however, when the King finds a new source for their dying needs he erases the tax.    751 b.S. The Stormcloak Guild expands Stormcloak trade expands to include the Caltharian port of Carmalad, where they buy their way into another section of port. By now, the fleets have grown and eager young men from from Erpheronia join Quios. It is at this time that the name Quios Shipping Guild is first used. Also, the island chain is referred to as the Quios Islands.    621 b.S. The Centoraurian Civil War The Centoraurian king Tephron dies as he falls off his horse. His younger son, Cumrann, claimes the throne from his older brother and rightful heir, Curgan. After a civil war, which devastates a large portion of Milkengrad, Cumrann is caught prisoner and exiled for 20 years. As he leaves he takes more than two thirds of the citizens with him. Curgan goes to Helcrah where he organizes the native and newcomer Helcrani into a semi-autonomous province of Caltheria. At the same time he urges the other Centoraurian cities to revolt. A man claiming to be Ephiagar's lost son Exomater takes over Salsair and declares himself "King of Centorauria". Curgan starts an offensive against him. However, he cannot do much as he expects his brother's attempt to take over the City.    617 b.S. Coronation of Sinrann to the Helcrani Anactar A young officer who manages to survive the Fall becomes the Helcrani king. He takes the name Sinrann, "Leader of the Deceived". During his rule Helcrah gains his independence from Caltharia. Many of the Turacantian leaders and Renevor himself are assassinated and a 19-edged star is found upon their bodies.    610 b.S. The Kingdom of Quios The Isles of Quios are recognized by Erpheronia and Caltharia as an independent kingdom. This is true in name only, for it is a navy with a kingdom, rather than the other way around.    580 b.S. to 565 b.S. Centorauria annexes Lands Centorauria annexes the island of Midlanir from Erpheronia, Helcrah from Caltharia and the Kyranian territories between the Aurelian Lakes and Hèckra.    532 b.S. The Hèckra's Rage The Centoraurian sovereign Iaphethor of Milkengrad assisted by the Caltharian king engages the elven forces in a fight at the foothills of the Hèckra. Many elves are taken prisoners. Gorenham, the Caltharian sovereign demands the execution of all prisoners. Iaphethor, being fond of the elves and admiring their bravery, "the brighteyed" as he calls them, refuses and proposes that they should be taken prisoners by the Milkengradian elves. Iaphethor still hopes in an understanding of the races. The Caltharians don't share his opinion and soon a conflict is about to break out. It is triggered when a Caltharian commander insults the leader of the elven fratra of Milkengrad. In this conflict Iaphethor is killed while trying to calm both sides. Gorenham manages to take many prisoners and throws them in the fires of the Hèckra. He shares their fate though as the volcano errupts killing thousands of men and almost all the Caltharians. The elven captives, who were saved by the Centoraurians, are released as a sign of apology. They in exchange offer an armour for the elvenfriend Iaphethor, which is the one he's still wearing in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings, west of Milkengrad, where all Helcrani and later Tharanian kings are buried.    482 b.S. Foundation and Expansion of Tharania Thar, the strongest Erpheronian king so far, manages to eventually unite all four northernmost tribes of the southern Sarvonian continent - the Erpheronians, the Centoraurians, the Kyranians and the Caltharians. 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. A new era has begun, a major cornerstone to what later on should become the United Realms of Santharia, stretching over the whole of the southern Sarvonian continent.