The Kingdom of Nitlas

The Kingdom of Nitlas lies to the north of the lands surrounding New Taeorn and is ruled by King Johannes the Second to whom the countryÕs 8 Princes and Grand Dukes pay homage. They in turn are paid homage by the lesser nobles and so on until the level of serfs, who whilst not particularly oppressed in most (but not all) fiefs are still property and tied to the land they work by feudal law.

The country has three major cities and several large towns, all of which boast thick walls and a greater degree of freedom than in the countryside for those unfortunate enough to be born without title.

Kunderlas is the country's capital and sits on the coast to the north of sgatlinrad. It suffered greatly during the cataclysm but has gradually regenerated under King Johannes and now has the many fairytale towers of the Royal Palace dominating the skyline. The city has a royal charter as a burgh, but the burghers' council still answers to the King since he makes the city his home for part of the year - for this reason the town council has enormous political influence.

Galtrund in the far north is a centre for mining and metalworking and from here some of the finest swords, greataxes, halberds and armour known to man (so the smiths of the city say) are shipped by barge to the country's ports for trade. The city isn't particularly beautiful but does have many tournaments throughout the year where the better weaponsmiths can show off their wares to visiting nobles.

Sgatlinrad is the country's most southern city and sports two city walls, a legacy from the days when the Magister's influence was expanding. The city also does a lot of trade with the Seven Isles, who bring goods from across the world. The city has benefitted greatly from the destruction of Old Taeorn and although there is a city-charter this is not royal but granted by Grand Duke Alberon, within whose fief it lies.

The land in general is reasonably fertile and the bulk of its population lies along the banks of the river Las. The country supports three main cults to the devotion of Nurbad, God of War; Mestra, God of Learning and Crafts and Lucenda, Goddess of Hearth and Healing. The church's power has traditionally been limited but in the last few years the ageing King has sought to secure his soul's well-being by granting the cults more land, most alarming is the growth of some of the smaller cults and the three major ones into more powerful political entities and some Nobles are growing concerned.