Major Realms: The Archonate Valdebron, The Archonate Carradale
Continent: Dominarchus
Terrain: Sunpoint Mountains, The Scorch, Plains
Rivers: Galna River
Special Classes & Kits:
Dress in Travioch is much like Empyrias, with slightly stricter expectations regarding the differentiation between men's and women's dress. Common women wear simple skirts and aprons; aristocratic women wear ornate layered skirts and expensive bodices. Gentlemen wear long coats, vests and cravats. Men usually wear short hair and moustaches, women long hair. Weapons are only worn by aristocracy or their trusted servants, and usually by men rather than women (many women who otherwise shun weapons do wear a small dagger in their garter for self-defense). Buildings are somewhat Victorian in style, predominantly wood in construction, with wide porches, turrets and pointed roofs.
Travioch is a dusty plainsland, with wood houses and clapboard farmhouses. Travians tend to come in two types, the gentry and the rustics. While Travioch gentry like to emulate their richer neighbors in Empyrias, they are much like poor cousins who keep trying but are constantly out of fashion. The rustics find these "citified" pretensions all very amusing, but are much more Somadian in general nature. Travian gentry will always try to show off their best side and are a little stiff-necked and touchy about things like family honor and history. Travian rustics prefer to be judged on their personal merits, and will be more concerned about being honest and trustworthy than looking good. Travians are ignorant, rough, and ready. Foreigners often consider them a little backwards but otherwise the "salt of the earth."
Unlike the Empyrians, the Travians took the satamharanthu invasion with much less grace, and found hundreds of small ways to make the satamharathu's work miserable, constantly losing orders, delaying commands, forgetting fine points of etiquette, and so on. They're quite happy that the power of the Dawn Masters has been broken, and have a strong prejudice against aseku or Helar who once served the Iron Autocracy. They are leery of hierodules, but their innate sense of justice and independence leads them to accept anyone who can prove him-, her-, or itself to be worth of respect and friendship.
Travioch mostly consists of humans and half-aseku, with bade'in in the mountains (the Parmarzak Holding is within the Crystalgleam range of the Sunpoint Mts.). There are also some half-hadjjin among the rustics. Skin tends to run from tan to brown, with hair and eye color also tending to the darker ranges. Men tend to have short hair, moustaches, and often sport beard stubble. Build tends to be average, height a little taller than average. The native accent is a drawl.
The Archonate Valdebron is ruled by Archon Jane Brocaid, a young aristocrat supported by loyal friends and followers and elected Archon by popular assent. She is a fair and amiable ruler who maintains good relations with the government in Candor. Her city is a route city for overland trade, and many caravans headed south are outfitted here. Within Valdebron are the cities Catharmarten, known for its fine horse stock, and Crofty, a border town.
Carradale: The Archonate Carradale
[Map: Palladium Book II: Old Ones - Beeg; Invincible Overlord - Briarwood Castle]
Carradale is ruled by Archon Valden Briarwood, another popularly supported leader. Carradale makes much of its money from agriculture and wine. Like The Archonate Valdebron, the Archonate Carradale is a major stop for overland caravans, which run from here down through Somadios. The other major city within Carradale is Annan, the wine capital of Carradale, which sits within the Galna Valley.
