Nogori
TNP’s Greedy Capitalist
Vasthornu
The land of Vasthornu is a proud and mighty nation comprising a variety of independent elven city states that dot its landscape. Its name derives from the term “Star Land” in their native tongue, due to the vast expanse of natural beauty and splendor that the nation holds. Located close to the Vastran people that inhabit Vasthornu is the Kingdom of Pella, and then the realm of the beastfolk, the Land of Ham.
Each city that the Vastan call home is unique in its own right; each varies drastically in terms of their governmental structure and natural environment. Some city states are ruled by an unbroken chain of hereditary rulers with a functioning court and nobility, others are aristocratic or oligarchic in nature, while others function as a direct democracy for those who qualify with citizens directly choosing their leaders or having a say in governmental matters. One city too might be located on the coast and therefore have a far stronger navy than others, or have a more aquatic cuisine while others are isolated in the mountains and prefer their own company to that of outsiders.
There are, however, common traits that are widespread throughout Vasthornu. There is a belief in their innate superiority compared to the other races that make up the world of Sorras. Some call it pride or arrogance, but to the Vastans it is a product of their long lifespans and history. The Vastan people spend what can be considered Human and Arkian lifetimes in terms of dedication to crafts such as the arts, philosophy, engineering, and mathematics; while a human life has ceased to be just in the span of eighty years, a Vastan chef could have used that time to perfect one singular recipe or a poet on a piece of literature. This has led to the native inhabitants of Vasthornu viewing the other races of Sorras as generally less experienced and more naive, or in more extreme cases, outright inferior. This notion of superiority or the view that other races are younger and less experienced or civilized comes from the Vastan religion as well, where they believe that they are the direct descendants of the pantheon of dragons that they worship, other races cannot claim this, and so with their long lives and belief that they are the chosen people, they believe that they have a special place in the world.
These views have led to and been reinforced by the long-held practice of slavery that the Vastans have practiced for as long as their civilization has existed substantially. It is a practice that is common throughout all cities, no matter how isolated or exposed to the rest of the world. Any attempts at slave revolts in the past have been violently crushed by the elven upper classes due to their magical and martial superiority, as well as the differences that the slaves themselves face. The port cities of Vasthornu are areas where slaves from abroad will have brought in newly captured individuals, with the Vastans rewarding those who do so very handsomely. This has led to an industry of raiders developing who raid coasts and shipping of foreign nations, oftentimes bringing back those captured, as well as any goods, back to the land of Vasthornu for rich rewards. The result of this has been that the slave population is very diverse and widespread, leading to difficulties between those races in the event of a slave uprising.
There are individuals and factions who have sought reform amongst the different city-states but those efforts have been hampered by a lack of desire to reform and the decentralized nature of the Vastan people. This decentralization has also led to a relatively equal balance of power amongst the differing cities and regions, with no city being particularly domineering than the rest militarily. When one city-state attempts to do this or a league forms a coalition, it is often met by an equally strong coalition or group of city-states that will beat that city back down. This equal balance of power has led to a long-lasting peace that has contributed to the prosperity of Vasthornu, with this peace providing another reason why other races are considered up-starts or younger and less knowledgeable.
In recent years, more and more have called for an alliance with the “Brurmp Smined” or “Demon of the West”, also known as the Dark Lord Salroth. While this idea has gained traction as his war efforts in the human lands have unfolded, inflicting tremendous devastation on the realms of the Northwest and providing potentially a large new supply of slaves, many are still skeptical with these skeptics outnumbering those who wish for an alliance. Through political machinations, who is to say what could transpire, but for now, the mighty nation of Vasthornu remains out of the conflict.
The Land of Ham
Described as massive, the Land of Ham is known for its thick forests with trees, such as beech, oak, pine, sycamore, and yew, as well as undergrowth such as knotgrass and thorns, with bogs and swamps also covering the land. The land of the beastfolk is hard to navigate, as there are tree roots and stumps that are barely visible in near blackness whenever nighttime descends on the land. Clothes were known to snag on low-slung branches and brambles. The Land of Ham is home to a wide and strange assortment of creatures, the most predominant and most documented being large spiders that dwell in the thick forests that the area is known for, large man-eating amphibious reptilian creatures that dwell in the bodies of water with skin described as being as hard as iron, trees in the swamps that have been rumored to speak to those who get too close to them, and other monsters of the wild that have been undocumented.
The sentient creatures who call the area home are predominantly those considered as “beastfolk” by the elves. These creatures are trolls, ogres, goblins, orcs, and cyclops.These races are known as the Children of Ham as they claim descent from the Defiled Lord, and as such they consider each other kin with Ham serving as their universal chief deity. While some like trolls and cyclops prefer to be isolated from society, the rest of the races are known to live with each other in peace in tribal settlements spread throughout the land. Throughout history, they have often warred with their neighbors to the South, the Vastan elves who frequently launch incursions into their land to claim slaves to bring back. This has resulted in near constant raiding and warfare between the two regions with the warfare often being conducted along the coastlands of the Land of Ham and the Vastan elves claiming dominion over the land.
The land of Vasthornu is a proud and mighty nation comprising a variety of independent elven city states that dot its landscape. Its name derives from the term “Star Land” in their native tongue, due to the vast expanse of natural beauty and splendor that the nation holds. Located close to the Vastran people that inhabit Vasthornu is the Kingdom of Pella, and then the realm of the beastfolk, the Land of Ham.
Each city that the Vastan call home is unique in its own right; each varies drastically in terms of their governmental structure and natural environment. Some city states are ruled by an unbroken chain of hereditary rulers with a functioning court and nobility, others are aristocratic or oligarchic in nature, while others function as a direct democracy for those who qualify with citizens directly choosing their leaders or having a say in governmental matters. One city too might be located on the coast and therefore have a far stronger navy than others, or have a more aquatic cuisine while others are isolated in the mountains and prefer their own company to that of outsiders.
There are, however, common traits that are widespread throughout Vasthornu. There is a belief in their innate superiority compared to the other races that make up the world of Sorras. Some call it pride or arrogance, but to the Vastans it is a product of their long lifespans and history. The Vastan people spend what can be considered Human and Arkian lifetimes in terms of dedication to crafts such as the arts, philosophy, engineering, and mathematics; while a human life has ceased to be just in the span of eighty years, a Vastan chef could have used that time to perfect one singular recipe or a poet on a piece of literature. This has led to the native inhabitants of Vasthornu viewing the other races of Sorras as generally less experienced and more naive, or in more extreme cases, outright inferior. This notion of superiority or the view that other races are younger and less experienced or civilized comes from the Vastan religion as well, where they believe that they are the direct descendants of the pantheon of dragons that they worship, other races cannot claim this, and so with their long lives and belief that they are the chosen people, they believe that they have a special place in the world.
These views have led to and been reinforced by the long-held practice of slavery that the Vastans have practiced for as long as their civilization has existed substantially. It is a practice that is common throughout all cities, no matter how isolated or exposed to the rest of the world. Any attempts at slave revolts in the past have been violently crushed by the elven upper classes due to their magical and martial superiority, as well as the differences that the slaves themselves face. The port cities of Vasthornu are areas where slaves from abroad will have brought in newly captured individuals, with the Vastans rewarding those who do so very handsomely. This has led to an industry of raiders developing who raid coasts and shipping of foreign nations, oftentimes bringing back those captured, as well as any goods, back to the land of Vasthornu for rich rewards. The result of this has been that the slave population is very diverse and widespread, leading to difficulties between those races in the event of a slave uprising.
There are individuals and factions who have sought reform amongst the different city-states but those efforts have been hampered by a lack of desire to reform and the decentralized nature of the Vastan people. This decentralization has also led to a relatively equal balance of power amongst the differing cities and regions, with no city being particularly domineering than the rest militarily. When one city-state attempts to do this or a league forms a coalition, it is often met by an equally strong coalition or group of city-states that will beat that city back down. This equal balance of power has led to a long-lasting peace that has contributed to the prosperity of Vasthornu, with this peace providing another reason why other races are considered up-starts or younger and less knowledgeable.
In recent years, more and more have called for an alliance with the “Brurmp Smined” or “Demon of the West”, also known as the Dark Lord Salroth. While this idea has gained traction as his war efforts in the human lands have unfolded, inflicting tremendous devastation on the realms of the Northwest and providing potentially a large new supply of slaves, many are still skeptical with these skeptics outnumbering those who wish for an alliance. Through political machinations, who is to say what could transpire, but for now, the mighty nation of Vasthornu remains out of the conflict.
The Land of Ham
Described as massive, the Land of Ham is known for its thick forests with trees, such as beech, oak, pine, sycamore, and yew, as well as undergrowth such as knotgrass and thorns, with bogs and swamps also covering the land. The land of the beastfolk is hard to navigate, as there are tree roots and stumps that are barely visible in near blackness whenever nighttime descends on the land. Clothes were known to snag on low-slung branches and brambles. The Land of Ham is home to a wide and strange assortment of creatures, the most predominant and most documented being large spiders that dwell in the thick forests that the area is known for, large man-eating amphibious reptilian creatures that dwell in the bodies of water with skin described as being as hard as iron, trees in the swamps that have been rumored to speak to those who get too close to them, and other monsters of the wild that have been undocumented.
The sentient creatures who call the area home are predominantly those considered as “beastfolk” by the elves. These creatures are trolls, ogres, goblins, orcs, and cyclops.These races are known as the Children of Ham as they claim descent from the Defiled Lord, and as such they consider each other kin with Ham serving as their universal chief deity. While some like trolls and cyclops prefer to be isolated from society, the rest of the races are known to live with each other in peace in tribal settlements spread throughout the land. Throughout history, they have often warred with their neighbors to the South, the Vastan elves who frequently launch incursions into their land to claim slaves to bring back. This has resulted in near constant raiding and warfare between the two regions with the warfare often being conducted along the coastlands of the Land of Ham and the Vastan elves claiming dominion over the land.