General
The Kingdom of Xenthus lies in the northeast of Elcea. It is an expanding, vigorous realm that has recently (within the past 100 years) thrown out the invading elements that had for a long time occupied much of the kingdom. While its current borders are much smaller than they were in the height of its past power, centuries gone, they have grown greatly within the past 100 years, and continue to expand. For a brief history of the Kingdom, click here.
Geography
The main peninsula extends for some 450 miles north to south, lying between the Great East Ocean and the Sea of Xenthus, and averages about 250 miles wide. Most of the land is fertile and open, except for the Forest of Lycapsus in the north and the Nesskil Highlands in the south-center. The peninsula is watered by many streams and small rivers.
The kingdom also claims an arc of territory across the water, beginning to the south at Ossana and extending west and north to Balimar on the other side of the Sea of Xenthus. This territory, extending no more than 20 miles from the coast, ranges from heavily wooded territory in the north to rocky, semi-arid terrain in the south.
Climate
Summers are temperate on the Xenthus Peninsula and winters generally mild, except in the far north. During the autumn powerful storms, called yindoons, can sweep down from the northwest across the peninsula, and there is a race each year to insure that the harvest is in before the first storm of the season strikes. Overall the climate is very moderate, however, with pleasant temperatures and low humidity.
Snow rarely falls south of the straits around Ossana, which has a Mediterannean climate. It can grow hot there in the summer - daytime highs are usually in the 80s or 90s, and can go higher - and rain in the summer is rare. There is short rainy season during the last two months of the year.
Government
Xenthus is a constitutional monarchy. The realm is governed by the High King from the palace in Krell, but his power is to some extent limited by the rulers of the 16 provinces. These rulers, the Governors and Dukes, for the most part control their own territories, collecting taxes, administering laws, and raising armies. Each province contributes taxes and military forces to the High King. The High King's army is limited in size, however, so that can be effectively opposed by a combination of a majority of the provincial forces, though it can deal with any lesser alliance or single province. The Constitution of Arly clearly spells out what laws the High King can change and apply, and what laws are the responsibility of the Governors and Dukes.
The navy is under the sole control of the High King, however. In addition, as standing armies are rarely maintained in times of peace, the High King maintains an elite guard, the White Guard, whose loyalty is to him alone. This force is also responsible for policing areas of the Kingdom outside the direct control of any of the provincial rulers, especially the long stretch of the coast road between Ossana and Balimar, and the region just north of the northernmost provinces.
Rulership in the provinces, and the High Kingship itself, is inherited by the eldest child of either gender. The rank of Duke, in fact, is applied to both men and women - the word "duchess" is unused. Should a provincial ruler die without issue, the High King appoints a successor. Should a High King die without an heir, the Council of Dukes appoints a successor, by majority vote. The High King may supplant an existing Duke or Governor only under very limited conditions, and only then with the approval of a majority of the Council of Dukes.
Major cities
Krell
The capitol, and the largest city, it lies along the south-central coast on the east side of the Xenthus Peninsula. It is home to about 125,000 people, and is the busiest seaport in the kingdom. It is the oldest city in the realm as well, and it's wide boulevards are lined by many grand and beautiful buildings, some of them over 2000 years old. The city is overlooked by an enormous citadel, and girdled by a strong wall. There is the remnant of at least one such older wall, long since outgrown and mostly devoured by the expanding city, within the current one. The city prides itself on being urbane and cosmopolitan, and indeed the people there are more tolerant of other races and peoples than anywhere else in the kingdom, except possibly for Ossana. It is the center of art and culture for the Kingdom.
Lycapsus
This city anchors the northwest corner of the Peninsula. Built on a series of terraces rising around it's harbor, it is the second largest city in the Kingdom, home to some 100,000 people. The source of the city's wealth comes from the timber industry; much lumber is produced and shipped south to the wood-poor cities of Krell and Ossana, and even as far as Soroth.
The city also trades with the tribes of barbarians in the north, and from these it gains large amounts of ivory, as well as gems. There are also gold and iron mines to the northwest of the city. To the south and east its fields produce much wheat and other grains. Lycapsus maintains a larger standing army than most other provinces, for when danger strikes the Kingdom Lycapsus is usually the first place to feel the blow. Gnolls, barbarians, and frost giants from the north, and orcs from the Mountains of Shadow to the west, have all attacked Lycapsus in the past. It is an open, attractive city, however, with many gardens and beautiful temples.
Langoust
This is a grey, sturdy city on the rugged northern coast on the east side of the Peninsula. It is subject to fierce winter storms, and a cold current sweeping out of the north keeps the city relatively cool even in summer. Heavy fogs are frequent. As a result, the city presents a drab, grey appearance. In contrast to the exterior, however, most buildings are brightly lit and warm within, and the residents prize beautiful things, especially blankets and tapestries.
The citizens have a reputation, not undeserved, for being dour and close-mouthed towards outsiders. Most of the city's wealth comes from the fishing industry; nowhere else in Elcea are the waters so full of fish and shellfish. Fish oil and whale oil are also major exports. The city is home to about 55,000 people.
Ossana
Ossana is known as the "City of Adventure". It is a gateway to the lands to the south, and much commerce flows into and through the city. It has a notably warmer clime than the rest of the Kingdom, and as a result architecture and dress are all more open and colorful here than elsewhere in Xenthus. The city is known as the place to go to hire mercenaries, swordsmen, or mages, and it is a growing center of learning and study.
The city has about 50,000 residents. The major domestic industries are sheep ranching and agriculture, especially citrus and olive groves. Olive oil is the cities most famous product, and is shipped far and wide. The city also does a thriving trade in valuables, those imported from Copperhame and Soroth, as well as artifacts unearthed by adventurers.
Ossana is girdled by a thick wall, and has a ideal natural harbor. The lands about are becoming more populated, but strange and wild regions are still scarcely a day's ride away, and residents are more on guard against danger than the "soft" peoples of the Peninsula proper.
Balimar
Balimar was brought back into the Kingdom only about 30 years ago, and was the major city that was longest under the sway of evil. It is thus the "darkest" city of the Kingdom, and the only one where worship of an evil deity is openly acknowledged. This is the Rat God, whose influence in the city is still powerful. On the other hand, there are also a large community of halflings there, and more elves are found there than anywhere else in the Kingdom.
It is the major trading point for the elven and dwarven kingdoms to the west, and they do much trade in elven crafts and dwarven weapons. Lumber is a secondary but growing industry, to the concern of Lycapsus. The city is girdled by several keeps and fortresses, but has no wall. The Greybole forest itself acts as an effective barrier to invasion, though there is occasional trouble from marauding orcs, and green dragons from the forest also present a danger.
Home to 75,000 thousand, Balimar is growing rapidly, and its character is changing, though slowly. Drawn by the challenge, Balimar is a magnet for clerics and paladins, while at the same time being a haven for thieves, lycanthropes, and less desirable elements. The residents are hardy and self-sufficient, though the worship of the Rat God also lends an undercurrent of fear to the streets. It is less active after nightfall than any other town or city in the realm.
Other towns
Arly
Arly is a town of about 35,000 people in Hassondy, the province on the southestern tip of the peninsula. It is the seat of the Dukedom, and is most fabled for its beautiful gardens. These surround the ducal palace, and cover many acres. It otherwise a center of learning - a famous monastery and bardic college are located here - and of agriculture.
Belkar
Belkar is a seaport and, especially, a naval base. This town has suffered more than any other, historically, from sahuagin raids from the sea, and its harbor defenses are very strong, though it is otherwise unfortified, sitting as it does at the southern end of the Xenthus Peninsula. Around 37,000 people live there. Many weavers and dyers make it their home.
Estridge
This is a town of about 25,000 people, and the ducal seat of the province of Drussal. It sits atop a lightly wooded ridge, and is overlooked by a large and famous fortification, Estridge Castle. It is known otherwise for carpenters and woodworkers, and for its healing springs, the Pools of Essen.
Lyre
Lyre is a large town of about 44,000 population, located in the southeastern part of the Xenthus Peninsula. The land about is very fertile, and sugar beets fields and cherry orchards are especially common. The city is known for a very odd white opaque dome of magical force, about 200 feet in diameter. This was here when the first humans came to Xenthus, and it seems impermeable and inscrutable; no one has ever ascertained who made it, or why, or what it contains. These day it forms the center of a large park.
Lyre is an old town, and is known for its narrow streets and overhanging second stories. A small river, the Ocrun, flows through the town.
Manoris
Manoris is a crossroads town of around 42,000 people, located at the foot of the Nesskil Highlands in east-central Xenthus. While the meager gold fields in the Highlands played out centuries ago, copper and iron is still mined there, and Manoris exports not only raw ore, but also finished products, being home to many metalsmiths. The town was once walled, but only remnants of the fortifications remain. Most of the stone has been long since removed for use in other projects.
Matoch
Matoch is located on the south coast of the Sea of Xenthus. It is a sun-washed town of about 15,000 people, and most of its economy is based on sheep and cattle ranching. The town is heavily fortified and lacks the grace and quiet of the cities and towns of the Xenthus Peninsula. It's a rough-and-tumble sort of place which has been sacked and destroyed several times in the history of the Kingdom, most recently suffering damage less than a decade ago from the forces of Sulichus the Lich.
Narb
Narb is a small town in Narosla, a region under the control of Lycapsus. It is a pleasant community of about 8000 people, surrounded by fields and orchards - it produces the best apples in Xenthus. There are also a couple of lumber mills here. It is currently ruled by Brant; it lies on the northernmost border of the Xenthus Peninsula, and powerful warriors, wizards, and clerics are often chosen to rule such territories, because of the constant danger of incursions from the north.
Orbali
This is a large and growing town with a good natural harbor, located on the west coast of the Peninsula. Its importance as a port has grown since Balimar was added to the empire. The main town sits on a hill overlooking the bay, and this is surrounded by a wall, but a signifigant part of the town now clusters at the foot of the hill around the docks. Orbali has almost 45,000 residents. The taller buildings and towers of the town can be seen from far out to sea, for they are mostly made of the limestone from nearby quarries. It is also the ducal seat of the province of the same name.
Pekay
Pekay, a town of about 30,000 people, sits in the southern Nesskil Highlands, at about 1500 feet of elevation, in the province of Chillom. It is a graceful, attractive town of stoneworkers and stonemasons, and much of marble in the kingdom is quarried nearby. Even common buildings here are usually well-built and given attractive ornamentation. On a hill overlooking the town is the 300' Tower of the Moons, the major temple to Siar in all of Xenthus, and center of divination and astrology.
Raab
Raab is a quiet fishing and lumbering community of about 12,000 people. Though girdled by the keeps and castles of a number of clerics and rangers, it is itself unfortified. Its residents keep to themselves, though they are used to travelers, as the town is located along the Coast Road on the southwest coast of the Sea of Xenthus. Some of its residents also venture into the nearby Greybole forest at times to hunt.
Shaldar
This important town lies at a major crossroads in the center of the Xenthus Pensinsula, in the province of Shaldonia. It is a center of commerce, and numbers almost 50,000 residents. It is situated on the east bank of the Hornfoal River, which is navigable from here to the Great East Ocean. It is a vigorous place, and a place where fortunes are made and lost daily.