The description of each locale is preceded by a data set which will include the following information; Population, Ethnic basis, Economic basis, Alignment basis, Government basis.

All cartography by Kramer. Copyright James D. Kramer design services.

• Population; will be indicated by two descriptors; type of city categorized as;
• Hamlet; populations of 100 or greater, but less than 500
• Village; populations of 500 or greater, but less than 1,000
• Small town; populations of 1,000 or greater, but less than 2,000
• Large town; populations of 2,000 or greater, but less than 5,000
• Small city; populations of 5,000 or greater, but less than 12,000
• Large city; populations of 12,000 or greater, but less than 25,000
• Metropolis; populations greater than 25,000
• Mean Alignment; unless it otherwise noted in the locale's description, it will be assumed that each locale will contain a sampling of all alignments that are available for standard player characters in concentrations of at least 2% of the total population. An indicated Alignment Basis simply indicates those alignments which predominate among the general populace.

The Five Kingdoms

The Ruling Families

There are five principal kingdoms which dominate the political and economic landscape upon the continent;

• Conetoci Catvrvgi; the Catvrvgi house controls the lands of the eastern Southern Continent ruthlessly. It manages to keep control of its vast wealth through the destruction of any serious threats before the threat can even become known. The Catvrvgi's use their vast control of water rights throughout the southeastern continent to keep its populace in-line.
• dar Conuonuc rok'Gurcenou; not in and of itself a force of evil, the Conuonuc rok'Gurcenou is nonetheless a puppet-government and tool of the Mage Council, which rules the lands which fall under its banner with unforgiving control.
The Conuonuc rok'Gurcenou itself is an ordered House of Representatives, populated by one elected member from each community with greater than 1,000 persons. Though many of the elected officials attain their positions through less than honest means.

Kingdom of Maphan; the House of Jotunheim remains one of the most peacefully ruled noble houses upon the continent. Mostly because it worries very little about violent and non-violent incursions from the other four kingdoms into its lands.

The Proteskian house of the Wind Lords have dominated the ruling family here for hundreds of generations. The Wind Lords themselves are not so much a family as they are an affiliation, or brotherhood, of like-minded individuals who pay homage to the cold east winds which blow unceasingly across the frozen landscape which surrounds the city of Protesk.

Mundilfari Kingdom; the Mundilfari of the western Southern Continent are reported to be in league with the Omanthrid Guilds in order to secure its long-term safety.

The Mundilfaris pay heavy tithes to the Omanthridian lords, which is in-turn passed on to the the citizens of the western Southern Continent. These fees take the forms of taxes on nearly every transaction, whether cash or bartered.

Rastschian Kingdom; this kingdom is ruled from its seat of power within Bodibeve. Outwardly, the ruling house of Rastsch is fiercely devoted to Avitori. So fiercely that it openly works to convert other communities to the Avitorian following. Those who do not convert, are sometimes persecuted violently.

The Rastsch family has ruled Bodibeve and the surrounding lands for many generations. It is in fact their House which established the contemporary forces of arms from which paladins are selected, and is their morality which has become the hallmark of the holy warrior.

Unincorporated Lands; Those regions which do not fall under the governance of one of the Five Kingdoms remain in the Unincorporated Lands.

These lands include several regions between the Five Kingdoms which remain in dispute between families, and a as result, remain under a constant threat of war.

Conetoci Catvrvgi

Best compared with Middle Eastern civilizations, the sultans of the Conetoci Catvrvgi kingdom lay claim to all lands southeast of the South Barrier River and the River Echtel. This includes the lands of Death Vale and the North Ta'a Desert, and the lands to the south which are declared free, and are under the protection of the Justicers of Henry-by-the-Sea. Skirmishes all along the mountain ridges above Death Vale and the North Ta'a Desert occur regularly as the Catvrvgi calvary attempt to rest control of the regions from the desert paladins.

To the kingdom's west lies Morleo Valley, and the city of Messcagni. Both the Conetoci Catvrvgi and the Muldifari Kingdom lay claim to this region. However, the citizens of Messcagni, who historically immigrated to this remote region from Henry-by-the-Sea, hold both kingdoms at by while they maintain the rugged mountain pass. This allows a passage between Bodibeve and Henry-by-the-Sea without necessitating a route through Maglocvani, which can be expensive, if not outright dangerous.

The kingdom is ruled from Maglocvani, which is one of the wealthiest cities in the whole of the continent of Vermé. The streets there, so it said, are paved in gold. The calif of Maglocvani holds sway over the sheiks of the other cities within this kingdom through threat, and the controlling of water rights. Water in this region is nearly as valuable as gold. The two large lakes here — Lake Henry and Lake Buab — are both high in salinity, and so the people must rely on large aquifers that exist many hundreds of feet below the ground. These underground reservoirs are controlled by the Maglocvani army, and rations are dolled out very strictly.

The sheiks in the other settlements here are related — either closely or distantly — to the calif of Maglocvani, and petitioners to sheikdom must be able to provide proof of their familial relationship to the calif. Most sheiks, in a desire to maintain their power, make sure they stay within the good graces of the calif. However, the sheiks of Vitali have historically been a thorn in the side of calif as they seek to remove themselves from the calif's boot heel.

The Seat of Power

To come...

Featured Settlements of the Conetoci Catvrvgi

1 D=dwarf, DH=dragon hordling, E=elf, G=gnome, Ha=halfling, HE=half-elf, HO=half-orc, Hu=human, S=sarngoch, %=amount of population.
2 Alignments in all communities will vary, dependent upon circumstance; the alignment listed is the most typical of the average citizen.

dar Conuonuc rok'Gurcenou

The Gurcenou Kingdom is a network of fifedoms and baronies spread from Simeraun in the west, to Arisbe in the east. Most of the settlements in these regions are awash in political intrigue, as power is achieved through strength. Most government authorities are easily swayed through bribery and threat of violence.

The Seat of Power

The undisputed controlling power within dar Conuonuc rok'Gurcenou is the Imperium Vallis—a magocracy governed by a Council of Mages, which is itself controlled ruthlessly by an unseen 'mage-king' known as Xerksis.

Featured Settlements of the dar Conuonuc rok'Gurcenou

1 D=dwarf, DH=dragon hordling, E=elf, G=gnome, Ha=halfling, HE=half-elf, HO=half-orc, Hu=human, S=sarngoch, %=amount of population.
2 Alignments in all communities will vary, dependent upon circumstance; the alignment listed is the most typical of the average citizen.
3 Keeps will not have a form of self-sustaining economy as they are primarily a castle that houses men-at-arms (generally lead by a captain/marshall/steward or similar military commander). The economy required to maintain such communities will be by the taxation of the citizens and travellers. Keeps will always have a central castle with defensive fortifications, with the bulk of the populace in low to middle class dwellings outside the walls.

Kingdom of Maphan

The Kingdom of Maphan is a sparsely-populated region, with only the large city-state of Protesk, and the smaller but still powerful port city of Ponni enjoying any long term success.

The Seat of Power

The Maphanese lands are governed by a powerful monsatic following of Caelis known as the Wind Lords. This patriachical brotherhood is itself managed by the monestary's friar. The monks number approximately 500 in total numbers, though many of these are found outside the city walls. Each of the monks is required to spend no less than 2 months each year wandering the lands of the kingdom, and visiting villages throughout the Northern Territories spreading the Word of their goddess.

The Wind Lords maintain a small mansion within the village of Ponni. However, they are content to allow the village to govern itself, under the direction of a mayor appointed by the friar

Featured Settlements of the Kingdom of Maphan

1 D=dwarf, DH=dragon hordling, E=elf, G=gnome, Ha=halfling, HE=half-elf, HO=half-orc, Hu=human, S=sarngoch, %=amount of population.
2 Alignments in all communities will vary, dependent upon circumstance; the alignment listed is the most typical of the average citizen.

Mundilfari Kingdom

The Mundafari dynastic family rules the western Southern Continent from the port city of Bodibeve. The eastern borders of the kingdom stretch to the Morleo Valley and rise to Copper Angel Mountain. The plains of the Tarl'a Desert are plagued with roving bands of orcs, gnolls, and other mean-spirited demi-human races. Travel across the desert is not common due to these dangers. Caravans traveling from Bodibeve to Henry-by-the-Sea, will typical travel through Poodle Dog Pass, and then turn south through Angel Pass, into the city of Mescagni. After a rest and re-supplying, the caravan will strike through the North Ta'a Desert from the port city to the south.

The Mundilfaris assert a claim to the Morleo Valley not through any economic interest, but as a defensive position between themselves and the Conetoci Catvrvgi, who continually seek to expand westward into Mundilfari lands.

The Seat of Power

The desert lands of the western Southern Continent are ruled from the port city of Briamail. Here, the Mundilfari family has controlled these lands for several centuries. It is a patriarchical society where rulership is handed down from father to son; but there are some restrictions to this transfer of power;

The ruling king cannot serve past the date of his 50th birthday. However, the king's eldest son cannot take the crown before his 30th birthday. Prior to his 30th birthday, the prince must have served 5 years as captain of his own vessel, must have spent 5 years commanding desert forces, must be married, and must have a son of his own. The kingdom's scrolls state that should any of these requirements fail to be met, rulership would be decided through tournament, which is played to the death. The scrolls also state that any person may compete in the tournament.

Featured Settlements of the Mundilfari Kingdom

1 D=dwarf, DH=dragon hordling, E=elf, G=gnome, Ha=halfling, HE=half-elf, HO=half-orc, Hu=human, S=sarngoch, %=amount of population.
2 Alignments in all communities will vary, dependent upon circumstance; the alignment listed is the most typical of the average citizen.

Rastschian Kingdom

One of the oldest lived kingdoms on the Verméan continent, is the Rastschian Kingdom, which traces its familial roots very nearly to the time of the First Dragon War. And though not large in terms of population, the kingdom is steeped in traditions handed down from generation to generation.

The Seat of Power

Bodibeve is the unquestioned seat of power for the Rastschian Kingdom. It origins can be traced back to the time of the First Dragon War, when the city was built by followers of Avitori, and would later serve as the birthplace of the Order of Paladins.

Presided over by the Rastsch family for the past several generations, the community is, for all its piety, ruthlessly intolerant of any outside influences that would contradict the teaching of Avitori, or of any of the deity of the School of Lawful Good.

Letard Village

Though its lands fall under the glove of the Rastschians, Letard Village governs the Letard Archipelago nearly autonomously. The village is a large community for its economic basis, and the people there pride themselves on "thumbing their noses" at the pious kings, priests, and paladins of Bodibeve. However, the Letardians also know a good thing when they see it. The Archipelago is a strategic location from which Bodibeve protects itself from potential water-borne attacks. In exchange for the use of the Archipelago to provide safe harbor, the Bodibevian navy provides an excellent customer-base for its fishermen and farmers.

Featured Settlements of the Rastschian Kingdom

Disputed Territories

To come...

The Unincorporated Lands

The vast majority of the territories upon the Verméan continent fall within those lands which are not governed by any of the five kingdoms. However, in several areas are lands of disputed claim and the kingdoms, working ever to expand their reach and thereby their power, and encroach on the lands of the ungoverned peoples.

To come...

Omanthrid Guilds

As is mentioned elsewhere, the Omanthrid Guilds is ruled and run by a collection of thieves' and assassins' guilds; bound together through the promice of profit and power. In all, throughout the Omanthrid Archipelago, there are thousands of guilds. Most of these number a score or two members, with some having as many as 100 members. But within the city of Omanthrid itself, only the strongest are able to attain power — and hold on to it — for any appreciable length of time. The controlling guilds located in the city are;

Power generally osscillates between these guilds in paticular, depending on the strength and influence of current leadership.

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All content presented on this website is the copyright of James D. Kramer design services, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.
Some artwork used is from Darkroom Productions and is © 2005 Darkroom Productions and Cutter's Guild Games. All rights reserved.
Some artwork copyright Paul Daly, used with permission.