And sitting before the great dragon Belian, the young boy pondered

the wisdom of his tutor, also called The Farseer. “But master, this means
that for man the only way is the way of tragedy?” A sort of mirth came into
the inky black eyes of Belian as he lowered his head to the lad and
whispered. “The tragic man is he who lives each moment to the fullest
extent of the experience, even to the point of woe, only to discover to his
delight that the law of life is strife.”
Again the boy shook his head in sadness. “Then is there no path to
wisdom save by way of pain and suffering?” Belian drew back his mighty
head and revealed a long row of deadly teeth that seemed to stretch the
length of a long spear in what must pass as a grin among dragons. “Ahhh,
young Amarna; we all walk the path of pain but take heart for he who dwells
beyond has decreed that there shall come a time when we may fight to alter
that path for good; this is the cycle of redemption. But you must understand
that such a time comes only once in many thousands of years and it takes
the most vigilant and wisest of us to perceive when that time has come.”
“Then I am glad to know that you shall be with us so we may know it,”
said the boy placing his tiny hand on the smooth scaled claws of Belian while
turning to look into the valley below where they sat. “There is someone
coming master, it appears to be one of the Formorian…”
-Book Six of the Dragon Chronicles: The Death of
Belian
 Aeres:
The Age of Redemption
Political Geography
It is the 502nd year of the Blue Dragon according to the Belian Calendar. It is the 72 nd
year in the reign of Madir El-Amarna; the tenth of his line: he of the Dragon Blood, Protector
of the Four Points, Templar of Sol, and Keeper of The Sound. These are the lands west of the
Walls of Stone, west of Vorgeel (Bugbears)
Territory, and north of the Liche Lords and Poure
Kingdoms. It is a vale of conflict where the old
faith still holds sway and the henges of Druids are
cared for and revered. The Soundkeeper rules
from his vast and imposing fortress looking down
on Halo Bay and the fleet of powerful warships
that patrol the waters north of here against
pirates and any possible ideas of empire that the
Tholusians or Dhalia might have. On land he
maintains a standing cavalry of over 5,000
knights and infantry numbering some 50,000, as
well as hundreds of rangers, skirmishers, and
scouts.
Fortunately for the Soundkeeper, he does
not stand alone against those who would see his
family’s dynasty brought down. South of his lands, in the Copse of the Red Pine is the Wood
Elven kingdom of Bun Ruy. The elves here are on constant watch for attacks by the hated
Liches and defend their borders from Orkish incursions as well. None know the full strength
of the Elves but on more than one occasion they have sent over 3000 warriors to the aid of
the Vale Fiefs. The Elves are made up of four large and powerful clans ruled by a council.
The present head of the council is Aidan Fer-Shleiy. The Elves are as aggressive as anyone
will ever see; willing to range into the lands of the Liches to spy and attack as well as into
Ork and Vorgeel (Bugbears) Territory beyond the Rising Mountains. The Elves and the local
Druids work closely in the defense of the forest although there are times when jurisdiction
can cause some ruffled feathers.
The Ranger Lords are the power just to the east of the Soundkeeper and the area
they rule is called the Vale Fiefs. There are Five Ranger Lords who sit council: Aaron the
White, Soltera Bevati, Nari the Wanderer, Lord Bram,
and Koenraad the Seamaster. Each controls an area
that is patrolled by rangers called Wardens whose
word is law. It is the highest crime in their lands to
impersonate or attack a Warden. Each of the
hamlets under their control is ruled by a small
council whose members are called Alans. These Alan
towns pay tribute to the Ranger Lords, and the
Wardens in turn supplement local militia, guarantee
the safety of the borders, and negotiate with the
powers nearby. The Rangers also control one of the
local islands, Eryn’s Island, and take responsibility for
the waterway between it and the mainland. Their
ships of war are few but due to a good treaty with
the Sea Elves they enjoy the protection of Elven
vessels who appreciate having a local port where they can meet up with their kin from the
Red Pines.
 All of The Sound, so named because of the
thunderous crashing of the waves on the rocky
shores here as well at the regular appearance of
lightning storms during winter months, is under
the control of the Soundkeeper with the exception
of the Isle of Fogbatch. This lush and pristine island
is the demesne of Mephto Phyllus, the Witch-king of
Fogbatch. The Tholusians attempted a sea assault
against the capitol city of Sohan some eighty years
past only to find their ships struggling with the fog
banks that are a natural defense. Amidst this fog
many ships were holed through and sunk by unknown
forces. Rumors persist that the Witch-king has some
type of pact with the Lithids who came up from the
depths and destroyed the Tholusian galleys. Even so,
the island is renowned for many of its flowering plants,
herbs, and vegetables; not to mention a rare species of the yew tree prized by bowyers.
The city of Sohan has an outstanding commercial harbour that is rivaled only by that of the
Soundkeeper.
Near to the Sound, though technically lying on the outer edges of the Olas Deep, is
the island of Sable Shallows. The island was formed from basalt rock and so the sand along
the entire northern coast is a rich dark black. This rock also gave its name to the capital
city, Black Pool due to the massive carved fountain at its center. Though certainly unique
and beautiful, the sands of Sable Shallows are not what make it truly unusual. The most
unusual aspect is that the entire island is actually a Taurentine (Halfling) Shire. The
Halflings maintain an active trading fleet but the entire island is lightly defended. They pay
a tribute to the High King of the Dhalia whose formidable fleet defends the isle. The Dhalia
gain an excellent trading area as well as a naval post much to displeasure of the
Soundkeeper.
What the Kateri Empire calls the Western Duchies are actually lands located north
and east of the Soundkeeper and they refer to
themselves as the Eerste Men, or First Men as they
trace their lineage back to the first men of the
region. Their language, which is that spoken by all in
this area is very similar to Uler, indicative of a
common heritage. There are four Duchies in this
area: Duchy of Ray (the largest and most influential),
Duchy of Mann, Duchy of Tigert, and the Duchy of
Callvale. They maintain a reasonably good
relationship with the Vale Fiefs, although they have
continued to assert that those lands are actually
Eerste Man territory and that the Rangers should
disband their council and return the lands. This
results from the idea that sometime in the distant
past the Rangers were bequeathed the lands to act
as guardians for a Duke’s son whose father had died
while he was still a boy.
The Duchies also have
good relations with the
Taurentine (Halflings) to the north and the Dwarves to their east.
There are three Elven Clans who live and claim the majority of
Shepards Wood, which lies in the heart of the Duchy of Ray.
Sometimes there are squabbles regarding logging and squatters
between the present Duchess (Katrina) and the Elves but there
has not been war for several generations.
The Rising Mountains are the natural barrier between the
Duchies and the Liches in the south, though some area north of
the mountains is unsettled and rather dangerous. The
mountains themselves were once home to Dwarves but they
were driven from there during the War of the Walking Dead and are presently a haven for
Goblins, Trolls, and other unpleasant creatures. The only section that is reasonably safe for
human passage is the area near Foggy Mountain and Jester’s Pass, which has Wardens
patrolling it regularly. North and east of the Risings, as they are often called, are the Dunes
of Blood. A veritable rocky wasteland of dark red clay (hence the name) that plays home to
tribes of Lizard-men and their hated enemies, the Rock Trolls. The Lizard-men have a loose
alliance with the Rangers of the Vale.
Near to the Dunes of Blood are the hills and low mountains that make up the
southern and western feet of the Walls of Stone. Though not the sole
purview of the Dwarves, they do have several established cities
in the region. The principle city is Volsunga Quarry which is
home to over three thousand Hill and Mountain Dwarves. The
quarry was actually shut years ago and the lower portion flooded
to create a natural water reservoir for the inhabitants while the
upper sections and the land that extends out from it were walled
and cordoned off into a well organized city. The Duchies benefit
from various stone and craft products made by skilled Dwarves
and the Dwarves, never much for agriculture, receive the
bounty of the verdant lands in the west.
South of the Risings and the Copse of the Red Pine are the nefarious
Liche Lords who are almost unceasingly seeking to undermine and
destroy the Human, Elf, and Dwarven lands near them. They might
well have a better chance of success except the Vorgeel (Bugbears) broke away from them
after the War of the Walking Dead and though cruel and manipulative by nature, Vorgeel
(Bugbears) are willing to deal with Humans as opposed to simply warring with them. Also,
the Orks of the Poure Kingdoms no longer suffer the yoke of the Liches, though they clearly
maintain some sort of alliance with them and indeed supplement the ranks
of their armies as well.
The Poure Kingdoms are the primary home of the Orks of Aeres.
Though called Kingdoms, they are essentially numerous war bands that
unite under lesser overlords who in turn swear fealty to the greater
Overlords. The fiercest among them is Lord Ammuna, who rules from his
sprawling city of Aqmol. The Orks, though highly aggressive and
somewhat unruly are well organized under their leaders who find regular
outlets for their warlike nature. They have been known to carry on
extended battles with neighbors to their north, west, and south. Also,
there is little love lost between Orks and Vorgeel (Bugbears), so it is not
uncommon for the Orks to send raiding parties(some would call 1000 Orcs
an army) into Vorgeel (Bugbears) Territory in order kill as many as they
can.