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Athar (pronunciation : ath-ar)
Description
Athar is a country of rain, fog and more rain. Like a ragged tooth jutting from the continent, Athar extends out to encircle the warm waters of the Nimar Sea, which separates it from Mirtar to the north and Lethan to the east. To the west of Athar lies the colder Suleun (Soo - leen) Ocean whose tides bring traders from far off Leimos and Zadhaz. The two bodies of water meet south of the tip of Athar and their interaction leads to the fierce storms which wrack the coastline for much of the year. As one moves north from the coast into mainland Athar the land begins to rise, becoming hilly and heavily forested. From the forested foothills of northern Athar rise the craggy peaks of the Lidderhon (Little Horn) mountain range which runs all the way into Koeth.
Athar as a nation is both very young and very old, both cosmopolitan and superstitious, a nation with a fragmented identity. The reason for this dual nature lies rooted in the past, in the conflicts played out on its soil.
History
Athar was once known as Imarathar, the Chosen Land in the language of the tribes who called it home, a primitive and superstitious people ruled by their incarnate gods, the spirits of the land borne into flesh, the Imarathi.
Much of the history of the place is lost but what has survived, passed down by word of mouth, says that long before the region had a name it was fought over by the tribes who lived there. Divided between the north and the south, generation after generation of tribesman shed their fellow's blood in a cycle of conflict that seemed never ending.
Seemed, that is, until the Shamans of the southern tribes worked powerful, secret magic, calling out to the spirits of the land, to their gods, beseeching their aid. And the spirits of the land answered the call of those shaman, promising to pit their strength against the northern tribes. The gods came then among their people, borne to the women of the tribes, wearing the guise of flesh and bone, of frail humanity. But they were far, far more than human. Their strength was that of the land itself, of the beasts and the forest and the sky, terrible, overwhelming, merciless. Before this might the northern tribes were helpless, having little choice but to flee further and further into the northern mountains.
With their foes defeated the southern tribes hosted great celebrations to commemorate their victory. But their jubilation was short lived, for once the northerners were defeated the Imarathi turned their strength to dominating the tribes that had called upon them for aid. They summoned the tribes together in the place called Ghevist, the Meeting Grounds; there, to demonstrate their intent, they slaughtered the leaders of the tribes and their families. From then on, they told the gathered tribes, the lands would be known as Imarathar, the Chosen Land, for they had chosen it as their home, their sovereignty. All who dwelt within its borders did so only by their will, all would bow their heads before them, all who could speak would vow their loyalty to the Imarathi.
For hundreds of years was the land called Imarathar ruled by these tyrant Gods, who wove thick mists and terrible curses around the borders of their domain. It became known by outsiders as a haunted land, a place to be avoided at all costs. That is until the Talurian Empire arrived in search of fresh territory for conquest.
After subduing Mirtar and driving the Lethani eastwards into the barrens, the Talurians set themselves to conquering the land to the west of the Nimar Sea, Imarathar. Scornful of the Mirtaran superstition yet wary of danger, they first sent a small scouting ship. Which simply disappeared. As did the next. On the third attempt a small fleet was sent, along with a cadre of battlemages. It sank in a terrible storm. At this the Talurians threw their full might into the effort. Together their mages were able to calm the weather long enough for their fleet to make a landing in the bay they would name Tyver, from the Talurian word for "shelter".
From this foothold they would drive into the heart of Imarathar itself. And there they finally clashed with the native tribes, finding them deeply hostile but no real threat. Their inferior weaponry and primitive tactics would have made them an easy conquest if not for the strength of the Imarathi God Sorcerers. The land itself rose up and fought the Talurians, as it had the northern tribes before them. Terrible storms scoured their ranks, the animals of the forest harried them, their supplies rotted in their barrels. The Talurian battlemages worked to prevent the strange foreign magic of their foes from striking at them, but found it an impossible task, the Imarathi magic was direct, unsubtle, yet it had the strength of a tidal wave behind it, simply sweeping aside any wards they erected. In battle the Imarathi themselves led their tribal warriors, masked, inhuman figures driving their followers into a frenzy while they decimated the Talurian ranks with their spells. Accounts say the Imarathi were immune to mortal weapons, that no matter how critical the blow dealt to them they would always return to harry the Talurians in the next battle.
The Empire would have been driven from the shores of Imarathar if they hadn't somehow found a way to counter that Imarathi might. At a critical point in the war the Imarathi suddenly began to weaken, to lose ground. No longer did the Talurian battlemages struggle to fend off their spells. The tide turned, with each battle the Talurian forces pushed the natives deeper into the forests. The fragmented Talurian records of the time state that they eventually managed to hunt down and truly destroy the Imarathi themselves, an act which shattered the morale of the tribes, sapping them of the will to resist. The Talurian Empire was victorious in Imarathar as it had been against so many nations before it.
Talurian rule would prove no less harsh than the Imarathi however. The Empire's forces had suffered tremendous losses in subduing Imarathar and their response was to brutally oppress the native tribes. The tribesmen were treated far less kindly than their Mirtaran neighbors who had surrendered peacefully, they existed in virtual slavery, forbidden from worshiping their slain Gods, from studying to improve themselves and from rising to any rank greater than servant. Fearing that the Imarathi might somehow return, the Talurians went to great lengths to wipe out any vestiges of their shamanistic religion, slaughtering tribal priests and hunting down any who displayed magical ability, no matter how slight. When the nations of the west rose up against the occupying Talurian forces the tribes of Imarathar were eager to follow their example, rising against their tormentors in bloody revolution.
In the aftermath of this conflict the land and people would undergo a significant transformation. Renaming their nation from Imarathar (The Chosen Land) to simply Athar (The Land), the newly dubbed Atharans would rebuild their society upon the ruins of the old. With the scars of their long oppression deeply etched into their cultural psyche, they structured their laws in an effort to prevent such tyranny from rising again. In addition to the hereditary monarch who now rules Athar there exists an elected High Council, a civil body with powers to match and counter the throne should the need arise.
Along with these societal changes came an embracing of policies encouraging the exchange of learning and open trade with their neighbors, concepts so long denied them as a people. With its borders open Athar found itself well positioned to act as a trade gateway between the rest of the continent and the lands across the Suleun Ocean. As a result of this influx of trade revenue the port towns along the coastline expanded rapidly, both in cultural sophistication and size, growing into major cities. In these port cities, now the economic heart of Athar, the modern Atharan is unrecognizable as a descendant of their primitive tribal forebears.
Although the changes that swept Athar were embraced for the most part, as one moves further into forested heartlands of Athar attitudes begin to shift. Many in these regions reject this move to welcome foreign culture and ideas, instead clinging to the old ways, to the worship of the Imarathi and tribal alliances. Mockingly known as "Drunn" by their city dwelling cousins, these less sophisticated folk nevertheless play a significant role in the Atharan economy, especially within the lumber milling industry which forms the bulk of Atharan export to other nations. Since the war these "Drunn" have been especially hard hit by the rapidly rising cost of basic foodstuffs. Rumor in the taverns speak of growing discontent and resentment in the outlying towns and villages, of outbreaks of violence and the possibility of food riots. As desperation grows so too do the lines that divide the citizens of Athar...  |