LHAZAAR PRINCIPALITIES: Pages from the Khorvaire Almanac

Lhazaar Principalities
Country	None
Capital	Regalport
Ruler	Multiple Princes
Government	Confederation
Population	500,000

Race Percentage Humans	42%
Gnomes	16%
Half-Elf	14%
Changelings	12%
Dwarf	5%
Halfling	4%
Other	3%
Eladrin	2%
Elf	2%

Religion	Sovereign Host (Kol Korran, Olladra) & The Devourer
Imports	Whatever they can get
Exports	Ships, Mercenaries, Trade Goods

[FROM PAGES FOUND IN AN ABANDONED TOWER IN THE FOREST SOUTH OF SKAIRN]

Location

A narrow strip of land to the east of the Hoarfrost Mountains are the principalities only connection to mainland Khorvaire. A band of more than two dozen islands lies scattered off the coast of this narrow band of landscape and extends further north than any point on Khorvaire's shores piercing into the Bitter Sea and extends south to islands off the coast of Q'barra.

Society

Lhazaar society exists more on the open sea than on any land establishment. Those that call the few land establishments home exist to service the sea industries and every major settlement exists on the coastline while much of the interior of the islands remain unexplored and uninhabited. Although the oldest settlements of Khorvaire exist in the Principalities they retain their feeling of frontier towns embraced by the beautiful and brutal environment around them. The sea princes rule over their own islands and every inhabitant pledges fealty to these sea princes. The princes themselves are as varied as the many rulers of the other nations of Khorvaire. Whereas one may be a tyrannical despot another might be a kind hearted ambassador of goodwill.

The Lhazaar Principalities take their name from the explorer Lhazaar, the woman responsible for first bringing human settlers from Sarlona to the shores of Khorvaire 3,000 years ago. Lhazaar established a functional society in the Lhazaar Principalities. She gave the captains in her fleet the title Prince and created the few laws that is held thought out the land. The law that she is best known for is that the title prince is not hereditary but earned. Lhazaar noble hold their title through the power of their armies. Here, might makes right, but with so many different people and cultures this is expressed in different ways. The gnomes of Lorghalen who challenge a prince play a game of wit. The Elves of Farlnen want a show of Arcane skill in addition to naval power. The Sea Princes are very independent; none of the islands have ever been truly united under a single prince. But there has always been one prince that claims the title of High Prince. For the last 15 years this has been High Prince Rygar ir'Wynarn who commands a fleet of 20 ships and the respect of many of the other princes.

There are few laws that the people of the Lhazaar Principalities follow completely. The main one states that the princes of have the right to administer justice in his own land and he can appoint officers as he sees fit. The princes often fight each other but they will join arms if a prince is being attacked by an outsider. Highly loyal to other Lhazaarites, the people of the Lhazaar Principalities will help each other if attacked by outsiders.

Customs

The water is a way of life for the people of the Principalities. Lhazaar children learn to fish and harvest the bounty of the sea as soon as they are old enough to handle a net, and most are equally at home on the deck of a ship or swimming through the waves. Most Lhazaarites prefer to stay close to the water: the ocean is freedom, and a Lhazaarite deep inland feels isolated and trapped. Lhazaarites prefer fish and salty foods to red meat, and Lhazaar captains traditionally drink salasta, a strong, clear alcoholic beverage made using salas seaweed.

The ancestors of the Lhazaarites came from many different races and nations. There is a wide range of skin and hair color among the humans; the original settlers came from across Sarlona, from desert, jungle, and plains. As a result, Lhazaarites tend to be comfortable with all races, and their culture and language incorporates traces of many others; while a dwarf born in the Lhazaar Principalities may not be able to speak Elven, he may use Elven swear words or interjections in his speech.

Lhazaar dress varies from principality to principality, but it often shows traces of the polyglot heritage of the region. Clothing tends to be tough and functional since it's made to resist the rough weather of the seas and the bitter cold of the northern winter. Lhazaarites take great pride in their hair, and complex braids and decorative accessories are common among both men and women.

From the personal stationary of Rubel Hooktooth Holy Army of Onatar 5th Class

18 Zarantyr, 999 YK

Brothers,

How are yeh sorry excuses for dwarves?? I musht aphologize for the delay since mah last letter but I haffn't had the time. I was commishoned to bring backa fallen captain frum a wreacked areship but somehow got tangled up wif a travelin' party headin' to the north and I fought "well bloody why not?"

Such dhangers though! blhoody bugbears and gnolls and who knows what else we're likely to run into in these ruddy woods. I leave this lhetter with those pompous dwarves in Mror. I hope word reaches yeh whell brothers and I hope yeh sorry sacks are far better at the game of drink than yeh were when I left.

-Rubel

House Kundarak

Possessing great wealth and the magical Mark of Warding, the dwarves of House Kundarak have established themselves as the bankers and moneylenders of Khorvaire, as well as providers of persistent security for businesses and precious goods. While the Mark of Warding appeared among the dwarves of the Mror Holds twenty-five hundred years ago, it was not until the rise of the Kingdom of Galifar that the Kundarak dwarves emerged from barbarism and discovered the full extent of their magical gift. Kundarakhold has rich deposits of precious metals, and the clan initially used its dragonmark to protect its vaults. By 106 YK, House Kundarak was admitted into the exclusive membership of the dragonmarked houses, and today House Kundarak’s banking system operates throughout Khorvaire.

House Kundarak is a business, and the heirs of the house are expected to earn their keep. The current patriarch, Baron Morrikan d’Kundarak, coordinates the operations of the Banking Guild and the Warding Guild from vast estates in Kundarakhold.

Lord Morrikan d'Kundarak of Korunda Gate

Major branches of the family operate in Aundaire, Thrane, Karrnath, Breland, Zilargo, and the Lhazaar Principalities, each with its own director of operations. These nobles report to Kundarakhold, but manage the daily affairs of the house in their region.

The Banking Guild provides loans, letters of credit, and safekeeping services in all the nations mentioned above. Only the Lhazaar Principalities have relatively minor banking facilities, and the Warding Guild has more extensive operations there due to its administration of the prison island of Dreadhold. One of the most popular services for those who can afford it is the safedeposit vault. A client can rent a vault for 10 gp per day. The client and any delegated companions receive a word of access and can deposit an item (weighing up to 10 pounds) into the vault. Through arcane means, the vault can be accessed from any Kundarak banking center, regardless of where the vault was originally accessed. Members of the house receive a discount on this service.

The vaults of Kundarakhold contain unimaginable wealth...and more protective wards than a dwarf can count in his lifetime

Other services provided by the Banking Guild include exchanging coins for more transportable forms of wealth, such as gems or bills of exchange. The larger offices link by magical means, and an individual who maintains a balance with the bank can withdraw funds from any of the major outposts. The house speculates in a variety of businesses (including its own precious metals trade), and wealthy clients can choose to take advantage of investment services. Kundarak also provides credit and loans, but as an institution, the bank only deals with royalty, dragonmarked houses, guilds, and other large groups. However, a Kundarak agent may provide a loan to an individual or adventuring party as a matter of personal speculation.

The Warding Guild consists of experts in magical and mundane security, as well as troops trained to guard Kundarak holdings. The house members stationed at Dreadhold belong to this guild. The guild provides independent security consulting and services; Kundarak locks and traps are renowned throughout the land.

Dreadhold

Many of the nations of Khorvaire and the dragonmarked houses rely on House Kundarak for loans and security, which gives the house considerable influence. House Kundarak has close ties to House Sivis. Gnomes are found at most major branches of the bank. In exchange for a share of the profits, the House of Scribing provides bookkeeping services, verifies important documents, and assists with magical communication, in addition to providing the services of its mundane advocates and mediators.

Hobgoblins in Shadowfell Keep

The Order of the Crimson Dawn in the second level of Shadowfell Keep. What are Dhakaani hobgoblins doing way up here in northern Karrnath?

Eilian the Old

Young Eilian Kessler approached the tower with equal parts anticipation and trepidation. The anticipation part was straightforward: He's suffered through countless tests, examinations, and demonstrations to earn a place at the Rekkenmark Academy. As the firstborn son of General Vorelus "Horseshoe" Kessler, Eilian was taking an important step in his family's destiny by enrolling in the junior officer corps today.

But the trepidation wouldn't go away. What if he washed out of the academy? A third of first-year officers don't come back to Rekkenmark for the second year. Ten years ago, Eilian's uncle Wultram volunteered to fight on the western front after his first year at the academy--and the family always whispered that he volunteered because he was on the verge of flunking out. Well, he proved himself in Scions Sound, Eilian thought. The Kessler family could use more Uncle Wultrams.

Eilian spent the chill autumn morning standing at attention, waiting for Rekkenmark clerks to check his entrance papers. Figuring that the long wait was just another test, Eilian concentrated on maintaining his posture and breathing, trying to keep his anticipation and trepidation from showing.

If the morning was devoted to standing at attention, the afternoon was an exercise in line-waiting: lines for uniforms (the plain tan of Karrnathi cadets), lines for books (chief among them an annotated Analects of War by Karrn the Conqueror himself), and lines for armor and weapons.


It was at the end of the last line that Eilian's trepidation went away, completely overwhelmed by anticipation. Eilian took the sheathed longsword from the supply sergeant, suppressing a gasp when he saw the Rekkenmark insignia, an "R" scripted in filigree, on the pommel. Just like Father has, and just like Uncle Wultram had. Soon I'll show everyone how well cadet Eilian Kessler wields this sword, he thought.

Portraits: 1) Eilian today (999 YK). 2) Young Rekkenmark Academy cadet Eilian Kessler circa 962 YK.

Lake Dark

The pitch-black waters of Lake Dark shimmer in the farmland in eastern Karrnath. Fed by the cold runoff of the Iron River, Lake Dark is a large body of mistshrouded water that collects in a depression in the fields between the Icetop Mountains and the Talenta Plains. The small towns of Lakeside and Irontown flank Lake Dark, and smaller farming communities encircle it with their various kinds of crops. Many believe that spirits haunt Lake Dark, and that the pitch-black waters provide a pathway to Dolurrh, a location from which the living can sometimes speak with the dead. Lake Dark is a manifest zone connected to the realm of the dead, and spells related to necromancy have greater power when cast in proximity to its dark, restless waters.

Karrnath

Two Silver Flamers brave the streets of the Styes, the filthiest district in Karrlakton, Karrnath. This Order of the Emerald Claw vet intends to show them Karrlakton is no friend to Flamers...

Of the Five Nations founded by the human settlers of Khorvaire, Karrnath has the strongest military tradition. Famous as the birthplace of Galifar himself, the great king who unified the Five Nations, the nation consists of lush forests, fertile plains, and extensive waterways flowing from snow-covered mountaintops to the sea. Once, the borders of Karrnath included most of the land east of Scions Sound, covering what is now the Mror Holds, the Talenta Plains, Q'barra, and the Lhazaar Principalities. Today, the nation stretches from Scions Sound and the Cyre River on the west to the Ironroot Mountains in the east, and from Karrn Bay in the north to the start of the Talenta Plains in the south. The nation’s name has not changed since the ancient days before the founding of the Five Nations, when Karrn the Conqueror not only established the country that still bears his name but also tried to conquer and unite all of Khorvaire under his rule. Centuries later it was another Karrn, one of King Galifar’s sons, who rededicated the nation to himself in 32 YK, the same year when the Five Nations officially adopted the names of Galifar’s five eldest children.

During the reign of Jarot, Galifar’s last king, Kaius I governed the nation. Third born of King Jarot’s children, Kaius was a tall, whip-thin man with intense eyes and a sharp mind. With the death of his father, Kaius joined his siblings Thalin of Thrane and Wroann of Breland in rejecting their eldest sister Mishann’s claim to the throne. The Last War began as a two-sided affair—Cyre and Aundair on one side, attempting to uphold the tenets of Galifar succession; Breland, Thrane, and Karrnath on the other, rejecting the crowning of Mishann but unsure how they wanted the question of succession to be settled. It wasn’t long before each scion decided that he or she was meant to rule the kingdom, and the initial alliances collapsed in blood and fury.

The current ruler of Karrnath, King Kaius ir’Wynarn III, uncannily looks just like his great-grandfather, that scion of Jarot from whom his name derives. Kaius came to power in 991 YK and quickly became one of the most vocal proponents of peace in all the land. He was instrumental in convincing the other nations to attend peace talks at the ancient capital of Thronehold, and consequently was the first to sign the Treaty of Thronehold.

Today, Karrnath works hard to keep the current peace from failing. Without any children of his own as yet, Kaius has nonetheless exchanged his own brother and sister as well as the heirs of his most prominent nobles with the royal families of the other nations to assure cooperation and continuedpeace. He has taken in two of Boranel of Breland’s children, Halix and Borina, to help ensure a lasting peace and promote friendship between the two nations. Karrnath seeks to improve relations with Aundair and Thrane, two of the nations it fought most fiercely during the war. It continues to have a good relationship with the Mror Holds, one of its most staunch allies throughout the war. In the south, to curb continued aggression from the Valenar elves, Karrnath has established a separate alliance with the halfling clans of the Talenta Plains. This alliance has allowed Karrnathi troops to set up forts in halfling territory for the mutual protection of both nations.