by Carteeg Struve

Capital: Dekartor
Population: 179,030 (Human 98%, Hartdar 2%)
Government: Monarchy
Religions: Tashrama (black branch)
Languages: Common, Dwarven, Trejori
Trade: Trout, Bass, Grains, Corn, Glass, Pottery
Legions: Band of Lukset’s Wall, Army of the King
Alignment: LG, LN, LE

Trejor (Trey’-jor) is a nation long dedicated to the unified Midlands, until the most recent months. Trejor has long been under the control of the royal Durandae family, but recently a quiet coup has shifted the balance with few realizing it.

Life and Society

Above all else, the trade from the fishing industry along the coast is the major source of income for those living in Trejor. However for the people living further inland corn and grain are also major commodities. Glass production also assists as a notable export, and many of the middle to upper class homes in the nation sport glass windows throughout the buildings.

Along with Drejor, the population of Trejor is the most human dominated in the entire Midlands. The attitudes of many of the people reflect this, and several towns and cities do not care to do business with non-human visitors. Because of these attitudes, even the Corinesti tend to avoid Trejor’s ports. It does no good to waste the energies to meet with people inclined to not do business when there are much more hospitable ventures elsewhere. Still, the nation does have a long standing trading partnership with the dwarves to the northeast, and some dwarves do take up residency within Trejor itself. Occasional harassment is something many of them tend to accept as a price for living in the sovereignty.

The people of Trejor have been loyal to the royal family for centuries, even though a group of disenfranchised citizens plotted to execute the Durandaes soon after the Days of Darkness. Their own loyalty to the Midlands under Montegron is much more debatable. However, for over three decades the royal family and specifically King Tojra Durandaes had supported the re-affirming of civilization under the unified bond of the Sovereignties. For these reason only have the majority of people accepted the word reigning from the distance FyxZharar.

A smaller group within the population however has quietly come to support the Tashmaradic church instead, believing that a distant power is not in Trejor’s best interest. For that reason, a large segment openly backs the resident Black Elder Dragon, Xyvren. King Tojra was always nervous of the Tashmaradic faith and had done everything possible to keep the influential powrs within the church appeased. He was also aware he own seat as king may be in jeopardy if either Montegron or the church grew too annoyed with him. Although openly loyal to the Great Lord Sovereign, Tojra did what he could to allow the Tashrama great freedom to operate.

Religion

The Holy Land of the black branch of the Tashrama, Barja Pendan, is located within Trejor’s borders, and so a large number of the faithful live in and near the isle. With over a century history of the black branch being rather assisting to the needs of Trejorans, albeit inconsistently, the church has a decent level of tolerance from many. The primary loyalty of all Trejorans is with the monarchy, but since King Tojri is slowly becoming openly supportive of the church, the people have become more open as well.

Government

King Tojra Durandae rules the nation from his throne in Dekartor, and is openly active in arbitrating agreements between traders and federal offices, between disputes between Trejoran towns, between Trejor and other lands, and others. For years Durandae had slowed down in his work, leaving many duties to his Cabinet or Nobles and also his son Yuneil. But lately Tojra has been showing a second-wind, initiating new projects and talks between rivals. He is even attempting to start peace talks between the Sovereignties and the Tashrama.

The Cabinet of Nobles is a body that deals with many of the day-to-day aspects of running the city and the country. There are five seats, and the patriarch of the noble family that owns each seat chooses its representative. Often that representative is the patriarch himself, but to have another appointed by the patriarch is not uncommon. Women have in the past become a ruling matriarch of a house, and no law forbids it, but such occurrences are rare and sometimes are seen to be against custom and decency.

Towns and cities run their business primarily on their own with usually little interference from the national levels. Any grievance or issues they need to bring up much be passed through the Cabinet before being brought to the king.

Military

Two major military units guard the land. The general army is referred to as “The Army of the King.” Long after the Drowning a subset of the army became the nation’s navy, however by sake of hierarchy it is still considered part of the army since the head of the naval forces still reports to the Chief General under the king. The second major military unit is known as “The Band of Lukset’s Wall.” This band comprises of those whose duty is to protect the king, the royal family, and the palace. Where the name came from or what or where Lukset’s Wall even is has been lost to time. Yet because of tradition and the belief there is a forgotten source of pride in the name, the band has refused to change their name to something more relevant.

Magic and Mysticism

With the black branch of the Tashrama so influential in the region, in combination with the king’s good relations with them, many Trejorans are becoming accepting of church. Thus the mystical abilities of the clergy are not as shunned as it is in other lands. The black branch itself is highly supportive in the investigation and research into magic in general. Sorcerers and now wizards are encouraged to come to Trejor by the church, and some have even received invitation to be allowed into the Holy Land. With such a tolerate view of all types of magic, many Trejorans have begun to see magic as a useful and intriguing tool rather than a secretive art shrouded in darkness.

Major Geographical Features and Locations

The ruins of Morogan Pendan are seen as a cursed and haunted place. For millennia, the Black Elder Dragon Xyvren was trapped in his lair beneath the tall rolling hills away from most settlements in Trejor. However the Days of Darkness changed that when the influence of chaotic magic ran out of control. The primal magic exploded in power and came alive, destroying and mutilating everything in sight. The Elder Dragon fled before the entire underground tunnels exploded and collapsed most of the entrances. Every so often stories are heard of a wanderer who finds an opening hidden in the complex maze of hillsides. What the tales claim the person finds varies in both content and believability depending on the bard reciting the story. Considering half of the stories end in no one surviving the venture, most listeners discount all stories as fiction outright.

Regional History

A sister nation to Drejor before the Drowning, it has retained its alliance throughout the years with them, longer than any of the other Midland nations. Even though prejudices against non-humans are strong, for a long forgotten reason Trejor has had extensive trading going on between themselves and the Coin Dwarves in the mountains over the border in Kedaltol. Whether through a long standing tradition, or maybe just out of habit, this one contradiction with their own beliefs of purity seems to have endured without question.

In the ancient days before the Drowning, Trejor was originally covered by a number of warlord led tribes. This warfare lasted for centuries as the ground continued to soak in the blood. According to legend, the son and daughter of the Roanj Tribe chief came upon a sinkhole in the middle of the night. Both were swallowed up. When they came to, they found themselves in an old temple long buried beneath the earth. Before them stood three figures: a older man in armor of unknown design, a scribe with a tome who’s pages remained in shadow, and a beautiful woman with eyes of a serpent. They brought before them a bow and arrow made of a strange metal. Even the string of the bow itself seemed to be made of this brilliant substance, yet it was shown to bend but never break.

“These are yours to forge a nation and unify these lands,” said the scribe. “But you each have a choice.”

“We three represent three paths you may walk, and may guide your people by,” said the armored man.

“Not one of us will lead you to a life of ease. No such path exists,” said the woman. “But great things may be had still.”

The scribe stepped forward and gave the boy the bow and the girl the arrow. “If you both choose a single path, then in time peace will reign for Ages in the manner for which you set. One for the good of all, one for the strength of your own aims, and one to allow each of your nation to choose and live as they see fit. But if you choose differently, then division will be had and nothing can be promised.”

The girl made to confer with her brother, but the boy had made his mind. “I choose the good of all,” he said and the armored man gave a warm smile to him. “Nothing can be more important than that, even if the individuals, even myself, must share hardship.” The eyes of the gods turned to the girl.

After a moment of thought, she said, “I choose the fourth path. It is not right for gods to force mortals to chose only between them, whether for all, for self, or for freedom. To do so is a detriment to all three. I will accept your gift to help my people, but my path is chosen.” And she turned and walked away.

The brother was dismayed, but in his heart he believed he had chosen what was best. He learned the path of the armored man, and met up with his sister at a tunnel’s opening. Hurt was felt between them, but they put it aside for the betterment of their people. However the divide did not ever heal completely.

In time the two came to lead their tribe as one, but often disagreements arose. Also never was the star metal arrow fired from the star metal bow. He used his own arrows, and she used her own bow. Never did the bow break, and always the arrow was retrieved. In time, through both war and wisdom, the warring people were unified. But only for a short while.

There were times where she believed that under specific circumstances immoral acts which only resulted in a better end were justified. He disagreed and believed it soiled the ideals they were aiming for. As disagreements continued, the people began to divide with them. The new nation swiftly split into two, Trejor and Drejor, as the sister took half of the country east.

How much of the legend is true is now unknown. But relations between the two countries remained close now they had the ability to run things in their own manner. Ages passed, and Trejor’s royal families continued to hold onto the bow, the Originator, as a symbol of their rule. Trejor used their skills in using the earth to make pottery and glass. Trade with the dwarven-kind is thought to had begun with these products.

Shortly before the Drowning, the Originator was stolen from its place directly over the Throne of the Shining Heaven. The eight sons of the King Uelhas ventured out to track down the bandits responsible. Before it could be retrieved, their world was covered in water. The southern portion of the nation was flooded and sunk beneath the waves.

Trejor was further divided several decades later in 51 AD. With surviving members of the hierarchy struggling to hold the remaining lands together, Urzai Lanla, the cousin of Bhadlum’s leader, sought to gain his own territories by successfully getting the northernmost districts of Trejor to claim independence. Without enough security in the region, and believing that Bhadlum would come to the aid of the Vjenor’s claim of secession, Trejor grudgingly allowed the lands to depart. Relations between Trejor and the north would take centuries to heal.

In 53 AD, a blood connection between the old royal family and a Drejoran count was established. Count Kalis Durde, although reluctant to leave his homeland, eventually changed his family’s name to Durandae to further bridge the connection between his new rule of the Trejoran nation and those of the past. Due to the Drejoran roots of the current Trejoran royal house, relations continued to remain strong between Trejor and Drejor. In fact mutual assistance helped them reorganize themselves in the post-Drowning era.

Centuries after the Drowning, a portion of the hilly countryside came secretly and quietly under control of the Black Elder Dragon Xyvren. Although a number of his own followers proved to be a great nuisance, Xyvren himself took many actions to try to be amiable with the human rulers in the land. In 300 AD, Xyvren used his own people to assist in the transportation of Trejor’s trading items when the Corinesti Trade Wars sparked many problems in moving items by sea. Xyvren was also using the nation’s added protection to make sure his own rare spell components and items were shipped unmolested, but the agreements assisted both parties through the troubled time well. In 347 AD, the reigning monarchy Lewrin Durandae was an open member of the Tashrama and assisted Xyvren, who he was aware of, in his plans to experiment with magic. Five years later King Lewrin was slain by four unknown adventurers set against Xyvren’s aims. The assassins were themselves killed when trying to escape. Lewrin’s son Jogahl, a man with no trust of the Tashramadic church or the newly returned True Gods, succeeded his father on the throne. Since then Xyvren had been rarely seen by even the highest members of the clergy, and it is suspected that the black dragon may be seeking new ways in magic to release himself from his bound nature to his lair.

During the Days of Darkness, Xyvren’s lair was changed to a small island off the southern coast of Trejor. Since then the ruling king, Jogahl’s son Tojra, has been trying to balance keeping the black and his followers of the Tashrama happy while staying loyal to the united sovereignties of Lord Montegron. This entailed allowing the Tashramadic church much more freedom than Tojra himself would like.

Starting in 419 AD, the older Tojra seems to have changed his opinions on matters. In fact he had begun making public some of his support for Xyvren’s policies against Montegron’s hold across the Midlands. With most Trejorans loyal to their king first and foremost, Montegron may be on the verge of losing an ally in Trejor.

The truth of the matters is much more dire and much less known. King Tojra has in fact been dead since 417 AD. The being impersonating him is none other than Xyvren himself. Slowly he is moving the nation’s policies away from the good of the Midland Sovereignties. The ultimate aims of his plans, like both his identity and how he has in some manner freed himself from his lair, has not even been revealed to his closest confidants.

Current Events

• King Tojra is allowing representatives from Barja Pendan to reside within the palace. Publicly he stated this was to help foster better relations between the Sovereignties and the church. Tojra has even sent an invitation to the Great Sovereign Lord to come to Trejor to begin talks with the Tashrama “and help ease unnecessary tensions.” He has even sent an invitation to the recently exposed Black Elder to join in dialogue with the Sovereignties at the edge of his Holy Land.

• Tojra’s son, Yuneil Durandae, has recently discovered that his father has several books on the subject of Black Wizardry. Worried that if this news was to become known, in combination with his more friendly relations with Barja Pendan, Yuneil is putting together a secret circle of allies who will come to his father’s aid if the Sovereignties decide to attempt Tojra’s removal from power (by subtle and fatal means). This circle will also do what it can to keep any more of Tojra’s embarrassments from getting out. Unfortunately, Tojra has begun drawing up plans for the construction of a school dedicated to the re-emerging wizard arts.

• To even the king’s surprise, there are more and more reports of twisted and nightmarish things being seen in the hills and trees near Morogan Pendan on nights where the unseen moon is at its weakest (new moon). Representatives of the government are looking for the brave and foolhardy willing to venture into the cursed lands.

Major Settlements

Barja Pendan (Large City 20,322): The lair of the Black Elder Dragon Xyvren is a small island less than a quarter of a mile away from the mainland shore that was formed when the land around it was swiftly eroded away by the Drowning. Like much of the shoreline of Trejor, the island has high cliffs on all sides with only a few locations allowing easy access to the water. The island is covered in a variety of strange tall trees that grow nowhere else in the Midlands, and a tall sharp spire of rock marks the center of the island. In the base of this formation is a cavern that leads down into Xyvren’s lair. Xyvren was forced to claim this isle as his lair after the Days of Darkness resulted in his bound realm being moved. Although the island homes a number of Xyvren’s loyal followers, the dragon itself is rarely seen. Most of Xyvren’s followers have built their homes on the nearby shoreline of the mainland.

Bolmryan Fields (5 Small Towns, 10,185): Although Trejor is a highly human populated nation with ingrained intolerance towards other races, by what can be called through either tradition or habit Trejor continues to do consistent business on decent terms with the dwarves living to the northeast in the mountains. Bolmryan Fields is a large collection of over half a dozen smaller towns nestled in a large flat of plain sitting between the high twisting hills of Trejor and the tall mountains across the border in Kedaltol. The towns are not completely independent from each other in that each mayor elects one of their own to insure trading laws remain consistent and fair throughout their collective. Farmers use the lands on the edge of Bolmryan Fields for much of the nation’s grain supply, and surplus is bartered with the dwarves for a fair price. It is in the Fields that Trejor has the highest concentration of dwarven citizens (8%), but outside of fair-trading they are still prone to being accosted by the occasional racial slur. Most dwarves living here are willing to put up with the slights since the business tends to be much better than average.

Dekartor (Metropolis 29,993): The capital of Trejor used to be an expansive city during the pre-Drowning eras. However half of the city was destroyed when the waters came in and collapsed much of the land. Sitting high on a cliff-side, half of the palace fell into the sea as the land gave way under it. Now the building appears to naturally end at the land’s edge, giving the palace a wide view of both the sea and the city around it. The city itself surrounds the palace below the hill. When the elevation is low enough, docks had been constructed, allowing trading by both land and sea. Up until recently, the city had no protecting wall, but following the chaos of the Days of Darkness and the following unrest, Dekartor began to take a more sobering view of the world and encased itself in a wide semicircle curving from the shore and heading inland. Like most places in Trejor, loyalty to the king is foremost. Even local supporters of both the Tashmara and the Midland Sovereignties seem to join together in national pride, seeing their other loyalties as secondary.

Port Rokarta (Large City 14,549): Relatively near the border with Drejor, Port Rokarta was formed a century after the Drowning when additional water erosion caused a portion of cliff to collapse into the sea. A valley leading down to a sizable bay was the result, and a number of traders who used the nearby trade route between the countries elected to build a new seaport. After several more centuries, the port grew into the largest trading city in the nation. Considering most in Port Rokarta avoid doing trade with the Corinesti Trading Guilds, the success is all the more impressive until one realizes that most of the success stems from it avoid most of the troubles from the Corinesti Trade Wars of 300 AD. During this period the Black Elder Dragon assisted Trejor government by helping to support caravan trade over land through the city to Drejor and also through shipping by use of funds donated supposedly from his own horde. The result was an economic boom that lasted until the Days of Darkness and arguably even through it unimpeded until present day.