(b.288). An Urlan, Sabatier began his career by ingratiating himself with Prince Desmond and his brother, the future King Vandrad. A fine talker but only average warrior, Sabatier nevertheless was a founding member of the Order of the Golden Spurs (with others such as Raymond du Plessey and Simon Garnier). After Vandrad's defeat of Michael III, Sabatier quickly received title and honours, becoming a wealthy lord and, later, Lord Chancellor.

In 333 Sabatier was revealed by Garnier as being corrupt and guilty of embezzling royal revenues. Vandrad stripped him of his rank and titles, and had him exiled (out of respect for his earlier service and their old friendship). Sabatier and some hangers-on went to Karakiraz, where he wheedled his way to the side of the King. In 340, when the Gel were obviously winning the war, Sabatier deftly changed sides once again, putting his wealth at the disposal of the noyan. After the conquest, however, he was mistrusted by the noyan, who had him forcibly retired. Unknown to many, Sabatier had a large part to play in the escape from captivity of Duke Raymond, his old friend, in 349. In the reign of Yum Kax, Sabatier has once again started to become active. Sabatier was given a noble Ghorgandi woman (b.316) as wife by the former king, and has four children (sons b.338, 342 and daughters b.339, 346). Sir Geoffrey claims that his elder daughter, Perizada, is actually the daughter and heir of the last Ghorgandi king of Karakiraz.

A Thestrian city of about 12,000 inhabitants located on the Tesh River where the river plunges over the Sharnface. Sardeth is one of the Gates of the Warlands and long held the key to the conquest of Thestria, and is thus very strongly fortified, with an impressive bastion on the left bank of the river. It is dramatically located on a bluff straddling the river, and has a great waterfall on its eastern side. Since the then margrave submitted voluntarily to Michael II in 291, Sardeth was the only one of the great Thestrian dominions that was not carved up by the Montese and it managed to retain much of its former autonomy. As a result the current margravine rules a region in the heart of the Kingdom as an almost-independent ruler.

(d.358) Former mercenary taken into service in 352 by Sir Mordoc Torsilley and made sergeant at arms. Sebastian was part of the party sent on the mission to rescue Madeleine Torsilley from the hands of the Archpriest, but turned renegade and attempted to either kill or kidnap Madeleine. Unsuccessful, he escaped. He later turned up in Bodwin's Howe in 358 accompanying Sir Godemar du Fay. Disappearing from his lodgings, his body was later found hanging from a tree, dead. It appeared that he was the victim of a long, possibly ritualistic murder, but the perpetrator was not discovered.

Queen of Montour (275-279)

(b.335) Princess of Montour, daughter of King Vandrad and Queen Ekaterina. Seladir was born after Ekaterina had been slain by assassins, and survived only through the sacrifice of the Mother's Patriarch of Montour. In thanks to the Church for this sacrifice, Vandrad offered his daughter to the holy service. She is now known as Favoured Sister Catherine, having risen through the ranks of the Inquisitors very rapidly, partly due to suspected supernatural powers that she may have obtained through the circumstances of her birth. She has very bloodshot, almost completely red, eyes.

A trading town in the foothills of the Rakrast Spur.

A tribal, nomadic people that live in the high plateau between Montour and Valliore. They are a wild people that owe no allegiance to any bar their own chiefs. Valliore attempted to conquer them in the early fourth century but failed and withdrew. Related to the Keska peoples, the Seska are more primitive still.

Independent City. A coastal town located near the mouth of the Raracas River, Shalgreth was the northernmost Imperial Castrovian settlement during the heyday of Thestria. In the confusion of the years following the Orcwar the citizens of Shalgreth, fed-up with the constant fighting between the Empire and the Kingdom, declared their town independent. This precarious independence was guaranteed by Queen Florence, and the town grew into a city, especially as many residents of the Warlands fled to its relative safety during the height of Montese-Thestrian conflict in the middle of the third century. It is now the largest city in the region, with perhaps 50000 inhabitants, and still claims independence, though much of its policy is so dominated by the Kingdom that it often seems to be a part of it. The city is ruled by a Lord Mayor (currently Delwintel Castevet) with the support of the Council of Ten.

The people of Shalgreth are of both Castrovian and Montese stock. The outlook of the citizenry is generally mercantile, and Shalgrethan merchants have a stranglehold on the commerce with the remnants of the Empire and with the Gel domains that now occupy the old Imperial territory.

Often referred to only as “the Face”. The great cliff that borders the Sharn on its western side. The Sharnface is an almost unclimbable wall of stone that rises to a height of perhaps 3000 feet at its southern end, and 300 feet at its northern end near Sardeth. The Sharnface is pitted with caves and other fissures, the residents of which, if any, are largely unknown.

This battle is also called Master Miriaud's Mistake, or to locals just the “Mistake”. That Master, commander of the garrison of Rochefort, thinking to surprise the Gel army which had bypassed his castle to invade Breakingdale, sortied during the night, and marched until dawn. When day arrived the Shield Brothers found themselves surrounded by Gel horsemen. Miriaud attempted to withdraw to the top of a hill, but his command was whittled down until the survivors were overwhelmed. Over 60 knights and 300 other soldiers were slain, and Rochefort was easily taken by the noyan's troops. The battlefield was well stripped by the victorious Gel after the battle, and the Order decently buried the dead in a mass grave in 349, but there are still small finds being discovered at the site. Reports of undead at the old battlefield are unconfirmed.

A duchy within the Kingdom of Valliore

Castrovian coming of age custom. Sometime in a boy's teenage years he will approach his parents (or, if he leaves it too long, they will approach him) and demand to be sheared. At a public ceremony his parents will dress him in a travelling cloak, staff and pack, then roughly tear the bottom of the cloak. From this moment on the boy is not considered to be part of the family, and will not be returned to the fold until he has proven that he can make it on his own. He will leave the family home and seek his own way, typically through gaining employment elsewhere. After 2 or so years, when he has demonstrated that he can survive successfully, he will return to the family.

While the custom frowns upon the family making arrangements for their sons, it has become increasingly common, especially for nobles and richer commoners. This has perhaps been influenced by the Montese culture of squireship.

It is normally only boys who are sheared. However, a girl who agitates for it is occasionally sheared in this way.

Shimmering cloth is made from spider silk, and is a secret of the clothiers guild of Atabash. It can be used to make cloaks, dresses or even tents or sails. From most angles it is completely opaque, but if viewed from certain angles or in certain light it becomes translucent or nearly transparent. It is a very expensive product.

The Sea of Unease is not friendly towards low-freeboard vessels, so there is not a tradition of galley sailing in the waters near the Kingdom. Most sea traffic is coastal, and made up of small one-or two masted sailing vessels that anchor each night. Ocean-going vessels are rarer, and are mostly caravels. A new form of large multi-masted sailing ship has recently been developed in Valliore, and it was in a locally-designed version of one of these that Prince-Regent Erling was drowned. Nevertheless, these larger vessels are considered to be the future, especially for combat against the Dornites.

Slavery is not practised in Montour or Thestria, though some criminals become indentured for periods of time. However, Voor, Gel and Ghorgandi do practise slavery. The first two cultures enslave defeated enemies, while the Ghorgandi practise mercantile slavery.

Former master of the Upper Raracas Guild of Weavers and captain of the guild's White Hood militia company, William Smith was a loyal supporter of Simon Garnier. In the aftermath of the taking of the town by forces loyal to Prince Erling in 352, Smith was implicated in an attempt to smuggle the Count of Raracas out of captivity. Tried for several common crimes (the murder of some dwarf merchants was involved), Smith was found guilty, executed, and buried with full honour by his guild.

the goddess of luxury, indulgence, sensuality and sexual love, is the youngest daughter of the Mother. She was given in marriage to Rhork for his services in constructing the Mother's palace, but She frequently runs off with others, especially Hadur.

Nobody really knows what Solana looks like. She is always depicted as a paragon of beauty as beauty is perceived by the depicter. So that the representation is known to be of Her, She is always shown surrounded by a field of lotuses, or holding or wearing a single lotus.

Solana has a strong following among city folk. Her worship is particularly strong in Shalgreth.

Both the pantheon faiths and Voorish belief speak of individuals having immortal souls, being part of the individual and yet separate from it.

The pantheon faiths believe that the soul is detached from the body at the time of death, and is taken (by the Reaper or other supernatural agency) to the realm of the Empress of the Dead, where the soul is judged by the Judges of the Underworld and sent on to one of various eternal rests.

Voorish belief, however, states that only humans have souls, and that all other creatures, including orcs, dwarfs and other sentients, are lacking this quality and are little more than animations (in theory, at least). Voorish doctrine also holds that there is a constant number of souls, and that there are as many souls (and therefore humans) in existence at the present time as there were thousands of years ago. When one person dies their soul is near immediately returned to the earth in the form of a new baby.

Both belief systems accept that souls can be destroyed or corrupted. The primary paths to destruction are death through certain evilly enchanted weapons, or through the interference of Demons. Corrupted souls are those that refuse to enter, are blocked from, or led away from, the realm of the Empress. These souls are the animating force behind most of the Undead.

Karakirazi religious celebration. It takes place around the end of September. The festivities themselves are an important holy day for the people of Atabash. Most of them flock to the western side of the city, around the area of the great market and the Avenue of the Gods. There they will witness various religious ceremonies from various faiths (a ceremonial contest between the two high priests of the Twins, a benediction by the Mother, and, perhaps most importantly, the ceremonial joining of the King and Solana (in the person of the High Priestess). Then there is feasting and joyful celebrations through the city as people depart for their private parties in homes and streets.

Emperor of Castrovia (-30-6)