Author Topic: Impiltur  (Read 13205 times)

Offline Flarezone

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Impiltur
« on: August 01, 2012, 03:38:14 pm »

INTRODUCTION
Impiltur is a former kingdom and current confederacy of feudal lords in Northeast Chrome of around 2.4 million inhabitants, comprising mainly humans, but also dwarves and halflings. Sages and loremasters throughout the CHrome, often refer to the land of Impiltur as the "Forgotten Kingdom." Older than Cormyr but little known west of the Dalelands, this insular kingdom all but withdrew from the affairs of the East, as it dealt with political turmoil and the depredations of fiends, plagues, and monstrous humanoids. Seemingly a strong, stable realm, Impiltur never truly recovered from the terrible time of the Fiend Wars several centuries ago, and the suspicion and age-old fears wrought by that tumultuous event linger as its legacy. Sinister fiend cults, evidence of demonic possessions, and rumors of otherworldly subversion bedevil linpiltur, making it a kingdom that has in more recent times removed itself almost totally from the political landscape of the Inner Sea. The reahn has been hesitant to place its trust in others, pursuing a policy of isolationism for the better part of eight decades. History has shown the people of this land that the clasped hand of a generous friend can all too often become the clutching talon of a grinning fiend.


GOVERNMENT
Law and order throughout the realm is maintained by the various Royal Constables located in every settlement of small town size or larger. These Royal Constables hear and try minor matters and levy punishments such as fines, confiscation of property, or public censure (usually by placing an offender in stocks in the local marketplace). The Lords of Imphras II deal directly with more serious matters such as crimes of violence, arson, and kidnapping in the legal forums known as Lord's Courts. Such forums feature members of the Council of Lords, who sit in judgment on matters heard on a bimonthly basis in the major cities of the kingdom. In practice, however, the Lords of Imphras II delegate this responsibility to the local Heralds, whose roles also include administrative work and tax and revenue collection. Only the most serious crimes, or those that require the special intervention of a member of the Lords of Imphras II, merit a hearing before a member of the Council of Lords.


Culture/Society of Impiltur
Impiltur and its people undertake acts of charity, believe in self-sacrifice, and champion justice and the furtherance of the common good. Impiltur retains a sense of the "frontier spirit" that drove its genesis as a nation over the many centuries, although this leads many observers to view it as less sophisticated than the jaded societies of Sembia, the rugged cities of the Moonsea, and the exotic lands of the Vilhon Reach. Those with dreams and ambition, however, judge it a land where fame and fortune can still be found at the tip of one's sword and where deeds of chivalry still combat the fiends of a tumultuous past. As with most goodly realms, the common folk of Impiltur form the general backbone of life and society in the kingdom. Impilturan commoners are known for their self-reliance, martial aptitude, and piousness. A prosperous middle merchant class buttresses a large and increasingly prominent farmer class, as agriculture and animal husbandry prove more and more lucrative.

Urban Impiltur shines as an example of how benevolent rule, coupled with a religious focus toward combating poverty and disease, makes a difference in the life of the common people. No city or town in Impiltur save for the shantytown of Bay Town, contains anything that observers would describe as a slum or beggars' quarter. The efforts of the priests of Ilmater to alleviate the suffering of the urban poor has seen a general trend toward better health and increased wealth for the lower classes and a realization from the upper classes that with their wealth and power comes significant responsibility to those less fortunate. In addition to the more mundane activities of farming, laboring, and herding, the common folk of Impiltur, have always readily acted as a source of manpower for martial activities in and around the lands of the Inner Sea. Along with Chessenta and some of the lands of the Vilhon Reach, Impiltur has historically furnished well-trained fighting men for "just and noble causes that pay well," as the mercenary leader Helingar "Threeswords" Lornim once commented. Since the Kingless Years, the authorities regulate mercenary companies in Impiltur, requiring them to obtain royal assent in the form of a Lord's Charter and a binding oath of service to the throne and realm when called upon.


Regions/Cities of Impiltur

The Barrowlands
Located several miles north of Sarshel, the Barrowlands are a remnant of the dark realm of Narfell and feature scores of earthen mounds devoid of any plant life save for the small, black-leafed shrubs known locally as widow's tears.

The Citadel of Conjurers
This dark and forbidding tower of black stone lies at the foothills of the Earthfast Mountains at the mouth of the Moaning Gorge, a place known for the peculiar sound the rushing wind makes when it blows through it.

Dargrath's Cavern
Located more than a week's ride southwest of Tower Ithfell, this cave network in the Earthspur Mountains is the last recognizable remnant of the great goblin realm of Haekrukkha, which dominated the Uplands of modern Impiltur in the time following the spread of the Great Glacier and the forced migration of many creatures and races southward.

The Hill of Tombs
This rocky, isolated prominence studded with granite outcroppings is covered with yellow-leafed fuldar bushes for much of the year. Called "Thatchskull" by local farmers, the Hill of Tombs holds strategic importance in the lands of the Easting Coast and features the remnants of several watch towers and hill forts dating back to more warlike times.

The Shimmerglade
This rocky basin surrounded by a copse of stunted and frost-rimed pine trees stands near the banks of the Icehilt River, in the far northern reaches of the realm. The Shimmerglade marks the site of a titanic magical battle fought many years ago between Elminster of Shadowdale and some half-dozen malaugrym led by Ultharos. The shapeshifters sought to lure Elminster to this remote location to trap and slay him. For their audacity, they met their doom here.

The Easting Coast holds the oldest settlements of Impiltur. Of these, the cities of Lyrabar and Hlammach dominate the landscape. Lyrabar, the capital of Impiltur and the kingdom's major population center, was built atop an abandoned dwarven delve by Impil Mirandor, a refugee from the lands of fallen Jhaamdath. Originally known as Impil's Tor, the steadily growing Lyrabar benefited from trade with the elves of the Gray Forest and the dwarves of Earthfast in its early days. The city boasts Impiltur's largest and most magnificent buildings, in the forms of the golden-domed Royal Palace and the Tower Pureheart, demesne of the Lords of Imphras II, the ruling council of Impiltur.

The Uplands
The sparsely populated Uplands of Impiltur stretch from the coast of the Easting Reach west and north to the Earthspur Mountains and the border with Damara. The two great fortresses of Ithfell and Mal dominate the region, and a small cluster of homes, businesses, and trading posts cluster around them. Ostensibly part of the Easting Coast lands, the city of Sarshel on the Fasting Reach acts as a trade hub for the Uplands, as well as a point of transport and market center for its products. As a result, most of the settlers residing in the region recognize Sarshel as the "capital" of the Uplands.
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