There are many territories to the Jhoikian Empire, but since we are heading west, I will be covering those that are there. You may notice that while some houses and their ancestral grounds are mentioned here, not all are; and that is because some of the houses are based to the north, east or south of Mennin rather than to the west. I'll be listing them in increasing geographical distance from Mennin, so this should be the order in which you traverse them in this game.

The Etana Valley

Terrain:
A mix of marshes and flat barren plains, much effort has been made into terraforming this region and making it suitable for farming, pasturing, building residences and durable long-term roads. The yearly floods make much of these efforts immaterial and transient but there have been a few successes at great expense.

House Locales:
Tower's ancestral grounds dominate the Etana valley; myth holds that once it was just as their namesake would suggest, a humble stone tower rising out of the barren flats, but the porcupine-esque assortment of battlements that is there now hardly countenances such a possibility. Vast ranges are set aside for the use of the Tower Guards, who are directed all over the Empire from this central location. In modern times the locale is succinctly referred to as 'The Towers'.

Major Settlements:
Elaellum, a favorite of the Ba'arnath in winter, the city is organized into exact quarters that are separated by artificial rivers. The art galleries, lavish temples and thriving nightlife provide something for a noble of any age or inclination. The holiday celebrations here are famous for overawing that of Mennin itself. Meanwhile, the hand of criminals in controlling the local officials is infamous as well and in recent decades the infrastructure has suffered from chronic neglect, with weeds beginning to grow up in the cobblestone streets.

Adukinon, the last stop on the river before Mennin, has historically housed many exiled Royals, Nobles and bastards of the self-same. Sculptures of obscure figures out of myth and forgotten time are common amongst its three universities and there has been talk of a school being founded to further the academic study of Power and its applications. Naturally the military applications of Power such as the school you all attended are much better funded, but there is some competition at least. Hospitality and discretion are the watchword of this town, where every man has four eyes, five ears and half a tongue compared to your average Jhoikian.

Trovac, a town favored by Diacullius as the closest point of civilization to his 'far West' retreat, the architecture has been forever touched by extensive developments and changes made during the early period of the Empire when it was a hotbed of intrigue and tradecraft. It is said that almost every original building in the town has at least one secret entrance and hidden door within, usually more. Given its association with Diacullius, much of the town is owned by the Valencia today. There is currently a three-way struggle of power for the title of Viscount Trovac between Vincent Valencia (an older noble with no achievements who is seeking a legacy), Jasmine Valencia (a viciously power-hungry upstart in the House) and Richard Ironspike (who has promised revolution into an industrial base to rival that of Mennin itself, should the seat be given to him).

Minor Settlements:
Too many to list, there are perhaps a dozen to two-dozen small gatherings of individuals, depending on where you draw the line between 'town' and 'temporary work camp'.

Secrets:
None discovered.

Opposition:
None known.

Important Personages:

Reginald Tower, patriarch of the Royal House and the owner of the second largest amount of land in the Empire, he has elected to dwell in The Towers rather than in Mennin for the last ten years, perhaps trusting his own security more in the wake of failed revolutions. At his direction, the strength of the Tower Guard has been increased four-fold in the intervening years, with fully half the force remaining in The Towers rather than being deployed across the Empire.

Victor Vasille Perielle, the Viscount of Elaellum; he keeps the city entertaining and accessible for its many Ba'arnath patrons and other allies of the Perielle's as well. Like many in his House he is chronically underestimated by those who think they know him. His political and economic power within his sphere of influence is frighteningly extensive, putting him on the short list of Nobles who might make the jump to Royalty soon. Lingering rumors of his complicity with the criminal underground might hamper him, though.

Jacob Smith, an ex-commoner with no claims to blood other than the coins in his pocket and a purchased title, he has been buying and renovating many of the inns and taverns in Adukinon with a ferocious speed; even demolishing a few buildings and combining their plots to create new modern 'By-way Palaces', creating luxury unheard of outside of Royal grounds that can be temporarily purchased. One of the destroyed buildings was a shrine contested by both Ish-Bin-Akar and Yassir, prompting a small horde of religious fanatics to swarm the town and delay his project. Amusingly enough, he's making more money than he is losing, since all those zealots still have to pay for rooms, after all.


Knowledge Thresholds: (This gives you an idea how thorough/complete your knowledge of a given region is based on different sources/types of information)
Local: 10
Nobility: 25 [Courtesy of Charlene]
History: 15
Nature: 15
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:54, Mon 28 Aug 2017.