Setting Information
Ustalav:
The Immortal Principality of Ustalav lies on the northern shore of Lake Encarthan, a grim bastion of civilization surrounded by the barbarian north. A harsh landscape and a history rich in tragedies inspire a wary population to skepticism, religious devotion, and superstition. A conglomeration of loosely affiliated counties run by feuding nobles vying for power and influence, Ustalav is a pitiful shell of its former glory, before it was subjected to centuries of slavery at the hands of the Whispering Tyrant’s undead armies. While the nation’s upper classes struggle to compete with the very nations that abandoned them to fend for themselves after the Whispering Tyrant’s defeat, the average Ustalavic citizen faces far more gruesome realities.
Hundreds of years of subjugation and the residual horrors that plague the countryside have left the people of Ustalav suspicious of magic, religion, foreigners, and even their fellow citizens. Beyond their eccentric and insular qualities, the people of Ustalav often have a dour worldview. They resign themselves to lives of suffering, seeing nothing in their people’s history to suggest there exists any hope for a better life. Despite the physical and psychological strains upon its populace, Ustalav nevertheless fosters extremely hardy and tenacious stock: men and women who firmly believe that no matter how bad it gets, history shows it could always be worse.
Although Ustalav has little to offer its rural peasants, inhabitants of its many metropolitan areas fare somewhat better, and the centers of learning and culture they provide draw trade and travelers from throughout the Inner Sea region. The capital, Caliphas, stands on the banks of Lake Encarthan, and its fog-shrouded streets host some of the nation’s most esteemed trade and academic establishments. In the north, the city of Karcau boasts a thriving culture of music, theater, and other fine arts, and its opulent architecture rivals the excesses of even the most exotic Taldan palace. Meanwhile, Ustalav’s northwestern counties have broken from aristocratic rule and formed their own local, democratic government without nobles, calling themselves the Palatinates and providing a glimmer of hope for the downtrodden people of provincial Ustalav.
Lepidstat and Vieland:
Lepidstadt is the capital of Vieland, one of the three provinces that make up the newly democratic region known as the Palatinates. Unlike the other provinces of the Palatinates, the Count of Vieland willingly stepped down. Sensing change in the air, Count Caromarc decided to abdicate his position. 40 years later, he remains one of the province's most influential citizens despite his advancing age and increasing reclusivity.
Lepidstadt itself is a small city on the banks of the Moutray River, most famous for it's large university and for the strange standing stones on it's outskirts known as the Spiral Cromlech. Recently renovated, Lepidstadt is a bustling, lively center of students and academics, with newly bricked streets, wide plazas, and grandiose structures built from imported wood and stone. Away from the university and city center, however, the narrow, winding streets of Lepidstadt show the signs of its age, with dilapidated hovels, crumbling stone walls, and cramped courtyards.
Judge Embreth Daramid and the Order of the Palatine Eye:
Judge Daramid is the Magistrate of Lepidstadt, and one of the three High Justices of Vieland. A stern, no-nonsense woman in her sixties, she nonetheless has a reputation as the most even-tempered and merciful of the High Justices.
She is also a ranking member of the Esoteric Order of the Palantine Eye, a (mostly) benevolent secret society styled off of ancient Osirion mysticism, with the self-appointed duty of bringing the light of knowledge and reason to Golarion. The Order is widespread throughout Ustalav, though their influence is strongest in the Palatinates where their members frequently occupy positions of importance such as judges, deans, and high-ranking members of the Pharasman church.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:55, Sun 17 Oct 2021.
