The Gannor Empire
The Gannor Empire is the most desolate land in all of Harthron. Its terrain is largely barren, stripped of nearly all vegetation save along the narrow coastlines where the salt air still carries some measure of life.
The region is one of barren hills, windswept plains, and a vast desert that tests even the hardiest of travellers. Yet despite these harsh conditions, Gannor produces two exports of note: fine olives and sweet wine, both cultivated chiefly in the coastal settlements where the soil has not yet surrendered to the dust.
The empire is founded upon slave labour and the strength of its legions, with the nobility deeply enmeshed in the slave trade. It is ruled by Emperor Hoglan Gannor from his seat in the capital city of Marn.
Law & Magic
Magic Regulation
All who practise the arcane arts must register with the Empire and render payment of one hundred gold pieces each month. Those who serve in the Emperor’s armies are exempt from these fees. The penalty for unlicensed spellcraft is severe: enslavement, or death.
The Dark Ones
Shadowy agents of enforcement who hunt down and destroy unauthorised mages throughout the cities of Gannor. Of their methods and their masters, little is known, and less is spoken aloud.
Marn
Overview
Marn is the greatest city upon all the face of Harthron, home to more than two million souls. It serves as the seat of power for Emperor Hoglan Gannor and stands as the beating heart of the empire.
The city is enclosed by distinctive walls of golden-hued sandstone rising fifty feet high, raised not against the armies of rival kingdoms but against the brutal sandstorms that sweep in from the surrounding desert.
The River Ninard
The River Ninard flows through the city from the north, and it is the lifeblood of Marn. Merchant vessels and barges ply its waters, and the river sustains the city’s inhabitants, their livestock, and the surrounding farmlands alike.
Government & Military
The Emperor’s grand estate occupies the heart of the city, a sprawling complex that serves as both the seat of governance and the royal residence. It is guarded by the Gannor Elite High Guard—two hundred and fifty decorated veteran warriors, the most honoured soldiers in all the empire’s legions.
Religion
Marn is the only city in all of Harthron that houses a temple to every god known to mortal kind. This is a reflection of Emperor Hoglan’s well-known unease at the thought of giving offence to any deity. The Church of Cordall maintains the largest and most prominent temple in the city.
The Raidhonda Coliseum
Standing west of the city walls, the Raidhonda Coliseum plays host to brutal gladiatorial contests each week, drawing audiences that exceed one hundred thousand spectators. The Church of Cordall oversees these games, in which criminals, trained fighters, and warriors drawn from across the world compete in mortal combat.
Law & Order
Magic Regulation
All who practise the arcane arts must register with the Empire and pay one hundred gold pieces each month. Those who serve in the Emperor’s armies are exempt. The penalty for unlicensed spellcraft is severe: enslavement, or death.
The Dark Ones
Shadowy agents of enforcement who destroy unauthorised mages throughout the cities of Gannor. Their methods and their masters remain shrouded in deepest secrecy.
Slavery
The empire is built upon slave labour and military might. The trade in slaves is widespread, and the nobility are deeply enmeshed in it.
Starmoon
Starmoon is a port city upon the southeastern coast of the Gannor Empire, and its recent history has been one of turmoil and blood.
Some ten years past, the people of Starmoon rose in rebellion, seeking to cast off the yoke of the Empire and declare themselves a free city within the borders of Gannor.
The uprising was crushed by the Emperor’s legions. In the aftermath, the city was placed under the governance of Governor Uvari Lalu, a retired officer of the imperial armies whose loyalty to the throne has never wavered.
Under Lalu’s iron hand, Starmoon has returned to order — yet the memory of the rebellion lingers still in the streets and taverns of the port, spoken of only in whispers.
Gontail
Overview
Gontail stands at the heart of the continent of Tamra, upon the shores of the Sea of Vir. It is renowned across all of Harthron as the greatest centre of trade and commerce in the known world. There is nothing that cannot be purchased in Gontail.
Architecture & Defenses
The city is built of distinctive stone, its skyline crowned with towers. Its great port was constructed by dwarves of the Rakk Mountains — master builders whose craft endures through the ages. The city is girded by walls of stone one hundred feet high, likewise wrought by those same dwarven hands.
Population
More than one million souls dwell within the sprawling city and its surrounding communities. Humans have long formed the greater part of the populace, but since the War of the Gathering, orcs and dragonborn now comprise a significant portion of both the city’s people and its guard.
Trade & Commerce
Gontail draws goods from every corner of the world and sends forth wheat and agricultural produce from the farms that surround it. Its central position upon the Sea of Vir renders it accessible from nearly every shore of Harthron.
Government
Gontail is governed by a mayor and city council. At present, the city remains under the dominion of Gurrainno, who seized it some fifteen years past in a siege that saw the city fall after only three days of aerial assault.
The Underworld
Randolf’s Ravens
The city’s thieves’ guild, known as Randolf’s Ravens, is said to maintain spies in every major port across the world and in most inland cities besides. Their network of informants and operatives is without equal.
East Mandor
East Mandor is a region of Harthron. This chronicle is yet being written, but the original campaign map has now been restored into the new archive.
Looking for the full world outline as well? Visit the World Map.