Nirmathas

The people of Nirmathas have always been fiercely independent, willing to fight and die to protect the freedoms they’ve claimed. Once part of Molthune, the forest folk saw the fruits of their labors claimed by the elites in Canorate and decided they’d had enough of domination. They first enacted work stoppages and sabotage, but ultimately took up outright rebellion to claim their independence. The crafty woodsfolk fought the armies of Molthune to a standstill and established themselves as an independent nation under the charismatic leader Irgal Nirmath in 4655 ar. When Nirmath was assassinated on the same day the new nation was founded, the rebels named their country Nirmathas in his honor.

Nirmathas has suffered many blows over the last decade, from Molthune’s draining military offenses to the devastating Ironfang Invasion perpetrated by General Azaersi—though both nations suffered from the conquests of the Ironfang Legion, Nirmathas bore the brunt of the hobgoblins’ cruelties. Now, the destruction of Lastwall and incursion of the Whispering Tyrant’s undead forces have put Nirmathas in a keenly precarious position. The nation is managing to survive due to both the strong, experienced militia that was forged during the Ironfang Invasion and the influx of well-trained refugee knights from Lastwall, as well as the fact that the war between Nirmathas and Molthune has cooled due to external threats. There is even talk of diplomacy with Molthune and Oprak, though resentment from previous wars and justified fears about military reprisals cause opposition to proposals of alliances with those nations.

Nirmathas’s government is loose at best, as individual Nirmathi settlements chafe at being subject to any laws but their own.

Prominent Nirmathi meet every 4 years to elect a forest marshal to lead the nation’s military and guide its foreign relations.

The Nirmathi harvest resources from the Fangwood Forest and the Mindspin Mountains, but they know to take no more than the land can spare. This has resulted in good relations and an unwritten alliance between Nirmathas and the citizens of the forest. Nowhere is this more evident than in the town of Crystalhurst, an ancient settlement in the Fangwood. The druids of Crystalhurst consider themselves residents of the Fangwood rather than Nirmathas, but they are quick to aid the Nirmathi when the nation is in need.

Kraggodan

The Sky Citadel of Kraggodan, a towering stronghold that sits inside Nirmathas’s borders but operates as an independent city-state, has existed for nearly 10 millennia. Remarkably reclusive, the dwarves of Kraggodan have broken with their isolationist tendencies only once in recorded history: to march against the Whispering

Tyrant

alongside the Shining Crusade. The residents of Nirmathas wonder if they can rely on the dwarves again, now that the Whispering Tyrant has returned. More dwarves than usual have been spotted exiting the isolated city, but the significance of this is not yet known.

ECONOMICS

The mountains of central Avistan are rich in ores, and both Belkzen and Oprak rely heavily on the export of metals and gems. Although the Fangwood Forest continues to provide a bounty to those who tend it, the fey there do not permit reckless harvesting. The disappearance of the bread basket of central Lastwall and the crush of refugees make food supplies the region’s most desired import. Molthune has capitalized on its strong workforce and favorable trade contracts to dominate shipping and transportation in the region. Lake Encarthan remains one of the most heavily-traveled waterways in Avistan, although the presence of the Whispering Tyrant on the Isle of Terror forces merchant ships and pirates alike to remain close to shore.

AN ENDURING RIVALRY RELATIONS

The most significant force in the Eye of Dread region is currently the Whispering Tyrant. His armies of undead press outward from the Gravelands and the Eye of Dread, forcing neighboring regions to stand together against his might. The flow of refugees from the shattered nation of Lastwall overwhelms many surrounding nations, and has created a particularly xenophobic backlash in the Ustalavic port city of Caliphas. The Whispering Tyrant has pushed nations into alliances thought impossible only a decade ago. Nirmathas and Molthune have cooled their animosity in the wake of Oprak’s birth and the Whispering Tyrant’s threat. Belkzen now formally debates pacts with neighboring nations to withstand the undead hordes. Even the fey of the Fangwood, free after centuries of corrupted rule, consider allies to bestow their capricious favor on.

VAULT OF THE ONYX CITADEL