The Seven Realms of Ni' Ghiollarnath

Some of the greatest games you can play are campaigns, a campaign is simply a linked series of battles where you play the leader and make the decisions for it. A bit like a film or a soap opera in which you are starring. Sometime around 1995 I started to run a fantasy campaign. There were seven players and a controller (me). It started as a Mighty Empires game, but soon I devised so many new rules and changed existing ones that it soon became my own baby. The game lasted for about eight (game) years over many months. As is commonly the case with such things people couldn't maintain their enthusiasm and the game sort of petered out. I enjoyed running it so much that I vowed that it would rise again! As I spent so much time creating the game I thought I would put it "out there" to see what kind of reaction I would get. The seven players controlled the following factions: humans, barbarians, orcs, dwarfs, wood elves, dark elves and demon worshippers. These races battled for supremacy in the world I created and shaped the world. I think this project will take a considerable length of time to transfer from scribblings on scrap paper to a coherrent game so your patience is requested. So here we are, the Seven Realms of Ni' Ghiollarnath, a campaign setting. 

Daxia

Daxia is the largest and most prosperous realm. The population is predominantly human. Vast plains and a long coast make food plentiful. Daxia is actually made up of nine provinces that make up this realm, they are Blarse, Daxia, Krieglund, Labomartii, Longshore, Reachveldt, Trabaagh, Theldeg, and Yengar. Each realm is semi autonimous and provides troops and weapons for the defense of the realm. Also on the borders of Daxia are several independant city states that are so well defended or innaccessible that it is not worth the huge cost to subdue. Daxia maintains on friendly terms with the dwarfs to the east. An uneasy truce is kept between Grikai (northeast) and Shendul Pacre (north). Border skirmishes and raids are a constant threat from the Cren Lar to the east.

Shendul Pacre

Shendul Pacre is the second largest realm and arguably the most agressive. Large tracts of forest are the home of the elves that live there, while fertile plains make great breeding grounds for the mighty herds of elven steeds. Many of the deep forests contain vast wealth in the form of Geasawood, a tree that is startlingly easy to enchant, making it much sought after by all the races of Ni Ghiollarnath. To the west lies the Vale of the Lost Ones, a rather unpleasant neighbour. To the southwest is Cren Lar and sporadic fighting is the norm across it's borders. Because of the exhausting war against the barbarian invaders to the north and west the once enormous armies of Shendul Pacre are greatly diminished. Only to the south is there relative peace.

Cren Lar: The Bleak Coast

The furthest west of all the realms, Cren Lar is an elven land that is the main naval rival to Daxia. Many years ago there was only one elf realm but two elven princes Kephoire and Thesalmin could not co-exist peacefully in Shendul Pacre, so Thesalmin ventured east with his followers and founded Cren Lar. Thesalmin was resentful of his older brother and this resentment turned to hate. On many occasions the two nations have been at war and now so much blood has been spilt that reconciliation is now impossible. An alliance with the people of the Vale of the Lost Ones allows the elves of Cren Lar to devote their time to the destruction of both Daxia and Shendul Pacre to the east. Unfortunately for the elves of Cren Lar, their long coast is quite often raided by pirates, fishmen and barbarian freebooters from the north. On the borders of Cren Lar and Daxia is the city state of Therncote, a place of legend. In the times of nation founding Therncote was invaded by the elves of the west and the humans of the east so many times that it was said the elders of Therncote had revolving banners depending on whose army was the nearest. Now free, the city boasts a large population of half elves and a steely determination to never again feel the tyranny of oppression.

Prahklamsuia: The Vale of the Lost Ones

Up in the far northwest lies a small realm of semi-humans. They live in a few coastal cities that are almost constantly raided by the elves of Shendul Pacre. There is a strict cast system in Prahklamsuia. Demonborn, Demonkith, Demoncursed and Speakers. Magic use is commonplace in the higher caste - Demonborn and the bulk of the military is made up of Demonkith. Demoncursed are little more than slaves, while the Speakers are religious fanatics. They lanch raids via they sea to enslave Daxians and occasionally attack the elves of Shendul Pacre. The alliance with the elves to the south pose a very real threat to their eastern neighbours.

Crag Targ: The Realm of the Tribes

Not a nation as such, the Tealm of the Tribes is a loose alliance of barbarian tribesmen. They are human but tend to be much larger than those of Daxia, the menfolk are regularly over 6 and a half feet, and the women generally are the height of an average southerner. They also tend to be far more muscular and resilient. A common rite of manhood is a sucessful cattle raid into either Krieglund (the northernmost province of Daxia) or Grikai. The tribesmen's culture is based on plunder and as a result inter clan skirmishing is commonplace. To the southeast lie a long chain of mountains that act as a barrier between Crag Targ and Grikai, with only a few passes, the most notable is called "The Gouge". To the southwest is the border of Shendul Pacre and the river Tannog leads through the plain of Aurochs into Krieglund. Long ago a bloody war between the barbarians and elves denoted both nations boundaries, but now as the tribes seek more plunder hostilities have restarted.

Grikai

Thousands of years ago an invading horde of orcs from the east enslaved the once pleasant land of Noromere and the humans that resided there. Centuries of interbreeding has heralded the birth of a new race the Grikaan, or half-orcs. Called mixbloods by many, the half orcs are surly and unfriendly, they have a particular hatred of purebred orcs and spend a great deal of time and effort trying to eradicate them. Despite their efforts many tribes of orcs live in the mountains to the north, and regularly raid southwards. Their society is ruled by those of near-human blood and to this end many slave raids are sent east to Daxia to obtain blood brides. To the south lies the Ironlands which is home to the dwarfs and the Grikaan's bitterest foe.

Ranknarthod: The Iron Lands

Not so much an empire but more an interlinked series of fortress cities, that lie in a large highland area, close to the sea. Each city fortress delves deep underground and therefore house far more dwarfs than would first appear. These Dwarf's have an uncontrollable lust for gold and a hatred of all things orclike and as such are constantly at war with Grikai to the north. They are staunch allies of Daxia and both realms prosper due to mutual trade and defense. The only other hazards are from long range raids from Cren Lar, but these are usually fended off with relatively small losses.


As I have an awful lot of affection for this little world that was evolved during a Summer of gaming I fully intend to, write some fiction set here. From now on (or until I change my mind again) any fantasy battles I have will probably end up adding to the folklore of this mystical land and hopefully entertain any casual reader to this blog. My next task for this project is to create a map of the Seven Realms, as unfortunately the original map is long gone and camera phones weren't even invented then.