Salmaynak

The land of Salmaynak, directly to the south of Norandor is a land of great contrasts. It is known that in the centre of the country, standing on the great river Ós is a citadel of silver and gold from which a dragon of indeterminate name or hue is alleged to rule the country. No-one has seen this dragon in generations, but it is said that man only has the right to rule the continent for as long as the Dragon Within is appeased. Sacrifices are made to the Dragon Within every month: fifteen head of cattle, as much gold as will fill three chests and a young virgin maiden who has known only sixteen seasons. They are left at dusk on the last day of the month, and by the morning they are gone. The steady stream of gold is slowly bankrupting the seven human rulers of Salmaynak, and the need to select a new virgin every month is putting a great strain on the people. As a result none of the countries of this place are as wealthy as they should be, and everyone is being held to ransom by a beast that seems too powerful for even the most accomplished court sorcerers, clerics and wizards to despatch.

The Dragon Within maybe a myth, but its appeasement has taken on a pseudo-religious significance to the Salmayans, and anyone who opposes the practice is quietly and discreetly removed from the scene.

However, despite the dragon Salmaynak is second-only to Norandor in its desirability as a holiday locale. It is ruled by six noble princes who treat their people neither more nor less harshly than any powerful mediaeval dictatorship. They squabble endlessly amongst themselves, but there has been no war between the principalities in the last twenty seasons - a situation that it is hoped continue for as long as possible. The one thing that unites the princes unlike anything else is the fact that they are at war with the Genbassi and have been for the last twenty seasons (does anyone see the connection there?) The malshapen mongrels of Genbasson are generally mistrusted through Urova, and the fact that neither Salmaynak nor Norandor has an easily defensible border with Genbasson has only sought to heighten the problems between the nations.

Starting with the western most principality and moving clockwise, the six Salmayon principalities are as follows:

Celencia: The largest and richest principality with ports on the central sea and a great marine tradition, Celencia trades widely with other countries, making the people who dwell here more open-minded and less resistant to change. Celencia is ruled by the youthful Prince Meredith. It is from Celencia that the warlord, Korvis of Sal'Cran originally haled.

Gilfrith: The northernmost principality, much of Gilfrith is mountainous and makes a good trade by mining iron. Many cities are built in and around vast dwarven mines that were excavated and abandoned long before the seams had been exhausted. There are no longer an dwarves in Gilfrith and their absence is something of a mystery. The ruling prince here is Prince Hieron.

Mínosh: Is the eastern most principality and therefore the closest to Genbasson. Over eighty percent of the border between Salmaynak and Genbasson can be found in this principality. Mínosh is ruled by Prince Eugene. Eugene realises that the Genbassi have the capacity to be a more formidable enemy than they initially appear. He still detests them, but he does somewhat respect them.

Caldorath: Directly south of Mínosh and sharing the remainder of the border with Genbasson, Caldorath is the smallest of the principalities. The principality has closer ties to Junos than the rest of Salmaynak and its ruler, Prince Nebulan, spends a fair amount of his time at the court of Sultan Ethik ed Kaidz.

Ghintaly: The southermost principality, trapped between the mountains of Gilfrith to the north, Caldorath to the east and the great rive Ós to the west. Ghintaly is a made up of verdant countryside and farmland and is referred to as the breadbasket of Salmaynak. Ghintaly exports a great deal of food to the other principalities (especially Gilfirth), which always gave it a strong position in the many civil wars that dot its history. Traditionally an ally of Celencia, the ruling Prince (Murradais) has recently been courting Mínosh for protection against the encroaching Genbassi.

Keldeema: Also bordering the Ós, Keldeema is a land-locked principality whose greatest claim to fame is that it is the home to the Dragon Within. The great fortress of the dragon sits on land technically a part of Keldeema, although the Prince has never tried to take the land back. Prince Wilmorra rules the parts of the principality the Dragon does not see as its own.