World Guide with their human neighbors, the Kingdoms of France to the north and Castile and Aragon to the south The Stälhjem Hold dwarves control the main passes through the Pyrenees, allowing merchants and other travelers through for a price Svarthjem Holds Capital: Svarthjem (4320) Large Settlements: Fjellhjem (2150), Kaldehjem (1850) Population: 420,000 Races: 99% dwarf, 1% other Ruler: King Oryn X (the Gruff ) Government: monarchy Languages: Dwarven Religion: the Fallen Enemies: monstrous hordes The Svarthjem Hold dwarves are just as grumpy and surly as their kinsmen to the west The Svarthjem Hold also claims the sole right to the heritage of the Old Kingdom The dwarves of these eastern citadels have taken steadfast adherence to the old ways to new levels of obsession–even for dwarves Teutonic Order, Dominion of the Capital: Marienburg (16,430) Large Settlements: Riga (11,500), Danzig (9800) Population: 1.2 million Races: 96% human, 4% other Ruler: Grand Master Michael Küchmeister von Sternberg Government: principality (allied state of the Holy Roman Empire) Languages: German, Finnish Religion: the Twelve (Germanic) Allies: Holy Roman Empire Enemies: Kingdom of Poland, Principality of Novgorod At War with: Kingdom of Poland, Principality of Novgorod, Victual Brothers pirates (Gotland) The knights of the Teutonic Order are a religious military group dedicated to advancing the interests of the Twelve They were formed two centuries ago during the Crusade against the orc hordes terrorizing human lands in the Eastern Mediterranean Since then the Teutonic knights have participated in numerous extended campaigns The knights are not formal members of the Holy Roman Empire, but they frequently take direction from the Emperor (and the Hanseatic League) as their goals are often aligned Teutonic knights are currently engaged in a brutal conflict with the territories adjacent to their Baltic holdings: the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Principality of Novgorod (a source of Baltic piracy) The hatred between these foes is such that captured enemy knights are commonly burned alive in their armor instead of being ransomed back to their families Recently Polish-Lithuanian forces dealt the knights a crushing defeat at the Battle of Grunwald, killing many of the Order’s leaders on the battlefield and laying siege to their Marienburg Castle The group is still reeling from this traumatic turn of events Danzig is a major member of the Hanseatic League, while Riga is a minor member city on the trade routes Wallachia, Principality of Capital: Targovishte (11,950) Population: 635,000 Races: 92% human, 4% halfling, 4% other Ruler: Prince Mercea cel Batran (Mercea the Old) Government: vassal state of the Kingdom of Poland Languages: Romanian Religion: the Twelve (Greek) Allies: Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania Enemies: Ottoman Sultanate At War with: Ottoman Sultanate Prince Mercea cel Batran is the father of Vlad II Dracul Located north of the Danube and south of the Carpathians, the poor populace of Wallachia lives in constant fear of a vampiric nobility Workshop Collective of the Fey Lands Capital: Newgrange (3150) Large Settlements: Knowth (1450), Dowth (1200) Population: 260,400 Races: 85% gnome, 10% Fey, 5% other Ruler: Princess Lavina of the Fey Government: appointed princess Languages: Gnome, Sylvan Religion: the Fallen Allies: the Fey Lands, the Gnomes of Sardinia Enemies: Kingdom of England At War with: Kingdom of England The Workshop Collective is a group of gnome settlements nestled in the hills of Northern Ireland responsible for some of the more outlandish inventions in all of Europe The Collective has strong ties to the Fey Land faerie nobles In some cases, the Collective acts as the ambassadors for the reclusive Kingdom of the Fey The Collective guards a mystical portal network which links them to the gnome settlements on Sardinia among other, more mysterious, places 29