Erde

Shadow Erde, very similar in some ways to Shadow Earth during the Renaissance Era (many think Eric was the founder of both Shadows), was hit hard during the Patternfall War, possibly due to the effects of the Black Road and Chaos. The Island Empire, which had been a benign overlord to its many vassal-states for a long time, became expansionist and grasping, overbearing and oppressive. As a result, Shadow-wide wars of rebellion were sparked and when the smoke of war cleared, it was a place without a central authority at all, but rather a group of uneasy allied City-States.

The Island Kingdom now ruled only its own archipelago, though it still - by virtue of having the only true fleet of merchant ships - dominated trade. The God-King of the Western-most lands took on the mantle of Emperor, though only within the borders of their 'New Empire' was this accepted. Their closest neighbor was 'The Ancient Kingdom of The Tyrfingr', who remained unchanged in their mountainous land and harsh life. On the far side of them were the 'United Principalities of Provence', a fertile land with a great appreciation for the Arts. The other continent, largely desert and badlands, remained unchanged, save for the Eastern tip, isolated by Mountains which trapped sufficient moisture to make it inhabitable. This became settled by refugees from the Wars of Rebellion, calling themselves Verona. The remainder was deserts, inhabited still by nomads who had little to do with anyone else, left alone by the old empire, they likely didn't even know anything had happened, much less care.

This is how things stood as Corwin and Dara came to the throne of Amber...

Then, ~31 NA The nature of two of the Realms began to heat things up. The New Empire, a land of mounted saber-swinging men who kept their women in chains, took slaves and worshiped their ruler as a God, were taking great offence to the existence of the Provencal Principalities. These were a collection of Duchies, ruled by Dukes; landholders who bred horses and hounds and cultivated wine grapes, ruled by a Women's Council that placed chivalry and the Arts above war. Due to a number of forces, the Inter-City Wars exploded, soon after the Corriline conflicts, embroiling the entire Shadow.

It was only due to the direct intervention of Mordred and Florimel of Amber, that the present-day treaty stands.

Note: A local, Shadow-Magic works here, but not outside the borders of the Shadow itself.

The Island Nation

The Isles are ruled by money, trade and a policy of strict neutrality. Once the center of a Shadow-wide Empire (based on Roman Empire, as if ruled from Greek Isles), all this is changed. This Land is ruled by the Merchant-Princes and the Mercantile Houses. Below the Merchant Princes are the Trader Lords, while below these are the individual Ship's Captains. They are completely neutral, not giving preferred rates even to their own countrymen. Nobles of every City-State have dealings with them, and most of the Rulers themselves do as well. There are occasional 'money-ships' that go to and from the Isles and one Land or another, heavily protected by ships of war filled with marines. The Triumvirate of Three Lending Houses is independent of all.

Their marines are independent mercenary companies, directed by their leaders, who make deals with the Banking or Mercantile house in question. Comprised of members of almost every other City-State, they are very skilled with light crossbows, as well the cutlass, but the true secret of the marines of the Isles is their command of the secret of Alchemist's Fire/Greek Fire/Naptha - which can be pumped via hose from one ship to another, sticks to anything, and will burn even upon water itself for a time. Not every ship's captain is willing to pay the extra fees (or risk the dangers) to get the fire-men and their special 'machines' on board, but it is always kept a secret which have it and which don't.

They have a huge Navy, Marines of all four shadows, Greek-Fire/Naptha on select ships. While their navy took huge losses in the Wars, they have come back strong as ever, their marine companies ever strengthened by misfits and outlaws from the other three nearby Realms. There are rumors of renegade Islanders who operate as Corsairs, basing themselves in other parts of shadow.

Market

Very little. They stockpile items from their neighbor City-States to sell to Amber and elsewhere. This saves the outsiders the effort of going to these other lands and dealing with a number of different political situations. Ensuring that there is always a limited amount of any given product available gives the islanders their primary source of income.

The New Empire

Moorish/Iberian in flavor, they are Militaristic and Aggressive, ruling by force - almost a police state. Their God-Emperor is a figurehead. Generals of families that are distantly related to the God-Emperor actually rule by council. There is a huge army of paper-pushers who see to the actual day-to-day running of things, directed by the General's Council but answerable only to the Grand Vizier. Added to this is the incredibly Byzantine system of nepotism and politicking among the Generals for influence with the God-Emperor. Sharing one extended land border with Ancient Kingdom of Tyrfingr, accessible to other City-States only by sea, they are heavily reliant upon the ships of Amber and the Island Nations for trade. They recently suffered a series of setbacks militarily in the Inter-City Wars, from which they are still recovering.

Beyond even the misogynistic tendencies of the Tyrfingr, they treat women as slaves and property. Thus, the United Provencal Principalities is almost a manifestation of evil on earth to them. This is their true goal - eradication of that land and enslavement of their populace... they have always sought to wage a holy war of cleansing against them - all other policies revolved around this. Their relations with the United Provencal Principalities have dictated much of their history: Since The Ancient Kingdom of the Tyrfingr stood between them, they constantly pushed at their borders, trying to get through them to their foe. They always knew it would be hard, but they figured that they would make excellent slave warriors, while the resources of the land would feed the Empire. Slavery was always the biggest single mercantile interest in the land. ~ 31 NA these issues helped to spark the Inter-City Wars.

Today, they no longer keep slaves, and the women no longer must wear chains at ankle and wrist in public. They have devoted their entire effort to building massive plantations on which to organize their medicinals cultivation.

Market

Apothecary: many medicinal herbs can be found in the hills, once picked by slave-gangs. New varieties are found every year.

Silk Worms: a very fine grade of silk come from this place, much of it used locally in making tapestries and rugs.

Tapestries/Rugs: once slave-staffed and now simply worked by the poor, the shops put out some of the most amazing creations ever seen.

Horses: astoundingly fleet 'Arabian' horses, which are intelligent and dexterous, but flighty and high-strung.

The Ancient Kingdom Of The Tyrfingr

The Great Rebellion hit them hard, as did the inter-city wars, decimating almost three generations of warriors... They are slowly recovering, just recently going into the incredibly harsh mountains, cleaning out nests of the rock trolls that eat anything and anyone they can get their claws on, and opening up the area for mining. It is thought by many that the potential exists for phenomenal mineral deposits of very high grade ore. In addition to the Trolls, all along the fringes of the debatable territory are a large number of outlaws, called Vargr - (wolf) by the people of Tyrfingr. They are Oath-Breakers and Kin-Killers who have blood-feuds hanging over their heads. Some make their way out and go to Verona, join one of the Mercenary Marine companies in the Islands, but the die-hards remain. It is only now, with the Wars finally over and those two fronts safer, that they are able to deal with this third threat.

They share long extended borders with both The New Empire and the United Provencal Principalities - sworn enemies. Proud that they were able to single-handedly keep the Empire at bay for so long, nonetheless they have always hated the fact that their geography forced them to shield a land for whom they had little actual respect. The Wars are over and the treaties signed and enforced, but bad feelings linger long. It is a culture of warriors, hardened by constant strife on two sides and distrust on the third, who obey every dictate of their superiors. Fully a third of the Kingdom's armed forces are deployed along the border they share with the New Empire. The Principalities do not threaten them at all, except culturally. They are seen as much more lenient, even hedonistic; and then of course there is the Council of Women!

The Ancient Kingdom's culture does not look highly upon women, bordering upon the misogynistic. Women are accorded respect so long as they stay within their narrowly defined places, as homemakers and spouses. A woman cannot own anything in her own right - rather she must remain dependent upon a male family member. Dowries exist, but are strictly regulated by the courts, like everything else. Male pairings occur frequently, though all men must marry in order to bear sons (and daughters) for the Land. In general, the male partnership is one of equality and respect, while that with the female is more one of duty (much like the ancient Greek practice).

The Tyrfingr is ruled by Law and Tradition; Sworn oaths are considered legally binding. Their worship is basically a codification of this, with exemplars for them to look up to and strive to emulate. There are 5 Great Houses, from which the person chosen to fulfill the office of the King (LawGiver) may be called. Each has many years of tradition and honor behind it. Every township in the land with a population larger than 500 has representatives of at least two of these families, holding positions of authority in a military or advisory capacity. Larger ones have representatives of 3 or 4 of the families, while many have members of all five. Nominations are made from each of the five families, then the ruler is picked from among them by the heads of Family and the Military council. The Church has a military arm as well.

The LawGiver rules: He has no name, or personal politics. He leads the Land in the Old ways, with the Temple High Priests and Justiciars as his Advisers. This man is exceptional, incorruptible, a warrior beyond compare and a true leader. Rumor has it he may even be descended from an Amberite royal, but none know the truth.

Market

Tyrfingr Wool is naturally waterproof and colors never run. As it is also incredibly abundant, it is used by many military suppliers for all-weather gear.

Mineral and Metal Deposits are just now being opened up, with great promise for the future.

United Provencal Principalities

This Land has come back the quickest of the four from the wars, not having the constant warring of the Empire and Tyrfingr to further sap their strength. Consummate politicians, they have altered their policies as they needed to, making sure that they at least always sail in the good graces of Amber. Known for Wandering Troubadours and Knights Gallant, the two pillars of their Court of Love. Their relations with Ancient Kingdom of Tyrfingr remain strained to this day - there are no illusions about how those hard-bitten stern warriors feel about them. As for the New Kingdom, both realms maintain a studied 'denial' of the other's existence, publicly.

There are Six Baronies; Benign Feudal Land Barons, each chooses their own successor from the ranks of their family and trains them in the duties and responsibilities they will come to hold. There is a central ruling council, made up of women; They are all single, whether widowed, divorced, or by choice. As such they are held to have no political ties binding them or their decisions. It is this court that ratifies the choice of heir and their ascension to Baronial status, based upon their own particular criteria. The branch of the Church of the Unicorn here is recently become a point of contention in some circles, partly because the Lady's council promotes free-thinking and partly because the local church is rumored to be lapsing into indulgent ways.

Prestige is all, ergo - honor, both personal and family, must be upheld at all times. A hopeful for the position of Lord Baron must at all times comport themselves according to the Code of the Court of Love. For that matter, any man of importance must do the same, or risk censure and action taken against him. Put simply, a true man of honor must be a man of all parts - a poet, a warrior, a gentleman, etc...

The Code

Equitable treatment of all, regardless of station, age or place of origin. Chivalry in all dealings with women, of any age. Courage in dealing with foes; Quarter given to those of honor Strive at all times for excellence in the realms of both body and mind Strict observance of the Code Duello (This derived from Verona ages ago and altered somewhat to simplify it)

Market

White and sparkling wines: arguably the best of the Golden Realms.

Horses: designed for lightly armored fast-reaction troops - conditioned to magical effects

Breadbasket: - fertile and lush - produce huge amounts of excess that they export

The Independent City-State Of Verona

Ruled by Council of Family Houses, each of which owns and governs a separate region. Only a century old, It is a newer land than the others in this Shadow, still with much of a frontier feel to it outside of Verona proper, with mining towns and teamsters and riverboat transport. Founded by refugees from all of the other lands, during the post-PatternFall Shadow-wide Rebellion against the Island Empire, it again received a huge influx during the inter-City battles ~31 NA. Ruled mainly by information and the occasional Dagger in the back, with lots of intrigue on the political level and much inter-house conflict; spies constantly going back and forth.

For such a young land,they actually have some of the finest craftspeople in the Shadow - those who were unable to practice in their previous homes and came here. The Craft Guilds wield much of the true power here - providing the linking force that keeps them bound together. Foremost among them are the Textiles/clothing Guild, the Glass/Crystal Guild, and pre-eminent over all, the Metal Workers. Metallurgy is extremely advanced, rumored to combine the techniques of the Smiths with Magic. The symbol of the guilds is the many-headed Hydra.

Leadership of the city has changed hands numerous times over the years between the main Family Houses, the history of which matters little to anyone else, so long as they get their goods on time. One thing which has managed to keep the city-state functional is the Code Duello. Inherited from the Provencal Principalities, influenced heavily by people from all of the other lands, it is incredibly complex, and one's ability with a blade is considered to be of the utmost priority.

Political Hot-Spot

How they should deal with the problem of foreigners who come to the Land, cause offence or commit crimes, then claim immunity from the Code Duello: Justice must be served. Given the incredible amount of weight placed upon a person's ability with a blade, any diplomat or emissary that wishes to be taken seriously must be very handy with their weapon. They wouldn't be challenged to a duel, of course - unless someone was truly trying to buck the authority of the Shadow they represent, but they should at the least be able to spar competently, showing a reasonable command of technique and, far more importantly, conduct the match with style.

Market

Veronan Steel: It is the best non-magical steel obtainable, far stronger and more flexible than anything else by a large margin. Light in color, it has the faintest of golden hues running through it.

Veronan Blades: And of course other Smithed goods as well. These are better even than items made from raw Veronan steel elsewhere. The smiths are also the miners, picking an ingot for a specific purpose, then crafting that item. They are pattern-welded, a process involving repeated folding of the metal while it is hot, some of them with fascinating images worked into them with a light acid wash afterwards... Special-order blades (for instance one with the hilt crafted perfectly to the dimensions of your hand, with a built-in spring-loaded spike in the pommel - and a dragon worked into the blade) are phenomenally expensive and are considered huge status symbols

Fine glass and crystal wares from the Veniti

Textiles and Clothing Design from Milana - Highly regarded in the fashion capitals of the Golden Realms

Embroidery from the Vinci Hills

Wines from the Vinci lowlands - their Reds are so good they compare with the Whites and sparkling vintages of Provence.

THE RAKINE WASTE

Little is known about this desolate land, peopled by nomadic robed figures that won't talk to anyone. They are said to be sword dancers and knife jugglers, moving on small individual dune-skimmers (think wind surfing across sand)