ATLAS ELYDEN #129 - the city-states of Etua (Patreon)

Here's the latest map of the Atlas Elyden, showing off the city-states of Etua.

You can find an updated key to the map here.

This is the low-res version available to everyone.  Become a Patron at the Acolyte tier for access to my back catalogue of High-res, PSD and textless maps.

This is available to use as per the CC licence on the image itself

You'll note that there is no PDF for Encyclopaedia entries as the Encyclopaedia Elyden is now available to all patrons to view - the post is stickied on my Patreon, and patrons at any tier (even as little as $1 month) have access to it. The PDF is a living document and will be updated monthly as I add content to it. You can find it here.

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Romorea

A nation in the c north of Sammaea, nestled between the south east of the Surrach and the north west of Kharkharadontis. It is of a dry continental climate, with very little running water. Most settlements must dig deep wells or rely on aquifers or rare few oases that dot its more hospitable regions in order to survive. Much of its land is covered in deserts, with the Dune Sea of Kharkharadontis spilling over into its eastern territories, and its c western lands dominated by the scattered stone deserts of Giggeragh.

Its people are insular and hardy and quite unlike humans found elsewhere, with skin tones that range from red, to brown, and black, amongst others, and features that echo those of other mortal peoples, indicating a mixed heritage, perhaps from ancient unions with between humans, lhaus, keratin and/or shie.

Most Etuani people are nomadic, moving from watering-hole to watering-hole, careful not to deplete any resource completely in any place they stop, out of respect for others who may follow. They are adept trackers, navigating their harsh homeland in even the harshest weather. This lifestyle breeds a culture of people who are highly militant, with most children capable of stripping and firing firearms and competent in close combat.

It is considered a state by most outsiders, though this is not really the case. Its people do share a cultural heritage dating back to the early Fifth Age, though most cities are self-governing with little in the form of an overarching government. One unifying factor is the Gibbering Worm – the uncaring chthonic deity at the centre of a harsh religion that dominates most aspects of life in the region. Its elders rule the majority of Etuani cities under a tyrannical theocracy, who together form a network of leadership and intelligence across Etua.

Little is known of the regions’ history for the Etuani people do not share their culture and history with outsiders.

Etuani merchants are known to trade gems north west with the Surrach and east with Moah on occasion. Its architecture is known for its star-shaped arches, the negative shape of which is a common motif, likely dating back to an ancient precursor culture.