Highguard territories

Overview

The territories of Highguard run along the length of the river Couros; from the Necropolis at the river’s mouth, past the rich and fertile fields and plains to holy Bastion, through the Great Forest and up into the mountains of Cuna where the river has its source.

Bastion

Bastion is the heart of the Highborn nation. The beautiful rolling plains are dotted with woodlands and carefully maintained parks, and with great stone chapterhouses that date back to the first years of the Revelation. Since the end of the Highborn civil war, Bastion has presented the calm, serene visage of the Highborn to the world. During the founding of the Empire, Bastion very nearly became the "official" capital of the Empire in 3YE; at the last minute the Senate decided to hold their quarterly gatherings in Anvil instead.

It was settled in the first years after the founding; but the focus of the early years remained on the southern territory of Pharos. Considered a hinterland where a military presence was necessary rather than a place to settle, Bastion remained sparsely populated for decades; most settlements were little more than small fortifications along the northern and eastern borders. Things began to change as the first ripples of the Revelation began to shake Highborn society. As the patricians became more and more embroiled in their personal feuds and agendas, the Highborn who would become the founders of the Revelation sought fresh opportunities in Bastion.

The civil war swept across Bastion as well as Pharos, and several chapters were destroyed in the fighting. Several have never been restored, left as reminders of the follies of the past and a warning to the future. Once the war was over, however, the new Assembly of the Virtuous constructed a new city along the banks of the Couros, seeking a new start for their people and their nation.

Casinea

In Highguard's northwest, Casinea is an old and wealthy territory and the site of the town of Anvil, the political heart of the Empire.

The hills are rich with marble and granite quarries. Gold, silver, weltsilver, tempest jade and precious stones have been mined here for centuries. Several wealthy chapters protect the quarries and mines to ensure the protection of the vital assets against barbarians.

Necropolis

Necropolis is a land of sorrow, first and foremost. Poets wax lyrical about the sad grandeur of the landscape, but even the least sensitive sometimes have to suppress a cold realisation of their own mortality. Yet the sorrow of Necropolis is tempered with the knowledge that all things pass - that sorrows teach valuable lessons, and that loss is part of life. Even the most bustling chapterhouse in Necropolis will contain some memento mori, some little touch that is ignored consciously but that subconsciously reminds them every day that people die.

The first Highborn settled along the coast of the Bay of Catazar here, and some of the oldest post-Terunael human-built structures are found here. In some ways, it is the spiritual centre of the Highguard nation and - to a degree - of the Empire.

When the Highborn first came here, they called the territory Pharos, and built a great city here to serve as their capital. The city of Pharos was burnt to the ground during the time of turmoil, the civil war between the patricians and the chapters. Yet Pharos was not the only victim of the war - a number of towns and early chapters were destroyed by one side or the other; many were never rebuilt, serving as permanent memorials to, and warnings against, the most tragic period in the history of Highguard. Following the war, many citizens chose to establish chapters in Casinea and Bastion, beginning new lives and putting the memories of a vicious internal conflict behind them. As a result, Necropolis had the lowest population of all the Highborn territories - at least until the recent invasion of Reikos by the Druj.

When the Highborn arrived, the entire region was controlled by tribes of orcs. As they established themselves, the newly arrived humans drove the orcs north and east - eventually eliminating the majority of the tribes and forcing the rest to flee towards the Mallum. Fragmentary records of the time talk to the conflict this created with the Navarr and the Urizen as the spreading Highborn kingdom drove angry orcs to attack Therunin and Redoubt. The early diplomatic incidents this created soured relations with the two "native" human cultures for several decades.

Reikos

This formerly peaceful stretch of the Couros river was also home to pleasure gardens, parks and country estates. Reikos is composed of sweeping plains with occasional patches of deciduous woodland or raised elevation. The only major woodlands outside of the Great Forest of Peytaht is Broken Ride, while only the south-eastern downs around Chalcis Mount really count as being hills.

The wealth of Reikos traditionally came from four places. Firstly, the Vigilant Swan and the Great Forest at Reikos produced quality stone and wood respectively, as well as highly sought after white granite and weirwood. Second, the Gardens of Chalcis produced herbs sold all over the Empire. Third, the wide roads helped connect the Navarr in Therunin and the Urizen in Morrow with the rest of the Empire and several towns grew up to cater to the needs of merchants and pilgrims. Fourth, the beauty of Reikos itself made the territory wealthy - the great gardens, sweeping estates and peaceful surroundings made it a favourite place for Imperial citizens from across the Empire to convalesce after illness, or to spend time away for the cares of everyday life.

The downfall of Reikos came from its border with the Great Forest of Peytaht. At its edges, the Great Forest is an abundant source of lumber; but its heart is wild and untamed. The long border with the dark forest was notoriously hard to defend, despite the efforts of vigilant chapters such as the the Grey Watchers of Peytaht, but at least the forest was equally hostile to human and orc alike. When the Druj barbarians launched a surprise attack through the forest in 367YE, the Highborn were woefully unprepared for it. Those chapters on the edge of the forest that did not retreat were overwhelmed in the first few months of the attack.

Recovering Reikos is an important goal for many Highborn chapters. Several, such as the (now-Bastion based) Shattered Tower; the Unbound Chapter (now in exile in Casinea), Suns of Couros, Cantiarch's Hold, the Stone Vigil, Reumah's Redoubt, and Lux Reikos have foundations here, while others such as The Unrelenting have formed specifically to ensure that Reikos is recovered. They will not rest until the Druj are driven out, Reikos is restored, the gardens re-planted, and the bells set up on high so that the sacrifice of the defenders of Highguard will never be forgotten.