Miaren

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Regions of Miaren

Overview

Miaren is a land of gentle golden woodlands, open steadings, fertile fields, fair winds and the great Navarr city of Seren. It lies on the border between Dawn and the Marches, between Wintermark and the League.

In the early years of the Empire the vallorn at Miaren was completely destroyed and at the heart of the forest the ruins of the city Seren reclaimed, to be slowly rebuilt. It is now considered the heartland of the Navarr nation, and a symbol of what can be achieved.

Recent History

Miaren is the heartland of the Navarr. Unlike other Navarr territories, conflict here arises not from the threat of the vallorn but either from the internal politics of the Navarr, or from conflicts between stubborn groups of Marcher and Dawnish yeomen brawling across the invisible "border" between their two nations.

Major Features

Seren

A fallen city of Terunael once the heart of a vallorn. In the early years of the Empire, in 27YE, the vallorn of Miaren was defeated, and the ruins of Seren reclaimed from the forest. A third of the ruins themselves are given over to a weirwood forest. The remaining two-thirds are occupied by the town of Seren built in the ruins in the decade following the liberation of the territory. It the largest permanent settlement of the Navarr in the Empire. In contrast to the larger settlements of the other nations, Seren is composed of a number of interlocking steadings, each technically separate to the others, but entwined in an interdependent relationship. When the steadings need to make decisions as a group, a council of brands is formed to discuss the matter and reach a consensus. This model is often reflected in informal arrangements between Navarr groups across the Empire.

The ruins of Seren have been extensively explored and catalogued, and many of the facts the Empire knows about the Terunael were uncovered here. At the height of Terunael, Seren was a city known for its scholars and poets, and for both colleges and military academies. Several of these buildings were reclaimed when the vallorn fell, and while no writing survived exposure to the heart of corruption, a combination of divination magic and tireless archaeology slowly teased our some of the secrets of the Terunael.

In early 377YE a number of fortified watchtowers and secure campsites were built around Seren, providing local bandit-hunters and scouts safe places to use in their pursuit both of lawbreakers and opportunistic orc raiding parties. The project was overseen by Henry Ward (senator for Upwold) as part of a larger Senate initiative to provide protection to towns throughout the Empire. The defences are not sufficient to qualify Seren as a fortification, but have helped reduce outlawry throughout the territory.

A recent exploration discovered a mystical flame in a hidden chamber behind a waterfall here, which was expanded to create the Eternal Flame of Miaren.

The Golden Trees of Seren

The Golden Trees of Seren is a Bourse resource located in Serenael. Custodianship of the Quarry is an Imperial Title that brings with it a Seat on the Imperial Bourse. It produces 28 Imperial wains of weirwood every season. Control is allocated to any Imperial citizen by open auction during the Winter Solstice.

Brock's Toll

Brock's Toll is a famous toll bridge situated roughly halfway between Dawn and the Marches, but historically claimed by both. While it isn't much used by wealthy merchants or nobles, the road that this bridge lies on carries most of the agricultural traffic between Dawn and the Marches. The bridge is associated with a sinecure, contested between the Marchers and the yeomen of Dawn.

Minor Settlements

Rhonwen’s Fall

In less peaceable times, when the Navarr spent more time hiding from barbarians than hunting them, it was a refuge named Sanctuary Falls. It was reamed in 30YE in honour of the archmage Rhonwen who gave her life to hep defeat the vallorn of Miaren. The steading is built into the cliff under falls that feed the upper reaches of the Gancio. The settlement attracts scholars from across the Empire who wish to study the swirling intricate designs that the first Navarr carved into the rocks here, designs that contain information about trods and old ritual dances.

The Pool of Silver Clouds

A still pool in a quiet glade which, whatever the weather, reflects silver clouds and a blue sky. It is said that some Vates can divine the future in the waters of the pool.

The forests of Miaren are rich in natural resources.

Regions

Goldglades

Quality: Forest
The Goldglades are named partly for the great stands of ancient oaks that grow here, and partly for the rich bounty of ambergelt that the forest workers harvest here. The steadings of Goldglades are some of the wealthiest in Miaren and indeed Navarr. The Eternal Family Striding hold a small (by Goldglades standards but still lavish for a Navarr from Therunin) Wayhouse here where they can often be contacted.

Holtford

Holtford is a thriving region, known for its orichalcum mines and deep clay pits rich in dragonbone. The large steading of Holt that stands near the southern borders historically served as a staging post for expeditions to explore the land claimed by the Miaren vallorn. In recent centuries, it has become better known for the quality and strength of their pottery, and for its merchants. Traders who wish to avoid Temeschwar (for whatever reason) commonly pass through Holt on their way between Highguard and Wintermark, and some of the largest and wealthiest wayhouses in Navarr are found here.

The Nighthaven Steading was founded near Holt, and known to produce politically and economically savvy Navarr who regularly send one of their own to represent their people in the Imperial Senate.

Holtford was also the site of a so-called "Alchemical Workshop", a peculiar tower of white granite apparently dedicated to the eternal Murit that functioned as an workshop for studying "the transformation of base matter". The structure was commissioned by the Imperial Senate during the Winter Solstice 380YE summit, and work was completed shortly before the Spring Equinox 381YE. A year later, shortly before the Spring Equinox 382YE, the tower disappeared. Where it once stood is a circular pool of clear, fresh water. The water appears entirely mundane, but anyone who looks at their reflection in the pool sees themselves as they might have been had they made different choices at some point in their lives. At night, the night skies reflected in the pool bear no relationship to the actual stars in the skies above them. According to locals, a peculiar creature frequents the pool, emerging from its depths on nights of the half moon to speak to scholars of night magic who visit the area. It has been dubbed "Darkwater Pool" by residents of the area.

Serenael

The ruins of the Terunael city of Seren lie in northern Serenael; this is where the dark heart of the Miaren vallorn lay. The Golden Trees of Seren is a sprawling weirwood forest that covers much of northern Serenael and encompasses roughly a third of the Terunael ruins. It is also the site of the Golden Orchards, a sinecure that provides the Granger with a bounty of crystal mana. The rest of the ruins are given over to the largest permanent Navarr settlement - the town of Seren.

The Leafstalker Striding are a modern band of Navarr based out of Serenael, famed for their signature cloaks that allow them to blend in with the weirwood trees of the region.

OOC Notes

• The Navarr (and by extension the Empire) control all the regions of Miaren. It is firmly an Imperial territory.