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
After the end of the civil war, Bastion became the heart of a reborn 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. Bastion presents 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.
The largest settlement in Highguard is found here - Bastion, the White City. Bastion is also seen as the heart of the Way; followers all over the world look to it for guidance and it is a place of pilgrimage for the faithful. .
When Reikos fell to the [{Druj]], Bastion suddenly found itself on the front lines. Many of the chapterhouses in the northern regions in particular still have a strong military aspect, although now that Reikos has been liberated this may change.
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. Given its central position, it should come as no surprise to learn that Casinea is the Imperial territory that has suffered the least chaos and disruption over the centuries since the formation of the Empire - indeed since the end of the Highborn civil war.
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, driving out the orcs to conquer the territory. 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 civil war between the patricians and the chapters, then rebuilt as a memorial to all that had been lost - the Necropolis. Today, the great cemetery holds the mortal remains of some of the greatest Imperial citizens who ever lived - the heroes and Thrones who helped for the Empire..
Reikos
This formerly peaceful stretch of the Couros river was also home to pleasure gardens, parks and country estates. It became wealthy thanks to the bounty of stone and wood from the Vigilant Swan and the Great Forest; herbs from the Gardens of Chalcis; trade with Therunin and Morrow; and from the beauty that 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. Then the Druj came, and after them the merciless rejuvenating power of the eternal Llofir.
Today, Reikos is slowly being rebuilt. Liberated from the orcs, dramatically changed by Spring magic, the Highborn strive to recapture something of Reikos' former glory and build a proud future for those who survived the horrors of the Druj occupation.