Epulia Province
Epulia is a province of the Divine Empire located on the South West coast of the Helltenan continent. It is the most northern and remote of all Empire’s provinces. It is a mainly agricultural province relying heavily on the irrigation waters from the Decanter Lake for its crops. It is guarded by the Knights Audacious of Heironious who, based in their Solemnguard Abbey, protect the area from humanoid invasion from the Fury Mountains to the north. The province is very racially and culturally mixed, a quiet and peaceful province often described as sleepy.
The South West coast or Helltenan was home to the Talishari, a thriving human ‘savage’ culture, before the coming of the Higher Races. It was the misfortune of the area that it was settled by humanoid tribes who descended on the area and subjugated the primitive humans. The Goblin kingdom of Grash was in reality a confederation of mixed humanoid tribes that infested the Fury Mountains to the north and spread down on to the southern coastal plain. They kept the Talishari humans enslaved for generations until the last stages of Kaegor’s Rebellion.
A human follower of the Old Faith called Casidron raised a band of humans, Elves, Dwarves, Halflings and Gnomes to free the Talishari humans from the Goblin kingdom. His band of the free folk landed in Palus Bay and defeated the local tribe of Gnolls where the city of Epulia is today and raised the banner of revolt. Casidron marched inland and was soundly defeated by the humanoids in a pitched battle. The remnants of his besieged band desperately held out at Epulia facing starvation and a chronic shortage of drinking water. Only a relief force from the new Kaegorian Empire, and an oath of fealty, saved them from defeat.
The veteran Kaegorian force soon defeated and routed the humanoids forcing them back in to their northern mountains where they even then still pursued them. Over the next year they burnt out and eradicated all the humanoid settlements on the south side of the mountains. They offered the defence of the area to the followers of Herionious who accepted and then the force simply left.
The area is a poor region lacking any valuable minerals, being short of water and having poor quality farmland. Casidron was appointed Baron of the province and left to it. Though he may not have been the best of generals he was an excellent diplomat and forged alliance with the now free human Talishari ‘savages’ of the region. He agreed to guard the region from humanoid invasion in exchange for the land around Palus Bay up to the Fury Mountains. It was agreed that all the land to the west of the Pale Stone is that of the Talishari and shall be forever. Then Casidron left and walked off in to local folklore and fable.
The scattered settlements around the bay developed individually though they did co-operate. Gnome and Dwarf settlers headed off to the hills and mountains to the north while Halflings settled on the high ground around the bay. The humans and Elves tended to co-exist in the coast region. Overall the bay area was an unusually mixed and integrated and has remained so.
The problem was always of drought and with the warmth of Helltenen it was a major one till the arrival of Gryth Hawtvel and has wife Duraina. They purchased a worthless dry inland valley and built their manse on the slopes of it to the amusement of the locals. When the valley slowly and surely became a lake it was a surprise to nearly everyone. Gryth and Duraina sold access to the water and became wealthy through the extensive irrigation system they created which has lasted to this very day. Lake Decanter, as they called it, is the source of most of the fresh water for the province and has allowed agriculture to develop and the local population to grow. The Hawtvel’s became powerful and influential people and everyone seemed happy until it as found out that the source of the water was a Decanter of Endless Water at the bottom of the now Lake Decanter. Those of the Old Faith argued it was a perversion of nature while most others were merely happy for the end of the droughts. In the end Gryth Hawtvel went to the Druids of the Talishari and offered himself as an apology, thinking his charm would win through. His sacrifice at high summer ended the rift and gained the Hawtvel’s a place of honour in the province.
Since then the province has been very quiet having effectively sat out the unrest that led to the formation of the Divine Empire though fealty was in turn offered. The Fury Mountains have occasionally offered small raiding groups but overall have been quiet for close to a century. The ranks of the Knights Audacious have continued to grow though with many using the abbey as a place of religious retreat. The ample active Knights and their sergeants still patrol the mountains and plains but with little to be concerned with.
