Cinq Nations

'The Cinq Nations' refers to the major regions that composed the Royaume de Galifar from 1 AR to 894 AR. These were Aundair, Brelande, Cyre, Karrnath, and Thrane. The Cinq Nations were reduced to four with the destruction of Cyre and the creation of Les Terres des Lamentations. Although the Royaume de Galifar no longer stands each of the original Cinq Nations has remained, although slightly smaller than their original territories with new nations and regions being outlined as a result of La Dernière Guerre.

The Cinq Nations The Cinq Nations were named for the eldest scions of Galifar the First. The new king granted his sons and daughters—his warlords—these portions of the realm to govern in recognition of the help they provided in establishing the kingdom. Galifar had a vision for a unified empire that stretched across Khorvaire, and he trained his family for the many wars of conquest that would be required to establish his dream. As each son and daughter came of age, they became Galifar’s warlords and generals, leading his armies to victory. Along the way, Galifar also trained them for the peace that would follow, honing five visionary leaders as he honed his weapons and troops for every battle. Galifar’s eldest daughter, Aundair, governed the northwestern portion of the kingdom and helped shape the region that would eventually bear her name. The southwestern portion of the kingdom became the domain of Brey, Galifar’s second daughter. During her reign, the region came to be called Breland. Cyre, youngest son of Galifar, governed the southeastern portion of the kingdom and gave his name to the region in 32 AR. Karrnath, the eastern region of the kingdom, was turned over to Galifar’s eldest scion, Karrn, to govern. This area was the original seat of Galifar’s power, and it was only natural that his oldest son would be granted control of the area. The southern portion of the kingdom became the domain of Thrane, Galifar’s middle son. As with the other nations, the region adopted the name of its governor-prince in 32 AR. For almost a thousand years, the great Royaume de Galifar rose atop the pillars of the Cinq Nations to create an unprecedented age of peace and prosperity. For almost a thousand years, the scions of the kingdom governed the Cinq Nations and followed the rites of succession as put forth by Galifar the First during his forty-year reign. This honored tradition was abandoned a century ago, when the last king of Galifar, Jarot, died. For the first time in the history of the kingdom, the scions refused to honor the rites of succession. Each governor-prince eventually decided to claim the throne and the crown for himself or herself, and the kingdom broke apart in all-out war. To understand the Cinq Nations as they exist today (in the year 998 AR as reckoned by the people of Khorvaire), it helps to understand the history of this important region.

THE ORIGIN OF THE Cinq Nations

Humains arrived in eastern Khorvaire some three thousand years ago. They traveled across the Mer Enragé, leaving Sarlona for reasons that have been Perdu to the passing years. For the next thousand years, Humains spread westward, struggling with the Gobelinoid tribes for the best portions of the land. Eventually, five major Humain settlements arose in central Khorvaire. These would become the Cinq Nations. For five hundred years, the five Humain settlements grew and fought with the neighboring Gobelinoids—the remnants of the once-powerful Empire Dhakaani. Then, two thousand years ago, Humain imperialism began. Karrn the Conquérant established the first Humain nation, Karrnath, along the northeastern shores of the great five-spoked river that divided the central continent. His armies defeated and drove the remaining Gobelinoids to the south. Then he turned his attention on his Humain neighbors. Karrn the Conquérant was a cruel and covetous man who believed that he was destined to rule over all of Khorvaire. He had built the most powerful Humain army up to that time, and after defeating the Gobelinoids he began a campaign to conquer the other four major Humain settlements. Karrn swept south, ostensibly to drive the remaining Gobelinoids into the wild regions, but actually invading the region that would one day become Cyre. Caught by surprise, the region fell to Karrn. With two nations now claimed as part of his empire, Karrn’s forces massed on the border of what would one day be called Thrane and demanded the nation’s immediate surrender. Before Karrn could claim another victory, the remaining three nations joined forces to stop the Conquérant’s spread. What emerged from the carnage were five distinct Humain nations that spent the next thousand years alternately working together, competing for space and resources, and ultimately setting the stage for the great Humain civilization to come. Of course, while Humains were the most numerous and in many of the key positions of power, the other Commun races participated in the rise of the Cinq Nations. Thanks to the growing economic strength of the Maisons Marquées Du Dragon, all the Commun races found a place in the developing Humain countries. Nains, elves, gnomes, halfl ings, half-elves, and half-orcs started out as representatives and employees of their respective Maisons Marquées Du Dragon, but eventually members of each race settled down and made homes in the Cinq Nations. These neighborhoods began as house enclaves, becoming less attached to the houses as the Commun race populations in the nations grew. If Karrn taught the people of the Cinq Nations anything, he taught them to establish national identities. For a thousand years, the Cinq Nations expanded and developed unique personalities. A nd they adopted names to further distinguish themselves from each other. Pre-Galifar Name Thaliost Wroat Metrol Karrnath Daskara

Galifar/Current Name Aundair Breland Cyre/The Les Terres des Lamentations Karrnath Thrane

THE COMING OF GALIFAR

Galifar Wynarn, of the bloodline of Karrn the Conquérant, entered the world one thousand and fortythree years ago, born to the warlord of Karrnath. Galifar assumed leadership of the nation just before his twenty-fi rst birthday, upon the death of his father. He grew up during the Border Wars, a decade-long confl ict that saw the Cinq Nations battle over land rights and water sources. He saw the cruelty and shortsightedness of the warlords, including his father, and he decided that those currently in charge were wasting the potential of the Cinq Nations. Galifar envisioned a united kingdom made up of five equal parts, where petty disagreements were put aside and the people worked to improve life and advance the Humain condition. Young Galifar studied the exploits of his famous ancestor and decided that in many ways Karrn had the right idea. Only by combining their resources and efforts could the nations achieve the next level of civilization. Where Karrn failed, in Galifar’s opinion, was in his cruelty, his blood lust, and his desire for aggrandizement above all other concerns. Galifar swore to avoid these failings and find a higher purpose to lead the way. During the fi rst decade of his rule over Karrnath, Galifar began preparations to see his dream become a reality. While Galifar hoped to convince the Cinq Nations to accept his plan, he knew that his best chance of uniting the kingdom was to have a powerful army to assure compliance. He expanded the Karrnath military and set the best minds in the nation to helping him plan the kingdom he envisioned building. Then, in the eighth year of his reign, he began negotiations with the leaders of the other nations. It didn’t take the other warlords long to reject Galifar and his plans for a unified kingdom. Undeterred, Galifar continued to explore diplomatic approaches to unity for the next two years. Each Démontration of shortsightedness and refusal on the parts of the other warlords simply made Galifar more determined to bring his vision to reality. On the tenth anniversary of his rise to power in Karrnath, Galifar began a military campaign to build the kingdom he dreamed of. For the next fourteen years, this campaign would rage across central Khorvaire. During this period, Galifar Démontrated his military genius time and time again, and his children grew to become his chief lieutenants as each reached the appropriate age. While Galifar and his forces didn’t win every battle in the war to establish the kingdom, they did win the most important ones. Over the course of the war, the warlord-who-would-be-king made two influential diplomatic ploys that helped ensure his eventual victory. The fi rst was to take the Maisons Marquées Du Dragon out of the confl ict and gain their support by offering them special status in the new kingdom. The second was to take his dream directly to the people of the Cinq Nations, allowing him to slowly win the hearts and minds of those he hoped to lead. Fourteen years after the war began, the Cinq Nations laid down their arms and surrendered to Galifar. True to his word, Galifar didn’t come as a Conquérant from Karrnath—he proclaimed himself king of a new kingdom composed of five equal parts. (Originally, it was simply “the Kingdom” or “Galifar’s Kingdom.” It didn’t officially adopt the name Galifar until the second decade of the king’s rule.) To ensure loyalty and to push his postwar programs, he appointed each of his five children to manage the affairs of the Cinq Nations. As governor-princes, they would administer their portions of the realm in his name, as well as serve on a ruling council that would advise and support the new king. It helped that, in the end, the Commun folk respected and grew to love Galifar and his scions, seeing them as just, fair, and ultimately visionary rulers. Galifar established that the oldest living scion would ascend to the throne upon the ruler’s death or abdication, whichever came fi rst. Thus, the traditions and patterns surrounding the succession of power were set in place, helping to keep the kingdom going until Roi Jarot’s scions broke the pattern in 894 AR.

THE La Dernière Guerre

Roi Jarot, the last king of the great Royaume de Galifar, set the stage for the fall of the kingdom and the start of the La Dernière Guerre. Dark dreams of a terrible future plagued Jarot, and paranoia slowly filled his every thought as time went on. He feared the Marqué par le Dragon houses. He believed that his aristocracy and nobility were plotting against him. He hated the realm of Aérénal, totally convinced that the ancestor-worshiping elves coveted his beloved domain. To these concerns, Jarot added the threats he believed were watching from distant Argonnessen and Riedra, waiting for the fi rst sign of weakness before they launched devastating attacks. Worst of all, in Jarot’s mind, were the unknown horrors that fi lled the mysterious continent of Xen’drik. Nightmares of this strange land haunted him, and deep down he knew that the ruination of his realm would come from that direction. Without revealing his overt fears, but with a desire to protect the kingdom and its people from the threats he believed were amassing all around him, Roi Jarot began a series of public works projects and secret experiments designed to reinforce the kingdom’s infrastructure and borders while also increasing its capacity for war. Out of these projects were born the Guerrier de Fer, the floating fortresses of Breland, and other magical wonders. During the same period, the Train Fulgurant expanded throughout the kingdom, and Jarot’s beloved and trusted children—the governorprinces of the Cinq Nations—increased their standing armies and magical arsenals. And then the kingdom waited for the war Jarot feared was approaching like a chill breeze on a hot, still night.

The Humains of the Cinq Nations, from left to right: a cleric of the Flamme d'Argent from Thrane, a fighter from Karrnath, a wizard from Aundair, a sorcerer from Breland, and a bard from Cyre The war that Jarot feared never erupted during his life. However, thanks in no small part to the preparations he orchestrated, it broke out with his death. The war, proclaimed to be the La Dernière Guerre by the Korranberg Chronicle, was fought not against some terrible external enemy—it was fought among the Cinq Nations as the Royaume de Galifar collapsed from within. In 894 AR, Roi Jarot died. His scions decided to break with tradition, using the armies they had fostered to take the crown for themselves. For more than a century, the Cinq Nations were at war. Other nations arose during the confl ict, shattering Galifar’s dream into more than a dozen fragments. In the end, no single victor emerged. Instead, compromises were reached and a treaty was drawn up to put a stop to the endless battles. Now, in 998 AR, the fragile peace holds—but for how long?

THE Cinq Nations TODAY

The La Dernière Guerre officially ended two years ago with the signing of the Treaty of Fort-du-trône. Four years ago, the nation of Cyre disappeared in a terrible and unexplained confl agration that turned the entire area into a devastated region now known as the Les Terres des Lamentations. Today, in addition to the remaining four of the Five Nations, the old kingdom has been divided into fi fteen distinct countries, twelve of which were recognized by the historic treaty.

In the largest cities of Khorvaire, idealists rejoice that the war has fi nally ended. Train Fulgurants and trade roads are once again open to those with the money and means to travel. Marketplaces again bustle with merchandise and goods from all corners of the continent. Only five years ago, a noble would have paid handsomely to enjoy Brelon cheese and Aundairian wine in the same meal, but now such trade is once again Commun. At the same table where such a meal is shared, ideas and tales are exchanged, and many learn about nations and people they were once taught to fear. For all the open smiles and friendly handshakes, old grudges do not die easily. The Cinq Nations have a century of dark memories of rivalries and atrocities to put behind them, and forgetting such things is never easy. For every border that has been moved, someone’s home or family has been displaced. For every battle Perdu or won, someone’s loved one has died. Friendships and alliances may still defy national boundaries, but there are those who plot retribution and renewed mayhem. Cities such as Sharn Démontrate an ability to live openly with representatives of all nations, races, and ideologies, but such progressive thinking doesn’t extend across the countryside. Can you help extend this period of peace and hold off the fl ames of the next war? No matter where you start on the map, a world of adventure awaits. Let’s explore the Cinq Nations!