Population: 15,700
Capital: Oelnitz (pop. 10,100)
Government: unknown
The Prophet National Alignment: Neutral Evil
Languages: Common and High Karmani, Kingdom
The Duchy of Chalteran is a small nation on Cape Dorchester southwest of Karming. The Swordslands used Oelnitz as its primary Marvent port and sent many caravans through South Gap to Roqborough and Oelnitz. This left Chalteran to maintain a precarious balance in its affairs with two enemies, the Swordslands and overbearing Karming. This all changed two years ago when a mysterious individual known only as the Prophet forced Duke Werth to abdicate and flee the country. Since then, the Prophet has ruled Chalteran with an iron fist from his secluded keep north of the capital. Few are allowed into the castle and even fewer leave it alive. It is rumored that the Prophet is a lich or a creature from the Abyss. Chalteran possesses a large fishing fleet, but the Prophet has neglected it.
Geography: Chalteran is a small country sandwiched between the Diatheron Mountains and the Sandwort Swamp on the north and the Marvent Sea on the south and east. The lower Devne River valley is the most developed part of the country and is home to a majority of the nation's citizens. Oelnitz is the capital and is located at the mouth of the Devne, while Roqborough, the only other city of any consequence, is about 20 leagues to the north. Further north of Roqborough lie the ruins of the Issacharite city of Toriendor and the river and traderoad to Pummelford are gradually squeezed by the Diatheron Mountains and Sandwort Swamp to the head of the valley at South Gap. Along the Marvent Coast to Cape Dorchester lies much farmland and small tracts of wood and the very western provinces are only nominally under Chalteran's control.
History:
476 Pd - Founding of the great Issacharite city of Toriendor in the north of Chalteran.
1090 Fd - Chalteran receives its independence from Karming.
1186 Fd - Coming of the Prophet and the abdication of Duke Werth.
Politics: No one knows who, or what the Prophet really is. He (or she) appeared in Chalteran in 1186 Fd and, over the next several weeks, all of the nobility were killed or disappeared. Faced with such a threat, Duke Werth abdicated and fled to Pummelford. The Prophet took over the government and has ruled ever since then with an iron fist. The speed in which the Prophet took a hold of the country surprised its neighbors, but even more surprising was the sudden halt to expansion. Lauderhill could offer little defense against the Prophet's determined attack and the wealthy but oppositely-aligned Swordslands represent an appealling target. Many scholars are still at a loss on who the Prophet is or why he suddenly stopped his rampage.
Major Cities:
Blackcrag - the castle in northern Chalteran that the Prophet made his headquarters after murdering the entire garrison singlehandedly.
Cruxhaven - port on the islands south of Cape Dorchester; used to only see Chalteran officials once a year but now never; pop. 150;
Kuthen - Kuthen is a small market town on Cape Dorchester with a population of 340. It is the only major town in the region and is very far politically from Oelnitz. There was formerly a small military post here and district representative from Wahlborough, but all government functions ceased when the Prophet took over. Now, the Prophet's minions are rarely seen whenever he needs more slave labor. Meanwhile, the locals just hunker down and hope nobody notices them.
Oelnitz - the capitol of Chalteran with a population of 10,100, Oelnitz used to be a beautiful city of wide boulevards and expansive parks but it has fallen into disrepair under the Prophet's reign and the once-fine parks are now shantytowns full of those too poor to flee the Prophet. The Prophet's thugs regularly abduct people from these shantytowns for his slave-gangs. Long, long ago, Oelnitz was the southern most of the Five Great Cities of Karming.
Port Harcourt - small town on the border with Lauderhill, just a few wharves, some buildings and the tollhouse; squeezed on the causeway built by Karming long ago between the Sandwort Swamp and the Karming Reach; pop. 50;
Roqborough - provincial town north of the Sandwort Swamp; used to be a major city in Karmani Empire long ago; pop. 7,170; not very far from Issacharite ruins of Toriendor;
Wahlborough - County Seat of Grand Cape Mount County;
Duchy of Chalteran
County of Lauderhill
Admiralty of Merscham
