Aundair

Aundair is a land of earth and sky. On the ground, common folk plow fields and raise crops, toiling to make the land’s villages and communities thrive. One of the Five Nations originally founded by the human settlers of Khorvaire, Aundair has a rich tradition of cities dedicated to knowledge and education while the areas outside the cities are known for agriculture. Rich farmlands, pastoral forests, and excellent vineyards abound. The nation’s fields and vineyards are among the most bountiful in all Khorvaire, tended by the same families for generations. Although the nation’s largest cities attract traders and adventurers from across the continent, they are dominated by humans; conversely, most of its half-elven citizens live a simple, rural existence.

Overview
Aundair, the land of wizards in floating castles, ivy-covered universities, fragrant vineyards, and golden wheat fields, struggles to reclaim past glories in the wake of the Last War. The nation isn’t what it once was, having lost land and people to the Eldeen Reaches while trading territory with Thrane. Still, it is a proud land, full of proud people, led by a proud and ambitious queen. The common folk of this largely agrarian country stand fast to defend their land, valuing wit and bravado and demonstrating a powerful connection to knowledge and magic.

Government & Politics
The current ruler of Aundair, Queen Aurala ir’Wynarn, traces her lineage to Wrogar ir’Wynarn, the first king of an independent Aundair and one of the heirs to the Galifar kingdomy; her family has held the crown since the start of the Last War and the shattering of Galifar. In principle, Queen Aurala ir’Wynarn rules as the absolute monarch of Aundair. However, the outside perception is that an unofficial triumvirate governs the land: Queen Aurala, her brother Adal (who holds the titles of First Warlord and Royal Minister of Magic), and Lord Darro ir’Lain (Second Warlord of the Realm and commander of the Knights Arcane). Queen Aurala continues to receive the support and confidence of her vassal lords, and most of the commoners adore her - although perception of her as a easily-manipulated naif remains widespread.

Beneath the royal family, a wealthy group of nobles oversees tracts of land partitioned to them by the crown. Some of these noble families go back to the days of a united Galifar and continue to oversee the land afforded them by the Galifar king. Others are newer, granted title and privilege due to actions undertaken during the Last War. Aurala works hard to maintain the trust and support of her nobles, for they continue to provide the troops and taxes needed to keep Aundair safe and prosperous in this new age of peace. Aurala also enjoys the counsel of the Arcane Congress, a remnant of the original council of wizards created by King Galifar and based in the town of Arcanix.

Military
The Arcane Congress provides the country with access to arcane magic that often exceeds that available anywhere outside the dragonmarked houses. Moreso than any other nation, Aundair integrates arcane magic into its military efforts— from the magic missile-casting sorcerer attached to an infantry squad and the artificer-built arcane weaponry, to the summoned creatures and earthshaking spells of mighty wizards.

The military forces of Aundair are concentrated in small, mobile units designed to get where they could be most effective, strike fast and hard, and get out alive. The cavalry units of Aundair are more like mounted infantry—ready to deal one good blow with a spear from horseback, then dismount to fight on foot before remounting to retreat or move to another area of the battlefield. The knight phantoms are the epitome of this idea, using magical phantom steeds to travel with amazing speed before fighting on foot with sword and spell. Most of Aundair’s infantry consists of determined and reasonably well-trained half-eleven farmers. Recruits who survive a few battles and professional soldiers are trained as archers or cavalry, or assigned to provide support to an arcane ballista.

The best of Aundair’s best are the Knights Phantom, an elite knightly order of soldiers boasting both martial skills and spellcasting ability. The Knights Phantom are a small order, but their importance cannot be overstated—their commander is Lord Darro ir’Lain, one of the three most powerful people in Aundair. The knight phantoms are sometimes classified as light cavalry, but they are actually dragoons, or mounted infantry. They use phantom steeds to ride quickly to the site of a battle and into position, then dismiss the spells and use their combined martial and magical power to carry the day.

Industries & Resources
Aundair produces a great number of agricultural products, both for use within the nation and as imports for trade. Cereals, grains, vegetables, and wines from the Aundair countryside are considered among the best in all of Khorvaire. The cities of Aundair contain great centers of learning that at least equal the colleges and universities of Zilargo, and the arcane institutes might exceed those found anywhere else on the continent. For this reason, magewrights, artificers, and wizards trained in Aundair demand the highest pay scale compared to those trained in most other traditions. All of the dragonmarked houses maintain emporiums and outposts throughout Aundair. Two houses, House Lyrandar and House Orien, make their headquarters in the nation. House Lyrandar’s matriarch sits in the northern island city of Stormhome, while the patriarch of House Orien runs the family conglomerate from the city of Passage, which rises from the eastern shore of Lake Galifar.

Society & Culture
Many outsiders consider Aundairians to be fiercely competitive, almost arrogant in their willingness to display their verbal, martial, and intellectual skill. Arrogance is hardly a unique trait in the Five Nations, however. A clever commoner would instead say that an Aundairian learns from an early age to stand his ground. Those who grow up in the country with many brothers and sisters quickly learn to deal with competition. Any Aundairian who’s worked an afternoon in a trading village’s marketplace knows that making a living depends on making your opinions well known.

This doesn’t mean that an Aundairian responds to any disagreement by being stubborn; quite the opposite. Aundairians know that if they can’t settle something with a quick test of wits, a simple duel to “first blood,” or a clever quip, their neighbors are “resolute” enough to hold a grudge for a long time. Bad feelings can easily escalate into a more dangerous conflict. An Aundairian is more likely to follow someone with a good plan or glib tongue than the largest or strongest warrior in the group.

As humans and half-elves together make up nearly 80% of the population of Aundair, the two races have become strongly associated with a cultural divide. According to these stereotypes, the prototypical Aundairan human is a brave knight or noble who lives in an estate outside one of the major settlements, is learned in both history and basic magic, and is beloved by the local peasantry. Conversely, the protoypical Aundairan half-elf lives as one of a large (10+) family in the rolling fields, loves to fish and drink wine, and is simple-minded, prone to inherent laziness, yet tricky.

Art
The people of Aundair tend to employ paint and rhyming verse when it comes to artistic expression. Fine art, in the form of oil paintings and watercolors, ranges from realistic renderings of landscapes and people to the uniquely developed and increasingly popular Post-magic style. First seen in the markets of Arcanix, this form combines a highly stylized approach that uses mildly glamered, richly pigmented paints to create a type of expression that one Wynarn University provost called “life at its essence, as seen through an arcane haze.” Compared to its fine art, Aundairian rhyming verse is the major cultural output of the half-elven population, and tends to be crude, boisterous, and relatively unsophisticated

Cuisine
Aundairian cuisine features a cacophony of ingredients that their classically trained chefs turn into a symphony of taste and texture. Aundairian meals consist of small portions presented in elegant fashion, each plate a beauty to behold and a wonder to savor. Sauces play a heavy role in any recipe, and the cuisine of this nation is considered to be exquisitely rich and suitable for special occasions.

Pan-seared rabbit with an Aundairian wood-nut sauce, gold pheasant stuffed with sparkle mushrooms and rice, and dragon salmon in butter and dark wine sauce are particular favorites from Aundair that have begun appearing in House Ghallanda inns throughout the Five Nations.

This region also has a reputation for its premier vineyards, and the wines of Aundair are considered among the finest in all of Khorvaire. Some of the best recent vintages now being traded in markets across the land include fireburst wine from the vineyards of Arcanix, dark Orlaun wine known for its fruity sweetness, and Windshire rainbow wine, a type of mursi (red wine) that changes color and flavor as one consumes a glass.

Finally, Aundairian pastries and sweets reveal a level of artistic and culinary sophistication unmatched throughout the Five Nations. From tarts to cremfels (thin, fruit-and-cream-filled pancakes), the desserts that originated in this region combine elegance with artistry that reveals at least a portion of the Aundairian spirit.

Fashion
The Aundairian taste for elegance and sophistication extend to the fashions worn in cities such as Fairhaven and Passage, where frilled glimmersilk combines with ornately decorated cloaks and jackets to adorn the rich and powerful. Those of more modest means attempt to duplicate these styles as best they can, using spider- silk or some similarly less expensive fabric in place of glimmersilk. Men and women in the cities and larger towns wear elegant party gloves in public, a style that began as an accoutrement to fashions worn for a night on the town but have become the common practice. Many feel that they haven’t finished dressing if they haven’t donned their party gloves.

The simpler folk, including common laborers and farmers, wear simpler garb. Everyday clothes for both men and women include the bard-style tunic, a pull-over shirt with a V-cut neck and flared sleeves, durable cotton pants, and sturdy leather boots. Most men try to have at least one set of “best clothes,” an outfit suitable for wear to a town gathering, a special function, or holiday party. Women keep a simple dress and an elegant dress (made of glimmersilk or spidersilk if they can afford it) for the same purposes.

Religion
Most of the people of Aundair follow the teachings of the Sovereign Host, particularly the gods Arawai, Aureon, and Olladra. Sometimes a minor cult attains popularity for a brief time in Fairhaven, and churches devoted to other gods can be found there. Although there is no official religion in Aundair, the royal family participates publicly in the standard rituals and holidays of the Sovereign Host. A minority of the people of Aundair follow the Silver Flame; however, they typically call themselves "Puritans" to make themselves distinct from their Thranean co-religionists and avoid social stigmatization. The Church of the Silver Flame (in Thrane) regularly puts out statements decrying their persecution; however, most Aundarian followers of the Silver Flame have no desire to choose church over country.

Major Power Groups

 * House Lyrandar
 * House Orien
 * House Cannith (North)
 * Queen Aurala ir’Wynarn
 * The Royal Eyes of Aundair

History
Before there was a Galifar, the human settlement that would eventually become Aundair grew up along the northwestern shore of Scions Sound, in the approximate location of modern-day Thaliost. In fact, that city carries the original name of the nation as a reminder of its beginnings. It wasn’t until later, as the nation spread to the west, that Fairhaven became its capital. In -802 CY the Mark of Handling appeared among humans in Thaliost.

Under Galifar
When Galifar ir’Wynarn united the Five Nations and formed his kingdom, an unprecedented age of peace and prosperity began. He started the tradition of giving each of his eldest scions one of the Five Nations to govern. His eldest daughter, Aundair, was given control of the nation that within a generation had adopted her name as its own (initially “Aundair’s realm” but soon shortened to just “Aundair”).

During the reign of Galifar’s last king, Wrogar governed the nation. King Jarot’s fourth child, Wrogar was a huge bear of a man who enjoyed the rugged lifestyle of Aundair’s countryside as much as he loved poring through the libraries and other depositories for books of history and religion. When King Jarot died, Wrogar initially supported his sister Mishann’s claim to the Peacock Throne (Mishann ruled Cyre at the time), but that wasn’t enough to keep the kingdom together. Soon, the Last War would come to touch even distant Aundair.

The Last War
During the last war, Aundair spent most of its time in warfare against either Thrane or Karrnath, and the loss of Thaliost to Thrane bristles Aundairian national pride to this day. In 958 YK, inspired by the successful independence of Valenar two years earlier, the Eldeen Reaches seceded from Aundair, causing the nation to lose one half of its total area, along with one fifth of its population. The Knights Arcane bravely fought for Aundair, along with countless half-elf peasant militias. Aundairian military tactics emphasized maneuver with light cavalry, with magical support from wands. Aundair suffered more than some and less than others did during the Last War, but in general the nation enjoyed a relatively safe and idyllic existence for the second half of the Last War and was spared the devastation visited upon Cyre and Karrnath.

Post War
Ruling Aundair since 990 YK, Queen Aurala ir’Wynarn took power towards the end of the Last War and was among the signers of the Treaty of Thronehold. She married a young noble of House Vadalis named Sebastian, who gave up his position in his family to become part of Aundair’s royal aristocracy. Despite this, he maintains close ties to his family (including his brother Domingo, the House patriarch), which sometimes leads the other dragonmarked houses to see favoritism toward Vadalis where it may not actually exist. In fact, Aurala goes out of her way to make sure House Vadalis doesn’t receive any special treatment from the Aundairian crown or its vassals.

Today, Aundair maintains an uncomfortable peace with its neighbors. Still reeling from the loss of the western two-thirds of its lands (and almost a fifth of its citizens) to the now-independent Eldeen Reaches, Aurala reluctantly seeks to find common ground with the various factions living to the west of the Wynarn River and Lake Galifar. Tensions between Aundair and Thrane remain high due to events of the Last War while the two kingdoms struggle to establish additional treaties and agreements that will wear down the underlying animosities. Breland and Aundair have mostly gotten along throughout the course of the Last War. Except for a handful of skirmishes and one major confrontation with Breland as the century-long conflict rolled on, the two nations have been neutral to friendly toward one another. The Treaty of Thronehold established Scions Sound as the border between Aundair and Karrnath, and the two nations eye each other warily over coastlines that bristle with defenses. At any given time, most of the Aundairian Navy’s flotillas are patrolling Scions Sound and Eldeen Bay, keeping a close eye on their Karrnathi counterparts. Karrnath has made the most aggressive overtures for lasting peace since the end of the war, although they have been met publically with limited interest from the young Queen.

Aundairians keenly feel the loss of the Thaliost region in the east, which wound up in Thrane’s hands after the Treaty of Thronehold. Many Aundairians mutter that Thaliost is “Aundair’s by heritage” and believe that Queen Aurala’s diplomats capitulated too easily. Other Aundairians point out that Thrane’s Army of the Northern Crusade was camped in Thaliost when the treaty was signed (and have been in control of the region, for the most part, since 977 YK), so it’s not surprising that Thrane wound up with this chunk of land. Aundair would very much like to reclaim Thaliost—through either diplomatic or military means.

The loss of territory on the western border also continues to haunt Aundair and its leaders. Forty years ago, the nation lost two-thirds of its land mass and a fifth of its people when the Eldeen Reaches declared independence. Periodic efforts during the Last War to reclaim “Western Aundair” met with bloody failure, and a low-intensity guerrilla war still wages between the Aundair army’s border garrisons and the people of the Eldeen Reaches.

Despite the loss of territory, Aundair has strengths that match its strategic ambitions. Aundair’s army and navy are slowly rebuilding from their low point at the end of the war, and periodic saber-rattling about “liberating Thaliost” ensures a steady stream of (often poor, half-eleven) recruits.

Geography
Much of Aundair's boundaries are marked by natural geographical features: the Wynarn River and Lake Galifar in the west, the Blackcaps to the south, the Eldeen Bay in the north, and Scions Sound and Aundair River in the northwest. The only border not so demarcated is that between Aundair and Thrane, which was decided as part of the Treaty of Thronehold. Breland sits to the south and the newly formed Eldeen Reaches borders the west. The lightning rail network passes through the larger cities of Passage and Fairhaven while House Orien roadways network through to smaller cities and westward to the Eldeen Reaches.

Thaliost, Aundair's former capital and the cradle of its culture was occupied by Thrane in The Last War. The signing of the Treaty of Thronehold left it in Thrane's possession, to the extreme displeasure of the Aundairian people.

Cities and settlements

 * Arcanix
 * Fairhaven
 * Fishgut
 * Ghalt
 * Lathleer
 * Marketplace
 * Otharaunt
 * Passage
 * Windshire
 * Wyr

Other notable features

 * Aundair River
 * Chanthwood
 * The Crying Fields
 * Daskara Pass
 * Eldritch Groves
 * Fairhold
 * The Gray Wood
 * Lake Galifar
 * The Starpeaks
 * Starpeaks Observatory
 * Whisper Rock & Whisper Woods

Five Things Almost All Aundarians Know

 * 1) The names of fine wines and other liquors. Not every Aundairian can afford Bluevine wine or something from the Mount and Moon cellars, but everyone can name his or her favorite labels and engage in animated conversations about the relative merits of each.
 * 2) Some signature dueling moves. Aundairians love the flash of swordplay, and even the clumsiest citizen can slowly emulate the “twisting lunge” or “dragonhawk riposte” that he sees in the swordfighting demonstrations common in village-square entertainment.
 * 3) A bit about horses. With its rolling verdant hills, Aundair is horse country second only to Valenar in Khorvaire.
 * 4) Several “add-a-verse” songs. Popular as everything from children’s lullabies to drinking chanties, rhyming songs where a verse is added each time (such as “The House that Galifar Built” or “The 12 Days of End Year”) are an Aundairian tradition. Some run for nearly a hundred verses.
 * 5) The Epic of the Valiant and Vigilant. Popularized some forty years ago by Aundair’s bards, this tale takes about forty-five minutes to recite—and most Aundairians have heard it so many times that they can recite it from memory. The Epic of the Valiant and Vigilant describes the twin sieges of Tower Valiant and Tower Vigilant in 951 YK, told from the perspective of two lovers, each trapped within one of the castles but believing the other to be safe.

National Anthem


The Aundarian national anthem is called The Royal March; the lyrics are as follows: "All folk of the brightest realm, wave the flag for victory! Build the walls high that none can harm a land so free! Aundair is on the move! hold your standard high! March on! March on! Aundair strives on until victory is ours!"