Counties of Ustalav

A map of Ustalav.

The national symbol of Ustalav.

For more information on the political systems of Ustalav, see Ustalav.

Modern counties of Ustalav

Modern Ustalav is split into thirteen distinct regions called counties. While each county is still subservient to the monarch of Ustalav, Prince Aduard Ordranti III, the rulers of the individual counties are allowed a lot of independence. The counties can be split into three types:

• the Soivoda encompassing the entire expanse of eastern Ustalav: they are still run by the noble families appointed millennia ago when Ustalav was first divided;
• the Palatinates in the north-west third of the country: they have thrown off the rule of their hereditary noble lords and are now governed by councils of prominent citizens;
• the south-western wasteland of Virlych.

All of the counties are listed below:

Amaans

A land of mist-shrouded valleys with most of its inhabitants surrounding Lake Kavapesta.

Ardeal

Former home of Ustalav's capital, Ardeal is a land of faded glory, strewn with crumbling mansions and reminders of what has been lost.

Barstoi

A land of rocky hills and fields it is actually one of the best-run counties despite the attitude of its unfriendly people.

Caliphas

A vibrant county surrounding the beating heart of Ustalav that is its capital city, also called Caliphas.

Canterwall

The breadbasket of all Ustalav, Canterwall also has to stand against the marauding orcs of the Hold of Belkzen.

Lozeri

Lozeri caters to the wealthy, putting on decadent entertainment organised by the council of well-off citizens that run the county.

Odranto

This county has long served as a guard against the savage Kellids of the north and is a land littered with forts and castles, some inhabited some not.

Sinaria

A land of cold swamps and ancient woodland, Sinaria is renowned for the city of Karcau located on the banks of Lake Prophyria.

Ulcazar

Ulcazar lies at the heart of the Hungry Mountains, and is ruled by the head priest (a former count) of the mysterious Monastery of the Veil.

Varno

A land of scattered forests and lakes, Varno seems to be affected by fickle weather-patterns that can lead to famine after years of plenty.

Versex

Versex is unsuitable for agriculture but rich in mineral wealth and home to many small, insular minor communities in the foothills of the Hungry Mountains.

Vieland

A reasonably fertile land, Vieland is dotted by strange, ancient stone monoliths of unknown origins.

Additionally, the region of Virlych is a lifeless, haunted wasteland that surrounds Tar-Baphon's former prison of Gallowspire. It is not technically a county as it has no government or living citizens, but rather is the shattered remains of two former provinces: Virholt and Grodlych. These were ravaged during the reign of the Whispering Tyrant nearly a millennia ago and have never recovered.

Historical counties of ustalav

King Kaldemov, facing the threat of a civil war among Ustalav's noble families, split his nation into sixteen separate counties in 2862 AR. Each of the major noble families were given nearly complete autonomy within their territories, but each also owed allegiance to the crown. This system of government survived until the nation's conquest by the Whispering Tyrant in 3203 AR.

The sixteen original counties

The sixteen original counties into which King Kaldemov split his country are assumed to be Amaans, Ardeal, Barstoi, Caliphas, Grodlych, Janoyt, Lozeri, Odranto, Sinaria, Tamrivena, Ulcazar, Varno, Versex, Vieland, Virholt, and one other whose name is currently lost to time.

The four counties that no longer exist in their original county form are listed below:

Grodlych

One of the two counties of Ustalav most devastated by the baleful influence of the reborn Whispering Tyrant and the devastation of the Shining Crusade that was launched to overthrow the lich. After the defeat of the Tyrant it was combined with its equally desolate neighbour, Virholt (q.v.), to form the new territory of Virlych.

Janoyt

Once a meagerly populated county of Ustalav bordered by Avalon Bay and the county of Varno. At the refounding of Ustalav, after the defeat of the Whispering Tyrant, the county was predominantly controlled by the Arch-Duchy of Melcat and the new rulers of Ustalav granted the county to the Archduke's total control. Eventually, the ex-county became the theocracy of Razmiran, as it remains today.

Tamrivena

The former name of the modern-day county of Canterwall, before it joined the Palatinates and changed its name. Tamrivena today is the name of the county town of Canterwall.

Virholt

One of the original counties into which King Kaldemov divided Ustalav in 2862 AR, it was also one of the first conquests of the reborn Whispering Tyrant in 3203 AR. During the centuries of his unnatural reign, it became a lifeless wilderness where no living thing could thrive. This blight was not lifted with the Whispering Tyrant's defeat in 3827 AR and remains to the present day. The victors of the Shining Crusade combined Virholt with its equally desolate neighbour, Grodlych (q.v.), naming the territory Virlych.