The Republic & Kingdom of Athttania

Among scholars, Athttania is known as the cradle of human civilization. Recorded human history began in Athttania, and the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Amarus lie within its borders. During the Age of the Wizard-kings, Athttanian lands supported numerous city-states, and temples dedicated to Enkai were ubiquitous. Despite the fact that most of these temples lie in ruin, weathered statues erected in honor of Enkai still dot its rugged landscape.

Modern-day Athttania rose from the ashes of the city-states once ruled by the Wizard-kings. By the end of the 1st century, Vllaistraean power had sufficiently grown as to be insurmountable by any one city-state, prompting them to band together and form a nation of their own. Unlike Vllaistrae, Athttania has known several royal lineages, and its history is marred by violent civil wars as would-be kings and queens have vied for its throne. In recent years, one such conflict erupted between a pair of twins. Such was the chaos unleashed by the conflict between the two that a groundswell of anti-monarchal sentiment arose and redefined the civil war in terms of republican and royalist factions. In less than a year, royalist forces - having already been weakened by the struggle between the twins - were thoroughly routed, and forced to flee the capital of Rhamnus and retreat across the sea. Upon seizing the capital, the revolutionaries declared the Kingdom of Athttania at an end, and formally announced the territories held by it subject to the new Republic of Athttania; however, the new republican government’s attempts to exert their control over the northern territory of the former kingdom have proven unsuccessful, and the exiled aristocracy - now devoid of a true monarch - continues to declare itself the true masters of Athttania. Although the civil war is still ongoing, beyond small-scale skirmishes, fighting between the Republic and Kingdom has largely ceased, as the former aims to bring the latter to its knees through blockades and embargoes.

Although a great deal of Athttanians converted to the Church of the Almighty, an equal percentage of the population is atheistic. Many still cling to the old ways, and worship of Enkai is not uncommon, even if it takes place in the shadows. Of particular note is a sect of the Cult known as the Udoth Following. Based upon the teachings of an ancient sorcerer-priest, the Following regards knowledge as an inherent good, and believes that through magic, one can transcend their mortal limits. The Udoth Following has a large base in Athttania, and many in the Runwald are said to adhere to its teachings.

Rhamnus
The historical capital of the Kingdom of Athttania, now controlled by the republican army. Rhamnus is the oldest human settlement in the world, and has been continuously inhabited since the time of the Wizard-Kings. Although Enkai is not publicly worshipped in Rhamnus, ancient temples built in his honor still stand, having long been repurposed for secular, civic use. Most of the city's infrastructure was built in an age where magic was used more liberally, and consequently, much of it stands in excellent condition, despite being over a thousand years old. Such was the sophistication of Rhamnus’ architecture that engineers throughout humankind continue to model their own designs upon those established here. Of particular note are Rhamnus’ baths, aqueducts, and catacombs; although such civic structures are now commonplace in Amarus, those in Rhamnus served as the archetype for all that followed, and are frequently visited for both recreation and study by the cultured and educated respectively.

Sybaris
Although not quite as old as Rhamnus, the city of Sybaris still qualifies as ancient. Located on an island north of mainland Athttania, Sybaris was built upon the ruins of an even older elven city. As such, the city’s architecture is a curious fusion of human and elven styles, one often referred to as “Sybarine.” Due to Sybaris’ exotic nature, the city appealed to the sensibilities of the Athttanian aristocracy, who in turn rendered it a center of leisure and entertainment - the prime example of this being the Sybarine Amphitheater, a large, semi-circular theater in which all manner of performances (including gladiatorial combat) are held. In terms of cultural sophistication, Sybaris is surpassed only by Sairis - who modeled many of their own cultural institutions upon those of the ancient Athttanians.

Having fled Rhamnus, the remnants of the Athttanian monarchy currently reside in Sybaris - the temporary, if not final, capital of the Kingdom of Athttania.

The Cauldron
Spanning Athttania’s eastern border with Vllaistrae and extending several hundred miles into its interior is a mountainous region known as the Cauldron. In the Age of the Wizard-Kings, a series of battles were fought here, which culminated in the conflict between the Almighty and Enkai, and resulted in both deities departing the mortal plane. As a consequence of the tremendous amount of magic unleashed in the Cauldron, its landscape was forever altered; trees set aflame a thousand years ago burn still, streams and rivers dry up and spring anew upon different courses, and electrical storms ravage the land despite sunny skies. Some of the most unique raw materials in Rhodenia come from the Cauldron, but harvesting and mining such resources is exceptionally dangerous. Aside from a few fortresses warded by powerful mana crystals, there are no settlements in this region - only the ruins of villages, towns, and temples abandoned long ago.

The Cauldron is frequently pointed to by both the Church and the Sairis College of Magic as an example of what careless and excessive use of magic might do to the land.