Edit History

Anso-Chor is a particularly low lying region lying between the Highlands to the west and the Great Sea to the east. Several rivers lazily cross the plains, their banks often lined with swampy ground that is inundated on an annual basis with the Spring thaws in the Highlands. The lowest slopes of the Highlands extend into Anso-Chor's western frontier and a range of hills extends roughly along the southern border with Nadiratna. Beyond these regions and isolated hills, the landscape is extremely flat and extremely susceptible to flooding as a result. Vast networks of flood walls and levees crisscross the land to protect cities and towns given the scarcity of high ground.

These annual floods combined with the rain coming off the Great Sea to the east has resulted in Anso-Chor being one of the lushest regions on Veehra. Woodlands once covered most of the land with their remnants still being among the largest forests on all Veehra, especially those in the hills of the west and south. Along the coast of the Great Sea these woodlands give way to what may be Veehra's only rainforest, The Jade Wood. Though hardly tropical and as snowbound during the Winter months as the rest of the region, this tangled, primordial forest merges seamlessly with coastal marshes and extends for almost two hundred kilometres inland.

Over the centuries much of the land has been cleared, though the Jade Wood remains more or less untouched, and given over to the cultivation of all manner of moisture tolerant crops. Perennial rice fields are in particular quite common as if the fields are being flooded every years it seems sensible to grow something that doesn't mind that so much.

Anso-Chor is colloquially known as the Land of a Hundred Cities. This is an exaggeration, but its cities are indeed numerous. Each seems to have worked to set itself aside with grand monuments and extravagant festivals, but the rise of industry has caused most cities to become somewhat overshadowed by great manufactories that somewhat spoil their aesthetic value, damaging ancient stonework and spreading clouds of pollutants through the land.

The largest city is Tanevi-Nur, the City of Forges. The great Corbomite foundries stand at the heart of this city and dominate it both visually and economically. They in turn support vast secondary industries that utilise the Corbomite or piggy back off the thousands who move there looking for work.

The most important city, however, and also the second largest, is Juran-Nur, The Imperial City. Towering above the ancient heart of the city are the brilliant white spires of Veehra's Imperial Embassy. The Embassy complex itself is almost a city in of itself and it soars high to reach the sky, an undeniable symbol of Imperial might. Its gardens, those on the ground and elevated high on roofs and platforms, are full of exotic species from across Tekhum.

Anso-Chor has a population of approximately of one hundred and eighty million people (or whatever number keeps it below Agbada). The majority of the population, about two thirds, are Ansos, an ethnically mixed grouping of settled humans who trace their history to shortly after the War of Eternal Bombardments. They can trace their lineages all across Veehra as the Imperial Embassy attracted thousands of refugees to its shadow in the chaotic years after the Bombardment, however they are predominantly of roughly the same stock as their fellow northern greenlanders. Most of the remainder, or approximately forty million people, are Vekanen, lizard people with green scales, twelve million are Elves, one million are Ishtahn frontiersmen and and the remaining seven million consist of more recent migrants from across Veehra in the past few centuries who mostly retain their own cultures.

The Ansos, as stated, are regular Veehran humans, mostly of northern greenlander ethnicity with a fair admixture of blood from elsewhere across the planet. Culturally they value art and craftsmanship, loyalty, service and tend to be enthusiastic supporters of The Empire even if mostly they aren't strict followers of the Imperial Traditions. Historically they were primarily engaged in farming, but with the rise of industry most have moved to growing urban centres to benefit from the ready availability of work.

The Vekanen are viviparous lizard people who are green in colour. They stand on average at around six foot six inches and are powerfully built. They have a row of spikes that start from their head and go all the way down their back and along their tail. Despite being reptilian, they are well adapted to the cold temperatures of Veehra and need no protection from the elements and wear clothes only for reasons of modesty, culture and self expression. There is little in the way of obvious sexual dimorphism among them save for slight variations in skull shape and proportions that one would either have to be very observant to notice or have spent enough time around them to become used to. Many of them still live tribal lives as their ancestors did within the Jade Wood, but most live in coastal cities and towns from where they fish and ply the trade lanes of the Great Sea as part of an ancient maritime tradition. The Vekanen reject any notion of Imperial Divinity and are as one firm Chorbists whom they believe sheltered them in the Jade Wood during the Bombardments.

The Elven population, or the Sindra, live more or less entirely within the wooded hills of the south, keeping themselves mostly apart from the outside world. Through their magic they were spared the calamity that befell their kin in Nadiratna and when in their native land will never die of sickness and none can recall the last time someone died of old age. Elsewhere they find themselves subject to the ravages of time and as a result they rarely leave for more than a few months at a time and view it as their highest taboo to bring sickness or death with them on their return. They value art and beauty as their highest ordeals and are liberal in their use of magic in pursuit of this goal. Despite their isolation they worship Chorb, something they claim to have always done.

The Ishtahn population of Anso-Chor are merely an offshoot from Ishtahnos who used to range across the frontier lands, ended up settling there as farmers and herders and eventually converted to Chorbism.

Anso-Chor is divided into a number of smaller polities that previously vied for political and economic influence. Traditionally disputes would be resolved through combat between champions with outright war beyond skirmishes being extremely rare. There are eight polities of significance listed in rough order of population alongside several minor states not listed.

The Jade Confederation is, as expected, a confederation of small chieftaincies and coastal cities situated in the Jade Wood. The populations is primarily Vekanen and they are very traditionalist and fierce adherents to Chorbism. The capital is the port city of Nak, known for the Tower of Pearls, and they are ruled by a confederal council.
The Kingdom of Olan-Sul dominates the west of Anso-Chor. It is furthest removed from the affairs of the Imperial Embassy and has a tendency towards belligerence. The inhabitants are mostly Ansos who have adopted some Ishtahn customs, such as the riding of Nightmares. They are ruled by the House of Sul from the city of Malevenos.
The Kingdom of Tanevi is a relatively small kingdom centred on the City of Forges and its outlying metropolises. It is very densely populated and very heavily industrialised to a level that even the other industrial states of Anso-Chor are growing concerned. They are ruled by the House of Tanev.
The League of Hurun is made up of small city states and feudal demesnes stretching across the north of Anso-Chor. Each state is quite weak individually and so despite their fierce independence they have banded together for mutual defence for fear of being absorbed by stronger polities. The chief, but not largest, city of the League is Hurun, selected mostly due to its centralised location and comparative unimportance.
Sa-Sindra is the name given to the Elven state hidden away in the wooded southern hills. It is a mystical place that abounds in natural beauty where time seems to stand still. Outsiders are not forbidden, but they are discouraged. At the heart of Sa-Sindra is the City of Dreams where their unnamed King holds court.
The Pentapolis is the name given to five great cities that joined together in order to flex their already prodigious economic might. They are roughly spread evenly throughout Anso-Chor and consists of the cities of Janek-Nur, Luriem, Viccandra-Nur, Ban-Sadru and Vaylenore. They head themselves with a five member council elected by the nobility of each member city.
Juran-Nur, or The Imperial City, is perhaps the strangest polity. They control no territory beyond their city limits and it has remained virtually unchanged for centuries despite the growing industrialisation and booming populations elsewhere. The local nobility are made up of those whose families have worked as low level support staff in the Imperial Embassy for generations. They wear their red-purple uniforms with pride and put their work within its walls above all other worldly concerns. The custom of painting one's house purple to show one's affiliation with this class spread throughout the old city as the artisans who provided luxurious goods to the Imperial Bureaucrats at the Embassy claimed the status for themselves.
Kavendrinore is the smallest state both in population and territory, even compared to the Imperial City. It is a city built on an island in the sea near the southern border with Nadiratna. It was once a pirate stronghold but they have since done their best to present themselves in a more positive light as a hub of trade despite all the evidence of their past and their still non-existent approach to prosecuting people over dealing in stolen goods.

Corbomite (Ores and Alloys, Fuel)
Corbomite is a complex alloy of steel produced at extremely high temperatures under bombardment by exotic thaumionic radiation not found naturally within Tekhum. Though it is far from lightweight, it is extremely strong and almost impossible to bend without unreasonable amounts of force. Corbomite itself is brilliant white, but most people believe it is iridescent as few people have ever seen a non-anodised piece. Indeed for almost all applications Corbomite must be anodised under a mix of argon and krypton gas to produce an inert layer of Corbomite Argides and Kryptides as without this protective layer on the surface Corbomite has a tendency to burst into flames. Violently. It will even react with nitrogen gas to produce volatile nitrides and strip the oxygen from carbon dioxide. Fortunately the anodised layer is harder than even diamond and tougher than the underlying Corbomite and not liable to get disturbed.

Corbomite's primary applications are as support beams in large structures and as plating for armoured vehicles, though it is also used for ornamental purposes and has also been forged into weapons and armour on occasion.

Unfortunately due to the unusual conditions required, there is only one facility on all of Veehra capable of producing this material, a series of ancient pre-bombardment foundries in Anso-Chor built atop even more ancient leylines that route arcane power from across Veehra. These foundries are responsible for all stages of the production from refining of raw materials and Corbomite scrap to casting to anodising. The only change in this process in the past thousand years is that sometimes small pieces of Corbomite are stopped before they reach the anodising chamber and are shaved down with Corbomite and diamond edged tools. The shavings make for brilliant, if dangerous, rainbow fireworks and are great for jumpstarting other furnaces and forges.

Conductors and Circuitry
The cities of Anso-Chor are heavily industrialised, their manufactories constantly churning out products as fast as they can make them, but the demand for electronics outstrips the available raw resources available to produce them locally. Without a supply of suitable materials or imported electronics the industries will eventually grind to a halt.

Plurality: Chorbism

Chorbism is a non-centralised religion that reveres the deity Chorb. While the exact specifics of religious practices and rituals diverge greatly between the urban and tribal cultures of Anso-Chor, there are several common features. Chorbist priests/shamans, the word is used interchangeably locally, act as conduits of Chorb, entering trances and engaging in secret rituals to reach a higher state of consciousness they believe allows them to hear the whispers of Chorb and see his faces to receive guidance and insight into the future which they then pass onto the lay folk. They also dispense blessings, healing and perform sacred ceremonies. Beyond this the practices of Chorbist priests/shamans are for them alone and they don't take kindly to outsiders trying to unravel their secrets.

What they aren't secret about is 'what is the deal with Chorb', this they will expound on greatly. Chorb is the spirit of the land and sky, bringer of wind and rain, shepherd of wild beasts and grower of all things green under the Sun. He is also a five faced, five armed, ten winged cherubic abomination that looks and moves always in five directions, sings constantly in five angelic voices and knows five secrets about everyone who has ever lived. In one hand he bears a shepherd's crook wrapped with vines; another an ever-flowing golden jug of water, plain and unornamented; the third is raised perpetually in blessing; the fourth holds a trident stained with blood and ichor; and the fifth and final hand holds life itself. He has the face of a falcon, a serpent, a jackal, a bear and a creature known only as a "kindness" with no additional explanation given.

The teachings of Chorb as followed by his people are quite simple, "do no harm to others and to the land" is the best way to sum them up. This latter point has caused some consternation due to the spread of polluting heavy industry through most of the urban centres of Anso-Chor, especially among non-urban populations who benefit less from the generated wealth and suffer more from the spread of pollution.

Minority: Imperial Traditions

The Imperial Traditions are less a strict religion and more a series of cultural norms and codes of protocol and etiquette that grew around the Imperial Embassy. Followers do revere the Emperor, though less as a god and more as the supreme arbiter of truth and justice in Tekhum.

Anso-Chor is a particularly low lying region lying between the Highlands to the west and the Great Sea to the east. Several rivers lazily cross the plains, their banks often lined with swampy ground that is inundated on an annual basis with the Spring thaws in the Highlands. The lowest slopes of the Highlands extend into Anso-Chor's western frontier and a range of hills extends roughly along the southern border with Nadiratna. Beyond these regions and isolated hills, the landscape is extremely flat and extremely susceptible to flooding as a result. Vast networks of flood walls and levees crisscross the land to protect cities and towns given the scarcity of high ground.

These annual floods combined with the rain coming off the Great Sea to the east has resulted in Anso-Chor being one of the lushest regions on Veehra. Woodlands once covered most of the land with their remnants still being among the largest forests on all Veehra, especially those in the hills of the west and south. Along the coast of the Great Sea these woodlands give way to what may be Veehra's only rainforest, The Jade Wood. Though hardly tropical and as snowbound during the Winter months as the rest of the region, this tangled, primordial forest merges seamlessly with coastal marshes and extends for almost two hundred kilometres inland.

Over the centuries much of the land has been cleared, though the Jade Wood remains more or less untouched, and given over to the cultivation of all manner of moisture tolerant crops. Perennial rice fields are in particular quite common as if the fields are being flooded every years it seems sensible to grow something that doesn't mind that so much.

Anso-Chor is colloquially known as the Land of a Hundred Cities. This is an exaggeration, but its cities are indeed numerous. Each seems to have worked to set itself aside with grand monuments and extravagant festivals, but the rise of industry has caused most cities to become somewhat overshadowed by great manufactories that somewhat spoil their aesthetic value, damaging ancient stonework and spreading clouds of pollutants through the land.

The largest city is Tanevi-Nur, the City of Forges. The great Corbomite foundries stand at the heart of this city and dominate it both visually and economically. They in turn support vast secondary industries that utilise the Corbomite or piggy back off the thousands who move there looking for work.

The most important city, however, and also the second largest, is Juran-Nur, The Imperial City. Towering above the ancient heart of the city are the brilliant white spires of Veehra's Imperial Embassy. The Embassy complex itself is almost a city in of itself and it soars high to reach the sky, an undeniable symbol of Imperial might. Its gardens, those on the ground and elevated high on roofs and platforms, are full of exotic species from across Tekhum.

Anso-Chor has a population of approximately of one hundred and eighty million people (or whatever number keeps it below Agbada). The majority of the population, about two thirds, are Ansos, an ethnically mixed grouping of settled humans who trace their history to shortly after the War of Eternal Bombardments. They can trace their lineages all across Veehra as the Imperial Embassy attracted thousands of refugees to its shadow in the chaotic years after the Bombardment, however they are predominantly of roughly the same stock as their fellow northern greenlanders. Most of the remainder, or approximately forty million people, are Vekanen, lizard people with green scales, twelve million are Elves, one million are Ishtahn frontiersmen and and the remaining seven million consist of more recent migrants from across Veehra in the past few centuries who mostly retain their own cultures.

The Ansos, as stated, are regular Veehran humans, mostly of northern greenlander ethnicity with a fair admixture of blood from elsewhere across the planet. Culturally they value art and craftsmanship, loyalty, service and tend to be enthusiastic supporters of The Empire even if mostly they aren't strict followers of the Imperial Traditions. Historically they were primarily engaged in farming, but with the rise of industry most have moved to growing urban centres to benefit from the ready availability of work.

The Vekanen are viviparous lizard people who are green in colour. They stand on average at around six foot six inches and are powerfully built. They have a row of spikes that start from their head and go all the way down their back and along their tail. Despite being reptilian, they are well adapted to the cold temperatures of Veehra and need no protection from the elements and wear clothes only for reasons of modesty, culture and self expression. There is little in the way of obvious sexual dimorphism among them save for slight variations in skull shape and proportions that one would either have to be very observant to notice or have spent enough time around them to become used to. Many of them still live tribal lives as their ancestors did within the Jade Wood, but most live in coastal cities and towns from where they fish and ply the trade lanes of the Great Sea as part of an ancient maritime tradition. The Vekanen reject any notion of Imperial Divinity and are as one firm Chorbists whom they believe sheltered them in the Jade Wood during the Bombardments.

The Elven population, or the Sindra, live more or less entirely within the wooded hills of the south, keeping themselves mostly apart from the outside world. Through their magic they were spared the calamity that befell their kin in Nadiratna and when in their native land will never die of sickness and none can recall the last time someone died of old age. Elsewhere they find themselves subject to the ravages of time and as a result they rarely leave for more than a few months at a time and view it as their highest taboo to bring sickness or death with them on their return. They value art and beauty as their highest ordeals and are liberal in their use of magic in pursuit of this goal. Despite their isolation they worship Chorb, something they claim to have always done.

The Ishtahn population of Anso-Chor are merely an offshoot from Ishtahnos who used to range across the frontier lands, ended up settling there as farmers and herders and eventually converted to Chorbism.

WIP Five to seven local states.

The Jade Confederation - Vekanen tribes and coastal cities in the Jade Wood
The Kingdom of Tanevi - A small kingdom centred on the City of Forges
Juran-Nur - The Imperial City
Ra-Sindra - Elf place
The Pentapolis - A league of five major cities
The League of Hurun - A larger league but of weaker members.
The Kingdom of Olan-Sul - A large kingdom in the west
Kavendrinore - A coastal city near the southern border

Corbomite (Ores and Alloys, Fuel)
Corbomite is a complex alloy of steel produced at extremely high temperatures under bombardment by exotic thaumionic radiation not found naturally within Tekhum. Though it is far from lightweight, it is extremely strong and almost impossible to bend without unreasonable amounts of force. Corbomite itself is brilliant white, but most people believe it is iridescent as few people have ever seen a non-anodised piece. Indeed for almost all applications Corbomite must be anodised under a mix of argon and krypton gas to produce an inert layer of Corbomite Argides and Kryptides as without this protective layer on the surface Corbomite has a tendency to burst into flames. Violently. It will even react with nitrogen gas to produce volatile nitrides and strip the oxygen from carbon dioxide. Fortunately the anodised layer is harder than even diamond and tougher than the underlying Corbomite and not liable to get disturbed.

Corbomite's primary applications are as support beams in large structures and as plating for armoured vehicles, though it is also used for ornamental purposes and has also been forged into weapons and armour on occasion.

Unfortunately due to the unusual conditions required, there is only one facility on all of Veehra capable of producing this material, a series of ancient pre-bombardment foundries in Anso-Chor built atop even more ancient leylines that route arcane power from across Veehra. These foundries are responsible for all stages of the production from refining of raw materials and Corbomite scrap to casting to anodising. The only change in this process in the past thousand years is that sometimes small pieces of Corbomite are stopped before they reach the anodising chamber and are shaved down with Corbomite and diamond edged tools. The shavings make for brilliant, if dangerous, rainbow fireworks and are great for jumpstarting other furnaces and forges.

Conductors and Circuitry
The cities of Anso-Chor are heavily industrialised, their manufactories constantly churning out products as fast as they can make them, but the demand for electronics outstrips the available raw resources available to produce them locally. Without a supply of suitable materials or imported electronics the industries will eventually grind to a halt.

Plurality: Chorbism

Chorbism is a non-centralised religion that reveres the deity Chorb. While the exact specifics of religious practices and rituals diverge greatly between the urban and tribal cultures of Anso-Chor, there are several common features. Chorbist priests/shamans, the word is used interchangeably locally, act as conduits of Chorb, entering trances and engaging in secret rituals to reach a higher state of consciousness they believe allows them to hear the whispers of Chorb and see his faces to receive guidance and insight into the future which they then pass onto the lay folk. They also dispense blessings, healing and perform sacred ceremonies. Beyond this the practices of Chorbist priests/shamans are for them alone and they don't take kindly to outsiders trying to unravel their secrets.

What they aren't secret about is 'what is the deal with Chorb', this they will expound on greatly. Chorb is the spirit of the land and sky, bringer of wind and rain, shepherd of wild beasts and grower of all things green under the Sun. He is also a five faced, five armed, ten winged cherubic abomination that looks and moves always in five directions, sings constantly in five angelic voices and knows five secrets about everyone who has ever lived. In one hand he bears a shepherd's crook wrapped with vines; another an ever-flowing golden jug of water, plain and unornamented; the third is raised perpetually in blessing; the fourth holds a trident stained with blood and ichor; and the fifth and final hand holds life itself. He has the face of a falcon, a serpent, a jackal, a bear and a creature known only as a "kindness" with no additional explanation given.

The teachings of Chorb as followed by his people are quite simple, "do no harm to others and to the land" is the best way to sum them up. This latter point has caused some consternation due to the spread of polluting heavy industry through most of the urban centres of Anso-Chor, especially among non-urban populations who benefit less from the generated wealth and suffer more from the spread of pollution.

Minority: Imperial Traditions

The Imperial Traditions are less a strict religion and more a series of cultural norms and codes of protocol and etiquette that grew around the Imperial Embassy. Followers do revere the Emperor, though less as a god and more as the supreme arbiter of truth and justice in Tekhum.

Anso-Chor is a particularly low lying region lying between the Highlands to the west and the Great Sea to the east. Several rivers lazily cross the plains, their banks often lined with swampy ground that is inundated on an annual basis with the Spring thaws in the Highlands. The lowest slopes of the Highlands extend into Anso-Chor's western frontier and a range of hills extends roughly along the southern border with Nadiratna. Beyond these regions and isolated hills, the landscape is extremely flat and extremely susceptible to flooding as a result. Vast networks of flood walls and levees crisscross the land to protect cities and towns given the scarcity of high ground.

These annual floods combined with the rain coming off the Great Sea to the east has resulted in Anso-Chor being one of the lushest regions on Veehra. Woodlands once covered most of the land with their remnants still being among the largest forests on all Veehra, especially those in the hills of the west and south. Along the coast of the Great Sea these woodlands give way to what may be Veehra's only rainforest, The Jade Wood. Though hardly tropical and as snowbound during the Winter months as the rest of the region, this tangled, primordial forest merges seamlessly with coastal marshes and extends for almost two hundred kilometres inland.

Over the centuries much of the land has been cleared, though the Jade Wood remains more or less untouched, and given over to the cultivation of all manner of moisture tolerant crops. Perennial rice fields are in particular quite common as if the fields are being flooded every years it seems sensible to grow something that doesn't mind that so much.

Anso-Chor is colloquially known as the Land of a Hundred Cities. This is an exaggeration, but its cities are indeed numerous. Each seems to have worked to set itself aside with grand monuments and extravagant festivals, but the rise of industry has caused most cities to become somewhat overshadowed by great manufactories that somewhat spoil their aesthetic value, damaging ancient stonework and spreading clouds of pollutants through the land.

The largest city is Tanevi-Nur, the City of Forges. The great Corbomite foundries stand at the heart of this city and dominate it both visually and economically. They in turn support vast secondary industries that utilise the Corbomite or piggy back off the thousands who move there looking for work.

The most important city, however, and also the second largest, is Juran-Nur, The Imperial City. Towering above the ancient heart of the city are the brilliant white spires of Veehra's Imperial Embassy. The Embassy complex itself is almost a city in of itself and it soars high to reach the sky, an undeniable symbol of Imperial might. Its gardens, those on the ground and elevated high on roofs and platforms, are full of exotic species from across Tekhum.

Anso-Chor has a population of approximately of one hundred and eighty million people (or whatever number keeps it below Agbada). The majority of the population, about two thirds, are Ansos, an ethnically mixed grouping of settled humans who trace their history to shortly after the War of Eternal Bombardments. They can trace their lineages all across Veehra as the Imperial Embassy attracted thousands of refugees to its shadow in the chaotic years after the Bombardment, however they are predominantly of roughly the same stock as their fellow northern greenlanders. Most of the remainder, or approximately forty million people, are Vekanen, lizard people with green scales, twelve million are Elves, one million are Ishtahn frontiersmen and and the remaining seven million consist of more recent migrants from across Veehra in the past few centuries who mostly retain their own cultures.

The Ansos, as stated, are regular Veehran humans, mostly of northern greenlander ethnicity with a fair admixture of blood from elsewhere across the planet. Culturally they value art and craftsmanship, loyalty, service and tend to be enthusiastic supporters of The Empire even if mostly they aren't strict followers of the Imperial Traditions. Historically they were primarily engaged in farming, but with the rise of industry most have moved to growing urban centres to benefit from the ready availability of work.

The Vekanen are viviparous lizard people who are green in colour. They stand on average at around six foot six inches and are powerfully built. They have a row of spikes that start from their head and go all the way down their back and along their tail. Despite being reptilian, they are well adapted to the cold temperatures of Veehra and need no protection from the elements and wear clothes only for reasons of modesty, culture and self expression. There is little in the way of obvious sexual dimorphism among them save for slight variations in skull shape and proportions that one would either have to be very observant to notice or have spent enough time around them to become used to. Many of them still live tribal lives as their ancestors did within the Jade Wood, but most live in coastal cities and towns from where they fish and ply the trade lanes of the Great Sea as part of an ancient maritime tradition. The Vekanen reject any notion of Imperial Divinity and are as one firm Chorbists whom they believe sheltered them in the Jade Wood during the Bombardments.

The Elven population, or the Sindra, live more or less entirely within the wooded hills of the south, keeping themselves mostly apart from the outside world. Through their magic they were spared the calamity that befell their kin in Nadiratna and when in their native land will never die of sickness and none can recall the last time someone died of old age. Elsewhere they find themselves subject to the ravages of time and as a result they rarely leave for more than a few months at a time and view it as their highest taboo to bring sickness or death with them on their return. They value art and beauty as their highest ordeals and are liberal in their use of magic in pursuit of this goal. Despite their isolation they worship Chorb, something they claim to have always done.

The Ishtahn population of Anso-Chor are merely an offshoot from Ishtahnos who used to range across the frontier lands, ended up settling there as farmers and herders and eventually converted to Chorbism.

WIP Five to seven local states.

The Jade Confederation - Vekanen tribes and coastal cities in the Jade Wood
The Kingdom of Tanevi - A small kingdom centred on the City of Forges
Juran-Nur - The Imperial City
Ra-Sindra - Elf place
The Pentapolis - A league of five major cities
The League of Hurun - A larger league but of weaker members.
The Kingdom of Olan-Sul - A large kingdom in the west
Kavendrinore - A city on the southern border

Corbomite (Ores and Alloys, Fuel)
Corbomite is a complex alloy of steel produced at extremely high temperatures under bombardment by exotic thaumionic radiation not found naturally within Tekhum. Though it is far from lightweight, it is extremely strong and almost impossible to bend without unreasonable amounts of force. Corbomite itself is brilliant white, but most people believe it is iridescent as few people have ever seen a non-anodised piece. Indeed for almost all applications Corbomite must be anodised under a mix of argon and krypton gas to produce an inert layer of Corbomite Argides and Kryptides as without this protective layer on the surface Corbomite has a tendency to burst into flames. Violently. It will even react with nitrogen gas to produce volatile nitrides and strip the oxygen from carbon dioxide. Fortunately the anodised layer is harder than even diamond and tougher than the underlying Corbomite and not liable to get disturbed.

Corbomite's primary applications are as support beams in large structures and as plating for armoured vehicles, though it is also used for ornamental purposes and has also been forged into weapons and armour on occasion.

Unfortunately due to the unusual conditions required, there is only one facility on all of Veehra capable of producing this material, a series of ancient pre-bombardment foundries in Anso-Chor built atop even more ancient leylines that route arcane power from across Veehra. These foundries are responsible for all stages of the production from refining of raw materials and Corbomite scrap to casting to anodising. The only change in this process in the past thousand years is that sometimes small pieces of Corbomite are stopped before they reach the anodising chamber and are shaved down with Corbomite and diamond edged tools. The shavings make for brilliant, if dangerous, rainbow fireworks and are great for jumpstarting other furnaces and forges.

Conductors and Circuitry
The cities of Anso-Chor are heavily industrialised, their manufactories constantly churning out products as fast as they can make them, but the demand for electronics outstrips the available raw resources available to produce them locally. Without a supply of suitable materials or imported electronics the industries will eventually grind to a halt.

Plurality: Chorbism

Chorbism is a non-centralised religion that reveres the deity Chorb. While the exact specifics of religious practices and rituals diverge greatly between the urban and tribal cultures of Anso-Chor, there are several common features. Chorbist priests/shamans, the word is used interchangeably locally, act as conduits of Chorb, entering trances and engaging in secret rituals to reach a higher state of consciousness they believe allows them to hear the whispers of Chorb and see his faces to receive guidance and insight into the future which they then pass onto the lay folk. They also dispense blessings, healing and perform sacred ceremonies. Beyond this the practices of Chorbist priests/shamans are for them alone and they don't take kindly to outsiders trying to unravel their secrets.

What they aren't secret about is 'what is the deal with Chorb', this they will expound on greatly. Chorb is the spirit of the land and sky, bringer of wind and rain, shepherd of wild beasts and grower of all things green under the Sun. He is also a five faced, five armed, ten winged cherubic abomination that looks and moves always in five directions, sings constantly in five angelic voices and knows five secrets about everyone who has ever lived. In one hand he bears a shepherd's crook wrapped with vines; another an ever-flowing golden jug of water, plain and unornamented; the third is raised perpetually in blessing; the fourth holds a trident stained with blood and ichor; and the fifth and final hand holds life itself. He has the face of a falcon, a serpent, a jackal, a bear and a creature known only as a "kindness" with no additional explanation given.

The teachings of Chorb as followed by his people are quite simple, "do no harm to others and to the land" is the best way to sum them up. This latter point has caused some consternation due to the spread of polluting heavy industry through most of the urban centres of Anso-Chor, especially among non-urban populations who benefit less from the generated wealth and suffer more from the spread of pollution.

Minority: Imperial Traditions

The Imperial Traditions are less a strict religion and more a series of cultural norms and codes of protocol and etiquette that grew around the Imperial Embassy. Followers do revere the Emperor, though less as a god and more as the supreme arbiter of truth and justice in Tekhum.

Anso-Chor is a particularly low lying region lying between the Highlands to the west and the Great Sea to the east. Several rivers lazily cross the plains, their banks often lined with swampy ground that is inundated on an annual basis with the Spring thaws in the Highlands. The lowest slopes of the Highlands extend into Anso-Chor's western frontier and a range of hills extends roughly along the southern border with Nadiratna. Beyond these regions and isolated hills, the landscape is extremely flat and extremely susceptible to flooding as a result. Vast networks of flood walls and levees crisscross the land to protect cities and towns given the scarcity of high ground.

These annual floods combined with the rain coming off the Great Sea to the east has resulted in Anso-Chor being one of the lushest regions on Veehra. Woodlands once covered most of the land with their remnants still being among the largest forests on all Veehra, especially those in the hills of the west and south. Along the coast of the Great Sea these woodlands give way to what may be Veehra's only rainforest, The Jade Wood. Though hardly tropical and as snowbound during the Winter months as the rest of the region, this tangled, primordial forest merges seamlessly with coastal marshes and extends for almost two hundred kilometres inland.

Over the centuries much of the land has been cleared, though the Jade Wood remains more or less untouched, and given over to the cultivation of all manner of moisture tolerant crops. Perennial rice fields are in particular quite common as if the fields are being flooded every years it seems sensible to grow something that doesn't mind that so much.

Anso-Chor is colloquially known as the Land of a Hundred Cities. This is an exaggeration, but its cities are indeed numerous. Each seems to have worked to set itself aside with grand monuments and extravagant festivals, but the rise of industry has caused most cities to become somewhat overshadowed by great manufactories that somewhat spoil their aesthetic value, damaging ancient stonework and spreading clouds of pollutants through the land.

The largest city is Tanevi-Nur, the City of Forges. The great Corbomite foundries stand at the heart of this city and dominate it both visually and economically. They in turn support vast secondary industries that utilise the Corbomite or piggy back off the thousands who move there looking for work.

The most important city, however, and also the second largest, is Juran-Nur, The Imperial City. Towering above the ancient heart of the city are the brilliant white spires of Veehra's Imperial Embassy. The Embassy complex itself is almost a city in of itself and it soars high to reach the sky, an undeniable symbol of Imperial might. Its gardens, those on the ground and elevated high on roofs and platforms, are full of exotic species from across Tekhum.

Anso-Chor has a population of approximately of one hundred and eighty million people (or whatever number keeps it below Agbada). The majority of the population, about two thirds, are Ansos, an ethnically mixed grouping of settled humans who trace their history to shortly after the War of Eternal Bombardments. They can trace their lineages all across Veehra as the Imperial Embassy attracted thousands of refugees to its shadow in the chaotic years after the Bombardment, however they are predominantly of roughly the same stock as their fellow northern greenlanders. Most of the remainder, or approximately forty million people, are Vekanen, lizard people with green scales, twelve million are Elves, one million are Ishtahn frontiersmen and and the remaining seven million consist of more recent migrants from across Veehra in the past few centuries who mostly retain their own cultures.

The Ansos, as stated, are regular Veehran humans, mostly of northern greenlander ethnicity with a fair admixture of blood from elsewhere across the planet. Culturally they value art and craftsmanship, loyalty, service and tend to be enthusiastic supporters of The Empire even if mostly they aren't strict followers of the Imperial Traditions. Historically they were primarily engaged in farming, but with the rise of industry most have moved to growing urban centres to benefit from the ready availability of work.

The Vekanen are viviparous lizard people who are green in colour. They stand on average at around six foot six inches and are powerfully built. They have a row of spikes that start from their head and go all the way down their back and along their tail. Despite being reptilian, they are well adapted to the cold temperatures of Veehra and need no protection from the elements and wear clothes only for reasons of modesty, culture and self expression. There is little in the way of obvious sexual dimorphism among them save for slight variations in skull shape and proportions that one would either have to be very observant to notice or have spent enough time around them to become used to. Many of them still live tribal lives as their ancestors did within the Jade Wood, but most live in coastal cities and towns from where they fish and ply the trade lanes of the Great Sea as part of an ancient maritime tradition. The Vekanen reject any notion of Imperial Divinity and are as one firm Chorbists whom they believe sheltered them in the Jade Wood during the Bombardments.

The Elven population, or the Sindra, live more or less entirely within the wooded hills of the south, keeping themselves mostly apart from the outside world. Through their magic they were spared the calamity that befell their kin in Nadiratna and when in their native land will never die of sickness and none can recall the last time someone died of old age. Elsewhere they find themselves subject to the ravages of time and as a result they rarely leave for more than a few months at a time and view it as their highest taboo to bring sickness or death with them on their return. They value art and beauty as their highest ordeals and are liberal in their use of magic in pursuit of this goal. Despite their isolation they worship Chorb, something they claim to have always done.

The Ishtahn population of Anso-Chor are merely an offshoot from Ishtahnos who used to range across the frontier lands, ended up settling there as farmers and herders and eventually converted to Chorbism.

WIP Five to seven local states.

Corbomite (Ores and Alloys, Fuel)
Corbomite is a complex alloy of steel produced at extremely high temperatures under bombardment by exotic thaumionic radiation not found naturally within Tekhum. Though it is far from lightweight, it is extremely strong and almost impossible to bend without unreasonable amounts of force. Corbomite itself is brilliant white, but most people believe it is iridescent as few people have ever seen a non-anodised piece. Indeed for almost all applications Corbomite must be anodised under a mix of argon and krypton gas to produce an inert layer of Corbomite Argides and Kryptides as without this protective layer on the surface Corbomite has a tendency to burst into flames. Violently. It will even react with nitrogen gas to produce volatile nitrides and strip the oxygen from carbon dioxide. Fortunately the anodised layer is harder than even diamond and tougher than the underlying Corbomite and not liable to get disturbed.

Corbomite's primary applications are as support beams in large structures and as plating for armoured vehicles, though it is also used for ornamental purposes and has also been forged into weapons and armour on occasion.

Unfortunately due to the unusual conditions required, there is only one facility on all of Veehra capable of producing this material, a series of ancient pre-bombardment foundries in Anso-Chor built atop even more ancient leylines that route arcane power from across Veehra. These foundries are responsible for all stages of the production from refining of raw materials and Corbomite scrap to casting to anodising. The only change in this process in the past thousand years is that sometimes small pieces of Corbomite are stopped before they reach the anodising chamber and are shaved down with Corbomite and diamond edged tools. The shavings make for brilliant, if dangerous, rainbow fireworks and are great for jumpstarting other furnaces and forges.

Conductors and Circuitry
The cities of Anso-Chor are heavily industrialised, their manufactories constantly churning out products as fast as they can make them, but the demand for electronics outstrips the available raw resources available to produce them locally. Without a supply of suitable materials or imported electronics the industries will eventually grind to a halt.

Plurality: Chorbism

Chorbism is a non-centralised religion that reveres the deity Chorb. While the exact specifics of religious practices and rituals diverge greatly between the urban and tribal cultures of Anso-Chor, there are several common features. Chorbist priests/shamans, the word is used interchangeably locally, act as conduits of Chorb, entering trances and engaging in secret rituals to reach a higher state of consciousness they believe allows them to hear the whispers of Chorb and see his faces to receive guidance and insight into the future which they then pass onto the lay folk. They also dispense blessings, healing and perform sacred ceremonies. Beyond this the practices of Chorbist priests/shamans are for them alone and they don't take kindly to outsiders trying to unravel their secrets.

What they aren't secret about is 'what is the deal with Chorb', this they will expound on greatly. Chorb is the spirit of the land and sky, bringer of wind and rain, shepherd of wild beasts and grower of all things green under the Sun. He is also a five faced, five armed, ten winged cherubic abomination that looks and moves always in five directions, sings constantly in five angelic voices and knows five secrets about everyone who has ever lived. In one hand he bears a shepherd's crook wrapped with vines; another an ever-flowing golden jug of water, plain and unornamented; the third is raised perpetually in blessing; the fourth holds a trident stained with blood and ichor; and the fifth and final hand holds life itself. He has the face of a falcon, a serpent, a jackal, a bear and a creature known only as a "kindness" with no additional explanation given.

The teachings of Chorb as followed by his people are quite simple, "do no harm to others and to the land" is the best way to sum them up. This latter point has caused some consternation due to the spread of polluting heavy industry through most of the urban centres of Anso-Chor, especially among non-urban populations who benefit less from the generated wealth and suffer more from the spread of pollution.

Minority: Imperial Traditions

The Imperial Traditions are less a strict religion and more a series of cultural norms and codes of protocol and etiquette that grew around the Imperial Embassy. Followers do revere the Emperor, though less as a god and more as the supreme arbiter of truth and justice in Tekhum.

Anso-Chor is a particularly low lying region lying between the Highlands to the west and the Great Sea to the east. Several rivers lazily cross the plains, their banks often lined with swampy ground that is inundated on an annual basis with the Spring thaws in the Highlands. The lowest slopes of the Highlands extend into Anso-Chor's western frontier and a range of hills extends roughly along the southern border with Nadiratna. Beyond these regions and isolated hills, the landscape is extremely flat and extremely susceptible to flooding as a result. Vast networks of flood walls and levees crisscross the land to protect cities and towns given the scarcity of high ground.

These annual floods combined with the rain coming off the Great Sea to the east has resulted in Anso-Chor being one of the lushest regions on Veehra. Woodlands once covered most of the land with their remnants still being among the largest forests on all Veehra, especially those in the hills of the west and south. Along the coast of the Great Sea these woodlands give way to what may be Veehra's only rainforest, The Jade Wood. Though hardly tropical and as snowbound during the Winter months as the rest of the region, this tangled, primordial forest merges seamlessly with coastal marshes and extends for almost two hundred kilometres inland.

Over the centuries much of the land has been cleared, though the Jade Wood remains more or less untouched, and given over to the cultivation of all manner of moisture tolerant crops. Perennial rice fields are in particular quite common as if the fields are being flooded every years it seems sensible to grow something that doesn't mind that so much.

Anso-Chor is colloquially known as the Land of a Hundred Cities. This is an exaggeration, but its cities are indeed numerous. Each seems to have worked to set itself aside with grand monuments and extravagant festivals, but the rise of industry has caused most cities to become somewhat overshadowed by great manufactories that somewhat spoil their aesthetic value, damaging ancient stonework and spreading clouds of pollutants through the land.

The largest city is Tanevi-Nur, the City of Forges. The great Corbomite foundries stand at the heart of this city and dominate it both visually and economically. They in turn support vast secondary industries that utilise the Corbomite or piggy back off the thousands who move there looking for work.

The most important city, however, and also the second largest, is Juran-Nur, The Imperial City. Towering above the ancient heart of the city are the brilliant white spires of Veehra's Imperial Embassy. The Embassy complex itself is almost a city in of itself and it soars high to reach the sky, an undeniable symbol of Imperial might. Its gardens, those on the ground and elevated high on roofs and platforms, are full of exotic species from across Tekhum.

WIP Humans, some Elves from Nadiratna and lizard people by the sea

WIP Five to seven local states.

Corbomite (Ores and Alloys, Fuel)
Corbomite is a complex alloy of steel produced at extremely high temperatures under bombardment by exotic thaumionic radiation not found naturally within Tekhum. Though it is far from lightweight, it is extremely strong and almost impossible to bend without unreasonable amounts of force. Corbomite itself is brilliant white, but most people believe it is iridescent as few people have ever seen a non-anodised piece. Indeed for almost all applications Corbomite must be anodised under a mix of argon and krypton gas to produce an inert layer of Corbomite Argides and Kryptides as without this protective layer on the surface Corbomite has a tendency to burst into flames. Violently. It will even react with nitrogen gas to produce volatile nitrides and strip the oxygen from carbon dioxide. Fortunately the anodised layer is harder than even diamond and tougher than the underlying Corbomite and not liable to get disturbed.

Corbomite's primary applications are as support beams in large structures and as plating for armoured vehicles, though it is also used for ornamental purposes and has also been forged into weapons and armour on occasion.

Unfortunately due to the unusual conditions required, there is only one facility on all of Veehra capable of producing this material, a series of ancient pre-bombardment foundries in Anso-Chor built atop even more ancient leylines that route arcane power from across Veehra. These foundries are responsible for all stages of the production from refining of raw materials and Corbomite scrap to casting to anodising. The only change in this process in the past thousand years is that sometimes small pieces of Corbomite are stopped before they reach the anodising chamber and are shaved down with Corbomite and diamond edged tools. The shavings make for brilliant, if dangerous, rainbow fireworks and are great for jumpstarting other furnaces and forges.

Conductors and Circuitry
The cities of Anso-Chor are heavily industrialised, their manufactories constantly churning out products as fast as they can make them, but the demand for electronics outstrips the available raw resources available to produce them locally. Without a supply of suitable materials or imported electronics the industries will eventually grind to a halt.

Plurality: Chorbism

Chorbism is a non-centralised religion that reveres the deity Chorb. While the exact specifics of religious practices and rituals diverge greatly between the urban and tribal cultures of Anso-Chor, there are several common features. Chorbist priests/shamans, the word is used interchangeably locally, act as conduits of Chorb, entering trances and engaging in secret rituals to reach a higher state of consciousness they believe allows them to hear the whispers of Chorb and see his faces to receive guidance and insight into the future which they then pass onto the lay folk. They also dispense blessings, healing and perform sacred ceremonies. Beyond this the practices of Chorbist priests/shamans are for them alone and they don't take kindly to outsiders trying to unravel their secrets.

What they aren't secret about is 'what is the deal with Chorb', this they will expound on greatly. Chorb is the spirit of the land and sky, bringer of wind and rain, shepherd of wild beasts and grower of all things green under the Sun. He is also a five faced, five armed, ten winged cherubic abomination that looks and moves always in five directions, sings constantly in five angelic voices and knows five secrets about everyone who has ever lived. In one hand he bears a shepherd's crook wrapped with vines; another an ever-flowing golden jug of water, plain and unornamented; the third is raised perpetually in blessing; the fourth holds a trident stained with blood and ichor; and the fifth and final hand holds life itself. He has the face of a falcon, a serpent, a jackal, a bear and a creature known only as a "kindness" with no additional explanation given.

The teachings of Chorb as followed by his people are quite simple, "do no harm to others and to the land" is the best way to sum them up. This latter point has caused some consternation due to the spread of polluting heavy industry through most of the urban centres of Anso-Chor, especially among non-urban populations who benefit less from the generated wealth and suffer more from the spread of pollution.

Minority: Imperial Traditions

The Imperial Traditions are less a strict religion and more a series of cultural norms and codes of protocol and etiquette that grew around the Imperial Embassy. Followers do revere the Emperor, though less as a god and more as the supreme arbiter of truth and justice in Tekhum.