Bigany is sitauted on the largest continent on Talamh. In Bigany and Torland it is know as “The Northern Continent”, even though it is situated south of the equator. This is because most of the original Torlandish exploration and conquest took place southwards from the chain gate sea.
Bigany shares the continent with several other nations, most notably the massive Torlandish Empire. Other imortant nations include it's nearest neighbours, the elvish kingdom of Elledrin, the Magocracy of Az-Ylar and the City State of Freeport.
While Bigany city is the economic, political and cultural center of the The Kingdom, it is certainly not the geographical center. The enormous city staddles the meeting point of the Branch and Bigan rivers at the Bigan estuary. The name Bigan river is a distortion of the ancient commoner name “Big One”, as the river is one of the largest on the continent. The name Bigany is a further distortion. The fortified keep from which Bigany sprang was on the island at the centre of the Y-shaped intersection of the Bigan and the Branch. It was then known as the Bigan 'Y' keep. This eventually became Bigany City.
The Kingdom stretches only a few hundred miles east or west until it borders with Elledrin to the west and Torland and Freeport to the west. These borders are defined by the Elledrin Forests and the Free Mountains respectively.
To the north, the kingdom again runs only for a few hundred miles until it rises up into the Horn Mountains. While the king's domain and that of the Grand Vizier of Az-Ylar are offcially split at the heart of the Mountains, neither has any real influence in those icy peaks. Legend has it that giants rule there uncontested.
The majority of Bigany's expansion over the past hundred years has been into the north east, where it has claimed fertile lands from the receding power of Torland. Expansion along the Bigan has reached all the way to the great lake. Bigany has founded several successful towns on the route to the north, the greatest of which is Lakeport.
All the major towns in Bigany are located along the Bigan river, in order to benefit from the water, transport and trade granted by the Bigan. The major towns along the Bigan are, Bigany City, Redbrick, Tawny, Biganford and Lakeport.
The only other settlements of note are Branch Hill; famed for it's copper mines, Letham; famed for it's ruins and the legend of Tera's Eyes and Deep Harrow; famed for it's ill fated mines and as an adventurers graveyard, Bywater, Stormhaven, Tillow Siroshi, Solace, Vecberg, Sothville, Cleaveberg, Forcberg, and finally, Highvale; the domain of the Lord Maaji Halmonde Mome and home of Highvale Brandy.
Population 11,400
Known For: [Secret] Skilled Giants, The City on The Horn,
Despite being officially split between Bigany and Az-Ylar, the icy wastes of The Horn Mountains are ruled by giants. The Horn itself is a massive spire of solid rock stretching thousands of feet into the sky, it is occupied by Cloud, Storm and Frost Giants. Unlike their cousins in other realms, The Frost Giants of the Horn are not only highly intelligent, they are highly 'Skilled'. Their level of Skill surpasses anything ever possessed by the humans of Bigany. In fact it was the Giants who taught the Kinnetts to harness their Skill in return for a long forgotten favour and an exceptional act of Kinnett Heroism.
The Giants of the Horn are Neutral and see themselves as the responsible overseers of the lands below. The Cloud and Storm Giants are mainly Clerics and Mages and are highly advanced in these arts. Both races bow to the Superior nature of the Skill. Only when events are severely imbalanced will the Giants interfere.
Visitors to the City of Giants who survive the trip, which involves many trials, are rarely inclined to leave and if they do they are Geased not to reveal to true nature of the Horn.
Population 5,800
Known For: River Trade, Caravan stops, Large Market, Large River crossing, Tailoring, Sculpture
This town recently suffered a backlash from the raising of the Dead God Misneach by the Company of Wolves. A Tromlaí worshipping Mind Flayer from the underworld near Deep Harrow managed to take control of the mayor of the town and imose martial law. He then summoned fallen creatures to control the town. This coup co-incided with the King's invasion of Etreyar. This meant that the town's defence was left to the Hero's Guild. Although several adventuring bands were destoyed in the attempt, one group lead by Corbin “Bás Friend” DaPick, managed to slay the illithid usurper and seal the portal to the Fallen Realms. Since then little of note has happened.
Population 2,200
Known For: The Bridge, River Trade, Glassware
Famous for it's massive bridge, unsurprisingly made of red bricks, Redbrick is a small and peaceful Bigany town. The Bigan river narrows to only a hundred feet wide at Redbrick and so it was feasible to span the gap with a basic but sturdy bridge. Several years ago the bridge was magically enlaregd abd fortified by an adventuring wizard and so now shops are beginning to crop up along iots length.
Population 1,200
Known For: The Copper and Iron Mines, Unruly locals, miners
This small town sprang up almost overnight when the Torc familly discovered silver and copper mines in the caves that spawn the Branch river. The mines are the dominant source of income for this town and if they were closed the town would most likely disappear within a few years.
Population 520
Known For: Logging, Farming, Nettlewine
A typical Bigany Town. The people of Tawny concern themselves with logging, farming and trade. Little happens in Tawny that cannot be handled by the local guard, and when it does, the Crown's Fist comes down hard on anyone disturbing the peace.
Population 380
Known For: Brandy, Orcwars, Eccentric Nobles, The Heroes of Highvale
Recently founded by an adventuring band after a short war with isolated bands of goblins and orcs, Highvale is a small and remote rural village.
It is more famed for it's Heroes than for anything else. Baron Halmonde Mome, The Lord Maaji of Highvale is the ruler of this small Barony and is known to condone the scanalous behaviour of his great friend and war hero Lord Boghdoir of Elledrin. Rumour has it that the Heiress to the Torlandish Empire Lady Praena has been in Highvale Keep conducting a scandalous affair with the Elvish Lord.
Population 250
Known For: Tera's Eyes, Ruins, Fishing
West of the Fishing Village of Letham are the ruins of a city which date back to the Elder Kindom. The Ruins are about 1 mile by 1/3 of a mile. Among the notable structures that remain there are: A fairly intact Mausoleum in the ancient cemetry. The stone parimeter of what was a temple and also the intact alter. A well. A mansions foundations and it's basement. 500 hundred years ago a terrible tragedy occoured there.
Capital: Vercelone (Population 22,500)
Ruler Donna Daniella Vec
Mayor Almudena Vec (Sister)
Albino, artist gone to seed Pudgy in comfortable clothes. Alabaster sculptures, including the 12 Mermaids holding the naked lovers (where she's on top). Sculpture is of her lost love.
Pronounced VER-TCHE-LOW-NAY
Rough and ready society. Lots of crime, particularly at the seaport. Opulent parts of city are well policed. All wealthy citizens have heavily armed bodyguards.
Many formerly fine buildings gone to wrack and ruin due to mismanagement crime and corruption.
There are many fine white washed manor houses, mansions and villas on the opulent hills overlooking the old port. These will lit and well guarded streets are off limits to the poor.
There is a quarry outside the city, which holds a unique type of stone called 'ambrosian stone'. It is a translucent shimmery blue white stone and is vastly expensive, especially outside of Vercelone.
One of the most impressive sights of Vercelone is sailing into the bay at dawn as the sunlight strikes the imposing elegant facades of the hillside and dazzles the viewer with the blue white brilliance of the ambrosian stone.
The town square is noted for the large number of stocks which are usually full. Punishment for many crimes public humiliation. Many convicts are left in the stocks for several days and the public are happy to spit on them and pelt them with various unpleasant substances.
More serious crimes are further punished. The stocks are renowned as the city's most popular entertainment, far more than the prestigious opera houses on the hill. The stocks do little to deter the more dangerous and organised criminal element.
The most prominently worshipped Gods in Vercelone are Glic, Uisce and Fileadh.
There are a large number of artists, including painters, sculptors architects and musicians in addition to the more famous opera stars.
Every three years the Heart of Fileadh prize is given to the winner of an artistic competition to create the most perfect artistic creation. Much to the chagrin of the High Priest of Fileadh, the winning entry for each of the past 33 years has been a fantastical set of stocks.
All the province is heavily influenced by Torland as you would expect. The Bigany influence is strongest in the west, the influence of Freeport is felt strongly in the east, especially around Vercelone, which has had a growing independence Movement in recent years...
Capital: None
Population: Unknown
Ruler: Unknown
Koltham Forest is a Bigany Crown Duchy in name only. It is not governed by the laws of men but protected by the druids.
The hierophants and Jurius Kinnett formed an alliance hundreds of years ago. Officially the druids would maintain the duchy under the protection of the crown. In reality The Crown exerts no authority there and expects nothing more than protection of it's borders from Elledrin incursion. Koltham Forest reaches far into Elledrin and the rulers of Elledrin have a similar relationship with it. They have a much deeper understanding of what happens within Koltham than the rulers of Bigany do.
Koltham is ruled and populated by sentient plants, with no formal political structure other than a symbiotic ecology not understood by humanoids. It's closest human equivalent would be a primitive tribal arrangement. One of the greatest and most revered powers in Koltham is The Weeper, also known as Gruntle, a sentient willow thousands of years old.
Koltham County borders Ellderin and so it strongly affcted by it’s political relationship with Bigany. The relationship is complex and maintained by a cadre of ambassadors in both capitals. This is how Elledrin likes it. In simple terms however, Bigany and Elledrin have a mutual interest in trade and peace. King Edgar and King Rellian are strong and practical rulers who realise the folly of attacking one another. They do not of course trust one another more than they need to. Both nations are powerful but live in the shadow of Torland's far greater might and are more likely to form an alliance than weaken themselves on a fruitless war.
The four pales
Powerful standing stone dolmens, one for each season and tended to by a druid. A migration of plant creatures happens all year round in Koltham as they move to the pale corresponding to the season.
Venomwrath's domain
Home of the dangerous and predatory green dragon.
Drilden
This ancient elven mansion, built by a wood elf lord of House Arnoriaian is long abandoned, ruined and reclained by the forest.
It was assaulted by Torlandish forces hundreds of years ago, due to the machinations of The Dragon of Nagaranthiel and all the elves there were slain.
No relatives of the family returned to claim the area, even centuries later when the might of Torland was gone.
It is believed by Elledrin border rangers that it is occasionally used by drow agents to infiltrate both Koltham and Elledrin.
Valar'iell tower
An ancient elven ruin, belonging to a family that fell to The Fallen. Now it looms over the glass lake with an eerie unnatural stillness.
The Black Cave
Source of the doune river and an entrance to the underdark.
Kolhenge
The most powerful druidic site in Koltham. Sacred place of the Circle of The Oak.
Logton
A sanctioned logging town for Bigany citizens, situated outside the Koltham County border but inside the Forest.
White Falls
200 foot waterfall in a hilly dense forest. Sacred to the ents of the Enthills.