Salvar

Salvar, known for its wastes and blizzard covered climate, is the Northern most region of Althanas. After a terrible civil war between the Church and the State, the lands of Salvar have been torn apart and sent into an unstable feudal system of government. The differences between the Northern and Southern portions of Salvar are diverse, extremely differing in climate, and allow for limitless possibilities.

Salvar
Capital	Knife’s Edge
Form of Government	Feudal
Ruler(s)	None
Legal System	Feudal Law
Official Language(s)	Tradespeak (Common)
Population	Approximately 800,000
Religious Type	No organized religion
Literacy	23%
Technology level	Early Medieval
Major Imports	Luxury goods, grain
Major Exports	Skins, furs, ore, lumber
Natural Resources	Forests, Minerals, whales and fish

Geography

While a foreigner’s stereotypical view of Salvar is that it is a frozen, snow-laden wasteland, this view does not hold true for much of the country. Southern Salvar, which runs along the Kachuck Mountains that mark the border with Alerar, has a mild climate and is dominated by rolling hills and agreeable farmlands. The Testhan River Valley which harbors the capital city of Knife’s Edge are particularly fertile.

It is when traveling further north that the weather becomes harsher, with the landscape dominated by chilly pine forests and jagged hills. Further north of even that are lands that the government only nominally lays claims to—snowy plains, towering mountains, and dense forests, all dominated by tribal bands, giants, and many dangerous creatures. Berevar, a mysterious and uncharted arctic area, lies beyond that, though few have ever seen it and returned to tell of it.

Places of Interest

Knife's Edge

Knife's Edge is both the oldest and the largest city in the Kingdom of Salvar, with a history dating back over three thousand years and a population just shy of two hundred thousand. It is located in the Testhan Valley area of the western Ahyark Mountains, a region noted for its relatively mild temperatures and plentiful resources, despite the harshness of most of Salvar. Its formidable defensive wall has three sides, with two gates on each side--a river gate and a gate opening onto land. Guard towers line the walls at regular intervals and soldiers can always been seen walking along the ramparts. Ever since the bloody Civil War, Salvar's once prestigious capital has deteriorated into chaotic urban wasteland.

Its defenses once underwent regular inspections and repairs and the land outside the city was kept barren for several miles, except for the mounds of bones that lie at the bottom of the city's walls--the corpses of criminals, traitors, and foreign invaders that broke themselves on the defenses of Knife's Edge. The wall is now a pile of ruble at some points. Beyond this barren land, on the river plains and in the mountains, there are countless ruins, level towns, and charred estates that once acted as a military buffer to the city. Also, a strange flickering can be seen above the skies of the city from time to time, what rumors say are part of a project of the aeromancers, though none know what it may be.