Thorast

To the north of Dominus is the kingdom of Thorast. This kingdom has the second largest land mass in the Empire and consists of the fewest islands. Thanks to this, Thorast has retained a strong national identity but is also fiercely proud of it’s role as a major contributor to the Empire’s military and economic strength.

Thorastan and Erganthan humans are, physically, nearly identical and easily mistaken for each other. However the average height of a Thorastan is closer to than of a Merebian and they are stockier in build.

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Thorast

Geography

Thorast is the 2nd largest land-mass in the Empire at a little over 500 kilometres (300 miles) from east to west and, as might be imagined, it has a wide array of geophysical features. One of the most striking of these is that it is most definitely not a flat country. It consists of numerous valleys and foothills, and even an impressive mountain range (which dominates much of the centre of the main island). Only a small percentage of its area is flat grassland and these spots have tended to be claimed by humans. It has a temperate climate and its many woods and rivers make human habitation easy.

Thorast itself consists of three islands although the smallest two (Aanvang and Untegurd) are little more than useful stopping points for travellers to and from other lands.

Economy

Although the lands of Thorast are suitable for grazing cattle it is not a particularly fertile region. Luckily the region is rich in mineral wealth, particularly iron. Thanks to the presence of a number of Dwarven settlements (and their mining skills) Thorast also mines and exports granite, marble, slate, ebony, amber and quartz.

Thorast also has a reputation for its clothing and the fashion houses of Nirvem are well known throughout the Empire.

The Thorast “plug” is the main contribution to the Imperial currency. It is a heavy strip of steel worth five unari and is minted at Broogen.

Politics

Thorast has maintained strong connections with Dominus throughout its history and was, technically, the second kingdom to join the Empire (in the late 1st Century IC). Despite this the Imperial line has rarely married into the Thorast royal family.

Population

Thorast has a significant population of Humans and Dwarves with reasonable numbers of other races. At the last census Thorast had over 8 million tax-paying citizens and an estimated 1 million more slaves, most of whom live in one of the major settlements.

Notable Places

The capital city of Thorast is called "Broogen" and lays just to the south of the geographical centre of the kingdom. Overlook in the north is the primary residence of most of the regions Dwarves while Nirvem is the centre of the Thorast fashion industry. Hammer Hold is also a prominent dwarven settlement due to its religious connections.

Flora and Fauna

The most commonly known mundane animal of this land is the "Thorast Goat" which is remarkable for its size (up to 1.5m) and the orange colour of its fleece. Thorast is also known for the large number of owlbears that inhabit the forests of the western half of the region, and for the basililsks which roam the mountains of the Hammer Peaks.