Khloref

Khloref is a continent south of Pyandonea. It is located on the planet Nirn, which is the mortal realm of the finite and partial, as opposed to the immortal realms of the infinite and absolute. Mundus, another name for Nirn, is the Elvish root for the human word "mundane", meaning ordinary. Some, such as various cults, view Mundus as an extension of the realm of Oblivion itself.

The name Khloref is said to mean 'Frozen Star', while according to the Jotun, a race that lives there, it is the 'The Nirn Jewel'. Some scholars on both Tamriel and Khloref think that both ideas have merit, and combined the two, saying that Khloref is the 'Frozen Star of the Nirn Jewel'. Both blessings.

History

Invasion from Tamriel

The original inhabitants of Khloref were the Jotun, a large race descended from the Frost Giants in the far northern regions of Khloref, who ruled all of Khloref for twelve thousand years. In 1E 1215, Khloref was invaded by the Hyaenin, a race of short, brutish savages that were migrating to Khloref from the province of Hammerfell on Tamriel. Originally the Jotun wished to have no contact with their new neighbors and kept their presence secret, but eventually Hyaenin exploratory patrols came upon the small Jotun town known as Teyrn, a small town used by the Ice Traders Guild's mining operations. The Hyaenin patrols, disgusted by this race that they considered as mongrels, massacred the Jotun civilians, and burned Teyrn to the ground.

In 1E 1216, war was officially declared, and the Hyaenin forces made a push to capture the Calnas Islands. The Hyaenin made good progress and early on controlled the southern portion of the islands. However, by this time the Jotun had sent reinforcements. The fighting on the Calnas Islands continued to deteriorate. Eventually, the Jotun forces gained the upper hand, surrounding the remaining Hyaenin forces in the Islands on the central island known as Flieng. Hyaenin mages, growing desperate, attempted to use a new kind of magicka they had been experimenting with, Earth Magicka. In their haste, they left out several key words of the incantation, and as they completed the Islands disintegrated and sank into the Horen Sea. Hyaenin and Jotun died in the blast.

However, this small victory for the Jotun was not enough to stop the overall advance of the Hyaenin into their lands. Eventually, with the Jotun armies shrinking and the Hyaenin people becoming disillusioned with a quick victory after the suicidal Jotun defense of the Integumen Mountains, the two sides met, and ended the war with an agreement known as the Declaration of Universal Peace, which was agreed to at the beginning of 1E 1217. This agreement gave the Jotun the right to the icy regions in the north and the forest regions in the west, while giving the Hyaenin the desert regions in the south, and the jungle regions to the east. The Order of Druids was created to keep the peace, and to rebuild the destroyed lands of Khloref.

Governments

The government of Volenfell is a constantly changing dictatorship. After a dictator dies, the various cities of Volenfell plunge into a civil war. The winner city's Count and Countess become Volenfell's new leaders. This delicate political balance though harsh and even though it weakens them, constantly allows them to resist the encroachments of the other races, as each city owes no oath of loyalty to another city.

The government of Frostvaliant is a monarchy. Each Age of the Jotun begins with the beginning of a new dynasty of Emperors and Leaders. The Emperor leads all military battles and decides Imperial policies on most important issues. The Council of Familiars does the day-to-day running of the Empire. The Jotun are immensely loyal to their Emperor and nation, and they will fight to the death for both.

The sovereign province of the Deathlands is a Republic. Four representatives from each Ghoulish city are sent to the capital, Tarsenea, and participate in the senate. The members of the senate vote on key issues, whil the vast underbelly of the Republic runs the day-to-day affairs of the Republic. Every four years the Republic elects a new Fire Councilor, who is virtually the leader of the Ghoulish people. For the entirety of the Seventh Age, the Tarse Dynasty has monopolized the Fire Councillorship.

Geography

Khloref consists of three provinces; each of these provinces corresponds with its own race.

• Deathlands, inhabited by the Ghouls, is a land of death and decay. No plants or animals live in this strange land. Many ruins of ancient civilizations lay in the never-ending desert of red.

• Frostvaliant, inhabited by Jotun, is an icy wasteland. Frostvaliant is a large swath of land, but is barely habitable by conventional definitions. Frostvaliant is also home to the continent spanning Ice Traders Guild.

• Volenfell, inhabited by the Hyaenin, is a harsh desert. Though most of Volenfell is covered by a harsh desert, the northern areas are temperate. There is almost no water to be found in this harsh desert land.

Demographics

• Although Ghouls are usually spoken about as mindless, flesh hungry monsters, they are in fact quite intelligent and in some cases a good ally to have around. Ghouls are incredibly strong and can take a lot of physical punishment, unfortunately the trauma of dying and being reanimated destroys much of the personality they once had. Unlike zombies, Ghouls often times remember much of their former life and with a lot of effort could, overtime, play an active role in society, but even then they are burdened with the looks of mistrust and disgust. Ghouls are native to the continent Khloref in the area they call the Deathlands. Many Ghouls are talented mages, and their leader, Kyne Tarse, is a mage more powerful than any seen in history.

• The gnolls of the Alik'r Desert in Hammerfell are a long forgotten race. They exist in the bedtime stories of Redguard children. Moreover, to tell the truth, it is probably better that way. Redguard elders still occasionally recount stories of the brutish savages and how they terrorized desert caravans. However, being a largely nocturnal, cave dwelling beast, many did not notice when they migrated away from Tamriel.

It was only when a strange character showed up in a Redguard village that any news of the Gnolls' disappearance come to light. He explained that he was of a race long descended from the gnolls. As the gnolls came to the continent Khloref, and established, and went farther into their cave homes, they found that they could thrive on certain funguses, certain plants, and species of cave dwelling fish and rats.

Overtime, they became more and more civilized, and began cultivating and farming their food. To distinguish themselves from their savage ancestors, this new race referred to themselves as Hyaenins. No longer having to hide in caves, the Hyaenins have established many above ground settlements within the borders of their desert homeland, Volenfell.

• Descendants of the Frost Giants in the north of the continent Khloref , these folk are rarely seen in Tamriel or even Rieltam for that matter. Clumsy, slow, and not to bright, Jotun are renowned for their strength, stamina, and general disregard for the cold.

The Jotun have Frost Atronach familiars, that they can summon at will. The Atronachs are as wolves are to Vampires, friends, companions, and pets. When a Jotun is fighting it goes into the Giant's Rage, which makes it even stronger, and even weapons cannot stop one unless it is stabbed, hacked, and slashed many times. They live in the area known as Frostvaliant.