Overview

The Kingdom of Rodbar is located east of the Surdonian Plains, on the coast in southeastern Ashriya, due south of the mountains. The kingdom includes several small mining towns in the mountains, as well as many small fishing villages running down the coast. To the west are the Undvika Forests that they had once held dominion over, but since the latest Surge this claim has been contested. The capital, and the majority of Rodbar’s population, lies just south of the mountains alongside the south bank of the Spiria River. Fort Aspiro, the home of the King, is at the center of the city, a massive feat of stone architecture with proud towers marking the four cardinal directions. The city grows out around The Fort in an irregular pattern as it has been expanding slowly for centuries.

The current King of Rodbar is a human named Osius Aspiro. The young king has been gaining favor from the people with his efforts to fight back against the Glibben and regain the territory that Rodbar’s wealth stemmed from. Opinions of him have wavered over the past few years, with many blaming a lack of experienced leadership for the recent misfortunes and struggles.

The people of Rodbar think of themselves as strong and self-sufficient. Every citizen goes through military training; if there were to be a war, Rodbar’s people are ready to defend themselves. While Rodbar produces many of its own components through mining and, until recently, lumber, it does import many materials to truly take their crafting to the next level. Known for some of the sturdiest, most deadly weapons in Ashriya, Rodbar sends an annual shipment to Mull via the Southern Passage, even after the Second Surge brought a much more treacherous voyage, Rodbar has managed to travel through the late summer to continue their relationship with Mull.

Historically, Rodbar has been known for the exportation of weapons, such as the once world-famous “Rodbar Clubs,” fashioned out of Undvika Wood from the local forests. In the past year since the last Surge, the forest where they would acquire Undvika Wood has become inhabited by a particularly aggressive and territorial Glibben Court. As such, their ability to gather Undvika Wood, as well as other crucial materials from the forest, has significantly diminished, effectively halting Rodbar’s ability to produce their usual trade goods. Since then, Rodbar has increased its focus on the exportation of ores and minerals from the nearby mountains, looking to increase the amount of armor and other metal works they can produce in order to continue to export goods of value.

Culture

All citizens of Rodbar are required to participate in military training from age sixteen to twenty. Some citizens may continue to stay with the military as a career, but after the mandatory training period, most choose to involve themselves in other business. Rodbar maintains a conscription policy, and during times of war will enlist its citizens into the army when deemed necessary. Rodbar has a reputable navy, though none of its current sailors have ever seen battle, and spend most of their time going on larger fishing expeditions or manning long haul trading operations, like the annual voyage to Mull.

Rodbar’s navy is one of the largest in the world, and their ships outrank any others, having been made when the supply of Undvika seemed nearly endless. Historically Rodbar did not sell their ships, keeping the fleet in case any nation ever considered invading them for their wealth of natural resources. In the autumn of 321AR it seems Rodbar sold several of its ships to Burcima in order to gain the money they needed to pay for their food imports.

Rodbar does not use horses as steeds often. In their mining towns and mountain settlements people can be found riding Oream, a local beast they have, for the most part, domesticated. Oream are a goat-like animal, closer to shaggy elk in appearance, and only a bit smaller than the common horse. They have thick sturdy antlers, and are quite happy to use them if agitated. Oream are renowned for their endurance over rocky, uneven terrains.

Kroon is a popular god within the Kingdom of Rodbar. King Osius himself is a worshiper, who makes regular trips to the Temple of the Wandering Knight and the Monastery of the Priory. The people of Rodbar strongly believe that their word is their bond. Most all of Rodbar’s crafters and merchants are part of local guilds that set the standard for fair pricing. Those who are not officially part of the guilds still abide by these standards set, as it would be entirely unseemly, and potentially illegal, to be found undercutting their countrymen in competition for income. Mind altering substances, such as alcohol, are banned in Rodbar; surprising to much of the rest of the world, most citizens of Rodbar fully support the law.

The people of Rodbar are organized and loyal to their nation. The Courthouse, a temple to Totan, is also quite literally their courthouse where Justice is served to those who stray from the path of order. The King’s top advisor is also the Grand Magistrate, who advised the late King Tarian as well. Grand Magistrate Liorra’s decrees are considered by many to be the will of Totan Himself, as she is a devout follower and the highest ranking member of the Court.

The Last Monks of Totan are a sect primarily in isolation. Located in the mountains to the northeast of Rodbar, their monastery, Lokkenkeye, is a marvel to behold. Carved steps in the mountain lead upward more than halfway toward the peak before going deep into the mountain. Few outsiders have ever been permitted in the temple, and those that are are relegated to specific areas and not given free access to the entirety of the premise. It is said that these monks believe that their sect is the last true sect of Totan, and that none may come after the last. They believe that the true worship of Totan is finding harmony and order within your place in the universe. Much of their time is spent in reflection, meditation, and discussion on the deeper meaning of Totan’s Tenets. Their leader, Rikataro, is known as The First Sage.

Unsurprisingly, Meserias is a very popular god among the innovative and skilled in Rodbar. There is a massive shrine to Meserias in the west district of Rodbar City that is always covered in offerings from his followers, varying from recipes and designs, to small mechanical inventions, or components. The offerings often spill into the street around the shrine. Most of Meserias’ faithful here believe that their bounty of natural resources means they have been blessed to do Meserias’ work.

Cudgeon is a popular traditional sport. It involves two teams who must send a ball through a set of perpendicular hoops on each opposing side. The ball must remain airborne, but cannot be touched by hand. Instead, players use heavy wooden clubs to smack the heavy ball above their heads as they move across the field. Bludgeoning opponents with the heavy unforgiving ball is not only allowed, it's a traditional aspect of this sport.

Every 5 years, a great competition of strength is held outside the city on the Cudgeon fields, where competitors traditionally gather to compete. Muscle-bound participants face off in challenges such as tossing massive logs, dragging great boulders, lifting hunks of platinum, and other feats of strength. The prize? Honor and glory.

History

Rodbar was founded in the time of the Great Floods after the Turning. Losing their homes and fields to flooding, people from Spiria, a kingdom south of Lachindor, took to the mountains to find higher ground. When they crossed the mountains only to find the sea, they settled into the mountains in what are now mining towns in the north of Rodbar. When the floods ended and the water receded, the people moved south to the new land. The Kingdom of Rodbar formed officially in 10AR with King Rodbar Aspirious. They soon discovered the wood in this land had special properties making for exceptionally durable weapons. The territory expanded, claiming the wood as their own.

In 42AR Rodbar was attacked by a small fleet from Mull looking for war, to raid and pillage. The attack was entirely unexpected and Rodbar quickly surrendered. Despite the battle being short lived, the invaders were quite impressed by the craftsmanship and quality of Rodbar’s weapons and armor. Part of the treatise they established with Mull assured that Rodbar would make a shipment of these highest-quality goods available for trade with Mull at least once a year, in exchange the warriors of Mull would only take a selection of the goods home to show others, instead of completely ransacking the city. This event is what inspired Rodbar’s military policy, ensuring they were ready if anyone ever tried to invade again.

Having bolstered an army for themselves, and having no wars to fight, Rodbar began sending troops out to help with problems and in-fighting across the East in 54AR. Many of the other nations in this time of dark lords looked at this as Rodbar overstepping their dominion, but for the many that Rodbar’s soldiers helped they were seen as heroes. Many of these traveling soldiers were followers of Kroon who saw themselves as dealing justice and defending the needy. Others were in it for the glory. Either way, the soldiers of Rodbar made their mark on the world for nearly a decade before being called home during the time leading to Flanstrom’s War.

Before the Third Surge, Rodbar had hostile relations with the nation known as the Minerlands, with a lot of tension over who had dominion in the mountain range they both bordered. The War of the Mountains began in 138AR, the last time Rodbar deployed its navy for the purpose of battle. The scuffles on the sea lasted for three years before ending without much resolution due to the creatures called The Faceless taking priority for both nations. Minerlands did establish mining operations, but avoided encroaching on Rodbar’s territory. The tensions did not pick back up into fighting, though relations did little to improve. Since the Water Surge completely flooded the land they lived on, and most refugees turned to Kirria, Rodbar’s only neighbors on land are the Surdonians.

These days, Rodbar relies heavily on Kirria to supply their food. Much of Rodbar's land was under the ocean during the Great Floods, and to this day is not suitable for farming. Most of Rodbar's farmland was established in areas where deforestation had occurred when Rodbar was using the plentiful Undvika wood in the area to mass produce weapons. In the latest Surge this forest reappeared, effectively destroying all of Rodbar’s farming. They had been lucky enough to have completed most of their harvest before this, but were already reliant on Kirria to supplement their supply before this hit.

In the year following the Fifth Surge they relied on importing the vast majority of their food, only able to provide themselves with fish from their southern villages. This was particularly difficult to afford, as they had lost access to their biggest export severely impacting their ability to craft much of their usual goods. Furthering their bad luck, the shipment they send every summer to Mull was lost in the Southern Passage, and Rodbar took a significant loss to their usual income.