Lands of Kalamar

As a nation, Kalamar has its roots in peace and prosperous co-existence of humans and non-humans. Many hundreds of years ago, settlers came north across the land bridge from the cradle of civilization and prospered in the wetlands of the Alubelok Swamp. Wise decisions made by King Ali Inakas lead to productive treaties with the dwarves of the Ka’Asa Mountains. Armed with the secret of dwarven bronze, the Kalamarans were well equipped to defend their territory.

Soon, though, dissatisfaction plagued the Kalamaran people. King Ali’s sons, Rulakan and Fulakar, encouraged their father to use their bronze-equipped armies to conquer instead of defend. A peaceful king, Ali refused. His sons orchestrated a coup and assassinated their own father. Now in control of the nation, they began an aggressive and destructive campaign of expansion.

After being stopped in the south by the humanoids of the Obakasek Jungle, the brothers pressed northward where they rolled over all resistance until they were turned away by the Fhokki barbarians. Already controlling massive territory, the Kalamaran horde pressed westward toward Brandobia where they were eventually barely stopped at the Legasa Peaks in the famous battle of Coniper Gap.

The Obakasek to the south, the Fhokki to the north, the Brandobians to the west and the natural barrier of the Kakidela, Ka’Asa and Byth Mountains to the west left the Kalamarans with a huge expanse of territory which eventually proved too much to govern and control.

Over time, fragments of the Kingdom sued for independence one by one, backing up their demands with military force. Those offshoot territories which could not be beaten into submission slipped from the Kingdom’s grasp and formed independent nations.

Today, the Kalamaran Empire sits in the middle of a barely controlled collection of nations consisting of the Kingdom of Kalamar, the Kingdom of Basir, the lands of Tarisato, the Duchy of Dodera and the Kingdom of Tokis. Despite Emperor Kabori’s desire to reclaim lost territory, it is all he can do to hold on to what he has now.

Kalamar Today

Over the course of the past three centuries of the rule of House Bakar, the Kingdom of Kalamar has lost half of its original holdings. It is only due to the strength and cleverness of the current ruler, Emperor Kabori, that Kalamar doesn’t completely crumble. Gems and ores removed from the Ka’Asa Mountains by dwarven slaves, abundant food supplies and vast herds of livestock enable Kabori to fund his massive military which in turn lets him rule through fear and power.

There are legends, though, of the return of an ancestor of House Inakas, the original Kalamaran rulers, who will fulfill prophecy and rise to peaceful leadership of the troubled land.

Basir Today

House Kadana rules Basir in the name of Emperor Kabori. Basir has a powerful naval force to protect it from waterborne threats and are insulated from landborne threats by Tokis and Kalamar. The people of Basir live generally content lives under the aging King Rapos II and his capable daughter, Princess Dela. Fair laws combined with general racial tolerance allows the kingdom to prosper financially from the contributions of content citizens.

Affluent and well-protected, the citizens of this nation live almost idyllic lives free from foreign invasion and domestic threats. It may, however, just be a matter of time before Kalamar squeezes more finances from this wealthy nation.

Dodera Today

Dodera represents the northern edge of Emperor Kabori’s influence. With the former Kalamaran nations of Pekal and Paru’Bor to the northwest, the dwarven freedom fighters of the Kakidela Mountains to the east and the savage frontier lands to the north, it’s no wonder that this duchy has seen nine different dukes in sixteen years. The current ruler, Grand Duke Orilaras is the bastard half-brother of Emperor Kabori. He maintains an iron-grip on his land and a strong military presence is a part of the everyday lives of its citizens.

Orilaras is preparing his armies to overrun Tharggy to the east. He also maintains a network of dwarven spies in the Kakidela Mountains. Life in Dodera is the life of an oppressed, wartime economy with rationed food supplies and heavy taxes.

O’Par Today

Neither rich nor powerful, the neutral nation of O’Par survives today due to the clever schemes of her ruler, Grand Duke Gadadik I. O’Par was once a kingdom of the Kalamar Empire, but it seceded over 80 years ago during the rule of a weak emperor.

Gadadik maintains the most diverse and flexible network of spies in all of Tellene. Through information gathering and the spread of misinformation, the Grand Duke is able to not only

maintain his lands without being conquered, but is actually able to charge tithes to neighboring nations for allowing their troops to pass through his holdings.

Pekal Today

Pekal is another former holding of the Kalamaran Empire. Today, the Principality enjoys an alliance with the Principality of Paru’Bor to the northeast from which it obtains knights, the Queendom of Tharggy from which it obtains funding and military advisors and the elves of Cilorea from whom it obtains crack archers. Pekal’s principle enemy is the Kingdom of Tokis to the southeast. Tokis has been charged by the emperor with reclaiming Pekal for Kalamar. So far, Tokis has been unsuccessful and Kabori is growing increasingly more impatient.

Life in Pekal is relatively prosperous. The Principality is founded on a philosophy of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Given the internal troubles of Tokis, most of Pekal’s populace believes, perhaps rightly so, that invasion is no longer a threat.

Tarisato Today

The fractious lands of southern Kalamar are the empire’s buffer against the savage humanoids of the Obakasek Jungle. Divided into nine fiefdoms, Tarisato is a troubled territory. Nine separate rulers all vie for Kabori’s favor while simultaneously defending themselves against not only the humanoids of the Obakasek but each other as well.

Fluctuating and uneasy alliances with some of the less savage humanoids, combined with selfish nobles concerned mostly with self-preservation make life in Tarisato hard. For the brave and hardy, however, there is money and fame to be gained in this harsh frontier.

Tokis Today

Perhaps the most unfortunate of Kalamar’s holdings, Tokis is firmly under the thumb of Emperor Kabori. After being installed on the throne following the dissolution of a decades-long revolt, King Adoku found himself in the position of owing a great deal to his emperor -- a great deal being everything. Kabori ordered Adoku to retake Pekal and the Tokian king had no choice but to obey. That was ten years ago and Pekal still stands sovereign.

Knowing that it’s just a matter of time before Kabori loses his patience and forcibly removes him from the throne, King Adoku I is growing nervous. He is gutting his family’s personal fortune to pay for masses of mercenaries from Zazahni and Korak and soon plans another offensive. Unfortunately, a failing economy and an unnatural locust swarm in his nation are combining to make such an offensive less and less likely. For King Adoku Soriba I, the clock is ticking.

The Kalamaran People

Under the rule of Rulakan and Fulakar, the Kalamaran Empire swept far and wide, touching the lives of almost all the major human races of Tellene and many demihuman races. The end result is that the ancient race of olive-skinned, red-haired humans has diversified greatly. Only the nobility, who marry principally among themselves, retain the classic red hair with any frequency.

Modern Kalamaran Alphabet

The modern Kalamaran alphabet contains the following letters: A, B, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, Ka-, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, TH, U, V and W. Generally, Kalamaran words don’t have two consonants or two vowels in a row without separating them with an apostrophe (e.g., P’Bapar, Ka’Asa).

* See The Kingdoms of Kalamar campaign setting sourcebook for a detailed history and additional information on the language and people.