Keoland
Proper Name: Kingdom of Keoland
Ruler: His Peerless Majesty, the King of Keoland,
Kimbertos Skotti (LG male human Rgr15)
Government: Feudal monarchy with rulership that
passes between two or more royal houses that are primarily
descended from ancient Suel nobility with
many Oeridians and some elves, gnomes, or halflings
in Council
Capital: Niole Dra
Major Towns: Cryllor (pop. 8,400), Flen (pop.
11,900), Gradsul (pop. 49,400), Niole Dra (pop. 25,000)
Provinces: More than two dozen major and many
minor duchies, counties, marches, territories, and
baronies
Resources: Foodstuffs, cloth, gold, gems (III)
Coinage: [Keoland standard] griffon (pp), lion (gp),
eagle (ep), hawk (sp), sparrow (cp)
Population: 1,800,000—Human 75% (SOf), Elf 8%
(sylvan 60%, high 40%), Gnome 6%, Halfling 5%
(lightfoot), Half-elf 2%, Dwarf 1%, Other 1%
Languages: Common, Keolandish, Elven, Gnome,
Halfling
Alignments: LG, NG*, N, LN, CG
Religions: Heironeous, Phaulkon, St. Cuthbert, Fharlanghn,
Ehlonna, Lydia, Osprem, Zilchus, Kord,
Xerbo, Norebo, Olidammara, elf pantheon, Trithereon
Allies: Gran March, Sterich, the Ulek states, Geoff
(exiles), Bissel
Enemies: Pomarj, Iuz, Scarlet Brotherhood, nonhumans
and giants in Crystalmists and elsewhere, Sea
Princes (all factions), Celene (greatly disliked), Valley
of the Mage (distrusted)
Overview: Older even than Aerdy in the Flanaess is
ancient Keoland, mainspring of the Sheldomar
Valley. The foundation of Keoland, represented the
birth of the first postmigration human kingdom in
the Flanaess. For nearly a millennium, the Keoish
heartlands have spanned the lands from Gradsul at
the Azure Coast to the Rushmoors in the north,
between the great Sheldomar and Javan rivers in the
east and west. These lands are some of the most
provincial and bucolic in the Flanaess, having been
largely untouched by war and conflict for centuries.
The climate is customarily temperate year-round and
the soils of the central valleys are rich, allowing the
kingdom to grow wheat, rye, and other grains in
great abundance. The country has never been rich in
terms of mineral wealth, and perhaps for that reason
it has always conducted a brisk trade with its neighbors,
to whom it supplies staples such as foodstuffs in
return for hard coin.
The folk of the land can be friendly and generous,
but they are primarily noted for their superstitious
natures, particularly their wariness of foreigners. The
people are a mixture of Suel and Oeridian bloodlines,
well blended for the most part in the provinces of the
nation, except in certain rarefied circles such as the
nobility and other closed societies. Flan still exist in
small pockets in the kingdom, no longer numerous
in the heartlands and now driven to the peripheries
of the valley. The common tongue is spoken here,
but the primary dialect is called Keolandish. The
speech of the common folk is highly recognizable for
its accent.
For most of Keoland's history, the study of magic was banned to its citizenry, and its practice was restricted to secret societies and certain nobles. Little evidence is seen by the casual observer of powerful wizards' magic, as commoners fear those who practice spellcraft. Many priesthoods are present in the realm, though religion was never a dominant force in the kingdom, either.
Keoland is a true monarchy in that its kings rule
for life and have great powers and authority at their
disposal, but officially the government is a permanent
regency. Ruled in the trust of the noble houses,
the matter of succession has always resided in the
Council of Niole Dra. This deliberative body, composed
of the major nobility and heads of certain longestablished
guilds and societies in the kingdom, has
the responsibility to authorize succession and oversee
matters dealing with the nation's founding
charter. It is the founding charter, penned some nine
centuries ago, that ascribes rights and obligations on
the part of all the citizenry of the country, whether
lowborn or high. The Throne of the Lion, as the
office of the king is referred to in Keoland, is currently
held by Kimbertos Skotti. The monarch is
besieged by factions who constantly demand his
attention, making changes or decisions often
painfully slow in coming. Most of these petitioners
are peers of the realm, who have varied and often
conflicting self-interests.