The land of Narylar is the north-western part of the old Third Empire, ruled from the great seaport of Ravenah, third largest city in the world.


Like the Great Empire, most of the towns and cities are located on the coast. The largest concentration of population is around the capital, Ravenah. There is only one other city of note, the smaller seaport of Zenatan in the south of the country. Elsewhere there’s nothing more than the dozens of fishing villages dotted along the coastline. Beyond the populated coastal strip, the interior is largely empty; the forests and barren moorland homes to a few scattered tribes of vordral and free humans, their presence tolerated as long as they don’t raid outlying kandar settlements, or harbour fugitives from justice.

As a maritime nation, most travel and communication is by sea, although a decent quality road running along the coast does link the two cities.


The Tharn of Ravenah is the Sarkan Alkasdol, but in many ways the real power lies with the merchant’s guild, whose guildmaster, Galandyr d’n Raveyn, is one of the most influential non-noble kandar in Kalyr. The city’s great wealth depends on trade, and therefore Narylar maintains a considerable naval force to keep the seas clear of pirates. The eighth legion of the old empire is forms the core of Narylar’s military; this includes a substantial navy as well as the army.

Pretty much all politics in Narylar revolves around power struggles within the merchant’s guild. Although the guild presents a unified face to the outside world, the competition between the various merchant houses can be extremely ruthless. Assassination is not unknown. However, when faced with an external threat, they will quickly forget their divisions, and unite to face the foe. Once the threat is neutralised, they will more than likely carry on their disputes exactly where they left off. Most merchant houses have representatives in many other kandar cities, and sometimes beyond.


Narylan society is ruthlessly mercantile, and money can buy anything. It is said that a Ravenan merchant will cheerfully sell his grandmother to a vordral if the vordral had enough money. The kandar caste system counts for little here, and one’s status is proportional to one’s wealth. Similarly, there is very much one law for the rich, and one for the poor. The rich and powerful can murder with impunity, and life for the poor is cheap. The effect is to produce a society as stratified by wealth as other lands are stratified by caste.

Even humans can prosper here, if they have money. A few of the ships on which Ravenah depends are crewed, or even captained by humans.

Narlyari ships sail throughout the northern seas, north to distant Kelbers, or to the free humans of Numidix, or even to the northern zughru of Zurglauz, south to Filgeth, east to Karmork, and even to the dangerous and unknown lands of the west. Of course, no human-crewed ship would ever sail to Karmork, but such ships are far more welcome than those of kandar in ports in lands beyond kandar rule.

Adventuring in Narylar

As Kalyr’s prime maritime nation, Narylar is the place to start for games set in the high seas. It’s also a good place for games of political intrigue amongst the powerful Merchant’s Guild.

Leave a Reply


