Tilea

"There issa' nothing lika da siege for da true spirit of war! When I sit inna' the camp, watching the enginesa' shooting de great big rocks at the walls, and smashing de place up, itta' warms my heart. You canna keppa' your battles and all that noisy cavalry boom-boom stuff. Give me a ballista and plenty of distance, and I show you howa a real manna' fights!"

- Marmalodi: Ibid, p509



Tilea is a large fertile peninsula located within the southernmost border of the Old World, along the tranquil coast of the warm and bountiful Tilean Sea. The wealthy city-states that dot Tilea's landscape embrace the ideals of trade, exploration, progression and civil war with almost equal passion. Tilea is a land of great wealth and advancement, a land known far and wide for being the cradle from which the ideals of democracy, civil liberty and justice was birth, founded and establish. It is only from here that the first true Republics were formed by the nation's people, such as the Republic of Remas, while others are ruled by a powerful caste of wealthy Merchants, known collectively as Merchant Princes.

Yet for all its wealth and advancement, Tilea is, like much of the Old World, a fractious, war-torn region of earth, where the fertile countryside becomes the battleground from which legions of Mercenaries clash in titanic struggles that serve no purpose other than to advance the petty and greedy ambition of the rich and few. As such, it is of no surprise that there are no greater concentration of these gold-hungry cut-throats than in the lands of Tilea. Perhaps it is fitting than that these Mercenaries are known collectively as the Dogs of War.

Geography
"These academics of dubious veracity assert that, much like the fertile Reik Basin to the north, the drier lands to the south were also populated by tribes of Humans. However, unlike the northern tribes, who were invaders from foreign soil, the Tileans incredulously argue that their ancestors had long inhabited their lands, and cite unlikely myths of great Tilean cities supposedly founded during the occupation of the Old World by the Elves as proof of this—a claim I believe has no historical basis."

- Hieronymous of Nuln

The lands of Tilea is a fertile landscape that hugs the coast of the warm and tranquil Tilean Sea. This region is separated from the surrounding continents by high mountain ranges. To the north run the Iranna Mountains, whose peaks stand like a saw tooth against the northern sky. Beyond them are the even higher and more dangerous peaks of the Vaults. To the east runs the rugged Apuccinis Mountain, which divides the fertile plains of Tilea from the harsh wilderness of the Border Princes. In former times, fierce tribes of Greenskins would swarm out of the Badlands, cross the lands of the Border Princes and raid the riches of Tilea.

Yet times have passed since those days, and though the Mountains still contain Orcs, they are but scattered and divided. To the West, the Abasko Mountains separates Tilea from the arid plateau of Estalia. The only great Tilea city-state on this side of the Tilean Sea is Tobaro, which benefits from the natural defenses of the mountain and the rugged coastline with its many rocky islands.

Climate
Tilea is a far warmer and sunnier climate than the lands of the Empire or Bretonnia. Indeed, due to the high temperature many lands in the southernmost regions can be quite arid in high summer. Other then regions inland, those lands near the coastal plains are naturally green and fertile and as a result, easily cultivated. This is indeed a very rich and abundant land for both farmers and nobles to live in. The sea's are also full of fish and the foothills of the mountain are covered in open woodlands which is excellent hunting country for the nobility. The Tileans are known well for their eating and drinking, and there is a very tremendous rivalry between the Bretonnians and Tileans as to which of them knows most about good food.

The Apuccini Mountains are a range of rugged and bare elevation with sparse vegetation along its slopes, but it is still not as cold or snowbound as the higher mountain further north. The Abasko Mountains are much the same, but the Irrana Mountains, being part of the Vaults, are much colder and more treacherous then the rest of the mountain ranges. The Blighted Marshes are exactly as their name suggests: a vast expanse of bleak and dangerous stagnations located at the northern region of Tilea. With little to no resource or benefits to have in the marshes, barely any Tileans hardly ever venture into them and those who do, would recount creatures, that resemble rats, but stands upright. Indeed, the marshes are the lands of the Skaven, and its capital city of Skavenblight is located near the ruins of a once proud city that rested in the depths of the marshes.

The Tilean sea is naturally warm and calm during most of the year. It is sometimes tempestuous at occasion, but only treacherous around the rock islands of the coast of Tobaro, and in the Pirate's Current. Apart from this, the sea is calm and easy sailing for small ships and sleek galleys. This has greatly benefited trade around the sea between the Tilean cities, but it has also made the coast vulnerable to pirates, Corsairs of Araby and raiders from as far away as Norsca and even Naggaroth.

History
"It is well known that the founding of our glorious Empire was the starting point of Human civilisation in the Old World. However, the self-important and pointlessly stubborn scholars of the Tilean city-states persist with fictitious claims that it was their ancestors that were the true civilisers. Unfortunately, the obvious falsehood of their lies is all but impossible to prove, particularly as the dishonest Tileans have scrolls and records they claim date from this early time."

- Hieronymous of Nuln

The history of Tilea, like all the lands of the Old World were once inhabited by the ancient and mystical Old Ones and their cold-blooded servants, the Lizardmen. When the Great Catastrophe happened and the Old Ones were no more, the lands of Tilea became the battleground from which the remaining forces of Order fought a desperate battle to hold back the daemonic tide. When the smoke cleared and the demons were banished after two grueling wars, the ancient Kingdom of the High Elves and Dwarfs finally met together as brothers and arms, and from this mutual friendship forged the dawn of a Golden Age.

The Decaying Ruins of a Golden Age
Many years ago the Elves of Ulthuan were attracted to the shores of the Tilean Sea where they founded several colonies as part of their plans to establish trading networks with the Dwarfs of the Old World. When the War of the Beards broke out, these very colonies were either obliterated by the might of the Dwarfen throngs or were abandoned swiftly by its inhabitants under the orders of their new Phoenix King.

The ruins of most of these are now buried beneath later Tilea Cities, but there are some that still lie abandoned as heaps of masonry and fallen columns overgrown with wild flowers and ivy. Here, tomb robbers dig holes to look for ancient Elf gems and relics. There are no known Elven Ruins situated close to the Blighted Marshes, even during the time it was still a large and plentiful plain of corn and wheat.

Perhaps this is because the Elves chose to avoid the city of Tylos, for some felt some ill omen would eventually haunt the city in the coming years. Instead, the Elves traded with the humans that live there, and perhaps it is from the mercantile Elves that the Tileans inherited their own traditions of trade. The superior culture and highly developed civilizations of the Elves must have made quite an impression on the inhabitants of Tylos, who had little knowledge of metalwork or even writing before the Elves arrived.

The Doom of Tylos
The city of Tylos, known also as Til or Tilae, would eventually become a legend amongst the people of the land. Tylos or Tyleus is also the name of a legendary figure in Tilean folklore, and is traditionally identified as the father of the Tilean people. If these legends are true it could mean that the modern men are descended from the primitive people who dwelt in and around the ancient city which disappeared beneath the Blighted Marsh some time just before the Time of Woes in -1499 IC.

Although today's Tileans are unlikely to be direct descendants of the citizen of Tylos, who presumably perished in the cataclysm that engulf the city, they might well be descended from the tribes folk who tended the crops and grazed the flocks that fed and clothed the inhabitants of the nearby metropolis. One legends records a tithe of slaves levied on the tribes which had to be sent every year to Tyleus to labour on it's great building projects.

However, unlike many other Tilean settlements, Tylos was not founded by the Elves but by primitive Humans, whose inhabitants would eventually adopt the culture of the Elves. In time, the city grew as they took the Dwarfs into their city, providing them with the knowledge of metalwork and masonry. When the city of Tylos met it's destruction, no doubt a great burden of tribute was lifted from the people of the surrounding regions.

The Rise of the Tilean City States
Even before the High Elves abandoned the Old World, Tilean tribes were already settling along the fertile coastal plains. Despite sharing the same origins and traditions, the settlements that grew on top of Elven ruins were never united into a single realm. There were two good reasons for this. Firstly, unlike the Empire and Bretonnia, Tilea was fortunate in not being overrun by Orcs and Goblins in the aftermath of the War of the Beards, and the subsequent abandonment of the Elven cities. This was due to the barrier provided by the high mountains on all sides. The Tileans did not have to struggle for survival with these savage races and fight for possession of the land.

It is true that the Skaven came to infest the smoldering ruins in the Blighted Marshes, but these invaders preferred to hide, seldom appearing in the surrounding lands. Civilized life, culture, and especially trade was able to flourish while the northern people studied only war in a bitter and prolonged struggle against the Greenskins. When these savage tribes did eventually break into Tilea, they found populous cities with strong walls and well-equipped armies to resist them.

Secondly, the Tileans are independent minded, strongly-willed, and some would say, impossible to govern by force. A Tilean's sense of pride and loyalty is always first and foremost to his family, his immediate locale, and only then to his city. This meant that any attempts at empire building within Tilea were bitterly opposed. Whatever the case, these settlements would eventually grow extremely wealthy and powerful, and would in time become kingdoms in their own right.

Military
"It issa mucha disputed as to what are da besta weapons fora making de siege. You gotta de stona throwers anna de bolt throwers, anna alla kinda cannons. Gunpowder is a greata invention. Iffa you can getta holda of a few mortars or bombards, you canna make de big holes in de walls. But you gotta have de right ammunition. So a stona thrower canna be justa as good. For ammunition, you can digga uppa de rocks 'an de stones, our use de big balls, or you can shoot dayd peoples over the wall to make the place stink. You canna even maka de spaghetti and shoota dat, or de razor-edged pizza."

- Marmalodi: Ibid, p822

The lands of Tilea is a legendary land filled with strife, warfare and above all, gold. From the rolling countryside to the urban city-streets, there is no greater consentration of mercenaries in the known world than in the lands of Tilea. From early times, the merchants of Tilea hired soldiers to defend their ships form priates on the high seas and to escort their merchandise on overland trade routes. Various mercantile families also used to further their own greedy ambition. These gold-hungry and cut-throat soldiers for hire are known collectively as the Dogs of War.

A Dogs of War army is a very diverse army that consist of many different companies of cut-throats and sell-swords of a wide diversity of backgrounds. Of these many companies, the most notorious of them that have earned their reputation through remarkable success, sheer brutality or adventuerous spirit are known collectively as Regiments of Renown. Each individual Regiment is led by a famous mercenary from whom the Company is usually named after. Each of these armies are often assembled and paid for by an ambitious Mercenary General. Each General is a warrior of great ambition and enormous greed, ready to go forth on a life of adventure and booty.

Being an army consisting entirely of Mercenaries, the prospect of pay is as important to the integrity of a Dogs of War army then perhaps any other factor on the battlefield. As such, the Paymaster is considered the second most important individual within the army, just before the General himself, for he is responsible for holding the various companies together with the prospect of chests full of gold. Below these two individuals consist a myraid of different captains, wizards and officers, each individual having their own goals and responsibilities in the field of battle. As such, in Tilea money is power and power, military might and status all amount to pretty much the same thing.

Tilean City-States
The Fraction's principalities and republics which populate Tilea are a diverse lot, wracked with discord and dissent. But although they have fought against each other for centuries, they will unite on one thing: they all agree that Tilean's are the bravest warriors and most skilled artisans and merchants in the world!


 * The Rebellious Republic of Remas


 * The Ancient Principality of Luccini


 * The Turbulent Principality of Trantio


 * The Perfidious Principality of Pavona


 * The Serene Republic of Verezzo


 * The Decadent Pirate Principality of Sartosa 


 * The Once-Mighty Principality of Miragliano 


 * The Tormented Principality of Tobaro 

Other Notable Locations

 * Apuccini Mountains - Mountain range that separates Tilea from the Border Princes
 * Monte Castello - Fortified City State on the edge of the Border Princes
 * Organza - City State in Tilea
 * Lambrusco - Former City State in Tilea, now rumored to be ruled by a "dead court" made up of a force of Undead
 * Spaarta - Military City State in Tilea