Taldor

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Taldor

(Nation)

N

Land

Shining Kingdoms

Alignment

Neutral

Capital

Oppara

Ruler

Grand Princess Eutropia Stavian

Government

Bureaucratic empire

Demonym

Taldans

Adjective

Taldan

Languages

Common (Taldane), Kelish

Religions

Abadar, Aroden, Calistria, Cayden Cailean, Norgorber, Sarenrae, Shelyn

Images of Taldor

Source: Taldor, Echoes of Glory
Taldor, the First Empire, pg(s). 1ff. (1E)
World Guide, pg(s). 128–129 (2E)

First Emperor Taldaris.

Knights, fair maidens, heroic adventures, and righteous quests—these are the legends of old Taldor (pronounced TAL-door). But the once-powerful empire has fallen from its former glory. Now rival nobles battle each other with bitter knights and proxy armies for personal power rather than honor. A smoldering truce with Qadira again threatens to ignite into war, and Taldor's daughter-states look down upon her with contempt.

Yet there is still greatness in Taldor, a stone foundation under the flaking gold adornments. Sons and daughters of forgotten royal bloodlines hear change on the wind—but is it the whisper of greatness to come, or the death rattle of an empire long past its prime?

History

The Empire of Taldor is one of the oldest nations in the Inner Sea region, and once stretched from the Windswept Wastes on the edge of Casmaron in the east all the way across Avistan to the shores of the Arcadian Ocean in the west. By today's standards, the Empire of Taldor was enormous, incorporating land that today falls within the nations of Galt, Andoran, Isger, Molthune, Cheliax, Nirmathas, and Lastwall. Since that heyday in the first half of the Age of Enthronement, it has suffered numerous defeats and setbacks, yet still controls the oldest and largest territories in the Inner Sea region.

Founding years

The people of this land were descendants of Azlant who built a small settlement where the capital of Oppara now stands. They intermarried with the local human tribes (whose descendants would become known as Taldans) and began trading with the Keleshite tribes further east.

Taldaris, a young military leader from the city-state of Oppara, was named heir to the grand prince of Oppara just prior to his predecessor's death in -1295 AR. Using his tactical prowess, superior forces, and uncanny luck, Taldaris then led his troops in a 12-year-long war of conquest beginning in -1293 AR that transformed his title in Oppara to a fledgling unified nation of city-states.

He first attacked the larger cities along the Inner Sea coast that posed the greatest threat. Once he had secured their allegiance and resources, he turned his attention on the more distant settlements of the area. He then declared his new nation as the Principalities of Taldaris, ruling over an area that stretched along the Inner Sea coast from the southern Verduran Forest to the Jalrune River.

The Principalities of Taldaris became Taldor in -1281 AR, with Taldaris crowned as First Emperor.

Tarrasque

The beast known as the Tarrasque rampaged across the World's Edge Mountains and into Taldor in -632 AR. The city of Oppara was destroyed in the process and although the nation eventually recovered, the wounds of the rampage can still be seen across the land.

Taldor's golden age

The old tribes dating to before Taldor's founding were eventually conquered by soldiers from the Empire of Kelesh in -43 AR, who founded the satrapy of Qadira and fortified the border between the two nations, sparking a conflict that continues to this day.

Taldor continued to grow and expand, but did not truly become an empire until the beginning of the Age of Enthronement and the founding of the first Army of Exploration, a now-legendary collection of soldiers, scholars, diplomats, surveyors, spies, and adventurers. It headed north along the Sellen River from Oppara in 37 AR, conquering as far as what today is the town of Sevenarches in the River Kingdoms.

Their efforts were enlarged by the Second Army of Exploration in 499 AR, who traveled farther than the first, all the way to the edges of the Hold of Belkzen, and explored the lands around Lake Encarthan. The army greatly expanded both the military and economic reach of the empire by building numerous supply depots, many of which eventually grew into larger settlements.

The Third Army of Exploration was perhaps the most successful. Once again beginning in Oppara, it clung to the northern coast of the Inner Sea, conquering westward all the way to the Arcadian Ocean. It founded the city of Corentyn in 1520 AR under General Coren, thereby securing control of the western access to the Inner Sea for the empire.

In 1553 AR, Grand Prince Urios III and Satrap Xerbystes I signed a peace agreement between Taldor and Qadira that would be known as the Urian Peace. This accord would amazingly last for over 2,500 years.

The exploits of the Fourth Army of Exploration were minor compared to the Third, but they still managed to bring the area known today as Andoran under their control by 1683 AR, along with a brief (and unsuccessful) foray into the dwarven-controlled Five Kings Mountains. After defeating the native tribes of the Arthfell Forest, Andoran became the newest province of Taldor in 1707 AR.

The Fifth Army of Exploration pushed north through what today are the River Kingdoms, reaching the edge of Iobaria in 2009 AR. After this they turned back and mapped the many branches of the Sellen River by 2014 AR.

Setbacks

Despite tremendous successes, Taldor suffered a number of serious blows during this period. Raiders from the Lands of the Linnorm Kings wreaked havoc on settlers in what is now western Cheliax, forcing a naval engagement in 2000 AR that Taldor barely won. The Ulfen raiders counterattacked in 2003 AR, savaging Taldan colonies near the Arch of Aroden and demanding 100,000 gold pieces in exchange for hostages. Taldor capitulated, resulting in a peace treaty between the Ulfen king and the Taldan Grand Prince.

Less than a century later, a disastrous campaign into the Mwangi Expanse by the Sixth Army of Exploration led to the massacre known as the Battle of Nagisa by the forces of that era's Gorilla King in 2089 AR. It was a failure from which Taldor never fully recovered.

Last great Army of Exploration

Although the losses of the Sixth Army marked the end of any Taldan expansion into Garund, Taldor continued to strengthen its position in Avistan. The Seventh Army of Exploration officially claimed Isger in 2133 AR. Taldor's final large territorial expansion came in 3007 AR, when it claimed the territory of Cheliax.

Slow decline

By the beginning of the fourth millennium AR, the Empire of Taldor dominated the Inner Sea region, controlling all of the northern shores of the Inner Sea. Its government soon bloated to the point where its byzantine bureaucracy numbered in the tens of thousands, and its territory was too large to control. Corruption spread throughout the government, and its ruling class became more interested in pursuing their decadent pleasures than good governance. Responding to this growing indifference, those furthest from the capital city of Oppara began to revolt. Taldor's military responded with brute force to quell these uprisings, leading to further discontent and unrest.

Shining Crusade

Even though Taldor had fallen from the zenith of its power, it nevertheless was still the dominant nation in the Inner Sea region, and challenged any foe that might usurp it. One such instance led to the Shining Crusade, a decades-long war fought with the cooperation of the dwarves of the Kingdom of Kraggodan, and the Knights of Ozem against the forces of the Whispering Tyrant of Ustalav. It began in 3754 AR and ended with the Tyrant's defeat and imprisonment in 3827 AR and the founding of the country of Lastwall the following year.

War with Qadira and secession

Taldor's history is marked by many wars.

As Taldor's military focused on crushing internal revolts, the long-time rival nation of Qadira took advantage of the situation and invaded from the southeast in 4079 AR. Taldor, with Qadira's army at the footsteps of its capital, recalled its armies from the outlying provinces in order to protect the heartland. The resulting war, dubbed the Grand Campaign, lasted 524 years. With the bulk of the military back east, rebellious Cheliax seized its opportunity. King Aspex the Even-Tongued declared independence in 4081 AR in what became known as the Even-Tongued Conquest. Still tied up with its war with Qadira, Taldor was unable to respond, and Aspex proceeded to annex Andoran, Galt, and Isger, and finally signed a peace treaty with Taldor that recognized its independence.

At the same time, the former province of Lastwall declared its independence from both Taldor and Cheliax, stating that it wished to only focus on the containment of the Whispering Tyrant, and not become involved in its neighbors' political concerns.

The loss of Cheliax and the war with Qadira led to a sharp decline in power, and Taldor remains in decline even several generations after these events took place; corruption runs rampant through its bureaucracy, and its lower class has been stricken by poverty. Its prefectures fight border skirmishes, its noble houses fight one another, and its sparsely populated frontiers have become lawless. Taldor's vast wealth is the only thing keeping the empire alive.

Religious upheaval

The church of Aroden, in response to corruption present in the Taldan ruling class during the years of the Grand Campaign, moved its center of worship from Taldor to Cheliax. Later during the same conflict, Grand Prince Stavian I began what is known as the Great Purge: believing Qadira's invasion of Taldor had been assisted by members of the Cult of the Dawnflower, Stavian I outlawed the worship of Sarenrae in 4528 AR, which was not again legalized until after the end of the Grand Campaign in 4603 AR.

Final Army of Exploration

The last Army of Exploration was chartered in the last year of the Age of Enthronement in 4606 AR. Desperate to revitalize the nation, General Orphyrea Amandar set sail in the hopes of finding a new land to rule far to the east. Despite being battered by tremendous storms mere months after leaving port, Amanandar weathered the death of Aroden and arrived in northern Shenmen in Tian Xia.

After she and her army disembarked at the city of Kamikobu in 4608 AR, they defeated a dozen bandit warlords and took control of the region, renaming the city New Oppara, and founding the nation of Amanandar.

War for the Crown

In 4718 AR, the paranoid Grand Prince Stavian III ordered hired mercenaries to slaughter half the Taldan senate and his sole remaining heir, the Princess Eutropia, while they gathered to celebrate the Grand Day of Exaltation in Oppara. This attack sparked a civil conflict known as the War for the Crown in which the Grand Prince lost his life, while his daughter survived and eventually gained the throne as the first grand princess in Taldor's history.

Geography

Taldor was once a land filled with lush forests but all that remains of the original woodlands is the druid-protected Verduran Forest in the nation's northwest region. Elsewhere, the trees have been replaced by grasslands and low scrub growth, that in the southern part of the country can generate tumblefires.

During the height of the empire, much of this expanse was populated by small settlements, each interconnected by a series of roads and canals. With Taldor's decline, however, many of these small communities have been abandoned. Roads have been reclaimed by nature, and the canal system has fallen into disrepair.

Major geographical features act as natural boundaries between the empire and its neighbors. To the north the Fog Peaks serve to divide Taldor from the nation of Galt. The Sellen River flows through the Verduran Forest, along the boundary of the empire and its western neighbor, Andoran. To the east, the World's Edge Mountains and the Whistling Plains provide a buffer between Taldor and the Empire of Kelesh. Finally, Taldor is separated from its long-time enemy to the south, the nation of Qadira, by the Jalrune River and the Zimar Scrublands.

The lifeblood of the nation is the River Porthmos, which has its sources in the World's Edge Mountains and winds its way through the vast grasslands of the Tandak Plains before pouring into the Inner Sea. The capital, Oppara, is located at the mouth of the river.

Taldor's natural resources include the towering blackwood trees of the Verduran Forest, the countless iron mines of the World's Edge Mountains, the olives and grapes of the southern coast between the Porthmos and the Jalrune, and the wineries and vineyards of the Zimar Scrublands.

Government

Grand Princess Eutropia and her dog Talgodis.

Taldor is ruled by a Grand Prince or (more recently) a Grand Princess, a hereditary title who sits on the Lion Throne. The current Grand Princess, Eutropia Stavian, recently took the throne when the ancient law that mandated agnatic succession (where only males could inherit) was overturned by the Taldan Senate following a bloody civil war. The Grand Princess has shown herself to be quite skilled at diplomacy and the arbitration of disputes.

She is assisted by her resurrected brother Carrius II, who has a strong spiritual connection to Taldor's historical rulers, and the two have surprisingly been able to begin healing some of the deep divisions caused by the recent civil war. Their efforts are far from complete, however, and many of Eutropia's rivals from the war are still in power throughout the country, hatching plots against her.

Taldor has a decadent noble class, bloated with titles, and renowned for being short-sighted and lethargic, and its bureaucracy is headed by the senatorial class. Much of the government management is left in the hands of the senatorial class, who constantly argue over jurisdiction, while fighting for position in the nation's vast and complex bureaucracy. Greed and lack of trust are the hallmarks of Taldan politics, with assassination and betrayal the preferred methods of advancement.

Unwilling to trust their lives to Taldans with dubious political ties and mixed loyalties, the rulers of Taldor are zealously served by the Ulfen Guard. This hand-picked retinue from the Lands of the Linnorm Kings are handsomely paid and care only for their oath and duty to the crown.

Prefectures

The individual parcels of Taldor have traded hands countless times in the millennia of its existence, leading to an incredibly confusing jumble of claims of ownership. To standardize this chaos, the Lands Partition Decree was established in 3247 AR. The decree broke the empire into 62 prefectures and formalized the rules for changing the divisions within each. Today only 12 prefectures and two major provinces are widely recognized. The prefectures include Avin, Kazuhn, Krearis, Ligos, Lingian, Moda, Northern Tandak, Opparos, Porthmos, Sophra, Tandak, and Whitemarch Prefectures, along with Verduran and World's Edge Provinces.

Below the level of prefecture are the duchies. In their turn, duchies are comprised of numerous counties, and counties are further divided into baronies.

Foreign relations

Kathann Zalar, a Lion Blade.

Taldor keeps a close eye on its neighbors, primarily though the work of the Lion Blades, the nation's spy organization.

Qadira

Qadira and its parent state, the Padishah Empire of Kelesh, are hated in Taldor. Taldans watched as Qadira occupied southern Taldor for almost 500 years, enslaved the city of Zimar, put nearly every settlement in the Zimar Scrublands to the torch, and distracted the empire at a crucial moment with an invasion, allowing Cheliax to secede in the Even-Tongued Conquest. At nominal peace for the last century, Taldor now uses the Zimar Corsairs to plague all Qadiran shipping from Katheer to Sedeq, and both nations still raid across their borders. Qadira is eager to invade Taldor again and Taldor is ready to defend its border. Taldor doesn't dare to invade, but keeps a wary eye on its neighbor to the south.

Cheliax

Taldor has a complicated relationship with Cheliax and their relationship is one of mutual mistrust. Many nobles would like to see Cheliax wiped from the face of the world, as it was the center of the Even-Tongued Conquest that shattered the empire. Since the takeover of the Chelish government by House Thrune more than a century ago, many Taldans see Cheliax as a hated abomination. For the most part, Cheliax pays little attention to Taldor, seeing it as a toothless, old lion and its leaders too foppish to be an immediate threat. Still, the Queen recognizes the strength of Taldor's military and sees no need to break the tense peace between both nations.

Galt

Taldor fears the revolutions in Galt could spill across its southern border, and therefore keeps encampments along its border in the north. Taldan border guards have captured handbills calling for the people of Taldor to rise up and shake off their oppressive rulers. On the other hand, the nation's endless violence and revolution is often illustrated as proof that destabilizing the social order in Taldor will lead to ruin, a sentiment with which most Taldan citizens tend to agree.

Absalom

Taldor sees Absalom as the key to reinvigorating its empire. Given that Absalom has never fallen to a foreign conqueror, previous emperors often directed Taldan agents to infiltrate Absalom in the hopes of one day merging it quietly with the empire. This desire to annex the island has been tempered in recent years. Absalom, like Cheliax, does not consider Taldor to be a serious threat. Indeed, the two nations are generally strong allies and trading partners, at least officially, and Taldor's navy helps protect the island from piracy and invasions.

Andoran

Andoran and Taldor share a peace right now, backed by their enormous navies, but more traditional Taldans consider Andoran a part of the empire and the nation of freedom-lovers as a child who's lost its way. For their part, Grand Princess Eutropia is disliked by many Andorens despite her progressive reforms, as they believe her ascension prevented a full peoples-revolution in Taldor. Regardless, the two nations have a cautious but amiable relationship and Andoren agents try to avoid pushing their democratic ideologies too strongly while in Taldor.

Military

Even though Taldor's armed forces no longer possess the power and prestige of the Armies of Exploration of the past, they are nevertheless powerful organizations. They are divided into the Taldan Horse, the Phalanx, and the Imperial Navy, and are commanded by High Strategos Maxillar Pythareus. The most notorious, however, are the Lion Blades, who specialize in subterfuge and urban combat, and are often recruited from Oppara's best bardic colleges.

The military history of the Shining Crusade (especially the sacrifice of General Arnisant) is a matter of great pride amongst Taldor's armed forces, especially now that the Whispering Tyrant has retured and recently threatened the nearby nation of Absalom. Today's soldiers and commanders are turning away from the perennial conflicts with Qadira and instead preparing themselves to fight Tar-Baphon as their ancestors did nearly a millennium ago, and in the port city of Cassomir, the Taldan Navy has been building ships at an unheard of rate.

Economy

Due to the ruling class' focus on personal wealth and prestige, Taldor's poor have been growing more and more desperate, and nation's infrastructure has been neglected and left to slowly disintegrate.

Society

Taldans at play.

Royalty

Taldor's royal class is comprised of dynasty-inheriting houses, most of which trace their lineages back to one emperor or another. Its members hold byzantine titles such as patrician, magister, proconsoul, mandator, exarch, viceroy, duke, and others. A large number of scholars in the Primogen Library keep and update the genealogical records, as each title has a subtle place in the hierarchy of the empire. In the history of Taldor, the royalty have contributed to the greatness of its emperors, but also to their downfalls. The Grand Princess can raise a citizen or senator of the empire up to royalty by bestowing a title and wealth, but does so only once a year in a huge celebration at the Imperial Palace known as the Grand Day of Exaltation.

Traditionally the crown could only be inherited by males through agnatic succession. This created a culture of sexism in Taldan politics and society as a whole that may be slowly changing with Grand Princess Eutropia's ascension to the throne.

Ranks and privileges

Grand Duchess Destelita Solari of the Ligos Prefecture of Taldor.

Among the numerous noble titles conferred upon Taldan citizens there remain several ranks which retain a specific function within the governance of the state. While the meanings and grandeur of these titles may change over generations, the current government recognizes the following noble titles in hierarchy from greatest to least.

• Grand Duke: Ruler of a prefecture. This title is limited to a maximum of 62 grand dukes; 12 grand high dukes who rule the formally recognized prefectures, and 50 lesser grand dukes whose lands have been lost or subsumed by other prefectures over time.
• Governor: Appointees of the Crown who rule a province. Many governors also bear the title of lesser grand duke.
• Duke: Landed dukes administer a duchy within a prefecture and report to the grand duke thereof. Dukes who have not been conferred land, but serve the grand duke, are referred to as "attending dukes".
• Senator: All senators must bear another noble title in order to be installed in the senate. All senators may vote in the senate.
• Marquess: Serves as the guard of a wilderness or border region and typically has a standing army to defend this region.
• Count/Earl: Both counts and earls administer a county within a duchy. These titles are generally equivalent in rank.
• Landgrave: Similar in function to the role of marquess, the landgrave administers an unsettled, but important, tract of land. Landgraves do not typically command an army to defend their region, and thus are seen as lesser than a marquess.
• Baron: Landed barons rule large territories known as a barony. A barony may contain a significant portion of land with numerous villages, or a large city. Barons who do not administer a barony often serve as advisors to the Crown.
• Baronet: A lesser assistant to a baron who carries out many of the mundane administrative tasks in the barony.
• Viscount: Oversees a portion of a county, typically a couple of small villages and their connecting roads.
• Tribune: Typically serves as mayor and justice for a community, such as a village or a neighborhood within a larger city. This is often an elected position, though it may be conferred upon an individual for political reasons. Tribunes usually report to barons.
• Lord: A ruler of a specific land. Lords often report to barons, though occasionally they report to a viscount.
• Knight: The lowest rank among Taldan nobles. Typically children of nobles are conferred this title first, especially those with military service.

Senatorial class

Taldor's senatorial class consists of the hereditary members of the senate, the governors of Taldor's prefectures, and various heads of the bureaucracy. With exceptionally good work and long loyalty to the empire, a citizen can achieve a title in the senatorial class.

The massive underclass make up 99% of Taldor's population. They are merchants, craftsmen, day laborers, dock workers, vagabonds, soldiers, sailors, and so on. Taldor's crushing taxes and the policies of the ruling class regarding the rights of citizens keep them in poverty. Careful advances of key citizens keep their compatriots ever hopeful that after hard work and long loyalty, they might join the aristocratic ranks. Taldor's military and civil service usually offers such a way of advancement, and because of that the branches of the military (the Taldan Horse, Phalanx, and Navy) are loyal and strong.

In the countryside, most of Taldor's poor live as serfs, farmers, or craftsmen, slaves to their lords or prefecture governors. Even worse, when their lords or governors send their soldiers against one another, the poor are usually caught in between and suffer greatly.

People

Lady Gloriana Morilla, Taldan noble and leader of the Taldor and Sovereign Court factions of the Pathfinder Society.

See also: Taldan

The Taldan people are a mixture of Keleshite and Azlanti blood. Taldans, by and large, have light brown hair and bronzed skin. Men of noble birth favor beards, while women commonly wear elaborate wigs; both beards and wigs are often extravagantly decorated. The language of the Taldan people is Taldane; the language has spread to become the Common speech of the entire Inner Sea region, a testament to Taldor's vast influence.

Taldans are decadent bon vivants, favoring rich foods, ornate attire, and jeweled accoutrements for even the most minor of casual affairs. To a Taldan, appearance is an expression of power, and a keen sense of fashion represents a keen mind. Their appreciation for the arts extends beyond fashion and painting, many Taldans dabbling in wizardry, dueling, and the murky strategies of politics and war. A Taldan mind, when raised to ire, is a dangerous thing, and Taldans believe that the rest of the Inner Sea is soon to receive a painful reminder of this timeless fact.

The wealth, decadence and the importance of political maneuvers to the royal and senatorial classes have made many costly and extravagant items popular. Some examples include magical transports like the pendulate divan of Emperor Fortigré, soaring cathedra, or talisman of the summoned steed; magical augmentation to one's appearance like the costume bureau or philanderous compact; or aids to the machinations of the social climbers like the missive stone, ring of the sublime, raucous canard, and gossip glass.

Religion

The people of Taldor worship a wide range of deities, but among the major gods prefer those who are generally associated with the Taldan people: Abadar, Cayden Cailean, Norgorber, and Shelyn. The worship of Calistria and the controversial (because she is associated with Qadira) Sarenrae] and even the deceased Aroden are also popular. The cult of Kurgess (a demigod who began as a Taldan mortal) is also beginning to spread.

Combat

The falcata is the traditional weapon of Taldor, and Taldan duelists train in a form of falcata and buckler combat known as rondelero.

Prejudice

Because Taldor and Qadira have been at war on and off for hundreds of years, there is a long-standing anti-Qadiran, anti-Keleshite, and even anti-Sarenite (as Sarenrae is the most popular deity worshiped in Qadira) prejudice amongst Taldor's general populace. Due to Taldor's longtime tradition of agnatic succession (where only males can inherit), sexism is also an all-to-often encountered part of Taldan society.

Fauna

After millennia of settlement, the heartland of Taldor is largely free of dangerous beasts and monsters, although the druid-controlled Verduran forest is still home to gnomes, ettercaps, and numerous fey. The Fog Peaks on the border with Galt are home to numerous giants and thunderbirds who occasionally present a threat, while orcs make raids from their lairs in the World's Edge Mountains.

References

Paizo set the War for the Crown Adventure Path in Taldor, and published a poster map of the nation in the War for the Crown Poster Map Folio and two sourcebooks about the nation, Taldor, Echoes of Glory and Taldor, the First Empire.

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.