The kingdom of Lebendeländer

The kingdom of Lebendeländer is a kingdom in the east of Euphoria well-known for creating Steinkreaturen, hence their word being used for the name of the creatures. Their population was greatly diminished due to the recent Lebendeländer Civil War, but they are rebuilding.

Early History
Before the end of the great elemental war Lebendeländer was home to a large number of earth elementals who were particular fond of its craggy valleys. They abandoned the place after the majority of the cliffs were washed out to sea.

The second group of people to occupy it were the Dwarves. They built a few myndurhals (mining outposts) and a dihr (tomb) but the latter offended earth elementals which still resided in the place who waited until the death of a significant figure which caused all of the dwarves to gather into the tomb before they set a raised all the dead from their graves and placed a terrible curse on both the living and the dead. No dwarves have ventured into the valley since.

The valley which is now the kingdom of Lebendeländer (now known as the Leben valley) was soon occupied by humans. It seems that two main groups existed in it, a group of violent raiders and of peaceful farmers. The farmers gathered to the edge of the valley while the raiders learnt how to domesticate horses so they could gallop from village to village. Eventually the villages were fortified with earthworks and wooden palisades. The bandits disappeared shortly afterwards.

The farmer settlements also disappeared one by one to various disasters (curses, resources drying up) until the last town (Lebenopolis) eventually disappeared shortly after the death of Aruseus probably because the residents were afraid of the return of bandits or losing there food supply. Lebenopolis is said to be situated in the Leben valley but this is thought to have been a side valley not the entire valley which Lebendeländer controls.

As part of Aruseus's land
Given Lebendeländer's extreme lushness it is no wonder that hardly had one group left than another group arrived. Immigrants from the east looking for a better life and people fleeing the siege of Pleitsdorf met here and realised that the valley could house all of them. At first life was boring as they couldn't get many of the goods that they used to be able to before and during the reign of Aruseus but as the trading routes from the east and the west reopened they found themselves in a prime position to do business to travelling merchants and eventually became the main destination for traders from the east and west with a flourishing market in the town of Ebreichten.

Formation into Lebendeländer
When The Charter of Achthal was drawn up both Awegon and Ausfenz fought hard to have the leben valley in their territory realising the vast strategic and economic importance of the marketplace. The merchants of Scroy were also concerned about the risk of either of these powerful actors ending up with such a strangle hold on trade and so proposed creating a small, non-electoral territory to look after it (which they believed they could easily control).

They got the northern territories on side and threatened a embargo against Awegon (by sending their trade via the sea and Byzanthus instead) to bring them onside with the compromise. However, they didn't have any leverage on Ausfenz nor did any of the other future nations despite the fact that Ausfenz seemed clearly like the unreasonable party. In the end the centeral government settled the stalemate by threatening Ausfenz with loss of electoral status if they did not come on board with the compromise which forced the prideful Ausfenzians to accept that their were somethings more important than national dignity.

Despite their efforts the Scroy merchants didn't get what they wanted and receiving rather a state which (although allegedly independent) swung between Awegonian and Ausfenzian control and which (although small) had a strangle hold on their trade and wasn't afraid to use it. And they lost the threat of sending trade via Byzanthus when a government called their bluff and discovered that it really would be too expensive to build a port and a fleet of trade ships and a road north from Byzanthus. Worse the government would not have cared less if it wasn't

Ebreichten
The Market Town of Ebreichten was a central gathering point where goods from all over Lebendeländer would come to be traded along with goods coming along the Awegon-Ausfenz road which went straight past, then (as the town grew) through, it. It was the source of central authority in Lebendeländer since it was granted kingdom hood as part of The Charter of Achthal.

Nordlburg
Nordlburg exists in part of the valley which is disputed and dry but none the less contains furtile ground. In the power vacuum created by the reign of Guss the incompetent (or as he is less respectfully known Guss the #@@!?/ Mad) the place established itself as the central authority from where all taxes must be collected least they 'accidentally' fall into Awegonian or Ausfenzian or even (somehow) Scroy hands.

This has had the result of making the town both fabulusly rich (in which respect it has been amazingly sucessful) and a target for reguarlar raids (in which respect it has been disaserous). However during one of these periods a greate egal swooped down to the territory. "I will protect you if you worship me." it said.

The residents thought this was a crazy idea and sent the egal packing. However, shortly afterwards a hord of cavalry so vast that the sound of hoves could be heard 5 miles away in Ebreichten came thundering down the marketplace. The guardians of the town were hopelessly outmatched then someone started to prey to the egal.

Other people copied them and soon the entirity of the town were worshiping the great bird. And who would come swooping in to save them but the egal itself. It flapped its wings so violently that the entire force was blown over and forced to retreat. Ever since then a temple to the egal has sat on the spot where a person first prayed to the great bird and ever since then any force which has not been detered by the mere mention of the egals name has had to suffer the same fate.

Nacht Halt (ruins)


The walls of the Nacht Halt were never breached only broken. ~ Captain Otto Landholtz The Nacht Halt was constructed in 821 PA on the pretext of guarding against Ausfenzian interference but although it was situated at the top of a crag around which a steep road wound making it possible for a dozen men to defend against a army of thousands, it could not house people fleeing raids or even a army of soldiers who could counter attack. What it was ideal for was the storage of a small amount of valuable things or a few important personel as was its eventual function.

In 864 PA the castle had some renavations including the adition of a keep to replace the royal palace.

In 932 PA the castle became the refuge of the king after Ebreichten was seized by the army. The king took the company of guards stationed their and seized Kurtsport before it was beseiged by cavalry loyal to the army. The cavalry were shortly followed by an army of heavy artillary under the command of Otto Landholtz who bombarded the Nacht Halt into oblibion.