• Raiken
• Raiconian Alliance

Ormroth is the name given to the mountains region of Ranil'inas. It is also the name of the Resa Sarhi that calls this area home. Ormak is the Roshya hero that is said to have been born here.

Ormroth exists in a state of perpetual dawn, where the sun’s rays creep on the horizon, but its face never touches the sky. Like Relatir, the light of Ral and Rel provide much of the light that Ormroth receives. The bulk of Ormroth is covered in long chains of mountains that pierce the very sky. Between these mountains are lush valleys of green, filled with long rivers.

Outside of these long chains of mountains, Ormroth adopts the traditional features of foothills, on both borders to Relatir and Rakavasu. Forests, hills, rivers, and valleys. Still, there are some oddities, like any other region of Ranil’inas. Active volcanoes, deep gorges, and lone mountains exist. In fact, Daramai Ormroth is nestled within the ‘Pillar That Holds Up The Sky, the tallest mountain on Ranil’inas, is a lone mountain.

Dominated by mountains, Ormroth is just a sun away from being a fertile paradise. Valleys of dense forests and plains are cradled by mountains, kept safe from outside forces and clans.

The mountains chains of Ormroth makes the region what it is. They act as a cradle for the fertile river valleys contained within, as well as a barrier for those who would seek to invade them. They are valuable resources, home to stone, iron, jewels, and countless other metals. They are home, sites of countless keeps and structures. To Ormroth, the mountains are everything.

Although Ormroth is not home to all the mountains on Ranil’inas, it is home to the vast majority of them. Most peaks reach a height of over 24,000 ft. They are truly tremendous in size, as well as their height.

Most Ormroth clans lay claim to a mountain for themselves, embedding their keeps within the sanctuary offered by stone while conducting much of their business in the valleys at the base of the mountain they claimed. However, the Raiken are not the only species that call these places home. Various Fauna and Flora flourish here.

The river valleys are a fertile paradise that offer prosperity to all that inhabit them. Populated by wide rivers, dense forests, and scattered rolling plains, these valleys are the heart of Ormroth. This is where Ormroth clans draw from the land, where crops are sowed and hunting takes place. Such has been the practice for millennia and even with rapid industrialization and technological advancement, it remains the practice. These river valleys are sacred spaces that have been spared by industrialization, leaving the vast valleys mostly pure.

Ormroth’s mountains are flanked by rolling foothills on both sides, although they are vastly different depending on the region they border. Since they lie outside the mountains, these foothills were once battlegrounds between Ormroth, Relatir, and Rakavasu and disputes over territory still linger today.

The foothills bordering Relatir are barren and covered with sheer rocks and cliffs. Long rivers wind through this inhospitable place and flora is sparse, as the mountains block much of the potential sunlight that would reach this region. Most Relatir fauna and flora flourish here however.

The foothills bordering Rakavasu are as lush, if not more so, than the valleys between the mountains. Towering trees, green hills, and fast flowing rivers make up most of the landscape.

The mountains of Ormroth are home to many wonders, both natural and constructed, like any other region of Ranil’inas. Legends and tales accompany them, some of them true, all of them believed.

Daramai Ormroth, the city built around Resa Sarhi Ormroth’s keep, is nestled within the Pillar That Holds Up The Sky, a lone mountain that stands in the center of a large river valley. It is the tallest mountain on Ranil’inas by a staggering amount, reaching just over 32,000 ft. As old legends tell and its name suggests, this mountain was believed to be responsible for holding up the sky, as the mountain lies shrouded in clouds.

The land around, and even the mountain itself, has been transformed into a vast cityscape, a true mark of Raiken architectural prowess as well as a cultural haven.

Outside the mountain is primarily dedicated to agriculture, production, transportation, and other activities that require being outside. Residential districts are small and typically only occupied by those who work outside. Much of the mountain’s face has been carved into great statues, ritual halls, and other works of Raiken art. It is possible to walk among these works of art while gazing upon the valley below.

Daramai Ormroth actually lies inside the belly of the mountain, where most of the stone has been carved out over time to create a sprawling, underground metropolis. Mighty pillars hold up the mountain and bridges span the chasms that separate the districts. Nearly every inch of the mountain bears the mark of Raiken presence. It is easy to become lost in Daramai Ormroth, as the city seems to be unending. Most of the cities lighting is provided by great fires that are stoked by appointed firekeepers. Ormroth’s actual keep resides at the center of the city, its stone buildings carved out of the mountain.

While the Pillar That Holds Up The Sky is home to Daramai Ormroth and the great city that resides within, it is also home to the Keeps of the Mountain Sages, the wisest of all Raiken. These scholars have adopted an isolated life of study and meditation in several keeps that line the mountain. A narrow staircase carved into the mountain is the only path to the first of these keeps and for passage to the higher keeps. These paths are lined with statues of sages.

The keeps are organized into a series, where the lowest keep is for initiates while the highest keep, which is situated at the peak of the mountain, is reserved for only the wisest sages. It is considered a great honor to visit the highest sages.

Regardless of their level, each keep is a treasury of knowledge, bearing scrolls and tablets from the earliest periods of Raiken history.

Ormak, Guardian of the Mountains and the Wisest Sage, constructed these towering gates at the widest mountain passes around Daramai Ormroth to protect his people from outside invasion in a time long past. These gates stand 100ft tall and made of solid stone. Ormak wielding his hammer and scroll has been engraved on both faces of all the gates.

These gates are staffed by ceremonial guards from the lower Keeps of the Mountain Sages, although the Gates serve no intrinsic value.

Despite the rough terrain of Ormroth, infrastructure has been built up, at least, as well as the Raiken allow it to be. The most important mountain passes have been secured, highways across the valleys and the mountain chain themselves have been paved, and the Alliance has set up outposts and fortresses within the mountains.

Due to the environmentalist nature of the Raiken, highways are still few in number. They generally lead to either major Raiken keeps or allow transport across the mountains themselves.

Airfields are strategically placed, as the mountains provide a logistical challenge for pilots. Most are attached to mountains or situated on the flattest areas in the valleys.

Mountain roads and passes are extremely common, most made during the ancient periods. The most impressive of these is the mountain bridges. Bridges made of stone that span the gap between mountains, sometimes hundreds of meters above the ground. Many of these still survive and they used to be critical points of transportation, although travel by the traditional paths is usually done for ritual, hunting, or by the most traditional Raiken clans.

Ormroth’s mountains shape the culture of those who live within them, like any other region.

Ormak, the Roshya that embodies strength and to an outsider’s surprise, wisdom, calls Ormroth home. Most inhabitants of Ormroth follow his example by maintaining the idea of might solves problems, but not forgetting that some problems cannot be solved by force of arms. This ideal has been lost by many Raiken, but there are some who devote their lives to the pursuit of wisdom and knowledge.

Ormroth clans are even more competitive than most other Raiken clans. Skirmishes are common, if only for the sport of it. They judge others by their strength and wisdom, Raiken or not.

Ormak is considered to be a great guardian and defender of his people, as well as a renowned sage. While he guards the mountains from invaders from his great gates, Ormak also assists the mountain sages in unlocking the secrets of the world.

Unlike Relatir, Ormroth receives a faint amount of true sunlight, which creeps over the distant horizon bordering Rakavasu. Although it only manages to turn the sky a deep gray, inhabitants of Ormroth place great value on it. It is seen as heralding something great, which leads the inhabitants to believe something great is always on the horizon and it is theirs to seize.

The mountains are regarded as a cradle of safety and prosperity for those who reside within their embrace. Residents of Ormroth view them as fondly as their own kin and mothers. As such, Ormroth clans are extremely territorial, especially over the mountain they claim as their home.