Lore of Ispar - The Kingdom of Milantos
"Once I was told, 'If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.' True words of wisdom from the Poet", Muradak ibn Narad said to his gathered audience of nephews and nieces.
"Tonight I must break that promise to tell you the tale commonly known as To Be A Shadow. For I must talk of the serpent to the east, Milantos. Some of you have only heard stories told of that dark land to keep you in bed and out of trouble", he continued as he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
"But, some myths and dark tales are oft based in truth. So hear this tale and know that while the Poet survived the darkness that is Milantos with only the loss of his eyes and fingers, all who cross its borders are not so lucky", he said, reaching for the cup of palm wine recently filled by his nephew, Nayt al-Yad.
The Distant Past
The history of Milantos is sketchy at best. This dark land has always had less than friendly relationships with the other kingdoms about the Ironsea. It trades with the Sho and the Rouleans on occasion. The nobility have married Aluvians from time to time, establishing peace across the Luparvium Mountains.
Ruled by fear and sorcery, murder of siblings, patricide, and regicide are common. Each king has been a powerful sorcerer, mastering the dark arts of necromancy and diabolism. Tyranny is the rule rather than the exception.
Each of the sorcerer kings has been working toward a specific objective - eternal life. This dark knowledge has not been found, but still the sorcerer kings search. The rituals have been growing in complexity and power. They are rumored to include pacts with forces of darkness, bloody rituals in dungeon chambers, and words of power that fill the halls late at night. This is the realm of madness.
The Milantans have never desired expansion. They have all the land they need, swampy and dark as it is. Possession of such desolate lands may be the reason no kingdom has gone to war with them. Others say the standing army is considered to be ruthless and without fear, and would destroy any who dared invade. Perhaps it's because the Milantans have a way of making foreign rulers hesitate, as in their abduction of Yasif to stop the Gharu'n from attacking.
Milantos has always been divided into two classes, the ruling magus and the commoners. Those who show arcane talents are quickly inducted into the Cabals that rule from the shadows. Those who do not show such talents live in fear of being abducted for dark rituals, drafted into the army, or recruited as a spy. The kingdom relies on spies to keep its eyes on its neighbors and track arcane items for the king. The spies also form the secret police, and act as assassins for establishing policy abroad.
Milantan Legends
Toward the end of the Isparian year, the weather shifts across the whole of the Ironsea. In the northernmost regions, day can last but a few hours. The northern horizon, however, blazes with the annual auroral fires. The grim and superstitious Milantans, regard the shimmering sky with fear, thinking of the aurora as the watchfires of Borimel's million snow demons, marching south to wrest control of the summer lands.
(Author's Note: I envision the kingdom of Milantos as the "Transylvania of Ispar".)
