In
interviews and articles Gaute Godager provided some information about the
nations that will be avilable in the beginning of Age of Conan. The
single-player-part will take place mostly in the Baracha Isles, a pirate haven
southwest off the shores of Zingara. From there, players will travel to their
homelands (Aquilonia, Cimmeria and Stygia) to enter the multiplayer experience.
The Border Kingdom between Cimmeria and Aquilonia will be where guilds will be
able to build cities and even castles that can be attacked by other guilds. The
description of the nations were taken mostly from the Hyborian Age homepage.
As for the timeline the game will be set in: the official FAQ at
ageofconan.com says that "The setting is chronologically directly after the
Robert E. Howard book ¡°The Hour of the Dragon¡±, in the era when Conan was king
of Aquilonia."
It?s not clear how many months or years after "The
Hour of the Dragon" the game will be set in. After Robert Jordan?s "A Conan
Chronology", Conan won against Xaltotun in the year 1294 A.A. (Aquilonian Age).
Aquilonia
The foremost
of the Hyborean kingdoms during Conan?s time, situated east of the Pictish
wilderness, west of Nemedia, north of Zingara and Ophir, and south of Cimmeria.
Aquilonia apparently had a pleasant, temperate climate rather like that
of modern France or Germany. The Border Range of Nemedia naturally delineated
its borders on the east, the thickly forested hills of Cimmeria to the north,
the large Thunder River to the west, and the Tybor River in the south. Another
area of rugged mountains arose in the southern province of Poitain, which was
flanked by the Alimane and Khorotas Rivers.
The
frontier region of Westermarck between the Thunder and Black Rivers was thinly
settled and beleaguered by Picts. Certain barons sponsored its provinces of
Oriskonie, Conawaga, and Schohira. Thandara was independent. East of the Thunder
River and curving northward toward the Cimmerian lands lay the narrow buffer
province called the Bossonian Marches, or Bossonia. The nobles of Aquilonia were
apparently not able to extend their sway over the staunch villagers of this
region.
Another enclave that resisted the power of Aquilonian nobility
was Gunderland in the far northwestern hills. Its ancient people, of the purest
Hyborean stock, "never considered themselves exactly Aquilonians" (according to
Howard).
Among the other provinces or counties mentioned in the Saga
were Pellia (the only region ruled by a prince), Tauran, Couthen, Manara, Thune,
Raman, and Karaban. Baronies mentioned include Kormon, Torh, Amilius, Lor,
Imius, and Attalus.
The capital of Aquilonia was Tarantia, lying on the
Road of Kings, the main east-west trade route of the Hyborian world. Interior
Aquilonia was well drained by the rivers Shirki, Khorotas, Ossar, Fury, and the
presumed Valkia. East of the Shirki and extending nearly to the foothills of the
Border Range of Nemedia lay fertile plains interspersed with "tame" woodlands.
Before Conan became king, much of the good cropland was sequestered by
the aristocracy for use as hunting preserves, forcing the expanding population
into risky colonizing ventures in Westermarck.
The other nations
neighboring Aquilonia (that are not yet part of AoC) are described here.
Old Tarantia
Called the "most princely city of the world?s West" by chroniclers far
and wide, Tarantia is a sprawling city of wonders and the capitol of Aquilonia.
Its skyline is dotted with towers of blue and gold, and many of its buildings
are clean and dazzling to behold.
Created in layers, like rumpled cloth
against the cliffs of the Khorotas River, Tarantia has several distinctive areas
separated by walls and tiers both physical and societal. Possibly the most
famous of these sections, unsurprisingly, is Old Tarantia.
Old Tarantia
sits at the end of a huge bridge that leads to the rest of the bustling city,
divided elsewhere by high walls and guarded gates. It uses its own docks and has
a massive gate sitting on the Road of Kings. All are patrolled regularly, and
watched for dangerous visitors. It is the root of the city itself, where the
rest of the capitol grew outward from, and is the base of the royal palace of
King Conan himself. The shining towers of the palace rise high into the sky,
overlooking the rest of the city and, some might say, the rest of Aquilonia.
Old
Tarantia is not an example of your typical Hyborian city by any means. The
streets are clean and devoid of miscreants, the businesses do their best not to
charge too high of prices for their wares, and common crime is veritably
non-existent. The elite bodyguard unit of the King, the Black Dragons, patrols
the palace grounds constantly and can even be found outside its walls from time
to time. Few are foolhardy enough to deal with these strapping soldiers, making
most criminals look elsewhere to ply their illegal trades. It is a safe city for
those who abide by King Conan?s laws, and where many come to shop and see the
beautiful city with their own eyes.
There is far more going on beneath
the shining surface of Old Tarantia than simply the rise of admiration and awe.
Just because it isn?t crawling with muggers and pickpockets on the streets
doesn?t mean that the city is without a darker element. Nobles that are not
pleased with a Cimmerian on the throne are constantly scheming and pushing
pieces around their political chessboard, some willing to sacrifice many pawns
to get closer to their way. King Conan made many enemies in his winding road to
power. Some died at his hands, but many escaped the edge of his sword. With King
Conan on the throne, the brilliant beacon of civilization that Old Tarantia is
might just attract these enemies like vultures to a corpse.
Baracha
Isles
There are no native peoples living in the Baracha Islands. The
population is composed of seafarers, primarily from Argos. The islands form a
dense cluster and range in size from rocky shoals to sizeable points of land.
The waters are treacherous (either with strange currents or hidden reefs),
making it a haven for pirates.
The
population of the Baracha Isles is composed of pirates, most of whom come from
Argos. They live by raiding ships along the Zingaran coast. The pirates are
united (if only lose) in what they call "The Brotherhood" or "The Red
Brotherhood". The town Tortage is the only major settlement.
Border
Kingdom
Serving as a buffer state
between Nemedia and Brythunia and the more savage people of the north, the
Border Kingdom was probably the last Hyborian nation to be founded. The country
also serves as a trade route for merchants trying to avoid the strict taxes of
Nemedia. A sad wilderness with deserted, disconsolate marshlands.
On the
fringes of the great Salt Marsh within the Border Kingdom, a new power is
quickly developing. Strengthened by a surprising volume of trade (which travels
northward to avoid high Nemedian Tariffs) and by a harsh but brilliant
leadership composed mostly of exiled Aquilonian and Nemedian families, the young
border Kingdom lies poised on the brink of empire ... if only the fledgling
Kingdom can stave off the early territorial appetites of its larger neighbors.
Cimmeria
A nation of
barbarian tribes situated north of Aquilonia and separated from it by a narrow
strip of the Bossonian Marches and Gunderland. The Pictish Wilderness lay to the
west of Cimmeria. The high Eiglophian Mountains walled off the country from
Vanaheim and Asgard on the north.
Cimmeria,
birthplace of Conan, was an unremittingly somber land, "all of hills, darkly
wooded, under skies nearly always gray, with winds moaning drearily down the
valleys". The people were the direct descendants of vanished Atlanteans. They
were tall and powerful, with dark hair and blue or gray eyes. Cimmerian tribes
existed contemporaneously with Atlantis, intermarrying with Atlantean colonists
on the Thurian continent prior to the Cataclysm.
In the year 1262
A.A.Aquilonia tried to build settlements at the southern cimmerian borders and
event built a fort on cimmerian soil by the name of Venarium. 1263 A.A. that
fort was completly destroyed by an army of united cimmerian clans. After that
Aquilonia never again tried to invade Cimmeria.
Broken Leg Glen
Typical for Cimmeria, Broken Leg Glen is a deep valley surrounded by
steep mountains and cut by a cold river running through its center. Positioned
between the controversial Venarium and the battle-torn Conall?s Valley, it has
its share of travelers simply "passing through" to reach other parts of Cimmeria
beckoning to their sense of adventure.
Some may come just to see the
stretch of land that gave birth to King Conan himself, and the rest of Clan
Conarch. . For those who choose or are chosen to stay in the Glen, they are
likely to have adventure thrown upon them.
The
rocky soil and frequent rains and snows, depending on the season, make
agriculture a difficult endeavor that many families simply do not have the
resources to maintain. Even so, there is a life to be carved from the Broken Leg
Glen, and many do. There is a rather large village, at least by Cimmerian
standards, that is home to many. It is arguably the most civilized settlement in
the nation, and is home to a number of families. A large waterwheel-driven grain
mill grinds out flour and mash for the Glen?s families to use, powered by the
cold water that rushes down the river from the mountaintops.
Game
animals are plentiful and hunting is a household practice. Some families have
taken to raising livestock, keeping them in small numbers to avoid attracting
the numerous predators that stalk the forests. Bears and wolves are a constant
threat to lone travelers. These mighty hunters have been responsible for the
deaths or disappearances of livestock, children, and even full grown villagers.
The beasts of Broken Leg Glen are hardly the only threats, however. With
the red-haired Vanir moving in on nearby territories from the frozen north every
week, there have already been "Vanir sightings" in the Glen. Some dismiss these
as rumor; others are already sharpening their axes and tightening their armor
straps down for an impending battle. Some wonder that they may be coming for
simple conquest; others believe they are after the renowned blue iron ore that
is used to make the fabled Cimmerian Blue Steel. The mysterious and powerful
metal would be a boon to an invading force to be sure, if they could also steal
the secrets to forge it.
The invasion is not the only thing that keeps
Broken Leg Glen at arms. There are darker rumors too; whispers of a deeper evil
from the area?s past that has crept out of their nightmares. Likely it is
nothing more than old fears, but those who remember are not taking any chances.
Stygia
A southern kingdom bounded
by the Western Ocean on the west, the River Styx on the north and east, the
kingdoms of Kush, Darfar, and Keshan on the South. The terrain of Stygia is not
well described in the Saga. There are forests, marshes, and numerous islands
along the western coast; but inland the land seems mostly to have been a
featureless desert, dotted with tombs and sinister ruins. In the south-central
grasslands were the ghost-haunted Swamps of the Purple Lotus. The jungle
rainforest began near the frontier with Darfar and Keshan. There were more
grasslands and a portion of the Southern Desert at the frontier with Kush.
Cultivated lands lay along the great river.
The Stygians were a
mysterious people, the ruling elite tall, dusky, hawk-nosed, and haughty while
the lower classes were a mixture of Negroid, Stygian, Shemite, and Hyborian
stock. Stygia was a decadent nation and its total population must have been very
small. Certainly arable land was in short supply, apparently being found only
along the Styx. (If the presumed wetter climate of the Hyborian Age held true,
Stygia should not have been a vast desert. Maybe the Stygians themselves had
something to do with the devastation of the landscape.)
At
its greatest extent, the Old Stygian Empire embraced the lands of Shem, western
Koth, Ophir, and Corinthia, as well as part of the Eastern Desert. Acheron may
have taken over the northern satellites just prior to the Hyborian invasions.
Stygians were driven out of Shem by Hyborian-Kothic invaders.
During
Conan?s time the nation represented an undefined menace of ancient sorcery.
Khemi
Sitting on the south shore of the River Styx joining with the Western
Sea, Khemi is a stark vision of black walls and looming citadels. It is the
priestly capitol of Stygia, making it essentially the most powerful city in the
entire nation.
It is a major seaport for the serpent kingdom, but keeps
only a sparse navy in its docks. Few would ever try to war with Stygia from the
sea, as their connection with the dark god Set is paramount and fear-inspiring.
Even those who question faith think twice about crossing the priesthood.
Khemi is scattered with castle-like estates of the Stygian nobility,
some standing proudly while others have been allowed to wither away into ruin.
Above all the citadels, the walls, and the towering castles is a gigantic black
pyramid¡ªthe resting place of the very coils of Set himself, or so they say.
There is a great deal to back up such superstitious claims, as serpents of many
breeds and sizes slither through the city streets freely. In fact, these beasts
are protected by Stygian law, and even those attacked by the creatures are
expected not to fight back. At night, the scaled swarms grow aggressive, and the
very shadows of Khemi writhe with reptilian life and the echoing cries of death.
The city itself is barred from ocean travelers by the rocky island port
of Akhet, or Tortoise Island. It is used as a barrier to the rest of the city
proper, buffering infidel foreigners from the ¡°holy city¡± proper. Always buzzing
with visiting travelers, traders and merchants from all over, Akhet is the
closest that many foreigners ever get to Khemi itself.
Even inside the
city there are areas that are not commonly traveled. Stygia is a land of social
castes, setting a pecking order that can be as deadly as the natural selections
of the desert hyenas. Areas like the Horn are dominated and populated by the
priesthood, who are the sole keepers of the monuments, temples and gardens found
there. The holiest of Set¡¯s children worship here, and disallow those not of the
faith to walk amidst the sacred buildings. There is also the Odji district,
where slaves are bought and sold and the light of day seems unwilling to fight
the darkness of alleyways and awning-covered streets. Odji is deadly and
dangerous, even for those who did not arrive there in chains or a cage. It is
close to the harbor, and only a select few merchant traders are ever allowed to
come here. There is a fortune to be made or lost, depending on what end of the
life-trade someone finds themselves.
Khemi is a massive reminder that
the dark god Set truly rules Stygia through the ironclad coils of his powerful
clergy. Those who come here, especially those who manage to get beyond Akhet,
will find all the pleasures, terrors, and adventures of Stygia lurking in the
shadows of Set¡¯s city.
