Andor

[Chris]

map of nation
Capital	Caemlyn
Population Happiness	75/100
Military	The standing army including Queens guard reaches 38,500 men in total (light cavalry and heavy infantry)
Details	Andor is one of the strongest countries in the Westlands of the main continent. It is located in the middle of the Westlands, and is one of the largest nations. Andor is one of the oldest nations in the world. It was founded during the War of the Hundred Years. Many of Andor's traditions were established during these early years. Unlike many nobles of the time, Queen Ishara, Andor's first ruler, realized that no one ruler would be able to take control of Hawkwing's entire empire. Instead, she focused on controlling only what she could. As a result, Andor began only with the capital city of Caemlyn and the small surrounding villages. Cautious expansion marked the reigns of the early queens of Andor. The oldest tradition of Andor is that only a queen may sit on the Lion Throne of Andor, and wear the Rose Crown. However it wasn't intended that a queen would always rule- it just so happened that the first two Queens of Andor's sons were killed and so their daughters became queens. After this it became tradition that a queen would rule. The eldest daughter is known as the Daughter-Heir, and is always sent to Tar Valon to study. The eldest brother of the Daughter-Heir is sworn to protect her with his life, and is prepared from an early age to take upon himself the title of First Prince of the Sword and control of Andor's army. Andor is a powerful nation, with a substantial army consisting primarily of the Queen's Guards. Throughout history, Andor has been under almost constant pressure from neighboring countries. Andor and Cairhien have been at war more times than any two countries except for Tear and Illian. Often-lawless Murandy, south of Andor, is the source of many border incursions which the Queen's Guards must fend off; conversely, the Andoran forces at the Murandian border have resulted in Andor having a strong hand in Murandian politics. The Children of the Light have always had a reason to dislike Andor, as the Daughter-Heir always studies in the White Tower. As is the case in many countries, the capital city of Caemlyn and the surrounding area is home to most of the nation's population. Other regions of the country are identified with cities or large towns, or prominent geographical features. [edit] Caemlyn Caemlyn is the capital city of Andor, second in beauty only to Tar Valon. The city of Caemlyn is actually made up of two cities, the New City and the Inner City. The New City, less than two thousand years old, was constructed exclusively by humans, surrounding but largely to the north of the Inner City. The ancient Inner City, on the other hand, was constructed by Ogier much earlier on the hills. The entire city is encircled by a fifty-foot wall; the Inner City itself is also surrounded by a wall. Certainly the most impressive building in the Inner City is the Royal Palace, which serves as the seat of government for Andor. Aridhol was one of the Ten Nations that emerged after the Breaking of the world. The small portion of Andor on the northern shore of the River Arinelle (from west of the River Arinelle's upper north-south branch to the east of the River Haevin) is often referred to by Andorans as Aridhol. Though admittedly small, the notoriety of the area seems to call for a separate identification. Whether the location of the ancient capital city, also called Aridhol and more recently known as Shadar Logoth, falls within this small region is difficult to distinguish from the maps. The fluidity of the Andorran border extending into this unclaimed wilderness region further complicates the question. Virtually no humans permanently live in this area in the New Era. A river located in Andor just Northeast of Baerlon. The Arinelle runs almost completely North and South with a slight angling to the East and West respectively. The Arinelle also seems to be located in the ancient capital city of Aridhol, in Andor, or it simply marks the general western borderline of Aridhol. Baerlon is the primary city of western Andor, though far smaller than huge Caemlyn in the east. Primarily a mining town, it serves as a resting point for merchants buying metals from the mines in the Mountains of Mist or tabac and wool from the Two Rivers to the more populous eastern half of Andor. Four Kings is a town on the Caemlyn Road in between Caemlyn and Whitebridge. Many merchants stop here on their way to Caemlyn. The area in Andor west and south of River Manetherendrelle (also called the White River) is a long stretch of land approximately 400 miles east to west, though never more than 100 miles wide (north to south), and tapering at both ends. Though some have misrepresented this area as well inhabited, it is in fact largely taken up by the Forest of Shadows, and very sparsely populated. In the New Era, Andorans are very afraid of strange forests, and this one (which has a sinister reputation stretching back centuries) in particular. Although a rather beautiful mountain lake and valley, the Misty Lake & Valley are barely acknowledged by Andor, and in fact the exact boundary is not clear and is constantly being argued. Ever since the disappearance of the ancient nation of Almoth well over four hundred years ago, only the nation of Andor has ever laid claim to any of this territory. Due to its location high in the Mountains of Mist, and it proximity to the sinister Sand Hills and Darkwood, it is largely uninhabited---with the exception of the northwestern corner of the lake valley. This small area is reached by The Katar Road from the city-state of Katar, and is nominally claimed by Katar. The mountains of mist are a mountain range that has a bad reputation,of being bad luck to even stand at the foot hills. It is primarily inhabited by wolves, bears and other predators and an abundance of deer and rabbit but there are mining camps for gold, copper, and iron. For lack of a better term, the area comprising the headwaters of the River Cory and northern foothills of Kintara is called the "Southlands" of Andor. One well-known town towards the west of Andor is Whitebridge, so named for the large bridge which crosses the River Arinelle into the town. The bridge itself is said to look like glass and when newcomers cross it they often wonder how the bridge holds them. All that is left of this monument are a few remains. It is at a site selected by Artur Hawkwing himself to be the place for his new capital after he had conquered all the Western landsThe monument itself was financed and built by the common people of his empire, despite the fact he did not want such a thing.An old tower with no apparent doors, the Tower of Ghenjei is situated within the borders of Andor. Known only to a few people is its great secret: it provides a way to go to the land of the Aelfinn and Eelfinn without the need to use a special ter'angreal. Andor's strength comes from its wealth. Much of this is generated in the Mountains of Mist, far to the west of central Andor. Gold, silver, iron, and copper are extracted from the rich mines in these mountains. Most of this metal is refined in the smelters near the mines. The strength which must be expended to retain the valuable mines in the Mountains of Mist means that other outlying regions of Andor have been virtually forgotten. Men wear woolen or silk trousers, shirt and coat. Coats are worn with turned-back cuffs and turned-up collars; those of the nobility are usually embroidered. Women usually wear belted dresses with high, squared necklines and fitted sleeves; many have embroidery. Commoners usually wear wool (with higher necklines and aprons); nobility wear silk, embroidered with metallic thread, and belts. Arien is a village on the Caemlyn Road in Andor between Whitebridge and Four Kings. Breen's Spring is a village on the Caemlyn Road in Andor. It is located between Four Kings and Carysford. Carysford is a large village or small town located on the banks of the River Cary, a day or two's ride west of Caemlyn in Andor and not far downriver from its source. It is where the Caemlyn Road crosses the river on its way to the capital. The village consists of neat, vine-covered brick houses and is fairly peaceful. The ford itself has long been bridged over, although the bridge is not kept in the best of conditions. Cullen's Crossing is small village in Andor near Caemlyn. Danabar is a location in AndorIt is located in mountainous countryside in the vicinity of the Lugard Road, although not within easy reach of it. Market Sheran is a village on the Caemlyn Road in Andor. It is located between Four Kings and Carysford. New Braem is one of the larger towns in Andor. It is located in Braem Wood and serves as an administrative and trading centre for the surrounding villages, such as Kore Springs and Jornhill. It is speculated that New Braem lies on or closr to the main highway linking Caemlyn to Tar Valon. The town is built near the ruins of Braem, an Ogier-built city of Coremanda, one of the Ten Nations destroyed in the Trolloc Wars.