Altara

[Chris]

Capital	Ebou Dar
Public Happiness	30/100
Military power	Perhaps somewhere in the order of 10,000 men, mixtue of light cavalry and light infantry
Details	Altara is a country located in the south-central part of the Westlands. The River Eldar forms its western border with Amadicia, and is adjacent to Illian in the east. Altara was founded during the War of the Hundred Years, unified by a founder named Maddin. Like Murandy, the rulers of Altara never ruled more than a small amount of territory around the capital city with the remaining nobles acting autonomously, and only held the nation together out of fear of being absorbed by their neighbours. Outside Ebou Dar, the country's inhabitants tend to associate themselves with a particular town or lord rather than the nation as a whole. Women in Altara are dominant, especially in Ebou Dar. In many situations an Altaran woman has the right to kill a man unquestioned. Knives and swords are an important part of Altaran life. Both men and women fight duels over trivial disputes, often with fatal results. Altaran women carry marriage knives, which serve both as a formal way to broadcast marital status (its color and decorations describe marital and motherly status), and an easy method of disciplining their men. Seemingly a retreat for women, there is a farm located several miles northeast of Ebou Dar and north of the Rhannon Hills. In actuality, it is run by and is a refuge for the Kin, a group of runaways and novices cast out of the White Tower. Ebou Dar is the capital city of Altara, located on the southern coast, straddling the River Eldar. The city is built around a large bay, with the river dividing it in two. One side contains the palaces, homes and shops of the upper and middle classes, the other, known as Rahad, is home of the lower classes in the Ebou Dar society. Ebou Dar is a beautiful city with pale white buildings and plenty of canals. Transportation is easy on the passenger canal boats as well as on the broad streets and bridges. Large buildings and palaces are scattered throughout the city, the palaces richly decorated with tall spires or domes in the shapes of turnips or pears, emblazoned with bands of crimson, blue and gold. The city is surrounded by a very thick white wall, which has three main gates, the Moldaine Gate, the Three Towers Gate and the Dal Eira Gate, as well as several minor ones. Throughout the city paved squares are very common, often contining a fountain bubbling water, a large statue, or both. Out of these squares, the Mol Hara square is by far the largest. At its center stands a statue of a woman with one arm raised as to point toward the sea. One entire side of the Mol Hara square is dominated by the gleaming white Tarasin palace, home of the current ruler of Altara. On the other side of the River Eldar lies Rahad, the area of Ebou Dar where the less fortunate in life make their living. The streets in Rahad are often narrow alleys, with buildings standing as high as five or six stories above the ground. The streets are filled with the refuse of the inhabitants. Rahad is no doubt a very dangerous place. Not only are duels very frequent, some adversaries do not even bother with the formalities and simply stab their victims in the back. Ebou Dar celebrates more festivals and feastdays than any other city on the map. Coramen is a town in Altara on the east bank of the Eldar, opposite Alkindar. It is a small walled town of stone buildings with tile roofs and half a dozen docks, surrounded by hilly ridged country. Malden is a city in northern Altara. The houses there are slate-roofed and built of timber or stone and the city it is encircled by a stone wall. The main commerce of the city is wool and wine. There is a fortress in the north-east corner. Nor Chasen is a port on the south coast of Altara, located east of Ebou Dar. Its precise location is uncertain, except that it isn't on Kabal Deep, where the coast does not possess any good harbourages. So Harbor is a town in northwest Altara. This large bustling town lies next to a significantly sized river. So Tehar is a small village in Altara. It is a scruffy collection of white-plastered bricks and flies.