DAWNRIM (Kingdom of)

Location: Bellissaria, west of southern Skothar, southeast of Aquas.

Area: 255,900 sq. mi. (662,781 sq. km.).

Population: 28,000 (5,000 in Alinquin).

Language: Alphatian.

Coinage: Crown (gp), mirror (sp), judge (cp).

Taxes: 15% on everyone of servant status or higher and an import tax of 1% (NACE kingdoms and Karameikos excluded). 10% goes to the imperial treasury.

Government Type: Semiautonomous monarchy owing loyalty to the NACE.

Industries: Agriculture, fishing, and herding.

Important Figures: Teskilion (King and General, human, male, F13).

Flora and Fauna: With few indigenous monsters, Dawnrim benefits as most of its animal life is of the domesticated type. Even the bulk of its wildlife was brought in from elsewhere.

Further Reading: Dawn of the Emperors boxed set, previous almanacs.

Description by Thalia.

The kingdom of Dawnrim came as a complete surprise to me. Whereas most of the NACE kingdoms are rather flashy, this one tended to be... well... pretty plain. We really did not stay within the kingdom long. We only stayed in Alinquin for three days, mainly to recover from the sea voyage and to garner supplies and horses for continuing our trip. Thereafter, we headed in an easterly direction for the kingdom of Lagrius.

The Land

Dawnrim is a rather large kingdom on the western coast of the continent of Bellissaria. The majority of the kingdom is little more than open pasturage of various qualities. There is a sizable forest region in the kingdom's centre. The southernmost region boasts steadfast mountains. Allstrick had told me of a smaller forest to the north, though we never came within visual range of it.

The whole place is rather poor, reminding me much of Boldavia or some of the more landward communities of Karameikos. The coastal communities we saw were fishermen, while the landward populace focused upon herding livestock. Most communities tend to be little more than villages, hardly worth stopping in. Allstrick told me that this was the general rule for the entire kingdom. Even the kingdom's capital was a disappointment. I had expected much more.

The People

Those living in Dawnrim are little more than peasants, eking out an existence from their nets and herds. Though Alphatian, they lack the flash and theatrics of other Alphatian kingdoms we had seen. I will say this, the people of Dawnrim are fairly nice. I saw firsthand several obviously poor families offering us food and shelter for the night. Many tried to turn down our offers of payment. They seemed quite enamoured by our presence, especially after Allstrick and my own spellcasting abilities were discovered.

Even the kingdom's capital paled in comparison to cities and towns we had already seen. I was told that the kingdom has always been poor in regards to spellcasters... that would explain a great deal. There was a large contingent of troops in Alinquin. Allstrick pointed out and named at least [censored .Ed.] different kingdoms with troops present. This I can understand as the kingdom would be one of the firsts invaded if Bellissaria was ever threatened.

Recent History

From what I have been told Bellissarian kingdoms have always lived in the shadow of the Alphatian mainland, despite contributing the bulk of the empire's food stocks. From my understanding, this perception was not really objected to by the locals who valued their privacy. With all of the displaced Alphatians settling there now, I have to wonder how these people feel. Of course kingdoms like Dawnrim may benefit greatly from these new arrivals. In my opinion though, it may be more difficult to get the displaced persons to settle there. However, with Bellissaria assuming the role of the former mainland I do not see them as having much of a choice.

Don't Miss/Do Miss

Despite its poor nature, Dawnrim is fairly well settled (in comparison to other Bellissarian kingdoms anyway). A strong military presence and the low numbers of mages have kept hostile creatures to a minimum. This lack of mages has also had a side effect. Without divination spells, crime is a bit high within Alinquin. Though we experienced none of it, there was mention of a well-organized thieves' guild operating within the capital. In fact, aside from a lack of comfort our travel through Dawnrim was quite uneventful.