The 17h of Albicene, 495 D.E.
I hope to be able to present you a short list of all of the countries in Samoth that are known to me. I beg your forgiveness, Dear Reader, for not having visited all of these countries myself. I have therefore spent the past several years gathering writings from various travelers and collecting them into this volume for your education. A book of this length cannot hope to paint a complete in-depth picture of all of these countries. Readers who desire more infor-mation are referred to works dedicated to the country in question. Of particular note are the following: Tenne Preto's History of the Venkish Raids of Northern Buchlayne, Lotharn Hollarm's Courriseux: Culture and Customs and Civilization of Buchlayne Minor (author unknown).
I give you here transcriptions of three interviews I have conducted regarding the countries of Esor�a, the Imperial Theocracy, and Kovlich.
Esor�a - notes from the diary of Darg Tas (known as El Rojo), the Goblin Prelate of Barrid
"Ah, what can one say about Esor�a except that it is, quite simply, the country of the higest culture in the known world. As the home of the Pontifex Rex of Universal �tonism, all citizens of Esor�a can rejoice in the holy presence of His Eminence.
"We are located in the southwestern portion of the Buchlayne, and thus have a very mild climate. Our most powerful force is the influence of His Eminence and the Church of Universal �tonism. Praise �ton, we in Esor�a adopted the �tonist Mandate in 480 D.E. Put simply, the Mandate requires worship of �ton, or death. The religious leaders of Esor�a were at the forefront of our right against the non-believers, and set up the Blessed Illumi-nation to find and convert non-�tonists. The Universal �tonist Church has also, from time to time, hired specialists, the so-called "witch-hunters", who operate independently to weed out non-believers and other undesirables. At the present time, these undesirables include Dwarves and Orcs, who have so far refused the Eternal Glory and Enlightenment of �ton.
"His Eminence, the Pontifex Rex, is the supreme ruler of Universal �tonism and lives in the Holy Temple in Arile. As such, His Eminence is in reality the actual ruler of Esor�a and most of the Western World. His Eminence appoints all Archclerics and Prelates of the faith, can override the Blessed Illumination, sets religious doctrine, and appoints the Council of High Patriarchs.
"The Archclerics and Prelates are essentially the rulers of their assigned cities in Esor�a. They have secretaries, guards, and tribunes working underneath them. The Universal �tonist Church is therefore also the headquarters of the political system for each particular city. Some Prelates rule over two or three small cities at once. They employ "Jimalates", a sub-Prelate rank named after one of the earliest Aetonist converts. After the Archclerics, Prelates, and Jimalates, come the High Priests, Priests, and Lay Priests.
"Also to be found in our glorious country is the headquarters of the Order of the Poor Soldiers of the Grand Basilica of Dorren (of Knights Basilicar). This once powerful group of crusading knights at one time held immense power in the Buchlayne. They have become somewhat complacent, in my opinion, and do not deserve the riches and lands that they own. They have not crusaded for decades and I, for one, wonder why they continue to amass such great wealth. I am at a loss to explain how they have the ear of His Eminence, but it is not for me to question.
"One could not ask for a more peaceful, beautiful, or powerful country. As we are the center of �tonism, so we are the center of the world, and the Universe. Praise be to �ton."
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Prelate Tas' description of Esor�a is colorful, if not one-sided and overly concerned with Aetonist doctrine. I will try to fill in some of the gaps.
It is true that the Pontifex Rex of Universal �tonism resides in the city of Arile (and, in fact, the surrounding lands are actually owned by the �tonist Church). However, Tas' claim that His Eminence is the actual ruler of Esor�a is somewhat misguided. The rulers of Esor�a are a King and Queen. Religious and secular leaders are intermingled in Esor�a with no clear def-inition of duties. While the Pontifex Rex is the leader of �tonism in Esor�a (and, indeed, the world as a whole), the King and Queen actually have authority over the Blessed Illumination. In my humble opinion, the Illumination is less concerned with converting people than it is with torturing and killing them. While they may have a holy purpose, I do not agree with all their methods, which are brutish and cruel.
Another group in operation in Esor�a is the Hernandes, or "Brotherhood", a government-sponsored group of horsemen who patrol the countryside and are supposed to protect the innocent. They are little more than a gang, and usually end up breaking the laws in order to
