Impiltur

Today, Impiltur consists of all land east of the Earthspur mountains and west of the Easting Reach, bounded on the south by the Sea of Fallen Stars, and on the north by Damara, the Rawlinswood, and the Giantspire Mountains.

Traditionally, the land is divided into "north" and "south", corresponding to the different sides of the Weirdingflow. "North" connotes many things, including the Cymry and Darmoneii people, the relative newness of advanced construction (castles, roads, cathedarals, etc), the historically lower population, and the perceived warlike nature of its inhabitants. Whereas, "South" connotes the Chessen and Chondathan races, large, mercantile cities, complex government, and the dominance of the Church of the Lords Assembled.

In some cases, these connotations are ironic, such as the south being "old", when in fact the north has been continuously inhabited by men since time immemorial, and first saw a human king almost 1,000 years before the south bore one. Historians understand these ironies, but they are lost on the common Impilturan citizen.

Northern Impiltur

Northern Impiltur, defined as all of Impiltur north of the Weirdingflow, is the ancestral homeland of the Cymry and Darmoneii people. The former retain their modern cultural identity; the latter have since given rise to the Damaran race, and lent their racial characteristics to the unique heredity of other Impilturan ethnicities. The two major subregions of the North correspond roughly to the ancestral lands of the two races: the coastal regions were favored by the Darmoneii, while the uplands were home to the Cymry.

Impiltur, north of the Weirdingflow, is dominated by the Earthspur Mountains. The majority of the terrain in the North is either mountainous, hilly, or a plateau, all part of the mountain system. Only the lands closest to the Easting Reach are near to sea level. This rough terrain long thwarted attempts to turn the land to agriculture.

Much of the uplands were historically covered by a single, great forest known as The Weald. In fact, before the rise of Narfell, the forest was contiguous with the Rawlinswood, and through that to the Forest of Lethyr. Today, the forest remains only in the furthest-flung upland duchies of Borca and Cirdan. This is largely because of the destruction wrought by Narfell during their invasion; only some of the deforestation is the result of logging and agriculture, though the latter is rapidly beginning to erode at the remaining woodlands.

====Duchies====

The Duchy of Onder is the southernmost duchy north of the Weirdingflow. Its lands are mostly gently rolling hills, terminating in sharp cliffs along the coast. This land produces wool, dairy products, and meat.

The Duchy of Bluet is based on the west bank of the Bluefang Water. Its borders correspond roughly to ancient lines of demarcation between the stubborn people of the highlands and the more easily-pacified people of the coast. It is comprised of hilly plains in the south and marsh in the north, where it abuts the great lake. The hills produce copper, while the plains bear herd animals well enough. The marsh is not especially productive, but the coast of the Bluefang produces a wealth of fish and abundant freshwater pearls.

The Duchy of Borca is heavily forested in all but its southern foothills. Its people work the forest, providing game, timber, and various exotic products, including spider silk from the forest's legendary dire spiders.

The Duchy of Cirdan contains the highest-elevated points in the realm. Much of the duchy is mountainous, with a small, fertile valley nestled between them, and the southernmost reach of another valley--the bulk of which is not part of the realm--along the northern border. The mountains produce the majority of the realm's silver.

The Utter North

Beyond the traditional "north" of Impiltur are the lands now part of the duchies of Illtower, Highvale, The Reach, and Yoric. The addition of these lands to the realm is relatively recent, with some of the lands, particularly those east of Ilmwatch, being acquired in the current generation.

Historically, much of The Reach, and virtually all of Yoric and Illtower were not part of Impiltur, as they were too far-flung to rule from distant Lyrabar. However, during the Elethlim Dynasty, the North grew in population and importance, eventually bringing the lands further north into focus. The Reach was slowly expanded as more and more enterprising farmers accepted land grants. Eventually, these efforts reached modern Illtower.

As for Highvale and Yoric, these were traditionally dwarven lands. In the 9th century DR, the diplomatic efforts of Cyrus Becket saw the lands, mostly unused by the shrinking dwarven population, opened for use by river traders. This soon led to grants of land for agriculture along what is today the Great Imphras River. Ultimately, the dwarves of Highvale would join the realm as a duchy, ceding the valley south of their clan holds to form what is today Yoric.

• The Most Holy Order of the Sacred Shrike
• The Church of the Lords Assembled