Harthera, (arch.) Haretherah, U-Hartrah

The northeast region of the continent of AnasThias: traditionally bound in the west by the Dun Jaen mountains, and south by the Gulf of Narill (although the border is now further south).

Ranges from temperate maritime with very heavy rainfall in the north, to very warm and dry in the south, particularly in the interior.

The vast expanse of Harthera can be roughly divided into three regions. The north coastal region is maritime, damp and buffeted by stormfloods and rain. The north coast has an extensive shallow shelf making much of it hazardous to shipping, with only a few deepwater ports. Conversely it is rich in marginal sea life, the staple foodstuffs for the north of the country. The central region was once heavily virid-forested, but was gradually cleared over the last millennium to create a large arable plain. The far southern and western regions are rocky and rugged, interspersed with pockets of virid forest. The country is bordered to the west by the towering plateaux of the Dun Jaen, and to the south by the 'Broken Lands', a maze of sharp-edged rift valleys.

Military-bureaucratic oligarchy

The history of the region is long and tortuous, but the modern nation's history begins with the Junda conquest of the city of Vahldoya - modern-day Vultore. This began a new civilisation, fusing the tough pragmatism of the Junda with the skills and acuity of Saloya, an uneasy mix that led to Harthera gradually conquering its neighbours to form a vast empire, swallowing up neighbouring kingdoms and the failing eastern provinces of the old Dor-en-Sann Empire. The Dun Jaen mountains and the rise of Orror checked the nation's policy of expansion, and a number of border wars have led to a period of uneasy peace. Less than a century ago border wars with Anarthis led to Harthera annexing the Narill peninsula, and Harthera is now in the process of colonising many islands in the Natorn Sea, with eyes on many other island treasures. Its empire continues to expand, aided by its powerful command of the sea and innovative technology.