All At Sea - Sea Voyages on Lohwand

 Sea Voyages

Being a system for adjudicating the fate of fleets and supply convoys and the like around the seas and oceans of my Lohwand campaign. The assumption is that the seas are divided into movement zones and that each zone has a "Perilous Seas" rating which indicates how safe the stretch of water is. The rating equates to extra dice on the table, so the higher the value the more perilous the body of water. Hint: if it's called "The Sea of Storms" or the "The Sea of Chaos" then expect a higher rating than something more serenely named.

The second assumption is that if there is a fleet moving then there is an Admiral who decides when it sails and what route it takes. He may have advisors but the ultimate decision is his so his skill level is used for the roll. Pray that he knows what he is doing.

The method is to roll 3D10's as the Base dice, plus one "Fate Die", and "Perilous Seas" dice equal to the rating as mentioned above.  When the roll is made one is looking for Successes rolled on the Base Dice alone. The other dice are just there to see if they roll Zeroes (Z). 

Each roll <= the Admiral's Skill equals a success. At least one success is needed to arrive at the destination. If no Z are rolled then the fleet arrives without incident. If no S are rolled or Z > S then something has happened and one must check the Peril table to the right.

When rolling for Peril, there are two Cases, the first if the fleet or ship has reached the destination (i.e. one or more S have been rolled previously) and the second if there is a danger the fleet or ship has been lost at sea.

The number of Base dice are the number of Z rolled in the first instance, plus 1D10 per ship in the fleet. Successes are <= the Admiral's skill again, and the total number of S represents the number of ships in the fleet (in addition to the Admiral's ship) which have arrived safely at the destination. For each of the other ships in the fleet a roll must be made as in Case 2.

In Case 2 the same roll is made again, but for each ship, and rolled vs the individual Captain's skill. If at least one S is rolled then the ship arrives but is late, either at the destination or at the home port, having been forced to turn back. The delay is 1-5 days (1D10/2).

If no S are rolled then the ship is "Lost". In this instance we do not know the fate of the ship, they are merely not seen again, presumably lost at sea and drowned. Note that a later "Fate Roll" might reveal this fate, whether it turns out they were captured by Pirates or taken by Mermen, or dashed on the rocks with a few survivors struggling in to a nearby village.

Lohwand: A Cosmology, based on the writings of Timeon of Ar

 

The Cosmology of Lohwand,

as proposed by Timeon of Ar

When Timeon of Ar first proposed his cosmology of Lohwand he was still only a low circle adept reading at Leomund College in the Unseen University of Ar. But such was the impact that he was permitted to submit it as his devotional labour for the year, gaining his tenth circle ranking as a result. Many felt he deserved better: some even dared to suggest immediate promotion to initiate, even though this would have meant skipping the intervening ten senior adept circles. Most scoffed at the idea, however, and the Archchancellor never considered this for a moment, even if he did concede privately "that dang kid might be onto something."

Here then is my simpleminded attempt to explain Timeon's proposal as I understand it:

First and foremost is the concept of "Reality", governed by the Law rune as scholars have argued for centuries. This rune serves to contain three overlapping planes of existence: the ethereal reaches of the Spirit Plane, the Plane of the Five Elemental Lords, and the mundane Physical Plane - that is to say, the world around us.

Where the Spirit and Elemental planes intersect lies the Dreamlands, an ever-changing realm which can be reached by mortals via the Astral Plane, which Timeon describes vaguely as the sinews that holds everything in place.

The Underworld lies at the intersection of the Spirit and Physical Planes, again reachable via heroic questing on the Astral Plane. This is more the domain of the Priests and I leave further explanation to them.

At the junction of the Physical and Elemental Planes are the infinity of the Multi-spheres, what Timeon claimed as infinite versions of the Our World - and an infinite host of others - reaching forwards and backwards for all Time. Yeah, I understand that as well as you! Again, he claimed that travel to and between the spheres was possible, presumably via the Astral Plane. Timeon himself mentions passing through shell of one sphere into another, but nowhere does he mention how he thinks this could be done.

At the central intersection of the planes, Timeon posited that Time rested, he writes about it as if it were an entity. He also - heretically, I might add - stated that this was where the Great Old Gods originated and might still lurk. The Archdeacon had to over-rule many calls for a heresy trial at that claim!

This Construct of Reality, as Timeon termed it, resides floating on the Seas of Illusion, which in turn are encapsulated by the never-ending Void. Timeon claimed that the Void was a vast expanse of Pure Nothingness across which no person nor even any thought might traverse. "The Kid's Cuckoo!" many responded to this outrageous claim. I make no judgement either way.

Perhaps most disturbing was Timeon's assertion that Chaos was seeping back into the World. He depicted it as a sphere of volatile Chaos essence that is moving into the planes of Reality. He speculated that the Seas of Illusion had gradually eroded cracks in the protective Law Rune allowing Chaos to infiltrate our existence again. He gave examples, but all are too sensational - and, if true, horrifying - for me to relate. The Archdeacon is said to have studied these latter assertions at length, retiring to his chambers and calling on many great minds for lengthy consultation and debate. What his final verdict was, I know not, but it seems likely to me that in the end these accusation were dismissed as wild imaginings. On the other hand, Timeon was granted his circle advance, so who can say?

Note: This is background for my justification of Magic in my Lohwand campaign. No doubt readers will recognize the many sources I am borrowing from as inspiration. Apologies. :-)

Lohwand: The Tharkallan Legions Revisited

 

Detail of the 1st Cohort

Cohort Organization

After a year of focusing on 60mm figures, I have determined that the sort of battles I want to fight will require more units and larger numbers of figures. The 60mm figures are great and I still intend to use them for smaller battles, skirmishes and Gangs of Rome style games (I'm getting GoR bases printed in the correct size) however, I've decided to go down in scale for the large battles.

After a tentative stab at 25mm, which didn't work out to well (the figures received actually measuring 30-32mm!!!), I've settled on 15mm. The above EIR miniatures are from Museum Miniatures. I like the poses and I especially like that they have the same helmet crest as my 60mm plastics. 

Now that I've decided on a smaller scale figure I've been tinkering with organization and figure ratio. Another thing that has changed is that I know a little more about Roman legion organization than when I started the Lohwand Campaign. Following on Peter Connolly, I now know that the cohortes were organized in six centuries, each of eighty men, and that a common formation was three lines of two centuries each. Each century would be formed in ten files of eight ranks deep. So the whole cohort would be twenty men wide by twenty-four men deep. 

Quite a change from my original proposal which had a longer frontage rather than depth. Above you can see what I've more-or-less decided upon using a 1:40 figure ratio so each century is two figures strong. I found some nice bases - via the Big Red Bat (To The Strongest) - that are aligned the way I want them, short edge to the front.

I put the centurion in the front rank, and behind I've made a little command grouping of Optio, Signifer and Cornicen. I'll have to make sure the first cohort gets an Eagle! And for the overall legion I'll have to hunt down a Legate and an Imagifer.

The thing I'm wondering now is whether I should leave it as that, with the cohort the smallest element of maneuver, or should saw the bases so that I can array the centuries all in a single line? I'm thinking if I got a metal plate and then used the magnets with the holes already provided, that would hold the three-part cohort in place if I did cut it up, but still allow me to split the centuries up if required.

The pics below show the whole hypothetical legion arrayed in the triplex acies formation:

The triplex acies

The full legion of ten cohorts

Armatura X

 

Armatura X - Front

Armatura X - Back

The latest version as of Aug 11, 2021. The final version? Who can say?!

Note: I find that by opening each page "in it's own tab" (Right Click option) I can enlarge it to make it easily readable.

I have to start thinking about Battle Magic and about doing a functional "Cheat Sheet". My goal of getting a complete set of rules onto a single sheet of paper (back & front) is almost complete. Paper size: Tabloid (11" x 17") - which might be considered "cheating" b/c it is so large but I don't care. ;-)

Lohwand: Mapping the Tharkallan Empire

 

The central Heartland Provinces:

Jharkor, Dharijor and Dharjiin,

Tharkallan Empire

It has been awhile since I last posted, but that does not mean that I have been entirely idle. I've been plugging away at a variety of things: my Armatura rules, background development and map-making. 

The above screencap shows some of the recent progress in three of the central "Heartland" Provinces of the Tharkallan Empire. Some may recognize Nemedia Province, to the east, with Belverus and Ilisi as its main cities. South of that is Voria Province, with Rinliddi as its capital, and also featuring Zoria, the "City of Free Love". As with so much of my inspiration, this comes from Glorantha, specifically the Life of Moonson series of supplements. I was so taken by the plot and by the characters that I have gone to great lengths to incorporate them. My hope is to build them into the running of Tharkalla - the development of my nobility, and Imperial bureaucracy, took a great leap forward when I decided to do this.

Southeast of Voria, down next to Vonlath, the province of Bisset is still largely unmapped. The only things I really know about it is 1) the capital is Yuthuppa and 2) that the province went into revolt as a result of the Comet passing during The Year of the Comet. 

Southwest of Voria is the Heartland Province of Jharkor, with the capital city of Thark (and the Imperial City-within-a-City of Glamour, and Vernkor, the associated port city.) 

I've added some geographic features not shown on my world maps. The Lake of Vermillion Mists is inspired by a blogger that I follow, and is lifted, not quite in its entirety from his blog: From the Sorcerer's Skull.

West of Jharkor is the Heartland Province of Dharjiin, with Jord, the Ebon City, as its capital. This is where I was tinkering today, adding the Shadow's Dance, the Shadow Vale and the Castle of Lead. All lifted from Glorantha and all Troll-related. Gloranthan Trolls remember - not the D&D variety!

North of Dharjiin is the Heartland Province of Dharijor, with Alkoth as its capital. Alkoth is the home, just as it is in Glorantha, to the bat-shit crazy, fanatical devotees of Shargash the Destroyer, God of War. What are they like? Hint: "Kill You" is the name of one of their auxiliary cohortes. Per Glorantha fluff, the Alkothi hate Darjiini! No "Happy Families" in the Heartlands! South of Alkoth is the Henjarl, a vast swath of reeds and marshes. Western Dharijor is the County of Spol, again inspired by Glorantha and specifically by the Life of Moonson Characters. Kitor is the capital of the County. To the west of that is Shadow's Dance, Troll country, nestled in the Rockwood Mountains. As one approaches the Shadow's Dance one notices the light gradually dims, even at high noon, until around Kitor and in the foothills there is perpetual dusk during the day. This is a magical effect and is attributed to the proximity to the Castle of Lead and the strong Troll presence in the region. For those that don't know, Gloranthan Trolls are Darkness creatures, originating in the Underworld. There are five Elements in Lohwand, just as there are in Glorantha: Fire, Air, Water, Earth, and Darkness. Darkness Elementals are called "Shades" and Shadow's Dance gets its name because it is said the shadows move there.

On the far side of the Rockwood mountains are the two Heartland Provinces of Kostaddi (in the North) and Karasal (with its capital at Torquas) in the South. I have only begun to think about developing these areas.

Also of interest on the map are some small diamond-shaped symbols. I am using this symbol to represent forts. In Dharjiin, Jharkor and Voria these are Amazon hillforts. 

These are once again inspired in part by Glorantha. In Lohwand Amazons are somewhat like Celts, warlike tribes with chariots and warbands of infantry and only a few cavalry. Though they resemble human females they are not, strictly speaking, human; or not entirely so, perhaps, is a better way of putting it. Possibly they are a branch of humanity. As in Glorantha they are strongly associated with Tolat, a God of War and Lust. Their entire biology relates to the God, and so it may be they are Children of the God, rather than actual humans. "God-Born", is that a good term to use?

(To further complicate matters Shargash and Tolat are often equated with each other.)

Tolati Amazons do not mate with human males. Instead their birth cycle is tied to the meteor showers, i.e. manifestations of the God, that occur twice a year. A certain number of Tolati will become pregnant during these events and will give birth a season later, with the young growing to maturity after another season. 

Like I said, they are not human, strictly speaking. Whether they were in the past is another question. Of course, the Comet is an extreme event, being strongly associated with Tolat and resulting in a rapid [unlooked for and unwanted] population increase.

Most of the Tolati Amazons are in the Atlan Confederacy, to the east, off the map: Ologog, Oronin and Oraya are their Queendoms. But, as you can see, there are Tolati within the Empire as well. This roughly parallels the Gauls in Northern Italy during Roman times.

For figures I am using the Artizan Guild 3d printed Amazons, which I am up-scaling 185% to match my Expeditionary Force 60mm Romans. Note that LOD also make Amazons, but a number of things put me off. Firstly, when I attempted to order a bunch the online store claimed they could not ship to Canada (!) - this even though I had ordered online once before - and second, the poses are all based very closely on the art of various Ancient Greek vases. I said "very closely" and I mean it - I personally do not find many of the poses to be that useful. I am still going to get some: there is an Amazon Greek faction on Lohwand, and I want to mix the horse archers in with my Scythians.

Another mapping development is the mountainous barbarian land of Dunland. Inspired by? You guessed it: Tolkien's Dunlendings. Dunland is located on a plateau and consists of several tribes with a High King. The eastern tribal stronghold of Wintertop was stolen and taken over by The Exiles, the former nobility of Nemedia who fled there when their kingdom was conquered and incorporated into the Tharkallan Empire as Nemedia Province. This is once again inspired by Glorantha. :-)

Dunland

Dorastor and the Bossonian Marches

Lastly, here is the map of Dorastor. Gloranthaphiles will recognise the name as well. In Glorantha, Dorastor is a region steeped in Chaos, and most of the inhabitants are tainted by Chaos in some way, and so it is in Lohwand. 

The Tharkallan Empire takes much the same view of Chaos as the Lunar Empire does on Glorantha, though I want to stress that the two are not equivalents. I want the Tharkallan Empire to also have a bit of Granbreton from Michael Moorcock's Hawkmoon series, and also Melnibone from his Elric books. But right now, this is a bit of its Gloranthan inspiration. 

Dorastor is almost an unofficial province of the Empire. But the Bossonian Marches still exist to guard against the Chaos threat from Dorastor and also the Wenelian Forest Tribes that dwell in the Great Forest of Rist, off-map to the north. 

This is a work-in-process map. Shown are the forts garrisoned by auxiliaries like the Bossonian Longbowmen, and others. The southern river is the Oslir River, while the Black Eel River is the northern-most one. Beyond the Black Eel River is the Bush Range - another idea borrowed from Glorantha.

Here are the regions:

The Bossonian Marches

B1.1 to B1.6 East March

B2.1 to B2.x  River March (not shown yet)

B3.1 to B3.x  West March (not shown yet)

B4.1 to B4.x  The Bush Range (not shown yet)

Dorastor

D1.1 to D1.8 Hellwood

D2.1 to D2.6 Riskland

D3.1 to D3.3 Bonewood

D4.1 to D4.3 Ash Wastes

D5.1 to D5.5 West Poisonthorn

D6.1 to D6.5 East Poisonthorn

Orthanc

The Dorastor regions are much like their Gloranthan counterparts. Hellwood and Poisonthorn Forest are both inhabited by Elves, those in Hellwood bearing a chaos taint. Riskland is a region with a few hardy, and brave, Steaders.  Bonewood is a forest of petrified trees, while the Ash Wastes is as the name implies. 

Orthanc represents the only built-up area in the region, other than the Marcher Forts. Also called "The White Tower", it is a remnant of the Keoish Kingdom at a time when Chaos was thought vanquished from the area, but to guard against its return. It is still a place of powerful magic and so the chaos taint is almost nonexistent within its walls. 

The Lord of Orthanc is called Ralzakark - immediately recognizable to Gloranthaphiles! He takes the form of a Unicorn-headed Broo, typically clad in long white robes, and is as soft-spoken, and seemingly mild-mannered as any pampered, city-born aristocrat. He has a treaty with the Tharkallan Empire:

• Under that treaty he ensures that the Riskland homesteaders are not molested - at least not on a regular basis, nor by any of his own forces. 
• He also keeps open the old Keoish trade route north through the Great Forest of Rist, at least as far as the Last Fort, where some limited trade is conducted with Wenelian, and other forest tribes, such as the Tusk Riders. 
• He guarantees that Orthanc remains disease free. 
• Lastly - and this is not commonly known - he supplies legions of Sword Broo to serve in the Tharkallan armies in Granbreton. These are also guaranteed disease-free.

This is why I referred to Dorastor as an unofficial province of the Empire. This is all pretty much as in Glorantha, I think, with some tweaks here and there. 

Lohwand: Rivers of the Northlands

 

The Northlands

I only show eleven rivers in the entire Northlands, eight of them on the northern continent. There are, of course, many others too small to show at this scale - and as yet undiscovered for the most part, as I haven't developed much detail! I have added a few in the Tharkallan Heartlands Provinces as I develop them, and also a few large lakes as well.

Here are the names of the large rivers shown on the northern continent:

You might recognize some of the names! My usual sources: Middle Earth, Conan, Glorantha. The Drancus and the Drava are a tribute to the Albertine imagination campaign profiled in "Wargamer's Digest" articles over 40 years ago. The Ilisi river I think I actually came up with myself! ;-)

Lohwand: the Races of Lohwand

When I started my Lohwand campaign I had intended to leave out elves and dwarves and the like, particularly orcs and goblins. But fairly quickly I decided I wanted Tusk Riders, who are half-trolls. These are Gloranthan trolls, by the way, "Uz", not those that live under bridges. I have relented even further since and arrived at the above chart showing the main races. 

So, most civilized and most intelligent are the Vadhagh, which are Corum's race from Moorcock's Corum series (and possibly also Elric's race.)

The Mostali (Gloranthan Dwarves) are next in line with high civilization levels and high use of technology and science (= intelligence.)

Then come the Mabden (i.e. Mankind, using the term from the Corum books.) They are reasonably civilized with Empires and Kingdoms, but with some primitive, tribal cultures as well. They have some technological or sorcerous ability, reading and writing, mathematics, etc. At the most civilized levels, at least.

Then come the Uz (Gloranthan Trolls.) Not quite so intelligent, at least not in the way of using technology or the niceties of civilization, but not stupid either; they can be cunning and wily strategists, but tend to emphasize force over other means. Some species, such as Cave Trolls are very beast-like.

The Aldryami (Gloranthan Elves) are next. They are the basically plants, some very intelligent, others mindless, but all distinctly on the "wild" side.

Last are the Morlocks, an off-shoot of the Mabden race. As barbaric as in The Time Machine, with cunning to match Gollum.

Some characters for the "Life of Moonson"

I had also intended to paint all the figures for this campaign the same as I do for my Tekumel figures, using the Foundry South American flesh triad; the humans on Tekumel look like Mesoamericans, basically. 

That changed for a number of reasons:

1) I am gaming Lohwand with 60mm figures, of which I started with none. So since my campaign began I have been slowly accumulating forces. I picked up some Egyptian figures on eBay, intending them for part of my Stygia faction. They arrived and I found that the flesh was painted some sort of bluish shade, almost indigo. Hmm, I thought, perhaps not really that bad an idea for a place called "Stygia";

2) I picked up the Life of Moonson RPG aid on DriveThruRPG. This is a Gloranthan play-aid about political intrigue in the heart of the Imperial Lunar Court. Intended for a LARP run several times in the late 90's it is never-the-less a great product - IMO - and I'll never be using it for any LARP. Anyway, I noticed the art for some characters showed them with blue skin (see above image). I rather liked the imagery, so I thought here is another vote for blue-skinned humans in Lohwand;

3) Of course, after I had started thinking in that direction I naturally had to add green skinned humans as well - they are in Glorantha already, but also there are Orion slave girls to think about!

Bottom line is I have subdivided my Mabden up into the following groups, which are inspired by Gloranthan sources, but also Edgar Rice Burrough's Barsoom stories:

Warerani - 'Red' skin, ranging from pale* to deeper shades, like the Mesoamerican skin tones I started with;

Waertagi - Green skin;

Artmali Blues:

        Vadeli/Helerings - Blue skin, as in the image above;

Veldang - Indigo/Slate blue skin, like the Stygians I acquired;

Agimori - Jet Black skin;

Orovars - White or Ivory skin;

Okarans - Yellow Skin, this a sort of earthy shade, as opposed to lemon yellow;

* I allowed the paler shades both because of the art but also b/c I have figures bought painted that fit and I don't want to repaint.

Lohwand: Dunland and the Exiles, the Mapping Continues...

 

The mapping continues...

Dunland lies in the mountains to the North of the Tharkallan heartland provinces. Home to the Dunlending hill tribes that have sometimes been a thorn in the side of Tharkalla. The forested, broken hills atop the Nantgali Plateau have thus far offered safe refuge from Tharkalla's wrath. The cliffs of Nantgali are passable to large forces in only a few places that are easily defensible; in contrast, Dunland raiders know many secret ways that enable them to run rings around there less nimble foe.

Each tribal area represents the lands of one of the great clans, up to a dozen lesser clans, and has a walled town as its capital. Kerk is the seat of the current King of Dunland.

The Exiles are descendants of the Nemedians who fled the Tharkallan invasion of their country sixty years ago. Their lands used to belong to Dunlendings, but they drove out the clan that formerly occupied Wintertop and have held off all attempts to retake it ever since. They are now so entrenched that not even the Tharkallan army could pry them loose, and it has tried several times!

To the west of Dunland lies Dorastor and the Bossonian Marches. I've also been mapmaking there...

Lohwand: Dol Amroth Banners

 

Print and Paint

I wasn't satisfied with my first design so I had another go...

Edit:

Realized that attempting to make these an watch Digging For Britain re-runs was a bad idea! The ships on the square (foot) banners should be sailing towards the banner pole. Here is the fixed version:

Dol Amroth banners (fixed)

Lohwand: Swan Knights of Dol Amroth

 

Swan Knight of Dol Amroth

Per LOTR fame, repurposed as some kind of "Knights of Malta" proxies for my Lohwand campaign. Meaning they've got an island, with a fortress, and galleys with which they engage the "heathen" ... or the pirates, at least.

60mm HYW knight from XForce, with a head from Tradition of London (which sells lots of nominally 54mm bits).

The banner I cobbled together in PowerPoint - the "poor man's graphics program". 

I borrowed the graphics from the wappenwiki.org Roll of Arms page:

http://wappenwiki.org/index.php/Roll_of_Arms

The ship is borrowed from the Earl of Caithness:

http://wappenwiki.org/index.php?title=Grand_Armorial_%C3%A9questre_de_la_Toison_d%27or_Folio_131

The waves are from the Staple of Calais:

http://wappenwiki.org/index.php?title=Edward_IV_Roll

I cropped and edited them using the tools in Paint, saved as a jpg and pasted into PowerPoint. In PP I had already used the drawing tools to make a rectangle and a triangle inside it (3" x 1" actually size IIRC). I then copied and flipped them to get the back face. I allowed a bit in between for the banner pole - only about .15" IIRC which turned out a bit skimpy. 

As I had room I made four copies and used the picture tools to make some various grey-scaled versions. This b/c I currently only have a B&W printer and didn't want the prints coming out too black. I thought the blue would be pitch black but as it turned out it is potentially viable as well. 

The plan is to attempt to "paint within the lines" in the manner of Pete's Flags - sample attached. (Jasper Tudor)

Pete's Flags - Superb!

Currently waiting for the glue to dry. Used a cheap craft white glue from Michaels. The reason for the rectangle is to allow one to line up the two halves. The final flag will be trimmed to the swallow tail outlined by the triangle. 

I used an Xacto knife handle to get the fluttering effect in the flag.

Still have to decide what shade of blue to use for the knights. I've been experimenting with Vallejo paint triads posted on Google drive by some guy:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BxBp_BdjWzPKLU00Z1MyazZkR3M?usp=sharing

(Apologies to the author of those files, but I can't remember his name.)

Howard

Lohwand: Armatura, ver 6

 

Made some changes, 

including getting the version correct!

Lohwand: Armatura, ver 5.0

 

Here is the latest iteration of my Armatura rules, version 5.0, though as you can see I need to do some more edits. (I got confused as to how many versions I had made and discarded.) Some changes to both front and back. 

For one thing, I changed the rules for Army Morale. I realised I was referencing rules that were not on the sheet, which kind of defeated the "all-the-rules-on-the-cheat-sheet" objective. It possibly fails that in other ways; I need to vet it again to be sure.

I also changed a couple of the Command Actions, and have gone through and made sure that I used the same format for abbreviations throughout.

The morale test has changed as I finally realized that it didn't need to be an opposed test, and was probably better that it wasn't. I've tried to add a mechanism to allow the Saxon Fryd to pursue fleeing (retiring) Normans out of their formation. Not sure yet if it works.

And I'm thinking that Staff Slings probably should only have a ROF of 1.

Under Armatura each unit, be it a cohort, squadron or warband, has three primary traits: Virtis, Disciplina and Labor. Virtis is its combat ability, Disciplina represents discipline and morale, and Labor is the unit's engineering skill. A unit may also be designated as having an Exceptional Leader. 

There is assumed to be an overall commander, with sub-commanders in charge of left and right wings, and any reserve. Commanders have another trait called the Tactics Rating. (I tried to find the latin translation. I thought it would be "Tactica" but it seems not to be the case. Or maybe my Google-Fu is weak!) This rating determines the number of cards in their hand. It is assumed all officers have the rating, but it is only determined when relevant. i.e. if a centurion were promoted to command a detachment.

I need to sort out the "Well Led" and "Exceptional Leader" designations b/c I notice they are overlapping somewhat. 

Lohwand: Nemedia Province, Tharkalla - Part 2

Nemedia Province

Tharkallan Empire

Here are the tentative population densities for the Nemedian estates for my proposed fief management system. The density ratings are: S - Sparse (x1/2),  T - Typical (x1), D - Dense (x3), and VD - Very Dense (x5). The modifiers are applied to the base rolls for each estate. The final values will provide a base that will change yearly as the campaign progresses, much as a fief does in the Pendragon rpg, from Chaosium.

Lohwand: Nemedia Province, Tharkalla - Part 1

 

Drawn in PowerPoint

Here is a screen cap of the Tharkallan Province of Nemedia, the first to be detailed in any sort of way. The plan is to generate Fief information for each of the Prefectures and Estates shown, plus all the cities and towns. I already have the names for all those locations, and just need use the fief generation system to flesh them out a bit. This is largely based on the Pendragon rpg, which has a fief system as a way of running a multi-generational campaign. I started with that (I own several editions of the game) and have added some of my own stuff. Here is my first draft:

Once I've had a chance to give it a go, I'll post the results.

Lohwand: Fleshing Out the Tharkallan Legions

Unknown Artist

In previous posts I have been slowly developing my list of Tharkallan Legions. Here, I actually shown my most recent list: LINK

In this post, I take that list and flesh it out a little with stats from my Armatura rules. Under these rules a unit has three traits:

Virtis - a unit's fighting ability. Roll equal or under on a D10 to score a "hit".

Disciplina - a unit's discipline. Used for morale checks, and also determine the complexity of maneuvers permitted.

Labor - a unit's ability to perform engineering tasks: build roads and bridges, siege works, mining/counter-mining, and similar.

Legionnaire units may also have an ability called Armatura. This is an ability possessed by certain units (i.e. veteran Roman legionaries) that reflects their combat training and skill, giving them a bonus. A Knight of St. John, or Spartan Hoplite might also have the trait.

The Tharkallan Empire

The Heartland Corps

Legio I Jharkor Corneolus [Carnelian]

A veteran legion with a good reputation and lots of combat experience. 

Virtis 5; Disciplina 5; Labor 4; Armatura.

Currently posted to Granbreton's Northern Frontier.

Legio II Jharkor Sarx [Sard]

Raised for the Granbreton Expedition. Veterans with lots of combat experience.

Virtis 4; Disciplina 4; Labor 4; Armatura.

Just returned to Jharkor from Granbreton. 

Legio II Dharjiin Obsidianus [Obsidian]

A veteran legion with a long and storied history. Lots of recent combat experience. A reputation for being "Unbreakable".

Virtis 4; Disciplina 5; Labor 4; Armatura.

Manning Granbreton's Western Frontier.

Legio III Dharijor Sapphirus [Sapphire]

A veteran legion with a good reputation and lots of combat experience.

Virtis 4; Disciplina 4; Labor 4; Armatura.

Stationed in Filkhar assisting Legio XII Filkhar Gagates.

Legio IV Dharijor Ruber [Ruby]

A relatively new legion raised for the conquest of Arolanit. Eager to earn the same accolades as its sister legion but still inexperienced.

Virtis 3; Disciplina 3; Labor 3; Armatura.

Replaced Legio II Jharkor Sarx in Granbreton. 

Legio IV Doblian Topazus [Topaz]

A veteran legion with a good reputation but little recent combat experience.

Virtis 3; Disciplina 4; Labor 4; Armatura.

Just returned to Doblian from Arolanit.

Legio IX Kostaddi Turchesius [Turquoise]

A veteran legion with lots of recent combat experience.

Virtis 4; Disciplina 4; Labor 4; Armatura.

In Kostaddi watching the Kost.

Legio X Karasal Onyx [Onyx]

A veteran legion with much recent combat experience.

Virtis 4; Disciplina 4; Labor 4; Armatura.

In Karasal watching the Kost.

The Provincial Corps

Legio V Dorel Esmaraldus [Emerald]

A old legion, but with a patchy reputation and with little recent combat experience, having spent too much time on a "quiet" frontier.

Virtis 2; Disciplina 2; Labor 2; no Armatura.

Just returned to Dorel from Arolanit.

Legio VI Bisset Amethystos [Amethyst]

An uninspiring legion which assisted in the conquest of Arolanit but performed without enthusiasm.

Virtis 2; Disciplina 2; Labor 3; no Armatura.

Just returned to Bisset from Arolanit.

Legio VIII Voria Ambar [Amber]

Mediocre legion with no recent combat experience.

Virtis 3; Disciplina 3; Labor 3; no Armatura.

In Voria, where some complain its legionaires are growing roots!

Legio XI Nemedia Beryllus [Beryl]

A longstanding legion with a good reputation but with little recent combat experience, having spent too much time on a "quiet" frontier.

Virtis 3; Disciplina 3; Labor 3; Armatura.

In Nemedia, where it alternates between regulating the slave trade and chasing away occasional raiders from Dunland.

Legio XII Filkhar Gagates [Jet]

Veteran legion with plenty of experience fighting the Kost and Toonolian "Marsh Wiggles".

Virtis 4; Disciplina 4; Labor 4; Armatura.

Actively engaged in Filkhar.

Legio XIII Granbreton Achates [Agate]

Raised within the last five years and still inexperienced.

Virtis 2; Disciplina 2; Labor 2; no Armatura.

In Granbreton, training and "cutting its teeth." 

Legio XIV Arolanit Iaspis [Jasper]

A newly raised legion, still composed of raw recruits. 

Virtis 2; Disciplina 2; Labor 2; no Armatura.

Raised without enthusiasm in Arolanit where it still resides.

The Praetorian Guards

Legio I Thark Chromaticus [Chromatic]

A veteran legion composed of the cream of the Heartland Corps.   

Virtis 5; Disciplina 5; Labor 4; Armatura.

Currently occupying Arolanit.

Legio II Thark Adamantem [Diamond]

A veteran legion composed of the sons of all the Noble Houses.   

Virtis 4; Disciplina 5; Labor 4; Armatura.

Currently occupying Arolanit.

Legio III Thark Basaltes [Basalt]

A relatively new legion, also recruited from the great families of the Empire.

As yet more experience on the parade square than the battlefield.

Virtis 2; Disciplina 4; Labor 3; Armatura.

In Jharkor, guarding the Imperial Palace in Thark.

<Legio VII ~ missing from the rolls>

Lohwand: Mapping Tharkalla and its Neighbours

 

Adding cities, towns, and political boundaries

I've started detailing my maps, adding cities, towns and political boundaries. I'm hoping to borrow from the Fief Management system in Chaosium's Pendragon RPG to manage my nation's resources. I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible, otherwise I can see it could easily become "work" -  and I don't want that.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Pendragon, it is a role-playing game set in the Arthurian World, the world of Camelot, Sir Lancelot, and the Holy Grail. The game has two features I am planning on using because I think they could potentially be very useful. 

The first feature is the fief management system. This allows the player knight to run his own manor in a multi-generational campaign. He inherits it from his father, or is granted it by some lord. The game progresses in years (with chivalrous adventures in between) and during each year the manor has its harvest and may suffer both set-backs - in the form of raids, famine or plague - or years of peace and prosperity. The knight is aided by his Steward who makes a skill roll that modifies the harvest result. The harvest is also modified by the previous years harvest, and also by any raids or blights that might have occurred during the year. 

The second feature is the system used to define the characters in the game. Not so much the physical characteristics, as more nebulous traits known as Passions. These describe the character with a series of opposed traits that describe his/her personality. The Traits are: 

Chaste / Lustful 

Energetic / Lazy

Forgiving / Vengeful 

Generous / Selfish 

Honest / Deceitful

Just / Arbitrary 

Merciful / Cruel 

Modest / Proud

Pious / Worldly 

Prudent / Reckless 

Temperate / Indulgent

Trusting / Suspicious

Valorous / Cowardly

Each of the paired traits is assigned a number and the total of the two must always equal twenty. These numbers provide a way to determine how a character behaves by using a D20. In the Pendragon game, player knights act as their player wishes, but always using their traits as a guide; and occasionally the Gamemaster may force a player to roll against a trait to see if his knight acts against character. i.e. a roll against "Vengeful" when an enemy knight is trying to surrender, or a roll against "Lustful" when enthralled by a Temptress. 

In my opinion these traits are in many ways similar to the sort of thing Tony Bath developed for Hyboria. I will borrow from both resources for my Lohwand campaign. 

In Pendragon, the player knight typically manages a Manor. This is obviously far too low level for my purposes. I pondered what levels to use for a long time. Pendragon uses medieval divisions: Manors, Baronies, Counties, Duchies and Kingdoms. This I thought would work fine for the Shield Lands - dropping the lowest level (manors), of course. I eventually came up with three basic forms, depending on the nature of the Nation in question:

Feudal Kingdoms - i.e. The Shield Lands: 

Kingdom (King) - Duchy (Duke)  - and/or - County (Count or Earl) - Barony (Baron)

With the provision that there might be lesser or greater Kingdoms, i.e. a High King or the odd "Pennath" about.

Empires - i.e. The Tharkallan Empire, Dara Happa, Umbar:

Empire (Emperor) - Province (Provincial Governor) - Prefecture (Prefect) - Estate (Praetor)

Recognizing that the titles will vary with the nation concerned.

Tribal Kingdoms - i.e. The Atlan Amazons, and other Barbarians:

Kingdom (High King/Queen) - Tribe (King/Queen) - Clan (Chief)

Allowing that there may be sub-kingdoms within a larger kingdom.

Zoomed in @ 150%

Here is my mapping progress so far. I've started in Nemedia, a province on the eastern border of the Tharkallan Empire. Shown on the map are cities, towns, prefectures and estates. These latter use a notation P1.1, P1.2, etc. This notation indicates: first prefecture, first estate; first prefecture, second estate; and so on. The actual names will be in the record information; there is just not enough room on my map to include it. 

To the East is the Atlan Confederacy, tribal nations. Another tribal kingdom is Dunland, to the North. Also shown are the Exiles, who are the remnants of Nemedia's pre-Tharkallan regime. Imther, which would be in the North-east, is not yet started. Khauran and Khoraja, the two small areas within the Atlanian lands have been started, but more work to do there yet. Milii, a small Umbarite enclave and city is also shown in the South-east.

I have decided on four levels of urban centers: Large Cities, Cities, Small Cities and Towns. I am not showing anything smaller than a town. nor have I yet defined what each means, in terms of population, fortifications, etc. It is assumed that those on the coast or rivers are also Ports. Note that some of the towns shown were former cities in the Great Kingdom of Keoland (as posted previously); these are: Hestol, Tharda, and Gerdon.

Map Symbols

The intent is that each city/town symbol will be shown in colours related to those used to define the borders of the estates/clan fiefs. 

The map scale shown has 50 km divisions on the far right, and 5 km divisions on the left. 

The estates and clan fiefs are intended to represent approximately one 10-hour day travel distance by ox-cart; in other words, the distance the slowest element of any army is likely to move in a day. Now the areas shown are not of equal size, but I think that is acceptable as it takes into account the variable terrain or road conditions that I am not showing, that level of information being far too granular for my purposes. There is also an element of "if it works, go with it"!

Lohwand: Mustering the Tharkallan Legions - Part 1

 

Tharkalla Musters for war!

Today I set out a partial muster of my Tharkallan forces, as accumulated to date. I also have some cavalry and one box of scorpio bolt throwers, but none of those are assembled yet so I didn't bother with a picture. Also missing are any form of "High Command". These are 60mm Imperial Roman figures manufactured by Expeditionary Force (XForce). 

This muster shows three cohorts of Legio I Jharkor Corneolus [Carnelian] (#1 thru 3), three cohorts (1 partial) of Auxiliary infantry (#4 to 6), and some spares (#7). Also, in the foreground, are the four patterns of auxiliary shields XForce provides. Not shown are the bow arms and quivers, a few of which are included in each auxiliary box.

Each cohort is organized in the manner of a maniple as I think Peter Connolly described: Centurion, front rank, first file; Signifer in the middle of the front rank; Optio in the rear; I have placed the cornicen with the Optio; and lastly, front rank, last file is the Tesserarius. The latter I have given the officers helmet, though perhaps I shouldn't have. 

XForce provides two poses for officers and one for standard bearer and musician. I determined this because the latter two have their hands full and there is only one body pose with a sheathed sword on the correct side. There are two poses with sword drawn, one with the senior rank discs and one without.

XForce also provides bearskin helmet covers and capes for the standard bearer and musician. There are four of these in each command box and so I have been able to fully equip all six of the cohorts shown.

I need more, however, as my plan is to recreate an auxiliary cohort depicted in WRG's excellent "Armies and Enemies of Imperial Rome." On page 68 there is an illustration of the unit I mean, reproduced below:

Illustration of a Roman Auxiliary, 

by Ian Heath

So, to build them I will need to accumulate eighteen more bearskin-covered heads; the entire cohort will wear the bearskin covered helmets, the command figures will all get bearskin capes. At least that is the current plan.

XForce provides four patterns of auxiliary shields so I will try and build three other auxiliary cohorts. By the time I have done that I will have hopefully accumulated enough archer arm pairs and quivers to equip a cohort of auxiliary archers as well.

I would like to boost my Legio I strength to six cohorts, and also build a second legion; I don't know which pattern that would be. XForce sells three or four other styles, including the Praetorian Guard.

Lastly, there are "spares" shown in the muster above (#7). These are spare officer bodies, in chain and w/o the medallions. I am considering that by the time I have finished I may have enough "spares" to outfit another cohort. Perhaps an elite unit of some form, palace guard maybe, or perhaps a unit for some other nation if given the appropriate helmet...

Lohwand: The Tharkallan Emperors List - Part 2

 

The Tharkallan Emperors differ slightly from those of the Lunar Empire (of Glorantha), from which I have drawn my inspiration. In Glorantha the Emperor is the son of the Red Goddess, and is known as Moonson as a result. I'm not sure this is the case in my Lohwand campaign. In Glorantha the Red Goddess becomes a Goddess and, taking a part of the earth with her, rises into the sky as the Red Moon, the place where she took the earth becoming The Crater, a mystical, magical place. The new Red Moon remains above the crater, Glorantha being a lozenge rather than a planet; it's all part of the make-up of Glorantha and its basis in myth. 

I think Lohwand is more like a boring old planet. I think there may be a Red Goddess, and she is claimed as the mother of the emperor, so he might be called Moonson, but she is a celestial entity being associated with a bright new star that appeared in the heavens.

Also, in the source material the first emperor is the only one who returns. That said, I believe each iteration of the emperor is a reincarnation of the same entity. So the current emperor is the same as the first emperor, only a reincarnation of the same. But with a different personality or focus, hence the different names, which reflect the character of the current emperor.

In Lohwand each emperor is still a reincarnation of the same entity, and each emperor might return, sometimes multiple times. Lastly, some incarnations of the emperor are female. 

The Tharkallan Emperors

Dates are "AF" or "After the Founding" of the Empire.

The Emperor Takanegi, the First Emperor, united the Tharkallan tribes of Jharkor and Darjiin into one nation, Thark, and founded the city of the same name. Ruled for thirty-four years, until assassinated by a rival chieftain. Returned and slew his murderer. Ruled another twenty-four years (34-58 AF) during which the Dharijor tribes joined the confederation. Slain by spells cast by the shaman Sheng Seleris, leader of an invading nomad army. 

Sheng Seleris (58-71) ruled the Thark Confederation as part of a larger nomad empire for thirteen years. The second return of Takanegi sparks a Thark rebellion. The Emperor meets Sheng Seleris in battle, slaying him in single combat. The nomad army disperses, their empire breaking up as they withdraw.

Takanegi ruled for twenty-one more years (71-92) and then mysteriously disappeared. His reincarnation appeared the next day, emerging from his private quarters as if nothing had happened. This incarnation had a difference appearance but none doubted he was the emperor returned anew; this has been the case with all subsequent reincarnations.

This second incarnation was the Emperor Magnificus. He ruled for forty-six years (92-138) and died of old age, being of apparent middle age when he incarnated. His reign was largely peaceful and marked by prosperity throughout the confederation. Doblian joined the confederation. 

The third incarnation was the Emperor Artifex. He ruled for sixteen years from AF 138 to AF 154, during which time Thark prospered and grew into a civilized nation. He was slain in a Dart Competition.

"Dart Competition" - an euphemism for the private wars engaged in by the Noble Houses. Tolerated, though technically illegal. I'll have to do a separate post on this practice.

The Emperor Voracius was the fourth incarnation. He ruled for seven years (154-161) and lived up to his title in every manner. Assassinated by a Lord whose wife he had stolen (by means of Imperial Decree).

He returned immediately and the Lord (and wife) were forced to flee to Umbar. His second return ruled from AF 161 to AF 173, some twelve years before also being assassinated, this time by a faction of disgruntled Noble Houses exasperated by his excesses.

The sixth incarnation was the return of Artifex, only in this instance the emperor returned as female. The Empress Artifex calmed the Noble Houses, thrilled the people, and brought unity to the land once more. She ruled for seventeen years (173-190) before being killed in a sea battle with the Cirith Ungol pirates. She was mourned for a period of seventeen days before the next incarnation appeared.

To the noble's shock it was the Emperor Voracius once more. The captain of the Palace Guard threatened to assassinate him immediately but was restrained. For his part the emperor appeared meek and apologetic, and indeed seemed to moderate his urges, at least for the first part of the reign. He reigned for fifteen years (190-205) before again being assassinated, this time by the Umbarite Ambassador, whom he had insulted during a feast. 

The next incarnation proved to be the Emperor Voracius again, in his third return. In this incarnation he proved himself a masterful manipulator and turned his eye outwards, incorporating the neighbouring kingdom of Dorel and declaring the Tharkallan Empire. He ruled for twenty-one years, from AF 205 to AF 226. During this time his excesses were moderated by the able Seneschal Hewl and were redirected into setting up a highly efficient spy system and secret police, spanning the Empire and the lands beyond. He was eventually assassinated - poisoned, despite his food tasters; they not being effected, having secretly been given the antidote. 

The next incarnation was the Emperor Robustus, who ruled for twelve years, from AF 226 to AF 238. He ruled well and the Empire prospered during his reign. The emperor was assassinated as he addressed the Senate, the assassin a black-clad, masked figure armed with a Vorpal Blade. They dueled but the blade went "snicker-snack" leaving the emperor dead. The Emperor's first reincarnation returned immediately, on the Senate floor behind the assassin.  Wresting the blade away, the Emperor slew his assassin with his own blade. The assassin's body crumbled to a black powder which the emperor ordered collected and later had interred in a lead jar. 

The Vorpal Blade was set on display in the Senate as a reminder of the consequences of betrayal. There it remained for many years. Two other people met their death from the blade: the first a servant attempting to clean the blade, who died as soon as he touched it, and the other a hapless Ambassador from Umbar who touched it despite being warned not to. This latter incident almost sparked a war, but the Umbarites were mollified when it was pointed out that he had been warned. Nevertheless it remained a sore point between the two nations. I will do a separate post about the Vorpal Blade, and Vorpal Swords in general, at a later date.

The first return of the Emperor Robustus ruled as ably as before, ruling from AF 238 to AF 263. After a quarter century of prosperity he was again assassinated, this time by unknown assailants, who made good their escape.

The Emperor Robustus returned for a second time and wasted no time ordering a search for his assassins. This eventually proved fruitless and he ruled for three years (263-266) before being assassinated a third time, this time by a concubine who died herself by the poison on her lips. 

In the Emperor's fifteenth reincarnation, he returned once more as the Emperor Robustus (AF 266) but was slain again, on the evening of his Ascension, at the hands of the captain of his guard. His fourth return (or fifth incarnation) immediately, overseeing the execution of his treacherous captain, purging the guard and scouring all levels of government looking for malcontents and rebels.

This last incarnation of the Emperor Robustus went on to rule for twenty-one years, from AF 266 to AF 287 before dying of a virulent plague that swept through the empire.  

The seventeenth Emperor was known as the Emperor Reclusus. He ruled for thirty-six long years (287-323), much of it in seclusion at the Palace, or in one of his many estates. A scientist and philosopher who also dabbled with thaumaturgy, was responsible for the Imperial Proxies. 

The first was the Silver Proxy, which was created shortly after the Emperor's ascension and which took his seat in the High Court, acting in all ways as if it was the Emperor himself. The Silver Proxy remained in that court the entire duration of his reign, and indeed, remains there still, dispensing justice on behalf of the sitting Emperor.

Second was the Bronze Proxy, created in response to barbarian invasions from the West. This proxy lead the armies and threw back the invaders. When the emperor died this proxy returned to the capital and placed itself at the top of the stairs leading to the palace. It has not moved from that post and remains, untarnished, on guard; popular legends state it will act to defend the palace should it be attacked.

The third proxy was the Brass Proxy, which spent its time in either one of the Imperial Laboratories, or the Imperial Library, or, on occasion, the Grand Library in Arolanit. This proxy was essentially a way for the Emperor to increase his research productivity. 

The last was the Bone Proxy, created by the Emperor to take his place in his tomb. The Emperor oversaw the burial ceremony himself, which involved the usual procession and much public display of grief. The next day he was assassinated in a mysterious explosion that left no trace of body.

The Emperor Reclusus was followed by the Empress Celestinus, also called the Warrior Empress. She ruled for sixteen years, from AF 323 to AF 339. She expanded the Empire, conquering Bisset in AF 330. She was killed in battle against the Kostaddi nine years later.

In the next incarnation the Emperor Voracius returned for a fourth time. His rule was possibly less extreme than previous, or perhaps the legends had exaggerated his debauchery. This incarnation ruled for nineteen years, from AF 339 to AF 358. During that time he consolidated the gains of his predecessor and continued the civil works begun by the Emperor Robustus, including much expanding the network of Imperial Roads. Despite being generally well liked and respected, possibly for the first time in his long list of reincarnations, he was slain in a Dart Competition, possibly by accident. 

When the Emperor Voracius returned yet again, for his sixth and final incarnation, he ordered his killer freed and took no action against neither he nor his House. The Emperor ruled for a further twenty-six years, from AF 358 to AF 384, in much the same manner as he had demonstrated with his last incarnation. The Empire prospered and sincerely mourned his passing when he was assassinated at a state occasion honouring the Ambassador of Pan Tang. No connection with the Ambassador was ever proven, despite a thorough investigation led by the Brass Proxy.

In AF 384 the Emperor Militaris ascended to the throne. His long rule of fifty-two years was marked by much warfare; he led punitive expeditions against the western barbarians and, in 400 AF, the conquest of Voria. He also established the Bossonian Marches as a bulwark on the Empire's northern flank. He was slain there in AF 436, fighting the Wenelian Forest tribes.

The Emperor Militaris was reincarnated in his military camp in the Bossonian Marches. He immediately led his army to avenge his predecessor, inflicting a crushing defeat on the tribal coalition. He ruled from AF 436 until AF 464 - a period of twenty-eight years - before being slain again in battle against the Kostaddi. 

The Empress Militaris returned and rallied her army but it was not until AF 480 that the Kostaddi were finally subdued and taken into the empire. The Empress Militaris ruled for twenty-one years, fighting on many fronts, before being slain during the final conquest of Karasal in AF 485.

The Emperor Venerabilis, who followed after left her generals to complete the conquest and consolidation. Thereafter followed a long period of calm throughout the empire. The Long Peace, as it is known, lasted for sixty years, from AF 485 until 545. The Emperor Venerabilis died in his sleep in AF 545, a much-loved Emperor; possibly the most popular emperor the empire had yet known.

The Emperor Ignifer followed and immediately set about annexing Nemedia (AF 545) on the Empire's eastern border. The annexation was not a peaceful one and the remnants of the defeated Nemedian nobles retreated north to Imther where they set themselves up as the Exiles, in the shadow of Mount Wintertop. The Emperor Ignifer ruled for thirteen years, from AF 545 to AF 558, before falling to a Nemedian assassin's blade.

The Emperor Ignifer returned again and ruled for nine turbulent years from AF 558 until AF 567 when he was slain in battle against the Exiles.

He was followed by the Empress Celestinus returned again, this time for a period of eighteen years. A warrior as her previous incarnation had been, she fought many wars and put down many rebellions but did not expand the Empire's borders any further. The Empress Celestinus reigned from AF 567 to AF 585 before being killed storming pirate citadel on Cirith Ungol. 

The Twenty-Seventh, and current, Emperor is the Emperor Argenteus. He ascended to the throne in AF 585 and has ruled ably for the twenty years, until the present time (AF 605). He purposely left the pirates of Cirith Ungol to themselves, turned his gaze westward instead. In AF 590 Filkhar was subdued and added to the Empire. Five years later, in AF 595 he led his armies across the Londros Passage to invade Granbreton. That conquest was complete by AF 598 with the submission of the last Outlaw Queen. Two years later, in AF 600, he turned his attention southwards with the invasion and conquest of Arolanit. 

The last five years have been spent consolidating these gains and planning further expansion. With the conquest of Arolanit the Emperor Argenteus has expanded the College of Magic and embodied several magical regiments, most notably the Crater Makers. 

The Tharkallan Empire, circa AF 605

(the present day)