Calcobrina

Calcobrina is one of the four major kingdoms of Aterrizar, the other three being Lomar, AKA the Midlands, Angbad, and Tresserhorn. Calcobrina is unique in that it is a very large peninsula measuring over 1400 miles by 900 miles. The equator of Aterrizar passes roughly 1/3 of the way through the region. The most common biome of the region is desert, with the interior being exclusively broken badlands and the enigmatic region known as the Sea of Sand.

Djaraha
The interior of Calcobrina is officialy named Djaraha, though most people refer to it as the Desert, the Wastes, some use the Sea of Sands to refer to the entire interior region. It is 80% broken terrain battered by constant winds and very low rainfall. It is also the home of the Seitch, Latrani, and the indigenous Cyclops. Much of the history of the region is the constant warfare between the civilized and agrarian Wetlanders, and the nomadic desert folk.

There are many Seitch Septs, or the equivalent of towns among the rock piles and valleys in Djaraha. Most of these are quite old and very well hidden both by the natural construction of the locations as well as by the illusion based magics of the Seitch wise-men. Also in the very center of the peninsule is the exotic resort of Hacienda Solfatara.

The Hacienda was built by a well known as respected pyromancer who decided to retire to the comfortable heat of the desert. Primus Ballard, also known as the Task-Mage, made it is both a retirement home for himself, but as a sort of luxury spa located well away from the painfully mundane concerns of the mortal realm.

Kovu
North of the desert of Djaraha is the grassland and rolling hills of Kovu. The climate is hot and dry, but there is considerably more rainfall here than in the depths of the desert. The capital city of the region shares the same name, and is the third largest city in Calcobrina and 12th largest in Aterrizar. The climate and terrain is well suited to raising horses and hearty grain crops that do well with less than average amounts of rainfall.

The Kovi are well dressed and have a rather puritan and prudish demeanor. They praise hard work, and decry the decadence of the Domani to the south as bordering on evil. Kovu is the only region of Calcobrina where the Trinitine Church has any power.

Accad Doman
The oldest kingdom of Calcobrina, and home of the golden city of Xanadu, this is accorded to be one of the wealthiest kingdoms in all of Aterrizar. Xanadu is easily the largest city on the continent, as well as serving as the sea gate to the distant kingdoms far to the east. It's location on the southern side of the desert means that it has a very effective shield to the north of it.

The Kingdom has suffered from long periods of paying tributes to desert tribes, periods of self inflicted isolationism, and from over-exploitation of magical resources. The regulation of magic is very strict in the region, with each potential magi being registered with the Kingdom's Mage guild, or protected by the long standing tradition of the Mage Houses.

The Domani are well known for their absolute public decorumand attention to etiquette, as well as for their lack of inhibition in private settings. Domani cloth, and designed clothing is considered to be the highest of couture in the realm. The Domani still revere the old gods of the ocean, stars, and the spirits of the departed.

Karnak
Located on the western seaboard, and isolated from the rest of Aterrizar by the warring Kingdoms of Kovu and Accad Doman. The cities here are scattered about like grains of rice cast into sand, each is a fortress shrine to a god or pantheon of gods. Agra, the city of the Sun houses the shrine Shammashti - the Celestial Lion whose eye illuminates the day and burns away all shadow. Farther inland is the necropolis of Humanaptra, the heart of the Cult of Anubis, and the associated assassin cult Hand of Anpu. (This region does draw heavily on Egyptian resources)

Following the Unification of Calcobrina under Emperor Bane Ygrath I, the new capital was constructed at the mouth of the Karnak river, equidistant from Kovu and Xanadu. Much of the new city was hewn from native white sandstone and feldspar. Shrines were built in honor of each of the Gods of Karnak, and the gods of the Domani, and there is even a rather sparsely staffed Trinitine Cathedral in the White City of Memphopolis.

Tourist Attractions
The Lotus Vale is hidden somewhere on the southern side of the region where the rainfall ranges from coastal jungle to arid waste less than 100 miles inland. The vale is a site of untouched purity and the velvety black flowers that grow here are highly sought after for magical purposes.

The Diamond Valley is a place of riches untold, though none have ever found it and returned to tell the tale. Many a band of hearty explorers has departed one of the desert way stations, with only a survivor or two trickling half dead out of the desert mad with thirst and exposure.

The Boneyard lies deep within the waste and contains the bones of giant beasts no longer roaming the face of creation. Some whisper that the boneyard was the site of a battle between the primordial titans and the Lion's Eye.

The Three Kingdoms
Most of Calcobrina's early history is a mix of bitter warfare between the Priest Kings of Karnak, the Council of Xanadu, and the Primus of Kovu. The borders shifted on a regular basis, and many of the old epics recount the exploits of great heros and reads like the tragedies of the Trojan, and Punic wars.

The era of the warring kingdoms ended when King Bane Ygrath consolidated power over Kovu and some of the Karnaki city states. A political marriage to Penelope Colaveare cemented Accad Doman and Kovu together, fostering in the age of the Calcobrinan Empire.

Empire and Artificer Kings
The founding of the Empire had a stunning effect on the rest of Aterrizar. With the support of Ygrath II, the Arch Duke of Fenost and his ally, the Arch-Duke of Riga were able to consolidate their own power in the Midlands and forge the kingdom of Lomar. Considering the artifice popular among the Calcobrinans, this art was spread to the fertile soil of Lomar where eventually King Brend III, Arch Duke of Fenost and Protector of Lomar took up the art himself and ushered in the age of the Artificer Kings in Lomar.

Artifice and Calcobrina
The average Calcobrinan is no stranger to the wonders of artifice. Mundane windmills drive irrigation systems to water the arid fields, while a complex system of tide driven pumps supply the City of Xanadu with running water and with active sewege removal. Many of the noble and magi houses are tended by automata and golems. Though golems are common on the peninsula, they are never deployed against the desert folk as their magics are most effacious at disabling all but the most impressive of war machines.