Aranda

For most of its history, Aranda remained sparsely populated. Tucked away between rugged mountains, towering cliffs, and dense jungle, it is a warm and arid land, cut through by fertile river valleys, green arteries in a land otherwise marked by stone, dust, and silence. Isolated clans and mountain tribes kept to themselves for centuries, choosing to remain apart from the politics of the outside world. It wasn’t until around 600 years ago that conquerors from Daraba first crossed into Aranda, subjugating its peoples and dragging the land into the intricate web of Elmaran kings and queens. Even now, the people of Aranda regard the affairs of distant thrones with disinterest, preferring to let their mountains stand as a veil between them and the corrupting influences of the outside world.   Aranda is shaped like a great sunken basin, its landscape dominated by high plateaus, jagged cliffs, and winding river gorges. The rivers that flow through the region breathe life into the valleys, making them fertile and green, while the uplands are barren stretches of weathered stone and coarse sand.   The early peoples of Aranda built their homes not only in the valleys but also in the highlands, where they could defend themselves from rival clans. Over time, they became both farmers and hunters. In the valleys, they cultivated the land, planting crops along the rivers. In the uplands, they hunted the great beasts of the plains, wild lions, desert oliphaunts, and the elusive and dangerous sand giants.   In the far south, Aranda shares a border with the Jungles of Araboatora, with the Bordorra River acting as a natural boundary. Relations with the Lizardfolk of the jungle have long fluctuated between cautious trade and minor skirmishes, but outright war was rare. It was not until the 6th and 7th centuries After Parretoa, during the Daraban invasions, that hostility toward the jungle folk began to take root.   The lords of Daraba pushed across the river and began clearing the jungle, driven by promises of untapped wealth and exotic creatures to trade. Their efforts uncovered new spices, rare furs, unusual fruits, and brilliant stones, treasures that would soon be sought across the continent. Other Elmaran kingdoms followed suit, expanding their reach deep into Araboatora. Over time, regions such as Tolta and other coastal settlements were seized by foreign kings and woven into distant realms.   With the unification of Elmara in 1155 After Parretoa, Aranda became an official province of the kingdom. Today, it is divided into three principalities. In the north, nestled between the twin arms of the Domart Mountains, lie North-Undrico and South-Undrico, with their respective capitals of Komico and Undra.   Geographically, Aranda is often described along these same divisions. In the far north, the land is hemmed in on all sides by mountains, its valleys narrow and steep. Small streams wind down through hidden clefts in the rock. This remote area is famed for its hot springs and the singular, winding road that leads through the mountains toward Domari. It is an isolated realm, easily missed if one does not know the mountain paths that weave through South-Undrico.   South of this region lies, as one might expect, South-Undrico. Here, the land opens up; the river valleys grow wider, and the terrain becomes greener the farther south one travels. While North-Undrico is known for its mountain villages, the settlements in the south are strung like beads along the rivers that nourish the land.   Beyond the shadow of the Domart Mountains lies Bordolasso, a sweeping expanse of windswept grasslands, scattered with mesas and ancient rock formations. Ruins of long-lost, ghost-haunted settlements dot the land. Many of the towns and villages here are newer, built in the Elmaran style, though they stand atop older histories. Today, Bordolasso stretches well past the Bordorra River, where cities and ruins once belonging to the Lizardfolk now fall within its boundaries, a legacy of Daraba’s conquests.