Leuber
Leuber occupies a mountainous isle in the Tumulted Sea. Firecomb, its capital city, is pressed tightly between the coastline and the Encord Mountains. The rest of the country on the other side of the mountains is a labyrinth of steep valleys and ridges. Leuber was inhabited by giants for thousands of years until Andal waged war against them and drove them out of their territory.
Leuber is also home to the Ruemins, a colony of Booksmiths living in Ruemin Cavern.
Culture
The inhabitants of Leuber can be split into two distinct cultures: those living in Firecomb, and those living on the northern side of the Encord Mountains.
In Firecomb, people tend to keep to themselves and never smile at strangers. The lack of sunshine, clean air, and flat ground lends the city a gloomy atmosphere.
North of the Encord Mountains, Leuber is populated only by a few cities scattered across the valleys and ridges. The people in these areas are enterprising and much more cheerful than their counterparts in Firecomb.
Government
Leuber is ruled by Queen Nevesii. Queen Nevesii works continuously to keep the trade routes open between her country and Sibal, since these trade routes are the only way Leuber can procure a variety of valuable resources. Though Queen Nevesii lives in Firecomb, it is actually Lady Tenuri that rules the city. Lady Tenuri recently married Lord Draco Stonewing, the heir to a powerful house that was destroyed in an avalanche.
History
Long ago, before the distinction of a giant could be made, Leuber was inhabited by a single race of humanoids. This changed when the storm god Taor’taemed, whom some of the humanoids worshiped, blessed a river flowing through Leuber. The river, now bearing her name, granted those who drank from it great strength and long life. Those who worshiped Taor’taemed quickly became larger and more powerful than those who didn’t and eventually waged war against the other populations living in Leuber. Some fled the isle and escaped to other lands, while others sealed themselves in a large underground cavern and became the Ruemins. As the centuries passed, the Ruemins became smaller and feebler and the giants became larger and stronger, until the giants had nearly forgotten the Ruemins existed and the Ruemins had fully adapted to life underground. Meanwhile, Firecomb was founded by the kenku, a race distantly related to Dancers, on the southern side of the Encord Mountains.
Then, 350 years ago, kenku explorers from Firecomb discovered the Taor’taemed’s magical properties and recognized that they held valuable knowledge. They sold their information to Andal, the wealthiest and greediest country at the time. Andal quickly began making secret preparations for an invasion against Leuber, with the intention of claiming the Taor’taemed and becoming giants themselves. Their war succeeded in driving the giants out of their lands, but cost Andal most of its military and all of its reputation. Due to the vacuum created in Leuber’s northern lands, people from many nearby lands traveled to Leuber to take advantage of its unclaimed territory and to drink from the Taor’taemed. However, the god Taor’taemed retracted her blessing and, over the course of 50 years, the river lost its power entirely. Now, Leuber is inhabited by a wide variety of races on both sides of the Encord Mountains. Some giants survived the initial invasion and still roam the landscape, although their numbers are few and their strength is waning without the power of their god.