Vidrian (formerly Sargava)

Once the jewel in the crown of the Empire of Cheliax, Sargava (pronounced sahr-GAH-vah) broke away from its motherland and became dependent on the protection of the Free Captains of the Shackles. The ongoing cost of that protection, along with serious problems with the indigenous inhabitants, crippled the former colony. This eventually led to open rebellion and revolution, and Sargava ceased to exist by 1717 AR after being rechristened as the independent nation of Vidrian.

History

The region was part of the Mwangi Expanse until 1138 AR, when the region was settled by Chelaxian colonists who imposed their rule on the native population. These explorers had previously scouted ancient Ghol-Gan ruins on the islands of the Shackles in 1111 AR, but were so disturbed by the images of cannibalism and other atrocities they found there that they declared the region cursed, continued south, and reached Sargava.

Chelaxian Civil War

In 1606 AR, Cheliax descended into three decades of civil war as the various noble houses fought for supremacy. Baron Grallus backed House Davian in the war, leading Sargava's independence from Cheliax as a sovereign nation, and pledging his navy to Davian's cause in 4609 AR, but Davian's ambitions were shattered by House Thrune at the Battle of a Hundred Kings in 1639 AR. House Thrune eventually won the war in 1640 AR.

While the civil war was being waged, Sargava also unsuccessfully attempted to expand its holdings eastward by conquering the neighboring city-state of Mzali. Its invasion force was destroyed by magical fire by the child named Walkena in 1610 AR.

A Chelaxian fleet sent by House Thrune for revenge on Sargava was sunk in Desperation Bay by the Shackles Pirates in 1643 AR. A second fleet sent in 1660 AR fared little better, and Sargava clung on to its fragile independence from Cheliax.

Rebellion and collapse

The former colony continued to pay the pirates for protection, despite the high cost, until 1717 AR, when Vidric rebels captured Sargava and broke the agreement. After the Free Captains retaliated by invading the new nation, Vidrian allied with Senghor and fended off the attack to earn its independence.

Geography

The land of Vidrian, formerly known as Sargava.

Sargava was unique in being a distant outpost of Avistani culture in the sweltering depths of Garund. While the colonials' culture came from a continent away, the landscape was and is very typical of Garund and the Mwangi Expanse north of it. Much of Sargava was the lush but sparsely settled grasslands of the M'neri Plains, but Sargava also boasted the lush rainforests that cover much of the Expanse. The Laughing Jungle dominated much of Sargava's southern border, while the northern border stretched through parts of the jungle known as the Kaava Lands.

The Lower Korir River and the Lake of Vanished Armies marked Sargava's southern border. The River of Lost Tears flowed along much of what was the eastern border.

Sargava also boasted mountains, as a section of the Bandu Hills ran just north of the country's center.