Sacred 2:Artamark

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Reference: Geography of Ancaria, Book 2: Artamark

Flag of Artamark - The player will see this flag flown throughout the Human region, alongside the local colors of the baronies. It can be considered the "national flag" of Artamark. With its triple fleur-de-lis design, the flag seems based on the coat of arms of the French kings, although the real-life version is reversed with two lilies above and one below.

Land of the Humans

The Human region is primarily a feudal society, positioned just north of the High Elf region. It is bordered by mountains, and the climate is one that supports several forest areas.

The central landmass is divided by rivers into three primary sections: eastern, central and west. The feudal system and the division of the landmass by rivers and forest cover results in a region that is in immediate danger of being torn apart by intrigues and the resulting battles, which grapple to ruin the land.

Capital

As a feudal society, there isn't one main capital. Artamark is the central empire, with a capital city of Griffinborough located on the peninsula in Ostbrander.

As may be expected, the emblem of Griffinborough is a Griffin.

To the east is the DeMordrey free barony, and to the west is the Urtamark free barony. The economy of the region has developed into one with a focus on agriculture and farming. Given the pyramid population you find in a feudal society, the few at the top benefit the most from the good economy.

The Flags of Urtamark and DeMordrey, respectively. These two baronies represent the major forces in Artamark and are often in conflict with one another. The central power in Urtamark is Kufferath Castle, where Baron Urtamark resides. Skook's Corner is the home of Baron DeMordrey and is his center of power.

The grand homes are composed of stone and other materials indicating affluence. The areas around these residences are composed of villages, where the homes are half timbered structures. While they don't look too bad at a glance, in most cases more than one family is cramped into a space that's far too small for the number of people living there. In the countryside, the peasants live in thatched huts.

Inhabitants

The inhabitants are friendly and open-minded toward strangers. Artamark is almost exclusively populated by Humans, with the bulk of them being in service to one lord or another. The thatched huts and houses they live in look picturesque, but offer good protection against common winter storms. Most people in Artamark work as farmers or craftsmen, but some go to the woods and try their luck as hunters. They kill game for meat and sell the pelts to passing merchants. Brigands who also live in the woods often rob these merchants.

The political situation keeps things very agitated though, so you have to sometimes wonder how any of them survive.The DeMordrey and Urtamark baronies are constantly at loggerheads with each other, and the fighting being reported in the northeast section of the region indicates a concentration of trouble. As if that wasn't enough, there are also rumors of activity from an obscure and disruptive cult in the southwest, in Grunwald.

Strangers are welcome in Artamark, but its inhabitants generally do not care for High Elves or Orcs. This is understandable as High Elves regard Humans as slaves whereas Orcs constantly threaten Artamark’s northern borders.

Environment

The land of the Humans is green. From the mountains that line it a cold wind constantly blows carrying rain in summer and snow in winter. Large woods cover Artamark. Beneath the trees the ground is fertile. The large variety of crops that grow here are responsible for the many tasty kinds of breads taverns serve in Artamark. This green land again and again surprises the traveler with is beauty like the view of snow covered mountain tops and mist rising from the woods and evaporating in the pale sunlight.

Whether it's caused by the geographic location or the dense forests, the area is covered in a hard cold light reminiscent of medieval middle England. It's a place where you can easily imagine bandits and strange creatures suddenly appearing out of the shadows, then quickly vanishing into the forests again when their nefarious work is done or they need to escape.

The flora is a mix of pine and deciduous trees, as well as scattered shrubbery. The forests here are very thick, which makes them very good for hunting game as well as a place for outlaws and other unsavory types to hide. The fauna is about what you'd expect from heavily forested areas bordered by water and mountains. There is a variety of game to be hunted in the forests, with turtles and fish by the various water areas. Some domesticated livestock can also be found, especially near the capitals of the baronies.

Recommendations

If at all possible, one should travel through Artamark in the summer. The weather is mainly pleasant then and one can also get a taste of a local delicacy: a mush of deer brain and strawberries that is served with fresh bread.

In Artamark it is considered impolite to make a gift of something that could be of use to the giver, as it implies that the giver is better off and therefore superior to the receiver.

Places of Interest

Humans aren’t particularly renowned for their architectural masterpieces. There buildings are mainly simple and practical, and they seem to have no eye for beauty. Still, there are some places one should visit, for example Urthak’s Moxie near the Orcish border. It is said that it was built over a period of two hundred years and looking at its mighty walls rising out of the woods one can almost believe this.

The market in Black Oaks in the south of Artamark should be the last stop on one’s journey through the land simply to avoid being robbed further north. It is the largest market in Artamark and deals mainly in furs, meat, and craftsmanship, especially wood carvings. Human woodcraft is highly regarded in all of Ancaria and may well be the only form of artistic expression displayed in this land. The market offers all sorts of carvings from small earrings to life size warrior statues that look so real one almost expects their hair to move in the breeze.