Status: Not available for player characters
Nearly devoid of vegetation and wildlife, Velenoye's provinces and holdings undergo drastic changes of fortune depending on how well or how badly its warriors fare against the Sword Rust Tribes and the dreaded Firosk Slecktra. In recent years, Velenoye has made inroads against the former, but has fallen victim to the latter.

The shadows of the Orlenaskyy Mountains fall heavily on the open, southern provinces of Velenoye. Once a green, forested land, the realm has been beaten into submission by its oft-brutal lords. Bands of men and women under the command of the tsara's lieutenants forage what little they can from the land and harden themselves for the inevitable next battle.

Only two provinces, Kustagran and Velesk, show any signs of stability. Velesk, the capital province, maintains wheat and potato farms while Kustagran supports modest fishing trade. Small fishing villages dot Velenoye's protected inlet all the way to Abrskiy, where small subsistence farms take advantage of the relatively protected land.

Abrskiy

Aralzyk

Knana

Kustagran

Norvsk

Olapeysk

Taldy

Velesk

= Political =
Allies: Velenoye exists almost in a vacuum. Its chief ally is Melyy, a realm that formed by breaking away form Velenoye's dominance. Relations between the two have been strained ever since, but even the tsara's pride won't stand in the way of her common sense - she would take back Melyy and its rich silver mines if she could be assured of victory, but for now, she prefers Melyy as a lukewarm ally rather than a rich enemy.
Enemies: The Sword Rust Tribes have tried to take Velenoye's mountain provinces for years, and Velenoye has tried expanding north into their territory for just as long. Both realms despise each other, and each would do anything to destroy the other. Velenoye also has an ancient enmity with Tuar Annwn, but that has slept soundly for years.
Army/Navy: Because of their continuous wars with the Sword Rust Tribes, Velenoye must maintain a large standing army at all times. They count 3 units of varsk riders, 4 units of Vos levies, 3 units of elite infantry and 2 units of pikes. By the tsara's decree, the Raiders of Velenoye command the following naval units: 2 drakkar and 3 longships.
Regency: The tsara must turn over half the RP she generates each domain turn to the Temple of Might.
Treasury: The tsara is expected to tithe; after spending GB on realm maintenance and troops, she must turn over half the remaining GB to Lida Marnorin every domain turn.

• Fiala Ruszca, Tsara of Velenoye
  
• Lida Marnorin, leader of the Temple of Might
  
• Nikoli, head pirate of the Raiders of Velenoye
  
• Viktor Kesskin, guildmaster of Varsk Breeders
  
• Galina Whitehand, first lieutenant and spiritual adviser to the tsara
  
• Josef Kaan, second tsara's lieutenant
  
• Leo Nedskyy, fugitive and leader of the nona faction
  

• Outwardly a war camp like any other, the "tekid" (base camp) of Josef Kaan hides secret even from the boyar's beloved tsara. Kaan and his warriors rule the province of Abrskiy for the tsara, and they have been charged with taking Aralzyk, a task in which they have nearly succeeded. But the tsara may not be so pleased with Kaan's successes if she knew what his own tekid contained: nona refugees, driven from Velesk and the other torva provinces and given shelter by the boyar himself. Rumors hint that Leo Nedskyy finds shelter in Josef's tekid.
  

• The boyar Josef Kaan actually employs Leo Nedskyy. Nedskyy seeks out nona sympathizers and directs them to Kaan's Abrskiy camp. He keeps a careful eye out for spies as well as talented individuals Kaan might be able to use. Already Nedskyy has found a few priests of nontraditional Vos faiths (Iraikhan and Ayairda) willing to set up secret temples in either Abrskiy or Aralzyk as soon as Josef gives the word. Rumor has it that Josef is waiting until the tsara tries to claim Aralzyk; while her resources are diverted, he will begin a carefully-orchestrated uprising in Abrskiy and Aralzyk. In order for the operation to work, Kaan would like the support of Firosk Slecktra, but he has no way to contact her or to guarantee her aid. Kaan would like nothing more that to throw the Temple of Might and Lida Marnorin out of the realm, and perhaps gain control of a province or two himself.
  

• A simple man, Viktor Klesskin desires nothing more than to care for Velenoye's varsk herds and improve their breeding stock. His original animals were varsks stolen from Rovninodensk (by the Raiders of Velenoye, no doubt), and he longs to share secrets and bloodlines with the western realm. But the tsara (at the direction of Lida Marnorin) has forbidden it. So, secretly, Viktor has contacted both Josef Kaan and the pirate Nikoli in the hope that one will help him set up a secret trade route with Rovninodensk. Unfortunately for the simple Viktor, both his contacts seek to use him for their own purposes. Josef wants trained varsks for his rebellion and Nikoli wants information he can trade to either Marnorin or the tsara for power and influence. Both are working hard to set up the varsk breeder; it is only a matter of time before one succeeds.
  

Domain Table: Velenoye

Province	Law	Temple	Guild	Source
Abrskiy (2/5)	FR (1)	LM (2)	Ni (2)	-
Aralzyk (2/7)	-	LM (2)	VK (2)	FS (5)
Knana (1/8)	FR (1)	LM (1)	VK (1)	FS (6)
Kustagran (2/5)	FR (2)	LM (1)	Ni (2)	-
Norvsk (1/6)	FR (0)	LM (1)	Ni (1)	-
Olapeysk (0/9)	-	-	-	FS (6)
	-	-	-	PM (3)
Taldy (1/8)	FR (1)	LM (1)	-	FS (6)
Velesk (4/3)	FR (4)	LM (4)	VK (2)	-
	-	-	Ni (2)	-
Abbreviations: FR = Fiala Ruszca (Tsara of Velenoye); LM = Lida Marnorin (Temple of Might); Ni = Nicoli (Raiders of Velenoye); VK = Viktor Kesskin (Varsk Breeders); FS = Firosk Slecktra (Fell Secret-Speaker); PM = Petra Morinoi (Rovninodensk).

• Law: The Tsara of Velenoye, Fiala Ruszca, controls the law that exists within the realm through her tsarevos and boyars.
  

• Temples: Velenoye's Temple of Might, one of the influential in Vosgaard, is headed by the Winter Witch Lida Marnorin. She controls nearly all the temple holdings in the land and has begun expanding beyond the realm's borders.
  

• Guilds: By order of the Temple of Might, no guilds based within Velenoye may trade with any other realm. This hardly bothers the Raiders of Velenoye, headed by the pirate Nikoli. This edict does impose some restrictions on Viktor Kesskin, however, who seeks to improve his herd's breeding stock.
  

• Sources: An enemy of Velenoye (and most Vos), Firosk Slecktra, holds the sources along the northern and eastern borders of Velenoye. She seems to punish both Velenoye and the Sword Rust Tribes equally with her powers, and some believe she wants to carve a realm of her own.
  

• Provinces: The tsara rules every province in which she has a law holding (through her tsarevos and boyars), but the rest of Velenoye remains uncontrolled.