Timro

A Land of Dreams, Free Cities, and Sand

 Recent Timeline of the Free Cities

203 Iron Blades– Current

Year

202 S ILVER RAIN – S IEGE OF A RONTO

202 W IND S EEKS – RISE OF THE G REEN

202 JASMINE J ADE – UNDEAD F EVER

202 Red Star

Last of the
202 GOLDEN LIGHT – S ACK OF T OTODANO cities freed

202 BRONZE MIST –

BIRTH OF THE F REE C ITIES
202 Crystal Shards –
Timro Falls to Darkness

202 Iron Blades

Candle Lit

201 Black Rain – Golem War

200 Yellow Eyes
Days of Blooded Shadows

190 Red Star – Rise of Niso

113 Iron Blades – Phishan Invasion

104 Iron Blades – Sorcerer’s War

Prehistory – Foundation of the Cities

Timeline Events
The folks of the Free Cities use the Dwarven Calendar both from
custom and as remberance of the help the Children of Stone gave
them in the dim days when men first walked. Many also use a simple
count of years since the Fall of Timro, to mark the people’s rebirth.

Prehistory – Foundation of the Cities: It is said that when men first

came to the deserts and grasslands of Timro they found the scattered
ruins of Dwarven cities and the broken remnants of that once proud
folk. The dwarves helped the humans by building cities, teaching
them the elements of agriculture and irrigation, and giving them the
tools of civilization.

104 Ice Broken on Iron Blades – Sorcerer’s War: One of the greatest
turning points in the Land’s history came when the Sorcerer Lords of
the Nine Cities were cast down by organized guilds in each city. This
so called “Sorcerer’s War” established the basic rules of Timro society
including the principles of collective action and the rule of sorcery in
most issues.

113 Ice Broken on Iron Blades – Phishan Invasion: The Bitch Goddess
and her Hounds came storming down off the sea, conquering most of
the northern lands before finally being turned back by the desert
flame.

190 Red Star on Wings Falling – Rise of Niso: The Immortal Lord of
Niso breaks the city’s guilds to his will in a single night of blood and
fire. He will reign until the Fall of Timro almost two hundred years
later.

200 Yellow Eyes Shielding Storms – Days of Blooded Shadows: A

horrific accident in Lopoto results in dozens of light elementals being
released on a mad rampage. Thousands die before the elementals
are finally contained.

201 Black Rain – Golem Wars: A renegade guild of enchanters,

preparing in secret for years, unleashed an army of golems on the
sorcerers of the nine cities. These guild is hailed by some as freedom
fighters and most as fools who want to return the land to scorched
desert. The war ends with the execution of the conspirators.

202 Ice Broken on Iron Blades – Candle Lit: The Order of the Candle, a
mixed gnomish and human organization with ties to the Northern
Empire, begins to search for those with a rare gift in the people of
Timro. Those with unrecognized gifts of other sorts, like mystics and
magi, are inducted into the Order in other roles.

202 Crystal Shards (0): Timro Falls to Darkness: The Diamond Point
Horde breaks through into the heart of Timro by travelling through
the Wastelands. It is a year of blood and fire as the great water
stones are broken and cities fall into chaos. What armies the cities
can field cannot withstand the Horde or its Ogre leaders. In Yomolo,
a temple to the Ten Elder Gods dominates the city with promises of
safety and limitless gold.

202 Bronze Mist over Iron Seas (1) – Foundation of the Free Cities:
The Warriors of the South Wind and the three Spiritbound break the
hold of the Elder Gods in Yomolo. The heroes of the line negotiate a
truce with the Orkan Army of Flames and establish the charter by
which the Free Cities will rise again.

202 Golden Light (3) – Sack of Totodano: After two years of war the
Timrovian armies drive the Diamond Point Horde back to Totodano.
The Elder God’s servants, seeing no way out, slaughter the
population. Only one in ten of the people survive.
202 Red Star on Wings Falling (5) – Last of the Cities Freed: After a
long and bloody five years, the reformed Timro Free Cities army
drives the Diamond Point Horde back into the grasslands. The Three
and the Orkan make their headquarters in the devastated city of
Aronto.

202 Wind Seeks Allegories (9) – Rise of the Green: the “Sisterhood
of the Green” arises in Totodano, establish the first government for
and by the people in the Free Cities. Lead by Mai bint Sabra, the
Guild focuses on rebuilding the great fields which once surrounded
the city.

202 Silver Rain Gathered in the Sea (11) – Siege of Aronto: the
second siege of Aronto by the Diamond Point Horde. The Free Cities
Army, backed by the Army of Flame and Uqdah of the Mountain,
hold the line for three bitter years before the Horde finally breaks.

203 Ice Broken on Iron Blades (15) – Current Year: Fifteen years
after the formation of the Free Cities, things may finally be looking up
for the people. Most of the remnants of the Hordes have been
eradicated. The undead and servants of the Elder Gods have
retreated into the shadows. Even the monsters from the Wastes
seem quite. Once the Three take up their banners in the north,
perhaps common folk can finally take a breath and begin the long
process of rebuilding.
The Folk of Dreams and Sand
The folk of Timro are generally dark of skin and hair, though a few
have pale skin and blue eyes. Their language descends from
Dwarven, fractured by time into nine dialects closely tied to their
great cities. The tallest are 5ft 10in or so, with a slender build left
over from nomadic days.

The country is divided in half by an escarpment and a line of hills.

The north benefits from the fertile soil left behind as the Phishan Sea
retreated and elaborate irrigation systems built in pre-history. The
green fringes surrounding the cities are gardens, or were before the
war. The south is a much harder place, where water is scarce outside
of the cities and small walled towns provide protection from the
howling desert winds.

Timrovians have always valued the arts of peace over those of war.
Fine crafts, bountiful food, and access to an almost endless supply of
animated labor give even the poorest people an opportunity to
practice the art of living well. The horrors of the last twenty years
have not altered this focus, though it is now more tempered than in
the past. In particular, the use of various psychedelic drugs has
become a matter conducted in private or in small parties, rather than
a constant state of being.

Before the fall of Timro, each of the nine great cities was ruled by a
“brotherhoods” of sorcerers who provided both labor and magical
protection in the form of bound spirits. After the fall the “Charter of
Free Cities” shifted power away from the sorcerers and into the
hands of local councils composed of the wealthy and heroes from the
war. These councils often elect a single leader, a sultan, who
exercises executive authority. The council generally maintains
control of the three traditional sources of power: the
“brotherhoods” of public works, water, and the guard.

Trade both within and between the cities occupies much of the
people’s time. Each city is a maze of markets, wards, and districts
bound together by ancient architecture and modern innovations.
Each individual area specializes in a particular activity, and each city is
particularly famous for specific services and goods. Trade in services
is brisk, with Timrovians travelling as slaves, indentured servants, or
free members of a brotherhood to ply their trade in distant cities.

Men and women live very different lives in Timro. Before the war,
men without trades had nothing to do while those who could join a
brotherhood worked outside the home. Women worked inside the
home, raising small crops and engaging in the work of keeping
everything running. This split remains alive today, though the men
are somewhat more engaged either as soldiers or local militia.

The Masses: Slaves, Servants, and Freed Men

In the north, Timrovian’s cluster close to the cities and ancient
irrigation system which transformed their land into a garden. Most
live in small villages embedded among fields and orchards.
Sometimes one of those villages grew larger, generally because of
the presence of one of the “water stones”, a massive stone
embedded with a water elemental which sustains and cleans the
waters.

In the south, Timrovians gather into walled villages and towns

nestled close to the larger cities. Most of the south is desert
wilderness, broken only by occasional belts of green growth. During
the day the sun drives the darkest creatures deep into the earth. At
night, the war’s revenants come out to feed on anything they can
find. The cities must maintain constant vigil or lose the green fields
upon which they depend.

The masses of the people fall into three basic categories from which
they can escape only by chance or fate. The first are the slaves or
outcasts, those who have no purpose or place. Slaves are those lucky
enough to find work by selling themselves to another, or whose
ancestors did so. The second are those who sell themselves for a
short period of time, no more than a decade, and can then return to
their freedom. Last are those who are truly free, allowed to choose
their own path – assuming they can find the resources to do so.

The problem lies in the availability of both water rights and

automated labor. A license to use water from the irrigation tunnels is
a matter between a person and the Overseers of Water and is
traditional a unique grant which can only be transferred with the
Overseer’s permission. Anyone who has a license can use his
allocation for whatever purpose – those who do not much trade for
water. Land is actually comparatively easy to acquire.

Those who cannot acquire water rights have only their labor to sell.
However, unskilled labor is not particularly valuable in Timro.
Millennium of sorcerous binding has infused the land with automata
who can do everything from plow fields to pilot boats and clean
houses.

Education and talent are, therefore, the only ways out for those
caught in the lower rungs of society. Children are constantly pushed
to discover and hone their unique talents. Magic, art, and beauty are
the easiest of these to nurture, though in recent years those with a
knack for arms are also doing very well.
The war also brought another opportunity – standing armies which
exchange silver for blood service. Indenturing in an army is the same
as indenturing with one of the wealthy with one difference; over half
the soldiers never see home again. Veterans can command decent
wages, though, and may eventually acquire water rights in one of the
cities.

The Brotherhoods: Wealth, Talent, and Power

Ancient, or at least seemingly ancient, organizations called
“brotherhoods” control most of the trades. Membership in these
brotherhoods is dearly bought and often more a subject of family
association than actual talent.

The brotherhoods take their initial charters from grants of water

rights given first by the dwarves and later by overseers elected from
among the brotherhood numbers. These charters allow the
brotherhoods to distribute large amounts of water as they see fit,
giving them enormous practical wealth. The nature of these charters
also confines any one brotherhood’s influence to a single city.

The most important brotherhood, in both the past and the present, is
the city’s Sorcerer’s Brotherhood. These magicians set the quotas for
the production of automata, the creation of magical wellstones, and
other items key to the survival of desert cities. The Overseers of
Public Works and Water were generally drawn from the Sorcerer’s
Brotherhood, though that tradition is changing slowly.

Of lesser import than the Sorcerers but still influential are the
Brotherhoods of Trade (representing artisans), Healing (representing
mystics), and Coin (representing merchants and moneylenders).
Below these three are countless others, many unique to their home
city or town.
The recently founded “Sisterhood of the Green” in Totodano heralds
a radical break from tradition. The women of the city have
established their own “sisterhood” focused on the arts of the home
and field. They purchased the charter of Totodano when the city was
lost and now hold all three of the Overseer positions. In the six years
since their ascent, the Sisterhood has brought the Green back to life
but many worry at what cost.

Soldiers and Duelists: Holding back the Night

Traditionally un-skilled men and unmarried women whiled their days
away however they could. Those with a little more spark or a knack
for combat gravitated into dueling schools, where they learned to
participate in cheap blood sport to avoid boredom.

The war began to change this equation even before the Diamond
Point Horde fought its way down to the southern sea. Each of the
cities had already founded (via water right grant) a standing and
somewhat unskilled army. When the line broke, the soldiers
retreated until finally acquiring some discipline in the form of Elven
and Orkan officers.

In the decade which followed, two new classes of warrior emerged.

Disciplined soldiers lead by skilled officers replaced the rag-tag
militias that preceded them. Additionally the duelists, once fighters
for sport, emerged as potent battlefield champions. Their speed and
skill, combined with the soldier’s weight, drove the Diamond Point
Horde back into the Wastes and beyond the Aronto Line.

Soldiers who display exceptional intelligence and leadership potential

are invited to come to Aronto where they engage in a course of study
taught by Orkan, Elven, and Timrovian officers. Those who graduate
from this training join the “Brotherhood of Soldiers”, which holds
charters in both Lopoto and Yomolo. Traditionalists fear that this
dual-charter may be the beginning of a power-play by outside forces
to take control of the nine cities from their elected representatives.

Duelists have fared less well. Their schools and long traditions lay in
ruins. Many are older now, and few of those who come to them
have the natural skill required for the training. Many wonder if they
are the last generation of duelists; if so, they have resolved that their
end will not come before Timro is safe once more.

The Elite: Sorcerers and Spiritbound

The traditional elite of society, almost outside of its laws, were the
members of the Brotherhoods of Sorcerers. These magicians lived
lives of luxury, served by both automata and slaves, with time to
develop their skills to the fullest. Their position is relatively
unchanged in the present day, though circumstances have raised
new rivals.

In particular, the emergence of the Spirtbound has thrown the

traditional calculus of power off balance. Warriors bound to
elementals, these soldiers can accomplish as much as a sorcerer
without the risk of a spirit breaking free. The Three (Havid, T’wifck,
and Udquah) are particularly troublesome because they are bound to
royal elementals. This gives them the power to create other
elements who obey them not from fear or force, but from allegiance
and sometimes even love.

The Immortal Lord of Niso, the greatest sorcerer in Timro, has not
been heard from since his city was sacked. Some say he has died.
Others, particularly those sorcerers who long for a return to the old
days, hope that he has simply gone on a journey and will return soon.
With his help, perhaps things can return to normal.
The Underhand: Dancing in the Shadows
The Brotherhood of Shadowdancers does not hold a charter in any
city nor does it have water rights. That does not change the rumored
fact of its existence or the long traditions associated with its honored
calling.

Shadowdancers are normal men and women who embrace a life of

adventure and crime. Seeking thrills, they dare the greatest dangers
for little more than coin and an occasional opportunity to prove what
they can do.

The Brotherhood is a loosely organized group which oversees the

criminal activities in a specific city or town. Those who engage in
theft, bribery, or illegal trade must pay a dues in gold or water.
Those who fail find themselves the target of the next “daring
exploits”.

The war has brought the dancers a bit out of the shadows. They have
offered their services as scouts and spies to the Free Cities Army. In
return, those who wish to leave the life may do so without any
awkward questions about their past.
Life in the Land of Dreams and Sand
The people of Timro love life even, or perhaps most especially, when
things turn sour. For centuries they lived lives of idle luxury and
slowly spreading decadence. It is only now, when forced to defend
their homes and rebuild what was lost, that they have discovered the
truth of themselves. They are strong: stronger than the lies, stronger
than the self-hate, even stronger than the death others planned for
them. They are strong and will never have to be weak again.

Law and Crime

The legal code varies from city to city and is enforced by the Overseer
of the Guard, an official elected from among the most powerful
brotherhoods to ensure order. All of the codes are relatively
straight-forward: do not lie to those in authority; do not cheat on
contracts; do not kill one another unless in a sanctioned duel. Theft
of material goods is annoying more than something to be dealt with;
theft of water is considered to be the same as murder and responded
to with outmost force.

Drugs and various other intoxicants are not and never have been
illegal in the Free Cities. However, the public displays of mass
intoxication which once marked every day for much of the
population are now frowned upon. There is now work aplenty for
everyone who needs it, and more than can be done even if all hearts
were fully engaged.

Crimes against people, rather than property, cause both parties to

seek out the guard. The results are only now becoming just, as the
Overseers of old are replaced by men and women bound to the
greater community through shared sacrifice rather than the old
traditions of brotherhood and wealth.
Duels are still a legally binding way to settle most matters. As in the
past, all such duels must be fought by the parties seeking settlement.
A duelist can oversee the battle and declare the victor, but cannot act
as a champion for another person. Sport dueling has passed away,
though rumors of “fighting circles” circulate in most of the major
cities. Such things are not illegal but injuries sustained during them
might leave the community short soldiers when the battle begins
again.

Cults and Gods

Once, Timro was a land of a thousand thousand shrines. All of the
gods, including the fallen and the Elder, were active and honored
throughout the land. Shrines and temples dotted the countryside
and cities held lavish festivals proclaiming their faith.

That changed when the Temple to the Old Faith nearly destroyed
Yomolo and its routed armies sacked and burned Totodano. Those
who survive have little time for public celebration and less patience
with those who look to gods for help.

The spirit of the people has shifted and they associate faith in gods
with the “old way” which almost lead to destruction. New
philosophies, founded on mortal action and a renewed interest in
community, have arisen to displace what are seen as empty rites.
Although there is no escaping the power of the gods, many now feel
that such power is a crutch that can only lead over time to
dependency and corruption.

In Totodano, the oldest Shrine to Milieras clings on as the last

remnant of the old ways. It is tended by elves who came from
Aranatharin after the last priestess died on the Old Faith’s spears.
The elves make no effort to convert or witness; they seem content to
tend the shrine and its gardens indefinitely. When the Sisterhood
asked for the Shrine’s water right, they surrendered it gladly then
conjured a spring form the soil using elfin magic.

The Rise of Warfare

The utter ruin left behind by the Diamond Point Horde and its human
accomplices was a blessing in disguise for the Timrovian people.
Millions died; hundreds of thousands rose as undead. Demons and
corrupted spirits haunt the desert sands. But a once drifting people
now have purpose, goals, and a common enemy. Times are hard, but
the people have proven even harder.

The common people are still not adept at warfare. Many have
survivor’s skills, picked up at need and still raw from battle, but few
have made a living as professional soldiers. City guards and village
militia are more likely to have some military experience and the local
elders may well even know some kind of combat magic.

Soldiers are indentured to their city’s army for a period of ten years.
They receive extensive training in field tactics as well as close
quarters combat. Those with magical talents, especially mystics and
warlocks, are given individual training by the elves of the Danarurath
and Maciliarmacari.

The first waves of veterans are just reaching the end of their decade
in the next few years. Considerable discussions are ongoing among
the Free Cities as to what to do with them. This is yet another first in
the people’s experience; veterans who are actually skilled warriors
retiring in large numbers.
OF ORKAN, E LVES, AND SPIRITS
Two non-human forces have helped establish and maintain the Free
Cities Army. The Orkan of the Army of Flame were originally in
service to the Temple of the Old Faith, but changed allegiance at the
request of Lizanathabandcinder. The elves of Aranatharin,
particularly the houses of Danarurath and Maciliarmacari came
across the mountains to provide assistance as well.

The Orkan Army of Flame was and remains the primary expeditionary
force of the Pale. They are professional soldiers hardened by a
hundred battles all across the land. The Army fought hard in the first
part of the war, but withdrew to a support and training role before
reaching the north. They have established bases in Yomolo and
Aronto where the bulk of their forces are concentrated. As the
human army has gained competence, the Army has had less and less
to do. Now their primary role is deep penetration scouting in the
Coyal Grasslands themselves.

The Elves play a very different role. They are not an army, more of a
collection of individual heroes who happen to be moving in the same
direction. Their knowledge of magic, particularly that used in battle,
makes them ideal tutors for those soldiers who display such talents.
These are taken and given intensive training in elfin battle tactics and
magical theory, then returned to the front lines and watched over for
a time to ensure the training stuck.

The Three once stood on the Aronto border using flame, wave, and
stone to deny passage. Now only Udquah of the Mountain holds that
line. Increasingly the Free City Army is able to take over these duties
thereby allowing the hero some much needed rest.
Threats: Spirits and Undead
The last decade has seen the majority of the Diamond Point Horde
driven back from the Land of Dreams and Sand. Unfortunately many
evils still linger in the wild and empty spaces surrounding civilization’s
green ring.

Some remnants of the Horde, small hunting packs no larger than a

hundred, have taken over broken villages and older ruins. They
subsist by raiding and devouring whatever can be found. These
bands can cause considerable trouble before they are put down
permanently.

Mad and corrupted spirits, particularly wind and flame but also
verdant and metal as well as some broken fey, also present a serious
threat. These creatures cannot be easily reasoned with but are
subject to the laws of sorcery. Sorcerers can generally deal with
them in small numbers, so the spirits have learned to either band
together or strike from hiding and vanish before their former masters
can respond.

Some of the unburied dead have arisen as well. Hungry and

tombless, these revenants move alone or in packs of no more than
thirty. They can terrorize a village or lone travelers but are not a
threat to social stability. Yet.

Finally, humans driven off their land or sworn to serve the Old Gods
still make camps in the wilderness. Most are no more dangerous
than common bandits. A few were commanders or priests of the Old
Faith and may, in time, attempt to raise up forces strong enough to
reclaim their place in society.
The Free Cities: Land of the Green
The nine cities stand free, ravaged by war but unbroken and
unbowed. Their ancient heritage remains, forged now by shadow
and fire into something greater. What that is remains to be seen.

THE STRUCTURE OF A CITY

Each of the cities follows a pattern laid out during their founding. A
great central cistern paved with stones within which rest bound
water elementals sits in the center of the city. Rising above it is the
“Great Spire”, the center of government and often times the
residence of the most powerful people in the city. From the center
radiate great tunnels carrying water to the fields and canals carrying
water to the people.

From there the cities grow out in rings divided into countless wards
and districts. These neighborhoods grow and change over
generations as brotherhoods rise and fall. Urban growth remains
close packed, with a preference for building up into spires rather
than out across the land.

Eventually the city comes to an, merged along the border with the
city’s “Green”: the ring of fields which supply it with food. The
Greens are fed water from underground tunnels and above-ground
irrigation systems. Maintaining these systems is the primary job of
the Overseer of Public Works. Managing access to them is the
responsibility of the Overseer of Water.

Towns and villages follow a similar if slightly less dramatic structure.

Central wells protected within walls and supplemented by rain
cisterns provide vital water to close-by fields. Local guards and
militia provide protection from minor threats with the hope that the
nearest city can send aid in the event of a serious danger.
GHETTOS: ANCIENT DWARVEN SETTLEMENTS
Once each of the nine cities maintained a settlement of dwarves
called a ghetto. These segregated colonies governed themselves,
traded with their human neighbors, and provided support in times of
trouble.

Now only the ghetto in Yomolo remains. The Temple of the Old Faith
burned the others. None of the dwarves have returned; it is said that
the dwarven king has not yet made a determination about what
should happen.

THE FIVE NORTHERN CITIES

The northern cities sit in sparse grasslands. Aronto (on the Phishan
coast) and Melo (on the Dorban River) have both natural and magical
water sources. Balano, Totodano, and Tormin are more reliant on
sorcery for their substance. Aronto was the first city to fall, the last
to be reclaimed, and the current center of the war for Timro’s future.

Aronto (70,000+ population): the northernmost city of Timro and its

link to markets in Phi, Lopan, and Han. Aronto is a culturally diverse
city with wards dedicated to people from nations as far flung as Han
and as exotic as the Tiger Men of the Y’Soth. The Orkan and Elves
have established strong presences just outside the city, as has the
“Brotherhood of Soldiers” and the Free Cities army.

Balano (44,000+ population): once a center of learning, Balano has

become the logistical center of the war effort. The Free Cities stage
supplies here before allocating them across the northern front. This
activity has strained the city’s resources, especially as refugees from
Totodano and the south try to settle nearby.

Melo (15,000+ population): is nestled on the border of the Forest of

Faery at the juncture of the Dorban and Silvistliel rivers. It never had
a strong brotherhood of sorcerers, instead relying on trade with the
faery for most magical needs. Melo was not untouched by the war
but most of its population escaped across the river during the bad
times, leaving it with much to rebuild but little loss of life.

Totodano (26,000+ population): once the second largest city in

Timro, the death of over 100,000 people in a matter of days left this
city with a sepulchral feel it cannot shake even in the height of the
desert day. The center city remains mostly abandoned and the great
central tower empty. The “Sisterhood of the Green” has taken
charge of most matters, lead by the charismatic and outspoken Mia
bint Sabra.

Tormin (49,000+ population): Tormin, nestled in the Spine of the

World, was the source of most of Timro’s metals and its finest metal
works. The city has grown since its sacking and now also provides
foodstuffs, worked wood goods, and a link to the Land of the South
Wind. Tormin’s brotherhoods have invited elven craftsmen from
Aranatharin to teach them the arts of crystalshaping and
woodsinging, looking for ways to help supply the war effort.

THE FOUR SOUTHERN CITIES

Below the line of hills and the escarpment lies a desert of sand and
rock which would be inhospitable but for the water provided by
sorcerous means. The four southern cities reflect the hostility of
their environment with a distrust for strangers only reinforced by
recent events.

Erinta (9,000+ population): bordered on one side by hostile hills, on

the other by the Wastes, and on the other two by seemingly endless
desert, Erinta has not recovered from its sacking. Barely a hundred
thousand souls cling to life in a land that once supported twenty
times that.
Lopoto (88,000+ population): suffered greatly at the hands of the
Horde and the Old Faith but its central position as the crossroads of
the Cities ensured a rapid return to glory. Merchants from the north
and south meet in Lopoto’s great markets, trading news and
information. Its great Green, fully restored after the war, is among
the most fertile.

Niso (21,000+ population): the Immortal Sorcerer Lord of Nico put

its inhabitants into an enchanted slumber at the beginning of the
war. They were released a few years ago, but their lord has not
reappeared. Without his guiding hand the city and its surrounds are
slowly falling to chaos, with the newly unleashed brotherhoods
struggling for power. Rumors claim that a “Sisterhood of the Green”
may arise from the fields in short order.

Yomolo (110,000+ population): the shining jewel of the desert,

Yomolo is the only city to escape destruction by the Diamond Point
Horde. It has always played host to the most dramatic events of
Timrovian history and that does not seem likely to change anytime
soon. Beautiful, marvelous, decadent, and enchanted, Yomolo is the
center of the world – just ask those who live there.
Lifestyle: The Art of Living Well
Timrovians prize the “art of living well”, a combination of social
graces, education, and practical wisdom which make it possible for
the majority to live well without having to work themselves to death.
This art was taken to an extreme before the war, turning from honest
luxury to decadence. The war brought clarity and restraint, but did
not change the people’s hearts.

THE ART OF LIVING WELL

The art of living well consist of three core pillars: enough good food
to be satisfied, enough good conversation to be entertained, and
enough good relationships to be fulfilled.

It is the concept of enough that eluded the Timrovians for most of

their history. Each generation sought out more and more, driving
deeper into the whatever idle distractions and pleasures the
moments brought. This enslaved them to their senses and made it
easy for the Old Ones to manipulate them further down the road to
ruin.

FOOD AND MANNERS

A red kernel grain called Tiaf, beef, chickpeas, and kale make up the
primary food stuffs of Timro. These four items are included in nearly
every meal, even if only as a nod to tradition among the rich and
powerful. Food is usually consumed as a spicy stew served with bread
and eaten with lacquered sticks. Liquid foods are served in leaf
shaped bowls, so that they are easy to drink.

Orchards and large farms provide foodstuffs for the markets. Each
home has a small garden as well, fed with water sufficient to grow
vegetables and fruits. Women who cannot manage their gardens are
said to be “infertile”, with implications that they are barren as well.
Table manners in Timro are intentionally informal. People mill about,
lay on couches, squat near low tables, or simply sit on the floor,
talking about the day's events with whoever is handy. Meals are
usually take in common, with conversation being the primary
concern. Many new travelers to Timro are taken aback by the
gregarious and outgoing nature of the people, especially during
meals.

In Timro, it is very rude not to respond when greeted. Greeting cover

a wide gambit of phrases, ranging from the informal "Greeting!" to
the elaborate "A glorious day to meet you on, my friend. Perhaps you
have a moment to speak with me?"

HOUSING AND WORK

Timrovian homes are rarely free-standing. Most are actually a few
rooms in a larger complex which may house as many as a hundred
other families. Walls of mud and stone are topped with ceramic tiles
of various fanciful colors. The entire complex shares a single water
right and access to a sewer system outlet which might or might not
work depending on the weather and the mood of the bound spirits.

Out in the Greens are free standing, single family homes where the
poorest of the poor live. These “huts” generally have two or three
rooms and live off the water right allocated to the field. This
arrangement binds the people who live in the hut to the soil,
something considered both uncouth and rude in most of civilized
society.

SEX AND MARRIAGE

Timrovians have a relatively relaxed vision of sex before marriage.
They tend towards early, often, and with as many partners as
possible as a rule, with exceptions made (naturally) for their own
children. However, this is sharply divided by social class. The lower
classes tend to allow for more liberal behavior, while those bound to
brotherhoods are pressured to avoid casual entanglements.

Marriage is a similar matter. Before the war the lower classes were
polyamorous, with men and women combining in a wide range of
mutually beneficial relationships. The brotherhoods were far more
staid, given that water rights and assets were tied in with each such
arrangement. Marriages among the upper echelons were strictly
business arrangements.

After the war both of these approaches fell out of favor. The “new
way” is for a man and sometimes more than one woman to come to
an agreement among themselves, pool their resources, and apply for
water rights for a household. This is very much a practical matter –
hundreds of thousands more men than women died in the war, and
working together in functional family units is more effective than
struggling along alone.

Magic and Technology: Sorcery Ascendant

Timro is, and will always be, the land of sorcery. Even the poorest
families can afford animated items and self-heating pots. The truly
wealthy might even have “free bound” elementals as servants, using
sylphs to cool their houses and flame al’ardha to light their lamps.

There is a change in the wind. The soldiers of the Free Cities Army
have been exposed to wizardry and warlockery, mysticism and the
star lore. Some are even adepts in these outside disciplines. What
they will do, and how the deserts will change as they set up shop
throughout the land, is unknown.
The Future of the Land of Dreams and Sand
The future has yet to be written, but it will not resemble the past.
Heroes of legend have arisen to drive back the darkness. The people
have awakened from their sleep. Their backs are weary from much
toil but their hearts are unafraid. What happens next will change the
world.