Galt
Galt (pronounced GALT) is a land in the Shining Kingdoms of northeastern Avistan where once high ideals have been laid low and mob rule has led to chaos. Galt was once a vassal nation of Cheliax, but also known for its free thinkers, poets, and artists. After the death of Aroden and the rise of House Thrune in Cheliax, the people of Galt decided to throw off their foreign rulers, along with their own nobles who had colluded with them. The Red Revolution followed in which many, many nobles lost their heads. The problem was the executions did not end the bloodshed and, within five years, the severed heads of the ministers of the first government rolled down the steps of the guillotines. In the decades since, over a dozen governments have ruled Galt, rising and falling like the waves of a stormy sea.
History
Galt is a dangerous place for strangers, for in this land of endless revolution, mobs are always on the hunt for traitors—be they real or imagined. There are many reasons, however, an adventurer might risk his neck to enter Galt. When the nation fell into its current cycle of revolutions, people from all walks of life—from nobles and merchants to wizards and clerics—were forced to flee in great haste. Some left behind priceless treasures, irreplaceable heirlooms, or half-finished research; others were separated from friends or relatives; and a few seek to reclaim the souls of loved ones from the guillotines known as the final blades. Adventurers might offer their aid in exchange for gold or simply to see justice done, or perhaps they seek to claim as their own the abandoned treasures of those who fled the nation. Many opportunities wait in the chaos of the endless revolution—and just as many dangers.
Galt has a long and colorful history filled with brilliant artists, romantic brigands, and philosophers whose unorthodox ideas have altered the landscape of modern political thought. Even after falling to Cheliax in the Even-Tongued Conquest, the people of Galt retained their passion and lust for life. Throughout 6 centuries of Chelish rule, Galt drew freethinkers and idealists to its universities and clever rogues and scoundrels to its woods. Today, only one color comes to mind when people think of Galt: the bitter crimson of blood. The Red Revolution has held the land in its grip for more than 40 years, and it shows no signs of ending.
The seeds of the Red Revolution were sown when House Thrune rose to power in Cheliax. The poet Darl Jubannich issued the broadsheet series On Government, which used Thrune practices as the foundation from which to undermine the basic principle of the divine right of kings. The half-elf philosopher Hosetter took thing even further: his Imperial Betrayal urged the common folk to take up arms to defend their shared ideals. These fiery words spread swiftly across the land, and the tales of Queen Abrogail’s cruelty only added fuel to the flames. Dissent soon burst into rebellion, and rebellion into full revolt. Tens of thousands answered Hosetter’s call, coming together in rowdy mobs to shatter any remnant of Chelish rule and drag the decadent nobles from their manors. Together with other heroes of the people, Hosetter and Jubannich formed the Revolutionary Council, one of the first acts of which was to commission the creation of the final blades. Citizen Margaery San Trayne was the architect of these mystical guillotines; she called for a tool that would bring “a swift and humane end, offering no escape through the magics of resurrection—and furthermore, keeping even the vilest Galtan soul from falling into the clutches of a Chelish devil.”
Hosetter and Jubannich acted with the best of intentions, but the child they brought into the world quickly grew into a monster. The love of life that once characterized Galt became an endless thirst for blood. Those who criticized the Revolutionary Council found themselves branded Chelish sympathizers and set upon the tumbrel to face the final blade. The united front of the revolutionary leaders soon shattered into paranoia and infighting, with new demagogues rising to challenge the established leaders. The collapse of the social order exacerbated these problems, and mobs turned to new leaders in the hopes of miraculous change. Just 5 years after chairing the first session of the Revolutionary Council, Hosetter was executed in his hometown of Edme. Darl Jubannich fled to Andoran, and with his departure the last voice of reason was drowned out by the hungry mob.
Galt has seen more than a dozen governments rise and fall since Hosetter’s death, and all they have shared is bloodshed, chaos, and eventual collapse. The beautiful galleries and lofty universities of Galt have been destroyed; its people are driven by paranoia, fury, and a bitter refusal to recognize the cause of their troubles; and the collapse of any organized army has allowed brigands and savage beasts to thrive in the wilds. At the same time, Galt’s neighbors fear that the rhetoric of Korran Goss might send the bloodthirsty Galtan mobs spilling out across the borders. In the early days of the Revolution, neighboring Andoran offered shelter to refugees from all walks of life; today it fears the growing darkness, and soldiers spread throughout the Verduran Forest turn back any Galtan who seeks passage into their land, rendering passage through the region via the Sellen River, a heavily used trade route, an increasingly dangerous prospect. A handful of Galtan nobles have taken refuge in the River Kingdoms. There, the“Revenant Princes” amass mercenary armies and dream of retaking their homeland. Lord Halidan Tarne regularly leads raiding parties into Galt, while his cousin Casal and he Lady Dela Morgayn prefer to bide their time and build their forces, waiting for the day when they can overthrow the Revolutionary Council once and for all.