Dominion

The Dominion is the largest and most successful empire in the history of the world of Sekhar. Modern scholars have difficulty determining how the Dominion managed to survive for so long when it began as little more than a ramshackle, loosely-allied collection of Tretalleri city-states with vastly different objectives. Nevertheless, academics agree that without a doubt, Cilritanë a'Detvida was one of the best state builders to have ever been born because he forged the loose alliances of the Kingship of the Bone Trees into an empire that would last the test of time, civil wars, and numerous revolts.

Geography

At the height of its power and influence, the Tretalleri Dominion's hold extended over much of the known world, so it is almost impossible to define the extents of Tretalleri habitation the world over. Instead, it might be more useful to take a look back at the history of the Dominion and examine its earliest extents.

We know from the first historical texts of the Dominion, the bulk of which are from the work of one Qerodë a'Morra, that the Dominion saw its humble beginnings in the Kingship of the Bone Trees, a relatively small but economically prosperous city-states. The name of the capital of this city-state had already passed from living memory by the time that Qerodë wrote his De'Altyurrë Liannë, Stories of the Past, and as such was named Di'Fieldë Cselvë, the Old City.

The Old City was allegedly built upon the banks of Di'Rodë Reýlinë, near the place where its tributary D'Rodë Di'Elmirtë joins it. Qerodë also noted in his Stories that the Old City had been built just bordering the Forest of Bones, De'Naborra Tâllë and the lands of Di'Garrotë, a largely agrarian city-state that features rather heavily in the early parts of Qerodë's Stories. Numerous archaeological digs have been proposed and attempted in the area, but have thus far failed to uncover any settlements of the kind that Qerodë claims to have been built there.

Another location worth examining is that of the Ivory City, which, after its construction a few centuries prior to the establishment of the Dominion, became the capital of the Kingship of the Bone Trees and the Dominion that came after it. The northmost part of the city, which includes the Imperial Citadel and the harbour district, are built alongside the rodë Reýlinë.

Legend states that the original city was built on top of three hills, and although the slight slope of the land upward in the direction the Citadel supports this, attempts at finding the three hills have been for naught. The entire city is elevated relative to the land around it, facilitating drainage of water out of the city after heavy rains. Despite the elevation, however, the swelling of the river is a perennial problem for the riverbank districts.

The elevation evens out further from the city centre. Only the presence of the thick woods around the city serve to deter large enemy armies, forcing them to take the main thoroughfares that are much more easily defensible. The lack of natural defensive geography contributed to the multiple sieges that the Ivory City suffered early on in its history, both from other Tretalleri city-states and from the Elledŷnnë.

One feature of note about the Ivory City is that it is one of the first locations where intelligent creatures undertook environmental modification on a geographic scale. As the influence and wealth of the Dominion grew, the biggest civil engineering project ever attempted was put into action. In the year Y.D. 271, it was completed. Known to the modern day as Di'Maidnë Vidë, the Grand Shield, the Dominion built a gigantic ring of iron deep under the ground that ensured that arcane magic would not work within the city limits.