Published on September 13, 2025
Paldatan history in its early years is muddied, but most historians can agree that Paldatan came from early Hurdin tribes leaving the first city of Aethis Myr following the defeat of the Varduin, while also taking in groups that had escaped Varduin slavery.
The vast assortment of humans, tieflings, gnomes, and halflings who grew began to form their own communities and eventually small kingdoms. The number that existed was numerous, but one race bore the brunt of the other kingdoms’ hostility: the Tieflings.
And so the Tiefling tribes and small kingdoms came under combined assault, and most fled or had to face a new reality where they were treated as little more than slaves—or, in many cases, actually slaves.
Paldatan kingdoms did share many similar cultural attributes: they shared the same language, similar food, beliefs, the strongest of which came from small crystals they named tears of the gods. These were small arcane crystals found scattered around Paldatan, left over from the defeat of the Varduin. They all believed these crystals sacred and that they were only used in holy ceremonies.
The Paldatan kingdoms cooperated as much as they fought. They repelled a colonisation fleet by Pelodrad together and repelled a Rodanin expansion. Yet there is no counting the numerous brutal wars that they fought with each other, many of which saw the rise and fall of numerous kingdoms.
It was only with the rise of Iluskan that there was a sudden break in this. Iluskan’s disregard for the tears of the gods, the high Tiefling population, and its increasing wealth made it stand out from just being another kingdom.
The different petty kings of Paldatan soon received heralds from each other, and the kingdoms of Aralstin and Turami, who both felt they could be threatened by the rise of Iluskan. Plans for war were drawn up as the varying kingdoms of Paldatan began to form an alliance to crush Iluskan.
Yet there was a huge disunity and lack of coordination between the Paldatan kingdoms. Many distrusted each other, and military coordination was slow; many felt Iluskan was just another kingdom, and some even supported Iluskan. Aralstin military aid was token and spread out over so many petty kings that it mattered little and was often misappropriated. The Turami force sent to assist found itself with a table full of bickering kings and nobles as the central command chain, many of whom were overconfident they could win the war.
The war that followed saw the combined Paldatan forces—who on paper were superior to the fledgling Iluskanians—launch uncoordinated, piecemeal attacks against hastily assembled Iluskanian forces. Their every move leaked to the Iluskanians. Paldatan was utterly defeated by the war, and more than a few kingdoms collapsed or switched sides.
The war for Iluskanian independence was a massive shock to Paldatan and the region, forcing Paldatan’s kingdoms to change their view.
Over the next fifty years Iluskan grew rapidly and, with a mix of diplomacy and subterfuge, swayed many Paldatan kingdoms to its side. Dozens of rebellions were instigated—some were brutally suppressed, others saw hundred-year-old kingdoms disappear overnight.
This eventually led to the Pact of Ten, a pact of Paldatan’s ten most powerful kingdoms in an effort to present a united front against the Iluskanians. Cutting off inland trade, they began a diplomatic offensive against Iluskan, threatening to cut Iluskanian access to the Strait of Gadal.
The Pact of Ten began a large military buildup which sent the Iluskanians into a panicked frenzy. Unable to fully agree on a concrete strategy, the Pact of Ten had also neglected Paldatan’s smaller kingdoms, some of whom had grown increasingly sympathetic to Iluskan.
With the Pact of Ten giving an inconsistent face to the Iluskanians due to internal disagreement, Iluskan launched a surprise attack. With a few smaller kingdoms secretly allowing Iluskanian forces through, Paldatan’s forces were outflanked and, despite vastly outnumbering the Iluskanians, found themselves caught off guard as Iluskan smashed the Pact of Ten’s forces.
This war turned the Pact of Ten into the Pact of Eight and was a stunning victory—one which finally drew Aralstin and Turami support, the latter now sharing a border with the newly expanded Iluskanians.
A few decades later, the pact received encouragement from Aralstin and Turami to resume the war. Yet neither kingdom fully delivered on their aid and yet pushed Paldatan to war, often by manipulating the kings and nobility.
The century that followed would be known as the Century of Ash. Conflicts exploded every few years as Iluskan continued to incite rebellions and weaken Paldatan kingdoms; Paldatan would launch raids or invasions, and Iluskanian counterattacks would retaliate. A common issue was the Strait of Gadal, which Paldatan would close and open to the Iluskanians, and when the former happened, Iluskan would often retaliate.
Yet the century would only weaken Paldatan and strengthen its hated foe. Iluskan became a vibrant trading hub, selling crystals deemed sacred, making friends with nations such as Estaril and even the High Elves. Paldatan, on the other hand, was a disunified mess. Unable to agree on key issues and with Paldatan kingdoms often rallying large numbers of the population only to lose them in wars against Iluskan, Paldatan’s economy collapsed.
The end of the century saw a furious Iluskanian offensive that smashed the pact into a Pact of Five as Iluskan pushed all the way to the Straits of Gadal.
Molaziq Den Re, a prince born following the Century of Blood, rose to prominence. Courting Turami, Aralstin, and finally creating a joint military and economic force, it would be the first time Paldatan was finally unified. He concocted a secret plan; finally winning over Aralstin and Turami, he planned a combined Turami, Paldatan, and Aralstin offensive to cross the Straits of Gadal and take back Paldatan west of the strait.
Fifty years following the humiliating defeat at the end of the Century of Blood, one hundred thousand Paldatan and Aralstin troops crossed the Strait of Gadal as thirty thousand Turami forces launched their attack against the Iluskanian southern flank.
Caught by surprise, the Iluskanian eastern forces were slaughtered, often to a man. The Iluskanian fleet was caught out of position and was sunk in the strait or was too far away to assist, lured away by the Turami fleet.
Iluskanian counterattacks found themselves horrifically outnumbered and slowed by their own citizen refugee columns.
Within the first week, almost all the eastern Iluskan defences had fallen. Paldatan stood on the verge of a grand liberation.
The next four months saw the combined offensive liberate vast swaths of Paldatan. Yet this came at a horrific price. Iluskanian air power had little counter, and Iluskan mass mobilisation soon helped even the numbers. Worse still, the Cadmirian fleet had come to assist, remaining neutral technically but beginning to stop ships of the alliance coming to the Falktar Isles. Elvish assistance also came pouring forth with intelligence. When Turami captured an Eladari merchant ship, the elves responded by sailing a fleet to the Strait of Gadal and launching a spell attack against Paldatan and Turami ships before leaving. Iluskan resistance and counterattacks inflicted a heavy toll on the increasingly overstretched forces, who now had taken tens of thousands of casualties.
Internal strife began to plague the three-nation alliance. Aralstin and Turami began to claim liberated Paldatan land. Molaziq began to pursue peace.
The Treaty of Molaziq, as it would be known, was proposed—brokered by the Lady of Iluskan herself. It would return lands to Paldatan and promise Iluskanian withdrawal in many areas and cessation of sabotage, economic cooperation, and repayment.
It was a deal, however, that required Paldatan to give up further pursuit of war, guarantee the opening of the Strait of Gadal, and it was a deal that saw land returned to Paldatan and Paldatan alone, not Aralstin or Turami.
It was a deal that was contentious among Paldatan, as many thought the war winnable still, but it was opposed by Aralstin and Turami.
Whatever would have happened had it gone through is not known. Molaziq was killed two days before the signing was to happen. His cause of death remains a mystery.
His death threw the Paldatan forces into disarray, barely held together by his son. However, that would last two days before a massive Iluskanian counteroffensive struck.
Iluskan would smash the three nations’ forces and drive them all the way back to pre-war borders. Among Paldatan it is said Iluskan assassinated Molaziq, and his death is blamed on the Iluskanians. However, Iluskan has widely denied it, and the cause of death remains a mystery.
With Turami suing for peace, Iluskan crossed the straits, invading eastern Paldatan, who were so weakened by the war and facing a slave revolt that they utterly collapsed, suing for a peace far from the one Molaziq had envisioned.
It would be sixty years of Paldatan suffering before Maldan Re Ualdun—another man who would unite four of the last pact and who was aided by Aralstin and Rodanin.
It would be a tale of tragedy. When he launched his attack, his plan was simple: to cut off the new Eastern Iluska. It would be a plan that would start with partial success, but Paldatan now barely held a numerical advantage, and qualitatively they were so far behind. Its slave and regular armies were so far behind in quality that when the initial shock wore off, Iluskanian reserves smashed Paldatan.
Yet Maldan had another plan. When Iluskan counterattacked, they found themselves bogged down by insurgent forces created by Maldan. Paldatan’s population had forged such a deep hatred that occupied Paldatan land grew increasingly hard to occupy.
In the end, however, even with Rodanin pressure, a new peace deal would be the end of Paldatan as it had been known. The Pact of Four became three, and the lands were carved up, becoming as it is now following the Treaty of Osda.
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Once they ruled from the borders of Aethis Myr to the Hufin Mountain Range, the Kingdoms of Paldatan have been reduced to three following the Treaty of Osda. Now named houses, they have the most sovereign control in Paldatan: they control their lands and maintain their pre-war laws and control, including slavery. However, Iluskan has stripped away much of their lands, and their rights to trade, buy, and sell slaves are heavily restricted. While they maintain armies, these forces are a shell of the once vast armies Paldatan could marshal.
House Ibriel was once one of the largest, known for vast farmlands and exported food. They also maintained a large military force. They are regarded as an old-fashioned, traditional house.
House Sarin was once the second largest of the houses, known for vast gold mines which made it wealthy. However, its resources have now been mostly taken over by Iluskan, and mismanagement has seen much of its treasure run dry.
The largest and most powerful house in the current day, Yaldun, had used Maldan’s position to negotiate to ensure his house kept most of its former holdings. Yaldun hosts most of the remaining Paldatan gold mines and still holds some rich farmlands. Yaldun also maintains much of Paldatan’s remaining military strength.
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Paldatan’s military has been as varied as its houses. The Paldatan way of war, however, relied heavily on vast numbers of slave infantry, backed up by regular, more elite infantry and skirmishers. Paldatan also favoured chariots, which were a key part of their doctrine even as they proved hopelessly outdated against Iluskan.
Paldatan troops also often lacked armour, with weapons and armour often being simple unless the soldier was rich enough to buy their own—which, in the case of its slaves, they could not. That’s not to say Paldatan’s military was empty. Its regular and elite troops fought extremely hard, often fighting to a man.
However, a key weakness never fixed was leadership and doctrine. Paldatan leadership was often with the nobility, many of whom had little experience or training in warfare. They also were very slow to adapt to changing doctrines.
This culminated with Paldatan shunning spellcasters until the time of Molaziq. Even then, they remained severely underutilised and often had limited roles in the military. While eventually more accepted, their ability to use them is far behind more capable militaries.
In the current day, Paldatan numbers are puffed up by its slave forces, and Iluskan ensures their ability to import or produce more advanced weapons like artillery or high-quality steel is limited, making Paldatan’s military hopelessly outmatched by Iluskan in open war.
Paldatan culture is one that emphasises family. A family is one of the cornerstones of Paldatan. Families often live close together and create a rich network of family ties in community. Families are expected to help one another and assist. This goes all the way to extended families. The standing of a family is also a key part of Paldatan society, with the wealth, history, and positions of its members all weighing into account. It is for this reason this system creates a sort of social class where large family groups are seen as upper, middle, or lower.
Paldatan places a strong emphasis on hospitality, and there are elaborate protocols when receiving guests. They also have various celebrations, and this can vary from family to family.
Paldatan in general is split into two distinct cultural groups, the Sand and Salt Paldatanese. Sand Paldatanese are those who are close to the inland rivers and mountains. These are generally the most conservative and make up the largest chunk of Paldatan’s population. These Paldatanese are fairly patriarchal, with extremely strict dress codes and restrictions on women with strict gender roles. H. Headdress is mandatory, for there is a belief that leaving the hair exposed is a sign of disrespect to the gods. For males, this means a skullcap or turban; for females, a headscarf; and for married women, a face veil paired with a headscarf. Showing skin is considered barbaric, and thus long white robes are worn by males and black for females. Women are not allowed military, political or leadership roles, though an exception is made for religious roles.
Salt Paldatanese on the other hand live on the costal regions, most notably Zalin City. While they are much smaller, they make up the bulk of Paldatans economy. These Paldatanese are far more liberal, while they share similar religious believes, culture and food. These Paldatanese see the use of the tear of the gods far less sacreligious than the Sand Paldatanese. They also have far greater gender equality and more liberal in dressing. Men wore either an ankle length skirt, or trousers with a robe overtop. During the summer, it is not uncommon for the skitr to become knee length and for men to forgo the top. For females a one piece baggy sheath dress is worn casually but a tighter, one shoulder dress is popular with the wealthy. Women also had the liberty of wearing knee length skirts and tunics similar to men when doing a task a dress was ill suited for.
Both groups of Paldatanese are far from united. The Salt see the Sands are backwards, conservatives and stuck in their old ways, unwilling to change. While the Sands see the salts as having lost their way in the pursuit of money and have been corrupted by criminals and the outside world
Paldatan food is a mix of baked and grilled food. Kebabs, falafel, bread, olives, and baked chicken are popular, especially with spiced yogurt. Coffee, dates, and various sweets and honey are also popular.
Since the time of Maldan, a culture of resistance known as Humud is deeply ingrained. It is described as the belief that if they resist and persist in their struggle, they will one day drive out and destroy Iluskan when the gods help them at last.
Since Maldan’s defeat and the Treaty of Osda, Paldatan lands have been carved up into these areas:
This area represents areas captured by Iluskan even before the war. Now considered part of Iluskan, this area has almost completely integrated and assimilated into Iluskan.
This represents areas Iluskan took and controls following the treaty. This area resists Iluskanian control, and Iluskan control of this area is fraught with challenges. Efforts to integrate them into Iluskan have failed. Furthermore, this area, by the treaty, holds certain self-governance rights—rights which Iluskan has suppressed in an effort to police the zone.
Nicknamed the Wild Zone, this area has no government controls. No nation is allowed to control this area besides an elected free Paldatan citizen government, in theory. In reality, the government is corrupt and lacks any real grip, and thus has made this zone a hotspot for criminal activities. Furthermore, many traders who wish to trade items while avoiding Iluskanian security or Turami taxes and security end up here.
Slavery is banned, but this is loosely enforced and only by Iluskanian occasional border-enforcement raids.
The land is also the base for numerous Paldatan resistance, rebel, or terrorist groups and has prompted numerous Iluskanian raids into it. Furthermore, Iluskan conducts mining in these lands by proxy in retaliation for having attacks launched by groups in the zone.
Fearing a direct path to Iluskan, Aralstin occupied a small area of Paldatan, setting up a puppet government whom they mostly leave to their own devices but ensure that they are not threatened by Iluskan.
The survivors of the old Paldatan kingdoms. They are all that are left of the vast kingdoms of Paldatan and hold sovereign rights, though are under trade restrictions by Iluskan.
Iluskan remains the sworn enemy of Paldatan, having waged war against the new born Kingdom for decades. Whilst some elements in Paldatan have always sought peace and co-existence, this has always been a minority. Iluskan was either seen as an upstart stealing Paldatan’s trade, or as the wars have resulted in a series of catastrophic defeats, an hostile occupier. For such reason relations between both sides have often been tense, hostile and filled with mistrust. For many, the prospect of peace between both sides is an impossible one.
With the nations of the Sadirian collective, there is a tension filled alliance. Both Turami and Araltsin had supported Paldatan but only in their own self interest and have repeatedly denied Paldatan refugees due to numerous past incidents. Furthermore, both nations prefer to use Paldatan as a front against Iluskan rather than engaging with Iluskan directly