Total Annihilation: Kingdoms/Locations

This is a list of places and characters in the RTS game Total Annihilation: Kingdoms.

Aidenfel
The House of Aidenfel, whose lands lie in eastern Aramon, claims to be the most ancient of the royal houses of Aramon. It has produced a large share of Aramon's artists, men of learning, and inventors. There is a rumour that the House of Aidenfel is directly descended from the Kandrans, and this is certainly the house that has the most links with the rest of Darien; its men and women often take spouses from overseas.

The most recent of these intercontinental marriages, is that of the current Lord Aidenfel with a beautiful Tarosian aristocrat, and has added tension between Taros and Aramon. It's said that every Tarosian noble dreamed of possessing this particular beauty, and there have been drunken boasts of taking her back by force.

Buriash
Buriash is one of the royal houses in Aramon, and is probably one of the most powerful. Its lands occupy most of northwestern Aramon, and its lords ruled the majority of the country before Elsin's accession as mage-king. The present Lord Buriash is rumoured to retain grievances about the way his family was removed from power. The Lords of Buriash have always been warriors by nature, and the peasants inhabiting their lands don't have an easy life.

Dernhest
The house of Dernhest is said to have come into existence as a result of a union between Verunan sailors and the fair maidens that northeastern Aramon is famous for. Traditionally, the Lords of Dernhest have acquired wealth through commerce, rather than warfare, so there may be truth in this. However, the present Lord Dernhest is determined to make his mark as a military leader and certainly has to talent to become one. His one weakness is an inordinate fondness of good food and drink.

Elsin
Elsin I is mage-king of the kingdom of Aramon. He is the brother of Kirenna of Veruna, Lokken of Taros and Thirsha of Zhon. Their father is Garacaius, who was once ruler of all of Darien, proclaiming himself 'mage-emperor'.

Since his accession to the throne of Aramon, which, before him, was ruled by four distinct nobles houses, most notably, Buriash, Heldain, Dernhest and Aidenfel, he has made is a spectacular place in which to live, by building stone roads, ordering the construction of defence mechanisms and, his most triumphant feat, constructing the city of Kaluen and making it his capital.

He goes to war with Lokken and Thirsha, as they insist on using magic, while Elsin and Kirenna continue Garacaius' law of not using magic in unnecessary circumstances.

Garacaius
Garacaius was abandoned as a baby and was discovered by the fisherman, Pesco. As a young man, he graduated from the Ugarit Academy in Taros, and, since magic was not even referred to since the time of the Kandrans, he shocked everyone by writing his essay entitled, 'Mana: and the role of magic in the natural world'.

Garacaius was renowned for his boat-building abilities, as he helped seamen to build a boat that could sail the oceans. This invention was ground-breaking and allowed for overseas trade. Garacaius became very rich from the profits of this successful trade, and made his home on the island of Irgiron.

He also set out on expeditions and voyages. He found the interior of the mystical continent of Zhon, and brought back a girl called Lasha, whom he made his wife.

The Great Civil War of Darien also arose in Garacaius' lifetime, but he and his family managed to survive this war, which involved the whole world. Garacaius led armies to subdue the rebellions in each continent, and after eight years emerged victorious.

Towards the end of his life, the peoples of Vidara, Irgiron and the Meredoc Keys wanted a kingdom of their own. Garacaius and the Darien government established an island federation and called it 'Veruna'. Garacaius became ruler. He later went on to conquer the whole world and unite it into an empire.

Over the years, Garacaius crushed all objectors to his rule and he had children with his wife Lasha. First-born was Elsin, then Thirsha, Lokken and Kirenna.

Lasha drowned in an accident at sea, while Garacaius managed to save all four children.

When his children were grown, Garacaius divided his empire into four, and assigned then each kingdom.

After the simltaneous coronations for the four monarchs, Garacaius disappeared, never to be seen again.

Heldain
The lands of the house of Heldain lie deep in the interior of Aramon. Its nobles traditionally aspire to become chivalrous knights. The morality of the Heldain lords may be questionable on occasion, but there is no doubt that this house produces the finest cavalrymen in Aramon. All men of the Heldain house seem to have an instinctive understanding of their beasts, the rider and the horse acting as one in combat. The House of Heldain has been somewhat divided in its attitude to Elsin. Interestingly, the Heldain noble most famous for his independence, Joreth, has always been a staunch supporter of Elsin.

Kaluen
Kaluen is the capital city of the kingdom of Aramon. It was built by mage-king Elsin not long after his accession as king. It is located in Northern Aramon, and is said to be the most beautiful and defended city in the whole of Darien.

Lokken
Third-born to Garacaius, Lokken was given the kingdom of Taros. He went against his father's will be practising magic whenever he pleases, going against his powerful brother and sister, Elsin and Kirenna. His sister Thirsha supports him and the two will go to war to protect their right to practice magic.

Taros
Taros is a dark and fiery land ruled by Lokken, who built his capital, Elam, in central Taros. Since Lokken has become a Necromancer, Taros has been overrun with supernatural beings, all of which he will enlist into his armies.

Taros has four distinct noble houses.

House of Ontinor
Ontinor is the least violent of the Noble Houses of Taros. Most of Ontinor lands lie on a large, semi-isolated peninsula on the western shore. This piece of geographical good fortune has meant that Ontinor has escaped involvement in most of the bloody quarrels that have turned Taros into a constant battlefield. The lands of Ontinor lie right across the water from Veruna, so its not surprising that this noble house is the principal importer and exporter of Taros. In addition to supplying other Tarosian Houses with imported goods and weapons, Ontinor maintains relations with most of the Noble Houses in Aramon and Veruna.

Thirsha
Thirsha was second born to Garacaius and Lasha. She was given the kingdom of Zhon, her mother's homeland, when Garacaius divided his empire. Since then, Thirsha has waged war on Elsin and Kirenna, while she has allied herself with her brother Lokken of Taros.

Ulasem
Ulasem is the capital city of the kingdom of Zhon, ruled by Thirsha. It lies deep within the interior of Zhon, and no foreigner that has come to Zhon's shores uninvited has ever made to Ulasem. As it is engulfed by the deep jungle, Ulasem is the most isolated city in the world. Most people outside of Zhon do not even know it exists.

House of Aenir
Aenir is one of the two houses that share Veruna's biggest island, Vidara. Originally a clan of hunters, the House of Aenir entered commercial scene later than its rivals. It's relatively weak commercial presence is compensated by the fact that the house has produced the majority of Veruna's fighting men - most of the archers onboard Veruna's fighting ships come from the lands of the House of Aenir. The House of Aenir has been an especially loyal supporter to Kirenna, hoping to score points over its closest rival - the House of Iuli. It has also been recently successful in having old territorial quarrels resolved in its favour.

House of Yddyn
The House of Yddyn originated as a clan on the island of Athri, on Veruna's eastern flank. Gradually, it moved on to colonize the neighbouring islands of Caora and Gudrun. In later years, its ill-timed attempt to establish outposts in the barren land of Kuvera, led to a sharp short war between Veruna and Aramon. The House of Yddyn is said to produce Veruna's finest navigators, endowed with an almost supernatural sense of direction. However, this is not really surprising once one learns that Veruna's eastern islands are covered with mist most of the time.

House of Jatha
Most of Veruna's thinkers and government officials come from the House of Jatha. Its lands occupying just a few small island's on Veruna's southern fringe, the House of Jatha had always sought to spread its influence through wise diplomacy rather than commercial or military power. However, the members of this illustrious house are no meek pacifists. Present command of Veruna's war fleet lies in the hands of Lord Il-Jatha. The House of Jatha has close ties with Aramon. After the Great Civil War, many Jathans settled around the city of M'Hari on Aramon's northeastern shore. The close relations with this noble house and Aramon's house of Dernhest have greatly contributed to an alliance between Veruna and Aramon.

House of Iuli
The moment Garacaius rehabilitated the Kandrans, confessing that he had been a student of their sciences, at least one noble house on each continent began to claim blood links with the mysterious, ancient race. In Veruna, it was the House of Iuli. There is some evidence to support the claim that the House of Iuli was Veruna's first merchant house, dating back long before the islands were united into one nation. The House of Yddyn might have produced the finest seamen Veruna ever had, but it was the House of Iuli that made all those voyages possible. Originating on the island of Vidara, the House of Iuli led the colonization of the island of Irgiron, establishing Darien's then-premier city, Estoril. Several centuries later, when Garacaius arrived on the island, it was none one other than the First Lord of Iuli that gave the future ruler of Darien help and support he needed. In recent years, the power of the House of Iuli has waned. Its reluctance to pay the taxes needed to main Veruna's war fleet has earned the house Kirenna's disfavour. As a result, a disputed village passed into the hands of the House of Aenir, and the house also lost control of the Office of Customs and Commercial Taxes.

Zhon
Zhon is a mystical and forested land ruled by Thirsha. Thirsha built her capital on old Kandran ruins and named it Ulasem. Zhon lies in southeast Darien, so it exposed to eastern Aramon.