Khadya is comprised of the northeastern extension of Gaena's largest continent. The Khadyan subcontinent is attached to the main continent by a land bridge (usually called the Khadyan Bridge), some four hundred miles long, but only twenty-five miles wide at its narrowest point. The northern half of Khadya is unforgiving territory - primarily tundra, and in the far north, glacial waste. Even its southern reaches have viciously cold winters and a short growing season.
    The site of one of the most terrible battles of the legendary, planetwide MageWar, Khadya's tundras still pulse with malicious magics, which have reshaped the native wildlife. Luckily, most of these horrifying mutants and monsters are incapable of living outside the region - called the Malevolence - that created them.

Major Cities:
Kh* : Givedtya (capitol) - pop. 45,000 human, 8,000 gnome
Padraisport - pop. 30,000 human, 4,000 gnome
Stefatya - pop. 20,000 human, 6,000 halfling
Helvikshom - pop. 6,500 halfling
Kh1 : Marikston - pop. 4,000 human
Nikolaiston - pop. 3,500 human
Riveshom - pop. 3,500 halfling

Economy:
The southern plains produce two crops per year of hardy winter wheat, as well as a few other grains. Moving north toward the tundra, the farms become primarily sheep-farms, which are noted for their production of heavy wool. There are a few tribes of nomadic reindeer herders living on the tundra itself. Khadya's coasts are dotted with numerous villages that thrive on fishing and whaling.
    For several hundred years now, Khadya, unlike many other countries, has welcomed adventurers with open arms. Travelling mercenaries and treasure-hunters are encouraged to seek challenges in the northern reaches, where occasionally beasts will attempt to leave the Malevolence. Khadya takes a percentage of value from any loot found, leaving the rest to the adventurers.
    Khadya's chief claim to fame as a nation are its mages. Khadya produces more mages per capita than any other nation, and Givedtya is home to the biggest and best-equipped mage school on Gaena - second only to the City of the Chained for its research facilites. Non-citizens may attend the school and use the facilities - for a price.

Government/Politics:
It has been said that though Khadya's first line of defense is the Khadyan Bridge, its truest protection against invasion is for the invading general to be forced to winter over in the country. If this is not precisely the truth, it is worth noting that most other nations prefer to leave Khadya's inhospitable climate and monstrous beasts alone.
    The only true enemy Khadya might be said to have is the Brotherhood of the Chained, but even most of the Brotherhood accept Khadya's reasons for its peculiar attitude toward wild mages: In Khadya, the corrupting influence of wild magic is faster, more devious, and stronger than anywhere else on Gaena. Untrained wild mages show signs of corruption within only a few months. The Brotherhood deals with Khadya as infrequently as possible, and always on neutral ground.
    Khadya is a monarchy. The ruler is called "The Benevolence." The nobility (princes) act as regional governors. Inheritance among the nobility passes to the oldest child; if there are no children, then it moves back one generation. A great deal of political power also rests in the hands of the Archmage, officially the Benevolence's chief advisor. (The successor is appointed by the current Archmage, and although the Archmage must be a mage of a certain rank, he or she is not usually the most powerful mage in Khadya, but one of the most influential. Commoner Archmages are the stuff of legend, not reality.)

Religion:

Population:
The population of Khadya is approximately 75% human, 15% halfling, and 10% gnomish. Total population is around 150,000 (113,000 human, 22,000 halfling, and 15,000 gnome). There is also a small population (less than 1,000) of sea-elves who can occasionally be seen off Khadya's southern coast.

Culture:
The Khadya are very proud of their magical heritage, and this forms the core of their culture. A family's or clan's status rests primarily not on its wealth, but on the number of notable mages it has produced (though the two are often linked). Even the lowliest village has at least one mage assigned to its well-being.
    Khadya organize in lines and clans, which are patriarchal in descent. A woman is identified with her father's name until she is married, and by her husband's afterward. Men use a clan name from their time of birth.
    Unmarried women have much the same options as men - they may travel freely, claim any training for which they can pay, and take up any profession they wish. Once a woman is married, however, she may take no official profession (though most wives assist their husbands) and is discouraged from traveling or training unless her husband is by her side. As a result, many women marry late, or never at all.
    Khadyan children are given a rudimentary education through the Khadyan school system from the time they can walk and speak until the age of five. At five, each child is tested for the potential for magic. Children with such potential are enrolled in special schools meant to encourage their gift; other children may continue to receive an education at their parents' expense.
    Because of the danger of the Malevolence, wild magic is illegal in Khadya - on pain of death. This law unfortunately must, for the safety of all Khadya, apply even to children born to citizens who are talented with wild magic. There is a thriving underground of mages, however, who act to bring such children out of Khadya before they are officially found out at the age of five. This underground has a sort of quasi-legal standing; so long as its actions are not overt or disruptive, the government turns a blind eye to their rescue activities.

Other Notes:

Notable Citizens: