The Rougtero League is one of the oldest pieces of Lojem. It was one of the first areas properly settled after the destruction of Torandor, with many of the cities being near millenia old. The Rougtero League didn’t become an official alliance until the formations of the Eastern States Coalition and the Southern Unity. The Rougtero League is generally the most prosperous area of Lojem due to housing multiple hotspots for adventurers of all kinds.

In the Rougtero League, most people wear shoes when indoors, even at home. This is due to a number of factors, including dirt floors being common in the past and an entire culture being built around showcasing wealth with fancier shoes.

The Rougtero League is ruled aristocratically. Each of the cities are ruled by a few noble families, with the nobles answering to the Rougtero Council. The council is extremely oligarchical. In recent years, to try and establish a form of unity among the rest of the Rougtero League, the council chose a “king” to rule over the area. In truth, this royal title is nothing more than a figurehead for the country, someone for people to direct their compliments or complaints to while the Council continues to hold the true power.

In the cities outside of Rougtero, smaller forms of the council, mostly run by a combination of the aristocracy and the temples, have control. Each town is highly religious, but may worship certain deities more than others. Because of this, individual temples often have more or less sway depending on the town, Laws A few of the standardized laws and their punishments across the Rougtero League have been laid out by the council. They include but are not limited to the following.

• Open worship of demons, eldritch beings, Rudri, or fey entities: Incarceration, up to 10 years
• Theft: Either a fine of equal value to the items stolen, or incarceration. Incarceration is up to a maximum of 20 years.
• Ownership of another intelligent humanoid creature: Incarceration, up to 20 years
• Assault: Incarceration, up to ten years.
• Treason: Exile.
• Murder and rape: Incarceration or execution, depending on the degree.

The Rougtero League is a highly religious area. The gods frequently make their presence there known. Tales of adventurers assisting the gods commonly spill from this region of the world. On top of this, the temples across this northwestern portion of Lojem all hold a significant amount of political sway. Unfortunately, it means certain cities can be a bit extreme towards individuals who don’t follow the teachings of one of the gods, and especially those who actively oppose them. This does create friction with a significant portion of not just the rest of Lojem, but also the rest of Jaern. This is also one of the few areas of Jaern where worship of Rudri is still banned.

A significant portion of early adventurers on Jaern came from this part of the world. Some historians claim that adventuring got its start here. As such, the area is very affluent and highly connected across the multiverse. Most peoples’ first impression of Jaernians from across the multiverse come from this area of Lojem.

Most magical items or advanced technologies found in the Rougtero League are purchased or stolen from across the multiverse. The Rougtero League also does not have much in the way of large research institutions beyond the occasional temple to Tarus or Vormaxia. This means technological advancement of this area is very sporadic. Many people have access to machines without full understanding of how they work, beyond the basics. Innovation is not common here. This combination of access to high amounts of technology and a lack of understanding said technology can sometimes have disastrous results.

Rougtero, the city of red dirt, is the newest city among the Rougtero League, ironically enough. After the destruction of Karfelon, the elves ruling the territory gifted it to the many human refugees of Karfelon. Currently it is the greatest economic force on Lojem, and potentially even Jaern, only rivaled by Centralia.

The city recently fell under a monarchy at the behest of the Rougtero City Council. This was done to give a figurehead to the city, a symbol for people to cheer and jeer while the council continues its work in the shadows. Some have spoken out about potential corruption in the council, but those people tend to either quiet down or disappear.

Still, the city is a relatively free area where one can easily make a good wage with the proper deals. While a significant portion of the deities have places of worship in Rougtero, the Sepulcher of Anubis, the Sanctuary of Isis, the Temple of Orus, and the Natatorium of Neptune seem to have the most sway on the city’s politics. Population: 50,000

Fordshire: This very small town is more of a suburb of Rougtero than anything. They have a very large inn where adventurers frequently pass through. The town was once “saved” by adventurers from a traveling pack of rowdy teenagers. Nothing much happens in Fordshire, it’s very sleepy. Population: 750

Gendle: Gendle is a particularly old city in the Rougtero League. Culturally it is very different from the rest of the area. The people have a vastly different accent and had little to no contact with the rest of Lojem for generations. Much of the architecture and wildlife is also particularly different. The only similarity is a newly found love of trading. Capitalism has taken hold in Gendle, very strongly.

Gendle primarily worships Neptune and Osiris. Neptune used to be the only deity worshipped there, but an incident involving an earthquake and a sunken trident-shaped temple led to Osiris gaining a presence there. Population: 15,000

Jarumna: This small farming village was hidden by a magical barrier for a long time. Ex-adventurers have taken up residence in the area, with a mad sorcerer’s keep being claimed by an immortal adventurer named Claude. Population: 3,500

Jeome: Still ruled by a very old Baron Hiyan Jeome VII, this small town is rich in ores of all kinds, from iron, to copper, to lead, and even magnesium. The city supplies most of the metal exported from the Rougtero League given New Alimar is more focused on coal. Baron Jeome plans to hand over the throne to his great grandson, Hiyan Jeome X. Jerome’s council is primarily controlled by the local Ra’ites. Population: 5,000

New Alimar: New Alimar is the most industrialized city in the Rougtero League. A dwarven city built into the side of Mount Fajro, the city’s outside is covered in a thick layer of black smog from the constant coal mining operations across the city. It has a thriving musical culture, however.

In the year 2558, the city was declared a holy city of Almar. This has significantly boosted the popularity of Almar among the citizenry, making it one of the few places in the Rougtero League that celebrates the newer deity. Vormaxia, Zepherin, and Mishra have also had a boost in popularity due to the solidarity between these priesthoods, giving them the most political sway on New Alimar’s council. Population: 25,000

Selica-Ja: Selica-Ja is a primarily elvish town found deep in the forests on the central Lojem mainland. The people there live in harmony with nature, concocting a very delicate and careful balance. The city is known for producing excellent craftsmen. Unsurprisingly, Osirites have a lot of sway in Selica-Ja. Population: 9,000

Talen: Talen, also known as Westend, is the closest thing to a scholarly town that the Rougtero League has. Initially relying primarily on tourism for a long time, after the sea wall collapsed on the eastern side, Talen was almost abandoned. For many years the only remaining structures in use were the Tarusian archives and the temple to At’ena in the town. Over time the city has begun to rebuild itself, but it is still quite a small area. As such, the temples to both Tarus and At’ena are the only true representatives on the council. Population: 2,000

Traverstown: Commonly producing raw materials such as lumber, Traverstown is a primarily elvish town run by the local T’orite enclave. They used to transport most of their lumber to Karfelon, and are now an indispensable ally of Rougtero for their building materials. Population: 10,000

The Portal Farm: The Portal Farm, also known as Port Senfinico, is perhaps the busiest part of Lojem. People are constantly coming in and out of the Portal farm from across the multiverse. It is certainly a hotspot for interplanar travel, likely the most common spot for it on Jaern. Very few other countries even have portal farms.

• The Random Encounter Tavern isn't actually located on Lojem island, but the main entry way is a psionic teleportation circle located at the Portal Farm.