Goltha
Goltha is an imperial confederation of seven city-states: three maritime cliff-side ports and four fortified inland-mesa strongholds. Erudite and esoteric, the Golthan Empire considers itself the height of culture and intellect. Considered by many to be the Ancient Enemy, the sleeping giant is awakening.
The History of Goltha
Millennia ago, the region consisted of warring emirates. These were eventually unified under the city-state of Van Del, sparking a 1,500-year Golden Age. During its peak, Goltha led the world in mathematics, architectural geometry, and the arts, expanding its borders across most of Adrasil.
Over time, the empire’s borders receded due to internal politicking and bureaucratic reforms. Significant territories were lost, shifting the empire's focus from military conquest to mercantile dominance and endeavors in more esoteric and philosophical disciplines.
More recently, the Empire was embroiled in a civil war, involving two major factions: Reformers and Traditionalists. The Reformers believed the role of the hereditary nobility was ineffective and had run its course. The Traditionalists posited that the role of the Amirazad had been intentionally eroded over the centuries, and their authority needed to be reestablished. After some 50 years, the Traditionalists emerged victorious, purging most prominent dissenting figures from their roles in government, society, and mortal life.
Following a major naval defeat in YL 1112 at the hands of Olaran, and the then Earl of Throi, a new military edict was established. This mandate dictated that no military or diplomatic move could be made without exhaustive logistical analysis and scrivener of the Assembly, effectively and finally cutting Golthan ties with Olaran. This also created a militarily pacified empire, operating with extreme caution and high-level, long-term, strategic decision-making, treating every conflict as a puzzle to be solved.
Culture and Look
Emblem: The Twin Flame
Culture: Inspired by the style and equipment of the Andalusi: the kingdom of al-Andalus or the Muslim-ruled Iberian peninsula between the 8th and 15th centuries. They have long, brightly colored silhouettes with many layers, head wraps, and an emphasis on stripes. Base armor, like most other factions, can be a gambeson and/or chainmail, while more advanced armor incorporates more eastern and Greek elements.
Equipment: Their colors are meadow-blue with orange stripes, peach, tan, and cream with coral and mixed-metal accents (links below). The Golthan military is a combination of cavalry archers, spearmen, and the sword-and-shield cohort. If they wear armor, they wear chainmail, bronze jack-plate, and padded gambesons. They wear gold/bronze/brass Corinthian helmets with or without visors, and always with an orange-striped head wrap.
Your striped head wrap is a required part of a Golthan’s uniform, armored or not. You may purchase one through Fell & Fair or make your own.
We strongly encourage you to layer this wrap with other neutral fabrics. Golthan meadow-blue is aquamarine, and lighter than Sealord blue. Your color palette may veer lighter than the meadow-blue, but not darker.
*** Please note that players MAY NOT wear the primary colors of another faction***
Note: All kits, weapons, and in-game accessories must be approved by faction leadership. Please email contact@hearthlandsevent.com and include links and photos.
Arm Yourself Properly
The ancient Empire of Goltha has long established what its warriors and healers wear and use. Innovations are unnecessary. Choose from a finite group of approved weapons only. These pieces may include:
Recurve bow and arrows
Golthan Shield (must be painted)
Corinthian helmet (must be worn with headwrap)
Follow the Leader
Little is known about Ghalib al’Zalim min Van Del outside the walls of his home city. A cousin and close confidant of the Amirazad, he holds command of the monarch’s private army and the title al’Aelaa Bashir or Bashir Suprema. Few men in Goltha possess wealth equal to his, and fewer still wield it with such precision. Merchant prince, financier, and master of a sprawling trade network that stretches across the known world, he built his fortune through an unmatched talent for identifying opportunities others overlooked. He brings the same shrewd eye to military campaigns, and is attributed the adage “Never fight fair. If you've found yourself in a fair fight, you've made a terrible mistake.” It is often said that a Golthan army marches on grain, but Ghalib ensures the grain arrives.
As Bashir Suprema of the Amirazad’s private army, Ghalib is entrusted with the defense of the throne and the stability of the Empire itself. To his allies, he is a patriot whose fortune serves Goltha’s future. To his rivals, he is proof that gold can command as effectively as any crown. He rarely bothers to correct either interpretation.
In the autumn of YL1125 he led a force of Golthan Legionnaires on a military excursion into the Hearthlands to capture or kill Krator Gellon. Upon arrival he parlayed with the Queen, warned of Gellon’s incursion into the Fire Mountains, and proposed marriage to Jarl Tagelia. Thanks to his warning, Gellon’s troops were eventually forced back across the border into the Empire and summarily smashed, ending the civil war.
—-
Out of game, Gaz has been attending Weekend Warrior since 2021, and was appointed faction leader of the Golthans in 2025. He spends his free time cooking, and shares his zest for life through food. In the autumn of 2025 he led a force of Golthan Legionnaires on a military excursion into the Hearthlands to have a nice weekend. There he proposed to his now fiancé Kristen, who you might know as Jarl Tagelia.
Fabric and Paint
Here is a list of pre-approved fabrics and paint colors. You can submit additional items for approval.
Meadow Blue Linen (Can be worn in any fabric weight)
White & Flame Stripe. The head wraps provided will be tea-stained. If you purchase this fabric to further incorporate with your kit, it must also be stained/darkened.
Coral Linen (Please note this color can only be worn in small amounts as a minor accent color.)
Apricot Linen
Natural Linen
Paint Code Sherwin-Williams SW 9633 Silver Lake
Sanā Sayf al’Sabīl, scholar of arms and Bashira of house Bint Kahina hails from the southern port city of Suden Moar. Raised along side merchants, sailors, soldiers, and travelers from across the known world, she has spent much of her life studying the weapons, fighting traditions, and military customs they bring with them.
Though an accomplished duelist and tactician in her own right, it is her writings on swordsmanship that have earned her recognition throughout Goltha— though she is known as much for her questions as for her conclusions. Sanā maintains that skill is born not from tradition alone, but from observation, experimentation, and a willingness to challenge accepted wisdom— “A defeat that teaches is worth two victories that deceive”, she is notorious for testing unconventional theories in practice, even when doing so places victory at risk. Her reputation has earned her devoted students, fierce critics, and no shortage of challengers.
Sanā has journeyed north with the Golthan delegation to observe the peoples of the Hearthlands firsthand. Their customs, faiths, and methods of war differ greatly from those of her homeland, and she regards the travels as a rare opportunity to learn from warriors, scholars, and leaders alike.
—-
Out of game, Irene has been part of the Hearthguard since 2022 and is excited to return in a very different role. She is a bio-archaeologist, tango dancer, fire performer, and stage combatant and helps run a community homestead where they raise yaks and chickens. One of her passions is bringing visions to life with her friends and she’s thrilled to help do that for Goltha this year.