Located on the western coast of Imperial lands, the Pellinola Province actually utilizes very little of the Painted Ocean.  The main focus of the province is on the Cloud Ramparts, or more specifically, the riches buried deep within them.  The province has little to do with its neighbors to the north and south, Ymmalesh and Ulary respectively, except for the trade routes through them.  As the Cloud Ramparts have no easy trail through them to Setab, the other neighbor to Pellinola, the province must rely on more roundabout paths in order to make its vast fortune.  The sheer cliffs on the Setab side may prevent serious trade routes but do help provide for relatively calm and benign weather for the Setab Province, while Pellinola itself suffers from nearly endless rain and fog though the temperature is thankfully mild.

The Pellinola Province was once a territory and a relatively poor one at that.  It was used by Setab to provide basic foodstuffs, both from the land and the sea.  However, with the most recent cataclysm, the Cloud Ramparts were raised, effectively cutting off easy access to the area.  The sheer cliffs on the Setab side may prevent serious trade routes but do help provide for relatively calm and benign weather for the Setab Province.  Some other unusual formations were created, including the Shattered Plateau.  After the War, there were few people willing to brave the wild territory, until word came to Setab City that there was gold to be found “in every rock and stream.”  There have been several rushes since to Pellinola, most for gold and silver.  The most recent has been for the coveted mage stones, which have many wondrous magical properties.

Defining nearly every person in the province is the drive to “find their fortune.”  Some Pellinolans, also called Pells, band together while some try it alone, but everyone is looking for the next mother load.  There are some enterprising entrepreneurs who sell the needed mining supplies, food stuffs, and other overlooked essentials.  Those that burn out after years of no luck usually head to the coast to make the popular salted fish that many miners survive on.  This is the only place in the Empire where numerous Dark Elves have a visible presence, likely due to their underground expertise and perhaps the cutthroat nature of the business.  The main population of the province is still Human, with a good number of Half Elves about as well.  Shalbir, while not common, are not an unusual sight as they take well to being overseers.  Lightborn have some strategically located settlements to watch these proceedings, and Bright Elves are rare, though they sometimes make their presence known.

The province is unusual in several political ways.  Instead of a fairly orderly system with the Lord-Governor as the head, the leader or leaders of a mining guild of significant wealth and power are accorded the title of Baron or Baroness.  The title of Lord-Governor is not inherited.  Instead, the title is given to the Baron or Baroness of the most powerful guild.  The current Lord-Governor of the Pellinola Province is Baron Normand Slater, head of the East Mountain Mining Guild.  As the current Lord-Governor, Baron Slater is in charge of enforcing guild standards, metal qualities, and keeping the trade routes safe for all guilds.  He presides over the province from the capital, Kemmin.