Overview and World History
Summary:
Dera is a world that spans about 3300 miles, and includes a major continent and two large islands, as well as several smaller islands. It’s climate ranges from arctic in the far North to tropical in the south, and is populated by three distinct human people groups, as well as Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, Half-Orcs and three variations of Gnomes, concentrated in nine civilized nations. Most of the land is wilderness, ranging from ice caps and steppe to deep forests, deserts, jungles, lakes, oceans and mountains, which all host the usual denizens found therein. It is a relatively young world, with an accordingly small population and remotely settled lands, though commerce is beginning to boom with the advent of sail and global trade. It ’s cultures range from primitive and pagan to enlightened high society.
Deity:
Dera is monotheistic. The god of Dera is widely known as the Spirit, and is recognized to various degrees across it’s cultures. Paganism is present in some, ignorance in others, and mass heresy is taught yet elsewhere. The Spirit is active in the world at large for the accomplishment of it’s good purposes, though it’s revelation of those purposes are very limited and cryptic. This god has created the world and everything in it, and is opposed by an unnamed force which has introduced evil into the world by perverting the Spirit’s creation and corrupting the hearts of it’s people. This perversion is the source of evil creatures in the world, as well as the evil deeds and inclinations of it’s inhabitants. The Spirit has yet to directly reveal the consequences of an evil life, though they are portended in natural and supernatural phenomena throughout the world; most understand it to be unpleasant in the next, and pursuit of the Spirit and it’s ways to be rewarded.
History:
- The first age, Creation, length unknown
- The second age, Population, approx. 3000 years
In the Foulde their stature diminished in height and girth, leaving them very small and frail. Their facial features became sharp and pronounced, and their ears became pointed. Their skin darkened from pale white to deep tan, and bronzed as they aged. Their hair became coarse and light, and their eyes became uniformly amber. They became greatly powerful in their control of the forest, and manipulated it for their homes and to augment it’s beauty. They also stopped bearing children and became immortal. They took on the name of the Gomme, from which the common word Gnome comes. Others, though, took to the caves that were then common in the forest, before it consumed the portion of the Barrier Mountains that extended into it. They became the Dwarves of Dhungen, much the same as their southern kin, described below. Their ruins are now accessible via cliffside caverns in the Foulden Forest.
In Karun, they grew taller, more muscular and trim, becoming the first humans. They lived much shorter lives, and reproduced quickly, spreading across the middle of Dera’s main continent to settle also in Ash Valley. The humans developed no affinity with their surroundings like the Gomme, but were highly ambitious and intelligent, growing quickly in their development of engineering and architecture, and developing very different societies across their lands. They did maintain the abilities of the Druids for healing, and developed magic for creation and alteration of natural elements as well.
In Methuledein, they maintained their size, but became very lean and muscular. Their skin darkened considerably, and they become what are now known as the Pygmies. They developed a close bond with the exotic creatures of the island, as well as the great lake Vuku, and their magic developed into divination. Their lifespans remained long, and to this day they reproduce very slowly.
The Vale of Elioth had a dual effect on those who settled on it’s host island of Thiannas. Some became very tall and slender, with delicate features and pointed ears: the Elves. Others became only a little taller and very stout: the Dwarves. Each sought their own dwelling on the island, the Elves in the great western forest, and the Dwarves in the Zu-Kharna mountains. The Elves, while living slightly longer than their ancestors, reproduced nearly as quickly as humans. The Dwarves also lived slightly longer than the Druids, but maintained their rate of reproduction. Both of their magical abilities developed along much of the same lines as the humans, but the Elves became the most powerful of all but the Gomme, though Elven magic was far more diverse.
The population growth of the humans and elves caused them to intermingle and breed, producing half-elves and a very close bond between the two races. The proximity of Karun to the Emerald Forest produced the same bond between the humans and druids, introducing halflings into the mix. The other emigrants of the Emerald Forest remained too secluded to have any such impact until the next age.
- The third age, the Fall, 400 years and counting
Men were affected next in severity, turning against each other in selfish ambition, their long-time friends the Elves in desire for forbidden magics, and their ancestors the Druids in suspicious disbelief. The results were war between the western and eastern cities of Karun, which drove refugees North to settle in the Moore; exile from Thiannas with the advent of the Huldakaar, a trio of twisted wizards bent on developing magic to control and corrupt; and the corruption of the religion of men, such that it is now little more than a scam that preys on the superstitious. The Emerald Forest has tragically become their source of deceptive power, as it now visibly consumes any who enter of impure heart. It alone remains the pure host of the Spirit’s presence and power.
The effect on the Dwarves fell somewhere between that of men and Elves, though little is known of it, since they rarely stray from their mountain caves. Those that do behave much within the degrees of men.
While these events played out, the Foulde was invaded by a force of monsters from the Barrier Mountains, killing all but a few hundred of the Gomme and laying the forest to waste. The first, and as of yet only, direct manifestation of the Spirit in Dera saved them from annihilation, and restored the forest, though no longer adorned by the work of the Gomme. The Gomme themselves have since all but lost their connection to the forest or the Spirit, save for their leader at the time of the aforementioned calamity, Holmous.
Not long after this, a great eruption laid Ash Valley to waste, causing the populace there to disperse. Some settled to the North, in what is now Castona. Eventually some continued to the Foulde, where they are now the protectors of the decimated Gomme, and the most spiritually pure people in Dera thanks to their connection with their long-lost kin. Those from the valley who fled South now make up the Borod nation, who also reconnected with their ancient kin, the Pygmies. Unlike their Foulden brothers, they were able to breed with the Pygmies, resulting in the slightly shorter, darker skinned people who populate Borodrea today. They did not adapt the Pygmy religion, however, but became largely atheists. Together with the Pygmies they are the only nations to engage in slavery.
100 years ago, Ash Valley was returned to by Castonians with a mind to re-settle there. They were the first to encounter civilized orcs who had fled the mountains to the West of the valley during the eruption to settle in the Southern Reach. The Spirit’s remaining power of the valley had changed them into peaceable beasts, and they assisted the Castonians in their endeavors. The relationship flourished to the point of the production of half-orcs.
Elsewhere, the Huldakaar became very powerful, turning their attention to the only remaining bastion of true purity in the world: The Emerald Forest. From their three towers they succeeded in beginning to corrupt the Spirit’s sanctuary with the creation of the Misty Jungle, formerly a part of the Emerald Forest. It is now a place of darkness, twisted creatures, and insanity, and is slowly encroaching on the Emerald Forest proper.
All is not doom and gloom, however. The Druids maintain a very limited but significant relationship with those who would seek the true source of the Emerald Forest’s power, instructing them in the Spirit’s ways and magic. The Foulden people are very powerful in the Spirit, and even commune with it through meditation. They are the only people group besides the Druids to receive direct revelations from the Spirit. Other than them there are Holmous and Delebel. Holmous, being the only Gomme who still practices the ways of the Spirit, is the most pure and powerful created being in all of Dera. Delebel is the human wizard of Karun who was delivered by the Spirit from the hand of the Huldakaar as they sought to make him their vessel of ultimate destructive power. It granted him very long life in return for his service to seek out and destroy Huldakaar’s agents, and resist their power for as long as he was able. The elves were least affected by the fall, and maintain the purity of their people and the Vale of Elioth, though they have become highly isolated and xenophobic. A great many remain in the wider world, however, and maintain the Spirit’s ways in as many degrees as men. And while no heart of any Druidic descendant remains pure, there still is a great deal of good to go around among them. Though very few still follow the Spirit’s ways as a matter of religion, all understand the difference between good and evil, and most seek to do more good for their fellow man.
Geography
The Arctic:
The Northern reaches of Dera are covered in icy wastes, devoid of sustenance for any advanced life, and thus uninhabited. It covers the top of the globe in ice, and reaches across Dera’s main continent of Molia from the Glacier mountains in the west, across the North Sea and the Barrier Mountains, across the northern extreme of the Foulde Forest and into the great Northmelt glaciers.
Molia:
Dera’s largest land mass is home to the world’s undefiled cradle of creation, as well as it’s purest evils; some of it’s most lush and fertile lands, and it’s great desert. It is a sparsely populated land, but home it’s most industrious people. It’s landscape ranges from frigid arctic to blistering wastes. It is a place of great wilderness, yet holds the world’s highest societies.
Molia is predominantly inhabited by humans, though elves live among them in abundance. Dwarves are rare in most of it’s lands, but gnomes and halflings abound.
Dera’s largest land mass is home to the world’s undefiled cradle of creation, as well as it’s purest evils; some of it’s most lush and fertile lands, and it’s great desert. It is a sparsely populated land, but home it’s most industrious people. It’s landscape ranges from frigid arctic to blistering wastes. It is a place of great wilderness, yet holds the world’s highest societies.
Molia is predominantly inhabited by humans, though elves live among them in abundance. Dwarves are rare in most of it’s lands, but gnomes and halflings abound.
The Glacier Mountains:
Rising up along the small peninsula separating the North Sea from the Castonian Ocean, the Glacier Mountains are thought to be the Western extension of the Barrier Mountains, separated by the Glacier Strait. These mountains are covered in huge ice floes which feed glaciers into the ocean along with the strait.
Glacier Strait and The North Sea:
These bodies are heavily glacierized and therefore unnavigable, utterly frigid and therefore hostile to any warm-blooded life, host to only the most resilient and hearty creatures known (and unknown) in Dera.
The Barrier Mountains:
The great northern mountain range that protects the land to it’s South from the bitter cold of the Arctic is aptly known as the Barrier Mountains. The range is narrow but tall, and is nearly impossible to traverse. These mountains were the source of the scourge that fell upon the Gomme of the Foulde in the beginning of the third age, and remains a stronghold of those same creatures to this day. They still harass the Foulden people and the Gomme, as well as the Northern road of the Moore, and it’s primary farming community, Reid. In the first age this range extended all the way into the Northmelt Glaciers, but has been slowly overcome by the Foulde Forest which has reduced it to it’s current breadth. The Barrier Mountains still host the Dwarves of Dhungen, who have retreated deeper into the range as it has been reduced by their ancestral native home forest.
The Spur:
Near the center of the Barrier Mountains, there is a branch of the range that extends a short distance South, known as The Spur. These mountains hold a higher concentration of evil creatures than their parent range due to their warmer climate, who engage in much the same activities as their heartier kin. The Spur is the source for the Fordwater River, along which these monsters traverse between their home and the caverns beneath Krugg’s Rise.
The Foulde Forest:
A dense, cold pine forest reaches from the Eastern edge of the Barrier Mountains to the Northmelt. It hosts the capital city of the Foulden nation, and the remnant of the Gomme live in a small hilled region between the forest and the mountains. The Foulden people live in a perpetual struggle with the denizens of both the forest and the mountains, though they are established enough to live in relative safety within their forest enclaves. The forest is riddled with high cliffs and bluffs: the remnants of the mountains it has overcome. These edifices are pocked with caverns large and small, some of which lead to ruins of the first Dwarven settlements in Dera, and if one followed them long enough, to Dhungen itself.
The Northmelt Glaciers:
A vast, icy floe covers the far Northeastern corner of Dera’s main continent, spawning three rivers at it’s Southern edge: the Eastmelt, Northmelt and Westmelt. The glaciers are essentially an extension of the Arctic that reaches as far South as the planet’s climate will allow, being unimpeded by mountains or forests that far East.
The Moore:
The Long, narrow swath of plains between the Barrier Mountains and Emerald Forest are the Moore Lands, also known as the Frontier. It is bound by the Castonian Ocean on the West, the Spur and Fordwater River in the East, and is divided by the North River nearly in two. Kerrek Lake lies in it’s western half, so named for the fish that live in it, whose eggs sell around the world as a great delicacy. This land is host to the kingdom of Moore.
The North River:
The North River flows from the Barrier Mountains South through the Moore and the Emerald Forest where it is divided by the Southern Hills into the Middle and Abyssal rivers. It is the primary source of power for the industry of Moore, as well as food for it’s people. It is also a major means of transit between the Moore and the Southern kingdom of Karun for those willing to brave the passage through the Emerald Forest.
The Fordwater River:
The Fordwater is a shallow river running from the Spur to the Eastern base of Krugg’s rise, where it becomes the Eastern Bend river. It is named for it’s nearly constant shallow depth, which allows relatively easy crossing at nearly any point. It marks the border between the Moore and the Foulde, as well as the most heavily traversed route by the monsters of the Spur and Krugg’s rise.
Mhülgend Pass:
The passage between The Spur and Krugg’s Rise is closely watched by the Foulden people as well as Moore as a monster hotbed, being the path between the two great northern monster dwellings.
The Foulde:
The land to the East of the Fordwater River and The Spur is made up of rocky plains and pine forest collectively known as the Foulde. It is bound by the Arctic to the North, and Krugg’s Rise in the South. The Northmelt Glacier and Westmelt River together define it’s Eastern border. The Foulden people dwell in the plains and the forest, and have an outpost atop the Northern edge of Krugg’s Rise, which they utilize to keep an eye on the caravaning creatures of the Spur, making sure they don’t veer into Foulden lands or the Moore.
The Northmelt Marshes:
At the Southern edge of the Northmelt Glaciers, where they can no longer sustain themselves in the warmth of Krüdasia and break down, lie the vast Northmelt Marshes. It is from these headwaters that the three Melt Rivers truly come, making them particularly rich in sediment and minerals. The marshes themselves are very lush but dangerous places, full of their own unique and more disgusting brand of creatures, not to mention the abundance of natural pitfalls common to such terrain.
Krüdasia:
The huge region between Krugg’s Rise and the Castonian Ocean is home to the three Melt Rivers, vast verdant plains, fascinating geological formations, The Red Mountains, the Ash Valley and it’s inhabitants, the North and South Reach Mountain ranges, the Black Sea and the Castonian people.
The three Melt Rivers carry generous amounts of life-giving material from the Northmelt Marshes across Krüdasia, making it the continent’s most fertile land. Despite the relatively shallow soil which prevents the growth of significant forests, the region bursts year-round with beautiful foliage, and produces the richest crops anywhere.
Scattered throughout the region are huge stone spires that reach hundreds of feet high, though only dozens of feet across. The Castonians have named each of these magnificent towers, as well as established cities at a few of their bases. They are objects of great wonder among the people, and intensely researched scientifically.
At the South end of Krugg’s Rise lie the Red Mountains. They are the smallest of Dera’s mountain ranges, but the only one to feature an active volcano, Red Mountain. It’s great eruption was the cause of the evacuation of the Ash Valley, recently re-settled by the Valley people’s descendants, the Castonians. The Valley itself is a fascinating mixture of stone and rich soil, fed by the volcanically infused water of the Ash River, which is actually an extenuation of the Westmelt. The Westmelt pools in the crook of Krugg’s Rise and the Red Mountains to form Glass Lake before finding it’s way through the Red Mountains and spilling over Raithpas Falls at the Valley’s Western edge. It flows on to the Black Sea as the Ash River. The Black River runs in turn from the Black Sea into the Dark Sea.
Extending from the Red Mountains to the East are the North and South Reach Mountains, small but effective in creating the giant bowl of the Ash Valley, as well as keeping out the desolation of the Borod Desert to the South. Both of these mountain ranges reach nearly to the Black Sea, which defines the Eastern boundary of the Valley.
From the midst of the Black Sea rises the stone spire Hephishouth, meaning “black reach”. It’s peculiar location makes it a popular romantic and scientific attraction.
The Emerald Forest:
Reaching from the central Western coast of Molia to Krugg’s Rise, the only unadulterated bastion of the Spirit is a place of great power, beauty and mystery. It is named for the green glow that emanates from it, and for it’s perpetual verdant state. It’s only occupants are the Druids and it’s wildlife, which exclusively includes unicorns. These amazing creatures are said to be the greatest symbols of the Spirit’s purity, beauty and grace on Dera. They are revered by the Druids and worshipped by many of Karun’s people, though only seen by them perhaps once in a generation. The forest is split by the North River, which is safely traversable. Otherwise, passage through the forest is next to impossible, as it will instantly consume any who enter with even the slightest impurity of heart; a criteria all now fail but the forest’s native and unblemished Druids. It is a place of absolute purity and peace, and will not allow the presence of anything less.
The Glades Lake in the forest’s Eastern half is reputed to have incredible regenerative and strengthening powers, if one can get to it at the source. Otherwise, it’s waters have been brought to Karun’s and the Moore’s people by the Druids for the healing of injury and disease since they were settled.
The Druids themselves are very reclusive and cryptic. They do venture from the forest to aid the people of the surrounding lands, and teach the Spirit’s ways to those who would genuinely seek to learn. However, they reveal next to nothing concerning the forest itself, the unicorns or the Glades Lake. Their teachings focus on the showing of mercy and generosity to others, living uprightly and honestly, the care of the sick and injured and related magic, as well as limited natural magic. They alone maintain a true connection with the Spirit, and are always seen to act with it’s direct guidance alone.
The Eastern Bend River:
As the Fordwater comes alongside Krugg’s rise it becomes the Eastern Bend, fast and treacherous, riddled with rapids and boulders due to it’s proximity to the plateau. Further South it passes Red Mountain and keeps the Borod Desert confined to the East, joining the Middle River east of the Southern Hills and flowing with it into the Ripwater Sea.
Krugg’s Rise:
A huge plateau rises from the Red Mountains up to Mhülgend pass, named for the Foulden warrior who led the construction of Kruggend Keep, located atop the rise’s Northern face. The cliffs of the Rise are extremely steep, and gaping caverns pock their sides and base. It’s top is barren and rocky, it’s caverns are full of dark and twisted creatures, most of which fear or are pained by the sun and thus contain themselves therein. Those that are able to venture out infrequently harass the people of the Ash Valley and the Foulde, but are seen in Mhülgend pass as often as their counterparts from The Spur. The gentle Orcs of the Southreach Mountains are descendants of those that still remain under the Rise and are continually at odds with their kin, though contact between them is rare.
Karun:
The wedge-shaped region between the Emerald Forest and Southern Hills is dominated by fertile plains and Karun Bay, into which the Abyssal River empties. The kingdom of Karun, also known simply as the Southern Kingdom, is located here. The bay is deep, well sheltered, and calm. It teems with life and ships year-round. The Abyssal River is obviously named for it’s depth, being nearly as deep as the bay itself nearly it’s entire length. Rumors of sightings of strange, massive creatures in the river abound, but have never been confirmed.
The Southern Hills:
The West’s great wilderness is a hinterland of temperate to subtropical rolling hills, abounding with game. Hunting here is a popular activity among the Karunians with the inclination to do so, and very risky given the more dangerous occupants of the land. It is bound by the Abyssal River and Molian coast to the West and South, and the Middle and Southern Rivers to the East.
The Northern reaches of the Hills are where the battles of the Great Southern War took place, and are home to the ruins of Sempier and Nesed, once the great “bread basket” cities of the Southern Kingdom.
The Middle River:
The Eastern branch of the North River runs between the Eastern edge of the Southern Hills and the Misty Jungle, past Huldakaar where it meets the Eastern Bend to form the Southern River. The few in Karun who still pay attention to the evils in the East, (The Misty Jungle and the Huldakaar), maintain that the Middle River is their natural first defense against them, and it does indeed seem to keep them at bay.
The former Karunan Eastern City of Cailand lies on the Middle River’s eastern shore, amazingly holding out on the edge of the Misty Jungle against it’s encroaching madness.
The Southern River:
Formed by the conjunction of Molia’s two great rivers, the Southern River is Dera’s widest and most powerful waterway. Along with the Eastern Bend River, it keeps the Borod Desert from encroaching upon the Southern Hills.
The Borod Desert:
This vast wasteland covers over a quarter of the continent, and is home to the dreaded Desert Nesters, making passage across it very treacherous for all but a few months every couple of years. Yet it’s southern tip is safe enough from them to have allowed the settlement of Borodrea, the opposite settlement of the Ash Valley refugees from the Foulde in location as well as culture, spirituality and morality. The region is protected from the Nesters by Mount Kla-Hada to it’s northwest, and by the slightly less dry sands created by the mountain’s capture of the ocean air. The Nesters prefer the drier sands of the desert’s North and Western reaches.
The Finger Hills lie at the northeast point of the desert, named for their long, appendage-like shape. These hills, the Black Sea and the Southreach Mountains keep the desert out of the Krüdasian region. The passage between the Finger Hills and Mount Kla-Hada is known as Slaver’s Pass for the caravans that make the passage across the desert to Krüdasia during the Desert Nester’s short hibernation period. Most of them don’t engage in the raids on the Southreach Mountain’s half-orcish settlements, and are honest traders. Nonetheless, the pass as well as the seasonal caravan has become notorious for the more nefarious deeds of it’s members.
Sheodrol:
Dera’s second largest land mass lies across the Ripwater Sea, Southwest of Molia. It is a place of surpassing natural beauty, from it’s enchanting Elven glades to the towering majesty of the Melran Mountains.
Thiannas:
the northern portion of the continent is covered by a deep, lush and mystical forest, full of flowering glades and breathtaking Elven architecture. The shame of it is that only four outsiders still live who have seen them, since none have been allowed into the forest for almost 400 years. The Elves now fiercely protect their home, having never forgotten the rebellion of the Huldakaar all those years ago, and wishing to never again enable humankind to commit such evil.
Splaeth Mountains:
The north coast of the Gulf of Sheodrol is dominated by these small mountains, though they still appear impressive to those who sail by them. There, sheer cliffs rise to nearly the full height of the range, adorned with the nests of benevolent dragons.
Melran Mountains:
The largest and highest mountains in all of Dera are a truly impressive sight. Despite the warm Southern climes, the height of the mountains provides them with a year-round cap of snow. Just as majestic as the mountains themselves are the Dwarven citadels of Zu-Kharna and Kannath built deep inside them.
The Vale of Elioth:
Nestled in the valley between the two ranges of the Melran Mountains lies the surpassingly beautiful Vale of Elioth, one of the bastions of the Spirit. It’s lake is fed by dozens of runoff streams from the mountain peaks, as is the incredible foliage that surrounds it. No place in Dera can match it’s natural splendor, and only the Emerald Forest surpasses it in power.
The Vale is fiercely protected by both the Elves and the Dwarves, as they both recognize it as the source of their very physical natures. The Elves are particularly zealous for the purity of the Vale, since it was they who invited humans to learn of it’s power, which they corrupted by pursuing evil magics.
Elioth River:
Elioth Lake empties into the Gulf of Sheodrol via the Elioth River, passing over Leothezan Falls on the way out of the Melran Mountain range. It’s waters are reputed to have healing powers, and the fruit of the soil it irrigates is particularly hearty. The river is unprotected by the Elves or Dwarves, so these benefits attract many to the city of Sheodrol, which lies at the mouth of the river.
Giolithas Woods:
The small forest south of the Elioth River is not as enchanting as it’s northern counterpart, and no Elves adorn it’s glades with their cities, but is nonetheless beautiful in it’s own right, and not so dangerous for it’s lack of defenders.
The Gulf of Sheodrol:
Dera’s largest sheltered body of water is also it’s only legally neutral harbor. The authorities in Sheodrol would have everyone believe that they owe them for the benefit of this sanctuary, but in truth they owe the dragons who dwell in the gulf’s northern cliffs. They value their tranquility and some have been known to react rather harshly to it’s disturbance, despite their usual equanimity. Nonetheless, Sheodrol is the primary enforcer of this policy. No inter-ship violence is permitted in the Gulf and disturbances in the city are quickly put down. Even arrests on shore must be arranged through the the city’s courts.
Methuledein:
Called the Dark Island by those few who have been there, Methuledein is a place of deep jungle and volcanic wastes. It is home to the Pygmy tribes, whose pagan ways only validate the nickname. This place, once a bastion of the Spirit’s power, has indeed fallen into darkness.
The island is split by a huge cliff running fully across it’s width east to west. It serves as protection for the northern half from Mount Melfesheth’s plumes of ash and smoke, trapping it all in the south to create a vast wasteland of hot ash and poisonous fumes.
The Vuku Jungle:
The embodiment of all things primal, this dense jungle is largely untamed and full of Dera’s most diverse and dangerous creatures, not the least of which are the Pygmies themselves. How they have survived in such a place is a mystery to all others, let alone the few villages they have managed to maintain. The eastern portion of the jungle is said to be particularly perilous, being the home to the less settled and far more violent cannibalistic Pygmy tribes.
The Vuku Sea:
Dera’s largest inland body of water still exudes the Spirit’s power. Though it has been twisted by the Pygmies, they still recognize the purity and goodness of the Spirit’s presence there. They recognize it as the source of life on the island, and commit their honored dead to it’s waters.
Razu Falls:
The Vuku sea spills over Razu Falls just east of halfway across the island in Dera’s largest waterfall by far. After settling, the waters concentrate into the Razu River.
Mount Melfesheth:
Methuledein’s continuously active volcano is the largest in Dera. It represents the opposing spiritual force to the Vuku Sea to the Pygmies, and is worshipped by them as a supremely evil deity. It’s constant billowing has covered the Southern half of the island in the wastes bearing it’s name and filled it’s northern inhabitants with irrational but powerful fear.
Melfesheth Wastes:
This uninhabitable land has borne the brunt of Melfesheth’s fury for generations, leaving it utterly barren and even toxic, completely hostile to nearly all life. Nonetheless, the Pygmies see fit to use the wastes as a rite of passage for their young men, who are sent down the cliff on the west side of the island, and expected to climb up the east.
It is believed that the Wastes also serve as an unlikely refuge for escaping half-orc slaves, eking out existence in caverns and caves until they somehow gain passage off the island’s southern shores.
Razu River:
Being the only source of clean water in the Melfesheth Wastes, the Razu River is invaluable to those unfortunate enough to find themselves there by rite of passage, bizarre survival of ritual sacrifice or pure dumb luck. Even so, one must be careful of it’s waters in times of heavy volcanic activity. The closer to the falls, the better.
Islands and Bodies of Water:
Dera is covered mostly by water, much of which is still unexplored. However, the age of sail is fully underway with Castonia’s advances in navigation and gunnery leading the way, and the first world maps are being charted. World trade is blossoming, navies are growing in strength as are pirates in notoriety. The seas are the new frontier, full of mystery and adventure, holding the promises of fortune as well as the threat of danger.
The Arctic Ocean:
Frigid and dangerous, the northern waters east of Molia are perilous and generally avoided. Too few ships have returned from them due to their frequent storms and itinerant leviathans.
Trader’s Ocean:
Newly named for it’s use as the world’s primary trade route, The Trader’s Ocean provides transit from Molia’s east to west coasts. And as such, it is heavily patrolled by both the Castonian and Karunan navies, thought it has always been relatively free of pirates and hostile creatures. The former being as yet unable to make such long excursions, the latter a mystery.
Castonian Sea:
The Castonian Sea is the largest territorial body of water on Dera, and is home to numerous islands, including the Castonian Islands. It has been extensively explored and is beginning to be settled by the Castonians who claim sovereignty over it. The Castonian Navy maintains tight control over these waters, and does a remarkable job of protecting it from the creatures of the neighboring Dark Sea.
Castonian Islands:
Just off Molia’s easternmost point lies a group of four islands, claimed by the Castonians as their own. The islands are their primary source of salt and lumber, and host their shipbuilding industry.
Trader Island:
On the western edge of the Trader Ocean lies an island that has become an important waypoint for travellers making the long journey across it. It hosts the only free port in the North, Westwind. Despite the lack of organized law enforcement there, the port is quite free of piracy and is well reputed for it’s safety and fairness of trade. This is due in large part to the port’s proximity to the transit route for the Castonian navy between Heldon and it’s outpost at Greyloch.
Bayshore Island:
Named for it’s many natural harbors, Bayshore Island is uninhabited except for the small Castonian Naval outpost of Greyloch. The ships stationed there patrol the outgoing trade routes from Hemmettu for Borodrean pirates and the waters north of Fiefou for Pygmy raiders alike.
The Dark Sea:
Named not for murky or unnaturally black water, but for the abundance of dark creatures that lie beneath it’s surface, The Dark Sea is a byword to sailors everywhere. Very few are brave enough to venture into it’s menacing waters, and fewer still so foolish. No one knows why the foulest creatures of the deep seem to be drawn here, nor what causes them to be so bloodthirsty, but all know to stay away because of them.
The Fire Islands:
Dera’s only volcanic island chain is barren and uninhabitable, it’s volcano and hot soils both lending to it’s moniker.
The Sea of Fire:
The waters between the Fire Islands, the Pygmy Sea and the western shore of Sheodrol are the hottest in Dera. Combined with the volcanic activity of the Fire Islands and Mount Melfesheth, the Sea earns it’s name. The trade route that runs through the Sea of Fire is particularly vulnerable to Pygmy raiders, due to it’s proximity to Fiefou and favorable climate to the native Methuledenians.
The Pygmy Sea:
Despite it’s name, the Pygmy sea sees little to no activity from the natives of Methuledein. It’s islands remain uninhabited, and it’s waters peaceful.
The Brolean Ocean:
Separating Dera’s three continents, the Brolean Ocean is a small but vital link for the Borodreans to the rest of the world. Their northern trade route to Hemmettu via Kil-Roch is known as Slaver’s Run, for obvious reasons. The Brolean Ocean’s isolation from the lawful world makes it a hot bed of pirate activity, based at Khulvec on the ocean’s southern, otherwise unnamed island. Their threat is compounded by Borodrean privateers, sanctioned by their country to raid and plunder as much Castonian commerce as they can.
Southpass:
This free port is all-important to the sailors of the south trades, providing an essential stopover on the way to or from Sheodrol. It exists under constant threat from it’s neighboring pirate alcove, Khulvec. It’s deeply sheltered harbor provides it great protection from any threat, and as of yet has not been seriously threatened.
Khulvec:
The home of the South Sea pirates owes it’s existence to the same lawlessness that allows Borodrea it’s Slaver’s Run, and the same kind of deeply sheltered harbor that protects Southpass also keeps Khulvec safe from any serious threat. The pirates here are the most eclectic anywhere, drawing their members and implements from disaffected Castonian and Karunan sailors, Borodrean privateers looking for even more thrill than their profession can provide, and Pygmies who have shown themselves to be gifted on the high seas for more than what their small raider ships require. Perhaps owing to their composition, or the hot climes in which they operate, the pirates of Khulvec are the most ruthless in Dera.
The Southern Sea:
Covering the south pole of Dera, The Southern Sea’s only purpose to men is safer passage around Sheodrol than the Ripwater Sea can provide.
Ripwater Sea:
These treacherous waters are where the gyre of the Trader’s and Still Oceans meet the conflicting currents of the southern waters coming up through the Brolean Ocean to create an all but impassable sea. In addition, the dry, hot air of the Borod Desert meets the cooler, ocean-moisture infused winds that come across Thiannas to generate the grandest storms in Dera over it’s waters. In all, the Ripwater Sea is more of a sailor’s nightmare than even it’s dreaded Dark cousin.
The Still Ocean:
Named for it’s tranquil waters and climate, the Still Ocean could also be called so for it’s peaceful trade routes. Sailors here pass unharassed by Pygmies, Borodrean privateers, or Karunan pirates. The route between Westwind and Gelshoth is particularly known for it’s safety, since it is unthreatened by any of Dera’s greater water-born dangers.
The Sea of Karun:
The waters between the shores of Karun and Canyon Island are named for the Karunan kingdom, which lays claim to all three. It is Dera’s most shallow sea, full of shoals, corals and shifting sand bars. It is also Dera’s most heavily fished extra-continental body of water.
The Sea of Karun has a strong southern current, preventing almost any southward travel, and speeding along vessels going the opposite direction.
Tanobrac:
The home of the Karunan pirates lies very strategically near the Sea of Karun’s only passable trade route. It’s deeply sheltered harbor has kept it safe from any Karunan naval threat so far, despite the nation’s ability in crafting vessels of war.
Canyon Island:
Named for the deep gorge that runs down it’s center, Canyon Island is the largest island claimed by a continental nation. It serves as host to Karunan naval vessels as well as Dera’s most successful pirates.
Kordelish:
Karun’s remote naval outpost serves similar purposes to it’s transoceanic counterpart of Greyloch. From this port the western trades are patrolled, and an eye is also kept on the most dangerous areas of the Sea of Karun.
Bordak:
Nestled in the high cliffs and deep caverns of Canyon Island’s western shore is the largest pirate enclave in Dera. The buccaneers of Bordak are highly sophisticated and business-minded, as well as the most naturally protected; their lair not even being visible from the waters outside. They have a reputation for being efficient and thorough, if a little soft among their more bloodthirsty peers. Their large but fast ships harass the western trades in the face of the Karunan patrols, earning them a sizable return on that esteem.
The Westward Sea:
Named for it’s necessary purpose, given the aforementioned current of the Sea of Karun, the Westward Sea provides access to the westward passage across Trader’s Ocean.
The Glacier Sea:
The warm southern currents of the Trader’s Ocean break upon the arctic ice, causing it to break away in the huge glaciers that riddle these waters, making them treacherous in ways unlike any other in Dera.
The Nations of Dera:
The nine civilizations of Dera are as diverse as it’s geography, it’s peoples widely cultured, their governments variously idealized and their economies heterogeneous. Yet the only war to yet take place has been civil. Many think the new age of sail will soon bring the next one, as these disparate cultures are brought that much closer together.
Karun:
The victors of the First War, the Western Cities remain the cultural center of MoLand. The combination of age and education has given the Cities an air of refinement, and its citizens an arrogance that seemingly knows no bounds.
A large measure of pride is due the Karunians, though, due to their strength of arms both at sea and on land. Their sailing vessels are the largest yet built, and thanks to a close alliance with Castonia, are armed with their powerful cannons.
Karun:
The Capital of the Southern Kingdom, is the oldest city in Dera. Set astride the Abyssal River where it empties into Karun Bay, it reeks of old money, nobility and fish. The benefit of all this is a very rich, well kept, polished city. Marble walls, jeweled fountains and fine inns and restaurants abound. Outside the Noble Wall, the citizens live decently; there are very few impoverished, and most are very happy with their work, free as they are to choose it, and well aware that their prosperity is very much due to those they serve.
Karun is also the home of the Blue Guard, the Knights of Karun. A (mostly) honorable group of skilled warriors, the “Blues” have a fierce but loyal reputation, enforcing every law and edict of the King to the letter, and without question. This is mostly due to the nature of the King’s laws and edicts thus far, but most of the Guard takes their oath seriously enough to follow any order, no matter the cost to their conscience.
Habran:
This city exclusively claims docks both on Karun Bay and The Sea of Karun, giving it the most profitable fishing industry in the Kingdom. The Seaside Docks are quite remote from the city proper, though, and they frequently fall prey to thieves from the land and the sea. Pirates regularly use the secluded docks to commit their crimes, sometimes staying moored for days before being found out.
The city itself is the intellectual and cultural center of the South. It hosts the academies and libraries that are the end-all of knowledge in MoLand.
Cailand:
Intended as the Kingdom’s primary seaport, the proximity of Tanobrac combined with the clay-rich shore necessitated another destiny. The city is now the only producer of pottery in the South, and has become the craftsman’s Mecca for all trades. Its population being made mostly of non-natives and its distance from Karun has given it a rough necked society unique in the Western Cities, including the most powerful organized crime among them. Some say that the Silent Coin is linked to Tanobrac, though the suspicions would never be voiced. The craftsmen make enough coin to keep their mouths shut, and everyone else knows that it’s best just to keep their head down; those that don’t usually end up losing it.
Turnig:
Once the spiritual epicenter of the Kingdom, Turnig has become more of a tourist attraction than a holy place. It’s proximity to the Emerald Forest draws thousands monthly from all over the Kingdom to see its splendor. This tourism has brought growth to the city that not all welcome. There are those, especially in the clergy, that wish for solitude and a more quiet and peaceful existence. The general public feels differently, however. The tourists bring in more money than the temples ever did, keeping most of it for their coffers. Many wonder how long the tenuous peace between the ruling religious and the citizenry will last.
This tension does nothing to diminish the city’s beauty, which rivals that of Karun. Its temples adorned in jewels and stained glass is truly a sight to behold.
Delabel’s Tower:
The home of Delabel, the only former wizard of the Huldakkar left alive, is a magnificent spire, a diamond set into the crown of Karun that is Turnig. It is known that Delabel had a hand in the beginnings of the twisted trio’s plot, but was delivered by the Spirit from its culmination, which would have destroyed him had he not cried out for mercy. He became their sole opponent in this world, empowered by the Spirit for the task of whittling down their numbers and preventing their success. Now, the skies seem to be growing darker in the Southeast, and Delabel can regularly be seen gazing or casting spells in that direction from the many balconies adorning his tower. He has also been taking on a very select few pupils for several years now, though too recently for any of them to finish their training.
The Garrison at Selkier:
The first city to fall to the West in the First War was Selkier. The Campan Rebels had been pushed back across the Abyssal River, abandoning their westernmost city to the Karun Army, who quickly rebuilt it, making it their headquarters, as it were. When the Army was disbanded at the end of the war, Selkier was kept as a garrison to guard the road from any remaining bands of rebels. Eventually, the bands stopped coming and the garrison became the quarters and training grounds for the Blue Guard, which it remains to this day. Though there are no more rebel bands, the restless casualties of the war from the east are a constant threat, and seem to be paying more attention to the old garrison as time goes on...
From the Western side, Selkier is still more of an outpost than a town. It has a growing farming community, seeking to replace the rich harvests no longer available from the fertile delta between the Abyssal and Middle Rivers.
Selkier is also the entry point into the Southern Kingdom from the Moorlands, situated as it is on the Abyssal River. Visitors from the North are few and far between, and are not received warmly by the clerks at the docks, nor hardly anyone else, for that matter.
The Crossroads:
What began as a meager trader’s outpost in the center of the Western Cities has grown to be the economic heart of the Kingdom. Also known as the Kingdom Marketplace or simply The Bazaar, it is the only place in which all of the City’s goods can be bought, and where the great majority of them are sold. Keeping the spirit with which it began intact, there are very few formal buildings, and nearly all of those are inns. All of the business at The Bazaar is conducted from tents and stands, with goods being brought in most every day, and coin delivered back to the merchant’s home cities even more often. This, of course, makes The Crossroads very tempting to thieves and bandits on the roads coming from it, which in turn has attracted a great number of mercenaries to it. Most of the caravans coming to and from The Crossroads are well protected.
The Eastern Ruins and Campan:
“They began the war, and the war has ended them!” -King Ebos III, after the Western defeat of the Eastern Cities during the First War.
The King could not have said it better. With the destruction of Sempier and Nasad, and the formerly dubbed Sempier Delta in the clutches of the undead, the way from the Western Cities to Campan is all but cut off. This leaves Campan encircled in evil, with the Misty Jungle to the East and Huldakaar Towers to the South. As if the surrounding lands and looming starvation weren’t reason enough for the residents of Campan to live in fear, the city has fallen into criminal rule by ruthless guild houses.
The Moorelands:
The civilization that occupies the Frontier is fairly new, the cities still bearing the names of their founders, and most of them still governed by their families. The lands were settled in a spirit of freedom, the first settlers seeking solace from the high society of the Southwest, or the treachery of the Southeast. This spirit remains, though life is not easy for the people of the Plains. The threat of the Spur and wild creatures is nearly constant, and the fear of not knowing what is living just beyond two of your borders is ever present. Still, newcomers are frequent, and very few ever return to the South. A hard life is also one of great value and contribution; almost all who come find great satisfaction in their labors and victories, despite the pain in both.
The Moorlands have no centralized defense or law enforcement, leaving it up to the cities to fend for themselves in such matters. There have been few incidents in which they have needed to band together, and so far, it seems to work quite well.
Moore:
The largest, oldest and central city of the Frontier is home to the Council, or at least its meeting chamber. The ruling assembly of the Moorlands consists of a representative of each city, with Councilman Moore as their head. Moore is also the economic center of the Plains, having the only true open-air market. This is mostly due to its greater security than the other cities, but also because it is their hub. Commerce has brought crime with it, however. The lack of a Moorland guard has led to rampant banditry, and a cry to the Council for protection is beginning to be heard. Thievery is also very common in the city, despite the efforts of the Griffons, Moore’s City Guard, to stifle it.
Felton:
The Mooreland’s Southernmost city, built on the Eastern Bank of the North River, and just North of the edge of the Emerald Forest. It is also the safest in the east, being the furthest from the Spur, and close to the sacred woods.
Felton is the one place in Dera where the Druids of the Emerald Forest still make appearances, and have a small following of disciples who have built a temple of sorts just outside the city. These followers of the Spirit’s ways are the purest devotees outside of the Foulde. Their leader, Jonathan, is Felton’s representative to the Council, though the city prefers to remain aloof from the goings on of the rest of the country, so his visits there are rare.
Felton is also home to the famous Tinker, a once wandering Gomme who found his place among its citizens. He has invented many machines and contraptions, most notably and famously his Tinker-boats, self-propelled passenger boats mostly used for the trip south.
Reid:
The north’s primary farming community also boasts the largest and strongest City Guard, The Farmers. Being the most isolated proper city, and the only one close enough to be reached by the denizens of the Barrier Mountains, it is the most frequent target of raids from there and The Spur. The farmers have been able to use their vulnerability to their advantage, though, and it turns out that goblin kind make great slaves for working fields. The disadvantage to keeping on their captives as laborers is housing them, watching them, and their putrid stench. Also, poor hygiene has resulted in several disease outbreaks and the occasional infested crop.
Reid, being the most proficient farming community, also is the only large-scale producer of ale for the north, and has a practical monopoly on the market, a position they aggressively protect.
The citizens of Reid are notoriously xenophobic, especially of magic users. They would more readily threaten and turn away strangers in times of trouble than accept their help, even forcefully expelling the best-intentioned migrants.
Dhungen Post:
This trade center began as the Mooreland’s only mine, and such it remains, but a chance encounter with the Dwarves of Dhuleim has made it so much more. It is now a huge trading post where the Humans of the north trade their wares with the mountain-dwelling Dwarves. Its high walls and gates were constructed with the help of the Dwarves, and are of the best and most exquisite stone construction. The post is also home to the Frontiersmen, the protectors of the Moorlands. They patrol the plains east of Moore and Reid, attempting to cut off any attacks from the Spur before they reach the cities of Moorland. It is a dangerous occupation, but that fact only brings out the bravest of warriors to join their ranks.
The North Post:
The North Post was intended to be a guard post against invaders coming down the North River, but none ever came. It then became a starting point for expeditions into the Barrier Mountains and up the North River, though few utilize it any more, since those who have returned from such expeditions report nothing worth going back for. It’s practical abandonment has made it an easy place to disappear to for those who need such a refuge. All that remains of its former uses are a couple shops and taverns, and a small detachment of Frontiersmen, who still keep a vigil to the North, leaving the miscreants who occupy the post to their own business.
Eastguard:
The first city situated on the Moore’s western road to Tradesport is the nation’s newest, and is the first endeavor by The Council to establish an outpost to protect it’s roadways. The fort here is the Frontiersmen's second outpost, and has been lavishly provisioned by The Council. It was established to answer the increasing threat of banditry from the road’s western free cities, which are quickly growing to rival the power of the North Post.
Eastguard is also a great draw to mercenaries hiring themselves out to protect the merchants and travellers making their way west.
Kerrek:
Lying on the southeastern shore of Kerrek Lake and indwelt mostly by fishermen, Kerrek is a friendly place, at least to the friendly visitor. The town’s occupants are happy with their living, and not usually seeking more than the cold wind on their face and the splash of the nets in their ears. It is these nets that bring the delicious fish for which it the lake and city is named to the people of the Moorlands, and ultimately the rest of Dera.
Ferrier:
Similar to Kerrek, Ferrier is named for the services it primarily provides for the rest of the Moore. Being the furthest municipality of Moore down the western road has presented it’s challenges, but the city has managed to remain untainted by the negative influences of the western free cities while making the most of the business opportunities provided by them. As such, Ferrier has become Moore’s primary center for commerce with the rest of the world.
Ferrier also marks the boundary of the Frontiersmen’s patrol from Eastguard, and thus the innocent westward traveler’s last chance to find a mercenary for protection.
Westrun:
This burgeoning stopover is the trader’s Mecca of the north. It’s unregulated and literally cut-throat market is the most lucrative and dangerous place in the Moorelands, making it the Moore’s primary center for dishonest commerce with the rest of the world. Here, pirates of Tanobrac trade illicit goods with brutes from the North Post alongside the Kerrek egg poachers selling the delicacy to a representative of some affluent Karunian noble.
The citizenry here is surprisingly law-abiding given their environment, though no one can remain totally innocent in it. Suffice it to say that only those making a raw deal here need worry for their safety. Or those dealing with someone else who is.
Tradesport:
Thanks to the swift northward current of the Sea of Karun, Tradesport is the only westbound port on Molia’s western shore. Not only does this account for the city’s size and prosperity, but also for it’s social and economic diversity. Every sort of every class can be found in it’s wildly varying wards, from the richest noble pleasure-seekers, (or more likely their children), to the lowliest scoundrel and everything inbetween. It is a truly wild place to be in, and a truly dangerous place to get lost in.
The Foulde:
Across the Fordwaters and the Spur of the Barrier Mountains lies a rocky plain, a pine forest and rolling hills, all together known as The Foulde. The Foulden people are as hardy as the land itself, and know every secret of the forest they inhabit. They are among the few remaining true believers in the Spirit, their faith taking the form of a kind of mysticism.
The Foulden are also very skilled warriors and tacticians. Generations of living in the deep forests have demanded it of them for their survival. As knowledgeable as they are about the forest, they don't claim complete rule over it, nor do they wish to. The setback is constantly having to fight off other inhabitants who seek complete rule, or the simple spread of chaos.
Outside its boundaries, little is known of this land. The people of the Foulde have always been something of a mystery to the rest of Molian citizens, and they prefer it this way, keeping to ancient traditions they would claim are older than Karun, though few of the Foulden even know of the cities existence.
The Foulde Forest is the heart and soul of the Foulden people. It houses their largest cities, as well as their capital. It is a very dense pine woods, filled with life and mystery. The Foulden have extensively explored the forest, and their elders know nearly every tree and brook. Sojourns into the woods are very common, some spending months at a time losing themselves in the trees, but almost always finding their way back. The Foulden people seek affinity with these glens, understanding that they remain a dwelling place of the Spirit.
Kruggend Keep:
The small outpost atop Krugg Rises northern edge is used expressly for the watching of Mhulgend Pass. Krugg and his men built an enormous staircase down the Northeastern side of the Rise for access to the Keep, used to change out the watch every few months. Consisting of a handful of rangers, mystics and mages, the watches use Raven familiars and companions and scrying spells to scout the pass, since the Keep is far too high for any human eye to distinguish movements on the ground.
Ravenholm:
Built in the heart of the Foulde Forest, Ravenholm is the seat of the Foulden Ruling Council, comprised of seven elders and the ruler of the Foulde, The Fouldermacht. The Council Hall, which includes the Fouldermacht’s home, is built into a small cliffside overlooking the sylvan city, from which the Fouldermacht frequently addresses his people.
Raids from the Spur are not as common as they once were here, but still happen. The watches to the West are increasingly vigilant, and the raiders get less and less ambitious with every defeat. Their resolve finally appears to be wavering after generations of struggle against the Foulden. Some wonder, though, what their despair will drive them to.
Fouscht:
The spiritual center of the Foulde is where the Druids, Monks and Mystic Rangers come to begin their solitary retreats, using the settlement as a starting point for their sojourns into the forest, or as a training center for their meditative combat styles. It is the only place in the Foulde where the Mystics keep their spells recorded, and it is a place of open sharing between them and the Druids.
Fouscht also serves as a stopover for the journey between Ravenholm and the plains cities.
Mhuendeep:
The Foulde’s mining town and fortress lies just east of Mhulgend Pass. Its location has provided its need for high walls and a heavy guard. Within those walls is the Mhulgend Guard. This band of elite soldiers ensures the safety of the rest of the Foulde’s plains cities by fighting off the threats that come up the Pass. Without them, the raids would press much harder on Rhungard and Schtueldale.
Ygrenne's Tower:
In the center of the fortress is Ygrenne’s Tower, home of the Foulde’s most powerful Mystic. Giving up his love of the forest for the protection of his people, Ygrenne keeps a vigilant watch over Mhulgend Pass, and his powerful magic is invaluable in the defense of the plains.
Rhungard Castle:
The safest location in the Foulde houses the Boukenfoulde, the library of the Foulde. In it are kept the records of lineage, laws, decrees, legends, and maps of the forest and other parts of the world, some only known to the Foulden, and most long forgotten. It is also home to the Foulden treasury and armories. Naturally, the castle is very heavily guarded, despite its distance from the much greater threat of the Spur.
Schtueldale
On the edge of the Foulde Forest lies the largest farming community in The Foulde. While all of the Foulden cities live off of their own small plots, Schtueldale provides the surplus required to make it through the hardest months of winter, storing their crops until needed. Schtueldale is named, however, for the magnificent horses it produces. The steeds are also extensively trained in the forest as well as on the rocky plains, giving them uncanny endurance, agility, and courage in combat.
The Ash Valley:
The kingdom of this fertile valley was the second established by humans during the second age. Those first settlers here discovered they had a fascinating power over stone, able to form and embellish it to their will. They created amazing monolithic towers, beautifully adorned bridges and perfectly straight paved roads with the power granted them by the indwelling Spirit.
They also developed a peculiar form of monarchy, alternating kings and queens raised and advised by an elected council. Before the Fall, the rulers and supporting system remained pure, their kingdom an organic utopia.
After the Fall, and the cataclysmic eruption of Red Mountain, the valley’s citizens dispersed to Molia’s eastern lands, their home lying in ruin for hundreds of years. Now recently resettled by Castonian visionaries, the kingdom is thriving once again, though utopia isn’t achieved quite so naturally as it was for their ancestors. Not least among their problems is the loss of their ability to manipulate stone as their ancestors could, despite the best efforts of the faithful in the Spirit.
The most unique find of the new valley occupants were the Orcs that had settled in the Southreach Mountains. Quickly showing their decidedly un-orcish ways made them fast friends of the Castonians, which they remain to this day.
Patrifas:
The City of Kings is where the patriarchs rule from, it’s hard lines and accoutrements fashioned to accentuate the masculinity of it’s liege. It also houses the kingdom’s armories, the western barracks and orcish embassy. From here, Valley soldiers patrol the Southreach Mountains during the Borodrean trade season, when the Desert Nesters are in hibernation for several months and Borodrean slavers are known to raid the range’s half-orcish settlements.
Matriaya:
Alternatively, the City of Queens is effeminate in it’s design, and hosts the kingdom’s stables and temple to the Spirit still left standing from the Second Age. Though religion here has become hierarchical like Karun’s, the faithful here still pursue the ideals they believe their ancestors lived by in antiquity.
Ishgath:
The western center of Ash Valley industry is named for the passage through the Northreach Mountains it lies astride. The passage is the seasonal route taken by shepherds into the wider Krüdasian plains that lie on the other side, their tramontane journeys marked by great festivals in the city.
Ishgath is the supporting city of the kingdom’s two capitals, providing nearly all their food and goods, as well as all the kingdom’s weapons and armor. They are in turn well provided for.
Ithys:
What Ishgath is to the west, Ithys is to the east. Also providing much of the necessities of life for the cities to its south, and also much appreciated by them.
The mountains near Ithys are particularly rich in copper and zinc, making it a prime exporter of brass for the Castonians who use the metal to produce their world-famous nautical instruments, and to whom the metal is essential since they and the Karunians need a spark-free environment for handling their cannon powder.
Ithypas:
Literally “the way east”. From here travellers set out along the long Krüdasian road to Castonia, and here the trade caravans of Castonia and Borodrea ply their wares, and all of the valley’s surplus and trade goods are sold. The city is essentially a huge marketplace, especially during the Borodrean trade season.
In the interests of maintaining historical unity, Ithypas also hosts the valley kingdom’s library, where whatever records were found intact upon the kingdom’s resettlement are kept. This keeps the trip as short as possible for Castonians needing to conduct research into their ancestry.
Ithypas is the only city in Ash Valley built after it was resettled, and therefore glaringly lacks the artistry and embellishment of the others.
Ithyfas and Ithyiaya:
Though all of the “Ithy” prefixed cities lie in the east, it is more literally translated “youth”, making these eastern cities those of “kings” and “queens youth”. Here the aforementioned elected council raises those destined to be the kingdom’s next rulers. All the necessary academies and training campuses are also contained in huge walled complexes devoted entirely to this purpose, and those that live outside those walls spend their lives in service to the same. Of all the kingdom’s citizens, these are the most pampered and provided for in the hopes they will dedicate themselves entirely to that purpose.
These two cities are also frequent stopovers for Borodrean traders on their way to Ithypas. Obviously, they remain sequestered from the complexes, but the citizens of the cities thrill at the exotic wares brought by their ironically foreign kin.
Castonia:
This small but very significant nation lies on Molia’s eastern shore, where the North and East Melt Rivers converge and empty into the Castonian Sea. It was settled by the refugees of the Ash Valley when it was destroyed early in the Third Age, some of whom went on northward to settle the Foulde. Sadly, their ancestors lost their extraordinary powers over stone when they left their home. But they kept that passion and skill in shaping and creating deeply rooted in their culture to become the most technologically and industrially advanced nation in Dera.
They also applied their craft to the ways of sail and navigation, quickly surpassing their most ancient progenitors to the west in seafaring. Combining their industrial prowess with their passion for the sea, the Castonians produce the world’s finest navigational instruments, most recently the magnetic compass. Their ingenuity has also served their interests at sea in the protection of their assets with another recent development, gunpowder.
Castona:
Castonia’s capital is the epitome of it’s culture. Not only the seat of the nation’s revolutionary parliamentary government, but also the place where the very best of it’s citizens come together to share discoveries and new ideas. The city is a mecca for engineers, scientists and intellectuals alike, and is the breeding ground for all of their amazing advancements.
The port here is world-class in all respects, itself a wonder in it’s diversity of vessels and goods to be had from all of Dera’s people. Nowhere else can boast trade so free or goods so abundant. Also among Dera’s leading institutions is the Castonian Naval Academy, where the newest sailing methods and navigational devices are taught to the select few who qualify from around the world.
Helôt:
A nation is only as good as it’s institutions, and Helôt arguably contains the best learning institutions in Dera. The Castonian academies of science, engineering, geology and medicine are renowned for their innovations and the success of their students. It is these houses of learning that have produced the generations of great minds that have made Castonia what it is today.
Fittingly, the Helôtian Spire the city abuts is the primary site of spire research in Krüdasia. These natural monoliths have captured the Castonian’s imaginations and passions since settling here, likely owing to the memory of the affinity they once had with the stone of their ancestral home.
Melod:
This riverside city is Castonia’s industrial center. Hundreds of water wheels harness the power of the combined Melt Rivers to turn out everything from the brass fittings of navigational instruments to the lenses that sit in them. The amazingly light and strong wood from Heldôn is brought here to be milled for dozens of purposes, not least of which is to be made into the amazingly light and fast Castonian Naval Cutters on the shores of the Melod River. Here the mighty Castonian guns are forged, as well as the surgeon’s tools used to mend the wounds their crews receive in battle.
That all these essential tools of Castonia’s commercial and national security are made here demands a high level of security for the city, and access into it’s gates is tightly controlled.
Eldgren:
Though the Castonians are the most scientifically advanced people in Dera, they have not forgotten the spiritual roots of their ancestors, who found such a connection with the Spirit in the Ash Valley so long ago. Eldgren serves a dual purpose in this role; both as the eastern end of the Krüdasian road, connecting the Castonians to their ancient home, and as the site of the monastery the city is actually named for. Much like the Foulden people, who seek the Spirit through meditation in the forest, Castonian faithfuls come here to seek the Spirit in the same way, adding the strict disciplines of the body it’s monks are known for. These devotees become Castonia’s spiritual advisors and civil protectors, their insight as highly valued as that of the most esteemed graduates of Helôt’s academies.
Heldôn:
The relatively recently explored Castonian Islands have become a rich source of industrial and trade resources for the seafaring people of the east. Heldôn is the collection point for these resources, as well as the base of operations for those researching the island's mysteries.
The most important resource of the islands is by far the Heldôn tree, known for it’s amazingly lightweight yet sturdy lumber, used exclusively by the Castonians to make their un-catchable Cutters.
It’s port is also where ships cue for passage to Castona’s docks as they await the city’s pilots to guide their vessels safely through the narrow passage between Heldôn Island and the nation’s shore. This layover can take days, resulting in a decidedly less cultured atmosphere than the rest of Castonia’s cities as the sailors while away their time.
