Rheoridin
A fantasy world of great kingdoms, cursed lands, ancient legacies of catastrophe and emancipation, and otherworldly beings of great power who manifest with singular eccentricity. With power comes sacrifice, with trial comes tribulation; while reality itself is malleable, its boundaries permeable, yet what lies beyond any mortal's perspective are things strange and forbidding.
Bey-erat
Belakla-Xhut and the Penitent
It is said that at the very northern horn of the continent of Ut is the place at which humankind ascended from simple beasts to the fully sapient beings capable of magic and invention that they are now. A strange and majestic entity resembling a giant harvestman called Akak is said to have invited the nascent creatures to share in a feast within the halls of the palace Belakla-Xhut. It was by partaking in this feast—secretly made from the flesh of Akak's sisters—that humans gained their faculties. Akak's relationship to humanity was one abjectly malicious in character and it continued to control and manipulate them throughout the primordial eras, feeding them lies about their nature and dependency on its power, securing itself place as their god and creator, all-the-while it reared them like livestock to feed on their souls.One of Akak's sisters had escaped its torment to go into hiding deep in the hills of Bey-Erat, badly wounded and without hope of recovery. It was through contact with her that mankind eventually came to realize the horrors in which they had been complicit. The ages strife and turmoil as Akak turned them on each other lasted for thousands of years, but eventually mankind secured their freedom and Akak was imprisoned within the ancient palace of Belakla-Xhut, bound by powerful brands and bindings.Though the vast majority of mankind descends from these original people, some bear these scars closer to their hearts than others. The people of Bey-Erat, especially those on the western horn such as the nations of Vexchria, Morth, Witta, Maitraton, or Yarathra, are known as the Penitent for the heaviness they regard their past and their origins as a product of primordial evil. The landscape is twisted with reminders of those times, in mass graves, phantoms and ruins, and the corruption of the earth itself. They believe their very beings to be unclean, as their ascendence was gifted through Akak's malevolence, and wear gloves at all times to keep their touch away from the world.
The Splinter of Belkethe
The early ages of mankind's history were ones marked by terrible bloodshed and turmoil, especially as their struggles against primordial evil came to a head. Their despair accumulated in the earth itself, staining and corrupting it, until it eventually tore itself apart to form a horrible wound in the landscape known as the Splinter of Belkethe. A great many peoples and places were subsumed by the Splinter that not only warped the earth but also twisted everything within the vicinity with the stain of anguish now referred to as the Lament. To this day, it must be kept pacified lest it claim more, a duty undertaken by a sacred order of knights called the Wyr, whose duty is to sing to it a lullaby with the aid of a polearm-length tuning fork called a Catcher's Needle and their dragon-like companions, the termagast.
The Kingdom of Ristivrot
Ristivrot is an old country carrying many of the same burdens as their fellows on Bey-Erat, but a recent history of political upheaval has kept them from considering these things imminent in the minds of its inhabitants. A grand seizure of power and assets has occurred following a claim that the sitting King was, in fact, an imposter who had replaced their rightful ruler while he had been on pilgrimage to Belkethe some years ago. Assuming a role as "Protector" (Mjilr) of the kingdom, the man named Uthrút Rúk has been the spearhead of this effort to bring the imposter and their collaborators to justice, a task still ongoing. Placing the Wyr at the center of the conspiracy, Rúk has since questioned the necessity and effectiveness of the Wyr's supposed duty.
Our Beautiful Turmallion
Residing on the east coast at the mouth of the river Dinj is the city-state of Our Beautiful Turmallion, positioning itself as a shining jewel among wretches and ruins. A center of wealth and knowledge, Our Beautiful Turmallion is governed by a conclave of studied philosophers known as the Fountain, who debate and cast votes on matters of state. Any graduate of their University Illustrious is welcome to join the Fountain, but, as attending the University can be costly, it is a right almost entirely reserved for the aristocracy. The Fountain itself is led by an elected speaker and whip referred to as the Fountain's Carmine Rose, currently a rather soft-spoken woman named Ellise de'Marian. Turmallion shares with their coastal allies of Marak, Gingat, and the Palkars a certain mercantile character, trading and investing in luxuries of arts, fashion, and foods. Diligent in matters of diplomacy, they go to great efforts to maintain positive relations with their neighbors.
Holy Rnanmir
Rnanmir regards its lands as holy, claiming it as the original refuge of one of Akak's tortured sisters named Ssosim. Their leader, referred to as a Hwallir, claims direct descent from an offspring of Ssosim and a human man—a peculiar union that is described as much as a sexual act as it is other times said that Ssosim hid away her soul in the body of a man, an entanglement that somehow brought forth a child. The Hwallir is positioned as a demigod with all the rights entailed and their rule is necessarily a theocratic one, supported by an established priesthood devoted to their deification. Aligned with a recipient of Akak's torture, their culture eschews any obligation for penitence, instead donning the plight of righteous victims. Within Rnanmir it has been long believed that those still faithful to Akak remain hidden and that their justice will remain incomplete until they are eradicated in full. It is a task to which the current Hwallir, a man named Sígya, has taken to heart, actively engaged in a witch hunt both at home and abroad—although perhaps to distract from the fact he had yet to produce an heir, a thing of great consternation to his nation. Rnanmir is a close ally of Ristivrot and supporter of the efforts of Mjilr Uthrút Rúk, who supports Rnanmir's current crusade in turn.
U'devesh, A'tiechi, A'Mbzeata
During the time period where mankind vied against Akak, there were several great diasporas of people whose thought was only to find greener pastures. The inhabitants of U'devesh, A'tiechi, and A'mbzeata on Bey-Erat were formed from some of the first of these migrations, settling down far away from the chaos within mountain valleys to carry on with otherwise simplistic lives. With them, they took some of the lessons learned from Akak, things since lost, such as the abilities of A'tiechi's ruling warrior class—referred to as Colds—to form from the moss and peat great constructs, weapons, and embellishments to their own bodies. Though regarded with suspicion, they claim no direct veneration of Akak, and are sometimes employed abroad as mercenaries and assassins.
xhor-xhon
The Dans and Seyefrax
The Dans are a forbidding region of shrublands spotted by towering ruins long left uninhabited, home instead to a complex ecosystem of swarming insects, notably a kind of wasp whose giant hives are embedded throughout the structures of those ancient cities. These wasps, brilliant in color, are considered highly aggressive, their stings deadly, yet the fact that their lands are rarely trespassed upon owes not only to the threat posed by them but also to the notion that they used to be human. It is said that the ancient ruler of the region, the Empress Sganta Sa’vythe, had been captivated by a project to undo ancient brands and bonds that had been set upon their souls by primordial evil, yet had made some supposed miscalculation that caused the inhabitants of her lands to unravel into swarms of insects.Plagued by a long history of conquest and colonization from the west, there remains a great many effigies, gravesites and rock carvings found throughout western Xhor-Xhon that warn against both the evils of the natives as well as the cruelties of their conquerors. The Empress of the Dans was but one of many such noble lineages derived from those crusades, yet the most significant authority of their like is the self-proclaimed Dragon God of Seyefrax, an unyielding despot known for his distaste for humanity. Seyefrax's Dragon God is a draconic termagast named Cithra originally from Belkethe who supposedly seized the reigns after acquiring some secret knowledge through his connection to the empress Sa'vythe and has ruled the western shores unwavering through his chosen Blades for over a millenia. Along the cliffs of Xhaelfosh stand hundreds of thousands of stone statues erected by those fleeing his reach to mark their loss and welcome others suffering a similar journey.
Tatyryx and the King of Rot
Beyond the reach of Seyefrax under the shadows of the mountains lies the kingdom of Tatyryx, a feudal kingdom that was once ruled by a vain and callous royal line similarly of Beyer descent. During its recent past, a slave of the royal family was set upon by a series of cruelties, suffering great abuse at the hands of the adolescent crown prince. When they began to show a pregnancy, the king decided to erase his son's shameful indiscretions by having the slave killed and fed to their hogs. The slave's want for vengeance saw their lingering essence join with the spirit of the earth in profane marriage, transforming them into a witch of the rot, of the insects and the muck, decay and detritus, and none of the royal line survived their wrath. The witch's son, now known as the King of Rot, took sovereignty over the kingdom, declaring both the old aristocracy and the practice of slavery no more.Within the population of Tatyryx itself there is deep division concerning their new circumstance, yet the fear of the witch, who now lurks in the shadows as a horror profound and exacting, has proved stronger than any want for rebellion. Meanwhile, their southern neighbor of Amminyan readies themselves for war to free Tatyryx from their demon, although the tale has equally rallied those kept under heel in Amminyan to conspire for their own emancipation, strangely choosing to champion the supposed ghost of their young King's deceased brother.
Jhohimmerut Confederacy
The various nations on the eastern coast of Xhor-Xhon, a mix of old human nobility and mercantile empires, (this includes Nashkirot, the Kelpks, Wallerot, Grinvalir, Aya-Weyth, Mihgaj, Sikerit, Horenheit, and Fohn) collectively form the Jhohimmerut Confederacy. The Confederacy is pluralistic and multicultural, albeit with a fair deal of griping and jabs in each other's directions. They are bound together by a new age of discovery and exploration, cooperatively invested in expeditions to foreign lands in search of wealth and knowledge.Historically, the Confederacy was held together under a judiciary known as the Mediator—a hereditary position that required intensive training from a young age—but this line was recently cut short and the duty is now filled by the philosopher triumvirate of Aya-Weyth, referred to as the Sanguine, the Cerebral, and the Celebrator. Although the measure was meant to be temporary, it is unknown if a new Mediator will be appointed.Though closely tied to the Confederacy and given formal invitation to join, the diasporic nation of Xhahiša has refused to be placed under their power, especially given the more serious tension between them and Aya-Weyth. The people of Xhahiša are descended from a much older migration of humans than the rest of the region, their ethnicity often denigrated as illiterate farmers and laborers.
The Country on Fire
To the far north is a land that is referred to as "the country on fire", a land that once experienced a series of terrible wars in which weaponry of unheard of power and destruction was utilized. The only people who lived to tell the tale fled to what is now the nations of Vrenen and Elkathay, settling down as refugees in an otherwise inhospitable terrain to which they've since acclimated. The most of them left in desperation and can only say that the entire territory seems to be now ablaze, with little idea of any survivors, the exact cause, or how long the fires might last.
weage nosr
A'ancharat and the Confluences
A'ancharat began as an early human diaspora, settling down in lands they hoped safe as a relatively small, mystically-inclined commune. Yet, in time, they discovered they shared a domain with a peculiar majestic being reminiscent of a wolf that appeared to be stuck in an impenetrable slumber. Wary because of their history with other such beings, they made the decision to kill it. When they found its body did not decay, they chose to devour its remains, taking its power into themselves. It is through this sacrifice that they became powerful sorcerers, adorned in enchanted flowers and jewelry to hide the stench of their sin.Down from Bey-Erat extends the cursed influence of the Splinter, an emotional stain upon the earth itself that twists all who come into contact. The sorcerers of A'ancharat found ways to sever its spread and influence by splitting time itself, creating a vast honeycomb of gasps into eras past and future called the Confluences. Such region is in constant flux and is exceedingly dangerous to traverse as pockets form and disperse and may trap trespassers in the eras they channel. A'ancharat takes gravely their custodianship of it, some of their members beyond the grasp of age, bound by duty to ensure that the power of their magics stays within their control.
The Takarma Desert
The vast deserts of Weage Nosr have long been inhabited by a people known as the zam. Though they walk upright on two feet, they are far from human, being exceptionally tall and hosting a hard exoskeleton with body shapes vaguely reminiscent of a praying mantis. Zam communicate in chirps, clicks, and whistles, a fact that, along with their preference of habitat, has historically prevented them from integrating in any significant way with other lifeforms. It is known that they trap magical beings inside of small statues and channel this power for magic of their own. As the desert is vast and the zam are formed into small, nomadic bands, encountering one is exceedingly rare.
Coast of the Evegep Forests
All along the eastern coast of Weage Nosr are the forests known as the Evegep. The Evegep is no ordinary forested area, as the trees and the land itself run thick with supernatural influence, meeting all who tread too deep with a merciless and delirious darkness that forbids any entry into their domain. Their unforgiving nature was learned quickly by the newer settlements on the northern horn of Nepek, Sufblom, Umbin, and Sehri. These settlements began as projects of the northern Jhohimmerut Confederacy on Xhor-Xhon in their endeavors for exploration, although their direct oversight over the colonies is only marginal. Instead, the colonies have taken on a frontier character, formed of small communities of hardy individuals with intent to make the most of the often harsh ways of life.
Northern Belot-Nosr Sweep
All throughout the west coast and the northern Belot-Nosr sweep resides a people called the Vebriri that, while otherwise humanoid, have characteristics such as horns and ears that are some mix of deer, leaf nosed bat and fox. From the diminutive folk of Omune and Lux Lorin to the tall and slender of the Crocus Empire, to the rather stout peoples of Sabbakrí, they claim a peculiar ancestry—supposedly originating from the moon—a thing that, even if true, is far and away ancient now.In Lux Lorin high in the mountains, they are known for their meditative mystic traditions that seek oneness with forces esoteric. Omune, divided up into countless clans that sometimes include humans, is known for their sly playfulness and their whimsical art and poetry. The Crocus Empire, also known as the Seven Stems, prides itself on invention, verging on the cusp of industrialization and imperialist expansion into Omune and Sabbakrí, hosting a powerful navy and burgeoning economy. Sabbakrí itself is a kingdom of older traditions, large families and noble warlords, known for their love of milk-tea and tragic theater.Vebriri tend to be matriarchal and matrilocal, the women of the family raising her children alongside her brothers instead of a romantic partner, otherwise free to fraternize as she pleases. The Crocus Empire itself is ruled by the Seven Faces of the Empress, referring to seven matriarchal figures belonging to its seven semi-autonomous territories. Sabbakrí is equally matriarchal, although their Mother-Queen and her Honored Daughters are rarely seen outside of their cloistered palace, a state only made more dire by recent political tensions with Vensairis and the Crocus Empire.
Belot
Southern Belot-Nosr Sweep
While the northern sweep is inhabited by the cervine vebriri, the southern portions are home to the Nefeer, a people who appear curiously similar to humans with long tufted tails and pointed ears. The mythos belonging to the nefeer claim that they climbed to the shores directly from the sea and their populations are found throughout the southern hemisphere of Rheoridin. Those neefer in the sweep constitute a long established civilization known for their proficiency with intricate magics, such as those used to build illustrious cities the like of Qainsis and Qisrim on the birch-wooded island of Qoron.The city-state of Qainsis looks out onto the cursed region of the Nosr gulf where the waters are said to rush and curl in strange storms, turbulence, and sudden water spouts. Noble and proud, Qainsis devotes themselves to the call of beauty, using delicate embroidery in their clothing and druidic magic to weave elaborate gardens throughout their masonry. Yet they little tolerate diversion from their beautified vision, a fact that has seen many nefeer who fail to fit into the mold seek refuge elsewhere, such as those touched by the strangeness of the Nosr waters that mark what look like maps of unknown places upon their skin. This dynamic was responsible for the founding of the northern land of Vensairis, many of whom still hold onto old resentments for their southern neighbors.Vensairis itself is comprised of a multitude of otherwise independent nefeer estates, each with their own histories and alliances and little unity between them aside from a professed allegiance to a pair of moth-like majestic beings known as the Twins. The Twins rarely make inquests of the nefeer, yet claim they used to live on Belot until driven off by human migrants centuries ago, a fact that has seen some of the nefeer desire to reclaim Belot from the humans in their name. The nefeer of Vensairis are no strangers to conflict, as much of the land they now call their own was only claimed in contest with the northern Sabbakrí.
Sunsrynva and Kolyvanva
Both Sunsrynva and Kolyvanva are nations forged from late human diasporas originating from Bey-Erat who journeyed south to the pine-forested land of Belot in search of refuge with the aid of some few of the rock-skinned giants from southern Ut called the stornbed. The two regions share a similar history and outlook, including veneration for their saviors, though Sunsrynva's land is more arid and their culture more pastoral, while Kolyvanva has been shaped in recent years by fear of aggression from Vensairis.Kolyvanva has been making effort to put together a unified military to combat the threat of Vensairis, yet fails by-and-large to understand their aggressors or their motives, aside from their propensity for the use of magic. Previously they were, like Sunsrynva remains, widely a collection of townships and hamlets with little overarching governance to unite them.Throughout both regions the taming and rearing of the native creatures called peln—who appear like a yak with an opossum-like head, bushy mane, and pointed horns, usually covered in dense fur of buff and red hues, sometimes in a striped pattern all the way down to the tip of their thick, tapering tail—is a vital part of their culture. They are known for donning peln's skins and eating meals centered around peln meat or dairy products, with cheeses being of especial interest.
Udet
As the region of Belot reaches south, the land turns arid and red, sweeping up into canyons and mountains where the place known as Udet resides. It is identified by various ingresses and structures built into canyon cliffs, some stretching far deep under the earth or suspended at great heights, places treacherous to reach.A secretive and reclusive people inhabit Udet to a degree that few know if they are human or another kind. Their aversion to outsiders and tendency for aggression against trespassers is well-known, leaving little information of them slip beyond their premises. What is known is that they leave their mark with a symbol of snakes, leaving many to think they might be snake-like in form.
Attam
Cursed Lands
All throughout the Belot-Nosr sweep south into Attam and Hidpak are strange places deeply cursed, as it is a region of magic and great mysteries. The people of the region—largely a mix of humans and nefeer—refer to cursed places with the title of "Lak" added to their name, commonly attributed to a region by those foreign to it.Lak Salact and Lak Stasarim are both vast city ruins of some peoples from days earlier than any know. They are thought to have been responsible for the gulf's strange and unpredictable waters.Lak Luk was until very recently an established nation with strong ties to nearby locales until some majestic being of lightning one day decided to make it a nest, killing every inhabitant within. Lak Vell similarly was once a well-known kingdom, but, in a single night, every inhabitant vanished without a trace.Lak Shariq at the very south of Belot is a kingdom extant but regarded with abject fear, both for their propensity for violence as well as for the fact that their inhabitants often bear wounds perpetually fresh that expose their raw interiors. Their leader, referred to as the Avatar Divine of the Tumultuous Heavens, is said to be missing the left side of her face and chest, dressed such that the motions of her still-beating heart are put on display.Lak Roseumbuuk at the far tip of Weage Nosr is a city inhabited by nefeer who appear like shimmering shadows, having learned to astral project themselves beyond their physical bodies which remain imprisoned deep underground to otherwise carry on with regular lives. The shadow people of Roseumbuuk are often shunned abroad for fear they might invite some terrible fate by their presence alone, as they will tell that the imprisonment of their bodies is a voluntary surrender to hold back an unthinkable catastrophe.
The Ruby Kingdom
The people of the Ruby Kingdom are affected by a curse that slowly turns flesh to precious stone, an agonizing transformation starting as smaller formations upon the skin and ending with the entire body fully replaced with a gemstone like ruby. Those crystallized can no longer eat, sleep, or feel, and neither can they die, as their souls will reside in even the very shards of their body should it be destroyed. The kingdom has carried on regardless, forging alliances, welcoming merchants, and casting their gaze wide in hopes that eventually a cure will be found. Not everyone within the Kingdom is of ruby make nor is its manifestation solely an affliction of the past, yet the determination as to who exactly will fall under the curse has proven a thing elusive.The curse originates with their ancient king who dared cross a majestic being called the Witchqueen, said to appear as an animate skeleton of a giant bat wearing organs and coverings of precious metals. It was in his desperation for an heir that he sought her aid, at first under peaceful terms, but kings seldom tolerate the embarrassment of a simple refusal, especially not with the force of an army at their beck and call. It became a bloody ordeal, propagandized as an echo of mankind's original struggle, until finally he took what he wanted from her. By her cunning, the son she sired for him was ensorcelled, crystallizing blood and body until he was but brilliant jewel and burdening him with eternal life. Crowned Invictka Aiasalka Rhem, the prince still reigns some thousand years later, his condition since spreading throughout his province through his father's sin.
Frararin
An elden queen of the people of Frararin once determined to bring a star down to earth, an effort that her advisors and peers thought mad. After many years in their quest, the queen and her knights managed to pierce the veil upon one of the region's mountainous spires that nearly touched the sky, causing their star to fall. But when she returned to her people to announce her success, the queen found her absence had allowed her objectors to seize her throne and she was killed in the conflict that ensued.The star that had fallen from the sky, an eyeless, drooping bird with flesh like a slug by the name of Shtashtas, came looking for the queen, claiming to have been promised her hand in marriage. Fearful of the creature and its powerful cold, the conspirators hurried to find an imposter to offer to it in her stead, one the creature accepted without scrutiny. When this new imposter-queen eventually died, the creature came to them again to demand of them its promised wife. Every spouse since proven mortal, Shtashtas inevitably returns to Frararin as though it has no understanding of death.The inhabitants of Frararin have come to believe, in part, that it must be some rite of sacrifice, placed upon them as punishment for their original betrayal. Failing to heed its call causes the region itself to fall under the effect of its cold, withering crops, animals, and people alike as it is a supernatural force that eats away at the soul. Shtashtas' wife is now chosen many years ahead of time and raised with such purposes in mind. They've since found Shtashtas's discretion is so lacking that it will accept any, no matter their age, gender, or social status, so long as they are called queen and capable of communicating their consent.
Qarinsika and Windham
Qarinsika began as a small outpost on a strangely elevated plateau of columnar basalt, originally only a lighthouse and workshop erected by nefeer wreckers who took plunder from the various shipwrecks common to the region. Though initially a commercial enterprise, the endeavor attracted certain scholarly interests, as many of their finds defied all reasonable expectations. One of the many things they discovered was a massive spherical structure under the water, whose warm, ivory-like surface covered with black-stained carvings of lilies casts a shadow of breathable air upon the exposed seafloor below. It is through these discoveries and encounters that the island is known for archaeologists and artificers, who wear gear and styles resembling diving equipment complete with masks and breathing apparatus even when not actively at work.The guilds of Qarinsika once embarked on a great project to build up the nearby island of Windham, implementing some of their discoveries to power massive machines, only for it to go horribly awry. Few survivors left in its wake, the disaster led immediately to a fervor around building up guards, wardings, walls, and enchantments in brutalistic fashion still extant in Qarinsika's architecture. Windham itself remains uninhabited, a wreckage of buildings and terrain left entirely abandoned.
Ifileen
Along the northern coast of Attam resides a region of tropical forests considered home to a great many magical and majestic entities. Mythic cities are hidden there, only accessible through special rites, with fantastical sights like temples made of glass or meandering open blooms forming platforms high in the canopy. Ifileen is one such place, said to be a grove of trees actively growing in twists and curls of unbelievable complexity whose canopy cannot be seen. It is regarded as a sanctuary built specifically by a conclave of unknown majestic beings able to disguise their true natures. Mortals have occasionally attempted to seek such places out, ensorcelled by tales of eternal youth and hidden knowledge.
hidpak
Lak Isthir and Wellswaulk
Hidpak's interior is an arid wasteland deeply haunted and beset by a supernatural sandstorm that nearly spans the continent. It was not always so, in the distant past it was a land of plenty, of lush forests and sweeping plains, and a great many peoples and settlements. The apocalypse that claimed it was a creeping death, killing crops and drying rivers as the life was sucked out of the land itself, centered around the civilization within its basin known as Isthir. A great many peoples were impacted and few know for sure the source of it, yet at the eye of the sandstorm is said to be a field of black sand where stands a lonely gate to another world.The people who settled in what is now Wellswaulk near the eastern coast of Raaswend were those that fled from Isthir itself. Small of stature with relatively stocky builds and large ears, they of a people once native to central Hidpak called the mektirk. They retain legends of a strange people who sometimes came through the gate from the world shifting physicality beyond, said to wear coverings from head to toe, and remembered perhaps most clearly for their strange propensity to sometimes bury themselves in the ground. One was known to be bound to the Empress of Isthir and it is on such individual that Wellswaulk places the blame. But the people of Wellswaulk are a superstitious folk—regarding even those born in the wrong seasons or under the wrong moon as cursed—and it has been a great many years since Hidpak's apocalypse, leaving the truth of the matter a thing obscure.
Senera and Good Omen
Following the curse of Lak Isthir, the people originating from the interior of Hidpak fled to the fringes of the continent and beyond. One group of mixed origins traveled south, every mile of their journey as lifeless as the last until they found a desert oasis to mark the reach of the curse, dubbing it Good Omen. Seeing it only as a sign that better fates awaited further south, they went on to found Senera along the coast overlooking the vast ocean beyond.The mektirk of Senera have long believed they are all that is left of the world, so far removed from other civilizations or even other diasporas of similar origins. Though grateful for their fortunes, the disaster looms close in their minds, wary still of both the reach of the curse as well as the ghosts of those lost to it. Many believe that the curse will eventually reach them and thus will be the end to all life as it is known, holding regular ceremonies of remembrance to pay their respects to all that was and will be lost.
Enegarap Forests
On the northern coast of Hidpak, an elevated plateau curves around the basin of Isthir like a crescent where strange forests grow. They are known for sudden wildfires, flame said to burst forth from the trees themselves, spreading out among the forest in regular shudders and gasps. While the trees themselves remained unharmed, the fires will cause harm to mortals as any fire would, leaving few to dare cross through the territory. Yet the domain is also said to be home to immortal beings made of ceramic who are sympathetic to the plights of others and may offer their aid if sought.
The Kingdom of Skansthia
Along the northern plateau is a mountainous region populated with a people not of flesh and blood but as simulacrums brought to life in miraculous feat from a painting. More ghost than person, they play out the airs of kingdom that the painting depicted, acting according to their roles with little awareness of their circumstances. They appear as humans with their bodies and the environments around them detailed masterfully with brushstrokes and mixes of oil paints, some given more detail to both their forms and minds than others.The painting had belonged to the last princess of the kingdom of Skansthia, one of the old civilizations of Hidpak that fell to ruin during the great dying inflicted by the curse of Lak Isthir. Their kingdom was one that tied their lineage directly to Bey-Erat, naming their ancient ancestors those at the forefront of mankind's struggle for freedom: the chosen of the tortured sister who had been instrumental in their enlightenment called Fryrsyrsymat. Upon her passing, they were led south to safety by a favorite named Almatarax who, upon swallowing Fryrsyrsymat’s dying breath, ascended to a greater being reminiscent of a hermaphroditic ram-horned maned wolf with horse-like proportions. This majestic wolf was said to have left again for the north to continue their fight after bearing a litter of children and never returned, his six husbands and their offspring forming the noble houses of Skansthia.In the twilight of the kingdom proper, the then ruler made the decision to sacrifice all for the survival of his daughter, the Princess Vispír. Ensuring her longevity through the bloody offering of himself and their priesthood, he bade her travel north to search for their deific founder, but upon reaching the mountainous divide between Hidpak and Attam, she collapsed in despair. It is said one of the ceramic beings of the Energarap forest must've taken pity on her and it is by that being’s intercession that the phantom kingdom of the painting she carried with her was made manifest. The painted kingdom is maintained by a Princess Vispír, yet it remains unknown whether she is the real Vispír or simply another painted phantom whose idealized embodiment is alike any other within her kingdom.
Ravarana Empire
Ravarana had long resided along the eastern coast of Hidpak and, already of a more arid clime, was largely unaffected by the desiccating curse of Isthir, yet they experienced an incredible influx of refugees seeking residence within their countries from a wide variety of locales in the decades following its onset. It was this influx of refugees that pushed the otherwise disparate nations of Ravarana to collaborate and codify systems of stratification to keep their now bolstered underclasses from becoming a threat. These realities slowly shifted over the years towards the dialogue of empire, the nobility ascribing to themselves a certain noblesse oblige that would not be contained by the bounds of their borders. When their sovereignty expanded to the southern states, they claimed causes supposedly benevolent, such as prevention of catastrophe or expanding their search for wanted criminals.Among the natives of Ravarana are a curious people known as the Attar—humanoids with features like succulent plants capable to a degree of shifting their shapes—while the migrants were largely human, mektirk, and nefeer. The nations to the south subjected to imperial conquest—U-Re-Yan, Wuara-Yan, and Immre-Yan—are all domains of an amphibious merpeople with features of cartilaginous fish called the Ktatkin. The powers of Ravarana are organized into storied clans of Attar who cling tightly to their lists of honors, cultivating their bodies in secret techniques to strive for a mythical perfection.
Kestrysa
Siaseege and Setra
As the southernmost continent, the peoples of Kestrysa are far divorced from the lives and cultures of other inhabitants of Rheoridin, only just aware of the threat of the Ravarana Empire through their northern neighbor and ally of Wuara-Yen. The inhabitants of Kestrysa are humanoids called vesrya described by those foreign as pale demons whose spattering of pearlescent scales shimmer in the sunlight, crowned with the glint of curling horns of gold upon their heads.Those of Siaseege and Setra wear delicate masks adorned with peridots and attire made of bone and fur. The two are allies and sister nations, closely tied together, and claim descent from an ancient sea serpent that was cut into pieces by the crashing waves, the pieces becoming the bodies of their ancestors. Their culture has a love for ceremony and ritual, figures of importance often owning long lists of titles, and meetings and mealtimes are ordeals quite exacting in their specificity. The clime of Kestrysa verges into the arctic, covering land in layers of permafrost and capable of flash-freezing crashing waves, a contributing factor to the vesrya's largely carnivorous diet reliant on hunting and whaling.
The Rainbow City
Among the vesrya are those who practice a magic known as "Dreaming" whose practitioners are "Dreamers". Thought to stem from the same energy as what makes the dream world while asleep, it is from these practices that the utopian Rainbow City is built, regarded by all vesrya alike as a sacred place. Only those with a mastery of Dreaming are selected to command the city, currently a pair named Yllyamin and Lukraykrya.Dreamers spin from the material of souls grand structures, servant creatures, and agricultural gardens, pulling from a pit dug deep into the glaciers under the city that houses the souls of their dead. The city itself is a project of reincarnation: first the dead are allowed to express all their torments and traumas together as a turbulent current in the well of souls, then their energies are used to create constructs that give life to others, an act of service that allows them to find peace. The city itself is as abstract as any dream, bending reality to create floating structures and varying gravitational forces that allows inhabitants to freely walk along walls and ceilings. Magnificent and colorful, it is no work of propaganda that the vensrya consider it a paradise worthy of protection.
Raaswend
The Golden Crown
The northern crown of Raaswend’s eastern peninsula is regarded as a dangerous land for the dominion of the native wildlife: not only an array of arthropodal creatures of sometimes gargantuan size, but also their main predator resembling a giant pterosaur, all of which are regarded as exceptionally aggressive. It is by these circumstances that the only human settlements that survived in the north were necessarily the ones able to secure their safety through extraordinary means.It is told that in these early days, a man named Bon Búkett encountered a majestic being resembling a golden-horned stag in a dire state. Though still alive, it was being feasted upon by a gathering of dog-sized centipedes, with only bone and bloody tatters left below its waist. The stag spoke to Búkett and begged him to grant it a merciful death, offering its golden antlers in exchange. Búkett heeded its plea, going on to use the supernatural powers granted by the antlers to secure the safety of his people. However, along with the crown—which welds itself to the wearer's skull—came the disintegration of his body, starting with his eyes that within a year had become rotten in their sockets. As all who don the crown are destined to end up mirroring the state of the stag at the time of its demise, the duty is a solemn one, with each successor being the one to grant their predecessor their death when they can no longer bear the agony. Though the eyes are always the first thing to go, those crowned use their magic to see, spattering runes of blue eyes throughout their cities that grant them near omniscience within their territory.Though the land is thought to be a place of great riches, their settlements are staunchly warded by the Crowned's magic, and seeking entry or exit can be a challenging prospect.
Law Oxley
Law Oxley is an older human settlement, one that experienced a recent golden age of technological advancement, spurred on by royal investment and engagement in a culture of learning. Much of this was implemented in the public sphere, creating such things as suspension trains and extensive water systems, ensuring the capital city's enduring metropolitan character. The reigning figure responsible, Axis Bainrid Lyx, ruled for well over a century, having extended his life through means unknown. This feat was passed on to the woman he adopted as his heir—the current ruler and queen—who is now nearly 90 years in age and appears no older for it.Although the time period of Bainrid's reign was considered a golden age, it was discovered somewhat late into his life that he had secretly committed vile acts, selectively taking convicted criminals into his personal custody and sadistically torturing them until they eventually exhausted. One of these victims had been of an aristocratic background and outcry over the nature of their imprisonment eventually culminated with a series assassination attempts that saw Bainrid retreat entirely from public life.Axis Kasaros tells that it was Bainrid's act of penance to save her from death and adopt her as his heir. She had spent Bainrid's last decades as one of his only companions, and, upon ascending to the throne, has since taken great measures to ensure his legacy is honored. Her reign has struggled to achieve popular support, with some in Law Oxley inspired to take rumors of Bainrid to the extreme, claiming he was a vampire that fed on human blood and such is the secret to their queen's enduring youth. Kasaros has similarly followed after Bainrid's example, retreating from engagement with public life, further solidifying her ominous character.
Threaded Wauchfend
Along the rocky cliffs of Raaswend’s southern peninsula is the city-state of Wauchfend, an otherwise unassuming locale built of heavy masonry that is reliant on the spear fishing of giant lobsters. However, Wauchfend is also home to an old and esoteric tradition of sorcerers called Pinnegogs or Pinnegoths who define their trade as an investigation into the fundamental truths of the universe; a pursuit which, according to their beliefs, will culminate in the creation of a philosopher's stone that will allow them to bind reality to their wills. Pinnegogs are few, passing down their knowledge only from master to apprentice, and their role within the city has historically been to chart the movement of the heavens and waters in order to advise fishers on where to best find their prey.A recent catastrophe bolstered the Pinnegogs to a more direct authority when a supernatural darkness came over the city, causing a series of earthquakes followed by a terrible freeze, and the sky above remains painted by an otherworldly thread of light. Blamed on a Pinnegog's apprentice who foolishly misused her knowledge, the freeze was not just a cold, but also a halting of the flow of time, and parts of the city lost 30 years before it was able to be contained. The aristocratic Pinnegog named Evaschasja, who was the master to the now outcast apprentice, was fundamental to both reigning in its effects and working towards the revitalization of Wauchfend in the subsequent years. Evaschasja has since paired with the regular consortium of Pinnegogs, headed by a man named Fracjan, to track and protect against this otherworldly darkness that still lingers in wisps of corruption throughout the region. Though the city remains wary of the Pinnegogs for the sudden realization of their potentials, few can contest that they alone have the ability to combat the threat that now plagues their home, leaving them with little recourse to object the Pinnegog's ever-increasing consolidation of power they have rested from the cities' regular authorities.
Gatja and the Tower of Messa
Gatja is a region of savannahs home to a people similarly called gatjana that resemble humans with features reminiscent of wild felids. Though it spans across the continent, most gatjana settlements are steeped in a division of gender where women are considered to prefer extreme solitude, pushing them to pursue a lifestyle as solitary hunters in the wilds, while men gravitate heavily towards sociality, forming small towns and villages inhabited almost entirely by other men. Gatjana are initially raised by their mother alone in the wilderness, only handed off to the village with which they are associated as they are approaching adolescence, who will then care for them until adulthood. By their nature, girls are expected to eventually wander, becoming hunters aligned with their mythical ancestral mother who is thought to still roam the wilds. Chance encounters with lone hunters are given religious significance, as all hunters are regarded as sacred, even by other women. Although segregated by gender, the roles take precedence such that any gatjana who prefer their solitude are associated with femaleness, while those more gregarious are associated with maleness, and otherwise each individual is free to identify themselves how they please.Deep into Gatja can be found a huge pillar of rock and sand shaped like a massive cyclone frozen in place that the gatjana call the Tower of Messa. At its top it forms an enormous platform like a roof to the world, the boundaries of which disappear into a cloud cover perpetually fraught with thunderstorms. Many gatjana believe the place mystical, that some gods of lightning dwell above.
Stone Forests of Amndaas and Mitra's Kesekeyek
The northwestern portion of the continent of Raaswend is a place of extreme verticality, composed of a rocky landscape cut apart by whipping winds, where pillars of stone patterned like trees stand thousands of meters tall, foliage growing down their sides and filling the valleys in between with a dense, fog-blanketed thicket. It is considered untraversable, the pillars sometimes clustered together like a nest of daggers with little solid ground to tread upon. But within the dense landscape also resides a place called Mitra's Kesekeyek, home to a race of gatjana who feature much darker tones in their skin and hair.The gatjana of Kesekeyek are far removed from their desert cousins, living in clustered matrilocal clans headed by an elder grandmother alongside her favored son, with authority passed from grandmother and son to daughter-in-law and grandson. They host many powerful, storied lineages who share between them a love of grandiose musical performances with elaborate instruments.Peculiar to Kesekeyek is a legend of a gate to another world formed by a growth of blue liverwort that runs up a canyon deep in the stone forests called the Sentreyek Growth. The people of the Growth appear with a mask of blue liverwort growing over their faces, their world said to reach impossibly into the heavens using metal contraptions powered by lightning and fire. Kesekeyek has occasionally made contact with them, sharing an agreement that one will not interfere with the other. It was a near transgression of this treaty that recently saw Kesekeyek's highest house forcibly removed from power, a situation still unfolding.
Ananza and Amnamuutha
Out in the western oceans off the coasts of Raaswend the ocean itself suddenly rises in extreme heights as though it were a mountain range, the tallest of which referred to as the Peak of Ananza. On clear days, Ananza can be seen over the horizon from the shore, thought to house some ancient, unknown power. Sincere prayer seeking refuge or salvation directed to Ananza in name, knowledge, and while facing its geographic location will be answered in the form of inexplicable transportation to the lands of Amnamuutha and thus was the region populated. Because of this strange occurrence, the people of Amnamuutha are widely varied in both origin and species, though a reason to have begged for salvation unites them.Amnamuutha itself is as much a place of radical verticality as the rest of the stone forests, only opening up to the ocean in the north with cliffsides impossibly stark. As with its varying populace, Amnamuutha is not one country but a myriad of smaller locales stratified by elevation, with the ground level clustered and perpetually locked in conflict, while the upper levels are inhabited by those with the means to climb or fly, often aided with the power of machines or magic to carve into the cliffs and canyons strange outposts and townships. Flight in the uppermost levels is commonly accomplished with enchanted clothing that can spread into fully functional wings, a necessity of life at their elevation, contributing to their otherwise isolated culture known for its colorful mythos and unique attire. They revere a heroic goddess associated with the wind called Hananorra, imagined in opposition to Ananza; the peak itself cast by them to be an ominous presence.
Teashim
Haddashin
Far removed from other civilizations, the inhabitants of Teashim appear to be androgynous humans with pastel colored hair and a horn in the center of their forehead that call themselves zeteri. Their most prominent legends state, in some form or another, that during a time long past of unfathomable calamity and strife there arose six ascended individuals collectively referred to as the Mysteries—often treated in modern times akin to goddesses and depicted with wings of various kinds. At first the Mysteries were allied with specific peoples in war, but as their majesty was put to use and they saw the destruction wrought by their own hands, they instead became instrumental in securing peace, cementing their conceptualization as saviors. At some point afterwards, they discovered a way to another world and left, taking many of their followers along with them.Haddashin is a civilization who holds close to these legends, believing the Mysteries will someday return to deliver to them the secrets of paradise. They have taken it as their duty to guard the gate the Mysteries created, called the Key of Fara, which is located just to south of the Spiroch pass. It is no great feat to cross the threshold of their gate, yet it leads only to a deep and lightless body of water with no sense of anything beyond. As most nations on Teashim pay homage to the Mysteries, the Key of Fara is regarded as a holy place, leaving Haddashin positioned as the primary authority over those who believe in the Mysteries' sanctity.
Elworsh
The times of ancient conflict were known for many inventions whose secrets have since been lost and one such creation was a great number of artificially constructed beings, referred to simply as dolls. Dolls often faced battle in place of those of flesh and blood, as they were considered disposable and their components easily recycled, including a magical construct similar to a soul. Unwittingly, dolls eventually developed their own wants and desires, emotions, and eventually full selfhood because of the peculiarities of this construct. When the conflict ended due to the intervention of the Mysteries, the bulk of these artificial beings found themselves suddenly without purpose or enfranchisement.Elworsh was a country long extant but whose native population had greatly diminished by the time peace had come. Grateful for some early defectors' aid, it became known as a welcoming place for dolls and it is upon this virtue that their population is now considered fundamental. Since that time, the dolls of Elworsh have developed many of their own cultural practices, including ideas about identity, romance, and family. The longevity of their artificial souls was not proven to be without limits, but the dolls retained the methods to recycle such constructs, treating new dolls like children to be reared and protected until they attain their full awareness. Because of both their and the native zeteri's histories, however, Elworsh tends to be isolationist in character, only really warming to their neighbor of Haddashin for their shared veneration of the Mysteries, a thing which runs deep in Elworsh dolls for the fact they had both been used as weapons of war.
The Old Country
Valkethorn and Srilvorn are nations fully continuous with those that reigned during the time of the Mysteries and it is by this merit that the surrounding lands are often referred to as the 'old country'. Ancient castles and palaces have been inhabited and embellished upon throughout the centuries, with gargantuan statues of the Mysteries since erected as though to stand guard. They are driven in current times mainly by professional and mercantile guilds, well regarded for their trades in medicine and masonry. The old country pays homage to the Mysteries more loosely, regarding them more as mythic heroes than deities and remain ambivalent about their prophesied return. Between them and the continent's west coast lies a great many landscapes razed in those ancient wars with flattened plains and strange hollows, places now largely uninhabited. Some remain warped beyond reason by the touch of the Mysteries' supernatural powers, such as Carnatia where fresh blood seeps from furrows cut deep into the earth or Kay where the shadows remain long regardless of the time of day.
Krishimis Group
Sepaticia, Attratacia, Krishimis and Golinsia are all kingdoms founded by those who survived the ancient wars and, although nowhere of the scale of those conflicts of ages past, are still known for their aggression and rivalry with one another. Unlike the old country, the continuity is not direct, as many of the peoples originally involved were forced from their lands by the devastation and became deeply intermixed, despite the current royalties' often competing claims to their legacies. In truth, the four nations are more alike than they are different, especially as the aristocratic households of old have historically intermarried. Between them, they share systems of aristocracy and knighthood, as well as veneration of the Mysteries.Attratacia is known for their frequent thunderstorms and surrealist ballet. In Sepatacia the lemon trees and their flowers are a symbol of national pride, their daylight hours stretching long due to supernatural influence. In Golinsia there are fields of lilies known for attracting creatures that light up like fireflies, their eggs collected as a source of food. Krishimis is known for their endearment of philosophy and theory, hosting regular public lectures and formal debates, as well as for their spirits made from apricots.
The Far Reach
The region surrounding Yetrech and Salrec is much older and more rural, encompassing the northern lands considered to be the edge of the world. They rely mainly on fishing for subsistence, known abroad for their coffee and pickled figs, and maintain only an oral account of their histories often in the form of song. Though they lie far outside of the conflicts related to the Mysteries, they profess belief in two uncounted Mysteries, supposedly lovers that fled from the areas of conflict and found refuge there. The lineages of the two supposedly disseminated into the local populations, as many claim descent from them. The story is regarded by Haddashin and others to be only a fanciful tale, especially as all Mysteries are female—including the supposed lovers—and suffer to imagine a way descent may have been passed down.
The Periphery
Behiwiph-Otomot
Behiwiph-Otomot is a land of rolling hills and hidden cenotes, inhabited by an offshoot of humanity whose large bodies are patterned with striations like marble and the glitter of quartz-laden granite known as the stornbed. Closely tied to the Penitent of Bey-Erat, the stornbed resulted from an early experimentation of the being Akak, who selectively bred its human followers with an earlier attempt at creation called the storn, who were made from rock and stone, their magical beings bursting forth as feathery wings. The storn were originally determined a failure, for they lacked the peculiarity of individual perspective that had interested their creators and were instead only an impression of what had been imposed upon them. With Akak imprisoned and its sisters gone, the storn themselves have ceased to move, scattering the landscape of Ut with what look like strange stone statues.During the days of conflict the stornbed had been sometimes employed as Akak’s agents and enforcers, holy vessels sired by blessed stone, until they, too, eventually turned against it as they learned more of their history and their estranged siblings. Known for their ritual practices revolving around fire, incense, and smoke, the civilization of Bephiwiph-Otomot claims homage to an ancient queen named Horiphar Rasessun, who guided them to freedom from Akak and their progenitors. Rasessun is said to have split herself in two so that one half of her could continue to fight while the other went searching for her lost beloved, her two halves a symbol for the split between noble duty and personal determination that must ultimately be reunited in the whole. Though similar in spirit, the stornbed are still far separate from the rest of humanity and wary of making further connections for fear of dredging up those old woes and burdens. The dragon-like termagast of Belkethe were what became of the few stornbed residing within the region, twisted towards the monstrous by the touch of the Lament.
Mannesbog and the Invisible City
While most of the humans who reside on Rheoridin are those descended from the gifts of the being Akak, the humans who reside on Heibliosgau arrived at their sapience through other means, a transformation not attained in full. It is by this partial ascendence that they fluctuate with the pull of the moon and the tides, sometimes shifting back into the bestial to take a form reminiscent of a swan-like griffon. In the empire of Mannesbog, the human embodiment is the teleological ideal, a belief that has seen them invent ways to keep their bestial selves at bay with various tinctures and enchantments. As a highly organized state with a body of elected republicans and a Chancellor, the implements to preserve their human selves have become mandatory by law.That Mannesbog aspires to put in place extensive systems of order has seen them expand their reach, as the mere existence of their neighbors and humanity at large threatens their own authoritarian control, especially those that embrace their bestial forms like that of Rolga to their east. Similarly cast under their gaze are the northern humanoids known as núv, a smaller folk with pale features a mix of chameleon and axolotl who are capable of turning invisible. The núv act as the guardians of a gate to another world that resides within the Invisible City known as the White World, a near copy of Rheoridin devoid of color or life except for a gargantuan earthworm that threads through the overcast skies. Upon learning of the gate, the authorities of Mannesbog have put its challenging nature at the forefront of their interests, albeit one that pretends at mere concern over the núv and their potential to disrupt the peace.
Muslulis, Rilyly, Zulsy
Lielilyess is spotted with now-overgrown ancient temples and deep forests of giant fungi, wild roses and groves of lilacs. Though the ruins gesture towards a more technologically developed tradition with some connection to Teashim, the current inhabitants of the region—a race of the Attar, people with plant-like features who, on Lielilyess, also bear some resemblance in color and shape to peacocks—by-and-large live pastoral lifestyles, farming a plethora of fungi in pools and marshes. However, the island has been of primary interest to the northern Jhohimmerut Confederacy, a collection of powers invested in colonial projects, who have found some willing collaborators within Lielilyess. They have built outposts along the northern coast, the largest of which is Muslulis. Though there are some native attar involved, invigorated by contact with new people and new ideas, they largely exist in conflict with the more traditional populations further south such as those of Rilyly and Zusly.
Inwelan
Inwelan is a domed landscape deep under the ocean between Attam and Lielilyess that was built by ancient nefeer, one of many such projects erected during a primordial era when the continental surface was rendered uninhabitable. While others eventually fell to ruin, Inwelan has persisted for a stretch of time unfathomable by a singular magic, consecrated with the lifeblood of the earth itself and maintained by an otherworldly order of priests. Inside Inwelan unfurls an otherwise ordinary landscape of clover-covered fields and seaside bays, townships and cities, but instead of an open sky, they are sheltered by a sky-like ceiling of hanging marble statues and elaborate cathedrals simply referred to as "the heavens" by its residents. The statues around the apex of the dome gesture to a sun-like oculus, and the specific mechanisms of the enclosure even allow for regular rainfall, pouring from the sculptures to feed rivers and lakes, as well as the internal sea around the dome's borders.The average citizen of Inwelan is unaware of the specifics to how the heavens operate. The secretive priesthood who maintain it are a hereditary order that live in the heavens, able to tilt their perspective and gravity to facilitate life in its otherwise empty, upside-down architecture. They rarely make contact with the world below, but when they do, it is in order to capture victims whose perpetual torture is the true source of their magic. Always an unsuspecting man in the prime of his life, their captive is restrained in the heavens and his body is boiled using lava that is the lifeblood of the earth, a process for which they are kept alive for many years. The powerful intensity of their suffering is captured in the frothing slurry of body and earthblood that is harvested from them. Without this fuel to source their magic, it is certain their heavens would collapse, an event that none would survive, sure to be crushed by the ocean depths.The state of secrecy over this truth is largely perpetuated not out of conspiracy or malice, but because it is such a horrible act that few in history have wished to openly acknowledge its nature, securing a state of comfortable ignorance for the average citizen. It is not uncommon to discover rulers of Inwelan both historical and current who claim divine right to their rule through contact with the priesthood, agreeing to hide the shame of it in exchange for a claim to approval from the heavens. Upon learning the truth, there have occasionally been those who have sought to leave Inwelan, as is the direct origin of those nefeer who now live upon the surface.
