Places
From Osterin
Contents |
The West
Attarnon
Topography
- Attarnon is the main region in the West. It encompasses a large expanse of land, bordered by tall cliffs above the sea on the western edge, the Northland border to the north, the Free Cities to the south, and the Mountains to the east.
- It is mainly forested, the land covered in centuries-old trees. There is little undergrowth, making travel relatively easy. Roads through this region wind around trees and hills, rarely moving in a straight line for more than half a mile. Rivers cut through the land as well, the most notable being Gawan, the river on which Insen is located, which stretches from the Mountain kingdom down through the Free Cities before emptying into the sea.
- Ruins of old cities litter the land, though many have by now been stripped of rock and stone used to build villages. Due to the near-constant threat of destruction by Ratans, most people live in small villages, with more than a day's travel between them. These villages are simple, consisting mainly of the bare necessities.
Weather
- Attarnon spreads over a large tract of land, and so the weather varies depending on position and season. In the north, temperatures range from -20 degrees Celsius in the winter to 20 degrees Celsius in the summer. Further south, the weather is warmer, hitting a low of -5 degrees Celsius and highs of 30 degrees Celsius.
- The west and east borders of Attarnon are on fault lines, which makes them susceptible to earthquakes. Fortunately, there are few other natural disaster risks.
Culture
- Attarnon is one of the more advanced cultures of the time. While Ratans are outlawed and killed when they are found, Attarnon possesses the largest collection of Madmen in the world, thanks in large part to the Asylum, which is located within the walls of Insen. This means that Attarnon has access to some of the most powerful magic in the world. They use this power for architecture, entertainment, and defense of their northern border, among other things.
- Technology is near universally feared among Attarnonians. Anything the least bit mechanical is generally destroyed on sight. Instead, they have what can only be described as "biological machines". Through a program of intense bioengineering, they have produced animals which are designed to perform a single task. They are mindless drones, with no consciousness, no will, no mind. These are used in daily tasks, in place of machines. For more information, see Genetics.
- Society places a large emphasis on entertainment. One of the more recent developments is "clubs". These are places with dim torches, loud music (generally consisting of a large bass drum, a singer, and various other instruments), and copious amounts of alcohol. They are favored among the younger residents. While generally only found in Insen, these clubs have started to filter down to the smaller villages as well. More traditional forms of entertainment are provided by Illusionists.
Politics
- Attarnon is officially ruled by a King. However, most people are aware that he has little actual power, and looks after nothing more than the day-to-day affairs of the people. Important issues, such as defense against the Northland raids, falls to the Quis and the Asylum.
- Attarnon is officially the ruling nation of the Mountains, but since Brochus was conquered, this control has become lax, and much of the affairs of the Mountains have been handled internally.
- Attarnon is at war with the Northlands, which is an ongoing dispute. While several attempts at peace have been made, they have all resulted in excessive violence on the part of the Northmen. As a first line of defense, Attarnon has posted towers on their northern border, each of them equipped with Madmen - mostly Psychopaths and Illusionists. When attacked, any one of these towers can signal the others to come to its aid.
Notable Locations
Brochus(Country)
Topography
- Brochus occupies a narrow stretch of land to the east of the Mountains. It is bordered on the west by the Mountains, the east by Darill, and the south by the Wasteland.
- Brochus, being so close to the Mountains, has a relatively rough terrain. On the Eastern border, it smooths out to plains, with increasing hills as one moves west. There are few trees, and most of the ground is covered in the long grass that covers the plains.
- There are many lakes littering the valleys between the hills, as a result of the rains that often drench the region.
Weather
- The weather in Brochus is generally mild and wet. Only in the extreme northern reaches does it snow, and temperatures rarely drop below freezing, due to warm winds from the southeast. The rain, however, is nearly constant. Any moisture that passes over the desert and the plains is dropped on Brochus.
Culture
- Brochus was founded by Madmen, and destroyed by Quis more than 500 years ago. It now lies in ruins, unoccupied. It is said that the spirits of Madmen still roam the ruins, unable to dissipate.
Politics
- At the end, was involved in a war with Attarnon.
Notable Locations
Lianti
Topography
- Most of the country is composed of coastline. Unlike Attarnon, the coast of Lianti varies from sandy shores to rocky beaches. Inland, the land is less populous, and contains a large road that extends from the capital of Shelton, in the far west, all the way down the coast to the Mountains and Wasteland.
- Lianti is bordered by The Wasteland to the east, the ocean to the south and west and Attarnon to the north. It also includes a large Island to the west, but any ship that sails there is lost.
Weather
- The temperature is consistently warm and the air is humid.
Culture
- Lianti is mainly an ocean based culture.
- As such, they place great value on trade, and so have few prejudices against other cultures.
- They control the entire southern stretch of shoreline, which is the only place to dock in the West. This gives them some negotiating power with Attarnon, as all goods must pass through Lianti in order to reach foreign shores - either that, or go through the Mountains, which is a longer journey, and more dangerous.
- Due to concerns of control - they can see how much influence they have in Attarnon - Quis are disliked in Lianti. Not outright banned, but if a Qui is discovered, he will likely find himself mobbed by citizens.
- As such, Liantians require a method of dealing with Madmen, which they have - burning them at the stake. To use magic within Lianti borders is illegal, and there is extreme prejudice against magic users.
- This can often lead to something of a witch hunt, as it can be difficult to distinguish a Madman without the help of a Qui. Neighbours will occasionally accuse each other, though false accusations are severely punished.
- Due to these precautions, Lianti is generally considered to be a safe place, and is frequented by those who would not otherwise enter Attarnon.
Politics
- Lianti is ruled by a King, but he is an elected official who answers to the people.
Notable Locations
The Mountains
Topography
- Mountainous - what do you expect?
- The region is nearly impassable, unless you know the paths, which very few do.
- One path is known, running from west to east along a river. Valjen, the capital, is built along this path. It cuts nearly straight through the Mountains, from Attarnon on the West side, to Brochus on the East.
- Other villages can be found in the Mountains as well, though they are difficult to travel to, especially in the North during the winter months.
Weather
- Varies - from cold and dry on the mountaintops, to temperate in the valleys. Valjen itself has much the same weather patterns as Insen, though slightly cooler and slightly more humid.
Culture
- Not much can be said about the Mountain culture, as they tend to keep to themselves.
- They've adopted many of the traditions of Attarnon, though Quis still play a minimal role.
- In Valjen, trade used to be common, with goods coming from Brochus being traded for those from Attarnon. With the destruction of Brochus, this ceased, and trade declined.
- The Mountains are famous for their mines, and the minerals which are excavated from them. Psychopaths are often used for demolitions in these mines, though it can be dangerous to rely on something so unpredictable.
Politics
- Ruled by a King, officially.
- Unofficially, is under the control of Attarnon. The King of the Mountains does nothing without the consent of the King of Attarnon.
- This is due to Attarnon being their only trading partner, and the need of Psychopaths for their mining.
Notable Locations
The Northlands
- Not much is known about the Northlands, other than that they are ruled by the Northmen.
- Any attempt to send messengers are met with violence.
- Attarnon has not made any attempt to invade the land, as the King views it as a useless endeavor.
- The Northmen make regular attempts to cross the border into Attarnon, however, though have yet to make it past the watch towers, except once, and that was a short-lived victory.
The East
Darill
Topography
- Plains - lots of plains.
- Tall grass, and flat, as far as the eye can see. If you can spot mountains in the distance, you're probably on the border of Brochus.
- No trees.
- The occasional pond dots the landscape.
- Darill is situated east of Brochus, and covers a massive amount of land, all the way to the ocean on the west coast, up to the north, and down until it meets with Aridia. Overall, Darill covers approximately as much land as the Northlands, Attarnon and Lianti combined.
Weather
- Varies from approximately -20 degrees Celsius in the winter to +30 degress Celsius in the summer.
- Precipitation is common, especially in summer. Thunderstorms can come on suddenly and fiercely.
Culture
- Most people in Darill (Darillians?) live as nomads without permanent settlements.
- They tend to follow the animals they hunt, moving south in the winter and north in the summer.
- Horses are a large part of their culture, and as such their warriors tend to fight with short bows, lances, and spears.
- However, in contrast to this, the capital of Ganyan is actually quite advanced.
- Built by Ratans, the architecture of the city is an incredible flowing work of art.
- Ganyan is the center for research into Ratans and genetic modification. The horses that Darillians use are actually highly efficient biological machines developed by the researchers.
- They use Ratans in their experiments, though research has become difficult since the Ratan trade closed (See History).
Politics
- Darill is ruled from Ganyan by a Council of Elders, presided over by a King.
- They think of themselves as a logical people, and try to come to decisions which will benefit the most number of people. As such, the King listens to advice from his Councilors, but ultimately makes the final decision.
- The Councilors, however, have the power to pull the King from his position if they feel he is not making the right decisions, so it is advantageous to the King to listen to his Councilors.
Notable Locations
Aridia
Topography
- Desert, to put it simply.
- Sand. There's plenty of sand.
- Bordered by Darill to the north and oceans in all other directions. To the northwest, the Wasteland can be found.
- As dry as it is on the surface, there is an extensive network of underground rivers, fed from the mountains. This leads to many small oases, created when the rivers reach the surface.
- As such, it's not quite as barren as one would expect, though plants still have difficulty living away from the oases.
Weather
- Weather in Aridia is dry, as one would expect. Temperatures during the day are scorching, and don't vary much with the seasons. During the night, the temperature drops nearly to freezing.
- There is little precipitation, due to any moisture in the air being carried toward the Mountains and dumped on Brochus or Darill.
- However, Nami is known for its fog. As it sits at the only known exit point of the underground rivers as it empties into the ocean, the air is sometimes heavy with moisture, though it rarely falls as rain. This usually only occurs in the mornings and disappears within a few hours.
Culture
- Aridians tend to keep to themselves. Of all the countries in the world, they are the only ones who still follow the Goddess.
- While Darill has a small concentration of Resses, Vers, and Quis, most of them remain in Aridia - Resses in Nami, though they are few, and Vers in the Oasis.
- Trade is minimal, and consists mainly of trade to Darill. Some of the more adventurous traders sail to Lianti.
- Dark skin is predominant here, though it has faded from other parts of the world.
Politics
- Ruled by a single entity, who is supposedly selected by the Goddess, though this has been called into question in recent times.
- The Desuvir has technically more power than the ruler, but as the Desuvir is rarely around, the ruler rules in her place.
