Olaphis2

Dranleic is set where Oolacile was.

The kingdom of Olaphis was where Dranleic is now.

Straid is living proof of this.
-"So, how long was I sat petrified? Long enough for the old kingdom to of crumbled I see."
-"Long enough for Olaphis to rise, fall and fade away, evidently."
-"Dranleic, I've never heard the name. Is that what they call this place now?"
He was imprisoned and petrified by the Olaphis kingdom.

We know that Straid was not originally from Olaphis from his armor.
-"A black hood. Grants slight increase to spellcasting speed. Belonged to Straid of Olaphis.
  Straid was invited to the old kingdom of Olaphis for his wisdom, but its depth was such that
  people soon feared him, and in the end Straid was led into a dreadful trap."

It is my speculation that Straid is originally from Vinheim, or at least what Vinheim became over the ages.
This is evidenced by the items he sells: Lingering Dragoncrest Ring, Strong Magic Shield, Yearn

Starting with Yearn, in Dark Souls the spell Yearn is known as Aural Decoy, and it is only sold by Griggs of Vinheim, giving the spell a tie to the nation.

Next there is Strong Magic Shield, which is named the same in both games. From Dark Souls 1:
-"Sorcery which improves upon Magic Shield. High magic augmentation: left shield.
  At Vinheim Dragon School, only magic swordsmen on special orders are allowed to learn this spell which grants temporary strength to greatshields."

This means that in Dark Souls 1, Vinheim Dragon School embraced this spell, but in Dark Souls 2 it is described as...
-"Certain members of the Melfian Magic Academy Scoff at these types of magic.
  The purists, in particular, are disdainful of anything vaguely linked to sword fighting."
This is one clue that points at the Melfian Magic Academy as not being the same as Vinheim's dragon school.

Finally, the Lingering Dragoncrest Ring. In Dark Souls 1...
-"A special ring granted to only the most accomplished sorcerers at Vinheim Dragon School."
Which ties the ring to Vinheim, and the ring is sold by Straid, tying him to Vinheim again.
From Dark Souls 2, the ring is described as...
-"A ring used long, long ago in a land that existed where Drangleic is now. Extends the length of spell effects.
  Presumably, this ring was used by a high sorcerer, but no proof of such remains."
I believe that this high sorcerer mentioned by the Dark Souls 2 description is Straid himself.
Straid fits the description, he is indeed a powerful sorcerer and is refered to in the Homing Soul Arrow description as "the great mage of ancient Olaphis", and even more concretly, he has the ring.
However, there are clearly more than one Lingering Dragoncrest Ring, and my speculation is that when Straid was brought to Olaphis he brought a host of Dragoncrest rings with him, which he sold or gave as gifts or something.
That would make Olaphis the "land that existed where Drangleic is now".

We already know that Olaphis is where Drangleic was, Straid's from Olaphis and he didn't exactly move much while a statue.
"Used long, long ago..", well Olaphis is refered to as an "ancient land" by Homing Soul Arrow.
We know that the ring was used at least by Straid, and possibly others.. So what the Lingering Dragoncrest Ring's description tells us is that...

Dranleic exists where Olaphis did (not Vinheim). Great. We knew that already, Straid tells us right away. So where was Olaphis?

I speculate that Olaphis, and thus Drangleic was built atop of ancient Oolacile. Why Oolacile?

The first reason is more an observation than any real proof. Simply put, Olaphis is pronounced very similarly to Oolacile.
On it's own, this means nothing. However, there are more hints at Drangleic being set in Oolacile.
Straid is one of those clues. He sells the sorcery Cast Light, which originated in Oolacile.

From Dark Souls 1:
"Ancient sorcery of the lost land of Oolacile. Cast a bright light upon surroundings.
This light-producing sorcery is elementary but nonetheless demonstrates the achievements in mysticism of Oolacile. Such magic has not been developed even in Vinheim."

If Straid is indeed from Vinheim, or the land that Vinheim once was, as indicated by his numerous ties to the nation,
then according to the description from Dark Souls, he can't have aquired it in Vinheim, as it haddn't been developed.

It is possible that the sorcery was re-developed by Straid himself, but that seems unlikely as the Dark Souls 2 description for Cast Light states that it is:
"A sorcery that dates farther back than recollection."
Clearly Olaphis is not lost to time due to it's mention in item descriptions such as Homing Soul Arrow.
It is still possible that the description simply means it is very old, regardless of it's rediscovery, but...

Drangleic is near to the remaining abyss. This is evidenced by the Pilgrims of the Dark covenant and its trips to the remaining Dark Chasams and the mysterious Darklurker.
Additionally, multiple mages mention how Drangleic is abnormally attuned to the Dark.

Felkin the Outcast says: "This land lies closest to the Dark, that is why I came here."
As well as
"Soon I was drawn to this land, where Dark runs deeper than anywhere else."
Indicating that the Abyss was strongest here, as it was strongest in Oolacile.

Felkin further confirms that Drangleic is set in Oolacile by stating that:
"Hexes originated here in ancient times. They were once a form of sorcerery, but the practice was lost and then later rediscovered."
As we know from Dark Souls is that Hexes were once Dark sorceries.. And these sorceries originated in Oolacile.

Carillion of the Fold is less direct about it, but he also speaks on the Abyss' connection to Drangleic.
He says: "I sense a dark power here, something akin to sorcerery but more primordial.
	  I wish to find out more about it"
He, of course, is speaking of hexes, and the Abyss.