Dragon Lands

Map: http://i.imgur.com/azshgAM.jpg

Dragon Lands

	Roughly 500 years ago, the great Dragon Wars began. At the beginning of man, elf, orc, and dwarf kind's lives, they were just simple creatures that rose from the Earth to fight for themselves. The dragons paid them no mind. However, as they rose, and great kingdoms, empires, and republics grew, so did their wealth. Most dragons were happy enough to dig at the earth themselves, with their power claws and jaws, or pillage a village or two. However, the great wealth of man soon overtook their vast treasures, and an animosity grew. Even the metallic dragons, helpful to man grew jealous. A great war broke out, where all but one country was taken over by the dragons, to tithe man, and give them near-immortal rulers. Most citizens took to it as any other king rising to power, others were subjugated to atrocities under their new, tyrannical warlords. Only time itself will tell how the Dragon Lands will survive.

	<Sancitity>

Sanctity stands as one of the few citadels of non-dragons. Here the people are hardy, and are known for their massive longboats, unrivaled ability at sailing and trade, and grand fisheries. They used to be renowned for their great human warrior castes, that pillaged the mainland, but now they act as vanguards to the dragons, hardened by years of on and off skirmishes from the North and South. Many refugees still take the hard trip towards the lands for safety and freedom, the country's Jarl welcoming them in open arms in defiance.

*Saint Illiad: The capital of Sanctity, it is known for being built on massive cliffs that protect it from sea side attack. At the bottom of the cliffs are massive wooden ports, built over the sea on rafts, but access to the town can be cut off the port sunk to prevent it's use in capture. Across the city, massive ropes and chains are strewn about, pulled  by teams of men and women that can near hundreds, to pick up supplies from the ports at the cliffs below, or drop boats into the sea.

	<Lowlands>
The Lowlands are ruled by a council of the oldest dragons, in lineages of broods. There are five broods in total, with each staking out their own capital, with Torbjorn being the capital of the state as a whole. Of the five broods, two are bronze, two copper, and a single family silver. The lands are otherwise populated by mostly Elves, with some half-elf and human villages, with pockets of halflings in the Northern Hills, and Dwarves in the mountains.

*Port Torbjorn: A capital city, build on a small chain of islands, with massive bridges that scale between them. The city has benefited from their humble dragon overseers, who protect it with their lives, and oversee massive projects that last decades. The city has grown both upwards, and across, covering even the bridges in living quarters and markets. Massive fisheries scale the outer islands, and within the center, massive walls make circles until the main citadel.

	<Highlands>
The Highlands are cold, forested land, that reaches into the chilled ice sheets of the north. They are ruled over by a coalition of multiple chromatic dragon broods. Each using their kin as feudal lords, or even war machines against each other. The only actual time the highlands are ever truly united are in war against another. Most of the dragon broods are either white dragons that descended from the north, red dragons from the south, or the green dragons that have lived in the forest since much of time. The two greatest dragons are of the rivaling broods of "Trask", a brood of white dragons, and "Skarl" of Green. The lands mainly consist of subjugated Elves, dwarves, and half-orcs, bred for war. However, within the mountains and deep under the ground, a civilization of Drow is said to be found, rebelling against the dragon overseers above.

*The Quarters: The capital of the Highlands, the Quarters is built on a massive series of aqueducts, and riverbeds built around the Black-Marsh River. It was once a brought achievement of the Drow, colonizing the upperlands, until the dragons took it over and drove them back towards the underlands. Now, the city is divided on race. However, much of the population here lives a better life than outside, as many of the facilities left by the drow are still working to today, and have been built over and improved over the years. Trade through the river towards the south floruishes, and families have risen in nobility as they've improved their craft, and created wealth for their dragon overseers.

	<The Desolations>
Formerly Orc lands, that are now more half-orc, and half-elf lands, after the black dragons that took over the swaths of swamps and marshes started breeding them together with humans to create a more obedient race. Much of life is harsh for the average man, but small bands of adventurers take care of the problems that black dragons are far too lazy to handle. However, people enjoy some freedom, with much of the politics coming down to when the local tithe will come. However, it has to come, on time, or the people themselves become the tithing.

*The Pits: A large city, that was originally an orc made capital, that has now been taken over by the decedent black dragons. Man, woman, and child are forced to fight in the massive arena pits that scour the city. The land around it has been turned to sludge, as magic experiments are forced by dragons to shift forms of man and beast.

	<Kelhar>
Formerly dwarvern lands, until red and blue dragons forced them from their lands. What dwarves remained were enslaved under them, and people from across the lands were stolen to act as their workers in great pit mines. Mountains themselves have been forced to rubble, as men, women, and children have been worked to death beating down the rock for the minerals that lay inside.

A resistance has grown however in the old shafts of the dwarves, and emissaries to other lands have asked for help countless times. However, all of which were denied. Many have created an underground-railroad to deliver them to the lowlands, and eventually ferry them to Sanctity. Others have risen against the dragons and created their own free states, at least temporarily.

*Treasures: Formerly a desert Oasis, the town has decayed over the years, but as well been 'brightened up'. Blue and Red dragons have taken residence here. The town is gilded in gold, silvers, and platinums, as well as bones of both chromatic dragons and man.

	<Iron Lands>
The Iron Lands are considered to be the least affected by the war, other than Sanctity. The Dwarvern clans would never surrender to the dragons. Many of the Chromatic dragons were too lazy or even feared the dwarves too much to actually wage a war against them. However, the metallic dragons struck them a deal. If they could not plead their rulership in dwarvern court, they would leave. However, many of the dwarves were impressed by the Brass dragon's abilities to learn Dwarvern politics, and law so quickly, and many other flashed by their wealth and power. They soon took over as chiefs of many of these clans, a few gold, and even a chromatic line sneaking their way in. Overtime, the system grew to be a electoral system, where dwarf and dragon fought against each other for seats within the Republic Capital.
	*Republic Capital: A grand city, built into the side of a mountain that faces two rivers diverging around it. It was built centuries ago, and continues to be built today. The dwarvern ability to shape stone and metal has always gained them wealth, and under the banner of the dragons that has continued towards today, with their help even in escalating rock, or transporting goods across the lands.

	<Stepfields>
Instead of just a conquering, the Stepfield nobles allied with the dragons at the beginning of the war. A magnificent, gold, ancient wyrm headed the armies against the invading chromatic dragons, and died, leaving it's corpses that would soon become the capital of the country, Goldport. Instead of merely acting as kings, a dual-kingship was founded. One headed by the human king of the kingdom, and the next by the heir to the Gold Brood, and their vassals of bronze dragons. Much of the country has been Human with outliers of Halflings in the north and coast.

*Goldport: Built around the corpse of a massive gold dragon, the port has changed over the years. Much of the dragon's scales now used to build the palace that sits at the top of the city, glistening in the ever present sun. It's bones were Incorporated into the great walls that cut the city off from the sea, with grand gates that allow boats in or out. It's skin was used in the imperial armor, allowing man to fight alongside their dragon companions without fear of their fire. It's sinew was made into great, dragonslaying bows, and finally it's flesh was buried in honor giving sustenance to the crops.

	<Fractura>
A land that is inhabited by only the strangest of man, beast or dragon. The land itself seeps with lava, and the sky is filled with ash, smoke, and gases that leave anything unworthy dead.

<The Four Great Towers>
The four great towers are ancients seats of magic from where the leylines of the world converge. It is said that whoever controls all four towers can gain a wish powerful enough to change the very face of the earth to one's whims. However, to gain control of a tower is to strike at the ancient gods themselves who still control them to this day.