11. Lands Beyond Rin

Rin-That-Was
This land beyond the northern mountains is the birthplace of modern Rin. It is not known exactly why its inhabitants fled to where Rin is now, but what is known is that some terrible calamity befell the old land, forcing its inhabitants to migrate south.  The Birdsongs of the city of Briom hint at many possible explanations, but no straight answer is ever given. The land is utterly barren now, the ground being nothing but flat ground and salty cracked clay as far as the eye can see. Not even grass grows in this place. No one goes there, as there is nothing worth salvaging.

Sarnath
This ancient land lies one day south of Rin. In the year 10 591, the old king of Sarnath declared war on Rin for their natural resources, especially from Geldra. This invasion lasted three months, until the king of Sarnath was assassinated by his own men and the troops retreated. After this incident, Sarnath made amends with Rin, trading on and off until the latter fell to the curse. Now, a group called the Shells of Light have taken up residence in what's left of Rin as representatives of Sarnath. People from Sarnath are called Sarnathi.
Sarnath's climate is harsh, with high winds and thunderstorms being commonplace. It is a very flat land, most of the geography consisting of either long stretches of grassland or rocky, unforgiving badlands. The south of Sarnath is distinctively cold, witness to large tundra biomes and the occasional coniferous forest. The very southern border is host to an impenetrable snowy mountain chain named the Reach, beyond which lies a seemingly endless expanse of snow known only as the Grey. The native people of Sarnath are the buffalo, as well as the Diamond Dogs, goats and griffons. The capital in the western stretch of the land is called Marat, and the king is a young Diamond Dog named Durandal. His father was named Alm, and was responsible for the three-month invasion of Rin.
In the south of Sarnath is a city called Omos, where slavery is so common that they outnumber the freeborn three to one. Omos is also known for being home to all sorts of villainy, including a notorious mercenary group known as the Lordless, comprised of over 4000 criminals and outcasts from all over the known world. They and the Eclipse Knights of Arineau have been at each other's throats for decades, constantly competing for employment. While their methods are questionable at best, there is no denying that they are effective and demand very little payment. The Lordless are spread throughout all of the known world, having contacts in every city and land (save for Rin as of its fall). Their banner is black, with a white hunting horn with a red strap (http://i.imgur.com/L0sodP8.jpg), although they rarely use it to avoid being identified.
Sarnath is currently in the middle of a rebellion. The griffon descendants of the traditional kings of Sarnath seek to take back their throne and overthrow King Durandal. The catalyst for this rebellion was the weakening of Marat after the fall of Rin, and the funding and resources sent to aid the cause of the Shells of Light. Led by a griffon named Garlan, a descendant of the original kings of Sarnath, he has rallied many of the people of Sarnath to his cause and wishes to reclaim his throne.

Arineau
This great chain of islands lies four days west of Rin, known for its quality weapons, artisans and festivities. Its capital city of Reyja is built on the slopes of a fiery mountain known as Gasharn, in the center of the chain known as the Red Ranges. The Great Forge of Arineau harnesses the power of Gasharn to be able to forge the finest weapons and armor in the known world. The northern islands, namely Great Yath and Little Yath, are home to the Black Empress of the Changelings, who holds dominion over those lands and often sends her minions to reave.
Arineau boasts similar climate and geography to Rin as well as the same religion, leading to the belief among certain circles that the islands were once part of Rin but was torn away from it in some manner. Many of the population are griffons, minotaurs and diamond dogs, although none of these originated on the island. The natives of Arineau are the bat ponies and slime ponies, who have integrated into the society of Arineau perfectly. The changelings are also from Arineau, although they are incredibly hostile to foreigners and mostly stick to the northern islands. People from Arineau are called the Arinese.
Many citizens of Arineau are craftsmen, the most skilled being invited to work in the Great Forge. Many more work as fishermen and sailors, often fishing in the waters around their islands and off the western shores of Rin. The people of Arineau are also known for their cooking; Arinese cuisine is famed for its use of thick, highly spiced, rich sauces blanketing small game and assortments of fresh vegetables. Delicacies and textiles from Arineau are highly coveted around the world. The king of Arineau is a minotaur called Borden Redhorn, who has been nicknamed the Bear from his prodigious size and strength.
Arineau is also known for its Eclipse Knights, a company of ostentatious, sabre-wielding sellswords renowned the world over for their discipline and trustworthiness, and often hired by foreign lands to intervene in times of crisis. They are, however, notoriously expensive to hire, but one could not wish for a finer company; they are well known to have never broken a contract, and their word is as good as gold. The Eclipse Knights have a golden hawk and a crescent moon as their banner (http://i.imgur.com/Ls86j93.jpg).

Ibergal
Lying far to the east of Rin, Ibergal is primarily known for its capital of the Machine City Vathis, which has produced innumerable technological innovations such as the blackstone-powered Automatons, and boasts unique architecture. Ibergal has no primary religion, instead following a holistic philosophy and homage to ancestors. This was adopted from the traditional culture of the Cael; however, both the zebras and the deer traditionally worship a deity called Gaia, and the minotaurs believe in the Horned One.
Ibergal was once was home to an order of knights known as the Sentinels who protected a great library in Vathis that was said to contain knowledge of the stars themselves, but the library was destroyed long ago, and its ruins are off limits to civilians. The symbol of the Sentinels was a golden six-pointed star (http://i.imgur.com/UZrlaW4.jpg). People from Ibergal are called Ibergalians.
uch of Ibergal is known for being arid, the northern half of its continent being home to a vast desert known as the Shifting Sands. In direct opposition, the southern half is marked by plains, dense jungles and ruins of lost civilizations. Most of the cities of Ibergal are built along the coast as a result, with much of the wilderness being confined to the central regions. The natives of Ibergal are zebras, deer, minotaurs, and the Cael. The latter traditionally occupy the northern deserts, travelling in nomadic groups, the minotaurs and zebras inhabit the plains, and the deer keep to the jungles. Very few of the natives live in the cities; however, the current royal family are zebras. The queen of Ibergal is an elderly zebra called Zeean.

The Far Land
One of the most mysterious of places in the known world, this land beyond Rin-That-Was has almost nothing written about it due to its remote location. All that is known is that fully grown dragons have a primal instinct to head north towards this land. Almost none return, and when they do they have always become more powerful and covetous than ever before. These are known as Archdrakes, and have always brought misery when they have shown themselves. Many brave explorers have tried to reach the Far Land, but due to its hostile nature and its remote location beyond Rin-That-Was, none have ever returned. The exception is a famous Rinish explorer known as Serys the Strider, and he returned gone completely mad.

Crystal Pony Homeland
The original homeland of the Disciples of Order has next to nothing written about it; the only information about it lies with the Disciples themselves, who are famously reticent. All that they will say is that they were forced to flee their land from a great evil from the north, and that their land was one of "eternal summer".

Sarkomand
This rumor-shadowed city has an ill reputation, and is little known to most of the world. Only spoken of in rare scrolls and journals, Sarkomand is said to be a place where little to no light is seen, and to boast great knowledge of the higher mysteries. It is said that warlocks, necromancers and shadow-binders practice their eldritch arts openly in Sarkomand, and that nothing is forbidden in it, however terrible or depraved. It is also written that the origins of Sarkomand are lost to time, and even its inhabitants do not know who built it, claiming only that it has stood since the world began and will stand until it ends.
Because of the elusive nature of Sarkomand, it is unclear where exactly Sarkomand is, or whether it exists at all. Those who do believe in it surmise it must be far to the north, beyond Rin-That-Was, and beyond the land of dragons itself. This has led to many strange artifacts linked with dragons to be assumed to originate from Sarkomand. Some scholars have therefore linked Sarkomand, and dragons by proxy, to the doom that led to the exodus of the Crystal Ponies from their homeland.