continent lore

**The Continents and Cities**

The following are descrptions of the continents within the Isles as well as their capital cities, as well as a couple of landmarks.  However, keep in mind that there are more cities and landmarks than just these described; for example, if you would like your character to be from a small town in Jesia that is not Tyr, feel free to describe such a town.

**Jesia:**  Jesia is the westmost island in the archipelago.  It is also the least-populated, with little more than small towns dotting the coastal and semi-tropical landscape.  The island's inhabitants are known to be very friendly and welcoming to outsiders, and its capital **Tyr** is often the first port that many ships dock at when entering the Isles for the first time, or after a long journey.  Tyr is a walled citadel right on the coast, with the island's main port to the south and farmland to the north.  The citadel itself has a long history, being an important fort during the Great War.  Unfortunately for the laid-back Jesians, the fortress is getting some use once again, as Jesia is perpetually fighting off orc invaders from O'rir that threaten their land and their livelihood.

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**Toskian Empire:**  The Toskian Empire is the largest of the islands and also the oldest and most stable kingdom.  The continent itself is unassuming, appearing to just be a mass of barren rocks and craggy cliffs.  However, the original Toskian Empire was built on the foundation of the ancient dwarven structures that lay underground, and the nation remains strong to this day.  The harsh climate made the empire unconquerable during the Great War, where they fought off both the forces of Morne and those of the Aspects in the name of Iona and Aerene.  Now they officially remain isolationist, but the capital **Sparrow's Rock** is well-known for exporting elite mercenaries and privateers to the highest bidder.  Hardened by the island's unforgiving conditions, Toskian soldiers maintain their age-old reputation even to this day.

**Ascalon:**  Ascalon is an island covered in lush jungle and wetlands.  The landscape dotted with ancient ruins, one will find both savage tribes and fortified cities here.  The capital of **Greenstone** is one such city, seated directly at the apex of a massive gulf.  Both the peninsulas to either side and the ground beneath the gulf itself are extremely rich in metals and minerals, and as such, Greenstone is the mining capital of the Shattered Isles.  Many of the high-quality weapons made in New Demeste are smithed using the fine ores exported from Ascalon, and in times of war, Greenstone's ruling family is always a highly sought-after ally.  To the south is Redstone, the old capital.  Centuries ago, the jungle in southern Ascalon was just as lush as in the north, according to tribal legend.  However, it is now a barren mesa, not quite nearly a desert but certainly not a jungle, or even a rich grassland.

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**Isle of Bones:**  The Isle of Bones is a wasteland where nothing grows.  The landscape is flat save for some mountains in the southern portion, and the whole thing is barren and rocky.  There have been fossils found of the same species of trees native to Ascalon, indicating that the climate there was once the same as on the mainland.

**Golia:**  Golia is a nation with a tragic history.  They once controlled the entirety of their grassy, temperate island, even through the Great War, where they sided with the Aspects.  Their rolling plains and sprawling forests were known as some of the best farmland in all of the Isles, as well as some of the nicest people.  However, following the defeat of Aegir, New Demeste was established on the northern end of the continent, and they began a rapid expansion to the south.  The Golians lost more and more territory every day, and they decided to retreat entirely to their capital of **Lacrima**, leaving little but the most necessary of farming settlements on the remainder of the continent.  Unfortunately, their Uknalaq-supporting population rose up and tore the city apart from the inside, bringing the once-proud nation to its knees.  In recent years, Lacrima has undergone a miraculous restoration, with the capital regaining much of its former glory, if not more.  Lacrima now stands as a shining jewel in the south, prosperous and happy, all alone in the eerily empty grassland around it.

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**New Demeste:**  New Demeste is the most densely populated nation in the Isles, as well as the second-newest.  It has appropriated much of Golia's plains farmland for itself, and its meteoric rise to becoming the richest nation in the Isles has not gone unnoticed.  Towns dot the landscape, though none are more glorious than **Morne's Call**, a city founded by Champions of Morne themselves.  Morne's Call contains a powerful royal family and is a steelworking powerhouse, supplying nearly every military, militia, and noble guard with high-quality weapons and armor.  However, Morne's Call is also notorious for its criminal underworld, including the infamous Black Flame.  Aegir's black flame was adopted by New Demeste as a sign of the Champions' strength, and the Black Flame has adopted it as their own symbol as well.  They are a highly-profitable organized crime ring feared throughout the city, although the government's effort to stop their reign of terror is ongoing.

**The Bastion:**  The Bastion is a tall black tower of stone and metal located on the peninsula of New Demeste.  It was built after the Great War to seal Uknalaq away in exile.  It has been completely dormant ever since then.

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**Athor:**  Athor is a continent with a large dormant volcano in the center of it.  Nearly the entire island is populated exclusively with acolytes of Metia, and most of the people that outsiders see are just the crazy ones-- fanatics who set themselves and others on fire, those that want to cleanse away people's sins with flame, etc.  Most of the pirates that patrol the coast and the residents of **Sol** are like this.  However, further inland and on the eastern coast, some people are more ordinary, albeit not very welcoming of outsiders.  Athor is generally regarded as a loose cannon in the political landscape of the Isles and they generally operate independently, as they have few exports but rare volcanic rocks and minerals, but they also need to import very little.

**The Beacon:**  The Beacon is a tower situated on a small landmass off the coast of Athor.  It is believed to be a hotspot of Metia's power, as it occasionally gives off blinding flashes of light or projects a glowing beam that extends into the sky.  The Athorians protect this island fiercely, and its contents are often sought-after by adventurers or explorers who seek to uncover its mysterious properties, or harness them for personal gain.

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**O'rir:**  O'rir, also sometimes referred to as **Greenland**, is the ancestral home of the Isles' orc population.  Nearly the entire nation is populated with various orc tribes of various cultures, ranging from those that survive on their own to those that have alliances, and even marriages, with other noble families of the Isles.  The region falls under Tugog's protection, and he is worshipped by the majority of the orc tribes, although some of them believe he has forsaken them by allowing the Crimson Company's invasion to the northwest.  As a result of this invasion, many orcs have been forced to leave their island and have taken over parts of Jesia to settle for themselves.  The orc capital is **Sha'gar**, a surprisingly prosperous and diverse city (it looks like a tribal village, though a very large one) containing both orcs and foreigners alike.

**Redland:**  Redland is an artificial "nation" founded by the Crimson Company, a former band of mercenaries and pirates turned a legitimate, albeit aggressive, trading company.  They partake in both commerce and mercenary work throughout the Isles, equally renowned for both their ability to obtain rare goods and their ferocity in battle.  Although their **Headquarters** fortress serves as the nation's "capital", Redland itself has actually become a surprisingly prominent nation in recent years, even spawning some semblance of nobility and good relations with the other islands.  Except for Jesia, who dislikes the Company because of the orc invasion.

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**Paradise:**  Paradise is a rather mysterious island that is the premier vacation and retirement spot in the Isles, when those sorts of things do occur.  It is peaceful tropical island with few settlements, only home to a handful of small villages -- except for **Elysium**, a city of taverns, casinos, and other earthly pleasures.  However, the most notable aspect of the island is the presence of strong and unpredictable magic.  Mysterious elemental storms, unearthly creatures, and other phenomena are a common sight, and magic-users may experience unusual occurrences as well.

**The Wayward Souls:**  The Wayward Souls are a trio of islands in the Isles' eastern region.  Although there is wildlife on these forested islands, there are no human civilizations, and there are similar magical phenomena to mainland Paradise.  So the legend goes, this was once one island, even after the Shattering, and it was where the gods would come to the earth to bless those mortals they believed worthy.  When the Great War began, the land split apart, and it is said that Morne and the Aspects each get one island.