Locations > Western Continent

A mystical and legendary land that lies past the Whitebarrier mountains. This continent was the site of most legendary stories that unfolded during the Empyrean Age. Unlike the relatively safe north and the merciless south, the west is a land of unpredictability, magical biomes, artificial terraforming and exotic creatures, weathers and settings that defy mortal logic. There are very few, if any, roads safe for mortal passage, as all the races that call the lands beyond the barrier their home simply know it ancestrally. Despite this, there are a few places a human or beastkin could call safe refuge, and even a forgotten faction of man lost within.

Nation - Iklistzefon: The fabled city of the White Dwarves. Originally the capital of all of dwarvenkind after the fall of the Dragons, it is where their ancestors the Magma Giants retreated for thousands of years to hide from the other gods.

Iklistzefon has gone through several rebuilding projects that modernized it across the ages, but has remained as mesmerizing and breathtakingly imposing as ever. Enormous statues of dwarven heroes lift the high ceilings of the hollowed out mountain-cities, with rings and bridges dividing them into districts whose roads are broad enough to allow caravan passage. Imposing gates secure the great highway that allows passage across the Whitebarrier.

Some of the greatest forges and the deepest mineral mines in the world are situated here, leading all the way down magma seas, barely a few hours of travel away from one another by mount. The peaks of Whitebarrier surrounding Iklistzefon also house lesser dwarven cities, accessible by well-guarded tunnels. Iklistzefon is ruled by King Urist Stonebeard XVI, who will pass his name on to his heir.

Nation - Miraldia: Although human activity is mostly confined to the man-lands, the west has recorded one more strain of this race which has, long ago, departed from their homeland to settle this mystical realm. Miraldian humans were nomads thousands of years ago who founded cities near the running rivers far to the west of Summerfall Glade.

In a time before their recorded history, some catastrophe struck which led them to pray to the nearby Elves for succor, who taught the latter protective druidic spells to protect their tribes. The humans of Miraldia initially took up druidism, in the way of the elves, until internal clashing brought them back to stone-castle sword and armor feudalism. Despite this, the royal capital of Miraldia continues to be protected by a ring of human druid-advisors, who safeguard it using their barrier spells and blessed miracles. Their home capital is a breathtaking landscape of circular towers with swirling vegetation, massive green arch gates and manmade waterfalls.

Nation - Nunorroszne: Or Nightholme. Beneath the untamed dense forests of the Wildlands, it is reputed that the Ash Elves who managed to flee the Draconic continent after their downfall began civilization anew. A series of hollowed out cavern cities miles beneath the earth are home to all kinds of mythical creatures, as well as a few Elven cities.

The Drow that dwell within are furiously xenophobic, aggressive and uncooperative, and build their cities around the worship of vengeful dark gods of shadow, so it may be for the better that they remain there.

Nation - Ondius: Built on the Crimson Weaver's Peninsula and isolated from the rest of the world by Miraldian magicks, this forgotten joint kingdom of humans and Drow was once a thriving nation like all others. Their fall occurred when they signed a pact with some planar deity to grant them the powers of vampirism, which did not go as well as predicted.

The streets of Ondius are charred and derelict, with winds howling through vastly empty yards that were once parks and markets. It remains sparsely populated, mostly by the living dead, centered around the aforementioned Crimson Weaver's mansion.

Nation - Tel'layl: Deep in the heart of the Feywood jungle, a series of tree-cities and underground burrows form the great nation of the woodland Elves. Marked by its intricate druidic stone circles, cascading waterfalls, Satyrian music and rows of rangers observing from the canopy, Tel'layl is unmistakable. A glistening pool of raw liquid magic surrounds the greatest tree in the center, which is easily a few miles in girth, and opens naturally to allow the Elves and druids to make their homes within. The only semblance of technology here are the Gnomes, who are more open to dealing with outsiders than wild Elves or childish Satyrs.

Nation - Xiom: Pronounced "shee-um." One of the more modern cities in the realm of Dunia, Xiom is a technological marvel built in the north right before the beginning of Death Tundra. Nestled in a snowy valley between two great peaks, and cleverly hidden from detection by a sphere of floating psychic mirrors, one can still observe the colorful neon lights and billowing steam rising from its factories. The nation is a coalitionary effort between Cog Priests and Engineers from all walks of life that have kick-started a golden age of innovation.

The streets of Xiom are asphalt-paved, crossed by smog-puffing industrial vehicles, and everywhere one goes, they are surrounded by rickety steel-plated buildings, factories, hive-like housing complexes, as well as a staggering number of gambling houses and arcades. Flying zeppelins take travelers across the quarters of its capital. Despite all the good brought about by technology, Xiom is also a nation of great inequality, much like Southport, as those born into this realm who don't find a knack for industry or invention instead slip into its slums and the less savory aspects of the Xiomish way of life.

Region - Death Tundra: The vast spread of land north of the western continent is a sludgy hell that sits lower than the freezing temperature of water most of the year. Receiving little to no rainfall, the ground consists of barren wastelands of permafrost dirt covered in colorful lichen. The only thing that breaks up the dreary red and brown stretch of emptiness is the piles of mossy rocks and the sight of mountains in the distance. Limited to the south by the coniferous forests of the Upper Wildlands and Mistvale Pass, and to the north by the sea, it is reputed that many a Necromancer has their lair within, though attempting to find them while chased by yetis, sabertooth lions and mammoths is an equally suicidal task to plumbing them.

Much like the Whitebarrier, all points of the Death Tundra cause hourly frostbite at a 15 CON DC. In freezing weather, creatures do not regenerate health while resting, unless protected from the cold by magic or in the safety of a cave lit by a fire. At the start of every hour not wearing heat-insulating padding or magical protection against Frost, non-Undead creatures must roll CON or suffer frostbite, which causes a stacking -1 to DEX and AGI penalty as well as half their racial hit die in damage. When heated, DEX and AGI return gradually over one hour. Depending on the time of the year, the day-night cycle can be twisted to 24 hours of sunlight in the midsummer month or 24 hours of total dark night all winter.

Region - Feywood: The southern coast of the continent is home to an ecosystem of temperate jungles so thick, so hostile to external life and so impassable, some dare say it's even more efficient at killing than the Eshran desert itself. The spirits of the Feywood that dwell within are capricious and uncaring, and if it weren't for the woodland Elves and the Satyrs' open efforts, the land would be a death trap for any mortal.

The Feywood is largely untouched by the outside world's progress. All cabins are swallowed by the earth, non-magical fires awaken the wrath of treants and dire wolves, and the river waters that flow from the great tree of Tel'layl down waterfalls and cascading to the sea are jealously guarded by water spirits and powerful elementals. Travel through, in and out of the Feywood, which signals its borders by its unnaturally twisted circular trees, is practically impossible without the guidance of a Fey Elf, Satyr or a woodland Gnome, or the blessing of a powerful Druid of 15th level or higher.

Region - Great Summer Steppe: South of the Wildlands and north of the Hills of Anarak, the vast expanse of land not covered by the temperate jungle of the Feywood consists of an enormous flat steppe. Miles and miles of featureless yellow-green grazelands gives off the illusion of a boundless calm ocean of chlorophyll, occasionally broken up by herds of bison and wild horses. This is one of the least densely populated areas of the world that is still reasonably capable of bearing life. Its soft dirt and lack of timber or bodies of water makes any kind of permanent settlement very difficult.

Region - Green Coast: The name of the humid stretch of coast from Tel'layl down to the Scarred Wetlands. The coast is sandy, as it faces the relatively tropical weather of the far south of the western continent. It is home to several nameless human settlements that harvest exotic fruit and spices and work textiles from rare mystical silks. Enterprising traders and pirates from myriad nations are aware of the importance of this place, and whether through force or negotiation maintain routes to and from here.

Region - Hills of Anarak: Just south of the Great Summer Steppe, the vast expanse of flat grassland begins to give way to more varied elevation and thicker forests. This relatively much more populated region of the western continent is dotted with a few human settlements, mostly in the rivers that cut valleys through the steep hillsides. Named after some forgotten religious icon of the pre-unification tribes of men that dwelt in the region, the Anarak is a verdant landscape of deciduous forests and fertile glades. The massive amount of leaves dropped by the seasonal trees means very fertile soil that easily holds many farms.

Region - Mistvale Pass: Right between the Reothian Glades and the Upper Wildlands is a steep and foggy region which could be said to mark the beginning of the coniferous forests that stretch along the rest of the continent. Known for being the ancestral homeland of Half-foots and Gnomes, his place almost mirrors the Feywood in its unassailable beauty, and the fog that creeps up and down the forested cliffs of the pass constitutes a danger to travelers.

Every 4 hours, travelers in this area must roll a d6. On an odd number, the area is blanketed in fog that makes it impossible to see anything beyond 30 feet. If the roll lands on 1, every creature in the area is under the effect of a mist spell that covers the whole zone. Half-foot settlements are immune to this effect.

Region - Reothian Glade: An elevated plateau off the western side of the Whitebarrier which marks the end of surface-ground Dwarven outposts. The terrain is rocky and vegetation is sparse besides shrubs and ferns which grow reluctantly on the limestone floor. This land offers a momentary respite and a sense of normalcy before the Mistvale Pass signals the beginning of the exotic lands of the west.

Region - Scarred Woods: Right below the Hills of Anarak, the biome slowly changes from seasonal deciduous forests to thick, broad-leaved evergreen forests that cover steep hills. Within this labyrinth of vegetation is said to be Miraldia, the legendary capital of the Druidic humans, who have no need for a harbor or dedicated farmland due to their connection to the wilds. Glades in the form of long stretches of land covered in stone circles give the land its name, and seem from an eagle's eye view like scars or claw marks that cut the canopy.

Region - Sea of Shadows: The great ocean south of the western continent. It is a relatively tropical area of the world in which the few little islands regularly see violent monsoon winds. This stretch of water is known for its violent sea monsters, and is said to have been in ages past a gate to the aquatic plane beyond the stars. Whether out of superstition or because of the countless horror stories of crews being swallowed by incomprehensible abyssal monsters, all pirates and traders in the area tend to only trace the Green Coast, and are extremely timid about drifting away from visible land. Tales speak of lost cities beneath the violent waves.

Region - Stormcall Highlands: South of the Reothian Glades, a relatively quaint weather-wise plateau of land rises in the skies. Historically said to have been the home of a now extinct race of avian humanoids, it is held extremely sacred by Stormlords who will often visit it on pilgrimage. The shamans who maintain the delicate stone circles and monuments within this arid shrubland mesa tend to recognize them, but staunchly turn away others. Besides natives, this area is inhabited by goats, harpies, giant eagles that nest on cliff sides and antelopes.

Region - Upper Wildlands: Right between the Death Tundra and the warmer Summer Steppe is the subarctic region of the world. A continuous boreal forest stretches from coast to mountains, occasionally broken up by giant lakes inhabited by mammoths and sabertooth cats. The temperature in the thick pine forests of the Upper Wildlands taiga is below freezing most of the year, but even though the snow melts in the summer and spring, the soil is too poor to maintain any kind of farms, and what could be considered game is very hostile and dangerous.