Young Writers Society

The farthest northern and southern regions, are, understandably, very cold, rocky, and barren. Few creatures live here, and these areas are generally avoided for their massive, and eerie, structures that are said to resemble giants. The story goes that these were created at the beginning of the world by a powerful and dark force, and were destroyed by the world's creator for being too violent and destructive. The northern region is effectively a large peninsula, blocked on three sides by sealand.

Southeast of the Frost Giants is the rocky country of Lecizstan, whose conditions are just warm enough to facilitate sea travel in even winter. This country is presently undergoing a four-sided civil war over valuable ores found within mines, praised for their abilities to manufacture valuable weapons, and, thus, worth a fortune. A few rivers stretch towards the sea within this region, but the ground is rarely fertile, and snow is common.

Southwest of the Frost Giants contains the rebellious nation of Azarelf, which is presently fighting the country from which it separated - Xyalta. The two countries are separated by a particularly large river fed by copious amounts of mountain snow, and the mountains themselves, which are considered beneficial ground to hold, due to their elevation and ability to allow one nation to attack the other, are a source of major and consistent fighting. In general, Azarelf and Xyalta contain fairly fertile ground, although the more-southern Xyalta has fairer temperatures, which allow it to facilitate large amounts of growth. Azarelf is, itself, fairly cold, and, especially towards the north, contains large and withered taiga-like forests. However, it can generally remain a prosperous and healthy country, due to political connections and its own land. Regardless, Xyalta is largely composed of what could be usable farmland, and can produce far more than its northern neighbor. This has come in handy during their several decade civil war, which frequently shifts between relatively calm periods and violent border spats.

Fringed by a large series of mountains, save for its southern border with Elchanan, this region, directly beneath The Land of the Frost Giants, is surprisingly warm and prosperous. The land is plentiful in fresh fruits and wheat, which are grown in large supplies, and these resources are enough to be traded off in plentiful amounts to neighboring countries. As a relatively low-lying valley with a few rivers, the land is valued by many of those surrounding it, as well as those within it. It is currently fractured in 9 different ways, all of which ruled by relatives or friends of the eponymous Sun King, who united the country a few decades ago and severed its ties with the manipulative Xyalta, who has run a long-scale ethnic and political conflict with this land. Only a few mountain passes allow Xyalta - and, by extension, Azarelf - to sneak into the country, but it has done so with relish, and many of the lords now accept the aid of either as they fight to be the last man standing. It is a begrudging alliance, and both plan to backstab the other at some point, but it's all that keeps the land from destroying itself.

Part of what helps isolate Lecizstan from the rest of the world is an expansive network of marshy landscapes, which have generally proven to be full of dangerous creatures, inhospitable, and often ignored. A large series of rivers from across the continent - though primarily the Kingdom of the Valley Sol, Elchanan, the Confederacy de Austliere, Lecizstan, and Ese-Miyre - flow into this landscape, thus fueling its wide diversity of animal and plant life. These rivers, in turn, branch out into an elaborate delta that streams into the sea. An extensive network of firmly rooted trees makes the land hard to make any use of, though those who live there have made some progress in that respect. Naturally, it helps to be among the feared creatures, as many of the residents are. So, progress may yet come to this region soon, providing the prospects for a potentially powerful, and manipulative, state, to join the many already in place.

This fiercely religious, nationalistic state, managed by an assortment of leaders and incredibly-well organized, has a geography that resembles the Confederacy de Austliere to the south. Composed of relatively healthy grassland, Elchanan is also notable for mountains can be found towards its northern border with the Kindgom of the Valley Sol, as well as its eastern border with the Marshlands and the Wall that protects Ese-Miyre, complete with a few mountain passes to allow access into the Marshlands. Rivers from both The Kingdom of the Valley Sol and the Confederacy flow into the region, which provides it the means by which to maintain a decent-sized crop, on top of its access to mining resources. Too, rudimentary water wheels, installed at multiple spots along the nation's rivers, provide a basic source of power used by farmers to grind crops, an advantage fiercely guarded by the nation. Lastly, Elchanan's southwestern border is comprised of a series of immensely tall pillars (which will be discussed later). These pillars, which are valued for their massive religious significance, are the source of much revenue for the country in the form of the many pilgrims that travel through the area, augmented by the fact that all other nations that surround the pillars are fairly inclusive. Thus, it can be said that Elchanan is fairly prosperous and well-to-do, and the people are proud of that.

The geography of this land, as mentioned above, resembles that of Elchanan, which itself was formerly a member of the Confederacy before a violent and heavily-resisted (on the part of the Confederacy) separation a long time ago. Stuffed in between the pillars to the west, and Ese-Miyre to the east, this land is closer to the equator, yet slightly more inhospitable than the surrounding landscapes. Many crops are imported, especially in the context of a state of political malcontect and mismanagement among the capital, Wyandanch, and the five states it tries to control. On the other hand, two rivers, one of which from the pillars themselves, and the other from a small patch of mountains there were among the few to survive the construction of the wall that borders Ese-Miyre (long story; I'll explain that later), have filled up a sufficiently sized lakebed at the center of the land. This aptly named Lake of Two Rivers (tentative) provides room for prosperity for every major state in the Confederacy save for Eimhin, which is rather bitter about that fact, in spite of the fact it does border one of the rivers.

Amusingly, the geography here does vary between individual states, particularly due to their proximity to the surrounding regions. To the northeast, the state of Claec contains a few of the wetter and more diverse conditions of the marshland, which the local races have gone to great lengths to emulate, as they favor such conditions. Thus, the capital looks like an overgrown, almost forgotten, city. The northwest state of Comas, the west-central capital of Wyandanch, and the southwest state of Exedor, which are the closest to the Theocracy of Elchanan, most resemble its conditions. However, Exedor, and its eastern neighbor, Eimhin, are also within proximity of the large jungle to the south of the Confederacy, as well as to the equator in general, so they tend to have warmer, more moist conditions, although remain as fairly fertile grassland. Lastly, Walenty, which forms the Confederacy's eastern border with Ese-Miyre, contains some of the mild and wet conditions that make Ese-Miyre what it is.

These impossibly tall spires are what composes the exact center of the continent, and, thus, have received a lot of respect. Said to have been the end of a mold by which The Creator formed the entire world, it was once thought to have been part of a pair, with the other on the opposite side of the planet. Of course, since the other no longer exists in this mortal plane, the pillars are a place of much reverence and speculation. The smooth, hexagonal shapes are considered peculiar, as is the relatively tranquil weather, which is only contributed to by its lack of animal or plant life. Even eerie, were it not for the place's religious significance. The few small towns that are scattered throughout the landscape rely entirely on foreign exports, as there is little useful farmland to be had here. Though it rains relatively frequently, the land is barren, and the multitudes of feet that trample every square inch in fascination do not help. There isn't much more to say here - the landscape is geographically unified in its dullness.

A relatively massive and stable nation, this eastern country borders the sea at a distance not far from the equator, thus assuring that it becomes warmer and wetter the closer one travels towards the south. In general, the area is relatively flat, with a series of internal mountains providing valleys through which large amounts of water stream. The weather is often foggy, gloomy, and gray, though its beaches are often described in quite the opposite fashion. Regardless, much of the nation is used as farmland, which is plentiful, and beneficial, amounts. Several powerful people have made fortunes out of buying a lot of land within the nation and exporting the surplus, thus giving Ese-Miyre a particularly capitalistic economy. Too, they've also helped provide a sharp divide between the prosperous, but relatively quiet, interior of the country, and the trade-heavy, beautiful cities that fringe the coast. While many small towns may be scattered across the countryside, massive stone cities are the centers of international trade networks, thanks to the near-perfect water conditions and general friendliness of the nation with respect to bartering and the transfer of wealth into their pockets.

However, Ese-Miyre is rather restrictive about the nature and rights of visiting traders. With a constant rebellion going on in the south, funded by residents of the jungle to the south of the country, as well as old enmities and feuds with other countries, they can be fairly xenophobic. Too, a massive wall, said to have been built by the Creator himself (or perhaps dragons, but the country, after a violent incident, despises them, and so the story has been changed accordingly) from a mighty mountain range that once stretched from the Marshlands to the Jungle, blocks Ese-Miyre from the rest of the world. This structure, which is almost as old as the country itself, is only capable of being crossed by either flying over it, walking through gates imposed at various sections along the border, or accessing it through the large entrance in the middle of the sea. As the border is extensively guarded, and, once again, the land is fairly xenophobic, few enter, so the nation has remained relatively inclusive for a long time, save for its extensive and profit-inducing sea trade. And, unless something changes, it will continue to be so.

For a country with a self-explanatory name, it is a fairly small region of space. Poised south of the pillars, its borders are anything but firm, though its authority does seem to end to the southwest of Elchanan, north of the Passway, and southeast of Xyalta. In general, the climate is relatively mild, though the region is often cloudy and sports massive amounts of trees and small wildlife within, not to mention the huge structures upon which the residents live. Composed of a long series of massive valleys, lakes, and mountains (though it gets particularly dry and arid the closer the country's geography gets to the Passway), there is little flat ground here, and the local residents often have to rely on highly contested, but useful, land. This valued land is, in fact, a delta draining into the ocean, whose surrounding regions are healthy and fertile, though hampered slightly by the delta's closeness to the salty oceans, which makes that particular area mostly unusable. However, Xyalta officially claims the area, as do one of the most powerful of the Clans (which will be explained later), and so all three are struggling for dominion of the landscape. The Dragonlands, whose only attachment to the place is a mountain pass, are placed at a particular disadvantage by this, and so have been slowly losing influence there.

No actual nation or source of authority controls this dry, barren region of land directly on the equator. Composed of beautiful sandstone arches, bridges, and other such structures, any life that once lived here fled a long time ago. Inhospitable and dry, those who dare set up any sort of life are criminals and thieves on the run, or the large numbers of caravans and airships that fly to and from this region. Given the fact that it is technically international soil, many a traveler still dares to traverse the dry, dangerous, inhospitable region in order to partake in a massive trading region between the Clans (tentative), Xyalta, the Dragonlands, the Confederacy de Austliere (though, due to its growing poverty and lack of order, this trade line has been weakening), and the Desert (tentative). A lot of money flows through these areas, and whoever holds the monopoly could reap immense wealth. In fact, one man does. But that's a story for another time.

As with a few instances before, this island is fairly self-explanatory, given the name. Hot, muggy, and wet, and elaborate system of rivers snakes across the humongous expanse of jungle trees. In particular, the largest river in the world breaks free from this jungle and travels to Ese-Miyre, where it branches off into several smaller rivers. Fueled by the snow of southern mountains, as well as runoff from the same mountains that help produce the River of Two Lakes, several other major rivers extend towards the far south and east. Within the jungle itself, a civilization of tree-dwelling citizens lives in relative peace, hunting for food and clothing among the local wildlife. However, the lack of accessibility to farmland, and the general difficulty of traversing through the wilderness, means that the residents struggle from a lack of internal and external support. Poverty is not uncommon, although the residents have tried to bargain with Walenty, so as to acquire land that they can use to raise animals for, of course, food and clothing. Generally considered barbaric by the other lands, the jungle people are often ignored, especially after their present government usurped the previous one, which itself was much more powerful and orderly. That past government has found itself scattered between a local, but incompetent, rebellion movement, a large number of refugees in the Clans, and Exedor itself. This new organization is xenophobic, particularly to humans, but has been opening up more and more over time, and its political influence in Walenty and the rebellion in Ese-Miyre shows that it, in spite of being relatively inferior to the past government, does have the potential to become great, especially if it plays the right cards.

A particularly large region, located to the south of the Passway, the delta Xyalta claims, and west of the Desert, this area is the home to several non-human races and their governments. In general, three powerful races exist here, though none of them have specifically defined boundaries. Only the strongest one, which itself is not interested in foreign involvement, has provided any sense of order in its self-enclosure; as it is the middle clan, from a north-south perspective, the other two have to adjust accordingly. Which only helps to extenuate the fact that these lands, despite lying near the sea, have drastically different climates. From the mild and plentiful conditions of the most powerful clan, to the tall plateau that provides bitter, cold environments, large forests, and large stone quarries to the north, variety is not in short demand here. In particular, the artistically-inclined central clan is renowned for its beautiful and smooth landscapes, particularly the complex arrangement of cities that have crowded out neighboring forests. While it does suffer from deforestation, its participation in the trading network keeps it alive and well, and the arts and music flourish here.

Meanwhile, the bitterly cold northern clan depends on trading in order to supply its people with necessary food, though it uses the readily available wood and stone to craft strong and stable structures. Stable, and surprisingly democratic, the northern clan has a long-existent series of culture behaviors based on the patterns of the sun and moon and their location, and so it can be said that their culture has been influenced by their geography. The southern clan, lastly, is relatively weak in comparison. Buffeted by the desert to the east, as well as influenced by the fact it is fairly close to the southern end of the world, the conditions are often not friendly for farming. The local residents, many refugees from the Jungle, have no system of government whatsoever; they are surprisingly peaceful anarchists. As it stands, there are few valuable resources, and deforestation is starting to take its toll on the people, so they've found that they have no need for the nuances of a government, and now work with each other to try to survive to the next day. Their spirit of mutual cooperation is uncommon across the continent, and it is unfortunate that it only be fostered in such negligent conditions.

As with the Jungle, pretty self-explanatory. The Desert is located north of the Land of the Eternal Frost, southwest of the Mysterious Jungle, and east of the Clans. This particularly arid, dry region is one of the largest in the entire continent, though that doesn't provide much help. The only rivers that flow through here are poised along the border, with the largest one often found with ice chunks, given its proximity to the Land of the Eternal Frost. As with a normal desert, few components of the land are actually endlessly rolling sand dunes - the majority are dry, cracked landscapes with few plant and animal-life scattered about, complete with large scatterings of rocks. There are, however, several oases, which are valued for their clean water and the food that grows by them, so the land isn't entirely useless or inhospitable. However, this has stoked the flames between a long series of local tribes, which struggle for control of these valuable hotspots to assure their own survival. Bitter feuds and bloody rivalries have assured that few have any desire, if at all, to unite. Thus, conflict is the name of the game here, and a few powerful tribes, in particular, are constantly bickering.

However, unlike many other places in the world, there is a source of authority that is rapidly gaining power, rather than losing it. One well-organized tribe has used a combination of diplomacy, bullying, and outright war to cow and subjugate various other tribes under its dominion, and has fashioned an elaborate empire. With a large, centralized state, complete with a massive sandstone city; both hands dipped into the midst of the trading network, in which it hands away the many ores that have been discovered in the region for supplies; and a general flourishing of intellectual culture, thanks to escapees from the diminishing Wyandanch and, once more, the trading network, it seems as though the desert tribes may be finally united under one banner. So there is hope yet for this place, though conflict between the main tribe, and the five other powerful ones, who all oppose it, will likely persist for a long time.

Finally, there is this cold piece of jutting rock that extends by the far southeast of the continent. The southern version of Lecizstan, with a climate not unlike Azarelf's and the southern clan's, it is just warm enough to facilitate sea travel and a fairly consistent summer season. However, a mountain range separating it from the Jungle, and much of the rest of the world, assures that it maintains cold and wet conditions. The landscape is dreadful - large forests mixed with barren and rocky plains, a large number of huge ruins scattered about (said to have come from an ancient kingdom that was eventually destroyed by a powerful and cruel force, which ended up ruining the land), a few, mostly-frozen rivers, and farmland rendered unusable by sea spray. The people believe themselves cursed - hence the name of the location, though that's also because of the generally cloudy and harsh weather - and many are forced to become thieves by nature (or partake in other, unsavory industries) in order to survive. Many don't. There is no authority here, given how resource-poor and neglected the land is, and most shack up by ancient, broken castles/forts/homes, huddling together for warmth. A bitter, cranky, despotic old man has claimed authority over one of the largest of the ruins, and a small culture of shops, vendors, and people have settled around him, though mainly as they're happy they have any authority guiding them at all.

Beyond that, most of the residents are like those of the Clans - some of the non-human races. However, while a few groups of non-human races have established their own governments in this region, a large number of people are those who were exiled from countries across the world. Murderers, thieves, arsonists, political prisoners, and other such groups have been pushed into this land, where they remain in miserable conditions. They have their own pride and spirit, however, and are determined to hold what ground they have. So, while the region has little political influence - beyond one clan, which is currently in the midst of a tense relationship with Ese-Miyre to the north - they're not entirely dead.

The Sea of Pavre, obviously, is a sea. (Duh, haha.) It's in the center of everything, and acts something like the Mediterranean of our own world, despite being, well, magical to a point. The water is salty and populated by fish, fishermen, trading vessels, and pirates. Surrounding it are the main players in this little game. Two main rivers feed into it: Neret, which flows into it from the southeast, and Wen, which flows into it from the east.

Neret is the smaller of the two main rivers that feed into the Sea of Pavre. It's still very sizable, and used as a trading route. It also currently denotes the border between Iphret and Ain -- though that could change easily. Somewhat perplexingly, it doesn't seem to be affected by the magic of the sea, which has led to multiple religious and folk theories about it.

Wen is the larger of the two main rivers that feed into the Sea of Pavre. It currently denotes the contested border between Iphret and Albaria, and it has a large river delta that is inhabited by people (which will be covered more in the "Nations" segment). It is affected rather significantly by the magic that has leaked into the sea, and much of that magic seeps upstream towards the river's settlements, blessing -- or cursing -- the people with particular talents, some more than others.

The Iphretian Canals are a canal system (not mapped) made by the people of Iphret for purposes of irrigation between the two larger rivers, and easier transport of water to and from the capital. These canals have been copied in certain places, especially in Ain.

Albaria, now occupying the new Albarian Point and the land around it, stretches from the river Wen to where the Sea of Pavre meets the blue ocean. It is the largest nation-state around the Sea of Pavre (when Ain is feeling small), and it took multiple previously-existing states when it limped into the picture some few decades ago. To be covered later, there have been multiple cultural and linguistic clashes, still continuing.

Construction is still underway across much of Albaria, mostly in the capital parts, and some places on the fringe hardly even know they have a different government due to the rather light amount of actual "conquering" the nation has done. Much of the land in Albaria is non-arable, especially that in the highest mountain ranges and behind them, so there is a stretch for food that must be solved by trading with other lands (as most of the Albarian food itself is going to the capital).

Ain is an extant and ancient empire that rules most of the southern side of the sea. It is mostly made up of arable land, with a ridge of mountains forming the backmost border. Smaller than most of the empires of the past, it has forged solid trade deals with the rest of the land around the sea, especially Iphret and the river delta, for resources it does not have, offering them a wealth of metal, stone, food, and slaves in return.

Iphret occupies the space between the rivers Wen and Neret. Rather uninteresting geographically, it's made up of mostly arable land, fading into grasslands and desert as it reaches back to where the Wen and Neret split farther away from each other. Protective of its borders at the rivers, Iphret controls Neret jealously as it has less control over Wen.

The River Delta is a state contained, as is implied, within the huge delta of the river Wen as it feeds into the sea. Comprised of water-faring individuals for the most part, and farmers in the delta itself and the grasslands outside it. There is a capital city that controls trade down the river Wen and into the sea, frequented now by Tevusi pirates.

Tevys was a mainly seafaring state with heavy hands in the region's sea trade, positioned on a point at the mouth of the Sea of Pavre -- the new Albarian Point. Now the pirates of Tevys (or, as a movement, the Tevusi piracy), a nation of people without land to call their own, are still doing their best to control the trade of the region, lawfully or otherwise. The state itself was completely dissolved and absorbed into Albaria.

As I mentioned before, the climate around most of the sea is mainly mild, reaching hot mostly in the grasslands and the back reaches of Ain and Iphret, and the sun-baked mountains of what has become Albaria. The land is mostly temperate, with some forests but mostly grasslands; there's not too much rain and not too little.

However, magic has affected the climate of the river Wen: The excess of energy has made the river and its delta surprisingly warm. This leads to the biome being similar to that of a tropical forest swamp, with many large rainstorms being mysteriously contained within the delta despite otherwise regular air movements. This strange weather system has affected the people, plants, and wildlife that live along the river, in its delta, and down the river itself to Lands Unknown (TM).

This far-reaching stream is the life-giver to many lands, stretching from a massive lake at the center of the Apher Valley all the way to the Western Wall, the meeting-place of earth and sky. Wherever the river runs, it carves a path, inexplicably flowing through deserts and even uphill. Travelers use the Aman River's waters as a faithful guide in foreign lands.

From the ashes of destruction springs surpassing beauty. A powerful volcanic eruption laid waste to this southern region, burying all life beneath a layer of dust and soot. However, the rich, warm soil provided the perfect planting ground for new life. A variety of bioluminescent species flourish in the Black Sands, glowing brilliantly against the shadowy ground and the bleak, clouded heavens.

A lone peak risen from amidst the Shifting Hills of the east, Mount Shel-Tannin is feared for its treacherous paths and frequent rockslides. The handful of daring climbers who have reached the summit claim the view to be unparalleled, even worth losing a few digits (or limbs) to the frost. Still, for every story of triumph, a thousand other adventurers have met their gruesome end. Countless lives have been cut short by freezing temperatures, unpredictable avalanches, and the twisted horrors that lurk at the heart of the mountain.

The walls of this rock formation glitter like gold in the sunlight, but they contain a far more desirable material: magnetite. Miners and fortune-seekers flock to the canyon, hoping to strike it rich. The magnetic field poses a danger not only to automatons, but also to Dov and humans driven mad by avarice. Lodestone enables the land's production of electromagnetic energy, and those who can obtain and harness it stand to become very wealthy indeed. With courage and a steady mind, one can find Petra's Canyon to be a source of prosperity, power, and prestige.