Human Territory
GeographyIskame River - A major trade route for the coastal Free Cities and the three major human kingdoms. The Iskame also forms the border between Kas Kain and Shavelle and completely encircles the kingdom of Mirkseth. It slits into the East and West Iskame in the south.
Irs River - A tributary of the Iskame river and part of the border between Kas Kain and Shavelle.
Divinas River - Forms the border between human and dragon land before terminating in the Trahs Lake. A trade route from the Free Cities to the Borderlands.
Trahs Lake - Often used for travel along the eastern edge of the Borderlands.
Isles of Lascoran - A series of islands dotted with city-states. The western edges are sparsely populated due to the storms that come in off the ocean, but the islands serve as a buffer and allow for easy passage along the east coast of Kas Kain.
Kievho Mountains - Separates the desert from the mainland.
Soline's Pass - The main route between Kievho and the rest of the human lands.
KingdomsThe human lands are a diverse area of temperate forests and rolling rocky plains. All sorts of cultures and kingdoms can be found here and the best and the worst of the human race is scattered across this area. The west is the coastline, which is regarded as the peak of civilization. Schools are in abundance and the educated flock here, as well as the merchants eager to take advantage of the ocean for shipping. It is the richest area of the entire human nation.
Kas KainThe largest kingdom of the human lands. It covers the western part of the continent and much of the flatlands in the center of the human lands. Its borders are defined by the rivers Iskame, Irs, and Western Iskame. It is feudal in nature and ruled by a monarchy and a far-flung nobility that own patches of land. The kingdom is a powerful one as it is large and has both wealth and military power to draw on, but its size and the distance between settlements means that the full strength of Kas Kain is rarely used. The land is divided up between noble families and each noble maintains their own army and settlements.
Maktray - The capital city of Kas Kain and home of the royal family.
Slekom - A major city and home of the High Priest of Lahmear. This city is controlled solely by the priesthood of Lahmear and is independent of any noble rule. It is subject only to the royal family.
Birchwild - A major trade port on the mouth of the Irs river. It is the main passage between Shavelle and Kas Kain.
Oxen's Ford - Built around an easy fording of the Iskame, Oxen's Ford is what connects the eastern part of Kas Kain to the main kingdom.
Shavelle A smaller kingdom than Kas Kain but still one of the larger powers within the human lands. It is ruled by either an Emperor or Empress, appointed by Lahmear and given right to rule by divine appointment. The rulers of Shavelle are always able to wield magic and the few times an heir was not able to, a second heir was chosen from among related families that could. Shavelle's power comes from a strong military force directly under the command of the divine ruler and the sheer amount of mages that reside within its borders. Shavelle lies on the southern part of the human land, sharing a northern border with Kas Kain. Shavelle values dragons for their knowledge of the world and magic but have been known to do some horrible things in their pursuit for power. It is said the majority of the mages that ripped away the dragon's wings were from Shavelle.
Coldhurst - Capital city of Shavelle and home to the Emperor/Empress. A miserable city on a vast plain that is constantly windy and cold. It is the closest major city to Genyiel and often hosts ambassadors from the Dragon-Bound Knights and the rest of the human lands.
Glenbrook - Trading city on the Irs River and a waypoint for travelers between the Borderlands and the rest of the human lands.
Mirkseth An oligarchy located between the two branches of the Iskame River, the Mirkseth kingdom is extremely fertile farming land. Their primary industry is agriculture and are renowned for their wines. Their culture is highly religious and they have a strong priest caste that is versed in the divine magic. Their primary god is Marckius and the priests often double as assassins and spies. While Mirkseth's military is not very strong they are protected by the Iskame River, which is very fast and difficult to ford once it splits. The priesthood also helps protect their nation through cloak and dagger politics and using divine magic to repel any potential invaders.
Silvershire - Capital city of Mirkseth at the branch of the East and West Iskame. It is also a major trade stop and is supposed to be the richest of all the human cities. The ruling council resides here.
Vordana - The only city that has a physical temple dedicated to Marckius. There is some debate on whether or not this is appropriate but its opponents are by far in the minority.
Drahon - Originally a Kas Kain city, Drahon eventually traded hands when it became obvious that Kas Kain could not move the army through Oxen's Ford quickly enough to respond to any attacks and could not sustain a force large enough to keep Mirkseth at bay. Every now and then it and the surrounding land gets retaken by Kas Kain and after a few years Mirkseth takes it back.
Phades An island nation that has little contact with the mainland. The land is rocky with thin soil and as a result it is mostly a subsistence society with little resources to devote to development. They sometimes sail up the coast to raid the city-states and Kas Kain. Mirkseth keeps a good relationship with Phades through generous trade agreements. In return, Phades keeps Kas Kain from developing a strong navy by raiding the coastline.
Devon Arbor - Capital city of Phades and the only route to Kievho outside of Soline's Pass.
City-States The western coast is comprised entirely of city-states. These are individual cities governed by a variety of governments, be it religious-based, an oligarchy, democracy, monarchy, republic, etc. These cities survive being swallowed up by their neighbors by wealth gained through trading, which can be used to hire mercenaries by the thousands. The city-states are usually quite welcoming to dragons as they are the hub of cultures. There are always exceptions, however.
Upper and Lower Kelsdar - Upper Kelsdar is located on the mainland and Lower Kelsdar is the primary city for the Isles of Lascoran. These are major port cities and are ruled by the Kelsdar family.
Phingris - At the mouth of the Iskame River. It is a very cold city and is often hit by storms off the ocean. It has trade routes along the Iskame and along the Divinas in the summer. In the winter the Divinas freezes.
Tannonout - Located next to a natural harbor, Tannonout is a limited republic that has the largest university in the known world.
Kievho DesertThe southern desert is populated entirely by nomads called the Kievho. These people move from place to place and are able to withstand the harsh climate by years of experience passed from generation to generation. They are a sustenance culture and have little contact with the major civilizations to the north. They are terrified of dragons and view them as demons or monster or sometimes even gods.
Tryltor - The only democracy in the known world, Tryltor is also the only permanent city in Kievho.
BorderlandsThe Borderlands is not really a kingdom, but a region ruled by local nobility that owe allegiance to no nation. Their relationship with the dragons is tenuous as the fear of dragon attacks is a threat, but the fact that they are a buffer between the human and dragon lands is also what keeps them independent from the larger kingdoms.
The Borderlands are where the line between human and dragon territory grows thin. These are poor lands where power is often held by a single local baron and the people live in fear of dragons. They are poorly educated and war and strife is common in this region. Bandits and dragon-hunters make their home here, as well as people who simply don’t wish to be found. Dragons also make raids on the borderlands for Dragon-Bound or simply to kill off some more humans. It is a land of constant turmoil.
Diril - Yvette's territory is the northern tip of the Borderlands and Diril is the largest city. Yvette lives a few day's travel west of the city at her keep. Diril is a major trade point along the Divinas river. Sentries are posted along the walls and will fire upon any dragon that comes within range.
Hillmount - The final stopping point for the Divinas river and one of the few dragon-friendly cities in the borderlands. It keeps in contact with Genyiel and will sometimes host ambassadors for both races.
Downswood - The largest city in the Borderlands. Travelers between it and Glenbrook are common.
Important Locations
ShadineWhile her exact location is unknown, she is most often found near the border of the Kievho mountains.