Esperia

The land of Esperia contains several kingdoms, empires, city-states and other kinds of governed factions. They are each inhabited by a race, though most independant larg cities are inhabited by a multitude of races. This doesn't mean the cities are peaceful, most of them are filled with death and other dangers and is about as dangerous as wandering through deep forests on your own.


-- Asiroth Empire

Faction type: Empire
Ruling entity: The Great Council
Primary race: Humans
Secondary race: Elves (as slaves)
Major cities: Ceven (capital), Astaomas, Jomath.
Minor cities: Tayb, Filissa, Hiralind, Charwen, Ocaek
Geography: Mostly plains. One forest and a minor mountainrange.

Lying on the shores of the sea of Tirants is a wide plain. It is stuffed with fertile lands and the eventual forest that dotted its landscape contained enough game to provide for a medium city without even making a dent in its ecosystem. Through this land flows the river the Ranrau, swaying gently back and forth between the rolling hills. It sprung from the Hargriff mountains in the south and heads northwest from there. It runs through a forest and from there goes north to eventually merge with the sea of tirants. This sea, back then, hadn't earned its name yet.

The first humans arrived on the continent before all others did. Or at least that's what they thought. It is Four hundred years BGC (before the great cataclysm). Where the humans landed, war followed soon after. The first king dubbed the continent "Esperia", continent of hope, yet he himself was the first to strike at his rival. Several kings followed the first, and it wasn't long before the entire continent was flooded with humans, led by Five kings. All of them engaged in war. Two of them, king Taroth and King Ulrfred were rulers of the two largest factions. They managed to unite some other kings under their banners, and fought a bloody battle of both land and sea. The major seabattle at Harsoth bay was what gave the sea of tirants its sinister name.

Eventually, the war was rudely interrupted by the elves, causing what is commonly known as the great Cataclysm and uniting the humans. All of the kings had been killed, and a council of nobles was founded to lead the newly dubbed Asiroth empire into war with the Elves of Nydaella.

(explanations on how the elves interrupted and of the event commonly known as the geat cataclysm will be described further below.)

-- Kingdom of Nydaella

Faction type: Kingdom
Ruling entity: Queen Anoressa
Primary race: Elves
Secondary race: none
Major cities: Alelinyth, Kaothiel,
Minor cities: Vilidien, Nydiewen, Lothiand, Thaymas, Cadaesien
Geography: Plains and soft hills. Some small open forests spread throughout the kingdom.

The Nydaellan elves and their queen Anoressa apeared roughly threehundred years after the first humans did. Back then, they lived in their divine plains of Heldra'ille in peace, tending to what humans consider trivial occupations such as art and song. However the Elves were created by their gods to maintain peace and beauty in the world as well as created it through art. Therefor, when they heard of the devastating war that raged in the continent in Esperia, they could not remain unmoved.

They invaded the continent from the south, their majestic armies dressed in shining white armor drew a frontline of destruction and constantly pushed it further inland. The smaller kingdoms were the first to fall, and fell fast. Their so called treaties with the two rivals further north seemed to be made out of thin air, for none of them came to their aid.
The elves' march came to a stop when they had conquered over half of the continent. The humans had been pushed back onto the plains and coastal line, and had somehow united again, grinding the elvish march to a grinding stop. For years, the fronts were drawn back and forth, north and south, until a rogue elven mage and his followers caused what is widely known as the great cataclysm and ended the war, dividing the continent into distinct nations. The humans remained in the north in what is now called the Asiroth Empire, and the Elves who went to war with them founded the kingdom of Nydaella, from where Anoressa ruled with just and fair hand.


-- Kaacien Confederacy

Faction type: Confederacy
Ruling entity: Independant kings united
Primary race: Dwarves
Secondary race: none
Major cities: Brilig, Baleder, Rhaerin, Gaudan, Umoig, Zelath, Etendav
Minor cities: none
Geography: High mountains, minor mountains. Some rivers that run through them. permafrost areas.

The Dwarves of the Kaacien mountains are warriors and merchants by trade. They constantly battle the many menaces in the moutains, both underground and on the mountaintops and passes. They are short of posture, the tallest dwarf ever recorded in human history stood to about the chest of a middle-sized man. They were a sturdy folk, well built for their mountain holds and the work they did as both warriors and merchants, but also as stonemasons - the best in the world. Many human lords paid dwarven architects to take charge into building a sturdy homestead, well able to withstand most dangers.

None are certain when exactly the dwarves first made their appearance. Maybe they had been in the mountains years before their first visit to the so called surfacers. However, in dealings between the Humans of Asiroth and dwarven merchants, it was soon learned and widely known that it was the great cataclysm, caused by the elven mage, that awoke the dwarves from their deep slumber far beneath the moutains' protective shield. They had reconquered and re-inhabited their old cities under the mountains, and it didn't stray from them.
Shortly after the 'awakening', the dwarves had retaken all seven of their old strongholds: Brilig, Baleder, Rhaerin, Gaudan, Umoig, Zelath and Etendav. Each stronghold had its own king, who governed his people from the grand fortress. Alliances were forged, and Fifty years past the Great Cataclysm, they formed an alliance that would be known as the Kaacien Confederacy. Each city would still be ruled by their own king, but these kings were now in league and bound by oath to aid eachother when circumstances so required.

-- Kingdom of Norsiar

Faction type: Kingdom
Ruling entity: King Rognus the great
Primary race: Humans
Secondary race: None
Major cities: Jatnajökull, Gornai
Minor cities: Hornstrandholm, Olafsvellir, Skeio, Icemire
Geography: Harsh winterlands, mountains and pine forests.

-- Kingdom of Andrix

Faction type: collection of independant city-states
Ruling entity: King Helios
Primary race: Humans
Secondary race: Sun elves
Major cities: Fort Goldburg, Silverden
Minor cities: Brightfield, Fairford
Geography: Flatlands and soft rolling hills, occasional trees (olive) medium mountains


-- City-state of Alaeswen

Faction type: Independant city
Ruling entity: Steward Mithro
Primary race: Humans (currently governing)
Secondary race: Elves, Dwarves, halflings, Lizardlings, Orcs, Goblins, Kobolds
Major cities: Alaeswen
Minor cities: None
Geography: Coastal city

-- City-state of Caderac

Faction type: Independant city
Ruling entity: Steward Fronn
Primary race: Humans (currently governing)
Secondary race: Dwarves, Lizardlings, Orcs, Goblins, Kobolds
Major cities: Caderac
Minor cities: None
Geography: Three mountains, covering south, east and north. hills surrounding them.

-- Astivaarth Confederacy

Faction type: Confederacy
Ruling entity: Council of lords
Primary race: Dwarves
Secondary race: Lizardlings, Kobolds
Major cities: Glalen
Minor cities: Onoan, Zirric
Geography: Primarily hills. Forest and a canyon

-- Afilani tribes

Faction type: United tribes
Ruling entity: Lizardlord
Primary race: Lizardlings
Secondary race: Orcs, Goblins, Kobolds, Gnolls
Major cities: Galameth
Minor cities: Arirag, Pasa
Geography: Wastelands and minor mountains

-- Ethaellan colonies

Faction type: Elven colony
Ruling entity: Council of the elders
Primary race: Elves
Secondary race: None
Major cities: None
Minor cities: Nydamwen, Sawyn, Glendaviel, Veclya
Geography: Woodlands and a large lake in the southernmost corner

-- Kingdom of Lin'ea

Faction type: Kingdom
Ruling entity: King Illithan
Primary race: Sun elves
Secondary race: None
Major cities: Rén'ian
Minor cities:
Geography: open forests and plains

-- Realm of Airundale

Faction type: Independant realm
Ruling entity: None
Primary race: Wood elves
Secondary race: Dryads
Major cities: Eowaundra
Minor cities: none
Geography: Deep and dark forest spreading all over it's territory and even slightly across its borders, into Afilani territory.

-- Kazar-Vugo

Faction type: Independant dwarven city
Ruling entity: High king Grimhammer
Primary race: Duergar (gray dwarves)
Secondary race: All other races, but only as slaves
Major cities: Zyron
Minor cities: Highcliff fortress
Geography: High altitude mountains, a single river.

-- Oeta

Faction type: Unknown
Ruling entity: Unknown
Primary race: Dryads
Secondary race: None
Major cities: Unknown
Minor cities: Unknown
Geography: Jungle and marshland

-- Kingdom of Phal'Thuvin

Faction type: Kingdom
Ruling entity: Overlord Zyggak'rioss
Primary race: Draconians
Secondary race: Duergar (slaves)
Major cities: Daerev
Minor cities: None
Geography:Several medium mountainranges and open plains