Terra

The Summerland Isles is a chain of eight islands totaling just shy of 11,000 square miles of land, located in the southern ocean between Durothil and Europa. Six of the eight islands are inhabited by two different nations: The Garden of Eden, known more commonly as simply the Garden, makes up the northernmost island, and the merchant city of Sommerset makes up the remaining five. Two of the islands remain uninhabited.

Type Size Demonym Countries Inhabitants

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Archipelago Numbers X The Garden Sommerset City

A land of peace and plenty awash in shades of rose and ivory. Flowers and trees are commonplace here and the land is enchanted to maintain the seasons of spring and summer for 11 of the 12 months of the year. December is marked with a powerful blizzard that freezes the garden, but it is soon to fade come January.

Those who linger in the garden reflect it's rosy atmosphere, themselves donning shades of pink and cream (with few exceptions). The garden is lead by a Garden Council, each of them hailing from the various factions that call the garden home. This council is headed by a small group known as the Vessels of Eden. The vessels are different for they are unique among the masses - near extinct and hard to find. They are held closer to Eden than most of the other inhabitants, and she shelters and protects them with all the might of the Great Mother (Nature).

The garden was, itself, created with powerful magics, the bountiful land a product of Eden's gifts and blessings from the Great Mother who had imbued her with a touch of grace. Granted abilities beyond the imaginations of most mortals Eden set about creating the garden, her garden - the Garden of Eden.

Powerful though she was Eden could not possibly protect the garden on her own, and so she sought the help of her three closest companions: the Bloodhunter, the Lanternkeeper, and the Frostwalker. Alongside Eden, the trio are the greatest protectors of the garden.

The Mercantile Republic of Sommerset encompasses five islands in the chain of eight known as the Summerland Isles. It is an independent and autonomous nation with a culture and economy based on maritime navigation and trade. They possess a powerful navy with impeccable ships built in their own arsenals.

The leaders consist of a council of merchants headed by a Doge – they are elected by the citizenry with the primary duty of increasing the nation's collective wealth. Thus, while military affairs are of importance, they are usually focused on opening or guarding trade routes. Diplomacy is centered on matters as tariffs, customs duties and financial matters.

Feudal control by an absolutist monarchy is absent completely in Sommerset. Instead, Sommerset has 5 leading families/guilds, each headed by a Patrician, who vie for control and conduct trading. These Patricians form the governing council.

The Doge rules the republic, and since the people elect their leader, the Doge must be elected. They are not so much elected as chosen, however, from one of the five Patrician families/guilds.

The most important trade goods include:
Medicines: aloe vera, balsam, ginger, camphor, laudanum, cardamom, rhubarb, astragalus
Spices: black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, white sugar
Perfumes and odorous substances to burn: musk, mastic, sandalwood, incense, ambergris
Dyes: indigo, alum, carmine, varnish
Textiles: silk, Summerland linen, sambe, brocade, velvet, damask, carpets
Luxury products: gemstones, precious coral, pearls, ivory, porcelain, gold and silver threads