The world of Valriea

Basic Information
Valriea consists of six continents, one gathering of islands and a small technologically advanced island off the coast of Elega. There may be more, though the current map is unfinished. The map's greatest contributor goes by the name of Dante Grace, who traveled the world recording his findings of each creature and settlement he came across, mapping out unexplored lands such as Starsa and the elusive "Unknown Isles". The continents were mostly named by the inhabitants, or the gods, rarely by Dante himself. Dante was a well-seasoned traveller, he was skilled enough to get to even the most dangerous of places, he was even able to earn the trust of some elusive races so that he could learn more. He published quite a few of his findings in books unless he had been strictly told not to by those who lived in that certain area.

The Continents
The names of these continents and islands were:
 * Elega; A diverse land filled with many different environments, also the largest of them all.
 * Balire; A lush land separated into two halves by a deep valley.
 * Valtar; A wasteland, the place of many wars, nothing could ever grow there. It can be known as the Gods Sparring Ground.
 * Ivendail; A frozen land inhabited by frost elves and ice mages.
 * Falconport; An island which floats high above the waves, only touching down at certain points in the year, allowing trading for a small window of time.
 * Starsa; An island cut off from the world by a magic barrier which may allow some in and out but prevents the dangers trapped there from ever leaving,
 * The Islands; A large group of various islands, all with different environments and inhabitants.

Elega


Elega is divided into six sections, Selos, Nerva, Evalond, Aston, Zerphin, and Nacarda. Evalond and Aston are joined by the same monarchy, whilst Selos lives independently without any monarchy at all. Nacarda is an almost unlivable area due to its water supply being cut off by mountains on every side. The people of Zerphin have recently broken free of a ten thousand year curse and are currently adapting to the extremely changed world around them. Nerva has never cared much for the world outside its borders, leaving its residents to be blissfully ignorant about the disagreements of other countries.

Evaston
Evalond

In Evalond, there is a complex system of rivers, all leading to one very large lake known as Lake Draconem which is at the bottom of Death Mountain. Death Mountain got its name from the sheer cliffs on each side, making it almost impossible to climb up. Dragons eventually took residence in the mountain, further boosting its title. Evalond's largest forest is known as Melancholy Forest, which is mostly controlled by a large pack of wolves. Next to Keldon there's another well-known mountain that was called DragonSkull Mountain since the entire mountain had been formed on the skeleton of a very large dragon. Since the mountain formed on the outside of the skeleton, the inside of the mountain is entirely hollow, which led to the gods creating a safe area for any of their children that may have felt out of place. There's a magical barrier through the hidden entrance, and so only those which hold the blood of the gods can enter, any others would turn to ash. The inside is quite simple; almost a small town by itself, equipped with its own farms and shops. In Melancholy Forest, a group of elves lives in the treetops, whilst a gathering of fairies and minima(Small people, around 2 inches or so.) live in the trunk of a large, hollowed out tree. Near the partially destroyed town of Fesare, there's a small pond consisting entirely holy water, as it is constantly being filled by a waterfall that reaches into the heavens. This water can cure almost anything, but if you have any sort of demon blood, or have been possessed by a demon at some point, the water will have the opposite effect on you. The purer your blood, the more effective the water will be in healing you; angels and light mages normally are greatly affected by the water, even being saved from certain death situations with it.

Main Towns and Cities:

Evalond is located in the uppermost north-east corner of Elega and holds within it three major towns, Port Renore, Keldon, and Fesare. Of course, throughout Evalond, there are many smaller settlements that aren't marked on the map, places too small to call a town, and places wherein the inhabitants refused to allow anyone to map their location, such as the elves and wolves. Fesare was an industrial town, the most advanced in Elega, though it was destroyed by an accidental fire in 1361. Soon after it was destroyed, the survivors and those from Keldon banded together to clear the area and rebuild the town. By 1363 the town had been rebuilt as a much smaller, quieter place. Though in the present day, Fesare has been abandoned and deemed cursed, due to it burning down again in 1406. Now its only inhabitants are outcasts and ghosts, people who don't tend to fit in with the general population of Keldon. Aside from those two main towns, there is also Port Renore, a busy trading city filled with joyous markets. Port Renore resides on the coast of Evalond and is often visited by the gods. Being so far from the castle, most of the folk at Port Renore have secretly abandoned the laws of the monarchy, to create a much more welcoming environment, accepting any Multi-Creatures looking for a safe place to reside.

Aston

Aston is almost completely cut off from the rest of the world due to the mountains on its eastern and southern sides, and ocean on its northern side. On Aston's western side is Zerphin, which was under a curse for so many years that no one even thinks of it as a real place anymore; as it was unexplored and uninhabitable. On its western side, towards Evalond, there is a large volcano amongst the mountains, and to prevent it from ever exploding, a cult built a base within the base of the volcano, and used magic to keep it at a livable temperature. What they do within the volcano is unknown, though no one thinks it's anything good as the cult seems to be hostile to anyone who approaches, and people have claimed to have seen them taking living people inside as captives, only for them to leave a few days later under their control.

Main Towns and Cities:

Aston just has one very large, walled-in city. Within it resides mainly only anti-MultiCreature humans, who are set in their ways of keeping them out and killing them, unaware of the history behind them all. Many humans had been saved by Multi-Creatures long ago during the war, Though humans never seem to take this into account when banishing them. Since Aston is cut off from Evalond, change hardly ever happens because the royal family in charge of Evalond tends to forget that Aston is a part of their country, leaving it to run itself with a group of people in powerful positions ruling over it.

The rest of Aston outside of the town's walls is all entirely forest, which became the home of many half-human beings such as averians, deerfolk, lupercal, and many others. There is one deep ravine to the western side of the town, which has been entirely claimed and taken over by a dangerous pack of wolves known as the Outcast pack.

Zerphin
Zerphin had once been under a thousand year curse, the entire area having been frozen completely, leaving the land uninhabitable for that period of time. The only ones who could possibly traverse the frozen wasteland were immortals and ice beings. The curse had been set off when someone had tried to steal a portion of Tamashi's soul from the heart of Zerphin after Tamashi had been shattered into fractions of her soul. As soon as the soul was touched by mortal hands, it let out a great rush of magic, freezing over the entire of Zerphin instantly, and cursing anyone who set foot after, to freeze just as fast.

Recently, Tamashi was able to reclaim her soul, spreading life back into Zerphin. Zerphin now has grassy fields, a few rivers, and two lakes with a forest towards Aston. The land is slowly recovering from the curse, making the area quite swamp-like. The people of Zerphin also need time to recover, since they had been cut from the timeline for so long. Travellers from Zerphin or who were visiting Zerphin at the time were hit the worst by the curse, having to traverse unknown lands due to the changes of time.

Main Towns and Cities:

Zerphin has two cities, Quald and Riftan. Quald is a quiet traditional styled town that had to be rebuilt after a disastrous gang destroyed the small village. It's now much bigger than it had ever been, but not many know about the town since hardly anyone ever leaves. Riftan is quite the opposite, having people coming and going all the time, leaving many races to create more mixed breeds. No one really ever stays in the town, leaving an ever changing area and barely a home to return to.

Selos
Selos is on the lower eastern side of Elega, having a small forest quite far inland and being majorly covered in farmland, it has many rivers running through it and a couple smaller lakes, leading to a partially swamp-like area in some places. There's no specific line separating Selos and Evalond, which can sometimes lead to fights over land, leaving some people unsure of which country they were in. On the western side of Selos is a mountain line which leads to either Nacarda or Nerva, depending on the part of the mountain you cross.

In the Selos forest, The Forest of Souls, there are many overgrown spirit shrines and silent shadow-dwelling species. The forest is a home to many elves as well as shadow beings and wolves.

Main Towns and Cities:

Selos had four coastal cities, and a few farmhouses dotted around further inland. The cities are Etsa, Jeton, Ackel, and Peto. Each of them have active trade routes with each other and the rest of the world either via land or ocean, and they're all very busy most of the time. Etsa is the largest of the four cities, having one part ever-changing and another older part of the city staying generally the same for decades leaving it as a great place to raise a family. Most living on the edge of Etsa actively help out on the farmlands just up from the town, and get extra rewards to trade to others. Jeton is the smallest, making it mainly a small port town with a couple traders living in houses around the waters edge. Ackel is a sleepy town in comparison to most trading towns, despite it being the second largest town in Selos. Peto is basically the same size as Jeton, but twice the population, people all cramming into multi-story buildings with tiny rooms to save space. Most of the townspeople of Jeton tend to save as much money as humanly possible. Recently, Jeton was destroyed by someone from another world wanting to take over Valriea.

Nerva
Nerva is the most dangerous of all the countries in Elega, almost even the world aside from Starsa. It has thick forests filled with exotic plants and ferocious animals and fields full of plants which will constrict and kill you at any given chance. By the coast there are serpents in the sea and dragons in the sky, waiting to pick off unsuspecting travellers for a free meal. Because of all the dangers in Nerva, a giant wall was built towards the center, with a magic barrier to keep danger out. Nerva's humanoid citizens also have the most variation when it comes to race and species.

Main Towns and Cities:

Within the Nervian barrier there are three towns, Leet, Sen, and Gles. Each of these towns have busy trade routes across farmland to each other. Between towns there are all kinds of farms, orchards, and shops, all resources for the citizens of the three towns.

Nacarda
Nacarda is entirely desert due to being blocked off from the rest of Elega with mountains on all sides. After a magic war occurred there thousands of years ago, a wizard cast a spell so it would never rain, so that the opposing side would soon run out of water. Unfortunately, this wizard was killed and was unable to undo the spell so the land and all its cities perished leaving nothing around. There are no rivers or lakes, but some creatures have adapted to survive in the sand dunes, making their own homes and creating their own unique eco-system. The nearby mountains are also home to some dragons, who once left a large portion of Nacarda as glass after breathing fire on it and melting the sand.

Main Towns and Cities:

Despite the unlivable conditions, some high-level mages who thought it would be a good idea to re-colonise the area created a large walled city, which was shielded from the harsh sunlight and desert storms by a shimmering magic barrier. From the inside of the city the barrier seems to be thousands of colours shimmering in a dome-like shape, but from the outside, none of the city is visible unless you've either been there before or touch the wall somehow. This city was soon written off as a myth, earning the name "The legendary city of Zennsa" since it's so hard to find. A bit away from Zennsa, some horrible person decided to build an orphanage, left unprotected in the desert. Of course, not many know of it so hardly anyone visits, and it used to be a living hell for those who lived there. But recently someone else has taken charge and made it into a much liveable environment, even managing to grow crops in the harsh conditions.

Lumen
Lumen is an industrial island which has a huge city which is extremely technologically advanced compared to the rest of Valriea.

Volheere
Volheere is an island that is to the north of Falconport, it is separated by two segments; The lush and fertile lands to the south, and the desolate snow covered wastes of the north. The south having many woodlands, mountains, and hill lands where the people of Volheere settle. To the north little life can survive and the few beings that can are either predator or prey. There is one solitary mountain in the north, that can be seen even from the south land’s due to its height. During the winter, all Volheere is consumed by the cold and snow covers all the land. Volheere is home to eternal strife as the forces of evil clash with the people of the land that just want to survive and perhaps find peace, calming the struggle so that they can prosper.

Settlements

Volheere houses many settlements of various tribes varying in size to the south. They can be the size of villages or to that of a size like a minor city yet their names are irrelevant since they do not last long. To the north the people live in holds that house the populace, all of which are home to the corrupted men of the land. There is only one settlement that is drastically different from the others; The Keep of the Wolf Lord.

Balire
Balire is a continent located on the top left of the Valriean map, it's divided into two halves by a deep canyon that splits right through the landmass, having a river spanning across the entire continent. All the flat ground of the continent is covered by a thick forest, full of various plants and animals, with unexplainable shrines placed in various locations. No one dares venture into the forests since it's said to be the territory of Terra, being of the earth. Lower down towards the river that runs through Balire is a swamp area that has secret houses built into the moss and soft dirt from the base.

Main Towns and Cities:

Balire only has one city, Lanos, which consists of buildings built into the cliffs, connected by tunnels and bridges making a large town that spans many levels, having staircases both in the land and down the stairs across the open canyon.

Valtar
Valtar is a large continent in the middle of Valriea. There are no towns, cities, not even lakes, plants, or rivers on Valtar. The entire place is a barren wasteland inhabited mostly by bandits who are passing through or used as a war ground when things get too out of hand on other continents.

Starsa
Starsa is the most dangerous place in Valriea. It has a small area, but it is absolutely full of the most dangerous creatures and plants imaginable. It's basically certain death to set foot on the island, having species that have never been seen anywhere else, entirely different from anything else anyone had seen. One of the most dangerous things about Starsa is its main resident, Azzun, the god of predators. Azzun was banished from the mainland of Elega due to his behaviour towards other gods, mortals, and animals alike. He's dangerous in all aspects, and near-impossible to fight against. He lived on the island in solitude for quite a while, before his younger sister, Vargos decided to join him to ease his loneliness despite his dangerous personality and habits.

Dragon's Lair
Dragon's Lair is a huge rock formation just under Starsa. As its name suggests, the land is only inhabited by dragons, who hoard there and sleep there but get their food elsewhere. Many young dragonlings were raised on this island since it was such an ideal spot right near Starsa, where they could hunt for food whenever they wanted with Starsa's never-ending supply of various creatures. However, towards runt dragons, the community of the island is less than friendly, even chasing away dragonlings who didn't grow as quickly, despite their origins on that island.

Tectos
Tectos is mostly known as wolf isle, for its high lupercal and wolf population. The people and wolves of Tectos don't particularly like any outsiders and turn away most ships. Tectos is mostly forested with some large cave systems and a luxurious beach towards the south. Many wolf packs and families live in the forest, being either full-breeds and half-breeds..

Main Towns and Cities:

Tectos only has one town, Evlan, which is a simple village with only lupercal. Those who live in the town and those who live in the forest tend to avoid each other as much as possible unless they need something for some particular reason. Some families who have trouble living on their own are forced to move between the two areas, drawing hate from others around towards them and making them targets for bullying, discrimination, and stealing.

Phoenix Island
Also known as the kingdom of the birds, Phoenix Island is the safest place for young averiansto grow up. Though it used to be a place for nearly any averians now, many of the sub-species have left the island and now have made their home in the Aston forests. The island is now almost entirely inhabited by phoenix averians, which is where the name came from. Originally the island was known as Avaeria, a more accepting name for the many sub-species that had lived there for so many years before they overpopulated the island.

Crescent Isle
Shaped like the crescent moon, it's obvious where this island got its name. Much like Elega, it's an ideal place to live with the right balance of environments and a couple thriving towns. The island has two small forests, and quite a bit of lush grassy fields, as well as a rock field near the coast where caves are commonplace. There are five lakes on Crescent Isle.

Main Towns and Cities:

There are three cities on Crescent Isle, the smallest down the bottom, Otan, the largest city in the middle on the coast, Xavos, and an average sized city up the top, Ravil. Otan is a walled city, staying vaguely the same size over many many years, with not many people visiting or leaving often. Ravil is an ever-changing city, accepting people all the time and having trade routes with Xavos and the people of Balire. Xavos is a huge city, being right on the ocean it has multiple ports and ships constantly coming in and out. There are quiet parts of the city, and very lively parts closer to the water. It has a huge market and items from all around Valriea, so if you were a collector of any sort looking for an item, Xavos would be the place to check.

The unknown isles
This island formation is made up of five islands in the shape of a cat's paw, and not much is known about them aside from the fact there are no towns and each island is entirely covered by forest so thick that it's difficult to travel through. The islands don't have specific names, since they've all been written off as having exactly the same things in accordance to each other.

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