Part 61: Regarding the Lands and Seas of Myrror
Regarding the Lands and Seas of Myrror
The lands and seas of Myrror comprise eight great lands, as well as the Great Northern and Southern Wastelands, five great seas, and various lesser islands, bays, and so forth. The great lands are Dvergursheim, Osterland, Westerland, Trollsheim, Heimsveldisland, Drachensheim, Northerland, and Sutherland. Of these eight lands, the kingdom of Greater Dvergursheim comprises the lands of Dvergursheim, Osterland, and Westerland, and the Great Archipelago comprises the lands of Westerland, Trollsheim, Heimsveldisland, and Drachensheim. The five great seas are as follows: the Great Sea is the greatest, bounded on the west by Trollsheim, Westerland, and Drachensheim, and bounded on the east by Dvergursheim and Osterland, stretching north and south from Great Wasteland to Great Wasteland. The Sea of Rains is bounded on the west by Dvergursheim and Osterland, and on the east by Northerland, Heimsveldisland, and Sutherland. Like the Great Sea, it stretches from Great Wasteland to Great Wasteland on north and south. The Inner Sea is a sea of two arms, the northern arm being set between Heimsveldisland and Trollsheim, and the southern arm bounded on the north by the southern coasts of Heimsveldisland and Trollsheim and on the south by the northern coasts of Westerland and Drachensheim. The Sutherland Sea is enclosed on three sides by Sutherland, Heimsveldisland, and Drachensheim, and reaches south to the Great Southern Wasteland. And, finally, the Trollsheim Sea is bounded to the west by Northerland, to the east by Trollsheim, and to the North by the Great Northern Wasteland.
Dvergursheim
Dvergursheim is the most populous and the most wealthy land of Myrror, being thickly settled in most portions by dwarves, and with dark elves having settled on its western coast near Darkshore. It is the original ancestral home of the dwarves, and home to the post-Confederation kingdom of Goldwash which formed the kingdom of Greater Dvergursheim through settlement and through conquest, as well as the old kingdom of Stonegate in the Red Desert. It is richly endowed with gold, silver, and iron. The Red Desert dominates the north, the valley of the great Blackwater River dominates much of the south, and its one true mountain range, the Gray Mountains, stands a little north of the capital at Goldwash. One node of Nature and one node of Sorcery are found upon Dvergursheim, and a second node of Sorcery is upon a smaller island just off its western shores. Of these, only the node of Nature has been cleared and set to use by Dagmaer.
Osterland
Osterland is the second-most populous land of Myrror, being settled mostly by dark elves, with smaller numbers of dwarves and dragonkin, and, although the original home of neither dark elves nor dragonkin, is the ancestral home of all of those folk who survive to this day, who fled to Osterland from the Great Archipelago during the chaos following the fall of the Confederation of Wizards. The north is filled by the former kingdom of Bloodrock, settled about the valley of the Crimson River, the single largest river of Myrror, while the south has two pleasant peninsulas separated by hills from the harsher land of the Desert of Fangs. The post-Confederation realms of Blademarsh and Fangrock controlled much of southern Osterland, while the dwarven colony of Easthold controls the last portion of that land. Southern Osterland possesses rich deposits of coal, and contains some of the few known deposits of mithril, adamantium, and quork. Osterland is entirely free of any nodes of magic.
Westerland
Westerland is the least populous of the three lands of Greater Dvergursheim, although still far more populous than the one other settled land of Myrror, settled mostly by dwarves, but with some dragonkin and a few dark elves. It once held the post-Confederation realm of Stonehome. The center of the land of Westerland is dominated by the great Salmon River and a pleasant land of fields, forests, and hills stretching from northwest to southeast. North and east of the Salmon River, the great mountain range of the Stonespines is the largest in settled lands, with a rugged land of forests and mountains northeast of the Stonespines and the Desert of Fire north of the mountains. West of the hills at the western edges of the lands about the Salmon River, the land falls away to a flat and marshy land, with small scattered woods. Westerland enjoys rich deposits of silver, gold, iron, and coal, as well as two known deposits of mithril, one in the Stonespines and one in the southern hills. A node of Sorcery in the southwest has be pacified and harnessed, while a node of Chaos in the northeast is believed to be home to a great dragon.
Sutherland
Sutherland, the fourth and last settled land of the modern era, is by far the smallest in population, containing only the realm of Bantanu, a town and district of beastkin much less populous than many single towns of Greater Dvergursheim. Many of the features of this land are yet unnamed, with no settlement from Greater Dvergursheim nor exploration by Bantanu. The mountain range of Great Wall marks the edge of Bantanu's exploration and the limit of their realm, which is a fertile land rich in game for their hunters. Much of the remainder of Sutherland has harsh and unwelcoming terrain, barring a single fertile river valley in the west, and the land remains haunted by monsters in the ruins of the past. Nonetheless, there are rich deposits of gold and iron in Sutherland, and mithril and quork can be found in the land. A node of Chaos rests in the south. Bantanu itself supports a strong army for its size and a notable community of savants and magicians, but its land is very poorly cultivated and its people suffer in poverty. The abundance of game, perhaps, mitigates this, but still little wealth remains to its people. It has recently become host to the Black Brotherhood, pirates and fugitives from the justice of Greater Dvergursheim.
Trollsheim
Trollsheim, in ancient days, was the homeland of the trolls, a brutish people now lost and consigned to history, as well as hosting a dwarven kingdom on its eastern shores. It is a very rugged, mountainous land, falling off to swamps and bogs in the west, beyond a great river valley, and to frozen waste in the north. It is richer in mithril and in adamantium than any other land of Myrror. Monsters still lurk in every corner of Trollsheim, and two untamed nodes, one of Sorcery and one of Nature, lie in its north. An untamed node of Nature also lies on an island off its southern shores, resting between Trollsheim and Heimveldisland and marking the border between the northern and southern arms of the Inner Sea.
Drachensheim
Drachensheim, in ancient days, was the first homeland of the dragonkin, although their nomadic ways spread them far across many lands. It, along with Northerland, is one of the two smallest of the great lands of Myrror. Much of its terrain is rugged and harsh, great mountains resting between frozen wastes and parched deserts. Rich deposits of silver and a deposit of adamantium can be found here. Although some of the ruins of old have been cleared away from Drachensheim by the Royal Army, there remains a ruin holding at least one great burrowing serpent, and the node of Chaos in the northeast of the land is home to a mighty dragon.
Heimsveldisland
Heimsveldisland is the place of the first arrival of the dark elves on Myrror, and was home to the heart of their empire once they drove the beastkin that one had settled that land from its shores. From Heimsveldisland they eventually conquered every land of Myrror save Dvergursheim and Osterland. Two great rivers water Heimsveldisland north and south, originating from a spine of fertile hills that cut across the land. It is a very thickly forested land, very rich in gold and game, and with rich iron deposits. Many monsters lurk in the ruins of the Dark Elven Empire on Heimsveldisland, and an untamed node of Sorcery stands on a southern point of that land.
Northerland
Northerland is one of the smallest of the great lands of Myrror, and is a land largely waste, desolate and poorly-suited for settlers, although forests and a fertile river valley make for more fertile strips amidst the wastelands. Some monsters still lurk in ruins in the river valley and in the node of Sorcery at the center of Northerland. Rich deposits of gold can be found here, as well as deposits of mithril and quork.
Far Islands of the Sea
Far from any of the great lands of Myrror, there are two islands containing nodes of Sorcery. One lies a distance south of the southern tip of Dvergursheim, off the shores of the Great Southern Wasteland and resting between the Great Sea and Sea of Rains. There is a somewhat larger island in the middle of the northern portion of the Great Sea, far from any other land, also containing a node of Sorcery. Both nodes remain untamed.
The Six World-Towers
The World-Towers are one of the greatest accomplishments of the Confederation of Wizards, six towers built by the lore of Edward the Wise so that they would have a first portion in Arcanus, a room at the pinnacle existing in neither world, and bring into being a second tower in Myrror connected also to the room at the pinnacle. Through the World-Towers the wizards of the Confederation launched their invasion of Myrror. In Greater Dvergursheim, they are numbered according to the order in which their defenses were breached and their other side explored.
The First Tower rests on Dvergursheim itself, linking to a vast land in Arcanus unpeopled to my knowledge save by a small number of nomadic gnolls. A single company of swordsdwarves holds the tower, ensuring that lookout is maintained and warning provided for the stronger forces on Dvergursheim in the event of approach of monsters.
The Second Tower rests in the center of Westerland, with its Arcanian side on an island in the sea between the lands of Horus and of the Storm Tribes. A company of swordsdwarves hold the tower as lookouts to warn other forces on Westerland, and preventing Arcanian forces from passing through the tower without committing to an act of war against Greater Dvergursheim.
The Third Tower stands on Drachensheim, linking it to the orcish lands south of Horus' realm of men. As with the first two World-Towers, a company of swordsdwarves serve as lookouts and to prevent unchallenged travel through the tower.
The Fourth Tower is yet unexplored and uncleared of its guardians, standing on an island south of Westerland. It should link to Arcanus someplace east of the known territories of Horus.
The Fifth Tower, likewise unexplored and yet guarded by hostile beings, stands in northern Heimsveldisland, and should lead to a point roughly equidistant from the known lands of the Wind Tribes, Ixtu, and the eastern tip of the great unsettled Arcanian land that holds the First Tower.
The Sixth Tower stands in the wastes of Northerland, and should link to the western portions of the same land in Arcanus that holds the klackon town and realm of Ixtu. Like the Fourth and Fifth Towers, it is still unexplored and remains held by its original guardians.