Editing Autia (section)

== '''The South (Continent of Autia)''' ==

==='''Regional Religion'''===

The southern cultures don't have a very unified religious tradition but still generally share three gods :
Primolt, personification of the Aether and father of everything.
Great Mother, personification of the ocean, daughter and wife of Primolt, mother of the first ancestors and the Green Titan.
Green Titan, personification of the land and life.

They are rarely directly worshipped but exist in the creation myths of all southerners in some form.


==='''Regional History'''===

====The Eldrian Empire====

Basically the entire southern part of the continent that hasn't been claimed by Nantes or the Union, their main capital was in Eldr but the original Eldrians may have come from the ocean if the ruins out there are any indication.

They're your lost empire archetype, think Atlantis or Lemuria, beautiful and long-lived people with access to the original forms of magic, had very little ethics when it came to magic, leading to a series of poorly thought out creations including most magical creatures witnessed on the Continent, had a lot of political schisms that would lead to an eventual civil war after an attempted ban on 'World Magic' after the sinking of Berumas, an island to the South of the continent, this lead to the deployment of a World-Magic classed WMD being deployed on the main cities of Eldr, Rais (Now the Rust Desert), and Goswood (The Northern Wastes) the weapon lead to the destruction of the land through mystical radiation that warped all the land and those caught in it into new and often horrific forms, Eldr itself was eventually forced to be trapped inside the 'Widow's Veil' a magical shield that unfortunately killed off most who cast it and leaving the few survivors too mad to be classified even as sentient anymore, in order to stop the ambient magical radiation from leaking out and rendering it's evil upon the rest of the continent.

The destruction of Eldr lead to the release of many magical experiments who went on to create their own lands, the Pumkin Kingdom just below Eldr, the Taur Tribes to the South-west and even the Peace-emitting people's of Hoogivs are the main examples, it is theorised that the Theocracy of Alana, Persquaria, the Wizard Coast and the Unravellers were all descended from Eldrian mages, but little evidence has come forward to support this.

==='''Regional Magic Practises'''===

Magic in the South is a bit different from Nantic magic, generally being considered "arcanic thaumaturgy" in the academic classifiation of the Nantic mages (mostly because from their viewpoint this form of magic sort of use the Aether as if it was a god).

The key difference is that southern mages coax out the Aether into creating magical effects directly instead of forcibly manipulating its energy, a major advantage is more inherent power and needing a lot less of intellectual effort making spells unrealistically complex for Nandic magic possible but there are many cons like a much stepper learning curbe for fine control, a high level of unpredictability and a complete lack of metamagic like nandic aether manipulation because the Aerther can't manipulate itself.

Practice of southern magic is conceptual and ritual, generally involving a symbolic sacrifice to make the Aether itself "figure out" something appropriate, getting the Aether to really do what you want is the hard part and even the most talented southern mages often need to improvise with what they get.

Main southern schools of magic :

Alchemy : The main school in the Wizard Coast, the elaborate alchemical processes are actually just a complex way to ritually define what kinds of effects should a potion be granted by the Aether, the potions can be used for many things like healing, reinforcing materials or even doing some menial work without a workforce.
Possibly the most reliable school but slow and time-intensive.
Also surprisingly useless for magitech, to the disappointment of many Nantic mages.

Life Magic : Used everywhere but accidentally perfected in Sneed and main school of the Taur Tribes, is it the organic equivalent of Material Alteration (there is some overlap but most of biology is too complex to be used in Nandic magic)
Includes shapeshifting, self-enhancement and body modification (can become hereditary changes if done by great masters), modified plants able to grow biological substitutes of most materials,etc...
More or less potentially able to do anything wholly physical and not overtly supernatural but Life Magic like life itself is fuzzy, unpredictable and hard to constrain.
Most of its greatest and worst feats are accidental, side-effects are a constant and the greatest life masters are merely talented with getting what they want with side-effects that they can live with or find uses for.
Things created or altered by Life Magic tend to mutate over time (often developing a resistance against hostile life magic), even after a long period of apparent stability and are likely to find a way to self-replicate.
Creating living servants is very useful but they have a nasty habit of growing smarter, both resistant to and talented at Life Magic over time, although the effect seems both weaker and more benign if they are not kept in captivity and to a lesser extent just treated well.

Oath Magic : The main school in the Kingdom of Luver and the basis of their social order.
Can create "magical contracts" manifesting as very strong mental compulsions to fulfill and not break them, very powerful contracts can bind the descendants of the signatories.
There isn't really an upper bound to what this magic can do but is it limited to pure psychological effects, doesn't enhance the willpower of those affected in anyway (someone bound to be a soldier will fight but may still be paralyzed by fear), fall short of true mind control, can't be used on the unwilling (although pressuring someone is possible) and all parties involved must be bound to fair duties and obligations towards each others (you can't bind someone to become your slave, but you can enter a somewhat idealized lord-vassal relationship with them).
Also VERY vulnerable to creative interpretation of the contract and those with the dominant role in the relationship are still as bound as their subjects.
Outside of Luver, this school of magic is generally used for roughly egalitarian short to mid-terms literal oaths and contracts, very rarely life-long superior and subordinate relationships.
Has an unexplained side-effect of weakening the immune system of those actively using it and eventually cause a magic-resistant form of lymphoma with overuse.

Spirit Magic: A simple form of magic allowing the users to make the Aether create subservient short-lived pseudo-spirits.
They are weak but can do a bit of everything, more experienced users can create more powerful specialized spirits and above all the school is easy to learn and incredibly cheap to practice, making it very popular with savage southern people such as the Taur Tribes and the Theocracy of Alana but also as a "lesser magic" for the poorer folks among the developed southern nations.
Is it not uncommon for both groups to forget that these "spirits" are artificial and to confuse this school with a form of actual spirit summoning.
Spirit Magic being associated with both lack of civilization and poverty means that it has quite a bit of unexplored potential.

Divination & Dream Magic : All southern people (even the Taur Tribes) have some individuals either able to have some insight in the most likely future a the time (very limited outside of a few true oracles and never true prediction of "fate") or to manipulate in some ways the dreams of others.
Both have a lot of variation (some divinators just have a very good intuition, others can enter a trance state where they can see glimpses of the future,ect...some dream magicians can manipulate dreams while awake but a lot need to sleep too) and they never really improve once their talent manifests itself.
Most Nandic scholars think that these two forms of magic interact with the Aether but otherwise are mostly biological quirks.

Dark Aether Channeling : The rarest main southern school of magic, only practiced by secretive and hated mages.
The only way for southern mages to get something similar to Nantic Aether Manipulation is to channel a strange form of Aether in your own body, the most basic use of Dark Aether is in the form of destructive miasmas but the true power of the school is to corrupt magic, others and even the user himself.
A dark mage can destroy or even subvert other forms of magic, weaken or mutilate enemies and exploit corruption for his own gain.
The school is always corrupting but a good practionner can mostly sacifice others to get power or even corrupt himself in benefitial ways such as ravaging their own body with Dark Aether but increase how much they can store in themselves and slow their aging as a sort of lich.
The major incovenients are that it's very hard for those using it to not corrupt themselves to the point that even the other schools they know are corrupted (that make them more destructive but much less capable overall) and most destroy or mutilate themselves sooner than later.
Generally more potent the closer you are to the Eldr but also harder to control.
The Theocracy of Alana may or may not have dark mages.

==='''Sub-Regions of the South'''===

====Temple Isle====
''Babylonian/Sumerian theocracy ruled by mage-priests and a priest-king. Build fancy ziggurats and the whole society is geared towards their faith. Occasionally send raiders over seas for artifacts and captives. Large festivals periodically draw outsiders to the island with the intent that some will be converted or be forced to stay if they don't leave in time. Some warriors are periodically selected to pilgrim about the world for information, relics, and proselytizing. Likely distant relatives of the shahdom and other islanders.''

[[Temple Isle]]

====Pumkin====

The Pumkin are an escaped magical experiment from the ancient Eldrian Empire that has built a kingdom of their own and spread moderately across the lands. They're a race of pumpkin-like flora beings that come in many sizes and shapes, but are commonly short and stout. Particularly tall and lean Pumkin are often but not necessarily put in important positions. Their reproductive methods is still a mystery to many races of Autia. Don't be fooled into thinking they're harmless, they're carnivorous and might happily attempt to eat anyone who wander into their territory. For some reason though, they find Elves strangely attractive and are significantly less likely to consider them food. There are a few places where Elves and Pumkin live in the same community in harmony.

They have a patron deity, Via, a minor goddess of plants, vegetables and seeds. When the Pumkin population grew to the extent that it threatened to overpopulate the world, Via made a deal with other deities; she'd control the Pumkin population, but in return they will be welcomed to the afterlife. Because they're guaranteed access to it, Pumkin will gleefully charge into combat, as they have no innate reason to fear the consequences of death.

The Pumkin Kingdom is ruled by the Pumking, a seemingly immortal and mighty Pumkin mage that regrows itself whenever its current body expires. It laments its immortality and consider it a curse, for it wishes to join the afterlife and join its brethren. Many of the Pumking's plots and schemes are made with the intention to find a way to achieve its final expiration and go to the afterlife it covets so much.

====Anders City====

Ander City is a southern city-state where the usual rule of spirit magic being despised by the developed southerners doesn't hold true.
A spirit mage once created a much more powerful spirit than is usual, one able to eat other spirits to grow stronger and extend its short lifespan.
Already more respected than normal, the Guild of Spirit Mages got much power thanks to the budding entity and evolved into the semi-hereditary noble-priests of the God of the City.
The unusual spirit was quickly worshipped as a God by the inhabitants of the city and most of the local economy and magical scene now revolve around producing enough spirits to feed the city god in exchange of its "miracles".
The city is powerful for its size but begin to have trouble feeding their evermore ravenous "God".

====Desert of Rust====

Morgov, The Defiler:

The Desert of Rust was once home of the city of Rais, which was in charge of a council of mages. Under these mages was Morgov, a very egocentric man yet respected by his intelligence and knowledge of the art of magic, seeking the best for Rais and it's people while at the same time trying to gain full control of the city for himself. It was this wizard, who caused a civil wear between him and his followers against those who still were loyal to Rais. Secretly study the art of necromancy for years, the fight against Morgov turned out to be difficult as he grew stronger and so the remaining wizards who fought him where only able to trap Morgov inside a tower, where he should stay for eternity, known as the Throne of Rust. The end of this brutal civil war however led to the cities downfall until only the tower was left. But with the wizards gone the spell around the tower start to weakened and soon, Morgov, kown in history as the Defiler, the Curse of Rais, will rise as a lichlord to finish his quest for power.

The Cult of Morgov (members often referred as Morgoviths), is a cult of mad driven necromancers or dark priests, dedicated to the lich Morgov who's they also refer as the dark god or the father of necromancy, even tough it is unknown if Morgov was the first ever lich or necromancer at all, yet he was known of being one of the most powerful, so that he was unable to destroy and had to be imprisoned to keep him at bay. The cult was found by a man called Marcus Revalt, a young wizard student who failed to absolved his goal in becoming a powerful wizard because of many other student being way more better then him. Devastatedand full of grief, he was an easy target to manipulate and he was even the first one who heard the call of the lich. The voice led him to the Desert of Rust, to the tower where he was ordered to built a cult in Morgov's name and spread his name and influence. Marcus started in small towns where he soon gained followers. Bigger nations however got notice of the cults activities in the regions and started to hunt down several hideouts and location they controled, leading Marcus to be captured and sentenced to death. The death of Marcus however wasn't the end of the cult, survivors and new members are hiding in the Desert of Rust, prepearing the day that there dark master will emerge from the Throne of Rust and lead the army of dead against the nations of Autia.

====Brazilistan====

Brazilistan is a nation of brown skinned dwarves directly bordering Sneed. Brazilistan is a poor nation, while most dwarves would establish strongholds and fortresses in the mountains and sell their services as miners to the human kingdoms, the dwarves of Brazilistan make their livings in the magic tainted wastelands and forests of the South. Dwarves for the most part resemble shorter versions of humans except hardier and more resistant to the elements, the Brazilistanis live in conditions that would make a regular Man turn blue which is the secret of their success. The Dwarves of Brazilistan make their livings slaying magical beasts and harvesting alchemical components from some of the deadliest sources on the planet, and subsequently selling them to the Human nations for astronomically high prices. Due to this trade the Brazilistanis have remained fairly neutral with their army mainly used to fill rebels full of spears and police the population with the Dwarf nobles or "Senators " as they call themselves collecting and redistributing the nation's wealth leading to great inequality in the nation and constant riots. The King or "President " as he likes the title to be known is supposed to be elected by the populace but more often than not these elections are controlled by the nobility though their have been a few good Presidents. The Brazilistanis knowing the magical wealth of the nation safeguard themselves from invasion by having numerous plans to completely destroy the natural environment and leave it barren of any value, as a simple deterrent of course.

====Second Empire====

The self-proclaimed "Second Empire" is a nation extremely proud of its Eldrian heritage and seeking to recreate the fallen empire.
The Empire was once a confederation of several (mostly) human southern kingdoms that fully merged together because a pan-nationalistic eldrian movement became dominant in the region (after the purge of the most stubborn "nationalist reactionnaries").

They are very friendly with all and any nation of eldrian heritage and strangely enough consider the sapient descendants of Eldrian experiments like the Taurs and the inhabitants of the Pumkin Kingdom as being fully Eldrian (causing some diplomatic awkwardness because of the skirmishes between Sneed and the Taur Tribes but both appreciate the zealous help that the Empire give to them against Aesanaeria).
Their closest allies are the Theocracy of Alana and the Unravelers, the Empire enjoys their drive for ancient eldrian knowledge and is always to help them.
All non-Eldrians living in the land belonging to the Eldrian Empire (unless they are limited in numbers and accept the authority of Eldrians) are their enemies but they especially hate Aesanaeria and Brazilistan, the former for expanding in the South and the latter for holding so much southern land.
Caricatures of foreigners as "Sorgos mongrel half-dwarf mulattoes" are very common and by law having sex with a Taur is legal but sex between an Eldrian and even human non-Eldrians is considered bestiality.

All schools of southern magic, including dark aether channeling (regulated by the state and mostly limited to the military and government research) are common, well-developed and supported by the state to stay competitive with Nantic magic although the more "experimental" wizards are often sent to the Unravelers.
They loathe magitech and trade heavily with An for the non-magical weaponry of the Union to supplement their purely magical warfare with more acceptable pure technology.

They are ruled by an Emperor elected for life from the hereditary provincial governors who themselves descend from the royal families of the Kingdoms that made up the Empire.

Ironically, their semi-official religion is an henotheist cult of a syncretic form of the primordial southern goddess Mother Ocean and the Nantic Fertility Goddess : Eldrians are the only legitimate children of Eldria while non-Eldrians are merely lesser bastards only deserving to be tolerated as second-class minorities or in the barbarian lands outside of the Empire.

People:

The politically dominant race in the Second Empire are the so-called Eldrians, magically talented humans who descended from a mix of human races conquered by the Eldrians, and in some cases, have some blood ties to the original Eldrian race. However, the Eldrians ran a multi-cultural empire based on racial castes, and thus so do the rulers of the Second Empire. They are keen to re-absorb any peoples who were once a part of the Eldrian Empire, including both magical creations like the taurs, pumkin, duckers, and horsemen, as well as former client peoples like the southern Nantic cultures, western Jinsan, and northern Shaobon. Many such individuals can now be found in their holdings on Autia and Flickfowl.

A strange exception to this rule are the Sorgos dwarfs of Brazilistan. Once near the bottom of the hierarchy in the days of the Eldrian Empire, their continued resistance to any attempts at being integrated into the Second Empire has caused the leaders of the Second Empire to label them as foul foreigners.

Despite their self-professed hatred for foreigners and their ways, the elite of the Second Empire have a keen interest in foreign martial styles, and foreign mercenaries are a common sight in the entourages of the wealthy, particularly the wealthy, and the radical mages known as Unravellers.

A handful of Bridge Tribers still live in the remnants of San'Barg, now reduced to a worthless stretch of coastal swamp. The Second Empire claims control of this area, but makes little effort to collect taxes, enforce laws, or hunt down rampaging monsters.

Religion:

The Southern Gods associated with the original Eldrian Empire; Primolt, Great Mother, and the Green Titan, are strangely not particularly respected here, instead, Mother Ocean is worshipped. Seen as the goddess of the original Eldrian people, she was only worshipped by pure blood Eldrians at the time of the Eldrian Empire. It is believed that the modern version of her faith was created by combining elements of Gaelhalla with the Great Mother, along with a healthy dose of nationalist propaganda and historical revisionism.

Magic:

Mages in the Second Empire practice all forms of magic invented by the Eldrian Empire, now known as the Southern Magic Tradition. They have an irrational dislike for other magic traditions, particularly those from the Nantic States, but turn a blind eye to the fact that the mages of the Zandra Peninsula (known as the Unravellers) openly practice all forms of magic. Although technically a part of the Second Empire, the Unravellers are a law unto themselves, and many mages and nobles from other parts of the Second Empire make frequent use of their services, and they are a key component to the Second Empire's military, intelligence, and "industrial" organizations.

Mages who are seen as too radical, particularly users of dark aether channeling, are often sent to join the Unravellers, however, many Second Empire mages use forms of magic considered unethical in other lands, particularly Life Magic to create strange new creations from unwilling subjects, still a cornerstone of the Second Empire's military.

Military:

The Second Empire refuses to use Material Alternation and Aether Manipulation to make so called "magitech" devices, a strange self imposed rule since the Eldrian Empire freely used magic copied from other cultures. However, it sometimes uses Life Magic and Dark Aether Channeling to achieve similar results. The Unravellers ignore this rule.

Life magic is also frequently used to create new races as shock troops, though the more extreme experiments tend to come from the Unravellers.

They buy weapons from the Union for their non-magical troops.

The Second Empire uses its military to bully its neighbors, or help former Eldrian nations fight against non-Eldrian nations like Aesanaeria.

History:

The original Eldrian civilization was believed to have emerged from beneath the waves of the North Emerald Ocean. Although the centre of Eldrian civilization gradually shifted north, where magic could be harnessed more efficiently, a number of important coastal cities remained.

Alongside unimportant rural provinces like Sneed and Kornheiseria, and strange cults like the Theocracy and Persquaria, some of these coastal cities were the only parts of the Eldrian Empire to remain relatively intact.

For nearly a century, the coastal cities struggled to rebuild, while the interior was left to former servant races and out of control magic creations. Some foreign nations also founded colonies in the area, including the short lived Bridge Tribe colony of San'Burg, which was largely abandoned due to repeated attacks by the taur tribes and roaming monsters.

Eventually political factions in some of the coastal cities on both Autia and Flickfowl joined forces, purged their enemies, and formed a new government with the goal of reuniting the old Eldrian Empire.

Progress has been slow in Autia, where they face considerable resistance from their former servant races and rampaging monsters, however, they have made gradual progress, and are currently on a diplomacy blitz in both Sneed and some of the Taur Tribes. They have also long courted the Theocracy of Alana, seeing them as one of the last pure descendants of the Eldrian Empire, however, although considered allies, they don't fully understand the Theocracy's values and motives.

More success was to be had in Flickfowl (known by the Second Empire as Shao-bonham), where their member cities there were able quickly reestablish control over the northern portion of the continent with help from the more powerful Autian city states and provinces.

Economy:

The Second Empire is ruled by nobles who trace their descent to the nobility of the Eldrian Empire. Magic users and nobles (who are also usually magic users) tend to own anything worth owning, including land, buildings, and hoarded wealth.

Common folk do their best to get by in a land filled with rogue monsters and other creations, both recently created, and left over from the Eldrian Empire. Many work on planation farms, or as domestic servants.

The Second Empire imports technological devices, and exports potions and strange monsters and items made from life magic.

Government:

The Second Empire is ruled by a coalition of provinces, each led by nobility descended from Eldrian Empire Era noble families. The overall ruler is the Emperor, elected for life by the leaders of the provinces. Due to life magic, and other more darker forms of magic, some Emperors rule for many decades, while others are assassinated after just a short while in ways even the strongest magic can't return them from. The current Emperor is Emperor Syn Vymber II. Despite being a man of vile and sadistic hobbies, he is firm but fair to those he sees a valuable to the Second Empire's cause, and his zeal is tempered with foresight and pragmatism which has allowed him to consolidate and expand the Empire at a rate not seen in modern times.

Although each provincial leader is strongly committed to the goals of the Second Empire, many display a certain amount of megalomania due to their unnaturally long lives and access to powerful magic. As a result, laws and customs can vary greatly from one province to the next. However, the Golden Legion (Army) and the Black Fleet (Navy) are always well positioned to invade any province showing signs of separation, or shirking on taxes, though this hasn't occurred for over a century, and the current batch of provincial leaders are all committed racists, xenophobes, and/or imperialists who are always keen to prove their commitment to the Empire.

Both the Golden Legion and the Black Fleet are somewhat under equipped and undertrained, however, this also allows the Second Empire to maintain a large army at relatively low cost. The real heavy hitters both forces though are the nobles, the mages, and their assorted creations. Thanks to the biology altering abilities of life magic and alchemy, the elite of Second Empire are typically heavily enhanced, whether it be relatively subtle chances to appearance, strength, and stamina, to the strange and terrifying forms associated with some of the Unravelers and their creations, and a few nobles as well. Many shock troops and members of knightly orders settle for increased size, muscle mass, and durability.

Geography:

The Autian component of the Second Empire is mostly subtropical forest, farmed land, and swamps, while the Flickfowl component is a mix of jungle and subtropical forest that rises sharply along the southern edge where it reaches the Peaks of the Heavens mountain range. The Second Empire is split up into a series of provinces, all of which are named for their largest city. Their are also several special territories, which don't have cities, and are ruled by the military (or by no one in the case of the Zandra Peninsula).

- Zandra Peninsula: This swampy, low-lying peninsula has long been the domain of the more experimental, reckless, and unethical of the Eldrian magic users, it now serves the same purpose in the Second Empire. Home to the so-called Unravellers, their servants, and their creations, it is generally seen as an area to be avoided by the sane. There isn't any large communities, instead each magic user, or group of magic users, operates out of a compound of their own design. These compounds are often surrounded by testing ranges, alchemy gardens, and "zoos" showing off their favorite creations, however, the bulk of the peninsula is swamps, marshes, and dense forest, where the occasional escaped slave or creation struggles to survive in a vicious ecosystem made up of the most dangerous of past escapees.

- Kyleana: One of the Second Empire's largest port cities, Kyleana joined the Second Empire under duress, but any seperatist sentiment is long dead. It now has a reputation for being a thriving merchant harbour with a strong military presence.

- Jikenzen: The westernmost city on the old trade road, Jikenzen mostly serves as the command center for military operations meant to tame the western edge of the Empire, and possibly one day launch an invasion into Brazilistan. Tens of thousands of soldiers, laborers and slaves have the thankless task of clearing jungle filled ruins and arable land of vegetation, monsters, and magical hazards.

- Morelosso: This large coastal city is one of the few Eldrian cities to survive the fall relatively intact. Consisting of tens of thousands of gleaming buildings of white marble with brass and gold trim, hung with flags and banners featuring the gold and black of the Second Empire, it is highly visible reminder to the Second Empire's wealth and ambition. Like most previous Emperors, Emperor Syn Vymber II makes his home in the sprawling Ascendant Palace in the middle of the city. The black and gold (or at least black and brass) colors of the Second Empire are almost everywhere, particularly the clothes of nobles, wealthy citizens, members of the Gold Legion and Black Fleet (both of which have a large presence in the city), bureaucrats, and senior domestic servants.

The area surrounding the city has been largely cleared of hazards to make space for plantations, estates, and palaces, though trouble still crops up occasionally in unusable land like rocky hills, or undrainable swamps.

- Vulpturen: The small city of Vulpturen is a rather dull place where b-list nobility manage the plantations and other holdings of their senior family members in Morelosso. The land in the province is mostly covered in plantations, with some estates, but almost no palaces.

- Cressoe: Much of the land in this province is untamed swamp and damp forest. Never well inhabited, even at the peak of the Eldrian Empire, the swamps are home to swamp dwelling fey like hags, bullywugs, and giant frogs. Also common are the so-called swamp elves, a mongrel race of elves, humans, and sometimes goblins that live in the deepest sections of swamp in southern Autia. Although less dangerous than the neighboring Taur Region and Ashkev Province, Cressoe is largely uninhabited by civilized folk except for the towns and villages along the trade road. The only city is Cressoe, a partially ruined, partially flooded regional hub ruled by an eccentric mage obsessed with the magic of swamp fey.

- Traghazo: Traghazo is a smallish province located on a low plateau overlooking the swamps to the north and the ocean to the south. Home to plantations, ranches, estates, and several large palaces along the ocean, it is generally free from the wandering monsters and magic hazards found in other mainland provinces, though the local elite have a reputation for being even more callous than in other parts of the Empire.

The main city, Traghazo, is the main slave trading hub of the Empire, where slaves taken during uprisings in Flickfowl, or supplied by the Afzen are purchased, and malcontents, convicts, and surplus slaves are sold. Once a major center of culture and the arts in the Eldrian Empire, it is filled with theatres and statue filled plazas, some of which have been repurposed as slave markets. Although most of the shipping is done by Afzen Amazons (who make up a large portion of the city's residents), the local nobles are still able to reap huge profits from the slave markets. The governor in particular is famous for his decadent palace and massive harem.

- San'barg: This desolate region of coastal swamps and sandbars is the last remnants of a colonization attempt by men of the Bridge Tribes back before the formation of the Second Empire. Home to several Eldrian ruins, hostile Taur tribes, and assorted other monsters left over from the Eldrian era, the Second Empire doesn't see it as worth their time trying to colonize this era beyond some large coastal forts. Instead, the remaining Bridge Tribers are allowed to scrape by on hunter-gatherer lifestyles unmolested despite nominally being inhabitants of the Second Empire.

- Ashkev: Considered one of the most dangerous of the mainland provinces, Ashkev is a mess of rocky outcroppings, swamps, marshes, shallow lakes, magically irradiated sludge pits, forests teeming with the monstrous creations of the Eldrian Empire, and tribes of hostile Taur. Half-spiders known as driders, as well as harpies are also a particular nuisance, though it is unclear whether they natural, or Eldrian created facsimiles. Natural hazards like quicksand, and an extremely painful local cactus, are nearly as hated as the monsters and magic.

At the center of this mess is the City of Ashkev itself. Once one of the largest cities in the Eldrian Empire, the degradation of local drainage networks mean much of the city is now covered in several feet of water, however, that is the least of its problems. Magical weaponry used against it has resulted in reality breaking a bit, resulting in temporal anomalies, rifts in reality, outbreaks of reanimating undead, and rampant mutations to local wildlife. Bloated, muck covered zombies known as bog monsters, some seemingly sentient, are a particular problem. Despite this, the Second Empire has invested significant time in reclaiming the city. Mages work to stabilize magic rifts, while soldiers, slaves, and laborers, some of them captured Taur from local tribes, work endlessly to clear out monsters, drain flooded areas, and rebuild buildings.

The short-lived nation of San'Barg once included much of this territory, and made its capital in one of Ashkev's smaller cities before being driven out by an alliance of Taur.

- Taur Region - Simply known as the Taur Region, this lawless area is home to Taur tribes that have more or less sworn loyalty to the Second Empire. In return, the Second Empire has provided them firearms to help pressure other Taur tribes into joining, as well as helped exterminate some of the more dangerous of the massive reptiles that live in the semi-arid forests of this region.

- Hekraeno: Once a holy city of the Eldrian Empire, Hekraeno is home to a number of temples, many of which have been repurposed as palaces and marketplaces instead. Large parts of the city were destroyed during the fall of the Eldrian Empire, and even today, slums of rotting wood and haphazardly stacked rubble coexist alongside wealthier districts of intact buildings. Like other more settled provinces, much of the province is covered in plantations, ranches, and estates.

- Pillapiillo: The City of Pillapiillo is home to an unusually high percentage of pumkins, and the ruler himself is a pumkin puppet king who the Second Empire is trying to use a figurehead to draw more pumkin tribes under their control. Often known as the Pumkin King (or Pumking for short), he lives in a lavish palace surrounded by slaves, piled coins, and other displays of wealth.

- Dominado: One of the largest inland cities in the Empire, Dominado is a massive fortress carved out of a massive rocky outcropping in one of the Second Empire's few hilly regions. A major source of mineral wealth, getting assigned to the mines of Dominado is one of the worst fates of slaves and indentured servants in the Empire. The ruler himself is a massive man, much enhanced by life magic like many likeminded nobles. He is infamous for impaling his rivals, then leaving the magically preserved corpses on stakes in the hills surrounding his city. Aside from mining, the hills are also popular with ranchers and sheepherders.

- Baensnee: The lesser of the two provinces located in the northern grasslands, most communities are well fortified due to Taur raids from the west, and pumpkin raids from the east. Ranching, sheepherding, and mining are the main economic activities. The province's only real highlight is the Valley of the Dead, a massive network of tombs and massive statues that leave little doubt as to the true appearance of the now likely extinct Eldrian race.

- Calypsen: The City of Calypsen was once a major trade center between the core cities of the Eldrian Empire to the north, and the coastal cities to the south, but is now largely abandoned since caravans heading north are now almost unheard of. During the fall of the Eldrian Empire, the city was hit with some sort of unknown magical doomsday device which transformed all inhabitants into highly durable and heavy statues. Although these statues have been painstakingly removed from wealthier districts, poor folk and squatters simply learn to tolerate their spooky housemates. The local governess seems to be skilled at maintaining peaceful relations with the local pumpkin and Taur tribes, many of which use her city as a trading center, however, her main interest is the Theocracy of Alana, whose secrets she is keen to uncover.

The rest of the province is covered in grasslands, and home to a scattering of well fortified villages, towns, and mines, much like Baensnee to the south.

====Unravellers====

General:

Contrary to the Union there is a small community on the southernmost peninsula calling themselves "the Unravellers".
These people dedicate themselves to solving the mysteries of the world they live in. Mostly through magic, but every type of scholar is welcome. Some say it's more of a magic cult. Because everything is legal, as long as it expands the Library, where all of the gained knowledge is stored. There are no Taboos, not even life itself is sacred. It is said the alchemists managed to create Aether, which allows them to infuse their abominations with life. No one, except the highest of their members actually know it's a disgusting imitation. Natural life seeks to sustain itself, Aether on the other hand tries to end itself at every opportunity.
It is a very powerful combination together with mind control magic, that suppresses the urge to suicide.

People:

The Unravellers are a mix of native Eldrians and exiles from other realms, but the Union in particular. The Eldrians have also maintained their ancient traditions of "creating" new races, and all sorts of strange entities are bred, forged, raised, and conjured. In particular, followers of Deadicorn have been infusing slaves with demonic energy to create abominations known as "horsemen".

Religion:

The Unravellers aren't particularly religious, but some old school Eldrians still worship Primolt. Others worship any entity that helps expand their knowledge of magic, including demons. Deadicorn is particularly popular.

Magic:

The Unravellers have dedicated themselves to pushing the boundaries of what is possible with magic, and therefore will explore any and all magical traditions, regardless of ethics or morality. They sometimes visit users of dark magic in other nations like the demon binders of Yr and Aesaneria, the occultists of Hagarta, the Fleshmolders of northern Nantes, and the hags of Fluffwood to compare notes.

Military:

The Unravellers don't bother with a standing army, but history has shown on many occasions that the Unravellers are more than capable of defending themselves against any dumb enough to interfere with their studies. Those captured or killed during these attacks will often be used as raw material to create even more horrific creations to defend against future attacks.

History:

The swamps of Zandra Peninsula have long been used as a refuge by the most reckless and unethical of the Eldrian Empire's magic users, and when the Eldrian Empire collapsed, these mages simply continued their hobbies. The area didn't get its current name until recently, when a large influx of mages fled The Union and sought sanctuary in Zandra. Recognizing the value of the incorporating foreign magical traditions into their own on such a large scale, the mages of Zandra began promoting themselves as the Unravellers, a society where anyone skilled with magic could come to safely carry out experiments, free from the fear and jealously of non-magic users and the petty restrictions of religion, law, and morality.

Economy:

Although some of the senior Unravellers have set up farms, plantations, mines, and factories to aid their experiments, most live in isolation or in small groups, accompanied by their servants, slaves, and creations. Their wealth comes from selling information, creations, and their services to wealthy buyers, with Westphallica, Yr, and (secretly) Alkor being their main customers.

====The Majorate of Kornheiseria====

People:

Kornheiseria is home to mix of races that were once vassals to the Eldrian Empire. The ruling elite are simply known as Kornheiserians, believed to be cousins of the Nantic human ethnic group. Other inhabitants include the descendants of human slaves from southeast Autia and the southern continents, as well as duckers, pumkin, goblins, alprobes, orcs, taurs, orges, trolls, giants, bullywug, swamp elves, crocodile men, horsemen, and minotaur.

Religion:

For the most part, inhabitants of Kornheiseria worship a variant of the standard Southern Pantheon of Primolt (magic, creation), the Great Mother (water, womanhood), and the Green Titan (land, agriculture).

Magic:

Kornheiserians tend not to be as adept at magic as many other former Eldrian states, but users of alchemy, life magic, and oath magic are fairly common and fill important niches in Kornheiserian society.

Military:

Kornheiserians have never been able to maintain a national army, but most cities and rural townships have at least a semi-professional militia, or in some cases a small standing army. Muskets are the most popular weapon, but many keep a hatchet, pitchfolk, or frog spear as a backup.

History:

Formerly a backwater region of the Eldrian Empire, Kornheiseria was relatively unscathed by the destruction that ended the Eldrians. Although it has fought several wars against its neighbors, it mostly prefers to keep to itself.

Economy:

The forests of the northern part of the country have largely been cleared away in favor of grain fields and pasture lands. The southern swamps are home to hunter-gatherers. Lacking the technology of the Nantic States, and the magical ability of some of their neighbors, Kornheiseria is usually seen as a poor and backwater state, but the strong mercantile instincts of its inhabitants, combined with the popularity of the many sporting events it holds gives it more influence and wealth than one might first think.

The importance of its sporting events goes beyond just economics, since Kornheiseria lacks a central government, its patchwork of city states and rural counties are constantly jockeying for influence, and the success of local teams in the more popular leagues is a huge status boast.

====Taur Tribes====

In the southern plains there is a large band of taur nomads, each tribe having the upper body of a man and the lower body of an animal.

Centaurs, donkey taurs, zebra taurs and lion taurs are the most common but there are dozens of smaller tribes like the elephant taurs, the rhino taurs or the elusive boa taurs.

All tribes can technically interbreed (although in practice some can hardly have sex together) with the offspring always inheriting the mother's type.

They are all more omnivorous than humans but eating the flesh of the animal associated to any tribe is considered taboo while eating normal men isn't.

They can be very powerful if an exceptional tribe leader unite all the tribes and become the intertribal king but is it a very rare event.

====Shore Mages Of The Wizard Coast====

The Wizard Coast is a small region of coastal towns ruled by "wizard mayors", long-lived archmasters specialized in different schools of magic.

They are all prosperous, quite comfy and well-protected but the influence of their eccentric masters make them odd by the standards of the outside world.

====Sneed====

General:

Sneed is a peasant republic south of the Taur Tribes (with whom they often fight over the control of the southern plains), only landowners can vote and their vote is proportional to how much land they own.

People:

The Sneedians are a very agriculturally based folk, to the point of them looking down on urban inhabitants, or "city slickers" as they like to call them.
Some have Yellowish skin, others look like slightly inbred white dudes from flyover states.

Religion:

Sneedism is a faith dedicated on the worship of one farmer god, Sneed.
While this god is mostly dedicated to agriculture, he has multiple aspects revolving him.
Said to be the first aspect to emerge is the Shop Owner and his two Employees, patrons of prosperity, trade and supplies. It is said that one can visit his shop in the afterlife and purchase the most divine of supplies.
The next one is the Historian, god of history and fertility. People pray to him when desiring children or success in academics and warfare.
Another is the Man Who Rages against the Storm, also known as Jose Gallard in some areas. As the name implies, this aspect is prayed upon for protection against storms and other natural disasters. His story of him battling the entity known as The Storm is told to remind people of hope and perseverance.
It is common for foreigners and city slickers to misinterpret the Sneedians as polytheistic. In reality, these "gods", while separate from each other, are all part of the same entity.

Magic:

Despite them having risen against a wizard, they are not really anti-mage and have a pragmatic view of magic: wizards can be dangerous but they are good tools and especially useful when fighting the Taurs. The biggest towns have surprisingly good magical schools especially near the frontier because of this.

Military:

Peasant levies.
Gun use is quite widespread.

History:

The republic was formerly "Chuck's Kingdom", a dictatorship created by a rogue archmaster from the Wizard Coast but his serfs managed to assassinate him and divided his domain among themselves.

Economy:

Agriculturally based

'''Story 1:'''

The three Furred Fools of eld once dealt with the ivory horse. Chancing across it in the dead of night, it was a welcome reprieve- the horse gilding them with gifts, and promising them a prosperous rule at the head of their kingdom. It only asked that they endure a small measure of pain- and so the three Furred Fools accepted. The pain they endured was nothing short of a hellish torment, however- and mere moments after accepting the ivory horse's bargain, the Fools were transformed into horrific, writhing entities of pure suffering. They ravaged the old Chuckian countryside- their brutality and wickedness still preserved in folk tales today.

====Ogre Clans====

The small peninsula to the west of the Unravellers is home the Ogres. They live in small isolated clans. The land is low along the coast and very swamplike, and the ogres are fiercely territorial.

The Ogre Clans in southern Autia are a cruel parody of their former selves. They are one of the few remnants of the once vast Orgrillon Empire in Autia. While some form of kin to them exist across the continent in the form of creatures such as oni or the twisted ettin, they alone retain some semblance of a society.

When the Sartyrians invaded, much of the southern edge of the continent was quickly overrun with their magic and sheer prowess. A number of the ogre-kind managed to survive this assault, and while the war ranged on across the continent, for hundreds of years they were always there. At times they engage in raids and guerilla warfare against the Sartyrians, attacking them from within the territory they controlled. While the Orgrillon Empire waged a war of mass bloodshed through attrition and colossal clashes, those within the south managed to be a constant thorn in the side of the elves. About halfway through the nearly eight century conflict, the elves had decided enough was enough and mounted a ruthless genocidal hunt for any ogre-kin within their newly conquered domains. Alone and isolated, many ogres were completely annihilated with only stragglers surviving in the wild or hiding in the mountains. The modern Ogre clans were one such group. The peninsula they inhabit is covered in a dense and foul swamp, and even the ogres could hide here. Through the millennia they remained. With any contact with the Orgrillon empire long lost, they survived in a pitiful existence. The years have not been kind to these once proud people. Twisted, depraved, inbred, and desperate they have clung to life in a dank and dark land.

These creatures are largely devolved compared to their relatives in the north. Their intelligence has greatly dimished and they only exist now in squabbling clans, incapable of any greater cohesion or organisation to better their circumstances.

They ogres now live in small family groups in isolated villages. The only true means of diplomacy they posses is that of brute force and warfare. Occasionally a competent member of their people manages to unify a few clans, but this usually does not last long.
What they cannot get for survival within their swamps, they try and take from their neighbors if at all possible. This amounts to little more than desperate raids on small villages and isolated farms.
They are fiercely territorial, a remnant of their once proud heritage, but they spend as much time squabbling amongst each other for mires and ponds as they do with anyone else.

They are diminutive and foul compared to their cousins. While the average Orgrillon could reach close to 10 feet in height, the ogres of the swamps rarely pass 7 and a half feet. While an orgrill of the north could live between 115 and 130 years of age, the ogres rarely surpass 60. They are bloated, dirty, ugly (even for an ogre) and smell so bad that a human will likely know they are near before seeing them. Cruel and raucous. Cannibalistic and simple. Superstitious and spiteful. They are not devoid entirely of intelligence, but they are far short of the empire forging and fortress building legions of their ancestry.

A lingering sense of pride exists within them. Through tradition they retain a faint memory of what they once were. Of the power they once held. Some within the clans still yearn to "rule all" again, but for the ogre clans this is a fantasy as much as it is a legend.

They make occasional slaves for the other peoples of the world and even at times they are pressed into the front lines of some war or another, often used as expendable shock troops and cannon fodder.

====Kingdom of Luver====

The Kingdom of Luver is a small nation mostly located on the westernmost peninsula of the southern part of the continent.
An old relative of the humans of the Wizard and Sneed, it has little technology and magitech and prefers instead to focus on pure magic.
The govermnent state is mostly local, rural and feudal with the King being little more than a figurehead for the land-owning nobles.
A notable trait of the Luverian nobility is that they descend from magicians instead of warriors and even today are supposed to have nominal magical skills although they mostly delegate their magical duties to specialized wizards who are either commoners or landless minor nobles.
Because of this, scholars from Nantic cultures such as those working for the Alkorian Foreign History Department often theorize that there must be a connection between the Kingdom of Luver and the Wizard Coast (and their wizard-mayors) but their knowledge of the southern mainland is sparse (although it doesn't prevent some from claiming that Luver is an archaic remnant of a greater ancient Luver-Wizard Coast-Sneed culture)
Another particularity is that their magic rely very little on enchantment besides a developed form of alchemy (often a substitute to many things that would use enchanted or technological items elsewhere) and an impressive oath magic that is essential to their feudal system.

====Theocracy of Alana====

On the southwest side of Eldr there is a theocracy called Alana. they have rejected everything that would make a person civilized. the following no taboos, take part in rituals with art extreme but unsettling most cultures enter Eldr as a way of gaining power and also see it as a religious duty. under their Patriarch, they wish to take control of Eldr but have lost many members in the attempt. the land they control more huge round Eldr, and so got creative in how they would servie with the average person being a settled hunter-gather. barely anyone goes there other than adventures and academics who wish to use the local population as guides for their own journey into Eldr.

People:

The few inhabitants of The Theocracy are of "Pure Eldrian Stock", which is to say a mix of Nantic, Jinsan, Sorgos, Shaobon, and other humans that intermixed while living in the core areas of the Eldrian Empire at its peak. They descend from survivors of the magical devastation that wiped out the core of the Eldrian Empire. It is believed that some of them may have blood ties to the true Eldrian race.

Religion:

All long term inhabitants of Alana are considered members of the Alanian Cult, and what happens to anyone who turns their back on the Alanian Faith isn't worth risking your sanity to consider. Despite their seemingly tribal and chaotic nature, each member of the Alanian Cult knows exactly where they fall in an ever shifting hierarchy that contains many levels leading up to the mysterious Patriarch. Green is the their holy color, so senior members of the cult can generally be recognized by their green robes. Many cultists also wear strange asymmetrical masks, but these don't seem to have any bearing on their status within the cult.

Their God is Alana, and she is rarely worshipped outside the Theocracy. An anarchistic and nihilistic god, she teaches that civilization is false and a source of weakness, and that each person can do whatever they want to themselves and others assuming it is in their power to do so. They believe all evil and destructive gods are alternate faces of Alana, and all other gods are false.

Magic:

The inhabitants of the Theocracy have an unusually high percentage of magic users, including many powerful ones. Their magic traditions derive directly from that taught by the elite of the Eldrian Empire, and it is said some of them remember things that even the Unravelers have forgotten.

They use all forms of magic currently practiced in the South, though they seem to find Spirit Magic the most useful. They are also said to understand Dark Aether Channeling in ways that others have forgotten, which some say is the reason why certain worshippers of Alana are rarely seen without masks, and why senior members of the cult like heavy robes.

They loot magical artefacts of the Eldrian Empire like wands and staffs whenever they can, and the senior members of the Theocracy sometimes even enter Eldr itself to try to retrieve the most powerful of the ancient Eldrian relics.

Military:

Members of the Theocracy rarely work together in large numbers, and when they do, it is only under the orders of senior cult members. Magic is the primary form of attack and defense, but most members will also carry crude or looted weapons, the more exotic the better.

It is said the senior members of the cult can bind the monsters of Eldr to their will, though reliable first hand accounts of this are rare.

Members of the Theocracy will sometimes attack visitors or common citizens of neighboring states if the mood strikes them, often capturing slaves (who are generally short lived).

History:

This region was once an agricultural zone located just outside one of the core areas of the Eldrian Empire. When destructive magic rendered the area all but uninhabitable, most of the original inhabitants fled, but some powerful mages from the main cities settled in the region due to its remoteness from other pockets of survivors.

In trying to convince themselves the destruction wasn't their fault, they fell prey to the insane prophet of a new god named Alana who told them that destruction and chaos were merely the natural order of things, one that should be embraced. These days no one knows what they are up to, but the few who are aware of the origins and faith suspect it is something dark.

Economy:

The inhabitants of the Theocracy use their magic to ensnare beasts (and sometimes beings) to torment then eat. They spend their lives practicing magic and working on strange projects no one but themselves seems to understand.

They hate reliance on others, so own nothing they can't make or loot themselves (which is often very little in the case of junior members). Craftsmanship is a very low priority compared to practicing magic, so most inhabitants live in caves and natural shelters, wear crude animal hides, and use tools no more complicated than sharpened sticks and rocks.

They ignore almost all taboos of other races, and are widely seen as insane and cruel, so only the naïve, reckless, or powerful will willingly deal with them, usually to gain magical knowledge or get their help entering Eldr. Senior mages from the Second Empire and the Unravelers see them as kin, but even they don't entirely understand what the Theocracy's goals are. However, members of the Theocracy are usually to work alongside powerful mages from Eldrian cultures, particular followers of Deadicorn and other evil gods, who they see as misinterpretations of Alana.

====San'Barg====
''Native Americans who live in a swamp. All that remains of an attempt of some southeast islanders to migrate to the mainland. Ancestor of Rig'Nood, and thus Gib'Dunes as well.''

San'Barg is all that remains of an attempt by the southeast islands peoples to colonize the southern jungles of the main landmass. Once much larger than what it is now, San'Barg was constantly raided by neighboring states, particularly the Taur Tribes. Eventually most of the population left and settled Rig'Nood and Gib'Dunes instead. All that remains of San'Barg are scattered fishing villages along the coastal swamps and sandbars. A cautious, and primitive people, the inhabitants of San'Barg fight bravely enough when needed, but usually hide or flee by boat from superior opponents, particularly those with hooves.