Lands of Elissar
| LANDS OF ELISSAR |
Elissar is an ancient place of medieval fantasy in the grips of a Dark Age, the last vestiges of a great elven empire only a ruined shadow upon the land.
12 MILE HEXES
ENDORA
Endora is a pastoral region which contains a number of counties, including Holdenshire, Lanickshire, Southmoreland, the North Riding, and more, as well as the larger towns of Northminster and Ostacre. Endora stretches from the Westwatch Peaks in the West to Greyfell Forest in the East, and from the Northern Ocean down as far as the Harroway. Endorans are looked down upon by the people of Allesund, who consider themselves more sophisticated.
Ostacre was once the primary town in Endora, and is still the biggest, but after Cirothe came 100 years ago it fell in status as people moved away. Northminster is now the most important town in Endora.
HOLDENSHIRE
Hengistbury is a small village on the banks of a winding river located in the rustic and rural county of Holdenshire. The hub of the community is the Bleeding Heart Tavern — formerly known as the Beaming Hearth. Hengistbury grew up around its temple, a wooden affair which sometimes serves as the town meeting hall when large gatherings are called for and as the local infirmary and hospital when needed.
Thornbury is smaller even than Hengistbury, boasting a mere 100 souls. Even so, there is a friendly rivalry between the villages, which manifests every year in a popular local cheese rolling competition which highlights a week long harvest festival in the fall. Located a few miles upriver from Hengistbury, travel between the two is not uncommon. For a silver coin, a local fisherman can be persuaded to ferry passengers in either direction. The journey takes a couple of hours.
The county is governed by Lord Pemberton and his lady-wife, Lady Sybill Pemberton. Lord and Lady Pemberton reside in Hengistbury Keep, on a small hill overlooking the village. Holdenshire is patrolled by a ranger, Brand Torek, a large, easygoing bear of a man, proficient in staff and bow. He reports directly to Lord Pemberton. He has several part time assistants located throughout the area and calls on them if things get out of hand.
OTHER TOWNS
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Northminster is the nominal ‘capital’ of Endora, although it has no official status. Northminster was founded as a single religious abbey approximately 400 years ago along the shores of the Northern Ocean, though exactly what god was worshiped here has been lost to time. A township built up surrounding the abbey and some 150 years ago it was overtaken in a brief but bloody conflict. Statues and icons of faith were destroyed, leaving the massive abbey as a hollow monument. Now the position of "abbot' has been passed down for generations and the current abbot rules over Northminster from a place of ill-defined religious authority.
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Halfpoint, on the edge of the Crawley Hills, is a bustling halfling trade village famous for its great fertility. The town of Halfpoint is used by halflings as a central market for their assorted farms and gardens. As such, it represented a valuable target for the orcs of the Crawley Hills.
- The bandits who live in the Southern Downs own the town of Blackford. While the town has a nominal mayor and town guard, everyone is truly under the thumb of the bandits, who seek to expand their little empire to include neighboring towns, if possible. The town of Blackford is a hub, between the towns of Ringwood, Halfpoint, Hengistbury, and the lands to the south. While it was once a bustling merchant city, it has fallen on dark times since the Bandits of Blackford took over. Now a den of iniquity and a place of ill-repute, few merchants or traders from outside have stopped by. The town is a haven for black market goods, smugglers, and less-than-ethical products, such as drugs, necromancy, and prostitution.
FOGMOOR
In the misty expanse of Fogmoor, where the air hung heavy with secrets, the frogfolk made their home. They were a resilient bunch, known for their vibrant green skin that shimmered like emeralds in the rare sunlight that pierced the fog. The frogfolk were small but nimble, and they knew every inch of their treacherous homeland.
Fogmoor was not a place for the faint-hearted. It was a labyrinth of murky waters and deceptive marshes, where one wrong step could mean a plunge into the depths of unknown waters. The moor was alive with whispers of the old magic, a remnant of a time when the world was young and wild.
But the frogfolk were not alone in Fogmoor. The lizardfolk, their scales as tough as armor and their eyes glinting with cunning, also claimed the moor as their own. The two peoples had been rivals for as long as the oldest stones could remember, competing for territory and resources in an endless dance of conflict and truce.
WEIRWOOD
The Weirwood coats the hills north of Hengisbury with thick greenery and the dark woodlands are home to countless secretive fey creatures. A ritual made millenia ago linked this place with the realms of the fey and the forest itself sprung out of fey places. The magic that made this link has long since crumbled away but the many pixies, satyrs, sprites, and other darker mischievous fey creatures consider this place a home away from home while the citizens of nearby towns consider it a place of unnatural danger.
THE DESOLATION
Cirothe the dragon has laired to the East of Endora for about 100 years. She seems to have been content sleeping for decades, occasionally ravaging the area to the East of the mountains (the Desolation) as far as the Tybalt Sea, but hasn’t generally turned her eye West — the bastions of Greendell Forest and the Oldshade Woods are enough to give her pause. Folks are aware of her, but nobody has ever done anything about it and as long as she stays in the East, they probably won’t.
WESTWATCH PEAKS
The Westwatch Peaks stretch from the North of Endora all the way down to the Southern coast. This mountain range forms a natural border between Allesund and Endora.
DEEPHALL POINT
In the wake of Cirothe’s ravaging of the area now known as the Desolation, the dwarven communities in the Eastern mountains began a long, protracted war against her. The war was hard-fought by the dwarves, but slowly, over many months, with heavy attrition, the dwarves lost.
The final dwarven town to fall was also the most magnificent. Deephall Point stood as a bastion for the dwarves and a temple to their god, the Forge Lord, but as Cirothe watched from the outside, the Cave Giants invaded from the tunnels in the mountains below. Deephall’s fall came as a whimper amidst the raging war of Cirothe’s arrival, the final sign that her rule would not be easily contested. When it fell, there was no great earthquake, no tremendous magic. The people of the plains merely heard from the dwarves one week, and the next week…silence. And silence for every week thereafter.
GREYFELL FOREST
This feywood is ruled by the Faerie Queen, a tyrannical ruler driven insane by devils. The Feycastle lies deep within the forest. Greyfell Forest is famously impassible for those who were not born there. The elder elves of Greendell may still be able to walk its wooded pathways, but none have set foot under those trees for aeons, fearful of invoking the Fairy Queen’s wrath.
OLDSHADE WOODS
Of the great spiders of Oldshade Forest, the oldest and strongest is Sheeltielle, the Spider Queen. Sheeltielle’s poison is said to be so venomous that it could kill even Cirothe.
The trolls in Oldshade have lived there as long as the goblins and the spiders, and have been considered among the most dangerous residents there. They are savage brutes, and mostly keep to themselves, hunting nearly as wild animals in the tangled thickness.
NORTHBEACH WOODS
The Northbeach Woods was once a place of peace and tranquility, with benevolent fey creatures standing watch over a place of astonishing natural beauty. The source of this idyllic peace was said to be the unicorn that presided over Northbeach, a wise and fatherly creature named Lorand, who nurtured the joy in his abode, and defended it nobly from outsiders. He was served most ably by a robust community of gnomes, able tenders of the fragile forest.
CRAWLEY HILLS
A massive fortified orc town in the heart of the Crawley Hills, Keldur is a bulwark of stone and wood, surrounded by camps of brave orc warriors and presided over by tall watchtowers that see for miles around.
DEEPCREST CHASM
When Cirothe was a mewling little dragonling, hundreds of years ago, she was involved in an incident in the area that is now known as Deepcrest Chasm: the very creation of that chasm by opening a dark portal far beneath the earth.
ALLESUND
Allesund, to the West, is more built-up than Endora. A bit more sophisticated, the natives look down on the pastoral lifestyles of Endora. Allesund is governed by Duke Kohlstedt from Falkenburg. Most of Allesund’s towns are found along the banks of the Polyne-Trom River.
SPINNELUND
In the far West of Allesund is a region called Spinnelund, which is hundreds of miles of overgrown ruins, dark forest, and swamps. Spinnelund is largely unexplored in recent times, and is full of monstrous critters like giant spiders. Folks don’t go there. Far to the West is Mal Merikh, the ruins of a large ancient city.
THE FESTUNG
The Festung is an evil place of learning for dark mages in the Northwest of Allesund. People generally steer clear.
OSTINAD
Wide sweeping plains and grassland, Ostinad is home to horse lords. Ostinad is a region, not a nation; the many horse and plains people are loosely affiliated, but there is no capital or king. Some small towns scatter the plains ruled by local lords from their meadhalls.
The Birth of the Horse Lords:
In the beginning, the plains of Ostinad were untamed, a canvas of endless grass waiting for the artist's touch. The first horse lords were said to be born of the wind, a gift from the spirits of the land. They tamed the wild horses, creatures as fierce and free as the storm, and in doing so, they found their purpose.
The Tribes of Ostinad:
Ostinad is not a nation but a tapestry of tribes, each with its own customs and traditions. The Windrunners are known for their speed, the Earthshakers for their strength, and the Skywatchers for their wisdom. Though they have no king or capital, the horse lords are united by the Great Council, a gathering where each tribe has a voice.
The Meadhalls and Local Lords:
Scattered across the plains are meadhalls, the centers of life for the small towns of Ostinad. Each meadhall is ruled by a local lord, a position earned through respect rather than inheritance. These lords are the keepers of stories, the guardians of tradition, and the leaders in times of need.
The Great Gallop:
Once a year, the tribes come together for the Great Gallop, a race that is more a celebration of unity than a competition. It is a time when old rivalries are set aside, and the horse lords ride as one people, their hearts beating to the rhythm of galloping hooves.
The Pact with the Land:
The horse lords share a sacred bond with the land of Ostinad. They take only what they need, and in return, the plains provide for them. This pact is the heart of their culture, a promise to live in harmony with the world around them.
The Legend of the First Rider:
At the core of their lore is the tale of the First Rider, the one who bridged the gap between human and horse. It is said that on the night of a great storm, the First Rider mounted the mightiest stallion and rode into the tempest. When dawn broke, the storm had passed, and the bond between horse and rider was sealed forever.
The Prophecy of the Endless Horizon:
The horse lords believe in a prophecy that speaks of an Endless Horizon, a time when the plains will stretch into infinity, and the spirits of the land will walk alongside them. It is a future of peace, a dream that guides them through the darkest nights.
This lore is passed down through generations, not written in books but carried in the hearts of the horse lords. It is a living history, ever-evolving as the people of Ostinad continue to write their story upon the wide, sweeping plains they call home.
ALBIA
A land of hills, fog, lochs, and rugged, proud folk, Albia is haunting. Humans and dwarves occupy its hills and ancient castles in a patchwork of small lordships. It starts to get cold to the South across the lakes.
GAL TAUR
Gal Taur is an old, dark forest filled with spirits, ghosts, banshees, and specters. It lies on the North edge of Lach Erin. Even the brave folks of Albia keep away from Gal Taur.
LACHS
Albion is home to numerous misty lakes, some said to be haunted. On the edge of the Northernmost, Lach Gwyen, lie the towns of Calrow and Caer Lucan. Further South are Lachs Erin, Elemidde, Sujan, Feormer, and Snawa.
“You can hear them at night when the mist creeps in off the lakeshore, jibber-jabbering like madmen trying to form words. For years they’ve haunted me, but still I can’t fathom what it means, as if some half-formed mind yearns for the power to speak for itself…”
—Ser Paviss, Knight Overwatch of Calrow Ruins
MAL TAKKAR
In the rolling hills of northwestern Ostinad there are ruins wrapped in darkness and haunted by horrors in Elissar’s distant past: Mal Takkar. Dreadful evils stalk the devastated landscape, shadows cast by the crumbling stone are longer than they should be, and it seems as though dawn is always late and sunset comes early. What once must have been a magnificent city is now home only to lethal monsters and powerful undead eager to prey on unwary travelers or foolish adventurers that dare tread this forsaken place.
PAR CELUNDI
Par Celundi is a beautiful elven city, one of the last refuges of the empire that once existed. Par Celundi tends to discourage visitors, but is not actively hostile.
THE HARROWAY
The Harroway is an ancient road from the imperial age. Once a major road crossing the empire, it is now overgrown. Over 400 miles long, the Harroway stretches from the ruins of Mal Takkar to the ruins of Mal Ballan. The great bridge Nas Laed is a wonder of the word, a mighty stone construction, which crosses the river Polyne.
THE HINTERLANDS
The Hinterlands have not much by way of civilization. You might find outlaws or brave settlers there.
MORRIGAN
There is one city on the West coast of the Hinterlands, a big city full of ne'er do wells called Morrigan. Thieves and cutthroats walk the streets, and the rule of law is far away. Anything is available for a price. The city is run by a thieves' guild.
THE HOWLING EXPANSE
The Howling Expanse is a large cold tundra to the South which includes Laskia. Laskia is home to the busy town Icegarten and dozens of smaller settlements. The economy is focused on fishing and ships. The folk are hardy and view ‘northerners’ as weaklings, although they have respect for the rugged people of the Albian highlands with whom they trade.
BORDER KINGDOMS
To the East of Endora and Albia, across the Thunder River, are dozens of small duchies set up by explorers. These duchies tend to exhibit a lot of rivalry, and border skirmishes are common; it’s really not much more than a bunch of warlords trying to carve out their territory.
THE DARKLANDS
Beneath the surface of Elissar, deeper than the roots of the oldest trees, lies the Darklands—a terrifying expanse of endless night. It is said that when the world was young, the gods banished all things wicked and vile to this subterranean abyss. Over the eons, these malevolent beings twisted and merged with the darkness, becoming part of the very fabric of the Darklands.
The Darklands are a labyrinth of jagged caverns and narrow crevices, where the rocks seem to whisper secrets of ancient horrors. The air is stale, and the oppressive darkness is so thick it feels like a tangible presence, suffocating hope and courage. Rarely does light find its way into this forsaken place, and when it does, it's quickly smothered by the omnipresent gloom.
Creatures of nightmare roam these unhallowed grounds—monstrosities with eyes that glow like dying embers, hunting for lost wanderers to drag into the depths. The denizens of the Darklands are born from the darkest corners of fear, their forms as varied as they are terrifying. Some say they are the twisted descendants of those first exiled beings, while others whisper of travelers who lost their way and were consumed by the darkness, their souls forever bound to the shadowy realm.
The most dreaded place within the Darklands is the Chasm of Despair, a bottomless pit from which no sound escapes. It is here that the most heinous of creatures are said to reside, and the air is filled with the silent screams of their victims. The chasm is a gaping maw in the earth, a reminder of the chaos and malice that once threatened to consume Elissar.
To venture into the Darklands is to accept a fate worse than death, for those who enter are seldom seen again. Their last vestiges of light are snuffed out, leaving behind only echoes in the darkness. The Darklands remain a testament to the ancient evils of the world, a realm where shadows reign supreme, and the faint-hearted are lost to the eternal night.
Tread carefully, traveler, for the Darklands await to claim all who dare to uncover its sinister embrace.
The races that dwell in the subterranean realms of Elissar have developed unique ways to cope with the perils of the Darklands. Here's how some of them manage to survive and even thrive in such a hostile environment:
Dwarves:
The stout and sturdy dwarves have fortified their cities with massive stone walls and intricate trap systems. They are master miners and stonecrafters, and they use their skills to create barriers that keep the darkness at bay. Their cities are often lit by everburning torches, a testament to their ingenuity and resilience.
Shadow Elves:
The shadow elves, or dark elves, have adapted to the darkness of the Darklands. They have a natural affinity for magic that allows them to manipulate shadows and light. The shadow elves use this power to create illusions and concealments, making their settlements difficult to find and even harder to assault.
Deep Gnomes (Svirfneblin):
These gnomes have a natural camouflage that allows them to blend into the rocky surroundings. They are also silent movers, able to navigate the treacherous terrain without drawing attention. Deep gnomes rely on their stealth and wisdom to avoid the dangers of the Darklands.
Duergar:
The gray dwarves, or duergar, are a grim and tough race. They have developed psychic abilities to defend against the mental assaults of the Darklands' creatures. Their strongholds are fortresses of the mind, as much as they are physical bastions.
Mind Flayers:
These terrifying beings are not just survivors; they are predators of the Darklands. Mind flayers, or illithids, use their psionic powers to dominate and control other creatures, turning them into slaves or food. They are feared by all and are one of the few races that can traverse the Darklands with relative impunity.
Beholders:
These solitary and paranoid creatures create lairs that are virtually impregnable. They use their eye rays to shape the environment to their liking, creating complex mazes filled with traps and dead ends to confuse and deter intruders.
Each race has its own culture, abilities, and strategies for dealing with the Darklands. They have all had to become vigilant and resourceful, as the Darklands are unforgiving to the unprepared. Despite the dangers, these races have found ways to carve out an existence in the darkness, proving that life, even in the most hostile of places, finds a way.
STARSTONE ISLES
The Starstone Isles is an archipelago of just two land masses that rests in the Northern Ocean. The largest, the Isle of Kortos, is best known as the location of the most well-known metropolis on all of Elissar, Absalom. The smaller island, Erran is notable in its own right, particularly because of its connection with the Valya.
ABSALOM
While the metropolis itself does not occupy the entire landmass, the remaining land is considered among the city-state's holdings, including the smaller settlements of Diobel and Escadar. The tiny village of Pier's End sits on the northern coast of the island and caters to travelers trekking to Escadar, while the small port town of Otari is located on the southern coast about halfway between Diobel and Absalom.
Much of the unpopulated land surrounding Absalom is filled with ruined siege engines and battlements from the countless assaults on the city's impenetrable walls, and has come to be known as the Cairnlands. The Kortos Mounts rear out of the center of the island, forested in their lower reaches but barren and icy at their peaks. Its highest peak is Arazlant Mox at over 26,000 feet in height.
From directly north to far to the west of the city of Absalom, stretches a vast, primordial woodland known as the Immenwood. The wood harvested from these lands fuels the logging trade that helps sustain the Isle. Centered within the woods themselves is the town of Meravon, where the logging trade is centered. Just to the north of the Isle of Kortos lies the much smaller Isle of Erran, home to the navy town of Escadar. The tiny island of Pariol, owned by the wealthy and influential Blakros family, lies south of it.
OTARI
Otari is a small port town near the Immenwood on the south coast of the Isle of Kortos, about halfway between Absalom and Diobel. It is located at the head of a bay of the Inner Sea. It is a modern but relatively quiet settlement, and is popular among retired adventurers, many of whom operate businesses there. Important to the economy of Absalom as a whole is Otari's lumber trade: timber cut from the Immenwood arrives by road into Otari and, from there, is traded across the Inner Sea region.
CRUCIBEL CITADEL
Located in the caldera of a dormant volcano, Crucible Citadel is a small-sized city (7,500 souls) located far out in the border kingdoms. The city is governed and ruled independently of any kingdoms. The city has extensive subterranean caverns that connect at various places to the Darklands.
In the World of Elissar, the city is set in the Inferno Peaks.
INFERNO PEAKS
The Inferno Peaks feature many active volcanoes, allegedly ignited at the time of the Sundering (See the Fall of the Elven Empire). These peaks are accurately described as a hive of evil, a treacherous landscape made worse by the presence of giants and fire-loving abominations. The steep walls of the Inferno Peaks are reliably reputed to hide many cavernous entrances to the Darklands.
FORTUNES FOLLY
A roadhouse on the way to Ostinad. It has a chapel to a Valya named Peregrine Pathlord (distance, travel, and roads), which is occasionally visited by a wandering cleric. It lies to the northwest of Crucible Citadel.
CRIMSON RAVINE
A small farming and mining town of 600 souls, it lies about 15 miles south of Crucible Citadel.
AZUREBROOK HAVEN
A large town with its population of 2,100 souls, is the second largest settlement in the area. It’s also the primary location for the region’s plantations—the town is surrounded by fields of coffee and sugarcane. It lies about 15 miles east of Crucible Citadel.
CELESTINE VALE
The small town is the smallest of the four human settlements in the region. With a population of 460, it barely qualifies as a town. Celestine Vale is notable mostly as the hometown of one of the region’s more benevolent nobles, Dame Seraphina Brightward. It lies about 25 miles southeast of Crucible Citadel.
