Quaartheim

:"Marcus and SwagLord were sitting on a bench upon a clifftop, overlooking the volcanoes nearby. To his right, Marcus could see the ocean in the distance, and to his left, Marcus noticed what seemed to be a lush forest, stretching as far as the eye could see." - Marcus Gregorovich's initial impression of Quaartheim (A Place Known Simply as Quaartheim, Chapter 7).
Despite its physical location being unknown, Quaartheim [kar-thaim] is primarily known as the land that the mysterious man known as SwagLord hails from.
The technology of Quaartheim is simultaneously more advanced and primitive than the rest of the world, and its cities are known to mirror those typical of the medieval age, though this doesn't apply to all locations on the islands.
Quaartheinians tend to live much longer than the average human, with their normal lifespan tending to be around 150 years. The aging process is also different, with Quaartheinians living for longer in 'peak condition'; that is, they age normally until around the age of 25, but afterwards their physical condition deteriorates very little until maybe 70.
== Appearance and Geography ==
No one is certain where Quaartheim is, save for SwagLord, it seems. From what he has sarcastically revealed to the UNWD (using reverse-reverse psychology) it can be gathered that the islands are located somewhere in the Indian Ocean, though even the most advanced satellite imagery has revealed nothing. 
Quaartheim is split into a few holds, which are mainly determined by the landscape. For example, the Northern Firefields is a large ash desert, created when a volcano erupted and destroyed all life there. The most notable hold - aside from the Northern Firefields - is Glasraan, a glacial tundra known for its incredibly harsh winters, which also happens to be home to the Emperor of Quaartheim. Other landscapes include the massive southern desert island, as well as the marshlands in mid-northern Quaartheim. 
== Ecosystem, Flora and Fauna ==
While the ecosystem varies massively from arid deserts to dense woodland and frozen tundra, Quaartheim has some notable native creatures - namely the various drakes and dracoforms that exist throughout the desert surrounding Whiitmyl. These vary in size from smaller wyverns and wyrm to the most common medium-sized wingless drakes that travel beneath the sands, often serving as steeds for bandit kings in the lawless wastes.
The coastal areas surrounding Iselrun also serve as the home to blind carnivorous worms, distinct from wyrm due to their invertibrate status, smooth bodies and enormous size. There are also various species of monster native to the area around Daemonmaw.
Syphians are also a large threat: tall wolf-like creatures that are highly territorial, marking areas of woodlands with structured sticks. They are difficult to tame but rewarding due to their pack instincts and strength.
== Hold Capitals ==
* Svaggue - the capital of the Northern Firefields, and home to the rebellion.
* Fendreic - the capital of Glasraan, and home to the Royal Guard, servants of the Empire.
* Whiitmyl - a rebel capital recently captured by the Empire on the southern island, famous for the drakes roaming the surrounding deserts.
* Kaarenstead - a city infested with rogues, bandits and mercenaries, hidden in the middle of the forsaken forest that covers a large part of the northern island.
* Daemonmaw - the capital of Daemonmoor - a city named after the royal family that once ruled it, who were betrayed by the Empire after swearing allegiance; it's surrounded by miles of desert in every direction, full of all manner of unruly creatures.
* Manjjear - TBA.
* Faarthreak - TBA.
* Bontienne - TBA.
* Okinstead - TBA.
* Maarshen - TBA.
* Coetyyr - TBA.
* Orkkenbay - TBA.
== Trivia ==
* It is unknown if Quaartheim has its own native language.
** The nature of its place names suggest that it would be similar to the Celtic languages.
* Quaartheim has its own runic alphabet, with repeated letters signifying various societal values depending on the letter being duplicated. 
Category:Locations
Category:Islands