Isle of Wizards

The Isle of Wizards is populated by powerful Wizards and fierce Amazons. The Wizards derive their power from celibacy. The Amazons derive their power from martial prowess. The Amazons are replenished by women fleeing the abusive marriages. The wizards are always few in number because celibacy is hard on an island populated by powerful women. But this is a good thing, because otherwise the unchecked magic would rip the world assunder.
== History ==
The great island between the Scimitarian continent and Giantstep was, in ancient times, called Wanaidheain, in honour of a fey culture that colonised the region in ancient times. Though we know little about their way of living, some remnants of their culture remain, and the name of the region was one of those. What it meant, however, is still discussed. Some experts say it meant "home", whereas others think it meant "sheep", as they were seemingly nomadic herders, something unusual for fey.
In ancient times this island was once part of the Western Elven Empire, but over time, waves of human migration resulted in them being the dominant race. The island was part of the Azan Empire at its peak during the Eighth Dynasty, but the Drow Invasion of Surface created enough disruption for several rogue provinces to break off, including a few magocracies inspired by Etera.
However, it didn’t take long for the mages to split into several ideological factions. Celin MagTow, a powerful mage specializing in planar magic and metaphysics, among other fields, believed women to be weak and distracting, and hereditary rule to be the death of nations. He gathered several like minded mages, taught them all his secrets, and created a powerful power bloc. When he claimed the Isle of Wizards to be his own personal fiefdom, no one dared to challenge him, and things have been thus for nearly a millennium.
== Government ==
The Ancient Order of Most Practical Wizards are undoubtedly the rulers of the Isle of Wizards, though they see the governing of the common folk as beneath their notice. Elected mayors and magistrates handle most of the day to day governance, though the Wizards can intervene whenever they want.
The Wizards are a law unto themselves, but despite their notoriously eccentric ways, must follow a few strict but vague codes including the abstinence from sex, and to avoid causing harm to “good” sentient beings without good reason. The Wizards constantly watch each other for infractions, and nearly every Wizard has faced a Tribunal of their peers at least once. Tribunals can dish out a wide range of punishments, but Expulsion from the Order is the most feared.
The Amazonian Guard are fanatically loyal to the Wizards, and have law enforcement abilities (like expelling or punishing trespassers), but mostly stick to military matters. These nine-foot tall magically enhanced warriors otherwise mostly stick to themselves.
Several lesser magic orders also exist on the Isle, and are technically self-governing, but in reality, are mostly subservient to the Wizards. Such orders are usually free from the gender or celibacy restrictions of the Wizards (aside from individuals that hope to join the Wizards one day), and include such organizations as the Order of Alchemy, the Order of Demonology, the Order of Pedants, and the Order of Astrologers.
Although the Ancient Order is the acknowledged ruler of the island, most of this power stems from the moral authority they have gained from resolving a number of threats to the island and the wider world, plus their raw magical ability that allows even one its members to get a lot done should they put their mind to it (the power of the Amazonian Guard to deal with a number of minor and major threats also helps). However, the Ancient Order only contains several hundred full-fledged members (known as En’Sages), very few of them have even the slightest interest in governance or politics. Instead, day-to-day governance falls upon a number of other organizations: 
The Amazonian Guard and the Stewards serve any En’Sage that deigns to notice their existence. On the rare occasions where competing demands become to much, usually some sort of committee or council will end up debating it for days, or even months. Many En’Sages have groups of Amazons and/or Stewards they consider “theirs”. Other En’Sages don’t make use of either organization, making do with their own followers or magically created servants, and in some cases living in isolation. The Amazons are the guards, soldiers, and sometimes laborers of the Ancient Order, while the Stewards are the domestic servants, clerks, and bureaucrats. The Stewards also use the immense wealth of the Treasury to procure anything that an En’Sages can’t (or are just too lazy to) magically create or purchase for themselves. Although some of the Treasury is funded by rent and taxes, the vast majority comes from the sale of magical items donated by En’Sages (many of whom are merely clearing out space for new creations).
Aside from the Ancient Order, several other magical and non-magical orders exist on the island. Most of them have very close ties with the Ancient Order given they contain many individuals hoping to one day become En’Sages themselves, and are often considered a part of the Ancient Order by outsiders. Other groups maintain a certain prickly independence, but are too weak to defy the En’Sages in any meaningful way, though admittedly few have any reason to given the light-handed rule of the En’Sages (unless they are blatantly evil or extremely reckless with their magic). Collectively the lesser magic orders are far more numerous than the Ancient Order, and are more prone to meddling in mundane affairs. For this reason, they often have a great deal of political influence over nearby settlements.
As the power of the magic users and Amazons all but guarantee the island’s safety, the power and prestige of most local officials is limited. The nine city-states on the island are essentially self-governing and are run by groups of (mostly elected) magistrates and other officials (who in some cases report to a hereditary earl or count with limited power). The smaller communities are usually ruled by an elected mayor, reeve, or some other sort of spokesmen. 
==Economy==
The land on the Isle ranges from fair to poor, and a wide range of farming and fishing employs most people, along with small scale mining, forestry, textile production, and other manufacturing work. However, these are mostly for domestic use, and completely overshadowed by the sale of magically produced goods when it comes to foreign trade.
Potions and enchanted items from the Isle are sold for high cost elsewhere, and many wealthy elites come to the island for healing or cosmetically enhancing magic.
==Foreign Relations==
=== Cocoon Islands===
The Wizards fear an ancient evil on the Cocoon Islands, and as a result maintain a series of island forts to prevent others from reaching the island.
===Northwestern Humans, Sea Elves, and Hobbits===
The Wizards feel some moral obligation to help the nations north of the Drow City-States to protect themselves, and will sometimes lend military assistance in the form of the Amazons and the lesser magic orders, and occasionally even a Wizard will take the field, though they are rarely inclined to risk their lives despite their immense power. Aside from this, relations are cordial, though the Wizards only truly respect those with powerful magic ability.
===Drow===
Aside from Cocoon Island, the Drow are considered the main enemies of the Wizards, though the Wizards do sometimes make alliances with individuals or certain factions in order to obtain knowledge, or guide the Drow along a more peaceful path.
===Azan Empire===
Some in Azan still consider the Isle of Wizards to be a rebel province, though like many long lost provinces, they know it is unlikely they will regain it. The Wizards only respect the most powerful of the Azan mages, though the lesser magic orders make most of their coin off of Azan and some of its successor states.
===Demons===
The Wizards both fear, and are secretly fascinated by demons. Summoning and binding demons is a skill Wizards and certain lesser orders are expected to have, though it is a dangerous past time.
===Arangea and the Citadel===
These two centers of magic learning are the only ones in the west that the Wizards truly (secretly) respect, though it is rare for them to admit this. The interchange of knowledge between the three groups is fairly frequent, though the Wizards try to hide their interest by operating through lesser orders.
==Geography==
The Isle has a relatively temperate climate, but is somewhat cool at higher elevations and along the north coast. 
Due to cheaply available potions, population growth is very slow, and much of the island is still pristine meadows and forest, though most towns and villages are surrounded by kilometers of field and pasture.
There are some low mountain ranges and extinct volcanoes at the center of the island, whose flanks are covered with meadows or pine forest depending on soil quality and whether fires or other events occurred recently.
==Geography (Additional Notes)==
The island is unofficially divided up into five regions, though these are rarely treated as distinct administrative units. Aside from the city-states, there are about eighty other "provinces" such as earldoms, townships, counties, and shires, where a large area of land has one government (usually a weak one) for historic or cultural reasons, but many parts of the island fall outside of the boundaries of these provinces, where one can find many other small communities and farms that are essentially independent as long as they adhere to a few basic laws. 
===The South Coast===
The South Coast is the most fertile and populous region of the island, which is not saying much. Although the temperatures and mild and the soil quality is fair, much of the region is covered in protected forests and meadowlands, which are in truth deliberate measures by locals to discourage immigration and ensure farmland is either inherited by locals, or (in the few areas where local property laws don’t prevent it) purchased for very high prices. 
The Azan Empire first established footholds in this region during the early Second Dynasty, when it used the presence of a few pirate kingdoms along the south coast as an excuse to invade the whole island. Although the invasion stalled after only modest gains, the Azanese Faith ended up being popular among the island’s large human population and within a few centuries was the main faith on the island (albeit often in syncretic form). This ensured that most of Wanaidheain was at either a part of, or at least allied to, the Azan Empire for the next three millennia in its many wars against different iterations of the Elven Empire.
However, even in the South Coast region where the Azan Empire focused its efforts, colonization never really took off except for a few major waves of refugees. Better quality lands were usually available to aspiring colonists elsewhere, and the locals found many different ways to discourage new comers without appearing overly hostile or rebellious.
Although two of the three cities have long been cosmopolitan, the rural areas are almost entirely human, whose bloodlines are mostly indigenous mixed with colonists who are mostly from other parts of the northwest. 
 
*Catrin – Sometimes described as the strangest city in the world, Catrin has always had an odd reputation. It was originally founded as a temple-town to Corvic (local god of death) but became a small city that served as the capital of a tyrannical petty kingdom for several centuries in the pre-Azan days. During the periods of on and off Azanese control it went into decline due to its haunted reputation, but since Celin’s reforms has had a renaissance due to it being the location where many mages sell off their more unusual and esoteric creations. Perhaps due to its history, it has always had a high level of hauntings, and for unknown reasons often has temporal and dimensional anomalies as well. Although individuals of nearly all races can be found here, the locals are mostly indigenous humans, and their surly reputation combined with the city’s gloomy gothic architecture and haunted reputation make it less than welcoming. Aside from the quirks mentioned above, noteworthy features include the presence of most of the few EnSages who live in urban areas (including a small Circle dealing with temporal issues, and another one specializing in ghosts), lots of other magic users, the only Scarred Phantom Chapter House on Wanaidheain (mostly for recruiting new members and accepting foreign contracts), as well as lots of ravens and flying cats.
*Catwala and Toleas – An indigenous town and an Azanese town located a few kilometers from each other. There is a petty rivalry between the two, but it is mostly limited to pranks and brawls between juveniles.
*Galvaethwy Hall – This large gothic style manor has been owned by one of the wealthiest indigenous land owners for generations. It overlooks a fairly typical market town of the same name.
* Gianni – The Azanese founded this city as a university teaching magical and non-magical scholarly subjects in hopes it would inspire cooperation and integration between the local and Azanese magical and scholarly traditions. It was fairly successful in this regard, and at times was seen as a mighty bastion of secularism against the theocratic excesses of the Fourth and Sixth Dynasties, but as the Azanese and Westerling cultures became less distinct, the university lost most of its original purpose. During the Seventh and Eight Dynasties, it gained new life as a dumping ground for the spoiled children of the nouveau riche, a reputation that continues to this day even after Wanaidheain separated from the Empire. Most En’Sages and other skilled magic users see the Giannian University as beneath their notice, but sometimes En’Sages will appear as guest lecturers if they are particularly fired up about a subject and want to ram their opinion into the skulls of as many people as possible (whether they understand it or not). Local groups like the Wise Women who have interest in politics often send teachers so they can recruit and spread their beliefs among impressionable minds. Aside from the university, the city has a reputation as the place to be for the artists and hedonists of Wanaidheain. The architecture is mostly Azanese from different eras, and inhabitants (both locals and students) are mostly from what is now the Azanese Heartlands and Gvilderstaaten. 
*Matick Lighthouse – This massive lighthouse is sometimes used as a home by wizards too lazy to build their own tower.
*Mottgredton – This small town is the origin of the Mottgredton cat breed, known for its large size and pure white hair with black faces, tail tips, and paws.
* Metroiti – The Azanese founded this city to serve as the capital of the newly founded province of South Wanaidheain, but it never got as big as originally envisioned, and following Wanaidheain’s independence, it found new purpose as the stronghold of the Wise Women. This magic using order was founded by several well respected female magic users who felt excluded from Celin’s all male “Ancient Order”. Although they were among the best in the world, they could never compete with the sheer prestige of Celin, and the immense knowledge he and his followers hoarded for themselves. Instead, the Wise Women focused on the political side of things, seeking to become teachers and advisors where they could nudge those in power towards “good”. The En’Sages and the Wise Women have a prickly relationship, with the Wise Women seeing the En’Sages as misogynistic dysfunctional academics and the En’Sages seeing the Wise Women as sanctimonious busybodies. The two organizations have been known to work together on occasion though, particularly on high stakes foreign ventures. The city is built in various Azanese styles and most of the population are humans who come from different parts of the former Azanese Empire, though pretty much all races can be found here due to the city’s cosmopolitan and open minded reputation. 
*Tegan – A small fortress city built by Azan to try and stimulate colonization away from the coast. During the Third Dynasty, a cult of dark magic practitioners tried to drive the Azanese from Wanaidheain using a string of increasingly destructive terror strikes. In the final strike, the inhabitants of Tegan were consumed by dark magic, though fortunately the main members of the cult were believed to have been slain as well. Since then, the ruins of Tegan has been haunted by a dark entity so powerful even the En’Sages have never attempted to do anything about it.
*Theodora – This quaint Azanese monastery town was purchased in its entirety to serve as headquarters for the Order of Demonology. The Order was founded by Senior En’Sage Mert the Horny nearly five centuries ago to further research the Succubus Dimension. Although the Succubus Breaches were undoubtedly exactly the type of potentially world ending metaphysical threat the Ancient Order was founded to investigate, many of Mert’s fellow En’Sages questioned his motives for choosing this field of research. Mert eventually left the Ancient Order and took the Order of Demonology with him. He and his degenerate disciples have since then walked a fine line between being an asset and a threat to the Ancient Order. Although they have undoubtedly advanced the mortal understanding of the succubus threat, they also lose members to unauthorized summonings on a regular basis, a few of which have resulted in demonic excursions big enough that the Amazons and En’Sages had to intervene to put them down.
*The Satyr and the Frog – This large statue depicts a satyr urinating on a frog. No one can remember who built it or why. It marks the crossroads of two relatively well used roads.
*Tiatanotis Palace – A large Azanese villa style palace build during the excesses of the Seventh Dynasty. When the Imperial family tried to sell it off, no one buyer could be found. Instead it was subdivided into properties for several wealthy buyers. This pattern continued for generations and now the palace is split into several hundred properties and rental rooms. Despite this, it is still in pretty good shape. Features include a man made lake with a barge, a hedge maze, an amphitheatre, and several hundred nude statues.
*Twecwyn – This ruined town was once home to human and fey pirates (including satyrs, goblinoids, harpies, fairies, various elven races, and a few hobbits and gnomes) who raided the shipping of the Azanese Empire during the First and early Second Dynasties. Like most of the other pirate nations at that time on the South Coast, they were wild anarchists with little connection to most of the petty kingdoms elsewhere on Wanaidheain (in fact some were fugitives from these other kingdoms), but their activities helped provide justification for the Azanese invasion. Some say the final straw was when a satyr pirate captain raped the daughter of a prominent Azanese noble in full view of thousands in the town square, though reliable records of this time period are rare, so some say the tale is apocryphal. Twecwyn was burned during initial fighting, and shoddy structures were deemed unworthy of being rebuilt by Azanese authorities. Only piles of rock in the middle of a sheep pasture mark its existence in modern times.
* Yurfyn and Sinandaur – The territories of the human petty kingdom of Ferfyn and the small elven nation of Sinandaur more or less overlapped, though the humans answered to one king, and the elves to another. Both engaged in piracy and raiding against Azan, though they were much more organized about it than most others on the South Coast. The humans were longtime raiders, while the elves descend from a group driven out of Azan in ancient times. Both nations were destroyed by Azan during the invasion.
===The West Coast===
The West Coast is perhaps the most bleak of the four coasts, with thin soil, jagged cliffs, and frequent storms. Despite this, the area was the most inhabited coast in pre-Azan times, home to a number of rugged human petty kingdoms. Although these kingdoms eventually converted to the Azan Faith and became nominally allied with the Azanese Empire, they have a long history of ignoring the wider world and quarrelling among each other. Many of these small nations outlasted Celin’s reforms, but by the 2900’s even Ergyriad had grudgingly accepted the democratic reforms and mercantile based systems popular elsewhere on the island. 
*Arianwen – A small city that was once the capital of the Kingdom (and later Earldom) of the same name, and now functions as a small city-state run by an elected council. Throughout its history, Arianwen has had an unfortunate knack for fighting on the “wrong” side due to its ambition, and later on its resentment of its “bad” reputation. It helped Etera destroy Cornog, served as the headquarters of dark cult that tried to drive out the Azanese (several times actually), sided with the drow invaders, and was manipulated into several wars with Ergyriad and Athassel that brought an end to the last independent earldoms. Like the other coastal cities, a large part of their economy revolves around selling goods made by the En’Sages and other magical orders, so their city council generally make an effort to keep the Ancient Order happy. But the city is also home to many who still feel that the rest of Wanaidhaein is full of sanctimonious pricks who they owe nothing to. As a result, the city is a hub for smugglers, unpopular foreign merchant firms, and others who make a living by breaking certain laws if they stand in the way of profit.
*Bialaer – One of several small elven kingdoms founded by “colonists” from the east in ancient times. It was ruled by a bearded elf faerie lord by the name of Inialos, who was a member of the “Enlightened” faction. Although Inialos had first come to Wanaidheain seeking isolation, he quickly ended up being enmeshed in the island’s politics as a peacekeeper and a promoter of the responsible use of magic. Over the course of his extremely long life, Inialos was nearly universally respected by the island’s inhabitants, and his assassination during the drow invasion stirred up major outrage and strengthened the resistance movement. Following his death, his remaining followers dispersed and the small town and scattering of villages and estates that made up his kingdom fell into ruin.
*Bowens – A small city (or a large town depending on who you ask) that was once the capital of an earldom of the same name. The Earldom of Bowens had control of a significant portion of the West Coast’s best farmland (along the banks of the River of Fire), but arguably this just made the population soft as they were generally one of the weaker and most pacifist of the West Coast nations. They were the first to switch to a democratic system of governance, several centuries before any of the others. The Earl remains a ceremonial position whose occupant mostly sticks to the city or their family estate, but sometimes visits other parts of the former earldom to perform ceremonial duties.
*Ceitidh – A mid-sized town with a small castle nearby. One of about a dozen similar communities along the West Coast. Like many West Coast communities, they prefer building with dark stone and slate instead of the half-timbered structures preferred by the indigenous inhabitants of the South and West Coasts, or the light stone and terracotta tiles preferred by many of Azanese descent.
*Cornog – This large, ancient ruin was once the capital of the Kingdom of Cornog. Unlike the other West Coast petty kingdoms, who relied mostly on seafaring ability and conventional fighting tactics, Cornog was home to a magic using order of considerable knowledge and ability. They were one of the first groups (perhaps the first) to be referred to as wizards, and they fought several wars alongside Nylathria and Bialaer against Etera, who they all felt were becoming suicidally reckless in their usage of magic. Etera developed a strong hatred for Cornog and eventually engineered its destruction, but not long after, Etera itself was lost to its own reckless use of magic. Cornog’s magic using traditions left a strong impression on Wanaidhaein though, and they were followed by smaller groups of magic users for millennia. Celin himself was a member of one such group early in life, but mastered all their abilities and moved on to other magic using traditions.
*Ergyriad – This small city was capital of the Earldom of the same name though is now run by an elected council. It was the last Earldom to dissolve thanks to its wealth and strong sense of nationalism. It is now home to several moderately powerful merchant organizations and is a popular stopping point between Gvilderstaaten and Zapalovach.
*Gwalchmai – Once the most northern of the old human Earldoms, now a small city surrounding a large but poorly maintained palace. The inhabitants had a reputation for being skilled sea raiders who fought both alongside and against the sea elves at various points in history. Even in modern times they still maintain many pagan traditions and a few temples to the old gods still exists in the city. They are also still considered the best sailors in Wanaidheain and their large merchant fleet of sleek, fast vessels sometimes serves as the backbone of Wanaidheain’s navy on the rare occasions that one is needed.
*Rilymma – This small community of drow worshippers of the Moon Goddess is one of the last remaining traces of the drow invasion of the island. Although most of the drow were driven from the island, a few were able to stay on the basis they were unwilling conscripts and enslaved camp followers. Most of Rilymma’s inhabitants trace their origins back to Bruin’loi, a once important drow city destroyed during the invasion by Celia’s followers from the underworld.
*Sioned Firth – This large fortress and associated town was once the capital of the Eifion Earldom. Although the Earldom was dissolved over a millennia ago, the fortress has been owned by the same family ever since then and has served a wide range of uses including a monastery, prison, asylum, and a storage location for valuable and/or dangerous goods.
*Uasal Abbey – One of several ancient abbeys that were used to support missionary efforts. These days it is half-ruined but still houses some Azanese clergy. Local villages use it as a gathering point to celebrate both Azanese and pagan holidays.
*Wursa’s Rock – Although the humans of Wanaidheain have largely converted to the Azanese Faith, many traces of the older religions remain. Mostly this takes the form of holidays and celebrations that honor various pagan gods even though most no longer have active priesthoods. However, a few of the old priesthoods still exist, including that of Wursa, the Bear God of War, who still has some followers among professional fighting men along the West Coast, particularly in Gwalchmai. Wursa’s Rock is an outdoor temple complex consisting of several rock circles built around a large rock outcrop that vaguely resembles a bear.
===The North Coast===
The North Coast of Wanaidheain is the least inhabited. It is the coldest part of the island other than the Northern Plateau and the mountains and is covered with either mixed forest or grassy hills depending on soil depth. However, its lack of population has more to do with its history than its climate. A trio of faerie lords once shared this region and long discouraged the settlement of others. Furthermore, although Azan often claimed control of the main island of Wanaidheain, several smaller islands along the northern coasts served as naval bases for the various iterations of the Elven Empire, which prevented the Azanese from reaching this coast by sea. Even after most of the fey left, humans have been slow to migrate to this area due to strange local laws that make land acquisition almost impossible. 
*Charemnon’s Shrine – Charemnon is a centaur-like faerie lord whose followers (mostly other centaurs) pledged themselves to protecting the northern hills of Wanaidheaim from coastal raiders and other trouble-makers. He belongs to the “Egoist” faction of faerie lords along with his close allies Gwen and Claironei. Charemnon refused to take sides in the wars between Azan and the elves but did participate in driving the drow from the island. However, Charemnon’s ego couldn’t handle the fact that many in the North Coast saw Celin as one of their key protectors during and after the war with the drow. Charemnon was politically opposed to Celin’s rise in the post-Azan era, but couldn’t think of a way to return things to the status quo he was comfortable with and eventually returned to the faerie realm with most of his followers. The massive vainglorious statue known as “Charemnon’s Shrine” was built when he was at the peak of his power.
*Gwen’s Shrine – Gwen is a she-eep-like faerie lord whose followers included human shepherds, she-eep, faeries, and a few other fey races. They were said to be the remnants of a nomadic culture that once covered the whole island, but were limited mostly to the north end of the island as far back as credible records reach. Gwen is a pacifist and also generally keeps out of politics. She initially opposed Celin’s rise due to the opposition of her friends Charemnon and Claironei, as well as her own fears of Celin’s talk of returning power to the common people would turn some of her own followers against her. However (as promised), Celin never moved against Wanaidheain lords who were relatively popular with their subjects, and Gwen remains quite popular to this day. Following the departures of Charemnon and Claironei though, Gwen began spending more of her time in the Evergreen Pastures (it is said Voluptuia is her grandmother) and in the faerie realms. Many of her fey followers have left as well, but her human followers mostly remained behind. Much of the north coast region is now divided between the grazing lands of various sheep herding villages. “Gwen’s Shrine” is a large monument used by some of her local followers on holy days.
* Muineaog – One of the few towns along the north coast. It was founded by local shepherds, but most of its population moved here from other parts of the island. Today it is mostly a fishing village, but a few merchants are based here as well.
*Nieduibh – After Claironei and Charemnon and their respective followers left, the North Coast was essentially undefended. Worried it would become a mecca for pirates, Celin encouraged a few of his followers to move there, and later, once he created the Amazons, he had them establish a few small coastal forts as well. Nieduibh is the headquarters of this small defensive force.
*Nylathria – This small city (now in ruins) was once the capital of the largest elven petty kingdom on Wanaidheain. It had a large amount of influence over smaller petty kingdoms like Bialaer. Like the other elven petty kingdoms, it was founded by “colonizers” from what is now Elfwood who took it upon themselves to defend the small fey communities already present on the island. Nylathria, and its faerie lord, the pale elf sorceress Claironei, fought several wars against those they saw as a threat to natural harmony, including Etera, the drow, and several wars against the Azan Empire. Claironei only fought alongside humans against the drow grudgingly and during Celin’s rise to power she couldn’t think of a way to justify going to war against him after he saved her life (twice), but also couldn’t stand the idea of living on an island dominated by strong (mostly) human magic users. She and her followers abandoned their kingdom and returned to Elfwood.
* Uihead – This large ruin located on a small island of the coast is perhaps the oldest structure in Wanaidheain and its outlying islands, parts of it anyways. The original structure was built by a now forgotten civilization, though the architecture reminds some people of the Merfolk Empire, and others of Etera. Old legends say the first serpigots were created here. Following the initial Azanese invasion of Wanaidheain, a long string of elven and other fey rulers turned the Uihead into an impenetrable naval fortress that allowed the fey to dominate the waters north of Wanaidheain. It was abandoned following the collapse of the last iteration of the Elven Empire and it changed hands several times since then. It is currently home to the En’Sage Cruimin the Salty, who built his tower here, and now splits his time between researching the ruins and investigating alternate dimensions.
===The East Coast===
The East Coast has similar warm temperatures and fertile soils to the South Coast. However, like the South Coast, its is surprisingly empty (by Azanese standards), with large parcels of land used as shared grazing land or protected forest. Small human villages are a common sight along the coast or in wide valleys, while the hobbit burrow-villages and burrow-towns tend to be in hilly areas. There are also a few hard to find colonies of brownie and gnome.
The East Coast is only a short distance from Hereby, and culturally the two have a lot in common due to a long history of people travelling back and forth across the water.
For several long stretches of history, the East Coast was a special province of the Azan Empire. For a few shorter stretches, it was a part of the Kingdom of Krisidor. These days it has one city-state, several rural townships and shires, and many remote self-governing communities.
*Angilbert – This hobbit village is one of the few built entirely above ground. It was originally meant to be a temporary community until proper burrows could be established, but the founders decided they like the surface more, and so they stayed.
*Feamair – This port city has a small population, but is very low density and sprawls for several kilometers around the core harbor. Its population is mostly human, but there are some hobbit burrows in the hills within and bordering the town. At several points in its history, Feamair was valuable neutral ground in between the Azan Empire and the various iterations of the Elven Empire. However, most trade routes now go directly between Gvilderstaaten and Hereby. Feamair is still the main stopping point for those seeking to trade with the East Coast. It also has a large fishing fleet.
* Forests of the Red Leaves – Autumn seems to come to this region about a month early, turning the leaves of many trees red. Some see this as a side effect of the Grave of the Topaz King.
*Gamwich and Boulderhill – Gamwich is a burrow-town founded by those who fled Hereby over a millennia ago during the initial rise of the Witch-Elven Empire. They are sometimes mocked for this by the occupants of the nearby burrow-town of Boulderhill, given that the Witchelven Empire never came close to Hereby’s borders. Cynics note that the majority of inhabitants in both towns fled to Hereby during the drow invasion.
*Haarsport – Haarsport was once the capital of a human petty kingdom known as Tiobaid that also controlled the two large islands south of it. It was overrun during the initial Azanese invasion, and seen as a prime candidate for colonization due to proximity to Azan proper. A number of large fortresses were established the former territory of Tiobaid in order to create a supply route between Wanaidheain and the Azanese Heartlands. These fortresses were never challenged and most were eventually sold by corrupt officials to House Wieggerinck, who settled the region with colonists from the Inselsenn Archipelago. The Wieggerincks went on to become one of the major players in the creation of Gvilderstaaten, and they managed to transfer ownership of all the offshore islands under their control to that new de facto nation. Haarsport itself is considered a part of the Isle of Wizards, but is an independent township where the Wieggerinck’s have considerable influence. 
*Hedgehopper – This burrow-town is one of the oldest in the area, and is said to have been founded by Theodelinda Headstrong, a daughter of Arbul Applebloom who has long been the patron saint of hobbits who want to explore and settle lands far from Hereby. However, explorative hobbits are rare, and tend not to get very far.
*Grave of the Topaz King – Deep beneath the surface here is an underground chamber containing the remains of a crystalid annihilator and a number of crystalid destroyers and humanoids, all of which have been turned to pure topaz, as have the walls of the chamber. A pseudo-cult known as the Order of the Lithomagicians have dedicated themselves to the study of the chamber. The Order believes that the crystalids are emissaries of some yet to be discovered dimension where raw magical is plentiful and potentially harnessable.
*Leagsaidh – A typical human farming market town in the indigenous style, one of dozens that can be found along the South and East Coasts. It is mostly famous for being one of the few places where Ambarsan is still celebrated. This crop fertility ceremony honors the Earthmother and involves nude dancing which is no longer in line with the sensibilities of most folk living on Wanaidheain.
*The White Fort – This fortified town covers much of the small island it sits on. It was once a major Azanese fortress (the only one in the area not sold to the Wieggerinks) but was taken by force by Evgrius’s followers. When Celin’s followers took control, they were worried Azan would try to use it as a stepping stone for future invasions and garrisoned it with an ad hoc force which was later replaced by an Amazon garrison. In order to further discourage attack, several properties were sold to well connected merchant and noble families, who use them as resorts and/or depots for smuggled goods.
*Underhills – This burrow-town is unusually deep, and also uncomfortably close to the Grave. The lower levels consist of jewel mines and former mines converted to tombs, larders, and hidden shrines. Its inhabitants are seen as a bit weird by other hobbits, and some are said to be followers of the Digger. Some gnomes live here as well.
===The Great Central Plateau===
The Plateau is a large elevated landmass that covers most of the main island. The soil has traditionally been too thin here for it to be much good for anything other than herding. Patches of hearty forest cover areas where the soil is thick enough to support trees. The northern half is colder, so pine, spruce, cedar, and hemlock are more common.
Even by fey standards the area has long been sparsely inhabited. When Azan first invaded the island, there were eight fey “kingdoms” on the Plateau, in addition to large swath of the northern Plateau under the protection of the Charemnon-Gwen-Claironei alliance. This number was gradually whittled down to just three by the time of Celin established control over the island, and all three have left since then.
*Billi’s Tower – Billi is the Head of the Blue Circle and an En’Sage of enormous power. The Blue Circle deals with the observation and manipulation of the arcane walls between different dimensions, more commonly known as planar magic. Most En’Sages spend at least a few decades with the Blue Circle, enough to learn how to identify breaches in reality and create pocket dimensions, two signature abilities of an En’Sage that take both immense magical potential and mental acuity. However, Billi takes things far further. It is said he and his closest cohorts have been monitoring the stability of this dimension and spying on a number of other dimensions for many centuries now, and have discovered truths they intend to keep secret at all costs.
*Branwyn – This small town is located downstream of a few wizards who highly value their privacy and pay good money to ensure that the local sheriffs enforce the countless “no trespassing signs”.
*Cave of the Wise Men – This natural cave is full of interesting crystals that are of interest to the Order, and it is also used as a training ground by some wizards.
*Castle Arcana – This now ruined mage academy was founded by Evgrius Valotis, a powerful mage who became Celin’s chief rival during the years following the drow invasion. Evgrius was a friend of Celin’s, and a fellow hero of the war with the drow, but although they both envisioned a new nation where magic users could do their research free from petty politics, Evgrius wanted one where the mages were firmly in charge and the existing elite answered to them, while Celin wanted one that respected the wishes of the island’s common folk. At first Evgrius was far more successful in gaining allies and building a political consensus, but then his alliance fell into infighting and many key players shifted to Celin’s camp. In desperation, Evgrius began recruiting more mages from overseas who were shunned or outcast, often for good reason. This just alienated most of Evgrius’s remaining local allies. Too proud to admit defeat, Evgrius made a number of dark pacts in attempt to take the island by force. His forces began fighting among themselves and were driven from Castle Arcana. Evgrius and his last few remaining allies were slain at Hagshearth.
*Castle Mip – This ruined castle was once the home of the satyr-like faerie lord Mip, who ruled the Kingdom of Mip. A reckless hedonist, he had close ties to some of the pirates that provoked the initial invasion of the island by the Azan Empire. Although his castle was conquered during the first war, Mip was eventually able to convince the Azanese to return it. Mip became increasingly dark and unruly in the centuries that followed, causing many of his followers to desert him. Sometime during the late Fifth Dynasty, he disappeared. It was widely rumored he doublecrossed the wrong entity and was punished badly. The remains of his kingdom got absorbed into Edna’s group up until her death. By that point Castle Mip had acquired an evil reputation, and it was abandoned to the elements.
* Crafir – This ruined town was once capital of the small elven petty kingdom of Mordan. It was led by Sionia, the rebellious granddaughter of the infamous Lord Ebon. During the Azan invasion of the island, unknown parties managed to provoke Azan to attack Crafir and later assassinate Sionia. Azan absorbed Crafir’s territory, though the land was often seen as cursed and few settled here.
*Dark Pine Circle – This collapsed stone circle was once of great significance to the Dark Pine Dryads, a small tribe of dryads and wood elves that once lived in the region. They were led by a king or queen, but had no true faerie lords. They were part of the “Wilder” faction of fey, but tried to get along with their neighbors, and instead used disliked groups like bandits, pirates, Etera, the drow, and sometimes the Azanese as an outlet for their darker behavior. Once Celin brought peace to the island and started sometimes arresting them for (from their point of view) harmless fun, most of the tribe relocated to more lawless parts of the world, though a few still linger in the area.
*Fie – In ancient times, a strange cult of unseelie gnomes known as the leprechauns found a way to turn nearly any material into gold and used this wealth to build an underground kingdom known as Falloonell. For unknown reasons most of them had dispersed to the faerie realm by the time the Azanese arrived, but several small wars were fought with greedy Azanese factions trying to learn the nature of this gold creating magic. Eventually the remaining gnomes got fed up and left and much of their nation was absorbed into Edna’s territory, but on occasion a few gnomes would return to lay sadistic magical traps for the treasure hunters who sometimes explore the old ruins in hopes of finding a forgotten stash of gold.
*Fildarae’s Castle – A minor elven faerie lord by the name of Fildarae led the small kingdom of Fayeth from this once magnificent castle. Fildarae never liked the Azanese presence on Wanaidheain, but also didn’t like the presence of unseelie fey in the ruling council of many iterations of the Elven Empire, and was often content to be a neutral nation like several others on the island. But on the rare occasions when the composition of Elven Council was to her liking and/or she was badly provoked by the Azanese, she was willing to war with the Azanese, often alongside Nylathria and the Dark Pine Dryads, and sometime with help from certain followers of Inialos, Charemnon, Dalyor, Mip, and even a few of the human nations. Following a civil war in Elfwood, Lord Ebon and some witch-elves ended up in Wanaidheain for unknown reasons. Fildarae teamed up with a young(ish) Celin, Claironei, and Dalyor to confront him, but both Fildarae and Ebon were slain in the process. Fildarae’s followers tried to honor her last wishes for a while by protecting the few humans and hobbits living in their region, but eventually the strength of Celin’s new nation made them feel redundant and most dispersed to other nations. Her castle was inherited by her brother who let various favored followers use it as a home. It was badly damaged two centuries ago during a very explosive assassination attempt and never rebuilt.
*Gedric’s Tower (ruined) – Gedric was an expert on trans-dimensional travel and the creation of pocket dimensions. Following some catastrophic failure, the inside of his tower is now a maze of pocket dimensions far larger than tower itself, filled with all sorts of mind-bending horrors.
*Gilvan’s Tower – Although Gilvan may look and act like an En’Sage, he is not, as he is too fond of meddling in politics, and liaising with women. Despite this, he is well respected by both the Order and several local rulers. 
*Great Tower of Heliotrope – Celin began work on this massive campus not long after defeating Edna and Evgrius. Saving the island yet again gave him massive amounts of moral authority among the common folk, while Evgrius’ follies reminded even the most curmudgeonly of the wizards he convinced to join him that some oversight was needed. Celin saw the Heliotrope as a place where he could spread his philosophy, as well as defend the interests of the common folk of the island. It took a century for all the main structures to be completed despite the large number of laborers, magical creatures, and mages working on the project. Despite the En’Sages' love of seclusion, a small city eventually formed around the tower, as the assorted flunkies became wealthy enough to support a whole ecosystem of servants, service industry workers, and their families. Key buildings include: 
**The Court of Law – Often seen as the highest court on the island. The magistrates were originally chosen by Celin for their impartiality and proven track record for logical thinking, but since then the existing magistrates are responsible for voting in new members. The magistrates are supported by mages trained in investigation techniques, and a specialized unit of Amazons. The Court technically has no jurisdiction over crimes committed within the boundaries of a city-state or other local government, but it is so highly respected that no local court can say no to them reviewing a case without triggering major red flags among the public. Most of the time though they deal with organized crime and bandits operating between local jurisdictions, or difficult cases that local courts ask for their help in. The Court also has some wandering magistrates that judge lesser cases in remote areas where no lesser courts operate.
**The Garrison – This complex of buildings is where Amazons are created, trained, indoctrinated, and garrisoned while awaiting duties elsewhere.
**The Grand Priory of the Order of Pedants – When they aren’t hanging around The Library, members of the Order spend their time here. Many En’Sages spent time in its dormitories as youth and remember it fondly.
**The Hall of Astrologers – The eastern tradition of Astromancy synergizes well with the studies of the Ancient Order. The Order of Astromancy seeks to rediscover the lost Khenomeric techniques as well as coordinate with modern astromancers.
**The Hall of the Gods – In pre-Azan invasion times, there were about a dozen competing pagan faiths, all of which looked at the same set of gods through different cultural perspectives. Most of these faiths have now died out or only have a few followers, though the gods themselves are still acknowledged during certain days by all but the most devout Azanese. Although not a religious man, Celin always had an interest in the old pagan gods, and built this hall containing large statues acknowledging all the gods with significant historic or modern associations with the island, including some of the darker ones. There are statues for Bronzar (Order), Wurna (War), Brezz (Ocean), Corvic (Death), The Earthmother (Creation), Treesoul (Creation again), Murga (Dark Magic and Self-Reliance), Audric (Hedonism), Nathra (Fertility), and Irem (The Moon, Magic).
**The Library – Celin wrote thousands of books over his long life, and collected millions of others. They are stored at a magnificent building simply known as The Library. The Library is seen as essentially a temple by a group known as the Order of the Pedants. The Pedants include both magic and non-magic users who spend most of their time combing through Celin’s books searching for hints that Celin would support their position on this or that academic topic. Spending some time with the Pedants is often seen as a stepping stone to joining the En’Sages since they have a similar philosophy.
**The Orrery Arcana – This complicated device attempts to map the flows of magic and the many factors said to influence them like leylines, the path of the moons, and known breaches in reality.
**The Tower Itself – Both the tower and the city around it are technically known as Great Tower of Heliotrope. Usually the city is called “Heliotrope” and the tower is just called “The Tower”. Given En’Sages and their servants spend a lot of time around important towers, more specificity is sometimes needed, in which case The Tower is referred to as “The Great Tower” or “The Tower Itself”, due to the wide range of expressions like “instructions came from The Tower Itself”. It is a massive tower where a number of important committees and tribunals meet, and also serves as the official residence of whoever is currently heading the order (The Grandmaster).
**The Tower of Harlots – The Vigilant Order is a large organization of (mostly female) battle mages that often send their members to support the Amazons in combat. Although nearly all of them are genuine altruists motivated by the thought of making the world a better place, they are often dismissed by aspiring En’Sages as temptresses and minxes.
**The Treasury – A large building where Stewards who run the Order’s finances work. Donated magic items are sold in the cities through middlemen, and the funds are used to procure materials which are then stored in The Warehouses. Specific requests from En’Sages for unusual goods and services that receive the right approvals are also sent here for the Stewards to work out.
** The Warehouses – En’Sages are an impatient bunch who have little interest in things like haggling and waiting for items to be shipped. Several vast warehouses are always kept well stocked by the Stewards with any ingredient or raw material an En’Sage could possibly need.
* Haghearth – The large coven of hags led by Edna Gravespitter and their assorted unseelie fey and human followers were long a blight on the central portion of the island. Although they had many enemies on the island among the other fey, the indigenous humans, and the Azanese, they also had just enough political leverage both locally and with the Elven and Azan Empires to ensure that no one was ever able to declare a full scale war on them. Edna’s followers were able to seize much of the former lands of Falloonell and the Kingdom of Mip with little effort, but Edna went too far when she tried to ally with Evgrius to seize control of the island, and later helped him sign several demonic pacts when they started losing. In one of the few true battles that occurred during Celin’s rise to power, Haghearth was razed and Celin himself slew both Edna and Evgrius. Edna’s followers were hunted down, and in modern times their few fixed communities like Hagshearth are in ruins.
* Hero’s Journey – This small, unremarkable village is the focus of a number of prophecies.
* Krisidor – This small town is home to the (mostly elvish) followers of Dalyor, a faerie lord of the “Selfless” faction and the brother of Fildarae. Krisidor firmly believed all reasonable sentient beings should be able to get along in peace and harmony and he often tried to push for peace between the Azan and Elven Empires (though he wasn’t afraid of a fight if he felt that a local or Azanese faction was being unreasonably hostile). He was popular with the east coasters and was sometimes elected king of the East Coast when the humans and hobbits desired a strong leader and the Azanese were too weak to provide it. Following the death of his sister, Dalyor became remote and disengaged and most of his followers dispersed.
*Lair of the Lich Queen – No one knows where she came from, but for several decades during the late Third Dynasty, the Lich Queen and her deranged followers were a blight upon the island. The Azanese clergy took a central role in defeating her, which contributed greatly to the spread of their influence on the island.
*Maelon’s Tower – The En’Sage who dwells in this tower has a particular interest in cloning. Among the residents of his tower are a hundred clones of his pet cat.
* Monolith of Inialos – With losses mounting on both sides, Inialos of Bialaer managed to negotiate a peace treaty whereby the Azan Empire could settle the areas southeast of this monolith to serve as a buffer against further piracy, but not anywhere else on the island. Although Azan would later win the loyalty or neutrality of the island’s many small nations, it was often on condition that the rules of the peace treaty be respected and limit settlement areas. Even after Celin’s rise to power, the treaty was still respected, as it was very popular with the indigenous humans of the island (including Celin himself).
* Randolf the Randy’s Tower – Most En’Sages are too focused on intellectual pursuits or petty bickering to feel lust, while others are simply too old. However, there are a few who need to make use of one of several loopholes in the “no sex rule”. The most prolific is Randolf, who takes full advantage of the fact that past precedents have established that anything that isn’t sentient and can’t procreate is fair game.
*Rivers of Earth, Air, Water, Fire – These rivers have had many different names over the millennia. When Grandmaster Linus Roche gave Head Librarian Dikius the honor of naming the rivers, he chose to name them after the four elements, knowing fully how well Roche hated the obsession some societies and organizations had with naming things after the elements, or structuring themselves around their perceived properties.
*Renni the Druid’s Tower – Like many of the ancient Khenomeric magic users, Renni pushes the boundaries of what is possible with arcane magic by trying to replicate the results achieved by druidic magic. Like many Green Circle En’Sage with interests in druidic magic, Renni descends from an actual druid and therefore likely has natural aptitude for life magic involving plants. His “tower” is a massive tree which contains dozens of pocket dimension rooms that connect to a spiral staircase winding up the middle of the tree.
*Roche’s Tower – Linus Roche is a former Grandmaster, and current head of the Red Circle and the Order of Automata Artificers. He is an expert on the use of magic to manipulate matter and energy, which is often referred to as elemental magic, though Roche himself considers this to be a gross simplification. If pressed though, Roshe will admit that many individuals with aptitude for magic are drawn to certain types of energy manipulation, with the creation of fire, electricity, and cold being common examples. For an En’Sage, Roche is unusually fond of military force. During his time as Grandmaster, the Fortress Islands were established, and Amazons were sent against the Maui Snakes and the drow among others. Roche’s Tower is very large, and is constantly being expanded by his automated servants.
*Sargo’s Tower – This ugly, bitter curmudgeon is one of the oldest members of the Order and one of the few who knew Celin before he became Grandmaster. Sargos was one of the last leading wizards that Celin convinced to join his Order, and Sargos has always seen himself as somewhat above the Order’s rules. He spends most of his time travelling the world cleaning up major magical and ecological mishaps, but occasionally returns to his small and poorly maintained tower, whose only other inhabitant is a single Amazon tasked with guarding his small and overgrown garden (a posting which is seen as a punishment).
*Snuni’s Tower – Although most En’Sages are human, there are a few others, including several snoloth. Snuni was a friend of Celin and one of the few alive today who knew him personally. Although En’Sages can live for centuries thanks to the manipulation of their life forces with tricks taught by the Green Circle, only a few have reached Snuni’s age, and he shows little signs of slowing down. It is theorized Snuni could live for millennia via the manipulation of his life energy combined with the natural long life of a snoloth. As a result, several senior En’Sages have been encouraging him to attend important meetings and review key research into order to become a living record for the order, though Snuni is far more interested in his own research, which currently includes creating new types of acid, and learning the mating habits of certain rare beetles.
* Underlake – This abandoned burrow-town was once the de facto capital of the Deiniali Mountain Hobbits. They were a group of bitter xenophobes who had lived in the mountains for as long as anyone can remember. They have a long history of backing the wrong side. This finally caught up with them when they sided with the drow during the invasion. Their occasional allies the Dark Pine Dryads took their betrayal particularly hard and went after them once the drow started losing. Some of the hobbits fled to the drow cities, others to the hags, and a few into deep isolation. A few still live in the mountains in modern times, but they avoid their former strongholds and herd goats in small semi-nomadic family units.
*Varlon’s Tower – One of the few elven members of the Order. Most elves with a strong inclination for scholarly magic seek out a Faerie Lord of the Enlightened faction to study under, but Varlon is a peculiar sort, and the En’Sage mentality appeals to him.
* Village of Barry – A strange village where an En’Sage has made clones of himself, who in turn made simulacra of themselves, in order to progress research in multiple fields at once.
* Xylor’s Tower – Xylor is a scholarly minded En’Sage obsessed with figuring out what causes people to be born with high magic potential. His current theory is that someone needs several pseudo-divine bloodlines (draconic, fey, demonic, etc.) mixed with long term exposure to areas of unusually high concentrations of ambient magic (as predicted by the Orrery Arcana).
*Zylor’s Tower – Often confused with Xylor. Zylor is an En’Sage of the Green Circle who specializes in diseases. His current theories revolve around there being two main types of contagion, one which attacks the life energy of an individual directly, but can still result in physical damage, and one which attacks an individual’s body directly, often via extremely small organisms he calls “micro vermin”. Although his theories are controversial, he has developed remedies to many diseases over the past century.
* Zylvanna’s Tower – Zylvanna is a powerful female magic user who left the Wise Women for ideological reasons. She considers herself an unofficial spy of the Order, though she mostly enjoys spying and creating trouble for its own sake. Her magic ball and flying cats find all sorts of interesting information, which she sometimes passes on to more interventionist minded En’Sages like Roche.
==Demographics==
===Humans===
Most of the population is human. Typically pale of skin and fair of hair like many northwestern humans, a few show signs of other ancestry, generally other human races from the old Azan Empire. The mages tend to be more diverse, recruiting talented individuals from anywhere where there is interest.
===Wizards===
Technically human, though immensely powerful and able to live for centuries. They inevitably resemble old, bearded men. Although their long lives and celibacy in theory allows them much time to expand their knowledge, the Wizards almost all have dysfunctional, intellectually abstract personalities, and are just as likely to be found debating minor points of knowledge, opinion, and philosophy with each other, spying on the lives of common folk with their advanced scrying gear, or trying to suppress their sexual desires in bizarre ways. They generally live in massive, eccentric towers fall from nosy neighbors.
=== Amazons===
The Amazonian Guard was founded by Celin not long after he founded the Isle of Wizards. Recruited from bitter, badly abused women, they were originally meant to empower the powerless, but many quickly became cruel vigilantes, so instead Celin reorganized them into a rigid military organization, their law enforcement abilities were transferred to elected magistrates. Enhanced via a range of magic means, they possess immense strength, size, resilience, beauty, reflexes, and often have decades of combat experience, making them some of the most feared fighters in the world. Despite this, much like their Wizard masters, they are often socially dysfunctional, and away from outside eyes engage in all sorts of petty rivalries and cruelty. However, in public the Amazons are perfectly professional, and in combat nearly fearless, for the Wizards have been known to reverse the changes made to an Amazon who misbehaves, a fate they fear worse than death. Conversely, Amazons who perform well are rewarded with many luxuries when off-duty, and some are even allowed to leave the Guard, allowing them to be paid immense amounts of money as mercenaries and bodyguards elsewhere in the world.
===Hobbits, Gnomes, and Brownies ===
Over the centuries, a few of each of these races have migrated to the Isle from the lands to the east. The hobbits are the most common, and hobbit farming villages can be found throughout the island, where they follow similar farming practises to the humans, except for their tendency to live in “burrows”. Gnomes and brownies are rarer and more secretive, living in small underground colonies, and only revealing themselves to those they consider harmless.
Category:Nations
Category:Isle of Wizards
Category:Wanaidheain