Grand Canal

The Grand Canal was formed during the Breaking of Arcadia and has become the natural border between Eridon, Mistrya, Mahtava, and Sylvas.
Before the breaking the land was connected, but following the breaking, the land was torn apart, creating the canal. 
The Grand Canal is a sheer cliff hundreds of feet high from the water below. Carved switchbacks up and down the canal have been established at each of the major settlements that now border it. It is a major impediment to any attempts of land invasion between these countries, especially since all access points from the canal up to the land are at guarded major settlements.
Offshoots of the Grand Canal are the Emerald Canal, Western Canal, and the Albatross Canal.
==History==
In the ages before the Breaking of Arcadia, there was no Grand Canal. Travel across the plains east to west could easily take place. Without this natural barrier, empires such as the Vodan Empire was able to easily encompass the flat-lands. The elven woods spread east to west without interruption save for the Great Lake.
The formation of the Grand Canal divided the land with its huge natural barrier. The Vodan Empire and the elven territories were divided apart. The Vodan Empire fractured into three, and the elves consolidated in the west, expanding the new elven woods, allowing the lands to the east to be occupied by the ever-expanding humans.
As long as it has existed, the Grand Canal has been a major barrier during wars and acts of expansion. Some of these will be detailed below.
==The Canals==
===Grand Canal===
Most of the Grand Canal proper is the border between Eridon and Mistrya. Trade ships sailed between Dawngate and Highcastle were common prior to the War for Arcadia. It was also the major barrier for civilians attempting to flee from Mistrya during the oppression of Scoria, and conversely it was a barrier for people trying to flee from the Demon Invasion of Eridon in the other direction.
Eridon has a much larger fleet than Mistrya did, but most of these fleet deployments were on the ocean coastlines, and not inside the Canal itself. Mistrya's meagre fleet could not challenge control of the waters until Eridon was half destroyed by the Demon Invasion. Following the Demon Invasion the Mistryan Fleet was able to start developing, but they largely had to rely on seized former merchant ships during the War for Arcadia. Mistrya would employ these former merchant ships to transport troops from Mistrya to Eridon to raid and plunder the fallen kingdom.
The Far south end of the Grand Canal is the split from Mahtava and Mistrya. The only settlement in this leg of the Canal is the fortified Mahtava town of Jaka. At the end of the Canal is a land border between these two countries. Mahtava watch this border from a lookout position at Lookout Peak.
===Emerald Canal===
The Emerald Canal drives a wedge into the Elven Woods of Sylvas. Ships of the Elven Fleet were known to patrol the Emerald Canal prior to the elven evacuation of 1515 Age of Iron during the War for Arcadia. During the time of the elves, control of the Emerald Canal was never contested and stayed in the hands of the elves. The entry of the Canal was guarded by the elven settlements of Sylden and I'ldreth.
===Western Canal===
This canal ended up being the border between Sylvas and Mistrya, with the island in the canal between Vayle and Lothtrin being contested by both nations, but ending up in Elven Control. Elven Ships were known to patrol this canal prior to hostilities from Scoria the Red Dragon from the nearby Dragon Peak in Mistrya.
===Albatross Canal===
This fork of the canal is the border between Eridon and Mahtava. Eridon was once the most powerful kingdom in the land and the canal prevent its expansion into Mahtava for a long time, with the only land access though the Giant's Hill and the Overgrowth Jungle.
In 1485 (Age of Iron) Eridon tried to circumvent the Canal and invade Mahtava (The Never War), but it ended in disaster. Forces that attempted to go though the Giant's Hill and Overgrowth were slaughtered, and the elite forces flown across the canal unable to achieve much without backup.
==Heights==
Eridon Side
* Bluecliff = 260 ft
* Highcastle = 250 ft
* Longcast = 130 ft
* Peatsburg = 50 ft
* Tassel = 100 ft
Mistrya Side
* Dawngate = Unknown
* Evermond = 160 ft
* Halfhill = Unknown
* Slagmire = Unknown
* Stoutend = Unknown
* Thaebin 180 to 200 feet
* Vayle = Unknown
Sylvas Side
* Feywull = Unknown
* I'ldreth = Unknown
* Lothtrin = Unknown
* Sylden = Unknown
Mahtava Side
* Jaka = 60 ft