Selmar

Selmar is one of the five major continents of Kortera. It is home to the Selmari race, and governed by the Sovereignty of Selmar.

## History

### **Creation of Kortera (1R-1)**

Enur'el and Devryis spawned in darkness, creating each other by accident. They looked at the great void called the Devouring Dark, and sought to create a universe to withstand it. First, they created five children, called the Quintate. With Devryis's guidance, Luucaboel and Dolgovath created the Astral Sea. With Enur'el's guidance, Brulggonaz, Altumzah, and Morgull created the Material Plane and Elemental Planes. Brulggonaz created land while Altumzah created sea, and Morgull created the first lifeforms to inhabit the new world. Luucaboel and Dolgovath worked together to create light and darkness, as well as day and night. When they all looked upon their creation, they called their world Kortera.

### **Creation of Selmar (3R-104)**

At the end of the Second Reign, the gods Varen Laelis and Esindil (known in Garn as Ranio and Firsir respectively) traveled beyond their borders and into the southern wild lands of **Selmar**. They sought to find a private land where they could live alone, free from disturbance. Together they crafted a beautiful new dominion, with Varen Laelis weaving together a vast landscape of floating islands (now known as the Heavenside Holms) and Esindil filling the lands with life. Esindil created many races, like the crystalline Selmari and the lion-like Ven Savali. These races filled the lands of Selmar, and Varen Laelis and Esindil began to watch over the land as their own.

### **Laelis'ura and Moonrest (3R-345)**

For many years, the Selmari lived under the ground in giant caverns of crystals and ores. Varen Laelis felt that they were not appreciating the world that he had helped build for them, so he crafted a beautiful floating city at the center of the Varenvissa Mountains. The Selmari began to craft a powerful nation from this foundation, naming the city Laelis'ura after the deity that had built it for them. This city became the capital of the new nation, which called itself the Sovereignty of Selmar. Wishing to aid her lover's people, Esindil crafted a city to match Laelis'ura in splendor. She loved this city so much that she used it as a place of rest, and as such the tides she carried never plagued the city. The city came to be called Moonrest.

## Geography

Selmar is neighbored by Garn to the northeast. Elluria is Selmar's neighbor to the northwest, separated by the Eltrie Expanse. Prakk is to the southwest of Selmar, separated by the Emerwin Ocean. Varellia can be found to the east, across the Onathi Ocean and the Yemnan Sea.

Selmar is home to an incredibly diverse landscape. Southern Selmar is covered by a sprawling swamp known as the Marsh of Thorns, while northwestern Selmar is covered by the dense Lavvernin Rainforest. The central strip of Selmar is split into two halves, with the Savalin Savannah to the northeast and the Crown Fields to the southwest, separated by the Varenvissa Mountains in the continent's center. These three regions feature floating islands known as Heavenside Holms, which are the most recognizable geographic feature of Selmar. The Tropic of Kososiia is a jungle infused with ancient magic, located just north of the Marsh of Thorns along the Yemnan Sea. The Tooth of Onath is a large peninsula at the southwest tip of Selmar, which borders the Onathi Ocean near Varellia.

## Politics and People

Selmar is primarily populated by a race of crystalline humanoids known as the Selmari, which are governed by the Sovereignty of Selmar (colloquially known as the Sovereignty). The Selmari worship two supreme entities: Esindil, the goddess of the moon, and Varen Laelis, the god of the sun. Laelis'ura is the capital city of the Sovereignty, where the Crystal Council meditates upon the Lucent in order to guide the nation. The holy city of Moonrest functions as a secondary capital, and primarily serves the Crown Fields, the Marsh of Thorns, and the Tooth of Onath, while Laelis'ura governs the Varenvissa Mountains, the Tropic of Kososiia, and the Savalin Savannah. These two cities represent the sun and moon, which the Selmari believe are the crystalline domains of Esindil and Varen Laelis.

Selmar is also home to a race of lionkin called the Ven Savali, which live in the Savalin Savannah. They are a nomadic people with no unified government, but instead exist as hundreds of small tribes. They rarely live in groups of more than ten, and value triumph in battle over anything else.

The Tropic of Kososiia is home to a race of birdlike humanoids known as the kenku, which are distant relatives of Aarakocra. They can only speak in mimicry, repeating words they have heard before. They have no government of their own, but worship Karkreval, the vulture god of scavenging and theft, from which they are descended. They are natural enemies with the mysterious creatures known as Listeners, which learn from living organisms and attempt to replace them.