Akasin

*Return to Eternity Chronicles Wiki*

Akasin is a continent of varied landscapes, a multitude of cultures, and a tenuous political stability. Shaped like a child's poor drawing of a heart, the four main political powers of Akasin have their historic borders mostly along geographical boundaries. Elvitas defends the great forest in the northwest with a fierce and immortal passion, uncaring of anything else. Darconis owns the northeastern plateau, separated from the rest of the continent by the towering White Ridge mountains. Sallidan claims only the central plains and hills, its diminished borders slowly growing. The Trilac Bay and the wetlands just south of it are nominally controlled by the city-state of Torino. The expansive southern desert of Alay controls itself, as it has always been.

The continent of Akasin has had a bloody and complex history. At various times, every one of the nations of Akasin, with the notable exception of Torino, has held the entire continent under its grip. The current peace, though pleasant, is ultimately temporary. Eventually, someone will want, and have the resources to gain, dominion over the entire land once again, be they in charge of a nation or someone behind the scenes.

## Darconis

The kingdom of Darconis has a long history, with the capital city of Hesitole supposedly being built before the continent was even named Akasin. Ancient myth and legends says that the founder of Darconis was a half-dragon who slew his draconic father and used his bones to create the three artifacts of the royal family; the Bone Crown, the Sword of Rule, and the Throne of Darconis. According to myth, the nameless founder used the three artifacts to build a kingdom for his descendants, then after raising his heir to be ready to take the throne, he went away only to return when the kingdom truly needs him.

It can be argued that the kingdom needs him now, more than ever. Due to various factors, Darconis lost a large amount of territory over the last 150 years, being forced to abandon all holdings beyond the White Ridge Mountains, losing control over the Black Forest upon the plateau, and even being unable to prevent Northbay from declaring independence. The other cities of Darconis were not lost, but the simple fact that Northbay was allowed to leave without retaliation is extremely concerning to the new Regent. After the rapid and tragic deaths of the entire royal family six years ago, all five children and the parents, the former King's advisor stepped in to rule as Regent, and has already begun trying to amend these issues.

Darconis is very densely populated, due to a monster slaying guild keeping the towns safe and the large roads connecting the various cities together. The ancient capital of Darconis is Hesitole, situated atop a cliff overlooking the sea and flanked by two waterfalls, with a lift system operated by the waterfalls and manpower to move cargo and people down to the port at the bottom of the cliff. Drakecoast is built along the sloping cliffside, making the whole city highly vertical and full of switchback roads, all leading down to the large port at the base of the cliff. Breaking the trend of coastal cities, Wintercrest was originally a dwarven trading outpost along a mountain pass which slowly grew and became its own city high in the White Ridge mountains. Despite being independent for nearly a century, Northbay is still often classified as one of the cities of Darconis and is almost entirely over water, with only a few buildings on land.

## Plains of Sallidan

The central plains of Akasin are the best farmland in the entire continent, but also the most scarred. More wars have been fought in Sallidan than any other nation on Akasin, and most simply for ownership of the fields. And while for 200 years Sallidan's central position, fertile soil, and political connections made it the king of trade and effectively the ruler of all Akasin, that age of plenty is long past. Krorthandelos, an old and powerful red dragon, earned the title of Scourge of Sallidan when he torched the fields, melted the castles, and slew the monarchs, taking the kingdom and its coffers for his own. According to the Duskguard, Sallidan was meant to be just the beginning, with the rest of the continent soon following. And then, abruptly, Krorthandelos vanished without a trace.

Even now, 300 years later, the reformed democracy of Sallidan has not fully recovered from the Scourge and the brutal wars that followed, its borders less than half their historic size. Yet the land, as always, has returned to life and plenty. Grass grows tall, small copses of trees dot the landscape, wildlife and monsters roam free, and the steadily growing farms bring in harvests every year. And the nation is growing with each new farming settlement, expanding further into its old lands. Sallidan, though smaller than it had been in the past, has rebuilt itself as a land of freedom and rights, where everyone has a voice.

Sallidan has two cities and a large number of smaller towns within its demeane. The capital city, also named Sallidan, was built ages ago and is in fact the namesake for the nation as a whole, and was once the largest city on the continent, though there are still numerous ruined and abandoned neighborhoods which prevent it from claiming that title today. Honeyshade had been simply a minor noble's manor and orchard before the Scourge, but due to being untouched by the destruction and its prime location, became a safe haven for refugees and over time flourished into a full city, renowned for the quality of its apples and honey.

## The Duskguard

One of the most infamous mercenary armies in the world, the Duskguard are highly trained and ruthless soldiers. Each member of the Duskguard wears a crimson cape which fades to a dark purple at the hem, paired with a heavy pauldron and shield painted to match those colors. Individual members of the Duskguard are referred to as Guards.

The reputation earned by the Duskguard is one of immorality and brutality. They will complete their contract and they will get their payment, no matter the depravity of the contract and no matter the willingness of their employer to pay upon completion of the contract.

The Duskguard, for all their strict adherence to the wording of their contracts, have a relatively loose hierarchy. The Captain is in charge of what contracts the Duskguard accepts and how they go about fulfilling them, as well as being in charge of tactical decisions on the battlefield for the army as a whole. Under the Captain are the Sergeants who command small squads of Guards that can range in number anywhere from five to twenty. Officially, there are no other roles within the Duskguard, though there is an informal hierarchy of Sergeants and squads, going from new recruits, to mages and experienced veterans, to the Captain's trusted advisors.

The story of the Duskguard's origin lies in Krorthandelos's destruction of Sallidan. In the years before the dragon began his reign of terror, he knew that he could not defeat any nation with his power alone. Thus he sought out veteran soldiers and mercenaries, pulling them together from all walks to life and paying them out of his own horde to serve him in his coming conquest. Krorthandelos wrote their founding contract, standardized their gear, and is responsible for beginning the brutal methods employed by the Duskguard to this day.

However, according to legends passed down by word of mouth among the Duskguard, the mercenary army was founded by a brigade of devils of the same name that had been exiled to the material plane and stripped of their immortality, forced to fight for coin to survive. This is, of course, complete nonsense. While there is record in Hell of a former squad of infernal soldiers called the Duskguard, this is simply coincidence and should not be taken as proof that this absurd story is truth.

## Torino

The city-state of Torino began its life during the prime days of the Sallidan empire, acting as its farthest western port. Built on the river connecting the Trilac Bay to Lake Alaymar, Torino was in the perfect position to vet trade to the west, a position cemented by the great roads which connected it to Fil'senash and Wintercrest, growing the little port into a full city practically overnight. With the fall of the Sallidan empire, Torino was suddenly free and independent, and slowly grew from a simple city state into a serious power on the continent through trade alone.

Known primarily for the monster-infested and nearly useless wetlands under its control, Torino does have land which is not swamped, though not much. The farms and fishing communities along the Trilac Bay do provide food for Torino in return for protection, but its not enough to keep the city from starvation. Torino's true might, as it was during the Sallidan empire, is in trade. Access to both Lake Alaymar and the Trilac Bay puts Torino as the sole port capable of trading between the continents to the west of Akasin and the other countries upon its shores, becoming a rich naval powerhouse.

Torino's wealth is highly, and visibly, stratified between the rich merchants with their fortified towers, necessary to defend themselves from each other in their cutthroat politics and business deals, and the workers who live in squat homes by the docks. The whole city reeks, a combination of the fish on the docks and the wetlands only a stone's throw from the wall, a fact which alchemists have been taking advantage of to get rare ingredients for generations, making the smell worse.

## Elvitas

To an outsider, Elvitas practically does not exist. The elves do not make alliances, they do not expand their territory beyond their forest, and the largest political presence they have in other countries are their individual ambassadors. But, when the world was young, the forest covered nearly all of Akasin and the Kings and Queens of Elvitas commanded every inch of land and sea. Then the desert grew, the forest shrunk, other nations rose, and Elvitas chose to abandon Akasin to others but keep their forest for themselves. And to wait.

Elven rulers are chosen not by blood or wealth but by might. The greatest male elf is King while the greatest female is Queen, and each may have as many lovers as they wish. Of course, the elvish definition of 'greatness' is not pure martial strength, but a combination of martial prowess, arcane skill, divine faith, tactical and political acumen, and raw intellect. The long series of tests and competitions to decide who is worthy to take the place of a previous ruler can last years at a time, during which no outsider may pass the borders.

Only two elven cities are known to those who do not live within Elvitas, though it is known that there are others which no outsider has ever seen. Fil'senash, the trade city built mostly on the ground in the fashion of the humans, the primary contact between Elvitas and the rest of the continent. And Aviles, the hidden capital, its stunning beauty shrouded in leaves and built between the trunks and branches of great trees. Very very few outsiders have seen Aviles and left the forest with the elves' permission, while those who lacked said permission are long dead.

## Alay, the Great Desert

The land now known as the Great Desert of Alay was once like the plains and hills north of it, only warmer, but ages ago the land was broken, a primordial of fire sealed under the land, glassing the land and creating the volcano at the heart of the desert. The sea winds eventually broke down the glass into sand and brought salt with it, preventing the old plants and animals from returning, but paving the way for a new arid ecosystem. Tribes of nomads rose within the sands and they called the land Alay, where they lived for a thousand years before they encountered a ship with travelers from a different continent, who came with magic and technology far surpassing the natives.

While the travelers could have attempted to conquer the natives and their small city of Alaris, cooler heads prevailed and they instead chose not to repeat the sins of their homeland. But no unilateral decision was reached, and the travelers scattered. Some lived in Alaris and helped the city grow, others joined the nomads in the wilds, and others still decided to live separate, founding the city of Alamai near where their ship landed. Alaris, Alamai, and the remaining nomads are all in alliance to act as one single nation, though each believes themselves to be the most important member of the Alay alliance.

There are a number of villages around oases and on the coast, nomadic tribes in the dunes, and two cities in the desert of Alay, and one floating above it. Alaris is considered the capital of Alay by the rest of Akasin, simply because its the only city that interacts with the rest of the continent and does so with great gusto, leading to its great domes and colorful fabric awnings as what most see when they think of Alay. In contrast to Alaris, Alamai doesn't much care about the rest of Akasin, instead focusing on production and trade with the rest of the world, leading to other continents viewing Alamai as the capital and seeing its winding granite spires as the architecture of all Alay.

Above the western dunes floats a hunk of dark rock, the city upon it covered by a magical shield which blocks out the sun's rays. Atrea, the former capital city of a dead planet, whisked away by its people, the Ateala, moments before its destruction. With their alien appearance, harsh aversion to sunlight, strange magic, and being followed by the conflict which tore their old world asunder, it was difficult for the Atealans to be able to settle peacefully on Akasin, and are only now spreading out into the rest of the world to explore it for their Empress.