Ru'aun Region

The Ru'aun region is a mountainous and humid place and is home to majority of the characters in the story. It is also the birthplace of Lady Irene, who had established Scaleswind and brought her gifts to the entire world. The northern areas are colder than the southern counterparts, some areas having nearly year long snow fall. The centre of the region has an impassable forest, forcing cities to rely upon the seas in order to travel and do trading. Its caused a spike in naval abilities and a similar spike in piracy. All throughout the region, you'll find wanted posters for various pirates but will always see ones for Captain Evander Adlana and Captain "Bird-Eye" Calypso.

The impassable forest is a combination of the Sacred Forest and Yggdrasil Forest. The Scared Forest was cursed by the witch Hyra so when a person enters, its impossible for them to leave. There are many tales with the forest that are passed down and among children in order to dissuade them from venturing in there. There is also the overlap with the Yggdrasil Forest, home to the elves. The elves are secretive and all refuse to reveal the exact location of the forest, but it is located in the northern west areas of the Ru'aun.

The region is also mountainous, especially in the eastern areas. Scaleswind manages to use the mountains to their defence but other towns choose to find flatter areas. The mountains make the area even harder to traverse and navigate, forcing these cities to use the seas to keep connected. Unsurprisingly, many new pirates target this area as it has a constant stream of ships and less powerful than the western coast.

## Cities

The Ru'aun is home to 11 towns, there are a few scattered homes and camps but none are considered as powerful as them. The lords of the cities meet up twice a year in a north western building, accompanied by the Ru'aun Council. The Council are a collection of the oldest families in the most powerful towns and act as the final judgement on decisions. No one knows who specifically the Council is but they are made up of Councillors Wessex, Marcia, Chalice, O'Nerdom, and Alpine, coming from Brightport, Winterwall, O'khasis, Scaleswind, and Pikoro, respectively.

### **Seagrove**

est. 1318 ai

While every town has their own sporting teams, none of them have it as deeply ingrained into their culture like Seagrove. Their hockey teams are popular and are known all across the region for their skills and abilities. People from Scaleswind used to move to Seagrove for a quiet retirement but tend to leave when they realise the high energy nature of the town. Seagrove holds many festivals and celebrations, along side their hockey games. The festivals are home to a lot of music, dancing, and drunken idiots. Majority of their income comes from these festivals and hockey games and people from the region coming in and visiting.

There are two lords who rotate between leadership; Caine Alde and Raia Forthus. The lords of the town are not respected by the other cities, due to their lax nature towards pirates. There has never been a confirmed reason to why it was the case but rumours about Caine Alde being an ex-pirate to come up in discussions. She denies the claims and says that she and Raia don't think that Seagrove has a pirate problem. If anything, Seagrove is a peaceful haven for pirates as they are given slight protection. As a result, pirates don't target Seagrove ships out of courtesy.

*Arc one lord:* Caine Alde (she/they)

*Arc two lord:* Raia Forthus (they/them)

### **Scaleswind**

est. 10 bi

Scaleswind is considered to be part of "the big three" in the Ru'aun region. It is the birthplace of Lady Irene, who later helped establish the very new town. These days, it's power and influence is felt all across the Ru'aun with their strong faith. Many people would consider the city to be deeply religious, since it was established on such holy ground. Its also treated like a tourist destination for the same reason. The city is known for the amount of innovators it holds, slowly beginning to catch up with the Tu'la region.

The lords go off of a monarch-like system, the Von Rosenburgs ruling over the town and their first born taking the title. During Irene's rule, she had set up a council that were meant to collaborate and to keep the best interests of the people in mind. Over the years after she stepped down, the Von Rosenburgs took over and were elected lord by the council. The council still remains to this day, but it's a shadow of what it used to be and they no longer work together.

*Arc one lord:* Arnold Von Rosenburg (he/him)

*Arc two lord:* Nicole Von Rosenburg (she/her)

### **Pikoro**

est. 250 bi

Pikoro is the longest lasting town in the entire region but is now a shell of its once formidable power. Pikoro began to falter as other towns began to rise into power and is currently a small town nestled in the snow and mountains. It slowly grew into a self sustaining community that became tightly knit together. Despite the constant cold and threat from werewolves, not many people choose to leave Pikoro as they would be leaving their whole livelihoods and families behind. Due to their secluded nature, Pikoro has along lasting prejudice against magic users and generally anyone outside of the norm.

The town doesn't have a strict position for lord, simply choosing an important member to represent them. This was typically one of the elders, as they were deeply respected, but Hailey Anerxom broke the pattern. Due to her efforts during a great snowstorm, they managed to gain the respects of the town and became the first lord who was a magic user.

*Arc one lord:* Luke O'Caillin (he/him)

*Arc two lord:* Hailey Anerxom (they/she)

### **Winterwall**

est. 396 ai

Winterwall is considered by many to be the haven for art philosophy in the Ru'aun and the other member to "the big three". Similar to Pikoro, Winterwall is faced with constant cold, snow, and ice but despite this they persist and manage to establish their power. There is an abundance of artists of different variety, with skilled architects filling the city with beautiful buildings and persistent gardeners making flowerbeds grow with plants breaking through the snow. Winterwall is home to the academy of fine arts, recognised throughout the world. Many people move to Winterwall for the school and stay due its ethereal and beautiful environment.

Winterwall is also home to a great class divide, seemingly ignored by the lord, Eliza Atwater. She and Councillor Marcia throw balls and parties instead of putting that money back into the community. It's a place where people try to make a living but will end up failing, due to such strong negligence. Instead of addressing the actual issue, Lord Atwater chooses to take down groups of people who conspire against her and continues her lavish lifestyle.

*Arc one lord:* Eliza Atwater (she/her)

*Arc two lord:* Eliza Atwater (she/her)

### **Brightport**

est. 38 ai

Brightport is the home to the guard academy that trains nearly every Ru'aun guard, there are other and smaller academies but Brightport's is the most important. Due to being so closely involved with the training, Brightport often assists O'khasis on who would be eligible for the Jury of Nine. Since there is so many guards in Brightport, there is a lot of management when it comes to crime. Brightport guards find anyone even slightly breaking the law and will either fine or jail them. This has caused Brightport to be known for their crimeless streets and harsh levels of punishment.

Unlike other towns, the Neuracks have been ruling over Brightport since it was established. Their family has been popular throughout the decades but in recent years have been on a steady decline, mainly due to Burt Neurack. A charismatic smile isn't proving enough for the people and his lax and laid back attitude towards serious issues concerns them. His daughter is slowly proving to be better than him though, so the people of Brightport wait.

*Arc one lord:* Burt Neurack (he/they)

*Arc two lord:* Burt Neurack (he/they)

### **Phoenix Drop**

est. 1394 ai

Phoenix Drop is one of the few villages that manage to grow to a size that demanded respect. It was a small and tight-knit community who worked together and elevated each other. It's technically the second newest of all the recognised towns and doesn't have a lot to say for themselves. They are small and weak, making their victory again O'khasis, along with Brightport and Meteli, even more impressive. The community is made up mostly of farmers and the occasional trader and guard but overall keep to themselves.

Phoenix Drop was established by a close descendant of Irene, the Irenities. For a brief period, the lord was murdered and his son was missing. This compelled Aphmau Maive to take to power but after her disappearance, the original lord's son took back power.

*Arc one lord:* Aphmau Maive (she/her)

*Arc two lord:* Levin Irenity (he/they)

### **Meteli/New Meteli**

Meteli est. 1128 ai

New Meteli est. 1515 ai

Meteli was a strong village with an impressive community of artisans and farmers. They had mostly kept to themselves until they offered to help Phoenix Drop fight O'khasis. This caused O'khasis to surprise them by setting the town on fire, killing the current lord and making his adopted daughter take over. She moved the town west and established New Meteli, continuing where they left off. New Meteli grew to be larger than Meteli and established strong connections with the surrounding villages.

The lords of Meteli have always been elected, every 5 years an election takes place. Those lords are well liked and do the best for their town. Cadenza Zvahl has currently been the most popular one, being re-elected several times and having a lot of respect in the community. She's managed to do more for Meteli than her father and opponents and displays a strong leadership and care for her people.

*Arc one lord:* Hayden Harrison (he/him)

*Arc two lord:* Cadenza Zvahl (she/her)

### **Nahakra Village**

est. 1007 ai

Nahakra Village has crime ridden streets and has a lord desperately trying to pull everything together. There is a severe lack of guards and its streets are a breeding ground for criminals and pirates, a thieves' guild located nearby the town. While other towns have a few posters up for wanted criminals, Nahakra's notice boards are plastered with picture upon picture of these people and warnings about everything. People have slowly began leaving the town, in search for a better home and Nahakra Village grows weaker everyday.

The village had been in possession of the Frances for many years but it was no longer the bustling community it used to be. As Syrus France rose to power, he realised the amount of disarray that his town was in. He desperately tries to put money and goods back into the economy. He's begun to hire more guards in order to combat the crime, but Lord France has barely made a dent in the rich thieving culture.

*Arc one lord:* Syrus France (he/him)

*Arc two lord:* Syrus France (he/him)

### **O'khasis**

est. 102 bi

O'khasis is another member of "the big three", being the second oldest town in the region. Unlike Pikoro, O'khasis managed to prove themselves as a formidable and threatening force in the region. They have strong and nearly overwhelming military power, practically owning the western seas, with only Scaleswind managing to hold a candle compared to their flame. They are also home to the Jury of Nine, nine elite guards who work with the high priest closely. O'khasis is considered as the unofficial capital of the Ru'aun, O'khasian nobles commonly going to the Tu'la and Gal'ruk for diplomatic missions.

O'khasis functions very similar to the Tu'la monarchy, choosing the first born male to take over. The Ro'meve family comes from the Tu'la and still continues to have strong connections with them. The current lord, Garte Ro'meve, proves himself to be unpopular among the people as he reinforces strict classes and chooses not to help poorer people. He's quick to anger and has unstable connections with the rest of the Ru'aun towns.

*Arc one lord:* Garte Ro'meve (he/him)

*Arc two lord:* Garte Ro'meve (he/him)

### **Penwick**

est. 1276 ai

The south coast is home to Penwick, a small farming town home to many Tu'la people. Since its so close and accessible to Paemouth, many people flee there in order to escape the instability of the Tu'la kingdom. Many of these people still worship Menphia, and Penwick is home to the only Ru'aun church dedicated to her. Penwick is a large but unconnected town, people keep to themselves and don't enjoy in participating in festivities. Majority of the inhabitants are farmers.

Penwick was orginally established by the Sathings, a Tu'la family who wanted to venture to a new home. They were later overthrown by the Morwags, who have remained in power ever since. Ior Morwag acts more like a representative rather than a lord, since it's typically his guards making all the decisions for him.

*Arc one lord:* Ior Morwag (he/him)

*Arc two lord:* Ior Morwag (he/him)

### **Searidge**

est. 1399 ai

Searidge prides themselves on being a perfect town. In their eyes, their town is beautiful, their economy flourishes, and their people are happy. They refuse help and trade from any other town and keep to themselves, focusing on their own beauty and success. Searidge *isn't* perfect and instead is crumbling from the outside in. Their image is beginning to falter and evidence of their ugly parts are beginning to show

Issac Griffth is doing what he can in order to bot let that image slip any more. He refuses for the world to find out what he and his family have been doing behind closed doors. He's the only lord that refuses to go to any of the half annual meetings but in recent years has been attending, assuring the stability of Searidge.

*Arc one lord:* Issac Griffth (he/him)

*Arc two lord:* Issac Griffth (he/him)