Occidania

**Occidania** is a region or province in the southeastern shore of the Occident. Occidania is the principal location of Occidental Heroes until the adventure company obtains a travel permit to the Hinterlands.

## Overview

Occidania comprises the island of Grionti and implied to include the island of Auhert's Beacon, where the character's adventure company arrives via ship.

Occidania is bordered by Hinterlands to the northwest, and both regions are separated from each other by two rivers. The adventure company must obtain a travel permit to cross into the Hinterlands. There are three heavily-guarded bridges between the Hinterlands and Occidania: the Iron Bridge in the north, Auhert's Crossing in the center, and the Long Bridge in the southwest. Occidania's southern island is also bordered by the Hadrach Desert to the west, and both regions are seperated by a mountain range. The only way to cross into Hadrach is by the pilgrim's passage in the monastery of St. Cithia.

Bears and wolves are the only wildlife present in Occidania. Like all regions throughout the Occident, Occidania is plagued with bandit, deserter, cultist, and Yagight attacks throughout the countryside.

## Locations

### Settlements

* Artahanna, a community of farmers situated off the main road from Auhert's Beacon to Grionti.
* Auhert's Beacon, the largest settlement in Occidania, the Imperial capital of the western provinces, and the principal destination for shipping from the mainland.
* Bessemburg, a mining town in the north, located at the foot of the Glittering Band mountain range.
* Cosgrave Point, the small but busy harbor owned by the Occidental Trading Company.
* Eltevedt, a small fishing village which serves as a mid-way point for Auhert's Beacon in the south and Cosgrave Point in the north.
* Grionti, a coastal town with a relaxed but festive atmosphere, and sunny weather. The spyglass can only be purchased here.
* Hrok's Crossing, a farming village named after local legend Hrok the Horrible, and the closest settlement to the monastery of St. Cithia.

### Monasteries

* St. Agar, located southwest of Auhert's Beacon.
* St. Gyle, located south of Bessemburg.
* St. Cithia, located in the badlands southwest of Hrok's Crossing, and the only way to reach the Hadrach Desert via the pilgrim's passage.

### Points of interests

* The collapsed lighthouse, a ruin just south of Cosgrave Point. This ruin is an important location for the smuggling quests.
* The Sorrows, a ruin northwest of Grionti. It is an important location for the quest "Back from the dead".

## Trivia

* Until the Expanded Edition update, Occidania was sometimes thought to be another name for the Occident and not a province/region such as the Hinterlands. This does not seem to be the case for two reasons:
	+ Characters seem to differentiate between Occidania and the Hinterlands in dialog. For example, "as for great battles, there haven't been any in Occidania or the Hinterlands, not since long before Auhert's first expedition made landfall".
	+ While in the pilgrim's sanctuary, the player has the option to either stay in the Hadrach Desert, or "return to Occidania" via the pilgrim's passage, despite both being in the same continent.