Tirónar

Map of Tirónar by tumblr user @thewatchau

Tirónar is a continent in the northeastern hemisphere of the Mortal Realm. While not technically a part of the same landmass, the islands surrounding this continent are also considered part of Tirónar.

Within this continent are these countries:

* Borrike
* Duilintinn
* Fasithe
* Grancinco
* Haneul
* Halennor
* The Island League
* Lantraeth
* Leyfel
* Tandeli

## History

### The Ancient Era

The Ancient Era (known in Duilintinn as the “Feadhainn Era”) is the period between the birth of the first souls (< year 0) to the beginning of the Waldren Occupation in Tirónar (~ year 1000).

This mostly undocumented period began when the Fae Realm and the Mortal Realm collided, resulting in the first souls. This, in turn, led to the rise of civilizations such as Feadhainn, the beginning of whose Golden Age is marked as year 0 on the Duil calendar.

   Around the year 500, a war between the dragons caused continent-wide destruction, decimating their own species and dozens of human civilizations across the continent of Tirónar, many of which never fully recovered. Historians are uncertain when exactly the Dragon War ended and the Dark Age of Feadhainn began, but current estimates are close to the year 600.

Prior to the Waldren Occupation, Tirónar was completely undiscovered by the civilizations of other continents for centuries almost entirely due to the islands off its eastern coastline. That’s an oversimplification, but that’s the gist of it. There are hundreds of islands scattered throughout the Eastern Sea. Most of them are just rocky, long-dead volcanoes; others are surrounded by a constantly changing array of barrier islands. At one point in history, these islands and the storms that often appeared around them were nearly impossible to navigate by any ships of the time.

The Ancient Era ended around the year 1000, when ship-making technology in Senfara improved enough to allow some ships to pass through the islands to Tirónar without running aground on a surprise outcropping or sandbar at the push of a stormy gale. This allowed the Waldren Trade Enterprise came across the sea from the eastern continent of Senfara, ushering in the Occupation Era by colonizing, repopulating, and exploiting the still-recovering continent.

That said the Dragon War might have played a role in why Waldren didn’t discover Tirónar until so late in its history.

While attempts were made by the peoples of Senfara to expand further west across the sea, these all ended in failure. Dangerous waters and rocky islands extended for several hundred leagues beyond the coast of Tirónar, preventing foreign ships from even seeing the continent. Moreover, when attempts were made during the Dragon War, many ships were scared away by the sight of huge, winged beings flying over the islands, either locked in combat or desperately looking for new territory. Thanks to these dangers, Tirónar went undiscovered by any of these continents for over a millennia.

### Waldren Occupation

The Waldren Occupation (also called the “Occupation Era”)  is the roughly 500 year period during which the Waldren Trade Enterprise spread their influence and control over the continent of Tirónar. Immediately following the Ancient/Feadhainn Era, most historians agree that this era started ~1000, officially ending when Waldren left Leyfel around 1500.

However, depending on which country you ask, the Waldren Occupation ended at different times. After all, historical periods don’t just stop and start, like kids in a queue for a slide. Different parts of the world will see changes at different rates, and the transition from one period to another is usually fuzzy and indistinct.

Leyfel has the longest Occupation period, which is why its end date around 1500 is considered the “official” end of the Waldren Occupation by historians. Similarly, while Haneul, Grancinco, the Island League, and Borrike successfully retained their independence from Waldren, they still call the entire time period when Waldren had a presence on the continent to be the “Waldren Occupation.”

For nations like Duilintinn, Tandeli, Halennor, and Lantraeth, the Waldren Occupation ended as early as the early 1400s. Some of these nations began to rebel against Waldren, while others were left to their own devices so their imperialist overlords could focus on quelling said rebellions. This ushered in a period that’s either called the “Revolutionary Years” or the “Interim Years,” depending on whether the nation had rebelled or been left in salutary neglect. Due to their similar time spans and shared traits of cultural shifts, power vacuums, and inner turmoil, the Revolutionary Years and Interim Years are considered to be the same period of history, just under two different names and, like the Waldren Occupation, varying end-dates.

### Interim Years

The Interim Years (also known as the Revolutionary Years) is the period between the Waldren Occupation and the Modern Era, ranging from approximately 170 years prior to the “official” end of the Waldren Occupation (~1500) and ending anywhere from pre-1500 to 1598, when a stable government is officially established in whatever country is marking down their history. This sort of thing is complex and fluid and everyone marks it a bit differently.

Haneul, Grancinco, Leyfel, Borrike, and the Island League do not mark this period in their historical record, and instead, jump directly from the Waldren Occupation to the Modern Era after the departure of Waldren from Tirónar.

Nations that do observe the Interim Years or equivalent period in their histories include Duilintinn (1334 - 1577), Halennor (1445 - 1453), Lantraeth (1445 - 1540), and Tandeli (1462 - 1598). For these countries, this era is usually marked by massive cultural shifts, power vacuums, factional conflicts, extreme class divisions, and general internal turmoil.

### Modern Era

The Modern Era is the most recent time period in the annals of Tirónar’s nations. The era is defined as a period of relative stability and recovery from the effects of the Waldren Occupation, and continues to the present day. Some nations mark an “Interim Years” or “Revolutionary Years” between the Waldren Occupation and the Modern Era, indicating a period of unrest and internal conflict after Waldren’s departure; while the calendars of nations that survived the occupation relatively unscathed jump directly from the Occupation Era to the Modern Era.

## Name Origin

The people of Duilintinn call their continent Tirónar, which roughly translates to “land alone” or “lonely land” and originates from the Feadhainn language.

There are a few reasons why I picked this name, the most basic being that the continent is very isolated geographically from the rest of the world. However, there’s also thematic reasoning behind it.

There’s something deeply ironic about how Duilintinn, a kingdom so focused on connection and belonging, is found within a continent called “lonely.” However, it also makes a lot of sense. Prior to Duilintinn’s founding, the region has had a long history of isolation (or lack thereof).

Feadhainn was a very isolated and insular culture (look at all of those massive, impenetrable, often windowless circular towers!) before Waldren un-isolated the whole thing against their will. When Waldren left, the people immediately went back to clustering in communities of people similar to them, and valuing the safety of what’s familiar over the benefits of change.

And while King Sean sought to break down those barriers and bring the people together by founding Duilintinn, that tendency towards isolation does still echo through her culture today. You could argue that the house system is basically just another form of associating yourself with like-minded people, even if that same system also encourages growth and openness to find who those people are, instead of just stubbornly staying in the community you initially got stuck in.

For all that Duilintinn touts growth and self-discovery and changing to become the best version of who you were always meant to be, the underlying currents of that cultural isolation and insularity still remain. Having the continent be literally called a “land alone” is a constant, tangible reminder of the lonely history that Duilintinn is trying to move beyond.

After all, it’s a lot easier to recognize that past ideas and beliefs aren’t always right than it is to completely uninternalize them.

## Mountains

The Continent of Tirónar has four distinct mountain ranges:

The Edge (Red)

The Winged Peaks (Yellow)

The Northern Mountains (Blue)

The Southern Mountains (Green)

### The Edge

The people of Duilintinn call the mountain range beyond the Western Forest the Faobar Edge, or simply “The Edge”.  “Faobhar” literally means “Edge”, so it’s a bit redundant.

According to the stories, these mountains were the first to connect with the Fae Realm when magic first entered the Mortal Realm. It’s said that the line of peaks pierced the divide between worlds like the edge of a blade, hence the name.

Of course, the people of Duilintinn weren’t the only ones living around these mountains.

In the native language of Haneul, it’s called the Gyedan (계단), which means “steps,” since the plateau on the Haneulian side of the ridge sorta makes the whole landmass look like a pair of steps.

In the native language of Borrike, this range is called the Jättensbord, which roughly translates to “desk/table of giants,” in a highly exaggerated comparison to the height of the region’s other native sentient beings.

In the native language of Grancinco, The Edge is called Los Castillos Enanos, or “The Dwarven Castles” in the common tongue. It’s an apt name, since most dwarven cities are located below this central range.

### The Winged Peaks

In the Common Tongue, the mountains to the far north of Tirónar are called the Winged Peaks, so named because the sharp, towering heights of these mountains form a silhouette shaped like the clawed wings of a dragon.

In the native language of Haneul, these mountains are called Yong Sanmaeg (용 산맥), or the Dragon Mountains, while in the native language of Borrike, they’re called the Draksköld, which means Dragon Shield.

Clearly, the dragons were the primary feature of these mountains before the Dragon War. Even the common name, which was given to the ridge long after their extinction, is a reference to the mountains’ former occupants.

### The Northern and Southern Mountains

The Northern and Southern Mountains were the first major landmarks discovered by Waldren upon their arrival to mainland Tirónar. The Waldren colonizers went with two simple, convenient names for these ranges, not realizing until later that there were more mountains further north of the “Northern Mountains”. Despite the misnomer, the names have never been changed. Due to the Common Tongue’s ubiquity in Tirónar, most nations will use the original and common name for these landmarks interchangeably. If nothing else, some people enjoy using the directional-based names for the sheer irony of it.

In the original Feadhainn Tongue, the Northern Mountains were called Beanntan Mathas, or Mountains of Bounty, since that’s where they mined most of the stone for their impressive architecture. The Southern Mountains were called Beanntan Leiristeil, which means “Lazy Mountains”. It’s unclear whether this was in reference to the gentler slope of this range in comparison to the steeper Northern Mountains, or if it was a jab at the non-Feadhainn peoples that populated this region\*.

In Haneul’s native tongue, the Northern Mountains are called Dungjisan (둥지산) or “Nest Mountains”. Some say it’s because they curve slightly upwards on a map, forming a small nest in which Haneul sits. Others say it’s just because a lot of birds like roosting in the steep rocks.

In Grancinco’s language, the Southern Mountains were called La Sierra Catuela, which would also become the name of one of Tandeli’s four major regions adjacent to these mountains.

Plate tectonics are discussed in this post

## Large Bodies of Water

### The Eastern Sea

The Eastern Sea is a large body of water located beyond the eastern coast of Tirónar. This ocean’s coastline is shared by Haneul, Duilintinn, and Tandeli, and is characterized by difficult maritime travel due to harsh winter storms and dozens of rocky islands.

### The Southern Sea

The Southern Sea is the large body on the southern end of Tirónar. The ocean’s coastline is shared by Tandeli and Grancinco.

As opposed to the Eastern Sea, which has storms in winter, the Southern Sea is more prone to summer storms and fog from approximately April to October, resulting in a semi tropical rainy season in the southern tip of Tirónar. These seasonal storms and hurricanes originate near the Iontassian coast, traveling northwest to pass under Tandeli and ride up Grancinco and Borrike’s coastline before fizzling out or bouncing west into the ocean.

### The Borrian Ocean

The Borrian Ocean, named after the land of Borrike on this ocean’s coast, is the westernmost body of water surrounding Tirónar.

### The Harrowing Sea

The Harrowing Sea is the northernmost body of water surrounding the continent of Tirónar. It’s common tongue name originates from the Waldren Occupation, when the ships of Haneul and the Island League began to terrorize any Waldren ships that had established a foothold in those waters. Unsurprisingly, older records seem to imply that in the earliest years of the Occupation Era, the ocean was simply named “The Northern Sea,” because Waldren stinks at names. Prior to that, the original name of the ocean is unknown, due to the destruction wrought upon the northernmost people groups of Tirónar during the Dragon War.

## International Trade

### Trade Goods

Haneul exports military goods or services, as well as extremely capable experts in a variety of niche fields, and various textiles.

Borrike exports grain, alcohol, and lumber.

Halennor exports lumber, whale oil, and various minerals.

Lantraeth exports candles and other miscellaneous hand-crafted goods, Diplomats (arbitrators from Lantraeth are often called upon to mediate disputes across the continent), and, most importantly, salt and LUMBER, the latter of which is HEAVILY imported from Lantreath by Duilintinn.

Tandeli exports dried and preserved fruit (jam and jellies), dying materials, dye powders, and dyed goods, sand for glass blowing, glassware. It imports magical herbs for more vibrant colours, other fruit preserves.

Grancinco exports dwarven goods, animal pelts, tropical fruits, and vegetables. Dwarven goods are incredibly rare, yet incredibly lucrative for Grancinco. It’s almost like an auction; one day suddenly the whole continent is talking about Grancinco got to trade for some fancy dwarven stonecutter or something as traders representing Grancinco travel around for a few months seeing who will pay the most for it.

Duilintinn exports unique magical goods and services and imports crops from Tandeli, Leyfel, and Grancinco that don’t grow in Duilintinn’s climate and especially lumber from places like Lantraeth, Borrike, and Halennor. Haneulian textiles, armor, and weaponry are also popular, though such things are also easily found in Duilintinn, and most of Duilintinn’s ships were constructed in the Island League.

### Trading Seasons

Most full-time traders/merchants in the Eastern Sea zone will take a ship (or several, if they’re part of a company) south towards Tandeli in the Fall, which is usually your best shot towards traveling between the two storm zones later in the year (Eastern Sea = Winter Storms, Southern Sea = Summer Storms). They’ll stick around that portion of the continent during the worst part of the Eastern Sea’s storm season, spending most of the Winter traveling between Grancinco, Tandeli, and Borrike and trading everything they brought with them for goods in these countries. In the Spring, they’ll return back to Duilintinn, spend a few months prepping for the Trade Season, and then sell most of the goods in the Summer. The next Fall, they’d travel back, and on and on it goes each year.

That’s more or less what all the countries do, only they flip-flop if they’re in the Southern Sea zone. Spend your homeland’s stormy season abroad going country to country to take advantage of their trade seasons, then return home just before their stormy season starts and spend your homeland’s trade season selling all the goods you brought back home. So while traders from Duilintinn are bringing their goods home for the summer Trade Season, traders from the Southern Sea Zone are traveling up and down the eastern coast selling their goods as well. During the huge event in Cordoire each July that we associate with the Trade Season, the traders from Duilintinn are the ones who set up shop for the full month and then spend the rest of the summer traveling to the edges of the kingdom with their remaining wares. The foreign traders usually only stay for a week or two during this period, but since they come in waves, with new traders replacing those who have moved further up or down the coast, it certainly feels as if the whole world has blocked off its calendar to send all of their traders/merchants to Duilintinn for an entire month.

As for trade with the countries that share a storm zone with you, that’s a bit less of a production. Trade flows naturally back and forth between those countries over the course of their sailing season, then shuts down for the storms. It takes a lot less planning, since you don’t have to thread the needle between two different storm zones, spend an entire season abroad, or wait a whole year before you can return to restock on those countries’ goods. This means that goods from countries within your storm zone are naturally more common, cheaper, and easier to come by in comparison to foreign goods from lands in other storm zones.

And don’t forget, this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule. People can technically do trade however they want; this is just the generally accepted “safest and most efficient way” to go about it, since other countries will expect traders around these times and you’re less likely to get bashed by a storm if you know what you’re doing. Someone could decide for whatever reason (lack of competition?) that they want to go and do it differently; they’d just be affected by how that, well, affects their trading experience.

## Culture and Other Details

### Language

The Common Tongue has been the de-facto language of international trade, foreign affairs, and global communication throughout the continent of Tirónar since it was brought to Tirónar during the height of the Waldren Trade Enterprise, who popularized its usage on the continent through centuries of imperialist rule.

### Magic

Tirónar is by far one of the most magically inundated continents in the Mortal Realm. It’s said that the peaks of the Edge Mountains were the first part of the Mortal Realm to pierce the divide between the physical world and metaphysical world of the Fae Realm. Even the regions of the continent considered less magically inclined are only relatively so when compared to Duilintinn’s magical ecosystem; compared to the rest of the world, all of these regions are still full of magic to an above-average degree.

### Travel

Duilintinn only has one major port that isn’t run by the Watch. Meticulous records are kept of everything that goes in and out on a ship-by-ship basis. This means that the captain of a vessel is required to speak for the business of themselves and everyone/everything on their vessel. It’s too much work and invasion of privacy to interrogate and search every person and crate that comes into port, and The Enemy has never used the sea as a method of attack before.

Haneul has an in-depth interrogation process you have to go through upon arrival to be vetted for entry. However, it’s very rare that anyone gets turned away. It’s just a lot of ‘WHO ARE YOU WHY ARE YOU HERE ARE YOU TRYING TO MURDER US ALL?!” and then when the person says no it’s just “okay then… I trust you…”

There’s a mountain pass into Haneul by the source of Duilintinn's Pa'Gille River and Agrona River, accessible via Duilintinn's Agrona Bastion. It’s incredibly difficult to navigate, especially with any sort of heavy cargo. Only messengers between the two kingdoms consistently use this route through the mountains, and even then, it’s usually still more efficient to travel by sea like everyone else. However, during the winter, when the coast of Duilintinn is wracked with devastating storms that prevent any ships from leaving or entering the harbor without serious risk of being dashed upon the rocks, the mountain pass is actually a safer route between Haneul and Duilintinn, despite the snow and hazardous conditions.

Since the mountain path between Duilintinn and Haneul is formed and preserved by the annual migrations of animals over the mountains, this route is dangerous for different reasons depending on when you travel. You could either travel at the same time these animal migrations tend to happen, giving you a clearer path but more risk of wild animals, or avoid that time of year and the animals but have the path be less distinct.

Many scholars of Feadhainn history believe that their mining practices formed the mountain pass between Haneul and Duilintinn. Since the pass's placement is oddly convinient.

Layfel is invitation based, but invitations are sent out regularly to academics and their peers/students by various Leyfel institutions. The island and mainland strip are too small to sustain consistent tourism, which is a shame because it’s really gorgeous. Immigration to live there permanently is discouraged for this reason, but this is balanced out with a strong immigrant integration program where those coming to seek a new life or asylum can work on the crew of one of Leyfel’s many, many ships

Borrike is massive and honestly people are constantly coming and going and moving around and there’s too much coastline anyway so I don’t think anyone really monitors those borders.

Tandeli is a mix between Duilintinn and Haneul. Recordkeeping and a quick interview with unexpected arrivals. If there is some doubt if these arrivals should evert the country, they will be asked to stay in the port for a day or so while a more in-depth investigation is conducted by people who’s job it is to do just that.

Grancinco, on the other hand, is very open border. The cultural distinction/overlap between them and Tandeli as a result of their shared origin but subsequent cultural divergence is something both nations recognise and respect, letting travel between the two nations occur freely. As for ports, Grancinco is much like Duilintinn; good records but not too much suspicion.

Halennor and Lantraeth are also very open-border. Too much coastline to monitor it all. That being said, travel to both of these nations beyond trade business or immigration is rare.