The Isle of Tydor

The Isle of Tydor is a large island off the north-west coast of Andara, separated from the Crownlands by the Strait of Lenvor. The isle is a rugged landmass of spindly peaks, smouldering firepits, and rolling hills which lie under a blanket of dense jungle. Not much is known about the isle's inhabitants and culture before the Adventus Arcanum, save for the fact they lived in a tribal society and worshiped strange gods of the elemental planes. When the Adventus Arcanum happened, these tribes and the lands they inhabited were infused with planar magic, providing them with the power to advance from simple hunter-gatherers to pioneers of magic and extra-planar travel in a single generation.

## Geography

The Isle has an unusually mountainous topology, with the Kikilikki mountains dominating much of the southern portion of the landmass. Further north, several hollow mountains belch fire from their peaks much like volcanoes. These mountains, collectively known as the Teeth of the Salamander, are in fact portals to the elemental plane of fire which spew fire and brimstone periodically, giving them the appearance of volcanoes. To the far west, the hilly highlands seem permanently encased in a dense fog, concealing portals to the elemental plane of air. Deep beneath the surface of the isle, maze-like tunnels seemingly twist and turn forever, with some being rumoured to lead to the elemental plane of earth.

The Isle's main river, the river Ko, snakes northwards from meltwaters of Mount Puru and Mount Jayajani, two of the tallest peaks in the Kikilikki mountains. Ocean currents along the western shore of the isle are chaotic and ever-changing, with water being drawn to and from the elemental plane of water in constant cycle. The constant movement and influx of new waters keeps the seas around the isle incredibly nutrient rich, permitting vast swathes of kelp forests and reefs to grow in abundance beneath the waves.

## History

Prior to the Adventus Arcanum, the only contact the rest of Andara had with residents of the isle was through the Tydo, a mercantile tribe from the eastern hills who infrequently traded silk and gemstones with the elves of Lenvor. Little record was kept of who and what the Tydo were, but a journal uncovered from a shipwreck in the Strait of Lenvor describes them thusly:

> "*The traders across the sea call themselves 'Tydo', and speak in a strange tongue quite unlike elvish, communicating in harsh, grunted syllables much more akin to dwarvish or giant. They stand broad and muscular, with blunt ears, dark hair, and heavy brows. It is a wonder that the tides do not swallow their boats whole; for they are little more than wooden skeletons and stretched hide, to say nothing of the sheer weight of a single Tydo.*" - Unknown, 'Trader's Journal'
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## Settlements

Many of the settlements of old Humania either no longer exist, or belong to other kingdoms today. Old ruins are scattered throughout central Andara, though many of the villages and towns that were built in what is now Shadowfen are gradually sinking into the mire. Nevertheless, some of the ancient human cities still exist in Humania, as well as a scattering of towns and villages.

### Wyndhowl

The once-proud capital of old Halovia still remains today, but is a shadow of its former self. These crumbling, overgrown ruins were once a proud metropolis and a marvel of human architecture. Though heavily damaged by countless sieges and wars in the past two centuries, much of the wear and tear this city has suffered has been wrought by the passage of time. Despite much of it lying in ruin, the sullen folk of Wyndhowl still make it a home, and the city has much of the traditional amenities one would expect to find. Market squares, smithies and bakeries can all be found sprinkled throughout the maze of crooked streets. A few buildings have managed to stand the test of time relatively unscathed, such as the Knottengard Cathedral, the largest of the Gallow Church’s temples devoted to Humania’s strange deity: The Hanged Man. At the centre of the city lies Hesterly Castle, the home of King Edvard and the few remaining members of the royal family. The royal catacombs beneath the castle hold the remains of previous kings and queens, along with memories of a better age.

### Voltrann

Something of a newer settlement compared to other human cities, Voltrann was originally a small village but has been expanded into a huge fortified military camp that guards an ore-rich mine. As wealth began to grown around the mine, fortune seekers flocked to it and it quickly became the second city in new Humania. Despite its rather paranoid fortifications and large military presence, the folk of Voltrann are generally happy and relatively well fed. Armour forged in Voltrann has unparalleled anti-magic properties, and it is said that mere chainmail could allow its wearer to withstand dragon's breath.

## Culture and Tradition

The people of Humania, known as mundanites, are the only demographic in Andara that innately lack the ability to cast magic due to the fact they cannot interact with the weave. As the surrounding civilisations experienced a collective golden age with the return of magic, Humania suffered its downfall. Thus, many of the mundane humans harbour a bitter hatred of all things magical, partly out of fear and partly out of jealousy.

### Religion

*Main article: Religion in Humania*

While a handful of mundanites follow the old faith, the overwhelming majority of the population are members of the gallow church; a strange religion unique to Humania, and one of the only monotheistic religions in the known world. The gallow church worship the Hanged Man, who they believe to be the patron saint of the mundane. Nooses are part of their religious iconography, and thus can be seen almost everywhere in Humanian civilisation. Even the banner of Wyndhowl is shared with the symbol of the Hanged Man, and the brown noose on a black field adorns the shields and surcoats of its militia.

### Marriage and Family

Strangely, marriage is a mostly secular part of Humanian culture. The traditional vows of marriage bear no mention of the Hanged Man, and are a simple few words where the newlyweds will vow to protect and love one another, even in death. Families in Humania are incredibly close-knit, and a single family unit will often be fairly large and include grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in addition to a father, mother and children. As such, a family will typically grow as large as the house can support, and even then it is commonplace for extra rooms to be built onto a house to accommodate more family members.

### Food and Drink

Lacking many of the herbs and spices found throughout the rest of the world, some consider mundanite food to be somewhat bland. Though this is a matter of opinion, it cannot be denied that mundanite food can make a filling meal out of next to nothing. Thick soups and stews are commonplace, and meat is seen as something of a delicacy due to its rarity.

Traditionally, mundanites enjoyed a plethora of fine wines, ales and mead but in their current circumstance, they cannot afford to waste valuable farmland on such luxuries. A few small breweries still exist, though the price of ale is rather steep compared to the rest of the world.

## Ecology

Humania covers far less land than it once did, and as such its biodiversity is a shadow of what it used to be. Deer, badgers, foxes and squirrels hide in the forests and wilds far from mundanite hunting parties surrounding the larger cities and towns. Wolves and bears have also learned to steer well clear of civilisation, dwelling only near the borders of the kingdom. Far more abundant in the kingdom are those animals which thrive in the company humans, such as rats, crows, and feral dogs. Oozes are particularly prevalent in the sprawling sewers of Wyndhowl, thriving on the excessive filth and muck produced by the dying city.

There is little diversity in Humania's flora; besides patchy woods of birch and blackthorn, and tangled swathes of brambles and nettles, there is little more than nutrient poor grassland covering most of the land.