Geography

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*"I s   ee the moons of fate; I see the flow of the water; I see the wisdom of the stars,and yet I see no other upon this wide world upon which we live. I am aware of all, and am alone."*
- Eleseir Teleneth, the seer, on the peoples of Varia

## Varia

Varia is the name used to describe both the world, and the only known super-continent upon which Varian's live. Although the likelihood of other landmasses has been a topic of hot debate for centuries, currently, no Varian explorer has reported finding any such other landmass. This seemingly lonely phenomena has been explained by philosophers, scholars, and theologians as owing to a variety of readings, with proposed theories including high sea levels; divine intervention; and great sea monsters preventing travel. Importantly, however, the recent arrival of the Long-Sea Trading Company has cast many of these theories into doubt...

Regardless of it's lonely status, Varia is a rich and vibrant land, fuelled with a vast supply of magic, water, and fertile earth. It's sturdy mountains, and ever-changing waters define many of its features, though is should be noted that current maps do not show the continent as it has always been, and instead show only the product of changes brought about by the period of ruination.

## The Great Empires

* The Sellederre Empire
* The Grand Imperium Arcarnum
* The Moonstone (Island) Empire

   The continent of Varia fields three empires of varying sizes and unity which have historically warred within and without one another in a constant struggle for growth and retention. The sheer distance and scale of natural defences between these three empires are all that have stopped them from obliterating one another, resulting in wide stretches of barely inhabitable lands frequently switching ownership between various imperial and free-state forces.

First and eldest of the three great empires is the Sellederre Empire, which resides in the southern-most reaches of Varia. A land torn in two by an immensely large mountain range, and scorched to desert, the Sellederre Empire is rich in culture, natural resources, and magic, but is also an exceptionally hostile land to travel through. Sparse sources of water mean that those travelling through the Empire are likely to die of dehydration without guides, or a means of producing their own water. This is true of both the locals and officials within, making it difficult for anyone centre of rule to be established. Instead, each city or cluster of settlements are expected to govern themselves, seeking only general guidance where necessary from the emperor - who, contrary to the name, governs only the single city of Vahn-Gegal (Great City). The rich mines, treasured ruins, and free markets still attract a steady stream of foreign merchants, however, in times of both war and peace.

Second is The Grand Imperium Arcarnum. Born from the ruined fragments of the Rommulite Empire, this warlike collection of kingdoms has been steadily regrouping for the past three hundred years. Although the six kingdoms united within The Grand Imperium Arcarnum were once liberated from the Rommulite Empire in order to free the common folk from arcane tyranny, this new empire bears striking resemblance to the old: Ruled by a council of predominantly arcane scholars based within The Red City, the common folk are often regarded as lesser than their magically gifted counterparts. Common laws are enforced throughout the Empire, and are expected to be adhered to without question. Specialist soldiers known as musketeers; and arcane spies known as inquisitors patrol the lands in the name of the Empire, ensuring that all folk from king to pauper follow such laws,

Lastly is the Moonstone Empire, known by some as Dalseemui-Nala. This empire rose relatively unchanged from the obsolete Benite Empire, and has existed in it's current form for almost two-hundred years. Isolated from the rest of the continent by vast stretches of natural defences and rapidly changing waters, the empire is by far the most difficult to reach without magic. Ruled from within by a single divine emperor, on the surface this is certainly the most unified land. However, beneath the surface ever shifting politics ensures than power struggles remain fluid. Assassinations, shifts in political alliances, and forced suicides are common practices within the courts of the Moonstone Empire, making it by far the deadliest political arena.

## The Lesser Kingdoms

* Iron Valley
* Stone Peak
* The Lost Kingdoms

   The rise and fall of free kingdoms are commonplace upon the world of Varia, with very few persisting for longer than a century or more. Unlike free cities, which are either respected bastions of neutrality or are lost and won by imperial forces, the lesser kingdoms are those which have grown to such a size and unity that they are powerful in their own right, and which are expected to continue growing. Strictly speaking, only two such kingdoms currently exist upon the continent of Varia, though depending on your perspective, many more may fall within this bracket. First is the Iron Valley, north of The Grand Imperium Arcarnum; and second is Stone Peak, east of The Grand Imperium Arcarnum. Both emerged following the destruction of the Rommulite Empire, some three-hundred years ago, and are expected to fall to the newly arisen Grand Imperium Arcanum within the next few decades.

A third, less known kingdom is thought to exist upon the Eastern Shores of the Saphire Lake, however reports of this land are varied and confused. Therefore, it shall not be discussed here.

First and foremost of the lesser kingdoms is the Iron Valley, nestled in-between the Iron Hills and Razor Mountains north of The Grand Imperium Arcarnum. Once a part of the Rummulite Empire, this large kingdom has benefited much from liberation, and has existed for just over three-hundred years now. Protect by natural barriers along its northern, western, and southern borders, and by a long line of powerful forts along its eastern border, this kingdom is a classical personification of a "turtle", being entirely self-sustaining and venturing only infrequently into the surrounding lands. Thus far, all attempts made by other forces to wholly capture the Iron Valley have failed, though recent attempts at destabilisation have resulted in the eruption of intense civil war, the outcome of which shall likely decide the future of this large kingdom.

Stone Peak

## Free Cities of the West

* Sandpoint
* Spiral City
* Riverrock
* Whitefall
* Deadwood Brook
* Alinport

Free cities may be roughly split into three categories depending on their usefulness, location, and origin: Some, such as Spiral City, Sandpoint, and Alinport exist because they are useful bastions of neutrality, or serve a purpose in existing outside of any form of law. Spiral City and Alinport, for example, both serve as locations in which the wealthy might seek anything freely - without such luxuries within obtainable reach, crime rates and dissatisfaction among the wealthy might rise in the nearby otherwise lawful cities. For such reasons, these cities are left mostly to their own devices, being hampered only with token forces so as to appease the masses.

The second kind of free city exists as an oddity born from the fluid wars between those three great empires of Varia. Each empire is separated by vast distances of land, and it is that middle ground of land which suffers the most from imperial wars. Although few cities exist for long under such circumstances, some have remained intact, such as Riverrock, Whitefall, Deadwood Brook, and Rider's Point. These cities exist as free cities only for as long as it takes for the next imperial offensive to arrive. Often, these cities might serve as forward imperial military bases on either side of a war for decades at a time. Other times, they might be abandoned to their own devices or to bandit raiders. The status of these cities is rarely stable, and as such they tent to attract only the desperate or the adventurous.

The final kind of free city exists as a result of discontent among the populace of an empire. Currently, only three such areas exist: Robber's Retreat, born from the hot-tempered and rebellious Loegrian's within The Grand Imperium Arcarnum; and Banghan-Moban and Shindon-Shinsei, two areas of rebellion within the Moonstone Empire. Although these areas are considered free, it is important to note that their existence relies on their manoeuvrability and adaptability, and therefore their status as "cities" is debateable.

## The Wild-Lands

* The Frozen Wastelands
* The Broken Spine
* The Roaming Glasslands
* The Northern Stretches
* Freefolk Dwellings

The term "Wild-Lands" has evolved to encompass all of those areas which are considered to be unihabitable by most people, either through the destruction of war; the natural environment; or the presence of dangerous tribal cultures. Surprisingly, as a result of the geography of Varia, a large proportion of land falls under this category. Frozen reaches in the north restrict habitability, whilst natural phenomena have restricted the growth of empires and kingdoms in certain directions, resulting in the evolution of powerful tribal cultures in some areas. While the soldiers of Varia fight over fertile lands and places of power, these untamed wildernesses are often overlooked.

## Natural Phenomena

* Saphire Lake
* The Broken Spine
* Ice Drifts
* The Great Forest
* The Great Chasm
* The Great Divide

A variety of natural phenomena exist across the land of Varia as a result of the period of ruination. Each of these natural phenomena have been recorded and described by Lorium Gray and co., though are importantly unexplored for the most part.

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