Gwyneth

The Kingdom of Gwyneth is the main setting of the story. It is a very large land splayed across two continents. (Verthia and Gorllewin)

### History

The oldest known civilization in the Verthian Continent is estimated to be roughly 11,000 years old. It is unknown how long ago the first humans settled Verthia or Gwyneth. The oldest civilization in Gwyneth was 10,000 years ago, right after the end of the last ice age, and was known as Green Rivers. The Green Rivers Civilization was home to several smaller kingdoms and cities, which would be united by various dynasties across history.

7,600 years ago, the city of Latcholm was established. It is the oldest continually inhabited city in Gwyneth.

6,000 years ago, various gods arrived from the uninhabited continent of Gorllewin. They were born on the moon, and descended to Earth to observe humanity more closely. They decided to give humanity a small glimpse of their power, in the magical marks. These tattoo-like runes gave humans the ability to shape the world in a new way. As swiftly as the gods came, they vanished.

Soon after humanity got the power of magic, the Margravate of Snowdonia was created, its capital in Latcholm, enlisting knights with magical marks to protect the regions surrounding the lake from roving bandits and monsters.

2,800 years ago, the Kingdom of Gwyneth was established. It was named after the rulers' matron goddess, who was believed to be the individual who bestowed magic onto humans. The kingdom grew in size, until the mainland came to its modern size of roughly 1,710,000 square kilometers.

About 1,000 years ago was the start to humanity attempting to colonize the continent of Gorllewin. Most of these new settlements would fall at one point or another, primarily from famines and monster attacks.

About 600 years ago, the modern calendar was established. The Kingdom of Gwyneth had been at war with most of its neighbors for decades, to the point that nobody cared why they were fighting anymore. When they realized that, King Dafydd II, along with the leaders of the other warring nations, signed the Treaty of Garrelmoor, ending the wars. The people thought that this was a momentous occasion, and, to show the accord and cooperation of the people, founded the modern calendar to signify a new era of still unbroken peace, with the treaty's signing at year zero. This is also considered the end of the medieval era.

In the year 100, Prince Urien IV vanished, and was never found again. Before his coronation, he was replaced by a double. The disappearance of the original Urien IV is a closely held secret of the royal family.

Aubrey Saylem I's journey took place in the autumn of 548 CE.

Aubrey Saylem II's journey took place in the winter of 570-571 CE.

Aubrey Saylem III's journey took place in the summer of 601 CE, which is where I am placing the modern year as.

### Regions & Settlements

The ten largest cities by population are 1: Rhosthu, 2: Esveld, 3: Auchnoble, 4: Anchorsdeep, 5: Netherrhent, 6: Latcholm, 7: Hullbeck-on-Sea, 8: Brecondew, 9: New Zhyoto, 10: Porto Sveld

#### Inchythe (IN)

A somewhat arid area with scarce rivers and hardly any useful resources inland. As such, most of the population sits on the coast. Its cuisine is notably full of seafood, and crustaceans are a specialty.

Its main exports are seafood, ships, and wine.

-Hullbeck-on-Sea: A port that is in a large bay. Because of the slightly more arid climate of the region, most of the older buildings here are made of stones.

-Injefield Isle: The second largest island in Gwyneth, after Helmsley. Situated right after a peninsula, it is a flat island, covered by scenic farmlands. It is a quaint little island, and it’s said that its bakery is the best.

#### Tressex (TS)

A region mostly sat upon Æthelred lake. It has peaceful, quaint towns and landscapes. Many famous artists hail from Tressex. The region is filled with caves, although they are deep underground, and mainly filled with water.

Its main exports are seafood and art.

-Anchorsdeep: A very large port city. It is lined with a few canals, designed mainly by a Bluemarinian architect, who made the city what it is today. The further you get from the lake/river/canals, the more historical the city gets, with more narrow and winding streets.

-Vynhurst: A town that is famed for its wine. The town has several intricate gardens surrounding it. In the central square, there is a large, impressive fountain.

#### Ashbost (AB)

The most densely populated region in Gwyneth. Much of it lies in a bend in the river Rhent, gaining its nickname “the Rhentlands”. Its population comes from how flat and farmable the land is.

Its main exports are crops, trains, and technology.

-Rhosthu: One of the largest cities in Gwyneth. It mainly grew in the last few hundred years as an industrial powerhouse.

-Netherrhent: The learning capital of the country. It is home to several libraries, archives, and schools, the grandest being Netherrhent University. It has several iconic bridges from various eras spanning the river.

-Westraat: A small harbor town riddled with crime. It is home to many Thieves' Guilds.

#### Esveld Capital Region (EV)

The smallest region, but still quite sizable, it surrounds the capital city of Esveld

-Esveld: The capital city. It has some of the cleanest and most scenic streets in the country. In a private river island, lies the castle where the monarchy lives, as well as a sizable garden.

-Porto Sveld: A large port town that mainly serves as a seaport to Esveld, which is further up a river.

-Isles of Torsven & Jusken: A pair of large islands off the coast of Porto. The interiors are largely uninhabited, although there’s plenty of small port towns along the coasts. Jusken, the larger, southern island, is home to the ruins of an old abbey.

#### Wickhart (WH)

A less developed, but still very populated and livable region. It values preserving historical structures and knowledge. Almost every town has a sizable historical castle or temple.

Its main exports are books & education and crops.

-Netherrhent: (Refer to Ashbost)

-Auchnoble: A somewhat hilly city, noted for several large, intricately designed buildings. It is a paragon of the region’s historical cities, with intricate wynds lined with old, stone houses and pubs crammed together. In the middle, on the highest hill, is a grand, historical castle. On a nearby hill is an octagonal watchtower.

-Rivercastle: A small town with a very notable landmark- A large stone bridge with a castle atop. It is centuries old.

#### Avomesa (AM)

A highland defined by mesas and clifts, carved by the river Ascai. It is abundant with underground resources. There is a large dam located on the main river.

Its main exports are metals, coal & oil, and hydroelectric power.

-Coppervale: A mining town that greatly benefitted from the creation of railroads. In Part I, it was a bustling mining town with a great economy, but has since fallen as ores became more rare.

#### Caeddishire (CD)

Pronounced CayTH-eh-sheer, this is a region that is mainly flat, with quite a few fens and marshes prone to flooding from the River Rhent. In this region, there’s a lot if unique plants with medicinal properties that are used in medicines and pharmaceutical drugs. A lot of famous apothecaries are from here.

Its main export is medicine.

-Garrelmoor: A moderately large town that's somewhat close to the edge of the country, near the border with Lunstinnia. It’s said that this town has the most beautiful skies and sunsets. Since it's built in a marshland, the town has lots of canals.

#### Riverlands (RL)

A fertile region populated by many rivers, which are runoffs of the glaciers of the Alplands. The woods here are very expansive, and can get dangerous at night.

Its main exports are lumber and furs.

-Esveld: (refer to Ashbost)

-Brecondew: One of the cities ever. Previously unassuming, recently it has invested heavily into new technology. As such, there’s lots and lots of construction

-Oakheart: A town that is full of trees, gardens, and forests. In Part I, industrialization has yet to hit this town, and so, most houses are short, medieval-like, and made of wood

-Keph: A small port town downriver from Oakheart. On a hill overlooking the town are some ruins from the Green Rivers Civilization. A team of archaeologists are cleaning up the ruins.

#### Alplands (AL)

A cold, mountainous region, and scarcely populated. It has grand, awesome views. There's a round lake here that's barely large enough to bend out of the horizon from any point. The lands surrounding the lake are known as the Margravate of Snowdonia.

Its main exports are idk

-Latcholm [Latch-holm], its biggest and only city, is very, very ancient, and has lots of history in its isolated valley. It is sat upon a high cliff overlooking a large, reflective lake. There's also a gargantuan stone bridge here, that leads to a tall tower in the middle of the lake, where the knights & margrave of Snowdonia call home. On a mountaintop next to the city is an ancient observatory, where a certain magician lives.

-Chester-super-Lacus: A town located on the side of a mountain overlooking the entirety of Lake Snowdonia. It is on a steep hill, so the streets are made up of narrow hairpins. At the top of the mountain is an ancient castle running along the ridge.

#### Nortreath (NT)

A very remote, generally cold region. It is well-known for being extremely boring. Its coastal areas tend to have rather overcast weather, and the entire region is very cold compared to the Riverlands.

Its main exports are wool, dairy, and other animal products

-Cape Carron: A seaside town known for an expansive boardwalk. There is also a long, thin peninsula jutting out from the mainland.

#### Isle of Helmsley (HE)

A somewhat neglected region until recently, where the island is rapidly growing and industrializing. Much of the population are made up of immigrants and their descendants, who moved here due to new jobs. The island also hosts the only active volcano in the country.

Its main exports are textiles

-New Zhyoto; A very unique region that is a blend of cultures, as seen with its name, architecture, and food.

#### Gorllewin (GW)

Until very recently, humanity has generally avoided this continent, save for the occasional scarce outpost. There’s a number of factors, such as sea currents tending to push boats away from the continent, to tales of terrifying beasts unlike any other.

Since a flooding incident in mainland Gwyneth some time before Part III, many people have started to settle here. Because technology is more advanced than it ever has before, the government is putting more focus on exploring the interior.

Its has no main export, as it’s scarcely populated and hasn’t been explored much.

-Pettinghampool: A rather old outpost. Much of the people that live here are scientists and scholars looking to research and explore Westland. The port is frequented by pirates.

-Fort Foxtrot: A small settlement in the middle of some woodlands. The walls and most of the buildings are simply made and are made out of lumber. It’s surrounded by a palisade. In its very recent history, being only made a decade before Part III, it has a tradition of wood carving and whittling.