The Orchid Warpwilds

The Orchid Warpwilds make up all of Northwestern Isthor. Characterized by its towering flora, the city of Baingrove lies at the heart of the region while Sulhanna's Orchard exists southeast of Baingrove.

## **Baingrove**

### **City**

*"What a filthy, fantastic place. The Canopy, filthy rich. The Understory, just filthy. But all of it's fantastic. Around every corner you can find a dozen secrets to learn and twice as many new inventions to buy, and Ranunculara is the tower of learning that The Boundless Spire wishes it could be. I may not be from here, but Baingrove is my home now, and [I] love it."*
-Grahdaza Hima

Baingrove, also known as The City Atop Flowers, began as an island off the coast of the continent of Liowa, isolating it from the Azletsu Republic yet placing it in close proximity to The Sanctuary and Sulhanna's Orchard. The islands closeness to two of the most powerful beings in Arholt discouraged naval activities in the area and allowed the island to develop separately as a settlement for academics, mystics, the followers of Sulhanna, and those interested in the enigmatic Novask. With the consolidation of Varr in 1147 AG, Baingrove became a popular pit-stop for merchants moving between the new nation and Azletsu. The increased commercial traffic opened the markets for Baingrove, allowing for the island's populace to exchange their goods with the wider world while growing their own wealth.

The opening of The Worldseam brought even greater fortune to Baingrove, who's borders were limited by the surrounding sea. The island saw itself and the surrounding earth raised up and shunted off to the southwest of Arholt, bringing the island that previously housed The Orchard with it. The dredged-up land connected both Baingrove and The Orchard to the continent of Isthor, bringing much needed room to expand the growing trade hub.

The advent of magic and Chromas then brought about the lush jungles that characterize Northwestern Isthor today. As the populace of Baingrove was already inclined to the study of the mystical and the arcane, knowledge of the manipulation of Chromas was gained quickly. Primitive bloomwitches and blightmages worked together to enchant the land lifted from the sea floor, creating lush greenery and soil to replace the sandy earth. However, in 59 AG the enchanted land began to express unexpected properties, erupting into a lust, bright forest of impossibly tall flowers and trees, the most iconic of which being the giant purple orchids where the Warpwilds derive its namesake. Baingrove found itself caught in a natural disaster of its own making, with the mutated plant life uprooting the cities structures and thrusting them skywards. While the event required some rebuilding and restructuring of the city, Baingrove adapted, developing into its two major districts: The Canopy and The Understory.

The Canopy became the playground of aristocrats and seekers of art drawn to Baingrove by Sulhanna, while The Understory proliferated into a disorderly bustle of alchemists and blightmages seeking to practice their craft free of regulation. The Understory also hosts the Camellia Market, with stalls full of experimental and often illicit magical goods and potions.

In 25 AG, the Mystic Vanguard completed Ranunculara, a towering library built for the purpose of the intense study and understanding of magic, cementing Baingrove as the hub of the Vanguard and all innovation in Arholt. With the transition from the Age of Gods (AG) to the Age of Magic (AM), Baingrove also became known as The City of Blight due to its large population and support of Blight magic practitioners.

## **The Orchard**

*Here, I Create* -Sulhanna, The Artist

Sulhanna's Orchard is both garden and workshop for the artist-dragon created by Jaekka to populate Arholt with its plants and animals. Many artists and craftspeople are drawn to The Orchard to receive Sulhanna's guidance and her Gift of Inspiration to further their works. The acolytes of Sulhanna are some of the greatest bards, dancers, painters and poets of Arholt. These followers, often referred to as Muses, are both the receivers and providers of Sulhanna's inspiration, giving back to the dragon their art in return for her Inspiration.

Sulhanna is the second-eldest of the 4 dragons, with only Thua being her senior.