Drekosgard

**Drekosgard** *("Dragonrealm")*, known in Pydwell as the **Blackreach**, is a continent located in the far west of the Known Lands, separated from Pydwell by the Ghost Ocean and from Par Vollen by the Whispering Sea. It is the homeland of the amatera and the setting of *Dragonrealm*.

Once ruled by a race of intelligent, gargantuan dragons known as the everlasting dragons, the continent was freed by an army of dragonslayers with the aid of the World Serpent. Once the war was over, the survivors organized under House Felldragon; a rebellious member of this dynasty, Raiden Felldragon, was exiled east with his Reclaimers, who subsequently settled Pydwell. Those who remained divided into hundreds of sovereign cities, realms, clans and tribes scattered across the continent; among the most notable are the people of the Oasis of Serrica, the nobles of the mighty Three Kingdoms, the industrious people of Sohngrad and the hardy inhabitants of the Untamed North. Outside of these cities and peoples, bandits, rogue mages and banishers prowl the roads, often resorting to violence to survive the untamed wilderness.

## History

### Origins & Pre-History

Like Pydwell, Drekosgard's geological history dates back to the Conjunction and the destruction of the Old Kingdom; the cataclysm caused by the formation of the Beach completely reshaped the world, leaving only a few remnants of the once-great civilization. As a result of the catacylsm, magic started seeping into the world, transforming plants and animals into new forms. A group of entities called the Primordials evolved into the elves, dwarves, humans and nonhumans across both continents; on Drekosgard, the largest human group were the amatera, the men of the east.

The most significant force to evolve, however, were the dragons, gargantuan reptiles that could fly and breath elemental Power, including fire, frost and wind. Some of these dragons grew to the size of valleys and mountains, and their intelligence was far beyond their smaller brethren. Calling themselves the everlasting dragons, they learned how to wield the primordial magics; unable to use the Beach, they siphoned their Power from living souls, particularly humans as they were easier to control than elves. The sheer Power of their magic waned the influence of the Beach and thus of the Outer Gods; as a result, primordial magic grew in strength across the continent, cutting it off from the influence of the Rune of Death, the Great Runes and the Wild Lords.

### Dragon Age

The everlasting dragons subjugated humans for untold generations, using them as slaves to serve their needs and fuel their magic. Under the control of the dragons, humans waged several wars with the elves in the west, eventually forcing them from their great cities and into the wilderness, a loss from which the elves would never recover.

Due to Power's quintessent nature, any magic that originated from the Beach quickly began to lose its influence over Drekosgard due to the sheer strength of the draconic magics used by the dragons. Even the elves lost their connection to Power, and humans were never allowed to know the secrets of magic. As a result, while most living things still went to the Beach in their sleep, few could ever harness its Power and become mages. The Beach thus became a mythological place only visited by shamens and mystics, in stark contrast to Pydwell where the Beach became an ordinary part of life. Natural concepts such as death remained, but without the influence of the Rune of Death.

### War of Fire

#### Origins

Untold ages after the everlasting dragons secured an iron fist over Drekosgard, a human boy was born into a minor tribe in the west. His birth coincided with a mysterious weakening in the magical veil covering Drekosgard, drawing the attention of one of the dragons, *Drekossormr*, a sea dragon who had grown to despise the cruelty of its brethren and conspired to free their subjects from the dragons' control. Believing that this boy would be the key to humanity's victory, *Drekossormr* shrouded his birth in secrecy.

True to the dragon's prediction, the boy began demonstrating enhanced strength and an iron will; most mysteriously, however, he was able to learn and wield the draconic magics and taught them to his brother; they took the names Raiden and Aegon respectively. Both were eventually sought out by *Drekossormr*, who offered to bind its soul with Raiden's, who accepted. Now fuelled by the Power and might on an everlasting dragon, Raiden took on his own title, Felldragon, which was also carried by Aegon. Together the brothers became liberating entire tribes and threatening the domination of the dragons, sparking a conflict that would become known as the War of Fire.

## Geography & Environment

### Regions

Roughly from north to south, the regions of Drekosgard are:

#### Far North

Beyond the Frostback Mountains lies the Far North, the vast frozen expanse at the northernmost extent of Draconis, possibly up to the planet's north pole. Permanetly encased in snow and ice, very few creatures can survive in the Far North; only one large settlement stands within the endless snow: Cullspire. The sole widely-known landmark is the corpse of Belimar, last of the everlasting dragons to fall during the War of Fire.

#### North

The North, also called the Untamed North, is a vast plateau that lies beyond the Throat. The largest of the regions of Dreksogard but also the most sparsely-populated, the North sits upon a plateau several hundred metres above sea level; as a result, it is surrounded on three sides by impenetrable mountains. Its eastern portion, known as the Ebb, flattens to sea level near the coast, hence its name. No kingdom has ever formed in the North due to its tempermental inhabitants, although they share a common pride in their isolation and traditions, hence the nickname "Untamed North". The Frostback Mountains separate the Untamed North from the Far North.

#### Throat

A piece of land that forms the thinnest point of Drekosgard, the Throat defines the border between the primary landmass and the North. It is an inhospitable place dominated by steep hills and canyons that gradually rise up to the northern plateau's elevation, which is several hundred metres above sea level.

#### Thylemark

Drekosgard's largest island, Thylemark is a rocky, sparse realm with a tundra climate, similar to the Untamed North.

#### Pale

The great plains of the Pale make up the northernmost regions of central Drekosgard, and is primarily occupied by the Kovissian Empire. The Pale has the highest average elevation in central Drekosgard, which increases towards the Throat, and is also home to the Runewood, a magical forest containing a great lift to the dwarven city of Nauldusvalter.

#### Northmarch

Koviss' western coast is contained within the Northmarch, a fertile volcanic plain and the ancient homeland of the amatera.

#### Rift

The Rift is a tectonic plateau where the lands of Koviss meet the Reach. The second-highest plateau in Drekosgard after the Untamed North, it is home to the Rift Lakes and Merrivic Canyon, the deepest point on Drekosgard's surface.

#### The Reach

The Reach is the continent's highlands, a rugged, mountainous expanse that occupies the entire eastern coast of central Drekosgard. It is here where the Reachmen, the sister group of the amatera, originate and consider their homeland. It was once the site of the Kingdom of the Reach, an ancient human kingdom where worship of the everlasting dragons is thought to originate; that kingdom has long since fallen, and now only a few city-states and their vassals remain. Many consider the Reach to be a "second North" due to the fiercenss of its people.

##### Serpent's Rest

The hold of Serpent's Rest lies on the tip of the Reach's peninsula and is the final resting place of the World Serpent, the everlasting dragon that aided the amatera during the War of Fire. It is considered a sacred site throughout Drekosgard.

#### Sea of Arthusis

A large freshwater lake that makes up the heart of Drekosgard, the Sea of Arthusis is the largest inland body of water in the Known Lands and contains maritime borders between Koviss, Mourne and the Three Kingdoms.

#### Westerlands

The western grasslands and mountain ranges of west-central Drekosgard are controlled by the Three Kingdoms.

#### Serrica

The southernmost point of the continent, the Oasis of Serrica is separated from the rest of the landmass by the Welen Desert.

## Realms

Due to the vastness of Drekosgard and the diversity of its people, there are only four sovereign nations in the entire continent, with most of its population living under independent lords within isolated towns or sovereign city-states. The distances between most of these cities and realms makes warfare difficult, and conquering the entire land has long been considered impossible.

### Nations & Constituents

As of the fourth era, Drekosgard possesses four sovereign realms; Koviss, Mourne and the Three Kingdoms are located around the Sea of Arthusis, while Thylemark lies on an island off the continent's eastern coast. All four are dominated by amateran humans, with minority groups consisting of elves, dwarves and other nonhumans. The mainland realms are divided into administratives regions ruled by lords loyal to the sovereign of each realm; by comparison, Thylemark is entirely ruled by a single dynasty, House Venture.

* Koviss
	+ Alaar
	+ Anderfal
* Mourne
	+ Caelica
	+ Dyrwood
	+ Scorro Archipelago
* Three Kingdoms
	+ Cendri
	+ Elland
	+ Felldragon
* Thylemark

### City-States

* Cullspire
* Dalen
* Kowgrove
* Nauldusvalter
* Ramsgate
* Rockshadow
* Serpent's Rest
* Sohngrad

## Culture

Unlike Pydwell, which has remained largely homologous since the Reclamation despite divisions between nations and tribes, Drekosgard is decidedly heterogenous: no single realm, city-state or township shares completely identical belief systems or traditions. The continent's sheer size and varying terrain makes warfare, conquering and homogenizing difficult, nigh on impossible, and has resulted in the current *status quo* of fiercely divided and independent settlements, with only four sovereign realms having grown large enough to sustain themselves. Most of the continent's inhabitants are connected by a single event - the War of Fire - and the victory over the dragons, which was the last time that Drekosgard's inhabitants were ever truly allied.

Compared to Pydwell, Drekosgard is, overall, less "medieval", with magic being less common and with some parts of the continent- i.e. Sohngrad - developing advanced technology powered by peltrol. Superstition is less prevalent and is mostly confined to the Oasis of Serrica and the Untamed North. Nonetheless, magical creatures still exist in the continent's wilderness.