Sumarfold

## Geography

Sumarfold is a primarily forested land resting upon energetic ley lines that have altered the landscape and opened rifts flowing with elemental arcana. The courts of Sumarfold are built around these wells of power and act as stewards of the rifts who oversee their stability and balance. These rifts also alter the climate of the surrounding region, with the effects growing more severe the nearer one draws to a given well. It is unwise for travelers unfamiliar with the region to stray from the well-traced routes as these rifts have caused many strange and wondrous things to evolve deep within the untouched parts of the forests. Some locals would warn that even the people of Sumarfold do not return from the deepest reaches of the woods, while others whisper that the landscape has a mind of its own and traps the incautious with tricks of the mind and eye.

## Government

An aristocracy: ruled by a single Archon who oversees smaller courts across Sumarfold. The leaders of each court are insular and often left to their own devices until someone vies for more power.

### Crime

Interestingly, Sumarfold’s crime tends to be overshadowed by political drama within their own governing body. Constant internal intrigue often deters foreign officials from visiting, let alone considering starting a conflict with the nation.

Within the upper echelons, crime is the subtext of conversation. Threats, manipulation, mysterious missing jewels and heirlooms, suddenly disgraced families-- Foldians who hold a place in the aristocracy do not shy away from using any means necessary; politely smiling as they sink the knife in their enemies backs.

Recently, there has been gossip about an uptick in consistent smuggling around the forgotten court. Due to its strange alteration, people have braved trespassing into the court and its various unknown dangers to retrieve items imbued with its strange nightfall energies.

## Trade

Although the inner courts are insular, they attract those interested in arcana, ancient knowledge, and the arts. For the citizens of Sumarfold, running into a scholar from faraway lands searching for the expansive libraries housed within the courts and capital is not an uncommon occurrence. Sumarfold is a hub for magic, philosophy, and politics, with rulers consumed by perception and power hoarding. The coast, however, is a different story; entertainment, theatre, art, trade, celebration, and crime are the calling cards of a traditional night along the Sumarfold channel. Many sailors and tradespeople use Sumarfold’s docks for their vessels along the coast or smaller islands to restock and rest for a night or two. Others understandably treat the beach with a more relaxed mindset as the coast’s cities can be quite daunting, lavish, and indulgent.

## Notable Locations

Sumarfold comprises the five courts: Teramzyn, Aphoset, Pyrrah, Esudel-Astra, and Novus-Morscuro. Aphoset’s rift glows crimson and reacts with similar properties of liquids, manifesting magic in all that flows: water, blood, and oil. Pyrrah’s concerns with the whimsical manifest in their squalling rift of gaseous matter, ever-spinning up fire, air, and toxins together. Teramzyn hosts a well of verdancy, bringing forth abilities that conjure solid matter such as jewels, sculpture, earth, metal and mineral. Novus-Morscuro, the forgotten court, holds the darkness in all its forms via its rift. Esudel-Astra is its balance, containing a well of pure light that represents auroras, lightning, and the sun.

Maps and borders indicate Esudel-Astra and Novus-Morscuro as one court, Astra-Morscuro, where the Archon rules. However, after a large destructive wave set forth from the rift of darkness, it has gone dull, swirling with a silver-metallic substance but pouring forth no shadows, as they have been unleashed upon the land itself. Effectively rendering the court to an ever looming darkness and leaving the rift inert and useless to the people of the surrounding city. The reservoir of darkness falling dormant created a silent division of two new courts. Now, the Archon’s found primarily in the court of Esudel-Astra, but he’d still publicly denounce speculations that he has chosen his new court or separated one into two, as their are still hopes among some that the Archon will fix and reestablish the one court to its former glory. As time goes on, the people seem to only have one perception in mind: the court of Esudel-Astra, and the dark spill, the forgotten court.

If one were to approach the Veldt of Mania, it would seem like a grand festival– complete with music, endless feasts and alcohol, dancing, and many celebrants– hosted by the most charismatic figures, who are all unnamed according to their guests. There are ways to outsmart this meadow but many fall victim to its alluring qualities, and those stuck in the endless parade only escape by falling to their death with both frenzied ecstasy and exhaustion. Some may start to come to their senses by depriving themselves of the food and water offered. Once awakened, they find themselves aged or harmed, and very few live to tell tales.