Monday, September 27, 2010

The World of Arena


(click to enlarge)


Tyrell


This central land is named after is capital city, which rules the entire continent under the guidance of King Archibald Daelon. It is mostly populated by humans, but elves, eladrin, halflings, dwarves, tieflings, and dragonborn are common enough.

The cities of Tyrell include:
  • Tyrell, the capital city, huge and important due to the government's presence, confusing since it shares a name with the continent as a whole. Player characters Dela and Alfred hail from Tyrell.
  • Highrock, a smaller but commercially critical port city known for its charm and the pride of its residents.
  • Balenor, the old seat of kings and the second-largest city, long since in decline but clinging to its grand heritage. Addy, a player character, hails from Balenor.
  • Revo's Crossroads, a trading post that has, in the past few decades, grown far too quickly for its infrastructure to keep up.
  • Port of Esser, a lavish port city ruled proudly by the most powerful noble in the nation (aside from the king).
  • Sammic, an industrial city serving the mainland, famous for its crafts but often in poverty due to a poor trading location

Ashara

This small land is isolated and shrouded in mist. It is mostly populated by fey creatures such as elves, eladrin, and gnomes. Merchants make runs from Highrock, trading commodities for magical items and residuum. Few outsiders are ever allowed to proceed past the great silver gates of Silverport, and those that do rarely return. They are usually remembered through tall tales and rumors that claim they find heavenly bliss in the island's interior.

It is believed that the entire island serves as a sort of joint monastery for clerics of Melora, Corellon, and Sehanine, though even clerics of those orders are not allowed inside.


Eszayr

The desert on Eszayr defines the continent. It is populated mostly by extensive seminomadic clans of shifters. Each clan has a proud, strong identity. Winter, a player character, hails from the desert of Eszayr.

Recently, the colony of Reeveold was established from various enterprises funded by the assorted nobility of Artha, Tyrell, and Rakhosa (although no nation claims or offers protection to the growing city). The colonists seek to "reclaim" the desert, which has resulted in much tension with the native shifter clans.


Rakhosa

This fertile continent is often thought of as a "younger brother" to Tyrell. Its people, a mostly even mix of dragonborn and human, are civilized and fairly wealthy, and trade between the two continents flows constantly. Rakhosans often visit Tyrell, and vice-versa.

The continent, however, is not unified, and for centuries the land has been divided between various "strongholds". The largest strongholds are cities unto themselves, while smaller strongholds amount to no more than a simple keep and garrison. Some smaller strongholds serve larger ones as vassals. Although the strongholds are almost always at war with one another, it is extremely rare that any faction is ever completely destroyed or toppled. Still, the constant battle has infused the people of Rakhosa with a strong sense of martial honor and duty, which influences nearly all parts of life.


Cravith

"Cravith is a wilderness," it is often said in Tyrell. While this is true, it does not mean that the land is unpopulated. In fact, large numbers of elves make their home in the treetops of the Cravith Forest, while vast underground fortresses of dwarves dwell in the Cravith Heights. Orcs wander the mountains above, and it is rumored that a village of Goliaths lies nestled amongst the highest peaks. Yurgrim, a player character, hails from the Cravith Heights.

Most visitors and traders know of Cravith only from its sole city, Proudrest. The city is built within the forest, and is populated almost entirely by eladrin, who mediate between the human traders from Tyrell and their more wild cousins, the elves.


Artha

Artha has been the traditional enemy of Tyrell for centuries. The mage lords of Artha lorded over Tyrell with a heavy hand, demanding taxes and tribute. Eventually, their cruelty and ignorance grew too great, leading to the rebellion and subsequent Unification of Tyrell.

Now, over 30 years later, Artha hardly stands as a threat to anyone. The mage lords of Artha are divided into five Towers, each with a color, specialty, and title. While Artha is nominally ruled equally by the Towers as a single nation, in fact the factions are constantly at odds with each other. Open warfare between Towers is unheard of, but scheming, subterfuge, and assassination are common and expected.

The mage lords are mostly composed of humans, tieflings, and gnomes, but the majority of the population is composed of the human underlings living in the shadows of the Towers and the goblin slaves that act as ubiquitous servants in the Towers and tortured slaves in the mines.

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