The Twisted Isles

The Twisted Isles is a collection of smaller isles situated around a rather big volcanic one. The seas around these isles are violent and filled with reefs and sunken ships. A few villages have settled on these isles and try their best to live off the land. It is not easy and sometimes one can find abandoned villages upon some of the isles whereas the inhabitants had to leave due to little food.


Within the main isle there are a few notable things. First of all the rather huge city surrounding the dormant volcano. The city is the capitol of the isles and is seen as having tall walls and towers that no human could ever hope to climb. (Not all of the city is whole though, there are some ruined parts as well, though they are trying to rebuild it.)

The second place of population on the isle is the harbor town where all the ships gather. The merchants gather up their wares and then travel into the city to sell their stuff.


About the population:
The inhabitants of the villages and harbor town are human. The majority of the city population is something completely else however. That something else can be described as demonic in nature. It should be noted that even though the capitol is filled with demons, it is quite a civil population. These demons are not giantious in size, but range from the size from imp to taller horned ones.


The most infamous part of the city is the Black Market.
Whereas one would trade normal things in other parts of the city, the black market is the place where one can buy and sell anything and everything. This ranges from ones voice to ones soul for the sake of talents or very powerful magic.
This includes, but it is not limited to:
The color of one’s eyes, the texture of one’s skin, the ability to whistle etc.

Each trade in the black market is done by signing a contract by both participants in the trade.
It should be noted that one is able to buy and sell slaves at the market, though there is a slight catch. Demons only acknowledge the ownership of a slave when the slave itself has written its name on a contract on ownership. If not, well, no trade.




The main trade items of the city:
The currencies are: Copper, Silver, gold coins and souls.
Exports: Sulphur, mercury, enchantment scrolls, curses, volcanic rocks and souvenirs.
Imports: Food (though demons doesn’t necessarily need to eat food, they do appreciate the taste), slaves (might be used for food).

Trade partners: Though the city can trade with anyone, their most favoured partners seems to be Thardevaal, Ceneria and Unduara.

Politics:
No one defies the king, though there are trade guilds fighting in-between themselves to gain a more suitable position within the town.

Background:
The king is in fact Garkah the Unholy though during the wizard wars he was fused to his throne and has been unable to move from it since. That doesn't mean he is not able to exert his influence over the inhabitants of the town.

Garkah wasn't always a demonologist. Rumours say he originally was a very talented lawyer who managed to exploit a loophole in a demon lords contract and thus get his powers.

Unduara

As you can see on the map, Unduara and Thardevaal is seperated by a mountain range called the Jagged Peaks. (Suggestions for better name?)
The mountain range does not really belong to either country as there are no resources to claim there. Also it is quite filled with dangerous creatures such as harpies and other things that can fly.

To avoid raid parties from the south, old Thardevaalian kings erected garrisons to protect the mountain passages from Unduara to Thardevaal. These garrisons are where the bastard sons of nobles are sent to when they have no useful things to do elsewhere. (Inspiration from Game of Thrones here I guess.)


A large amount of the human population have settled by the coast or by the big lake that is placed in the middle of the country.

A big portion of the inhabitants of the country are tribes. These would be somewhat taurish in their looks.


The Grey Lands are rather unknown. What one do know about it, is that it is probably the most cursed place on the whole country. Nothing grows, the sun doesn't shine and the dead are restless.

The mountains to the north are populated by opportunistic harpies who tend to either help Unduarans, Thardevaalians or generally just plunder everyone who passed through depending on the situation.

The centaurs and/or the hoofed ones are a vegetarian race mized between humans and horses. They tend to help out with more physical work in exchange for pay. Most notably carrying stuff that would be too heavy for normal humans.

To the southeast lives the Carni-Taurs (Or the Pawed ones as they are called). Like the centaurs they have a human half, unlike the centaurs they have a feline half as well. Also, sphinxes and manticores tend to gather in this area. The various tribes in this area are carnivores in nature, but being somewhat civilized they rely on trading between the center town, the river villages and the towns by the coast.

To the west bordering the Gray lands lives the Scaled ones. Creatures who are somewhat humanoid in shape, but with snake and lizardlike behaviours and looks. They consist of rather warlike tribes.

The midst of the country lives the largest populations of humans ruled by a king who at some point in the past managed to gain the respect of the various tribes around the country. The capitol is situated around the big lake whereas it also has quite the trade with both the river villages and the coast towns.


At the south the islefolk lives. They originally joined the kingdom as to profit from the trading opportunities which the newly arranged country could provide.

At the very west the Gray lands are. Once upon a time it used to belong to the grand Necromancer Unduar, though once he vanished it became quite the point of attraction for various adventurers. Not all of them returns however.

Thardevaal

Thardevaal is a country set to the western part of the current known world.
It is divided into 11 counties, each ruled by a duke, baron or count. (Some sort of nobility at least.)
Well, technically it could be 10 dukes, and one king.

It has quite the amount of forests and villages, though the midst of the country suffer from heavy deforestation.

 

 

The king calls himself the main descendant of Midas, a powerful wizard that lived a couple of millenia ago. Though watered out, the descendants still have some of his powers. The nobles of each county also claims to be Midas descendants, though not in the same degree as the king.

Many of the nobles sons are sent southward to guard the bastions in the Jagged Peak mountains whereas others take up hire on the ships that sail for trade.

Geographical map of Ylathal

More maps!

Thardevaal and Unduara is seperated by a mountain range. Thardevaal is more swamp-like and foresty whereas Unduara is flat with less vegetation.


The Twisted Isles consist of barren isles surrounding a somewhat dormant volcano.

The Forest kingdom of Linara is as the name suggests rather filled with, you guessed it, forest!

Ceneria, I haven't really though about it, but I guess there would be rivers and such there.

The Jawhanian empire and Marrachia is seperated by a rather big mountain range. The empire is rather well suited for making food.

Marrachia is somewhat more barren, but it stretches up to the northwest.

Barathia has a lot of mountains and is the home to giantkin.


The Mermaid isles is as the name suggests home to mermaids.


Now, don't fret. I will go into more detail about the different countries as time progresses.

The worldmap

The information is surely to change as I figure out more.

Marrachia is lead by a really religious cult who are really fanatically against the use of magic.

Thardevaal is lead by a king whos land is divided into various counties. Each county is lead by a count or baron or the female equivalent.

The Mermaid isles used to be a very rich kingdom which focused on hunting mermaids and selling them as slaves and /or products. Then something happened and its once rich kingdom was divided by civil war and its culture degenerated into savage tribes.


The Twisted Isles are mostly barren volcanic rocks. A citadel is built on the biggest of the isles and is situated around a dormant volcano. The king is said to rule from his citadel, though is never actually seen. The isles earns their living through trade of magical sulphur and other alchemy related compoments.

The Jawhanian empire is ruled by the emperor Jawhan, though the high king Dormius usually acts in his stead as the emperor himself rarely finds interest in common politics. The empire itself is very powerful when it comes to both army size and magic and thus a word from the emperor himself can afflict politics in other countries.

The forest kingdom is as the title suggest, mostly covered in forest. Rumours of fantastic creatures and a fairie queen is often heard about this place. There are rumours that the inhabitants are somewhat plantlike in nature.

Unduara is a rather flat country. Though it is ruled by a king, there are various warlords that rule the area as well, leaving the king in a position that is not very powerful.

Barathia is a rather mountaineous country. It is quite possible that giants roam the land.

Life, death and time

Thus he took a hair from his right nostril and a toenail clipping from his left foot and from those he created a glowing white being which he named "Life" and a dull black being which he called "Death".

Death and Life mated with eachother and created Time. (Because the only thing between Life and Death is Time.)

The Almighty Bob

As High Priest Ted tells us, in the beginning there were nothing. Then suddenly there were something. That something turned out to be Bob. (Some call him just Bob, others believe it stands for Big Old Being or perhaps Benevolent Obscure Builder. Nevertheless, the religion of Bob is convinced that Ted knows what he is speaking about and that he is not pulling this info out of his ass.)

The almighty Bob was one day rather bored (granted it wasn't a day considering there was no light, but anyway) and thus decided to create a world out from the dust in his eye. And before him a a chunk of rock appeared. A tickle in his nose annoyed him ever so slightly and when he sneezed upon the world wind and water covered the world. (It has been debated, even fought over, whether or not the almighty Bob deliberately breathed on the world, or whether he accidentaly sneezed.)

Still the world looked awfully cold to him and he grinded his teeth. He did it so hard sparks appeared and lit a fire in the world.

The almighty Bob twirled his almighty moustache (because as High Priest Ted said an almighty being must also have an almighty moustache) and thought himself content with the world, though it seemed rather devoid of any activity.