A largely mountainous land interspersed with dense evergreen forests and blanketed in near eternal ice and snow. Avwyn is almost exclusively inhabited by the people for which it was named, the Avwynni, being just shy of uninhabitable to those without their tolerance for the bitter cold. Possessing relatively few of what outsiders would consider cities, due to both the difficulties presented by the climate and the general distaste most Avwynni have for them, most inhabitants of Avwyn dwell in networks of small towns and villages arrayed around a few “city centers” that have grown since the shattering to facilitate Avwyn’s ever-growing trade.
Avwyn’s largest city is Horse, which lies just outside of the gateway to The Hub, having grown rapidly in the past decades due to growing interest in Avwynni goods from the outside world.
Currently, Avwyn does not have a national leader and hasn’t since the ousting of the Church at the end of the Godswar; something which is beginning to cause tensions amongst the Avwynni as increasing contact with the outside world is quickly reminding them of the practicalities of having someone in charge.
Most common ancestry: Avwynni
Fey is a difficult land to describe in brief, as its lands are as mutable and fantastic as the people who call it home. Having no clear boundaries or limitations, the lands of Fey are a patchwork of wildly varying climes and appearances, each one suited to the tastes of those more powerful Fey who have claimed it as their domain and suffused with the wild magics of their people. Travel outside of the capitol is generally ill advised for all but the most seasoned of adventurers as the lands outside are filled with all manner of creatures as strange and fickle as they are dangerous.
The capitol and ruler of Fey shifts with the season of the realm in accordance to a system that is largely not understood by outsiders. The current capitol of Fey is The Court of Firstspring, a beautiful and fairy-tale like town where travelers are welcomed with open arms.
The current ruler of Fey is The Spring Queen, who’s court has in recent years been rocked by a series of scandals related to her two sons.
Most common ancestry: Fey
While Kayithran was once one of the most prosperous and industrial of all of the realms, even as far back as the Godswar, a recent calamity has struck the realm leaving it naught but a barren and inhabitable wasteland. Few people survived this tragedy, and of those who did none seem to know the truth of what happened to their former home. In the immediate aftermath attempts were made by The Hub to investigate what remained of the realm but were initially unsuccessful and the tumult of recent years has prevented new efforts from being mounted.
Consisting of a series of densely clustered oceanic islands in the middle of an expanse of seemingly endless sea, Niafarsil is a bustling and lively realm where trade is the lifeblood of its people. While on the surface Niafarsil may seem like little more than a beautiful island paradise, look just beneath and you’ll find a city balanced on a knife’s edge between honest trade and criminal rackets, where coin is the true power behind the proverbial throne.
The main city of the realm is Niafarsil, for which the realm was named. Located on the largest of the realm’s islands, Niafarsil is a sprawling expanse of brightly colored homes built both atop of and into a massive cliff leading down to the seaside.
Niafarsil has no singular leader and is instead ruled by an, ostensibly, elected council though it’s barely a rumor at this point that more than one of those council members acquired their seat through less than honest means.
Ruaan is a largely pastoral realm, with broad swathes of fields and plain well suited to the tending of livestock and agriculture for which they were known in the days before the fracturing. Much of their previously idyllic nature has been lost in recent years however, due to the decades long war with the Demon’s that began shortly after the fracturing and has only recently finally come to an end.
Left sparsely populated due to the devastation inflicted by the demonic forces invasion, Ruaan has relatively few remaining city centers left, nearly all of which are clustered around the ruins of a massive temple to the Goddess (Name?), located just outside of the recently discovered gate to The Hub. With their newfound access to The Hub and other realms resources, efforts have begun to rebuild the temple and its surroundings into something more suited for city life.
Only a few short years ago, Ruaan was the last remaining theocracy in the realms having been led in the struggle against the Demons by the last “true” priestess of (Name?), Ryuki Rosenthal. However, she sacrificed herself in the last battle against the Demons to save her people and in the few years that have followed none have arisen to take her place.
Most common ancestry: Human
Telaar is well known as a land of extremes, made up in equal parts of lush jungles, rocky scrublands, and deep deserts, it’s a land that many would consider harsh and unforgiving but that hasn’t stopped a rich civilization from growing within. With its long tradition of welcoming trade and ideas from any who choose to set foot in its borders, Telaar has grown into a bastion of art and education producing innovations in many diverse subjects such as math, alchemy, and magical studies to name just a few.
While Telaar possesses numerous cities within its borders, none are more famous than the ancient capital of Bai-Alhkma, which has long been the seat of Telaari power and knowledge. Built around a large oasis located at the northern edge of the Tethar Desert, Bai-Alhkma is a colorful and vibrant metropolis filled with the kind of architectural oddities common in a city that has been built over countless generations.
The kingdom of Telaar has long been ruled by the Debrujar line, said to be descendants of the dragons themselves and given their authority over the lands by the Gods themselves. While the monarchy was met with no small amount of scandal upon the abdication of the intended heir, Kalista Debrujar, the ancient line continues to reign over the realm through a distant cousin, Cyril Debrujar, nee Serannas, who has since taken up the Dubrujar name.
Most common ancestry: Human
The newest addition to the known realms and perhaps the strangest, Terra is a land that for decades was sealed away from the other realms both literally and in memory, only having regained the knowledge of the other realms three years ago after the curse on the realm was lifted. The lack of magic and the abundance of iron allowed a different form of power to grow in its place, Technology, and in the years since their rejoining studies have begun on new ways to integrate magic and this new power. Terra consists of an amalgamation of many parts of what used to be the other realms and as such has a much more diverse climate compared to the other realms.
The capital of Terra is the twin city of Cyprus, a massive metropolis split by a winding river into the districts of Old and New Cyprus. An odd amalgamation of high-tech industry and rebuilt ruins, Cyprus was reborn into its current state during the calamity that struck three years ago, with the once buried ruins of Old Cyprus being raised to the surface to rejoin the modern world.
While once the non-human peoples of Terra lived in secrecy from the humans who controlled Terra, those days ended with the rebirth of Cyprus and the rejoining of the realm. Nowadays, Terra is ruled jointly by Lenseran Kisurai, king of the beastkin and representative of the magical peoples of Terra, and Cecil Forrester who represents the humans of Terra.
The Great Forest is, unsurprisingly, a vast realm blanketed almost entirely in dense woodlands and tangled growth. Home to the reclusive elves of the same name, for years The Great Forest was barred from outsiders and enchanted with powerful magics that would lead astray any who were foolish enough enter, never to be seen again. It was only after the founding of The Hub and the diplomatic efforts of Coal Wolfsblood the elves of Mero were convinced that the days of war had finally come to an end and that it was time for the peoples of the realms to start anew.
The Mero elves lack cities in the traditional sense, preferring instead to craft homes and structures as closely integrated with the forest as possible. What cities that have sprung up in recent decades have done so largely for the convenience of visitors to the forest and even those places hardly resemble the cities of other realms, being built into and among the massive trees wherever they can be. The largest of these settlements is Torstadt, named for the gateway to The Hub which it sprung up around.
The leader of the Great Forest is one known as The Speaker of the Wood, who dwells at the heart of the forest and interprets the wishes and needs of the land. Those who become Speakers give up their place in the outside world, becoming embodiments of the Forest’s will and communicating with the people of Mero solely through outside agents. As such, the identity of the current Speaker is unknown and it’s considered incredibly rude to attempt to find out anything about who they were before.
The Hub is a realm unlike any other in several ways, the most prominent of which is that it is the only yet discovered realm that doesn’t at least mirror that of a previously existing land. Consisting of a massive mountain surrounded by an equally large freshwater lake, the city itself is nestled inside of the mountain’s peak with cleverly crafted magical lights to mirror the sun outside. In the years since its founding the Hub has more than lived up to its namesake, becoming the center of commerce and communication between the realms for which it acts as a doorway, as well as a powerful diplomatic force in mediating the conflicts which inevitably arise between them.
While the Hub city itself is ruled by the Lady and Lord of the Hub, Kalista Debrujar and Coal Wolfsblood respectively, the Hub also plays host to the Council; an organization of representatives from each of the realms brought together to better manage the needs of all of the realm’s peoples.
Most common ancestry: None
A land split into two drastically different biomes, one half verdant fields and woodlands the other a harsh and arid desert, Verden has only recently rejoined the realms after living for decades under an autocratic regime that had intentionally kept their people cut off from The Hub. Notably, Verden is home to a new type of innate magic user known as “Elementalists”, whose relentless oppression by the former government became the spark that ignited the rebellion that overthrew them three years ago.
Prior to the overthrow of the monarchy the seat of their power in Verden was Corellis, a large city heavily divided into warren-like districts and home to the infamous Iron Palace In the years since the rebellion, Corellis has remained the seat of commerce and authority in Verden in part due to its close proximity to the gate to The Hub.
Due to the disorganized nature of the rebellion, leadership in Verden has remained in a chaotic state in the years since, in part due to not everyone in the realm being on board with the new state of things. While the rebellion still maintains control of Corellis under the charge of their impromptu leader, Kithri Malrose, there still exists pockets of numerous insurrectionists throughout the realm fighting to return things to the way they once were.
Most common ancestry: Human, Elf, and Beastkin