Cascadia
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Geography
Continents
Illith
Illith is the most northern continent of Cascadia. Cold and generally uninviting for humans, it is the home of all elven kind. Its northern-most regions are under a constant blanket of snow all year round and only the very pale Kirith can stand to live there all year round. The Southern regions of Illith experience more temperate weather that follows the general pattern of the seasons.
Irania
The central continent of Irania is the most temperate of all the Cascadian continents. It is a continent that stretches east to west but is squat north to south. It is Irania that the human species lives upon, spread across the whole continent. It is one of the most fertile places on Cascadia, ranging from incredibly dense woodland in the west to long fields of grass in the east.
Caekan
Other than North Caekan, this continent is primarily owned by the dwarves of Cascadia. Unlike the humans and elves, the dwarves are united under one single government and do not rival one another either politically or militarily. The land itself is warm and mountainous, giving the dwarves ample space to cut into the rock and create their underground cities.
Un'oth Iridia
The only continent on Cascadia that isn't directly inhabited by a sentient species. Penzen, on the small island of New Karas, is inhabited by human migrants from the country Karas. Un'oth Iridia, named by the elves, is a land most dare not to tread due to unpredictable weather, landscape and animals. New Karas is one of the few unmolested areas of the continent, free largely of the dense jungle that takes up the main continent.
Flora & Fauna
The non-sentient life-forms of Cascadia vary greatly continent-to-continent, only the air and sea life travelling area to area. Only Illith has sparse amounts of life, the cold weather preventing large abundance of life and stunting the growth of the flora. Un'oth Iridia, on the other hand, is the continent with the greatest variety in both flora and fauna, often containing creatures and plants that are deadly even to the sentients of the planet.
Major Natural Landmarks
River Trente
The river Trente is a long, deep river that extends from the ocean inland, passing through the capital city of Ferenz, Lianée. The river has many bridges across it, linking various parts of Lianée, many of these bridges are prized due to their manufactured beauty and humankind's ability to create.
Sentients
Humans
- See also: Human
Humans are the most common beings on the planet, though this is due to their higher reproduction rates, which, in turn, is due to having a lower life-span that the other sentients of Cascadia. They derive from the continent Irania but have expanded onto Caekan and even onto an island off of Un'oth Iridia. As with humans from other corners of the Multiverse, the humans of Cascadia have no latent supernatural talents. They are very adept at transferring the magickal properties of their world into physical objects, however, such as rings or amulets or even weapons. Although the humans of Cascadia consider themselves as one race, they generally vary from dark to light skin and posses hair from light to dark.
Elves
- See also: Elf
The Elves of Cascadia originate from the continent Illith and although genetically they are all one species, they prefer to differentiate through racial types.
- Illit
The most common elven race is the 'Illit', named after the very land that they are from. They see themselves as the supreme form of elf and are biased towards all other elven races. The Illit occupy much of the southern territories of Illith and often engage in war with each other and other elven races.
- Kirith
The most pale-skinned of all the elves, the Kirith live in the forever-winter north of Illith. They are the only species or race on the whole of Cascadia that can stand up to the cold of the region for any long period of time without special clothing or enchants. It is believed that there are glands within their bodies that generate additional heat for their bodies to withstand the cold temperatures.
- Drow
The drow consider themselves a separate species, however science has proven otherwise. They are nocturnal elves, waking up during the night hours and sleeping during the day. To better conceal themselves the drow have black skin, disguising them in the night. They dwell mostly in the west of Illith and try to keep to themselves, avoiding contact with the Illit and Kirith and, especially, any humans or dwarves.
- Litanthian
The Litanthians are elves that occupy the island of Litanthia. They are very 'human' in complexion and are the most commonly seen by the humans and dwarves of Cascadia. Litanthia is actually a province of the otherwise human country of the Irania Provinces. It is thought that the Litanthians were once a group of Illit elves that travelled across the sea many centuries ago. Now they are seen as their own individual ethnicity. They are most commonly known as 'elves' by the other sentient species of the planet, which the Illit take great offence to, seeing themselves as the true elves.
Dwarves
- See also: Dwarf
Like the humans, dwarves are considered one race. They have dark skin due to the hot weather of Caekan and grow great amounts of hair to protect them both from the blistering sun and from the incredibly cold winters of the continent. Even during the night, Caekan's temperature can drop dramatically. Dwarves are the most peaceful of all species on Cascadia, preferring art and architecture to warfare or exploration. Some of Cascadia's greatest philosophers and mathematicians have been dwarves.
Politics
Countries
Irania Provinces
The largest unified body of sentient life on the whole of Cascadia. This is one collective of smaller countries unified into one, under the rule of an elected government. Although each individual province has its own government, they are all sworn to follow the laws of the 'whole'. The seat for the whole country is Saka in Olomine. Although every human settlement is part of the country, it is not 'human only' as the elven land of Litanthia is also one of the provinces.
- Olomine
The largest province of all the Irania Provinces, it also borders five of the other provinces, making it the ideal point for all of provinces to come together in. Although the seat of power is held within Olomine, the elected government is collected together from all over the country as a whole.
- Litanthia
The only non-human province, Litanthia is an island province off of the north coast of Irania. Being an island province, Litanthia is the prime source of seafood for the whole of the Irania Provinces and although no elf has yet been made 'supreme lord' of the country, they have served in the elected government in Saka.
- Ferenz
The western-most province of Irania itself, Ferenz is the greatest supplier of goods for the whole of the provinces and even ships out to the dwarves in Caekan. It is Ferenz that Raylan Loktorus Lammens originates from, his city of Rhiminée being close to the southern coast.
- Karas
Before the unification of all human settlements, Karas was the most ambitious of all countries. It expanded beyond the shores of Irania onto the dwarven continent of Caekan, establishing what became known as North Caekan, dividing the country into two. Karas also established a settlement on the island of New Karas off of the coast of Un'oth Iridia, naming it Penzen. Penzen, unlike North Caekan, never declared its own independence before the unification and is, therefore, still considered a part of the Karas province.
- North Caekan
The province known as North Caekan is a portion of territory claimed by Karas during their earlier years of expansion. Sometime prior to the unification under the Irania Provinces, North Caekan declared its own independence from Karas, supported by other powers such as Olomine. When the unification occurred, North Caekan joined as a separate province to Karas. It is the only human region that has strong levels of friction with the dwarves.
Southern Caekan
The unified nation of the dwarves. They once owned what is now North Caekan too, however the humans settled there and declared it their own without consideration of the dwarves. This caused some tension between the two species, though over time the dwarves have learnt to direct their dislike upon the nations of Karas and North Caekan specifically, rather than the whole human species. Most of the land appears to be unoccupied, however this is because the dwarves build their cities underground or into the mountainous rock.
Illith Territories
Officially there is no such thing as the Illith Territories, however it is a commonly used term by the humans and dwarves of Cascadia. It is the collective term for the countries belonging to the elves. These are numerous and small when compared to territories overseas. The largest elven lands are those in the north belonging to the kirith, however these are also the most barren and useless. Although they war and are dis-unified even racially, the elves often regard their own lands separated by racial boundaries.
- Drow Territories
The drow occupy the western-most lands of Illith. These countries are often the smallest of all the elven lands due to the confrontational attitudes of drow society, leading to deep loyalties to small areas. Each country may only have up to three or four settlements in them.
- Kirith Territories
The kirith own the largest territories of all the elves but they are also the most barren and useless due to them being vast snowy wastelands. They are also more difficult to defend due to the low numbers of kirith, yet also due to the harsh weather, few other elven races venture or war in kirith lands and the kirith themselves are not known to frequently battle each other.
- Illit Territories
The Illit occupy the most amount of land, but they are also prone to warring and squabbling amongst themselves. These countries are some of the most chaotic in the whole of Cascadia due to back-biting and rivalry for power or influence. The most eastern countries of Illit are known to work together, however this is normally to the advantage of their own pirating, especially against the human province of Ferenz and the Litanthian ships.
Governments
Irania Provinces
Each province has its own government, usually a monarchy, however these governments are subject to the overall government in Saka, which is run by an elected 'Supreme Lord'. This Supreme Lord is normally a monarch from one of the provinces. The conditions for this election is simple; each country must vote for a ruler beyond their own. Whilst this does lead to some sympathetic provinces voting for each other more than any other, this system has shown to be fair thus far.
Whilst the monarch may have ultimate power over his own province's people, he must subject himself to a council and a vote when acting as Supreme Lord.
South Caekan
The dwarves are ruled by a 'wise council', which are usually some of the most elderly dwarves in the whole of Caekan, who are still known to have their wits. This is due to the accumulation of knowledge, however this does tend to lead towards stagnancy in policy as older generations often prefer conservatism over progress.
Illith Territories
Each elven country is ruled either by a monarch or a warlord, depending on the events each nation has experienced. The kirith territories are all ruled by monarchies due to their lack of interest in war, whilst the drow are more often ruled by warlords due to the symbolic nature of the title and role.
Major Cities
Dub'rith
Using the original dwarven term for the area, Dub'rith is the capital of North Caekan. It is an engineering colossus that almost rivals dwarven cities for its ingenuity and capacity. This capital city is the only city in the whole of Caekan that allows barter between North Caekan and South Caekan. The tension can often be felt passing through the streets of this city, and seen with fighting often breaking out.
Etana
The capital of Karas is known as Etana and is considered a 'young capital' by most other provinces of Irania. Etana is a major port city with a great influx of trade and visitors from overseas. A direct trade route extends from Etana to the overseas territory of Penzen. There was once also a route to North Caekan until they declared their independence from Karas. Whilst the provinces of Litanthia and Ferenz suffer most at the hands of Illit pirates, Etana has been known to experience troubles at their hands due to the great bounties found on trading ships headed to and from Etana ports.
Insat
The capital of Olomine. Not to be mistaken with Saka, the government Seat for all of the Irania Provinces, Insat is positioned in the south of the Olomine province, far away from Saka so that it does not hold too much influence over the greater capital. Insat, as well as other smaller towns and cities in the region, is one of the greatest traders with the dwarves of Caekan.
Lianée
Located to the north of Ferenz, situated along the River Trente, the city if one of the oldest human settlements in the whole of Cascadia. The city is the capital of the Ferenz province and has a great deal of influence over other provinces, including a close relationship with Litanthia (due to its equal plight against the Illit pirates).
Norothea
The capital of Litanthia, Norothea is a coastline city with long, beautiful beaches. It has become a major tourist attraction, despite the frequent pirate attacks. The presence of tourists has prompted the Litanthia government to focus their military resources on their protection, which has cost expenses on other ships that require defence, such as traders.
Penzen City
Named after the newly founded colony, Penzen city is the heart of Penzen, a small sub-province on the island of New Karas. Being so close to the Un'oth Iridia continent, Penzen City is filled with exotic goods that it ships out to Etana, the capital of Karas. This venture has made Penzen City and, especially, Etana very rich. Some black market traders often sell objects directly to other provinces, by-passing Etana and its taxes. These are considered black market pirates.
Rhiminée
Once a large city of southern Ferenz, Rhiminée was attacked by unknown assailants and destroyed. In the aftermath, some people have returned to the city to rebuild, though efforts are slow and difficult. It is believed by the people that the former lord of Rhiminée, Raylan Loktorus Lammens, died when he went to track down the attackers.
Saka
The Seat of government for the whole of the Irania Provinces. Saka is a 'brand new' city, build up from scratch when the unification began, built with influences from all over Irania. The position was contested initially, but its location proved to be perfect and the decision was settled. A miss-match of all cultures, Saka is also considered the 'cultural capital' of the world.
Manufactured Landmarks
TBA
Relevant Characters
Player Characters & Other Major Characters
None.
Non-Player Characters & Associated Characters
Raylan Loktorus Lammens
- Main article: Raylan Loktorus Lammens
Raylan Loktorus Lammens was once the Lord of Rhiminée, a prosperous city on the planet Cascadia. However this city was destroyed by mysterious forces and he was left without a home or family. He vowed revenged and searched after this mysterious group only to find that they had travelled from across the Multiverse using portals. He followed them through and found himself in a world known as The Napping Cat's Dream where he met the aqua mage Pine and fell in love. Along with Pine he searched for the murderers of his family and came to believe that the orders had come from a warlord named Skrai. Pine and Raylan joined with a group of heroes and went on a journey to find and destroy Skrai for all of his crimes, eventually arriving at Neko Island Fortress. They were forced through a portal by Domie Neitrycks and Emperor. However when they chased Emperor through the Church of Dreams Raylan became stranded and Skrai used his innate mind-control powers to force Raylan into his servitude. In this cursed form Raylan then went on to serve Skrai through many military campaigns until the Second Invasion of the Valle Dei Mondi where Raylan finally lost his life.
Player Notes
Cascadia always existed since I first created Raylan on the [www.masterzdm.com: The Napping Cat's Dream] and I always wanted it to resemble a more 'traditional fantasy' world rather than the made-up, more creative places I normally make. It was an enjoyable experience to create something simple and amusing rather than taxing myself on creativity. I still think I made something unique whilst using traditional fantasy elements.
