Regions Part Four: Off the Map

Though the main continent of Desylinn is where most of the peoples in the world live, it is not the only land and they are not the only peoples that populate the world. Some lands are well known and even have large populations of humanoid races, like The Northlands or the The Thousands Islands of Go’Arig. Others are just rumors, legendary places where only the most courageous adventurers tread. These places are home to strange creatures, some not unfamiliar to the standard person from the mainland.

The Northlands

North of Desylinn surrounding the North Pole a large sheet of continental sheet of ice, called the Northlands by people on the main continent, is the homeland of the elves. Those elves living on the ice call it the Palace of Mari’es. The father of the elven race, and one of three gods that make up the Seal, sits on a throne at the center of a massive ice palace made of frozen blocks from the bodies of his honored sons and daughters. The god, forever frozen by the power of the Seal, gives off a glow that illuminates the palace through his icy translucent skin. Beneath the palace tunnels crisscross the frozen shelf in a nearly perfect grid and at each junction a lantern adds the brightness of Mari’es. For leagues around the pole an eerie ethereal glow can be seen, becoming ever brighter as one nears the palace and near blinding inside. Mari’es is forever surrounded by the descendants of those elves who never journeyed south, periodically speaking to them and directing them in machinations that only a god would fully understand.

A handful of fortresses sit along the coast, made of ice, manned only by the descendants of elves that never left the frozen land. They hunt the artic sea life and cultivate the ocean for food to send back to those elves living in the palace. They also keep a watchful eye on their neighbors to the south, who they consider little more than beasts. And the deep oceans where strange beings and travelers are said to live.

The Abysmal Depths

The oceans team with life: Fish, marine mammals, great ocean dwelling beasts, and intelligent creatures all exist beneath the sea. Divided into three regions the ocean has developed its own surprising breadth of culture. The northern region, between the mainland and the Northland, is home to strange intelligent fish. The unusual species have developed a magical system in which individual breeds of lesser fish each have a single magical effect that can be used. They can tap into this magic, casting spells through touching, rubbing, biting or fully eating the unintelligent fish.

The center region, the oceans around Desylinn and just to the south, are teaming with more recognizable sea-life that is fished and hunted by those living on the coast of the mainland and the nearby islands. In underwater caverns just off the coast live two dominant races, similar physically with rough humanoid shapes and features but differencing greatly in temperament. The peaceful Bortaryen seek a pastoral life, cultivating and domesticating the sea-life, while the more aggressive Shartaryen have begun to dominate those nearby, acting violently against the more peaceful cousins and others of their own species.

The southern seas surround and including the Thousand Islands are home to races of sea people who are half men, half fish. Of all the ocean races these are the most welcome to contact by surface dwellers. These beings have vast city states and will often parlay with ships coming and going to the islands. With a human torso and a lower portion that takes on the aspect of specific kinds of marine life, these are the least alien of the races to those on the surface. In the region furthest to the south of the islands there is rumored to be an underwater race that can only mate with humans of the surface. These tales are laughed at as rumors, but strange human villages appear whose inhabitants have waxy pale skin, strange buggy eyes and wide grotesque mouths. Travelers to these islands who go alone never come back. 

The City of the Kado

At the center of the world the god Daikado is sealed, one of the Brothers whose anger sundered the heavens. His servants, the Kado, large toad shaped men that carry his will through the world are said to create earthquakes where they go, releasing his toxic breath. When the Kado do not travel the vast underground highways that run beneath the surface they rest in their “city”. The City of the Kado is rumored to be near Daikado, with cyclopean temples of vast archways and columns to the god. There is no trade or enterprise here. Here they sleep, sometimes for decades or centuries, until called into service by their god, or until curiosity takes them away from the place itself. They can be sometimes be found on the surface acting as a proxy in a shrine or temple for Daikado, but most often they are encountered on the massive underground roads by travelers who have un-wittedly discovered the Kado’s highway through the world. 

The Thousand Islands of Go’Arig

Far to the south of the mainland islands spot the seas like pepper. Go’Arig, the largest of the Southern Islands, sits at the center of a vast chain of archipelagos that span the southern ocean. The islands are settled mostly by humans, but a few enterprising Lash-ti-nowish can be found on the more northern islands. Several distinct cultures exist throughout the islands, though many have common traits. Much like their northern cousins the humans of many of the islands form loose confederacies. Unlike their northern cousins many are still warlike and these confederacies are slowly forming island nations.

The largest island of Go’Arig is ruled by a single king and a caste of powerful and wealthy nobles. They trade with their more aggressive and powerful neighbors, encouraging them to attack each other. They have begun forging metal weapons, thanks to a small contingent of the Blacksmiths guild who seek to form monasteries on some of the less populated islands. The Merchant’s Guild has sent emissaries as well, hoping to open up established trade routes for more accessible spices and wood.  On the islands furthest south are rumors of cannibals and much worse things. 

The City of the Lalt

Like Mari’es who sits on his icy throne at the north pole, Tlal is suspended high in the clouds above the south pole. Sealed unmoving except for the twirling of his massive tail he is served by the Lalt. Surrounding Tlal is a magical bank of tangible, solid clouds that serves as a home to his servants. Much like their cousins the Kado, the Lalt spend most of their time performing tasks for their master, usually carrying large magical storms north to the Thousand Islands or even the mainland. They spend the remainder of their time in the cloud banks of their “city” sleeping between tasks. Like the Kado, they can sometimes be found on the mainland acting as emissaries to the cults that worship their master. It is possible to travel on the clouds nearest Tlal where the Lalt reside, if one can manage to get there.

Desylinn Regions Part Three - South Central and East

Krishtogalog

Between the escarpment of the Geato Marsh Plateau and ominous Great Southern Forest is a region of marshy land and incomprehensibly tall trees called the Krishtogalog. The sparsely populated region is home to the Krishtog, the frog-peoples of Desylinn and the name of the massive trees they use to breed and rear their young. The Krishtog form small family groups that act individually with no competition for food or territory. Game is abundant in the region, though dangerous, and the trees that soar hundreds of feet in the air provide ample room for sleeping, scouting, and socializing through the complex harmonious songs that the Krishtog sing. Their sonorous speech and deep resonating voices fill the air with melodious music. Their songs convey the joy they find in life through hunting, exploring or loving. Groups will sing at night near cooking fires retelling tales and legends of their race with complex beautiful harmonies. They also sing to deliver messages through the region and call to protect the birthing trees.

Krishtog trees are massive soaring hundreds of feet into the air, nearly as wide as they are tall the branches have wide hollows that form pools of water collected by the roots and from rain fall. The largest trees act as natural aquifers and waterfalls flow from the pools keeping the waters fresh and pure. These trees are used as the birthing pools for the frog-people. The eldest of the Krishtog race protect the trees, and the younglings that survive and emerge from the pools are taught the basics of survival and the songs of their people. Protection of the Krishtog trees is the only time that the race can be seen fighting together in large groups.

The only city in the region is Qynjb, built in and around the trunk of a dead Krishtog tree. Most of the population is made up of banished criminals, typically from dwarven and lizard folk lands, scouts for the Music Guild of Hub, and those that are resisting the call of the Great Southern Forest. Krishtog frequently visit the city, trading game for the pretty trinkets that can be found there.

Great Southern Forest

South of the Geato Marsh Plateau and the Krishtagolog is the Great Southern Forest, a land with a corrupting magical influence, bizarre creatures and potently magical plants. Created as a monument for the love that the goddess Ariga once had for the god Mar, the vast forest ranges from alpine forests in the rugged foothills of the Blackfire and the Dragon mountains, to thick tropical jungles near the coast.

The magic of the forest infuses the wildlife with strange magical properties. Many plants have innate magical effects, like potions or elixirs. Intelligent animals are common, some awakened creatures, others transformed mortals with animalistic tendencies. Wild fae-like creatures are also found here, created by the magic on mortals as well. The primary residents of the forest are druids, who feel the call of the region, and Treemen, long lived sentient trees that help guard woods from intruders.

One of the most heavily guarded places is The Grove of the First Kiss where Ariga and Mar first made the love they once shared manifest. It is said that anyone who can reach the grove will receive their hearts desire. Treemen, druids and fae guard the grove vehemently with powerful magical wards or brute force, making finding it a nearly impossible task.

Few settlements are found in the forest due to the strange magic of the region, most are small villages or enclaves of druids, fae or animals. The only city, Grandfather, is near the center of the forest and built around one of the sleeping “Darag” a group of elder Treemen tasked with forever guarding the forest. Grandfather soars hundreds of feet high, his crown lost in the clouds above, and can be seen from as far north as the Krishtogalog on a clear day. The city is made up of druids, touched mortals who’ve not succumbed to changes yet and awakened animals. Along the southern coast are scattered human settlements. The strange nature of the forest is slightly weaker here, but has still managed to give the humans a strange preternatural appearance with some gaining magical abilities.

The Fertile Lands

The lands where the legs and loins of the Nameless One fell to the ground after being cast out of the heavens has become a natural uncultivated breadbasket. Splitting the eastern side of the continent with the Blackfire Moutains the Fertile Lands is home to the Gren and the Free Cities of Desylinn. With rich soil, easily recognizable edible plants and abundant wild game, foraging here is an effortless task.

The entire region is crisscrossed with a spider web of roadways and trails that go nowhere. It’s here where the seven Families of the gren wander in their multitudinous tribes and clans. Most ply the roads in large wagons modeled after slave wagons used by the Empire. Others still roam the region with tents and packs, but all use the large hounds called the chulla as pack animals, hunting companions and guard dogs. A Gren clan’s camp is a welcoming sight to weary travelers, their hospitality and reputation for celebration make for a rewarding end to a day’s journey.

The Lands are divided into three distinct areas: To the far north is the Cold Veldt, tundra running west to east along the coast. Though the area suffers from a short growing season it still manages to have an abundant harvest during the short summers. The middle region, called the Green, is a mix of taiga in the north and temperate forests to the south. Full of wild root vegetables, lettuce, asparagus and hundreds of varieties of berries as well as small game it’s a popular route for the Gren. The largest region, the Gold Hills, is the true breadbasket of the land and was controlled by the Empire from the outpost of Tarn Modeshi. Spanning the bottom two-thirds of the Fertile Lands this large plain of rolling hills is broken up by small wooded regions. Grains grow easily in this region with lots of roaming wild herds of grazing animals. Villages of other races can be found through this area, mostly of mixed races though a few Kindred Pits are found in the western portion near the border of Eartlinn.  

The Free Cities

Originally only Bann Tordech, Niathal, and Chaido the Free Cities, also known as the Cities of the Lost, were havens for those escaping the reach of the Mariean Empire. The five cities are influential to the regions surrounding them and mark the borders of the Fertile Lands with only Tarn Modeshi in the center in the heart of that region.

Tarn Modeshi sits where the Orginnligh and the Faichligh rivers meet. The city marks the end of the Great Imperial Highway, and was the Empire’s capital fortress for the region. Surrendered without bloodshed during the War of the Five it became a haven for anyone seeking to escape the slaughter. It’s ruled by a council of disparate factions all vying for control of the region, including a large group of human-blooded elves who still maintain significant numbers in the city.

On the border with Eartlinn, the city Qlaz is hailed as the Gateway to the Fertile Lands. Founded by a Lash-tinowish slave caravan that stopped to wait out the War of the Five it maintains a large population of snake-people, as well as humans who descended from the original slaves.

 Nestled in the low lying foothills of the Blackfire Mountains is the city Chaido. Thought to originally be an abandoned dwarven outpost from the Age of Myth Chaido is controlled by a council of leaders from Cult of the Unmakers, the Bloody Sacrament of Daikado, a contingent of Blacksmiths that try to keep law in the lawless city and a Mage’s school, made up of mostly wizards. Chaido is a stopping point for those seeking to travel into the Blackfire Mountains.

On the eastern coast is the city of Bann Tordech at the mouth of the Greater Orginnligh River. Bann Tordech, The Warrior’s City, was founded as a refugee village for half-elves during the Mariean Empire. It’s known to ban alchemists as a way to keep out poisons (seen as dishonorable) and most Gren clans. The people of the city are soldiers first focusing on other vocations second and can mobilize into a disciplined military at a moment’s notice.

On the Cold Veldt between the north coast and the Green is the city of Naritha. It’s the smallest of the Free Cities and home to the winter camp of one of the seven Families of Gren. The permanent population is small, mostly hunters and farmers who take advantage of the abundant but short growing season. The town is peaceful with a population of dwarves, Turid Kindred and elves and is one of the few locations outside the Ruins of Old Mariea with a Chantry of Mar. Every few years strange visitors come down from the coast taking “willing” citizens with them when they leave.

Blackfire Mountains

Making up the southern half of the eastern side of Desylinn is the strange cursed peaks of the Blackfire Mountains. Named after the black flames that appear on the mountain peaks that can be seen from a great distance, the mountains are cursed, corrupting those who stay too long with physical and psychological changes. It’s here where Bahu hid the worst of the Remnants of the First War and little is known about the mountains or the area beyond them.

Rumors of corrupted mortals and strange abominations are common and those that go into the mountains either never come back or become monstrous. They become larger, grow extra limbs, eyes, mouths, their skin turns to metal, glass, or stone, or they speak with voices not their own. Chaido is the nearest settlement, but rumors persist of monasteries of the Brothers or the Cults of the Unmaker  high in the peaks built by mad holy men. One rumored monastery is The Monastery of the Broken Mind, where all the monks have forgotten their pasts.

Tales abound about the mountains: strange race of translucent men, a race of winged four-armed warriors, pools of sentient acid, spells that have gained life or a city made of glass. The few people that have come back and maintained a portion of their sanity have confirmed such stories, saying that is the least of what the mountains and the lands beyond hold.

Regional Overview - North Central

The Dragon Mountains

The Dragon Mountains traverse the continent of Desylinn from the north-central coastline to the south-western coastline, with a split near the center by a large plain that connects the Vol-kyn with Eartlinn.  The chain was first claimed by the Dragons and by extension the ten dwarven clans, which divide the region up between them. The Northern Dragon Mountains are ruled by the Gold and the Silver clans. The largest city of the region is the Gold Clan’s city of Jinjia. It’s a massive edifice going deep into the mountain’s heart. It has intimidating golden walls that act as an impenetrable defense against attack. Located on the south end of the northern range, bordering the territory of the Lead clan, it is the only city of the Gold Clan that an outsider may see.

The central Dragon plain is claimed by the Copper and the Lead clans and acts as the bread basket for the dwarves. Small farming and mining villages dominate the foothills to the north and south of the region. Villages elsewhere in the region are often impromptu short lived affairs and serve as staging areas for the boar and rhino cavalries of the two clans, which raid deep into the interior of the Vol-kyn to attack the Unkhan tribes. Occasionally they are joined by Kindred warriors who hope to quell the threat of their violent cousins.  

The Great Imperial Highway divides the Dragon Plain, meeting the Snakes Highway from the south at the Black Clan’s city of Kagejo. With massive towers soaring hundreds of feet in the air, Kagejo makes an easy landmark for travelers. The city is home to the Black Clan and is the center of trade in the region. It also gives the monastic Black Clan a central location to administer healing and curative medicines to other dwarves (and all seeking succor).

The South Dragon Mountains are home to Red and Iron clans. The Red Clan’s city of Shinkyuden sits on the border of the Vol-kyn. A sprawling and chaotic place, it is the only dwarven city with a significant population of Kindred. Urban fortress, originally built as a first defense, are now lost in the chaos of the streets, hidden by the ramshackle houses and buildings that sprawl off the central walls.

Far north, in the foot hills of the western side of the mountains and slowly progressing south is the White Clans wall Bai Qiang. Meant to protect and isolate the dwarves, it is the White Clans goal to have the massive edifice span the length of the mountains and the Dragon Plain as well. The wall has reached the Dragon Plain causing poor relations with the Kindred of both the Vol-kyn and Eartlinn. The situation is made worse by the foundations of a similar wall being laid on the eastern side of the mountains. Hidden away in a long desert valley in the southwestern part of the mountains, near the Dragon Sands is the Zhen Tanzo, or True Forge, this is where the newly born dragons first came to worship their parents Bahu and Tiala, and is the holiest of places for the dwarves.

Eartlinn

Sandwiched between the Northern Dragon Mountains and the Geato Marsh, Eartlinn is a land of rolling hills, meandering rivers and small forests. Idyllic and one of the safest region of Desylinn, it is also the most populous. Much of the region is given over to farming and raising cattle, though some mining and forestry enterprises do exist. No formal government unites the regions many small towns, villages and cities though those along the Great Imperial Highway often have a common benefactor. The most prominent city, Hub, sits at a major crossroads only maintaining control of the immediate area.  Many villages and cities act as way points along the highways, with trade pouring through going from the Fertile Lands and the Free Cities in the East to Kagejo, the Vok-lyn, Old Mariea and the Dragonsands to the West. It’s along this route that the Merchant’s Guild has the most control, and many towns were built as stopping points for the great guild’s caravans. It’s also here where Gren can be found in most abundance outside the Fertile Lands, their clan caravans plying the highway and side roads of the region.

The region has no obvious boundaries, though frequent raids by the Copper and Lead dwarf clans on Kindred’s Pits let them know where they can and can’t build. Most consider the abandoned dwarf village Daara’uul to be the western border. The Kindred Pit village of Mudpit marks the southern boundary and the Free City Q’Lazz the eastern boundary.  Some towns off of the Imperial highway have begun to band together for mutual protection. This is particularly true for those that have settled nearest the western edge of the Blackfire Mountains.

Hub

Tucked away in the rolling hills of Eartlinn is the vast sprawling city of Hub. Home to thousands and thousands and thousands of residents, the city is the center of civilization in Eartlinn and the northern part of Desylinn. Founded by Bjord Half-foot and Wargog, two of the Glorious Transcendents, in the days after the collapse of the Mariean Empire it has grown massive, stretching beyond the original foundations Bjord anticipated. The city is divided into five districts, each controlled by one of the Five Great Guilds. The center of the city, controlled by the Church of the Five, serves as a neutral territory for the Guilds. The five districts are distinct, though no walls divide them.

The Merchant’s quarter is the most organized and the wealthiest. The streets laid out in a rough grid shape, are clean and guild patrols regularly keep the peace. The Workman’s and Mage’s quarters are a ramshackle of rough temporary housing built next to (or on) more permanent structures. In the Mage’s quarter particularly the streets are apt to change due to fights between the Mages Schools. Neither quarter is safe, though more people tend to disappear in the Mage District. The Blacksmith quarter is dominated by five large monastic compounds that make up the Blacksmith’s Guild. Housing and shops line the streets between the monasteries, and the Blacksmith’s maintain tight control over the area. The Music Guild’s quarter appears as a mass of chaos, with winding mazelike streets. It’s easy to get lost and end up someplace that you didn’t know you wanted to be.

The city hums with a life all its own, and on quiet nights the hum can be felt. Whether this is the sound of the “sewer beasts” processing the filth of the city into fresh water for the aquifers, or the sound stone and metal constructs that speed along tracks that circle the outskirts of the city none can say. Less than a league away is The Circle of Bad-Blood. A miles wide region completely void of magic, save for the small bare stone in the center that has enough magical energy to warp reality around it. It was here, in the Circle, where Bad-Blood destroyed the Imperial Legion and their fortress Ashasalva. The center “Bad-Bloods Footprint” is where she last touched the ground before ascending beyond the Seal.  

The Geato Marsh Plateau

The Geato Marsh was created by the blood of the Nameless One and is shaped like a great shallow bowl. Sitting on a large plateau south of Eartilinn marsh catches most of the run-off from the Black Fire Mountains to the east and the Dragon Mountains to the north and west. South a large escarpment surrounded by a lip of boggy hills along the edge prevents adequate drainage into the Kristog lands beyond. Peppered with shallow lakes, winding waterways and teeming with strange abundant wildlife the marsh is known to have a vast array of curative plants and a multitude of poisonous ones. The Geato Abira (lizard-folk) maintains and controls temples to the goddess Ishari and rules over villages throughout the swamp.

Three cities dominate the region: Tari Dar (The City of Blue Stone), the largest of the Geato Abira cities, is the center of worship for Ishari. The population is dedicated to feeding and housing the Seers of Ishari and maintaining defense of the city from some of the more aggressive beasts in the swamp. Access is restricted to outsiders to a few small areas. Gol Dar (The City of Bridges) is at the southern edge of the swamp and built on a series of small islands. The city acts as a way-station for travelers journeying to the city of Qynjb in the Kristogalog. The third major city is Kaza Dar, and while a Geato Abira city it’s significant in that it has a temple to the goddess Daras instead of Ishari. The rulers of the city are warrior priests and unlike the temples of Ishari, they allow non-Geato Abira and all genders to join the temple as long as they are dedicated to fighting for the death goddess.

Regions of Desylinn - The West

The Library of Salastria

The original capital of the fallen Mariean Empire, Salastria is now a major city and entity unto itself due to the Grand Library maintained by the Shards, the living golems of Desylinn. The Shards consider Salastria their home, for it was in the capital they were created as body guards, and it is here they earned their freedom from the elves, and from death. Though a small city surrounds the Library it is the Library itself which is the center of Shard culture. Originally built by Sorcerer-King Aries the First to educate all elves, regardless of status, it is a suppository of knowledge for the world. The ability to confiscate all documents that entered Salastria, as well as dedicated scholars submitting research directly to the repositories both made the Library the source of knowledge for the Empire. The Library is built like a giant staircase, one side having three large steps and the opposite a long drop to the ground. The Library is the largest structure made by mortals in Desylinn, visible for miles on the tundra surrounding the ancient capital. The building is still the major repository for knowledge and the Shards living there still collect research and confiscate documents as the elves did before. The massive structure contains vaults, warehouses, libraries, and multiple shrines to Nhoj and The Oldest. The Surface has hothouse gardens and additional structures on of each of the three steps: the first tier holds hothouse gardens and menageries, the second has large amphitheaters and numerous fountains for public performances, and the top tier, the Third Step, contains training grounds and barracks for the Shards. The interior of the library is restricted to the living golems. They will allow non-shards on the surface of the first two tiers (or Steps) where concerts, plays and oratories are regularly performed. Like the interior though, non-shards are never allowed on the Third Step.

Ruins of Old Mariea

Mariea was the first Empire in the lands of Desylinn. Created by the Elves who journeyed south from the Lands of Mari’es, it only took one of their generations before they conquered the chaotic tribes of the Vok-lyn to the south. What became the Empire of Mariea started here, and remnants of the once great cities of ice still line the frozen coasts of this land. In the extreme north is hostile tundra and great glacial inlets. A large taiga forest spans the center of the region, hiding small cities and villages of the once noble elves. To the south of this boreal forest lay the Mariean Wastelands, a salted and uninhabitable area created as a barrier and deterrent by the Kindred races, a reminder to the Elves of their new place in the world. Though small, even by Kindred standards, a few noteworthy cities exist in the region: Tribute in the far northeastern part of Old Mariea, near the foothills of the northern range of the Dragon Mountains is a mining town with unprecedented ore. The residents of Icehome, on the northern coast, see it as their grim duty to send their dead brothers and sisters back to the Northland in bricks of ice. All are also devote members of the Chantries of Mar, and help outfit pilgrimages to the frozen god’s throne as well. Crossroads, the most accessible city in the region, sits at the junction of the Great Imperial Highway and two smaller tracks, one leading north to Icehome, and the other east to Tribute. While not technically an Elven city, it has a significant elven population, many of which are still loyal to the idea of the Mariean Empire. 

The Vok-lyn

The original homeland of the Kindred races, the Vok-lyn spans the center of the western half of the continent. It spans from the west coast to Bai Qiang -the great white wall built by the dwarves- on the plain that divides the ranges of the Dragon Mountains in the east. The region still bears traces of violent volcanic activity, reminders of the Brothers War that was fought in the ages of the gods. The volcanic scars are notable along the coasts and in the bordering mountains to the north and south of the region. Near the center of the Vok-lyn is the giant caldera known as the “God’s Head.” Visible for leagues in all directions, it is all that remains of the broken skull of the Nameless One who crashed to the world in the ages before. From here the Kindred and the Unkhan clans gather the “Tears of the Dead God” a curative that, while painful, is effective at treating injuries and diseases.  The largest of volcanic scars serve as natural walls and barriers from some of the less abundant, but more dangerous fauna that roam the region. The most abundant fauna are the giant aurochs which roam the eastern grasslands, and the dire lions following their herds. The eastern portion of the Vok-lyn is claimed by the Kindred, building small towns around the artificial mounds used to build the “pits” that are central to their culture. Most of the towns are built along the Imperial Highway, others along the Snakes Highway that lead out of the Dragon Sands to the south. The western regions, particularly past the God’s Head, are claimed by the Unkhan, those who do not practice Kindred culture. The Unkhan have a tendency for brutality, especially those tribes encountered furthest from the influence of the Kindred. Many of these tribes still hunt each other for food, practice blood rites and revere the Brothers (particularly Daikado), frequently making sacrifices to appease them

The Dragon Sands:

Surrounded on the north and east by mountains and the west and south by coastline, the Dragonsands are one of the more isolated regions of Desylinn.  Created by the goddess Tiala as a birthing bed, it is separated into ten distinct regions and ruled over by the Lash-ti-Nowish, or Snake-people. Each of the regions is held by a different group of snakes corresponding to a different color of dragons. The regions are mostly desert, rocky and scrub like near the mountains, with massive sand dunes near the center and sandy tropical beaches along the southern coasts. The lowest, central portion of the region is known as The Black Sands, and this is where those that have broken the edicts of the Lash-ti-Nowish are sent as punishment. This is also where the Temple of Water is located. Those sent into the Sands can exonerate themselves by returning to one of the border cities with a cup of water from the temple, A feat almost unheard of. The cities of the Snake-people are built around the oases scattered through the desert. Called Mirages by the snakes the cities are created out of Dragonglass and are only visible at night under the light of the moon and the stars. The exception is the coastal cities of the Coppersands. It was these cities where the copper Snake-people would bring the humans gathered on the southern islands to sell to the elves during the time of the Empire. These cities are where the Snake Highway ultimately lead, the long roadway built and maintained by the Snake-people to transport slaves and goods through the Dragon Sands to the Mariean Empire.

Southern Island

Just south of the Dragonsands, off the coast of the mainland is the first of two archipelagos that make up the Southern Islands. Mostly tropical, the islands are home to the humans of Desylinn. The northern islands, nearest to the coast are called the Sha-lish-otah by the Lash-ti-Nowish, who still have a few small cities on the largest islands. The majority of the population is the human islanders who revere the goddess Ariga and form small coastal villages. The villages form loose confederacies ruled over by a high chief, usually not more than a day or twos journey by boat away from each other. Messages are sent by fast kayak, while entire war parties will amass on multi-hulled boats aided by both sail and oar. Since the fall of the Empire there is a relative peace in the region, as the war parties no longer have a reason to turn over captives to the Copper Snake-people. Trade is still robust though as many of the fruits and animals of the islands are valued by the Snake-people, as well as the wood and bone crafted jewelry and tools (which are often traded to the dwarves as exotic goods). The interiors of the islands are wild and untamed. Villages send hunters inland, though most do not stray more than a mile or so from the coasts. Wild creatures, bizarre forgotten monsters and terrible giant lizards roam the interior of the largest islands. It’s rumored that on the largest island, called Go’Daiki’e by the tribes that live along it’s coast, a long tunnel burrows from the foot of a dormant volcano  to the face of Daikado himself and a great temple to the imprisoned god guards the tunnel. Many of the tribes of the island break tradition and venerate the imprisoned god, and lone visitors to the larger villages will often go missing.