Happy Wednesday everybody! I hope it finds you well.
I had originally intended to talk a bit about the Frost Giants of my world today, but over the past week I went on a bit of a map converting spree. As a result I have two maps to share with you all, one today and the other this time next week. My talk on Frost Giants will thus be postponed until Friday. Now to the map!
I know, not a lot of land on this one. Unfortunately the large southwestern peninsula stabbing so far into the ocean forced that to be the case. That peninsula is known as the Blade for what I feel are fairly obvious reasons. The large port town indicated on the tip of the Blade is called Lyceria, and it is where Llargas takes Pentaz and Buscidia to during the Cruise section of the book (read it here for more insight on that), and they travel inland through the jungle from there where they eventually settle in with a tribe of Wilder Elves so that Pentaz can further his magical training along with a small cast of other Magi under the tribe’s shamaness, Laohna (you can read a bit about that in the Academy section of the book which starts here).
The jungle is home to a number of different sylvan races and tribes, no one group holding so much sway as to form a true nation. The centaurs, satyrs, nymphs, dryads, wilder elves, gnomes, and other assorted fey/sylvan peoples prefer it that way, valuing their freedom above all else. The closest thing to a true nation are those human tribes who have formed alliances with one another, most prominent among these being the Taehls.
The Taehls originally formed their alliance in defense against a Zaltruscan invasion over 4 centuries ago. According to the legends, a group of Zaltruscan noblemen had decided to saddle up their dragons and lead their armies to conquer the Blade. The many jungle nations banded together to resist, with the bulk of the fighting occurring in the northern Blade. Ultimately the battle was only won by the inhabitants of the Blade thanks to the awakening of their guardian spirit, the massive and magnificent rainbow winged serpent Quzaeltical.
Normally a non-physical nature spirit, it is said that Quzaeltical takes a physical form once every thousand years in times of great need. In this instance it slew all of the nobles and their dragons, and all but obliterated the Zaltruscan army before withdrawing into a deep and still, undisturbed slumber in order to heal the grievous wounds it had suffered that day. Whether this slumber is in its physical form or a return to its physical form the tribesman will not say.
Some of the tribes left the alliance after the threat was over, but many stayed and the alliance is still the strongest power in the region today. The tribes have a distinct caste system, with everyone being born into their life roles. The ruling caste are the spirit guides, those said to be able to commune with all nature spirits, especially Quzaeltical. Through this bond they have also learned to use magic which enables them to take on the shapes of the various beasts of the jungle, a feat which Quelzhumi Taehls puts to great use during the Graduation section of the book (which you can read starting here).
Quelzhumi is not just a spirit guide, but next in line as chief spirit guide for the most powerful tribe in the alliance, making him for all intents the heir to the throne, albeit a throne with less direct control over the tribal nation than one finds in the kingdoms of the "civilized" world outside the Blade. He has come to the Academy to expand his magical knowledge, hoping that his people can learn more than just their shapeshifting magic and become more able to defend themselves should Zaltruscas ever invade again.
The next notable students are D’naeshira. A human, she was left abandoned in the jungles by her Lycerian parents when she began to manifest as a Wyrdlim. Most humans can learn to use magic, but are not especially talented at it. Occasionally a human will be born with a deeper connection to the world’s energies, such that they can use primal magics in much the same way as dragons and giants can. Unlike giants and dragons, however, the Wyrdlim find it very hard to control these magics, which has led to chaotic (and occasionally catastrophic) outbursts over the ages. For this reason most "civilized" human cultures view Wyrdlim with a great deal of superstition, and tend to punish them even to the point of execution for being born.
The final notable student is Kitden Zutden, a sylvan gnome. His pack(as they like to be called) wander the jungles constantly, being seen only when they want to and never laying their head down in the same spot as any previous night. Unlike their "civilized" cousins, they do not feel the need to endlessly invent new machines. Instead they channel their nervous energy into endless pranks and other shenanigans.
After the events of the Academy and Graduation sections, Pentaz and Buscidia leave the Blade behind traveling east to the region known as the Badlands, going through the outer reaches of the Restless Bog to reach the small walled community known as Last Stop before following the trail to the closest thing the Badlands has to a capital city, Caasan.
This update has gone on a bit longer than I intended, so I’ll leave my discussion of the Badlands for the next week when I post the next map. You can read a bit more about the Badlands(mainly the Restless Bog and Caasan) starting here if you want.
As always, thanks for your time and support! Keep reading and enjoying!
