Well, despite many interruptions from the Distractions, both Major and Minor, I have managed to do another blog post. Amazing but true! Granted that is because I wrote most of this nearly a year ago and I’m just up dating the map and doing some proof reading. Well by updating the map I mean writing the on the names of places and including more icons to denote where capital cities are. Granted I am working with the assets that are not locked behind a pay wall on Inkarnate but right now I don’t have time to do a full hand painted map. Shame but it is the holidays so I’m having to work in the time limits I have.
So on to the main event.
Hesita as a planet is geologically activate, with many mountain ranges, both major and minor, a well as distinctive environmental bands and a diverse biosphere, supporting many different races as well ultra predators such as the dragons.
Surprisingly, the theory of continental shift is already beginning to circulate within the learned circles of the races of Hestia, although this is helped by the fact that both the dwarfs and elves have much longer lifespans than humans, so what to a human is the stories of their grandfather's grandfather is childhood memory to an elf or dwarf. Added to that is the reverence for history and tradition that both races are characterised by and the result is a much greater body of evidence documenting the changing face of Hestia. It also helps to explain why the great body of water in the centre of the continent is a salt water body and not fresh, theorising that it was originally part of a sea that lead to the ocean that has since been isolated by the shifting of the bones of the land.
There is also evidence that the over all ocean level was lower at some point in the past, with diving species such as the Coral Dragons reporting the discoveries of submerged cities below the waves in the, comparatively, shallow coastal shelf areas of the oceans. This hints at the land masses being larger at some point in the past, though even the longest lived races cannot say when, some even speculating that it was before the events of the God War.
It should also be noticed that the surface of Hestia and the depths of her oceans are not the only habitat of Hestia and travellers should beware of creatures rising from these more hidden environs to hunt.
Regions
North West
Furtherest to the north west, separated from the main land by a channel of the ocean, is the ruined Island Kingdom of Albion. As discussed in the Hestia Historical, this once thriving island heart of the Albion empire was decimated by the attentions of the Tomb Dragon Armasar Mockblight one thousand years ago. Having driven the expansion of the Albion Empire beyond sustainability, he watched it fall to the ravening energies of the Day of Reclamation and claimed the destroyed Capital as his lair. Warmed by an ocean current bringing hot water from the tropics, Albion is a temperate island and would be pleasant, if it wasn't for the fact that the land now crawls with the undead. The victims of the Day of Reclamation shamble and crawl across the land as the sun goes down, those who's bodies have decayed completely billow and wail as disembodies spirits, trapped in the last moments of free Will they possessed before the ritual destroyed them. Some gather around ruins that bare the signs of being schools at one point as if seeking the children that were once theirs. If any children survived the Day of Reclamation it is unknown but unlikely. If they did and managed to build a secure settlement then they have never managed to contact the outside world, leaving the status of the once globe encompassing Empire unclear. The few adventurers that have braved the shores of the Isle of Albion report a gloomy, mist shrouded country where the sun is never bright even at midday, the vegetation is dark leafed and unpalatable and large animals are absent. The largest carnivore appears to be foxes, the largest omnivores are badgers and the largest herbivores are hares and rabbits. There has also been a behaviour shift among the badgers with these big, shuffling mustelidaes now a day time forger, retreating to their burrows as the sun goes down. The only creatures apparently safe at night being insects, owls and bats. In short, the Isle of Albion is a hostile place with nothing to trade with the outer world. The only influence it still has on the outside world is the fear that the ghoul court may organise its madness enough to try and invade the main continent again, or that Armasar Mockblight's descendents may cast greedy eyes across the sea to the main land and come hunting for other civilisations to destroy.
On the continent, just to the east of the narrowest crossing point between the Isle of Albion and the mainland is the minor mountain range of the Kebneesian mountains. Hidden within this mountain range is the Kingdom of Sushnomi. Isolated both physically and culturally from the outside world, the Kingdom of Sushnomi seems to have no ready wish to interact with the outside world, or indeed, even speak with their neighbours. This appears to stem from a cultural shift that happened roughly four hundred years ago and may even be a result of the destruction of the Albion Empire, the long term fear of that event causing a generational shift in thinking that eventually cascaded into the fervent belief in the protective power of their god. Unfortunately their religion appears to be what some would call 'high demand' and as such they do not welcome the influence of outsiders. What traders who do manage to gain permission to take goods outside of the kingdom's boarders trade in furs, walrus ivory, timber and preserved fish.
The Kebneesian Mountain range is divided in two by the Benezda gap, which Sushinomi is to the north of. This track of salt water and the Mustan Sea into which it runs is wild, unpredictable and violent, cut by many bottom tearing shoals and reefs as it flows up deep fjords to inter lace with the mountains. The weather is also cool, with mild summers and cold winters with heavy snow fall. This weather pattern is common to much of the area around the Mustan Sea and has resulted in a cluster of fairly small kingdoms that are controlled by how far travel can be reasonably be expected to be managed in the weather of winter, usually dictated by the out lying ridges of the mountain range, marshes, bogs, fens and other such environmental features, as well as the hunting patterns of some of the more aggressive predators and more magically infused beings. Crones are common in this area of the world, as well as other members of the less pleasant fae creatures and courts. Local guides are advised and as they are a proud people, the traveller would do well to not gain say their advise, least they discover themselves abandoned on the road.
Further to the west and south west, the kingdoms are larger and more politically active along the coast of the channel dividing the main land from the Isle of Albion. In recognition of the threat still posed by the Ghoul Empire, many of these Kingdoms have standing armies and advanced taxation systems to fund them. As such they are economically and politically engaged with their neighbours, sometimes even indulging in short lived, seasonal wars as they struggle against each other. These conflicts are usually limited as the fear of the Ghoul Empire and the orc hordes that call the mountains and wild places home remind the people that if they spend all their strength on destroying each other, then they will have nothing left over to defend themselves against the larger threat.
Example
Faransah curves along the coast, bordering the sea on one side and the kingdoms of Saksa, Dacia and Noria on the other until it reaches the Guardiao mountains. In times past it served as the buffer between the Elf lands and the depravation of the Albion Empire. As such it has a stronger connection to the Elven peoples than most, maintaining an Elvish Ambassador within the King’s Court. Due to the influence of the Sidhbe, the Faransah people have a reputation for being more refined and cultivated than many human kingdoms, even experimenting with a simplified script for its commoners and an expanded education system. This has led to a healthier population, with travelling bands of educators supplementing the village teachers and bringing equipment that reveals the hidden world of the tiny. ‘A Zoo in a Drop of Water’ is always a well attended class, revealing not only the hairy things that can live within drinking water but also the methods to eradicate them to prevent disease. Wash houses built into the same building as the village forge are also common. There are also rumours of a mechanical writing machine that is decreasing the time and expense of books with in the borders of the kingdom. News certainly seems to spread faster and further accurately within Faransah than in other Kingdoms.
Between the influence of the Sidhbe, a series of progressive monarchs and the work of the Righteous Judge and his family, Faransah is a strong country with a settled population. Despite this its history is not without conflict as the bordering kingdoms have had aggressive relationships with them. They see how the commoners are prospering and assume that it is because Faransah is much richer than they are and therefore they covert those riches, not realising that far from being vastly richer than they are, Faransah has merely worked to see a much fairer distribution of wealth throughout all their citizens.
As the coast starts curving down to the south west you come to the kingdom of Portasia. Bordered on the north and east by the minor range of the Guardiao Mountains and on the south by the major range of Althulas Mountains, Portasia is a sheltered, stable kingdom, carefully nurtured by a line of kings that have brokered trade deals and diplomatic relationships with its neighbours beyond the mountains, often acting as a neutral ground for negotiations and peace deals. The Kings of Portasia seek to be a stabilising influence on the world around them for the good of their own people but are not a sentimental family. People have their worth and they will find it and use it for the good of the society around them or the Kings of Portasia will make them do so. They are also known to forge teams out of wanted criminals to deal with more aggressive threats, both within their borders and without. There has been speculation that these 'King's Specials' have been involved in the past with, shall we say, rather direct interference in the succession of the neighbouring royal bloodlines but nothing has been proved so far. They do have a very stable relationship with Faransah, cultivated over many years.
Though Portasia does not employ a standing army as such, all males over the age of adulthood are required to spend the afternoon of the day of rest on the village green, practising with either the long bow or the crossbow under the supervision of the local marshal and weapons master. Some woman have even insisted on learning the crossbow, stating that orcs do not respect their persons when one of the hordes in the surrounding mountains gets it into its head to come a-raiding. It is almost concerning that these woman tend to have a greater drive for proficiency than their male counter parts. Portasia also reports being bothered by the occasional raid of the legendary Ash Elves but these reports are dismissed as fantasy by other kingdoms who know that these beings are legend alone.
Beyond the eastern curtain wall of the the Guardiao Mountains begins the forest home of the elves. These enigmatic people are divided between many different sects and some would say races, though it is difficult to tell if they themselves categorise themselves as such. To those outside the mysterious courts of the elves the peoples of the elves seem to be as such:
Sidhbe
Also known as High Elves (some say High-and-Mighty Elves, particularly the dwarfs). Known for their exquisite artwork, poetry and literature, the Sidhbe also produce weapons of wonder, spells of world breaking power and vendettas that last for generations. Though these family intrigues rarely erupt into full violence as such behaviour is considered unseemly by the Sidhbe, they are none the less bitter and vicious. Families can rise or fall based on the out comes of one mistimed word at a social gathering. As Sidhbe elves can live for seven hundred years or more, these family disasters can have long lasting repercussions.
Sidhbe warriors are also without peer, fast, graceful and skilful beyond measure. There are very few that can best them with the blade and their battle tactics leave foes reeling and bleeding from death by a thousand cuts. About the only reason that they do not rule the world is because children are rare and cherished among them. That and they look down their elegant noses at all others.
As far as Sidhbe elves are concerned humans and dwarfs are smelly, short lived barbarians hardly better than orcs and due about as much regard. Indeed the only advantage that humans have over elves is the sheer speed with which they can breed but that is not enough to bring them any measure of respect from the Sidhbe courts. The Sidhbe are isolationist and keep to their cities and glittering towers, ignoring the rest of the world and barely interested if anyone from outside their circles come calling. Perhaps it is best to leave it as such as the Sidhbe are known for being extremely cruel, even to their own kind. The story of the Righteous Judge, Vil’tinoos Erevan, is a case in point. Having survived an absolutely vicious poison that laid him low for over a decade and aged him beyond anything that the elves had ever seen, he was sent to Faransah to be the Ambassador to the human court, fully believing that it was only temporary. It was decades before he discovered that he had been exiled from his homeland and his betrothal had been broken behind his back, his one time fiancee having married his older brother years before, without anyone letting him know. It is probably a good thing that he was already attached to Morwenna Flamesong, the Tuired dancer, whether he was admitting it or not, as Vil’tinoos is an extremely powerful sorcerer and he could have potentially made the Sidhbe court that exiled him seriously regret their duplicity.
Metsaan
Also known as Wood Elves. Slightly less aloof as their cousins the Sidhbe, the Metsaan live in close communities within the depths of the forests that circle the Sidhbe courts but appear to deal with them almost as rarely as humans do. This appears to be because of a cultural difference between the two races, one so ingrained that it has lead to a slight differentiation in appearance as well as attitude. Whereas the Sidhbe are tall, thin, pale to ghostliness with white to golden hair and blue eyes, the Metsaan elves are slightly shorter, of a stronger built and tend to be tanned, with corn gold to nut brown hair. Their eyes also tend to be various shades of brown, with occasional individuals that have tawny or ever yellow eyes. Their skill with the bow is legendary and their guerrilla fighting tactics have resulted in their lands being declared untouchable by all who have an ounce of sense.
Those who are allowed a look at their settlements come back speaking of wonders and marvels. Their houses are grown from living wood, doorways set in the living boles of trees, windows hidden among the branches, birds nesting in the foliage above and bats flittering at dusk from cavities left especially for them. There is no hard and fast boundary between the forest and the homes of the Metsaan, only a slightly higher abundance of food trees and shade tolerate crops dappled around the settlement. Indeed these food forests are now being experimented with by some human settlements to result in a communal food reserve in case that the more common crops fail due to bad weather.
Though Metaan families can develop feuds and rivalries, they rarely take on the depth and anger common among the Sidhbe. Their communities are marked more by a common effort and working together to keep each other safe and a respect for the balance of the natural world. They fear fire and drought and have a long standing enmity for orcs and dwarfs, orcs for their wholesale trampling and noise, while the forges of the dwarfs take the trees and produce pollution. The Metsaan are cautious of humans as humans can be as destructive to the forest as the fore mentioned races but there are those that have learnt to respect the Metsaan ways and trend lightly among the trees. Thus the Metaan are more likely to judge humans on a case by case basis than their instinctive distaste for orcs and dwarfs. Of the orc cross-breeds, they have a more reserved opinion. Though historically they have despised them for the same reason as their contempt for the orcs, they have in more recent times been able to come to an understanding with this magically created race. If the orc cross-breeds stay on their side of the border and keep the larger predators and herbivores from the mountains away from the forest then the Metaan Elves are willing to not shoot across the border and start a war. Whether this peace will be long lasting is any one's guess.
Ash Elves
These people are the feared legend of the Underworld. Before even the God War it is said that there was a eruption within the ranks of the elves involving a rebellion against another race called the Begetters. Legends say that the Ash Elves remained loyal to the Begetters and retreated into the caverns, caves and shafts of the Underworld after the Begetters lost their war.
Skin of charcoal grey with hair of ash white, these tall people are said to be vicious and sadistic to the greatest degree. Though many people dismiss reports of Ash Elves as legends and myths, some countries still maintain that they are raided by them on a semi-regular basis, with property damaged and people and valuables stolen away underground into the Ash Elves subterranean home. Indeed, records of Portasia state that, on occasion, people have been discovered stumbling in the wilds, ragged and wounded, babbling with madness, shaking with the memories of what they have survived. They gibber of cities built underground, of slave pits and vicious dark skinned elves that delight in pain and torment. They speak of haughty Matriarchs and warriors that fight to the death for their pleasure. They whimper of noble houses that claw and fight and tear at each other to become masters of mighty clans, each only holding power as long as they are the most ruthless and merciless to the others. These broken souls do not last long after their discovery, the trauma of what they have survived sapping their strength and will to live. They rarely last more than a month after discovery. Some physicians who have actually examined these patiences speculate that they are fed a slow poison as part of their captivity but there is no conformation as to this theory.
Despite the disbelief of many, there are books that calm to be in depths studies of the Ash Elves and their ways. These books calm that the Ash Elves are a society that is matriarchal in the extreme, with all power being held by the females with greatest status. They are divide into clans, each named after, usually, an animal of the underworld. The within each clan, the word of the Matriarch is absolute, there is no arguing with her. Below her is a hierarchy of females, each scheming and plotting to exult her station and further her position.
Of the males of the clan, their sole purpose is to serve their women. Each male must compete continually for the favour of the females and death is a regular occurrence. Among male Ash Elves the only status and therefore the only safety, lies in becoming the favourite of a female and therefore father of her children. An Ash Elf male who father's daughters is nearly guaranteed a permanent legacy within the clan. The only other method to escape a life of continuous strife and battle is to become a Pupil of the Begetters. These appear to be scribes, historians, craftsmen and possibly wizards of the Ash Elf race and offers the only other path out of the short, brutal life that is the lot of an Ash Elf male.
Female Ash Elves cannot be killed within the clan and even a politically weak female may rise in status if she bears enough children but the scheming and plotting for position can carry heavy penalties. These can range from having their daughters assigned dangerous missions within and without the Underworld to isolation within the citadel to the very worse which is the transformation into a Disgraced. Ash Elf females that have been punished in this fashion are rendered sterile and monstrous. Most go insane and are driven from the citadel to live out the remainder of their lives as fearsome predators of the Underworld.
