This is a brief guide to our world map and the places mentioned upon it. For a full view of the map, please right click it and open it in another tab/window, or save the file to your computer.
This, at present; is a completed product and has been designed to incorporate enough locations and diversity to house all of our adventuring and story telling needs. As you can appreciate, having to add a newly invented major city is problematic.
I invite you to use the information and places here to flesh out your characters, your adventures and to use them as the foundation to continue building our world.
ASFALON
Asfalon is the largest continent in all of Fenrath and is home to the hub of all our adventures, Wistvale. It houses all manner of locations, from desert to the frozen tundra, from vast forests to impassable mountains.
WISTVALE Wistvale started as a tiny village in the middle of nowhere. Much too far and unimportant to encourage any trade or commerce, it housed only recluses, fugitives, criminals and wanderers. This was changed with the foundation of the original council and the Sentinels, or town guard. Wistvale enjoyed a major boom to it's economy when the inland Agalor Sea joined the Fathom Gulf, positioning it as a useful trade hub. The town is home to all manner of people's and organizations that play a large part in the world around them. It is at the forefront of environmental sustainability, thanks to it's ingenious and creative amenities, but the town become city also has two faces. In days past, Wistvale strove to cater to all walks of life, feeding the homeless, educating and housing orphans and tolerating what underground activity was considered a reasonable trade if regulated. However, with it's continued growth and ever changing citizenry, Wistvale has grown beyond such ideals and in many ways, is now like many other large cities, housing both the good and the bad. Now, the same town that welcomes all comers, must also find a balance in protecting the interests of it's citizens and coping with what the outside world continues to bring inside it's walls.
WILLIAMSBURG RUINS The ruins of Williamsburg stand testament to what was once a beautiful city. There is little recollection of what transpired there, as reports are mixed, but often romanticized as a true tragedy. Stories tell of a great leader among men, who started as a slave. Inspired by the courage of his own daughter who was kept in captivity with him and driven by the maltreatment of those around him, he took advantage of an uprising and eventually founded Williamsburg, offering sanctuary to all of such misfortune. Ultimately, the story ends with those same people overthrowing the town, dissatisfied with it's inability to provide for a quickly booming populace. Other renditions tell of a political coo and other still, relay a story of terrible vengeance, brought upon him by his former masters. Today, the city gives up little, as fire has ravaged what is now left of the buildings and the Mirkwood has reclaimed it.
BRINDISI Nestled in the Daelands and close to The Singing Lakes is the 'library city' Brindisi. It's population is largely Cathian, but it sees many other races attend here as students in many of institutions, most notably those dedicated to both magic and healing. Brindisi is a beautiful town unlike many others, with well polished roads and a slight influence in aesthetic from the neighboring continent, Ponchu. Brindisi is also famed for it's incredible fish markets, largely due to it's proximity to both the inland lakes and the ocean, as well as it's Cathian populace's taste for such morsels.
NEARHEATH Between the Horsewhip River and the Grasslands, lays the town of Nearheath. Nearheath is quaint town of small size, somewhat due to it being located in the Marshlands in this region. Some ninety percent of the town is built upon boardwalks, anchored in the murky waters below and with buildings, sitting high above the water line due to the seasonal flooding. The Marshlands hold many dangers for the naive, which keep the amount of visitors to a steady minimum but those who live here enjoy the unique wildlife and other curiosities, such as the illumination at night given off by the luminous lichen and many varieties of both insects and reptiles.
VANAGAN'S HOLD Vanagan's Hold is actually an old military outpost held by the Arcadian Army, retired centuries ago. Since that time, it has changed countless times but today is now used as a trading post of considerable fame. It houses a small community of merchants, playing wares from the farthest reaches of the glove and is overseen by a trade union, which is now an established political entity. Whilst this council swears no fealty, they have demonstrated favoritism in times of conflict towards whomever will see them be more profitable. The Hold stands a ways from the ever-deep waters of Lake Shid and near the Elmwoods, but remains secure due to it's original purpose.
ELMSVALE Hidden deep within the Elmswoods and located within a complex system of natural caverns that lay in the hills here, the town of Elmsvale is a secretive one and unwelcoming to visitors. Rumors abound of strange and forbidden arcane magics studied here and rarely do it's citizenry venture out into the world. Elmsvale very rarely trades with other regions and such arrangements are often painstakingly complex. Few have the desire to enter Elmsvale and those who venture near are often met with open aggression from it's reclusive inhabitants.
KARLSHAMN On the western sea front of The Grasslands, Karlshamn was once a considerably sized city, left damaged by a civil war that happened in modern times. The war came about after public hysteria provoked and all out hunt on magic users, which led to the mage institutions there wielding dangerous magics within the city. The resulting conflict killed many and saw many more flee from the city as refugees. Whilst the monarchy there has since been dethroned and a new regime is in power, the city has not regained it's former glory. Whilst the town once more welcomes those who pursue the magic arts, there is also rumors aplenty that many mages who would visit there, are never seen or heard from again.
HIGHEVER On the North side of the Fyntail River lays the port Metropolis of Highever. Highever has long stood as the largest and most densely populated city in Asfalon, with considerable resources, generous trade opportunities and a large military. Largely run by a half dozen houses of noble heritage and varied interested, Highever is a smelting pot of people and cutlures. Whilst actively pursuing relations with neighboring provinces that can assist in it's continued wealth, Highever has shown it's quickness to resort to both it's trading clout and military might which has them commonly perceived as looking to extend their borders and control.
BRENELIA Brenelia is a floating town, built upon the estuaries of Coy Bay. It's people are a simple folk, living off both the land and the ocean and having few dealings with other regions. Of interest, is the man-built reef at the opening of the inlet, with a large water gate that controls the tide levels within. Also, it is important to note that nobility in Highever has started a fashion which has Brenelia seen as a quaint 'getaway' town for those on vacation, which has boosted their economy somewhat and has been met with mixed criticism from the locals there.
LORNE Lorne remains one of the oldest standing fortress-cities, a true indication of it's structural mastery, especially when considering it's being built well within the mountain spires of the Cragstooth Mountain Range. Accessible from the East only through the treacherous Kershwin Pass, Lorne remains an uncontested military might high above the rest of Asfalon. Lorne is famous as it is homed to the Dragon Knights, an elite force that train to work with magnificent dragon steeds. Unfortunately, these dragons have fallen into an endless hibernation these last one hundred years or so, nullifying any potential use of such a group. Still, Lorne Dragon Knights know no equal with a lance and some outsiders seek training in their very exclusive martial schools.
KARZOTH Located in The Tundra, Karzoth is a port town on south western coast, and is the main trade center for most of the Frost Lands. The west coast is frigid and harsh on it's denizens, but Karzoth enjoys the warmth offered by the unusual thermal activity in this region. Karzoth has a largely human and Dwarven population, but has it's fair share of Warven, as this region has the largest concentration of their numbers. Karzoth also plays home to some degree pirate activity, given the hostile waters off the west coast and the amnesty it affords such types. This does not stem the merchant activity in this region, as deals made in Karzoth often pay top dollar given the many associated difficulties.
FALKENRATH In land on the eastern side of the treacherous Tundra Mountains, this small town of Falkenrath and it's surrounding area is settled by farmers and hunters. The cold here is harsh, preventing annual sustainability of crops, but Falkenrath has favorable trade agreements with other trade hubs and enjoys a sustainable fur market. Falkenrath also has the largest Mithril and Platinum deposits found anywhere, making mining a profitable if not problematic trade in this region. This draws many Pecks to this town, as they have a knack for mining and work well in more confined spaces.
SALAMIR Salamir is a simple settlement on the border of of the Frostlands, within in the Wolf Talon Forest. Whilst small, Salamir is considered the 'gateway' to the vast Tundra and therefore sells many unusual and often exotic goods for those willing to travel so far, or who plan on traversing the hospital lands to the north. Salamir is one of very few Sonari settlements willing to trade with outsiders, as well as have a mixed populace of other races.
THE GAROU CAMP The Garou Camp is far removed from other settlements by design, as it's inhabitants have no desire to trade or interact with the world at large. A very secretive people, the Garou camp consists of a very tightly knit community that houses several houses, or packs. The Garou Camp is home no no outsiders and is entirely shut off to those without very good reason for venturing onto their hunting grounds.
JEZEBEL Tucked away in the southern foothills of the Cragtooth Mountains, Jezebel is a modest and quiet town, known for it's abundance of natural herbal resources. It is said that there is no other place in the world that has a ready supply of the rarer herbs and plants on par with Jezebel. The populace are considered strange here, as the small populace is of some varied race but all of the towns inhabitants spend a good portion of their time experimenting with alchemy and living in a perpetually euphoric state. It is often joked that those with wanderlust will only ever settle in Jezebel, whilst the truth is that the town was formed as a commune many years ago by those with an adventurous spirit.
MIR The northern most of the towns located within the Southern Sands region, Mir is a trade hub for the region as the vast majority of goods traveling over land come through it's gates. It's is a merchant town, but houses many criminal and dastardly elements, looking to profit over others at almost any cost. Mir is populated mostly by Haisheth, though it must be said that the average citizen here sees little wealth and scrapes out an existence in what is a very dry region. Farming is not a viable option here, thought the nearby silver mines employ many of the town's non-trading residents. Mir is also locked in a war with Kesh, a conflict that has been ongoing for many generations and has no signs of stopping anytime in the near future.
DARI Dari is more of a village than a town and unfortunately, often plays host to conflicts between Mir and Kesh. Dari is peculiar in that it is the adopted home land of the Kashir race, who seem content in their very hostile, arid surroundings. How the Kashir continue to thrive in this region us unknown, though scholars have noted that the Souther Sands have unusual, 'traveling' oasis' that could provide and abundance of both fresh water and food, should someone understand their workings.
KESH Kesh is the only port town in the Southern Sands, but is the largest settlement in this region. Due to their being all but land locked from trade, Kesh trades by sea and pays well for necessities, due to the treacherous rocks in the waters off it's shores. Kesh is locked in a war with Mir which makes Kesh a rather isolated and distrusting town of outsiders. However, Kesh is also known for it's prostitution, with the majority of such operations being quite luxurious establishments with healthy and often content staff. This booming trade also sees the largest concentration of Alusians which is somewhat strange, given their tendency to wander with little purpose.
ZARST
The country of Zarst was one much larger, but the loss of territory in wars ages past and the invasion of sea upon their shore has seem them dwindle in size. Now connected to Asfalon by a land bridge, Wistvale lurks just beyond it's western border.
FENNEN Fennen is a river town, resting on the banks of the River Syzael and on the very outskirts on the wilds that eventually become the dreaded Overwood. It's populace largely consists of Cathian's and Dwyern, which grants the town and aesthetic unlike any other. Given the Dwyern pursuit of Lore and the Cathian's vast libraries, it is something of a mecca for scholars, looking to further their knowledge of the world. Being the last civilized stop before the Overwood, it also stocks interesting equipment for those who would adventure there, but also provides plenty of warnings to those same people.
THE ARBOR CITADEL The famed 'palace of the trees', the Arbor Citadel is an ancient ruin now inhabited by the reclusive Eldritch Elves who long ago held this famed metropolis as their capital - or at least as research might suggest. Arbor is also home to others seeking relative isolation, a the immense complexity of these ruins all but guarantees their desired privacy. What remains of the citadel still remains tall, traveling much up the way of it's home mountain as well as within, with complex and unpredictable subterranean passages long laying dormant. Arbor is an incredible spectacle for one thing beyond it's sheer magnitude, which is the incredible gardens that were integrated into it's construction and that now have taken hold of the shattered and weathered stone.
PONCHU
Commonly referred to as 'The East', the country of Ponchu lurks within tantalizing distance to Asfalon's eastern border. However, the sea crossing east is notoriously perilous and Ponchu is a country known to shun any outsiders. It is a land of countless small villages, all with modest agriculture and little impact on the world around them. In it's native tongue, it is known as 'the land of the tall grasses', which describes much of the landscape. Ponchu has maintained it's mystique behind a thin veil of seclusion and misinformation, which suits it's governing bodies well.
SUNCHI HARBOR Sunchi Harbor is a large fishing village and the only real port for seafaring travel in all of Ponchu. It is an interesting town in that it floats upon the waves and also houses the largest and most exotic fish market in the known world. Sunchi harbor is open to sailors and those alchemists who seek strange supplies here for their work, but the town is locked down and intensely secured where it meets the land. Entrance to larger Ponchu required both finances and documentation and even those who linger too long in Ponchu, are encouraged to leave before long. Sunchi does suffer a terrible monsoon season annually though, which sees many of the residents moving inland and a good amount of repairing and rebuilding each year.
HANZO Hanzo is the capital of Ponchu and is also a port city, but it's port is dedicated entirely to Ponchu's considerable naval forces. Hanzo is difficult to approach by land due to the surrounding mountains and impossible by sea, due to it's naval activity. It also houses Ponchu's royalty and much of it's nobility, who prefer to dwell in the city and leave their estates to the lackeys to oversee. It is a city both controlled by strict rules but also is home to much nocturnal excess, making it a confusing place to understand to non-natives. Hanzo is well guarded and does not rely on it's own commerce, as it demands it's needs from the citizenry of Ponchu and the wealth of the surrounding lands.
ARCADIA
Arcadia is the forbidden and forgotten continent, left in the dark recesses of the mind and infrequently used to terrify those with too much curiosity. The downfall of Arcadia was during the Dragon Wars a millenia ago, in which it is said the Gods themselves descended from Mount Pantheon and cursed both the lands and it's people. Tales to travelers to and from these shores are rare and terrifying in their nature and little is known of what truly befell what was once the greatest nation in Fenrath.
RASMUSSEN Rasmussen remains the largest metropolis ever built within all of Fenrath, but is no longer the most populated - at least by the living. To look upon Rasmussen from the mountain spires surrounding it is mind boggling, as the city fills the valley below to the brim, evidence of it growing up when it no longer could grow out showing in the now ruined spires and towers. It is a labyrinth of streets, alleyways and endless corridors, all of which could spell death to any foolish enough to tread here as Rasmussen has earned it's title as 'the city of the dead'. What seems a dead town is owned by the undead, who stand in the path of any who would look to claim Rasmussen's incredible, abandoned riches.
MORNWALL Mornwall is the only known city in Arcadia, it's walls built high to hide it's populace from the cruel wilds beyond them. Whilst Arcadia is immensely dangerous, so are the people stubborn enough of will and strong enough of body to remain upon the cursed land. Unfortunately, in fighting is frequent and mortal depravity descends to new, terrible depths within Mornwall, with public displays of cruelty and savagery being the norm. Mornwall also breeds varying classes of killers, with all citizens tasked to raid the wilds and return with resources to maintain the cities population. These are a hardy, vicious and suspicious lot who will not give a moment's thought before killing outsiders. Magic and cruelty has twisted what inbreeding has not within Mornwall, the only pure bloods amongst them now belonging to the down-trodden and neglected peasantry that hides within the city, clinging to a terrible existence. Unbeknown to many, Mornwall is home to the Noctis Venator, though many of their chapters are not even aware of this fact.
SWIFTHAWK CITADEL Swifthawk Citadel houses the outcasts of Mornwall, men and women who have been thrown out and punished with military service in the citadel. Swifthawk Citadel is tasked with protecting the country of Arcadia from the east and to oversee that no interlopers enter the cursed city of Rasmussen, but in truth they have found themselves in an ongoing war with the undead at their gate. However, the governing body in Mornwall shows little interest in the true going-ons within Swifthawk and a true and just leadership herein has seen the formation of a noble and capable army, unlike the marcabre denizens of the capital. Surrounding lands have been cultivated and Swifthawk now towers over an ever-growing population of farmhands and tradespeople who carve out a life for themselves in their hostile world. Swifthawk maintains it's secret thanks to the negligence and non-involvement of the capital, coupled with the fact that many outcasts from the capital are deemed as such due to their distaste of the violent and excessive lifestyle there. PORT GRIMFALL Port Grimfall is quite simply a pirate haven. Harbored in the Grimdock Strait, it has enjoyed it's proximity to Arcadia and seclusion from the rest of the world for centuries. Nowadays, the port town is well enough established that none would be foolish enough to pursue anyone there. The port is not entirely lawless, but has it's own unique code, upheld by the more senior residents and mostly, whomever is in power - by which whomever has the crew, the ships and the armaments to enforce their agenda.
HAGOTH
Outwardly, Hagoth is a cold and desolate landscape, covered in treacherous mountain steeps and driving ice. The waters surrounding Hagoth deter all but the maddest sailors and the land offers little in the way of resources. Inland, there is but one oasis of forest, grassland and humble ruins that are no longer inhabited. Hagoth has but one town otherwise, due to the nomadic and unstructured tendencies of the Sorens that call this land home and avoid civilization with great care.
ORESTFLIN Orestflin is a smelting pot of a city, with it being the hub between the land-faring dwarves of the north and their sea-faring, pirating kin and their associates. Orestflin sees agreeable business with the pirate trade, as few others will make the journey across the northern waters and because Dwarves, by nature, are prone to bragging about their grand exploits away from their adopted homelands. Other races wander in and out of the town, except for the Sorens who are locked in an ongoing, if somewhat inactive war with the Dwarves they distrust.
SELWYN
Selwyn is a mystery, the southern isle overgrown with dense foliage that defies exploration by all but the most reckless. There are few known accounts of anyone returning from the country of Selwyn, but those considered credible speak of a hostile and unimaginable place, dominated by strange and terrible beasts and without any sign of an established civilization. It is considered a wild place, though some have suggested that small villages exist further inland, co-existing with the perilous jungles surrounding them. None of the common races call Selwyn home and all are left to wonder at what dwells on the unraveled continent.
