#somnia.map

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CHAPTER V — MEDINAH, SANDSTROM.

THERE IS HONOR AMONG THIEVES.

𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐅𝐀𝐑 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑 where sandstrom meets eden, one of the west’s proudest jewels glitters in the dunes like a genuine diamond in the rough.

a bustling city full of silks and commerce, the smell of freshly baked bread and spices seems to follow one wherever they go on the colorful, vibrant streets of medinah. stalls line the stone streets with everything sandstrom has to offer: precious jewels, tender meats, and desert flowers. there are no finer dyed silks than those found within the walls of medinah, and one might argue no cheaper place to find a bottle of arian wine!

but mind your pockets, for as many riches as the city holds, there are twice as many thieves. pickpockets slip in and out of the shadows, sit next to you in tavern halls, dressed as finely as the wealthy they steal their riches from. there is a dark underbelly in medinah, but there is one thing known to be true about those that traverse it: there is honor among thieves, and those in medinah take care of their own. it is lucky, then, that the company knows a certain jackal fairly high on the food chain.

a ways outside the city walls, out in the wastes, are elvhen ruins, more so than any other region in sandstrom. often holding valuables, while some ruins have been left undiscovered or undisturbed, many others have been mined for the riches and secret history within. medinah, despite its outward appearance of wealth and prosperity to rival ari and even the capitol of the east, has become tied to this history of mining, and the dangers and tragedy that has come with it.

𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐂 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 : northeast corner of sandstrom, not far from the border between sandstrom and eden, making it north of eden’s rock, and considerably south of no man’s land.

WORLD MAP.

CHAPTER III — THE WINTER PALACE.

A THRONE MADE OF IRON AND BONE.

𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐎𝐋 there sits a palace that is a shimmering jewel, the most prized in all of eden. in the palace there sits a throne made of wrought iron gilded with gold and stained glass. the seat of the throne sits upon a base made of the bones of those who came before it, that once ruled from that throne, in that palace: elvhen skulls, preserved and plated with gold. the stained glass that lines the arc of the back of the throne are pieces recovered from the war of ages: rubble from destroyed elvhen temples. what once was a seat of elvhen power now stands as a reminder of somnian superiority and elvhen ruin, and a reminder of what once was halamshiral.

the palace itself has remains largely unchanged; restored to its previous splendor, the drapes are rich reds and lush greens, velvet to the touch; golds and opalescence gild every corner. the architecture is elvhen in nature: the windows are high, the arcs pointed, as to let optimal light in, the crown molding is reminiscent of the local fauna. it is lavish and sprawling. the palace stands as the beacon of wealth and prosperity in all of eastern eden. 

the gardens of the winter palace — also referred to as the gardens of eden — are extensive and vibrant, luxuriant and green. it is the most vegetation one can find in all of the capitol, where little waterfalls give way to crystalline pools and trickling streams; fish found within colorful and bright.

while many of eden’s most elite nobles have used the winter palace to hose banquets, weddings, and other such events, it is always done with the unofficial permission of the heiress’ family, as the primary caretakers and residents of the palace.

𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐂 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 : middle eden, at the height of the capitol, above.

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CHAPTER II — THE EASTERLY WOOD.

THE WOODS ARE LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP.

𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐑 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐍 between the capitol and the sea, there is a forest that spans from southernmost somnia all the way to the glacial north — a natural barrier between the pastoral lands and the ocean. it is incredibly dense and largely unpopulated aside from its wildlife, which make it a dangerous place to live, especially as monsters have been coming out of the black in the far south.

its fauna varies wildly. to the south the trees sprout high and thin, birchwood stretching to the heavens. the further north one travels, the more the trees turn to fir and pine — red pine, taller than houses, taller than anything one might ever see in all of eden outside of the capitol’s buildings that reach for the sky. the underbrush is dense and thick the further south one travels before it begins to turn to decay the closer one gets to the black.

the animals in the wood are those one might expect of such terrain: rabbits, foxes, badgers, deer, bears, etc. as one travels north in the wood, the landscape gives way to wolves and wildcats (lynxes being chief amongst them, but mountain lions have also been seen).

the people that live in the wood are few and far between. secretive, like shadows, it’s largely thought that there are no people that live in the easterly wood, but those who live in villages close by know better. folks who travel into the wood see their tracks; the evidence they leave behind in broken branches, scraps of cloth, whole tents at times, though rarely. the people of the wood are hunter gatherers and live in communities more like camps than anything else. they’re a nomadic people, but they never leave the forest.

however, with the growing unrest in the south of the wood that’s been spreading north, one wonders how long it will be before the woods are too dangerous to even mention.

𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐂 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 : far eastern edge of eden, abutting and stretching down the shore of the eastern sea, where the kestrel isles sit just beyond.

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CHAPTER II — CAER CRYE.

HIGH, HIGH, SING THE PRAISES OF CAER CRYE!

𝐅𝐀𝐑 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐎𝐋, just west of the easterly wood, and south of the northcutt mountains lies a the keep known as caer crye. a once abandoned keep left to ruin, no one quite remembers exactly when inhabitants claimed the city, rebuilding it up from the rubble left behind. its history is shrouded in mystery and its people aren’t much different.

the people of caer crye by and large stick to their own — newcomers find it hard to settle within the keep’s walls. frigid as the winters that roll down from the mountains, one might say. but if you loosen their tongues with a hot meal, they might even warm up to a stranger passing through.

llewellyn lake lies just north, nestled at the foot of the mountains, stretching wide between the city and the mountain range itself. there are rumors of a monster that sleeps under the lake — often referred to by residents as the “lady of the lough” or, simply, “our lady” — but if the story’s ever mentioned to a member of the guild of caer crye, they’re likely to toast your tankard and laugh hard enough the roof will shake.

the guild of caer crye can be found near dead center of town. steeped in tradition, the mercenaries of the guild of caer crye — colloquially known as the guild — have resided in the shadow of the mountains for as long as anyone can remember. led by master ormond casey, the guild prides itself on serving the people and the land across the continent. its members are recognizable by the appearance of a lynx either on their person or their gear. members are to hold themselves to a code of honor, and are not to take advantage of those who cannot protect themselves. the guild of caer crye traditionally values the lives of all living things, but in recent years, many of the younger generation have sought to make changes in their practices, causing tension both to residents of caer crye, and to members of the guild themselves. however, if you need help, look to a member and they will gladly give it, so long as you haven’t found yourself listed as an assignment — and so long as you’ve the coin (or mead) for it. for this reason, the guild brother, håvard loðbrok, is a name well known around town.

𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐂 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 : far north of the capitol, five miles west of the easterly wood, by the foot of the northcutt mountains.

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CHAPTER I — THE VILLAGE OF RIVER RUN.

POUR ANOTHER PINT, THE RIVER RUNS SLOE.

𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐎𝐎 𝐅𝐀𝐑 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐇 of the capitol lies a village where the people are friendly enough upon acquaintance and downright hospitable if you buy them a pint. river run is a place that lacks the hustle, bustle, and prestige of the capitol, but is undoubtedly a step up from the rural villages further south. the surrounding lands give way to crop and stables, but the village itself is centered around a sprawling market where many locals sell their goods — crop, meats, gin, and herbs of perhaps a rarer kind (the inn keeper’s wife is a witchy one, but no one seems to bat an eye).

the village is ruled and run by the local thane, thane maddoc briggund — a man appointed by the noble family of the capitol who own the land on which the village resides. a jovial and compassionate man, the village hasn’t once complained. he’s every bit a man of the people, right down to participating in game nights at the local taverns.

along the west side of the village runs the sloe river. integral to village life, much (if not most) of their food source comes from the river, as well as it being their only source for drinking water and irrigation. the river is an important part of the village’s history and culture as well, being the center of many local songs and cultural customs — to be considered a local, one must catch and kiss a live fish from the river, during a wedding it’s considered good luck for a couple to pour out a pint into the rushing waters.

the whitehall inn is the biggest inn in the village. the rooms are cozy though quaint and a double bed is hard to find, but the food is hot and the ale flows freely. the barmaid is sweet, the keeper is kind, and his wife can cure almost anything that ails you with the right amount of juniper and blood lotus. 

all in all it’s a simple sort of place.

𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐂 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 : middle eden, ten miles southeast of the capitol.