Geography of the Kingdom of the Sword

Dev stub.

Five lands:

Nations: too few, not enough players in the game, not enough diversity of cultures.

This isn't like Europe. The major peoples of Europe settled in prehistory, before the end of the last Ice Age. Some of these Oathkeep regions hadn't seen a human until a thousand years ago. The migration patterns will determine the culture groups, and those won't resemble Europe; they will probably much more closely resemble North America.

In the east are small, densely-populated realms. South of those are larger, sparser realms, where elves weren't as much of a factor. Westward migration was largely limited by natives (i.e. elves), but humans constantly pressed against them, even as they brokered (and broke) peace and trade deals constantly.

The pressure of human civilization was too high in the safe zones, and some sought distant shores. Most traveled south, colonizing lands in the Dragon Crescent and the fertile lands south of the Accaust--most of these people would be slain or enslaved by dragons. A few traveled north, beating the odds to find a northern passage around the High Forest, ultimately landing in the warm waters of the Ring of Fire, and settling into the nooks and crannies of the Godhand.

The original mainland settlements were named Tirland and Galland, the former referring to the easements granted by the elves as a result of trade, treaty, or conquest, and the latter the open lands lacking a unified elven defense. Tirland was bordered by the lands of elves, and Galland by the Umberlands, named because they were shadowy and unknown.

The first Kingdom of the Sword saw the unification of Tirland, Galland, and the Ascade, and for the first time, humans presented a credible threat to elves on all fronts. The entirety of the lands east of the Crowns was pacified, and mankind had a lot of room to stretch out. A new capital was built at Ulden Caer, a halfway point between north and south. Everything was fine for almost a thousand years...then, the mountain burst, and Ulden Caer was buried. The Kingdom collapsed, and disunity reigned.

Unbeknownst to their eastern kin, many of the people of Ulden Caer survived, and ventured boldly into the Umberlands. They found a harsh landscape, but eventually settled into a warm, fertile valley known as the Crescent Vale. There they found an abandoned elven realm, and a new chance at life. They would mold into a new race, the Uldennic people.

While all this went on, the settlers of the Godhand did not sit idle. They braved the dangers of their lands, and the survivors of elven attacks learned from their mistakes. Soon, they carved a niche for themselves, and eventually, opportunity presented itself as dwarves invaded the traditional elven lands. The dwarves found them amiable enough, and fostered their growth in the shadow of their newly-built holds. They gave their name to the humans, calling them Nordmannen, eventually shortened to Norn. The Norn language and culture was shaped by dwarves, but retained a core of their essential humanity. After thousands of formative years, they began to branch out, seeking their own glory away from the shadow of dwarves. And so they spread to the south.