Deisach's Geography
Baranar's Wasteland
Location: The southwestern side of the earth continent, directly south of the eastern mountains of the Matune Desert.
Description: An expanse of charred and smoldering land that encompasses a great deal of the western side of the earth continent. This place is regarded in awe by the inhabitants Deisach, after the destruction of Baranar. The landscape is ever-smoking, wafting tendrils of grey mist constantly rising from the ruined area. The forest that was previously here, completely decimated, not even remains of the dense plant-life remains.
History: There was once a lush, dense forest here; now just a wasted remains of life and terrain. The earth itself scorched and split after Synthetic washed the entire area away with his mists some time ago. Jutting spires of haggard stone pock-mark the area, a grim repose for the events that transpired, reeking of the mists still imprinted into the very landscape. No one knows exactly why or how such a being could wield this immense power, completely and utterly clearing Baranar's extensive forest away on a whim. Killing the entire question about the fabled 'beast' which inhabited the forest, leaving this question: Could he be more powerful than the Gods themselves, or was it all just myth?
The Matune Desert
Location: Between two mountain regions on the east and west sides of the earth continent.
Description: A desert that spans a great portion of the Earth Continent. Dry and harsh, this place is home to very few people and creatures, only harboring beings that have grown accustomed to the scorching heat of the desert. The most notable creatures being the loathed and feared sandworms, burrowing tunnels deep beneath the sands and prone to erupt from the terrain at a moment’s notice. No plant life is present in the desert, not even cacti; it's a barren plain for as far as the eye can possibly see (Even with a potion of farseeing being previously quaffed). The Matune Desert halts at the bases of two large mountainous areas, where a few of the Goblin Kiosks are held, here and there.
History: The Matune Desert was created by an error in judgement on Dio's part. When he raised the earth into the huge mountain ranges that surround this place, he didn’t take into account that the great peaks were so high that they would block a majority of the rain clouds that would drift this way. Due to lack of moisture, the area became a barren expanse of terrain; no plant life, only a few specialized creatures able to resist the heat of the sun bearing down, or the sandworms that are both accustomed to the drastic temperature and living mainly underground, and turning moist soil into dry grains of sand.
The Kalir Swamp
Location: On the north end of the Earth Continent.
Description: A large swampland full of the usual mud, dirt, trees. Small rodants, lizards, bugs and other beings live here. However, the toxic gas given off by the swamp has made it dangerous to humans or any other race for that matter to stay there for very long. The mixture of heavy rain and mud have made it hard to go through without getting stuck.
History: The swamp was discovered by a lone dwarf explorer by the name of Noni Kalir. He had spend several months in the swamp, studing the various lifeforms within it. He had written to his family that he would bring samples of the swamp back to his home town but when they went looking for him he was nowhere to be found. Some said that he parished within the murky depths of quicksand, others claimed that he died due to the lack of fresh water, still others say that he was eaten by an unknown beast. What ever the case, Noni is credited as the swamps founder.
Colossus of Rein
Location: Off the southern coast of Deisach, east of Lucant and a ways north of the Psychic city of Agamar.
Description: About 350 feet tall, and with an impressive wingspan of 200 feet, this is a giant statue of Rein made entirley of unrefined Mithril ore. The Dragina emperor stands resplendent, head tilted back, eyes to the sky, wings spread in victory over the waters. It towers over surrounding islands, and even from the main Earth landmass dominates the southeast skyline.
History: Once, not very long ago, a mesa stood on this spot. The mesa itself was an island, with water crashing against the base. Upon the top of the mesa was a town which covered the entire plateau; a quiet place which thrived because the mesa was laced with veins of Mithril. The people of the town mined and refined this Mithril, and because of that Rein's forces were quite interested in it in the time before the Battle of the Apocalypse.
Recently the town underwent a revolt. The Mithril mines seemed to have run dry, and the Dragina Empire had stopped routing its airships through the town, greatly reducing the town's income. This angered the citizens and they declared their independence when they found a small deposit of Mithril in the bottom of one of their mines, which they were determined to sell to the highest bidder. The Red Empire was none too happy about this and they sent Mors Mortis, Weapon Project X, in his airship Doom to take care of the town.
Mors decided to neutralize the place entirely. The citizens were not compliant and had no intention of peacefully rejoining the Red Empire. Mors launched an attack from the Doom, dropping a large number of troops into the fort which dominated the town's center, and also acted as a mining center. The Red troops used the fort as a base with the Doom anchored above, cannons bombarding encampments of revolutionaries.
Finally Mors decided to send some troops through the mines to come out and up the side of the mesa, so that they could squeeze the revolutionaries between two forces. While breaking through to the outside of the mesa the troops found another lode of Mithril, and sent someone back to report to Mors. Upon hearing this the Weapon ordered all troops to withdraw, and went down into the mine. He melded himself with the Mithril and manipulated it, ripping apart the entire mesa, and destroying the town and all its inhabitants. He made sure not to let any escape, swallowing them up in the metal and using it to tear their bodies limb from limb.
When the destruction was finished Mors crafted the Mithril into the Colossus of Rein. From within the statue's heart Mors emerged once again, standing atop the Dragina's head. The Doom picked up their commander, the living Weapon, and they left the statue so that all would know that to tamper with Rein was to invite destruction upon yourself. At the base of the statue, where the last of the mesa's actual rock stands, veins of Mithril running down through them to anchor the statue, is a plaque Mors also crafted. It reads simply "Rein, Dragina Warrior, Emperor of the Red Empire, Who Shall Crush All Foes".
Dio's Tower
Location: Center of the Earth Continent.
Description: A gigantic mountain stretching higher than anything else seen on Fou Lu. Rocky crags, seemingly bottomless caverns, caves, treacherous cliff-faces.. all a stout reminder of the dangers this mountain holds. No one has ever come close to making it to the top, for it stretches beyond the very clouds above. It's fabled that from the top, you can see the entire continent stretching for miles in every direction, the tops of lush, green trees seeming as shrubs from the vantage point of the mountain.
History: Further back in the history of Fou Lu than anyone can remember, the Gods had a contest. They were each to use their element to make the most magnificent and awe-inspiring thing ever, be it a race, part of land, magical creation, whatever they could dream up in their somewhat restricted displays of power. To be the "best of the best" among themselves, a vain game they thought up to see which was the greatest of the gods, almost. Each of the Gods created something different and more extravagant. For example; Mercu created an entire race of Goblins and Ogres, forging them from the eternal flames which were at his disposal. Dio, however, being the great guy that he is, decided to use his mastery of the earth element to forge his greatest creation ever, the largest mountain in all the lands of Fou Lu. Needless to say, Dio was a shoe-in for the win.
Dio's Rage
Location: Northeastern part of the Earth continent.
Description: A chain of high, mountainous islands, these are renowned worldwide for their rich mineral wealth, and the city of Dwarfhome. The minerals that can commonly be found are mithril (Being the most sought after, so it's not exactly the easiest to find, save by the dwarves.) and various crystal deposits along with iron ore. These mountains are surrounded by a body of water, housing several denizens of the deep of assorted races. The only way to get to the mountains is swimming (Not overly advised) or a boat.
History: Long ago, the Gods were fond of playing tricks upon one another. Aidon, the Goddess of Water, decided to play a trick on Dio, God of the Earth, because Dio had previously made a snide comment about her. Something about Earth being more needed than Water, as all of Fou Lu is dependent on the Earth to provide home. So, Aidon, over the length of fifty years, flooded the Earth continent, attempting to gain a stranglehold on Dio, until the coast of the Earth continent was about 50 miles more inland than it had previously been. Dio eventually noticed this, and was so enraged that he drove back the flood by causing the earth below the water to rise as if in protest. Still not satisfied, however, he created a series of volcanoes out in the midst of the ocean and caused them to erupt in an attempt to make part of the sea ITSELF into the earth continent (to insult Aidon.), hoping to gain even more land than previously. However, Aidon wasn’t about to allow this, and quickly surrounded the boiling lava with the ocean, to cool it off, but found she was unable to drive the new islands down into the deep, as the lava had done it's job effectively. Dio and Aidon eventually calmed down, resisting any urges to play tricks on each other, but the Islands that Dio formed in his rage still exist as a reminder that Earth has a way of becoming angered.
The Black Wave Mountains
Location: Northeastern part of the Earth continent, east of Mt. Alassus and Tergata/Untergata.
Description: Monolithic mountains that start in the northeastern corner of the Earth continent and circles around to the east until it meets the ocean. In other words like a big crescent which completely cuts off all passage to the Eastern city, resting on the other side of the mountains. The only way to get to the city is to go though a Fort set between a portion of the mountains, magically broken down and removed, acting as a checkpoint. The fort protects the passage though the mountain to get to the other side, preventing suspicious characters from passing through, to hopefully prevent crime. The Mountains have an ominous shadow veiling the peaks, and everything that has ever tried to grow, or anything living that has tried to pass over the mountains has wound up dead, no one even bothers to risk it. That trek is out of the question.
History: No one really knows exactly how the Black Wave Mountains came to be, but there are many rumors circulating as to how this happened. Some say that the mountains were created by a great Necromancer who was very much like a hermit, wanting to be secluded from the rest of the realm. But during the spell, something caused him to lose his concentration, supposedly being the cause of the "curse of the mountains" giving them their namesake, and the reason why nothing living has ever survived the mountains whatsoever. The Necromancer died after the spell "completed", the backfire creating too much strain on his being, it is now rumored that he's a part of the mountains, acting as their Keeper. An entity existing within them to ward off traveler, creature, and vegetation alike. This gives a very foreboding sense to the mountains themselves, making it so that no one would dare risk passing over them.
Mt. Alassus and the Pordras Jungle
Location: Mt. Alassus is located within the Pordras Jungle; the mountain is the base for the city of Tergata.
Description: (Pordras Jungle) - Home to a multitude of nasties which are accustomed to the natural, sweltering heat of the jungle, deeming it a very dangerous place to take a stroll in. Pordras Jungle is classed as one of the least friendly natural geographical sites in all Fou Lu, save Mercu's volcanoes and deserts. All water flowing through the jungle is so corrupt, that it can kill, the animals are naturally aggressive and prone to attack on sight, but oddly tainted by a strange influence on the jungle, causing anyone who ingests these creatures to become stricken with poison. Just a grim place to be altogether, trust me. (Mt. Alassus) - Located in the northern section of the Pordas Jungle, its scraggly cliff faces aren’t all that easy to traverse, but don’t prove to be an overly tedious task to someone who knows what they’re doing. This is due to the mountain being traveled a decent amount by the Tergata Empire upon its upper regions. The occasional, cowardly goblin can be spotted peeking out from a cave or outcropping of stone, or even deposits of crystal or a hunk of assorted ore in the stone of the mountain.
History: Dio one day decided that it would be a good idea to have an utterly impregnable fortress, so he caused the earth to rise into a mountain within the enwrapping “arms” of a calm jungle. Then afterward, he corrupted the jungle itself, the denizens becoming tainted into foul entities barely resembling their former selves, and even the water was forever ruined. Thus the cities Tergata and Untergata were built atop the newly created mountain, made absolutely safe from any threat with the surrounding jungle. Especially against opposing armies of any elemental influence, it’s far too treacherous to be navigated by creatures of flesh and bone; and if one somehow manages to get through the Pordras Jungle, they then have to deal with Mt. Alassus itself, while the army of Tergata and Untergata wage destruction upon their heads from the advantageous position atop the mountain.
Mt. Bram
Location: Eastern section of the Dell Brye island off the northeast coast of the Earth Continent.
Description: Mt. Bram takes up about half of the Dell Brye island, reaching high above the earth, complete with cliffs, crevices and caves. Ogrin can be found living upon this mountain, some believing that they enjoy the seclusion, though some say it’s just the fact that they like the mountain itself. Sometimes dwarves will travel here to mine ore and transport it back to the Dwarfhome for blacksmithing and trade. Not much greenery can be spotted along Mt. Bram, mainly just a barren mountain, yet another one of Dio’s masterpieces.
History: When Dio created the Deisach, he favored mountains above all else, deciding that he’d forge this particular mountain upon the island of Dell Brye, overlooking the ocean. In past years, it was rich with abundant metals; iron and the occasional mithril, but it’s most noted for being the home of strangely reclusive ogrin tribes. That being one of the only notable aspects of the mountain itself, except for the lack of foliage along it’s rocky structure. Some say, though, that a few of the crevices are near-bottomless, leading directly into the core of the planet itself; a decent ward against all but the hardy dwarves who are always interested in mining precious ores from the mountain.
The Dead Wastes, The Wasteland
Location: South of Dio's Tower, leading into the Matune desert.
Description: If Nurimber was the bastion of the Seeker's power during the Blood Wars, Deisach, once conquered, was seen as their playground. In particular, the countryside and the various villages and towns outside of the heavily-defended cities were described as 'expendable,' and many Seeker officers and officials took this as permission to do as they would with these people. For nearly a decade, the countryside of Deisach was used as a sort of test subject for the Seeker's radical social ideals. Children were stolen from their families, seen as 'blank slates' available for complete indoctrination. Those who would not swear loyalty to the Supreme Seeker, or who simply could not find a place in their new society, disappeared in the night. Entire segments of the population were exterminated as the Seekers revised their image of the perfect society again and again.
The worst of their crimes, however, was yet to come. Once the Seekers lost Tergata to the Elven retaliation force, all outstanding troops in Deisach were called in to defend the capital of Nurimber. Under the logic that the villagers and townsfolk of Deisach would rather die than be ruled by elves, the Seekers staged a massive extermination program against their own people. Though ruins of villages and towns dot all of Deisach, the greatest concentration of them were in the lands south of Dio's Tower. The sheer amount of death was staggering, many villages and towns being completely depopulated, entire fields of corpses left unburied.
After the Blood Wars, this area of Deisach was never repopulated. It became a breeding ground for necromancers, and gained a reputation as a dangerous, haunted land. Now called the Dead Wastes or the Wasteland, ruins dot the landscape, and you cannot shovel dirt without uncovering the bones of the dead.
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