Run, the untamed wilds are yours to see. They long for life, for stories to tell, in their own tongues of winds and rains.
No land can ever be owned. The world despises the lords, the masters, those who treat the land as they treat their fellow Dreamers.
The Neighboring States is the name give to the part of Krogiath that is not under control of any federal, unified government (i.e. everything that is not a part of the
Meilthaor Empire). While the Neighboring States are much bigger than the Empire, they are also less densely populated: 205 million people live in this part of Krogiath.
Life in the Neighboring States is built around small independant villages and tribes scattered across the land. In the most remote areas of the continent, it can take entire days or even weeks to reach the closest town, and it is not uncommon to stumble upon long abandonned ruins of stray houses deep in the forest.
Some of these villages have, over time, grown to become full fledged cities and expanded their influence in their region to the point that they became whole City-States. Eleven City-States currently dot the Neighboring States and act as the land's centers of culture and industry. Most inhabitants still live outside of these giant cities, but more and more tend to abandon their ancestral grounds to join the bustling societies of the City-States.
The Eleven City-States
Atria
City of arts and Arts built by the genuis Eliezer d'Atria. The city is filled to the brim with works of the late artist and is a place of pilgrimage for everyone wishing to walk in his steps.
Falmire
Second biggest port town of the continent, right behind Meilthaor's
Sentinelle. Falmire is also the home of the
Mapmakers and the most populated city of the Neighboring States.
Hecate
Built on top the chasm of the Wolven Sea, Hecate is the smallest City-State of the continent. Half of it hangs over the sea, half of it melds into the surrounding woods.
Helion
Helio, the City of Fire, got its name from the ever burning lighthjouses and fire towers scattered along the city walls and the surrounding lands. Elders of Helion sometimes tell of time when the city was known as the Capital of Rains.
Ichor
Known all across Krogiath for its elaborate architecture, Ichor is above all else the City of Glass, where the best glassmakers of the continent come to create intricate and colorful pieces of all kinds.
Ilrest
Some say Ilrest was founded by turtles, long before anyone ever appeared on Krogiath. Others say these turtles came from across the Yaruga and settled here.
Lemda
Lost in an unwelcoming swamp, the city of Lemda is said to be impossible to find without being invited there. To this day, many people from other parts of the continent still doubt it even really exists.
Liris
Long before Meilthaor existed, Liris was known as Revivre, the City of Waking Death. Now, this legacy has been forgotten and only ruins remain, burried under eons of shame.
Ox
To flee the scroching sun of the surface, the settles of Ox built their city underground, along a subterranean river. There, people learned of a much different life, one set to the rythm of lizards and bats.
Oxurion
Richest city of the Neighboring States, Oxurion enjoyed the patronage of many entrepreneurs and benefactors through the years. Rumors have it that the first Duke of Oxurion made a pact with some otherworldly beings to ensure the wealth of his city.
Shinia
Located right at the entrance of the
Brass Vale, Shinia was originally built to serve as a safe home for the many monks and pilgrims who dedicated theur lives to the vale.
The Neighboring Wilds
There is much to see outside of the City-States. This part of Krogiath is busling with towns, forests, hills ans springs not shown on any map. Many oddities are waiting to be discovered and many dreams long for new eyes to witness them. Here is but a fraction of what one may find while exploring the vastness of the Neighboring States.
Ameteros
The highest peak of Krogiath is home to countless stories. Every year, pilgrims from all across the continent make their way to the top to pray to the mountain spirits.
Eoxaeres
The Forgotten City of Eoxaeres lies in the middle of the desert. It is home to the knowledge of all the things and of all the lives in the world. Across the continent, it is said that those searching for their past should make their way to this city.
Court-de-Lune
A small Epreas community settled around this lake. At every hour of the day or the night, the surface of the water reflects the image of the full moon.
Elm's Fall
Between Lemda and Oxurion, Elm's Fall is a waterfall running upstream. Water taken from the fall will always try to return to the fall, causing people who drink it to be inexorably drawn to it and often drowning. Even eating fish caught in the surrounding waters can cause similar symptoms.
The Brass Vale
In the mountains behind Shinia, the Brass Vale is home to countless spirits. Every knight, the scenery of the vale is transformed to the whims of the spirits. Temples, trees and rivers are moved around when the sun sets, making the vale an ever changing landscape almost impossible to cross.
Taisha
Along the south eastern shore of the Fushimi lake, east of Ox, when night falls, travelers sometimes come across a crimson archway. Crossing it reveals a small path of floating stones, leading to a small island in the middle of the lake. There, the most curious travelers find an old manor. The woman inside calls it Taisha, the Wishing Rest.
The Earthen Hand
East of Ilrest lies the Earthen Hand, a peculiar rock formation. It is composed of a high stone pillar in the center, surrounded by dozens of dolmens and menhirs. Nothing is known about the origin of this formation, but it serves as a easily recognizable landmark for travelers crossing the region.
Leorion
On a cliff overlooking the Yaruga is the small fishing village of Leorion. Somehow, this town seems to be outside of time : people there seem to never die, and no kid is ever born. No one knows the origin of this phenomenon and no inhabitant seems to actually notice it at all.
The Phantomile
The Phantomile is a hotel appearing in the fog to lost travelers. It was founded to be a haven in which to rest and spend the night, safe from what may lie in the fog. When morning comes, the hotel is nowhere to be found, and travelers always wake up sleeping on a small stack of hay in a wooden shack.
Sakahenko
The small forest village of Sakahenko is the home of a strange cult. The inhabitants all pledge their lives to one they call "The Master". Strangely, the town has no known location, and seemingly appears out of nowhere to travelers walking through the many forests of the Neighboring States.
The Crow's Redoubt
The Crow's Redoubt is an old fort located on the border of the Meilthaor Empire, west of Ilrest. It is said to cursed, killing everyone trying to leave the Empire by its gates.
Carnavaille
The Masked City of Carnavaille, located on an island of the Scorching Deep, is ruled by the Unfaced Law. Its inhabitants, as well as every living being on the island, must wear a mask at all times, even in the privacy of their own homes. After some time on the island, the masks meld with the flesh underneath and can never be removed.
A Nightingale's Grave
In the mountains east of Atria, near the Brass Vale, is a hot water spring known as the Nightingale's Grave. It gets its name from the countless birds nesting around it. It has been reported that some birds would even throw their eggs in the spring. Birds that hatch in the waters of the Grave and manage to reach the surface are said to be sacred, in the surrounding villages.
The Rose
The Rose is a gigantic forest of red, pink and lavender trees located north of Ilrest. The trees there never lose their leaves and keep their colors all year long. Many travelers disappear there, victim to the rocky terrain and many crevasses of the forest.
The Wolven Sea
At the bottom of a deep chasm lies a still sea of night blue water. The wind echoes inside the chasm and comes out as a howl that can be heard from miles around. On this screaming sea are a couple islands where people decided to settle, they trade with the settlemennts of the surface and survive off of the strange creatures living down there.
Horizon's Edge
South of Shinia, in the Horizon sea, is an island known as Horizon's Edge. It is home to an elite chapter of the Mapmakers dedicated to exploring the sea and finding what lies on the other side. There, they build ships, study the weather and try to push their knowledge to its absolute limits.
The Arc Marsh
The Arc Marsh is one of the many cursed places of Aedrelon. It is impossible for anyone to find their way through the marsh if they have not been invited there by a Mashling or are not recognized as a Marshling themselves by the curses of the land.
The Scorching Deep
A sea of water so clear it seems to shine a burning white when the sun is at its zenith. The Scorching Deep is the biggest enclaved sea of Krogiath and the prime passage for anyone whishing to escape, or enter Meilthor.
Atre-Terre
Hidden in the mountains north of the Rose is the small village of Atre-Terre. Its exact location is known by very few people and kept secret, making its very existence almost legendary in nature. These legends speak of the Hall in the center of the town, where people buy and sell the most precious, rarest and most extraordinary goods of Aedrelon, from bottled pasts to whole countries trapped in gemstones.
The Country of Tears
Located on an island west of Lemda, the Country of Tears is only a country in name. Eons ago, it was a kingdom. Now, it has fallen to grief. Its people live and die there, mourning for their last king in a never ending funeral. They cultivate flowers only to throw them in the ocean, compose beautiful requiems and sew ornate veils for a dead they never met, forever. While it has lost its luster and even its true name, those who visit claim the Country of Tears is a beautiful place.
Neverwhere
The Neverwhere doesn't exist. The Neverwhere doesn't exist. The Neverwhere doesn't exist. The Neverwhere doesn't exist. The Neverwhere doesn't exist. The Neverwhere doesn't exist. The Neverwhere doesn't exist. The Neverwhere doesn't exist. The Neverwhere doesn't exist. The Neverwhere doesn't exist. The Neverwhere doesn't exist. The Neverwhere doesn't exist.
Changewood
The Changewoods are a deep forest spanning a large portion of the border between Meilthaor and the Neighboring States, and one of the major reasons why the Empire stopped its agressive conquest of the continent. Indeed, when someone enters the Changewoods, they lose something, a part of themselves. It can be a memory, a limb, a personnality trait, anything. Then, if they survive and manage to leave the woods, they are given something else, making them an entirely different person than when they entered.
Aryllion's Cliffs
Aryllion was the name of an old king that lived sometime, somewhere. Now, it's the name of a cliff east of Falmire, overlooking the Seiryo sea. Every year, parades of costumed dancers, jesters and musicians settle here for a couple weeks to feast in the honor of their long lost king. After the festivities are over, they disappear, taking their stories with them.
The Reaches
East of Krogiath, the Reaches are three islands where, for unknown reasons, everything turns to stone after death. Even people, plants and animals foreign to the archipelago are affected. Thus, the land is filled with statues that were once trees or inhabitants of the place, and the locals take great care of these stone beings, hoping that they will someday wakeup and start living again. Legend has it that fragments of these stones bear strange powers.
