Verdance

Verdance: The Living Heart of Ashmyrr

Verdance is the fertile cradle of Ashmyrr, a land of rolling plains, dense forests, ancient rivers, and powerful traditions. It is home to the capital city Liorael, the sacred Sanctum of Flame and Fang, and the battleground where initiates compete in the deadly Trials of Scale to become dragon riders. To live in Verdance is to walk among legends and to feel the hum of magic beneath your feet.

Geography & Climate

• Verdance spans the central and southern basin of the continent, bordered by mountain ranges and inland lakes.
• The region is split between open fields, forested wilderness, and dragon-scarred ridges where magic runs thick.
• Two major bodies of water dominate: the Veilglass Lake, eerily calm and clear, and its shadowy twin, Sablemere.
• The land is highly arable and fed by natural leyline currents, making it lush, wild, and potent, both agriculturally and magically.

Major Settlements

• Liorael: The capital city and seat of power, where Queen Maerina Vireth rules. It’s a sprawling city of art, stone, and dragonkind where politics, ritual, and prophecy converge.
• Sanctum of Flame & Fang: A monumental arena where the Trials of Scale begin. Its obsidian walls echo with the footsteps of dragons and the screams of hopeful initiates.
• Ashward Tower: South of the Sanctum, this isolated spire watches over the magically unstable and the dangerously Turned.
• Goldrun: A prosperous town nestled near Goldwood Forest, known for its mineral wealth and carefully maintained magical boundaries.
• Thistleforge: An industrious town specializing in alchemic goods and magical forging. It rests on the forest’s edge, near Sablemere.
• Halden’s Rest, Marrowfield, and Ellowind: Smaller outposts and towns with distinct identities. Halden’s as a frontier watch, Marrowfield as a breadbasket, and Ellowind as an artistic, seafaring town along Tidewreck Cove.

Culture & Beliefs

• Verdance is deeply tied to the balance of magic and draconic will. It is a land of ritual, fire, and rebirth.
• Most citizens revere the dragons, not just as creatures of legend, but as protectors of stability.
• Those born with magic are trained, monitored, or offered up to the Trials. Unbonded magic is dangerous, and society treats it with wary respect.
• The Bonded are seen as saviors, heroes, and political weapons, held high, but always watched.
• The populace celebrates the Ignition Festival each year, commemorating the first Thread of Ember ever formed in Liorael.