Oliria
To know Oliria is to know a place where the impossible becomes real, where the past is never far away and where the future is shaped by those bold enough to seize it. It is a continent of contrasts and contradictions, nestled at the crossroads of arcane discovery and scientific advancement and reclamation. Its landscapes are as varied as its cultures, stretching from sun-drenched savannahs in the north to dense, untamed jungles in the west and from the jagged peaks of the Greywild Range to the cursed remains of a once-great nation.
Geography
Nestled in the south is a medium-sized continent. It borders the Araxi Whites to the south, the Emerald Sea to the west, and the vast expanse of the Morimyr Ocean to the north and east. A landbridge to the northeast connects Oliria to the smaller and wilder continent of Ala.
The Akati Empire
Founded by the Akati refugees fleeing the catastrophic fall of their original homeland, Old Agartha, the empire rose from the ashes of despair to reclaim its people's legacy. It is a land of resilience, innovation, and determination, located in the west of Oliria.
Once a soaring citadel of technological and arcane might, Agartha was a marvel of the ancient world. Suspended in the skies above the Faerie Realm, it served as a hub of culture and advancement. However, internal and external strife and catastrophic overuse of arcane power caused Agartha to be ripped from its place in the skies into Ghor Minthra in the material plane, leaving devastation in its wake as Japhaia of the Shade Realm came crashing back to the same point.
Back in Farhaven, Oliria, what was once a small, thriving akati community in the nook of a river, became a beacon of hope for the displaced brethren. It quickly swelled with refugees, becoming the heart of the akati's resurgence. Naming their new town Agartha Nova, the Council declared their intent not only to survive but to rebuild their empire. Drawing from their roots in Faerie, the akati blended tradition with new innovations suited to the challenges of Oliria.
Alyssar Dominion
To the north, bordering the Blighted Wastes, lies the Alyssar Dominion, a reclusive nation steeped in secrecy. The Dominion claims descent from the rulers of Synnara and seeks to reclaim the cursed lands. Though their progress is slow and tough. The Alyssar people are deeply spiritual, and their art and architecture incorporate obsidian and silver.
The Veilwood is the forest that border the Blighted Wastes and is said to play tricks on those who enter there.
Barthen Islands
An archipelago located off the western coast of Oliria, bordering both the Akati Empire and Moraveil. The Barthen Islands are a realm of sailors, merchants, and treasure hunters. Rich in coral reefs and submerged ruins, the islands are a paradise for wannabe adventurers.
Life here revolves around the sea. Islanders are skilled sailors and navigators, often seen as carefree and a little odd. Their art reflects the ocean's influence, with vibrant colors and flowing forms. Borrowing heavily from the underwater civilizations in the Morimyr Ocean.
Notable features:
The Wrecks of Marith: A graveyard of ships said to contain treasures from forgotten ages, but also infested with dangerous sea creatures.
Azure Vaults: Underwater caverns filled with bioluminescent flora and rare gemstones.
Blighted Wastes
Once the heart of Synnara, this region is now a cursed, barren expanse where twisted flora and unstable magic make survival nearly impossible. Legends speak of ancient ruins filled with dangerous relics and unspeakable horrors. Unlike Moraveil, no one is willing to touch this area, and few venture into its depths.
The Kingdom of Couralis
Couralis is the heart of Oliria and its most influential nation, a beacon of arcane and technological advancement. Because of this, Couralis is a melting pot of races and ideas. Its position in the center-east of the continent allows it to dominate trade routes, making it the wealthiest and most populous nation. At the top of the pecking order is House Veyran. While officially a monarchy, the nation's universities and guilds wield significant power.
The largest city and cultural heart of Oliria, Solathra is a marvel of magical architecture. Its skyline is defined by spires of enchanted glass and automated constructs bustling through the streets. The markets are vast and the nightlife wild. Its citizens are proud of their advancements in magic and science, their culture emphasizing individual achievement and public discourse and progress.
Dashia
A sprawling savannah in the northern reaches of Oliria, Dashia is a land of open skies, nomadic cultures, and ancient traditions. Known for its massive herds of magical beasts and rare medicinal plants, Dashia is a critical supplier of arcane reagents for the rest of the continent.
While the Dashian society is built around clans that traverse the savannahs in search of resources and trade, there is the oasis of Lyratha that serves as a market town and a hub for trade and politics. Here there is a gathering of clan elders, the Circle, that governs Dashia and maintains its borders. Decisions are made collectively, and leadership rotates annually among the clans.
Notable features: The Skyforge, a legendary site where metals from fallen stars are said to be forged into weapons and artifacts. The Shimmering Expanse, a region where the savannah grass glows faintly at night, infused with latent magical energy from the Riftfall Cataclysm.
Eryn
Located in the far northeastern jungles, Eryn is a land of vibrant flora, dangerous fauna, and unparalleled natural magic. Its people see themselves as guardians of the land. The people here live in harmony with nature, using druidic magic to maintain balance. Among them are skilled alchemists, herbalists, and healers.
Eryn is led by the Verdant Assembly from the capital of Lutharien, a council of druids and shamans who act as stewards.
Notable features: Heart of the Wild, as it is called in the common tongue, is an ancient tree that is connected to the fate threads that bind the world. Luminous Groves are home to rare creatures and mystical herbs. These enchanted forests grow under the moonlight of Luna and glow under Amartis' light.
Isle of Irons
A volcanic island nation off to the east in the Emerald Sea, the Isle of Irons is a center of metallurgy and artifice. Its forges produce some of the finest weapons, automatons, and magical constructs in all of Oliria while maintaining its solitude and isolation. Capital is Karathorn and the islands are governed by a meritocratic council of guild masters known as the Forged Assembly.
Notable feature: The Molten Fields, a volcanic region rich in ore, guarded by sentient constructs from a bygone age.
Moraveil
Also known as The Fading Forest. In the perpetual twilight of Moraveil, reality seems to bend and distort. Shrouded in iridescent mist, it’s a realm where dreams and nightmares coexist, and its citizens, the elusive Moraveilians, are known for their uncanny ability to traverse this unique landscape, interpreting and even manipulating dreams.
A cursed land, whose curse spread slowly but surely from its source unless something can stop it. It is located in the Akati Empire, which agreed to take charge of these strange lands from the King of Couralis as part of their resettlement agreement.
Silvermarrow
Tucked away amidst a labyrinth of towering silver trees, Silvermarrow is a sanctuary for the wise and the enlightened. Its vast libraries and ancient archives house a wealth of knowledge, attracting scholars from all corners of the world, who come to quench their thirst for wisdom.
Notable landmarks
The Bordon Mountains
Borders Oliria and the Araxi Whites. A massive range that keeps the tundras and monsters at bay most of the time. The range itself is massive. Snowcrested peaks jutting out of the landscape. With a four day trek across at minimum, these mountains trap people just as it does storms. From certain viewpoints in southern Oliria, one can spot the tundras and glaciers on the other side. An ominous sight for those not of adventorous heart.
Mount Aelthir
A massive peak with a surrounding mountain range shrouded in perpetual storms. It is rumored to house ancient civilizations, temples, and vaults untouched by the Cataclysm, the Sundering, or prying eyes. There have been reports of strange shapes chasing intruders away, with shouts in unknown languages sounding almost like animalistic noises.
Scheline's Peaks
North of the continent sits Scheline's Peaks, a treacherous collection of islands whose mountains rise far too high to be quite natural. The myths surrounding the Peaks are many. Some even believe it is the final resting place of the Primordial Titan of Earth while others believe it is a massive skeleton of an ancient dragon that nature reclaimed.
The Erid Straits
The Erid Straits, also known as the Tempest's Teeth, the Sailors Trial, the Iron Churn, and the Widowmaker Isles is a treacherous yet vital stretch of water separating the Olirian mainland from the Barthen Islands and the southern coast of Ala. Known for their perilous currents, unpredictable weather, and the haunting remnants of past maritime disasters, the Erid Straits are both feared and relied upon by sailors and traders.
It consists of narrow passages where the straits are almost too narrow for ships to pass through, creating bottleneck effects that amplify tides and currents. The waters are littered with sharp coral reefs and rocky outcrops, many of which are hidden just beneath the surface. These formations are a constant hazard to even the most experienced captains. The seabed of the Straits is also riddled with undersea trenches and volcanic vents and rifts into the water plane, causing frequent disturbances that disrupt navigation and unpredictable phenomena, and the odd monster encounter that should not be happening in the material plane of Avaleen.
Greywilds Range
This is a rugged mountain chain. It is a place of stark contrasts with pristine alpine vistas and fertile valleys existing alongside treacherous cliffs, and hidden cave systems. The mountains are distinguished by their sharp, craggy spires that give the range its name. They also contain the Mistveil Gorges - deep valleys often shrouded in perpetual mist and Arcane Rifts that are scattered throughout the range, small pockets of unstable magic thought to be remnants of the Riftfall Cataclysm. There is also the mysterious Silent Cascades; a series of frozen waterfalls that emit no sound despite water visibly flowing within the ice.
There is an ancient, isolated sanctuary high in the peaks called Frosthold Monastery where monks study the balance between physical and magical endurance. They are known to train emissaries and warriors who can traverse the dangerous range.
Notable legends include that of the Lost Keep, which is said to be the home of an immortal hero.
Culture
Oliria's culture is a harmonious blend of innovation, mysticism, and pure resilience. Rooted in a history of arcane mastery, being so close to the arcanists of Zion in the Araxi Whites, and scarred by past calamities - the people of Oliria are driven by a collective thirst for knowledge and progress, but also peace and letting things be normal for a while. They are just as tired of moving forwards, as they long for it.
There are signs of their innovation everywhere. From streetlights that glow with arcane energy to towering universities devoted to the arcane arts, medicine, history, and artificing invention. To spot a sentient automaton is not uncommon and further underscored the seamless integration of magic and technology.
Some of the educational institutions date back to the golden ages of the Age of Arcanists and even the Age of Celestials in the case of the Aeos Reserve in the Kingdom of Couralis. There are very few major cities without a branch of a university of some kind, or an archive, a research institution or a university. Scholars and artificers from across the world are drawn to Oliria's centers of learning, such as A'triyes Academy in the Akati Empire, the Aeos Reserve in Couralis, the Celestial Lyceum of Auronspire in Dashia, or the tiny Academia Arcanum in Barthern Islands which hosts 30 students and 5 faculty members at most.
Most all universities, mages, and artificers are members of the powerful coalition called The Arcanium Consortium, which stretches beyond the borders of Oliria too. The consortium oversees much of the continent's arcane research and contributes to members keeping each other in check when power becomes too much of a temptation.
History
Oliria's history is marked by cycles of flourishing enlightenment and devastating catastrophe.
Over five thousand years ago, the Olirian heartlands were home to the prosperous kingdom of Synnara. Known for its breathtaking beauty and mastery of the arcane. It was said that the very air shimmered with enchantment, and rivers ran silver under the moonlight. However, the kingdom was destroyed in the Riftfall Cataclysm - a mysterious event that left only ruins and ashes in its wake.
In the centuries following the Cataclysm, survivors rebuilt amidst the ruins. While the Blighted Wastes could not be saved, the rest of the land became contested. Much is now the Kingdom of Couralis, while the other part became the Alyssar Dominion, and still more sank into the Emerald Sea. During the Reclamation, there was a focus on rediscovering lost knowledge that led to Oliria's rise as a center of arcane and technological advancement.
Today Oliria has its nations, overlayed by a patchwork of city-states and territories, but all unified by a shared culture of discovery. However, tensions simmer as they naturally do as different factions view for control of magic, relics, political power, and territory.
Notable Factions and Societies in Oliria
The Blades of Synnara is a secretive order dedicated to uncovering the truth behind the Riftfall Cataclysm. They believe the cursed lands and the ruins still hold the answers to the continent's greatest mysteries, and potentially its salvation or doom.
The Forgebound are an emerging faction of sentient automatons seeking recognition as equals, and seeking answers about their past. The Forgebound argue that their sentience makes them deserving of total autonomy, but their rise has led to clashes with traditionalists who see them as tools or remnants of an era long gone.
The Emerald Pact are a coalition of tribes and communities that fiercely protects the coastal regions' natural and magical resources, and the health of the ocean itself.
House Veyran is a dynastic family that rules Solathra and surrounding territories. Known for their mastery of political intrigue and shadowy alliances, House Veyran serves as the de facto leadership of Couralis and therefore Oliria. However, their influence is waning in the face of changing times and the arrival of the akati.
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