The Kingdom of Ascensia
Overview
The pinnacle of magic and home to two of the world's greatest landmarks, The Kingdom of Ascensia boasts a plethora of magical capabilities and connections.
Thought, by some, to be the heart of Idoria, Ascensia is home to Yggdrasil, The World Tree. A gargantuan tree larger than most mountains and whose trunk and branches contain The College of Magic, the world's most renown and powerful collective of mages & students.
The people of Ascensia tend to be magically inclined than most folks from other nations due to the close proximity to Yggdrasil. Though even mages from around the globe find themselves gravitating towards this mystical land of whimsy and power.
Geography
Its capital, Ascensia, is located upon The Mountain of The Ascended, the tallest, most treacherous mountain in Idoria. Although the city isn't located anywhere near its summit, its relatively isolated location has saved it from countless sieges in the past and acts as a roost for the kingdom's wyvern riders, a group of knights whose steeds are that of wyverns instead of horses.
The Kingdom of Ascensia has many towns, villages, and cities, the most notable of which are: Ascensia, Black Gem, Cyrne Creek, Kryastiin, Yggdrasil, Myrefall, and the village of Riverbrook.
The Kingdom of Ascensia is also home to The Spire of Heaven MK. II, a close replication of another similar spire located within The Void. The Spire of Heaven MK. II may not scratch the literal heavens like the original, but its height is still an engineering marvel that the kingdom has a certain Dr. Faust Strangelove to thank for its existence.
At one point a village in the North-East of the Ascesnian-valley existed, but quickly fell to ruin when a cave of wyverns was discovered nearby. The original name of the village has been lost as an effect to dissuade would-be archeologists from investigating the ruins, but the area is now referred to as "The Wyvern Caverns". Every knight-to-be who wishes to mount one of these deadly beasts, is tasked with retrieving and nurturing one of the many eggs that can be found in these caverns. The task culls the weakest would-be knights and strengthens the resolves of all who succeed in addition to providing them their deadly, yet effective, steed.
History
Founding
The Kingdom of Ascensia was once thought to be originally founded by Elves (Elf) until the Humans came along and conquered it in The Great War. Although, according to legends, the kingdom's reach was far wider than it is today, reaching up into the northern-most parts of The Frosthead Kingdom, beyond the The Vas'kii Deserts, and even most of what The Nation of Xylotile would consider to be 'theirs'. Reduced to a shadow of their former empire, the elves retreated to the safety of Yggdrassil and were generally left alone for several elven generations.
After Idor's creation of the humans caused the loss of the original empire, The Kingdom of Ascensia's power and influence began waning substantially as other collections of humans began sprouting up and claiming their own spaces. Not having much rebuilt after The Great War, the humans of Ascensia bartered their land with their new neighbors in exchange for peace & resources. While this did work mostly in their favour, the denizens of the Ascensia region quickly found themselves nearly landlocked as The Frosthead Kingdom and what would become The Nation of Xylotile were gobbling up their precious coastlines to the north and west, while the deserts began creeping closer and closer to the eastern mountains.
Economy
Originally established as a safe haven for magical beasts & mages, The Kingdom of Ascensia was rapidly converted into large swaths of farmland; enough so, that they were able to leverage their yields as a means of ending their on-going conflicts with The Frosthead Kingdom. Over the years this has blossomed into a strong alliance between the two kingdoms, where Ascensia trades their crops to Frosthead in exchange for some of the mineral deposits found within The Frosthead Kingdom.
At one point in time, it was discovered that a small settlement in the south-eastern mountains was sitting on top of a treasure trove of rare gems and crystals! The crystals found were often chalk-full of raw untapped magic; the likes of which were rare or even unheard of even to the elves! Any gems that didn't contain significant amounts of magical energy were frequently discarded until one entrepreneur thought to sell them to jewelers; this was because, despite their mundane nature, these gems were very high quality stones that noblemen & royalty frequently killed over. Diamonds, Rubies, Sapphires, and emeralds littered the mountainside. Geomancers from all over tend to visit this region, as this collection of minerals was quite bizarre and unique! This settlement quickly earned the name Black Gem after its mineral deposits and the tar-shaded rock that painted the tall mountains and low valleys of the area.
The discovery and founding of Black Gem saw the kingdom's economy explode, and they were able to leverage this new economic power to convince The Frosthead Kingdom to let them open a port in the capital, Snowmelt, in exchange for a share of the profits. This came with a catch, however, as The Kingdom of Ascensia didn't want just trade, they wanted an ally, someone who could have their back in case of a war. The Frosthead Kingdom, upon seeing the warlords of Xylotile, agreed, and a new power structure had been forged.
Unfortunately geography wasn't on The Kingdom of Ascensia's side, as their port in The Frosthead Kingdom was their only real way to get items in or out of the region. As the deserts to the East, now commonly referred to as The Vas'kii Deserts, have made any trade routes south or east of the Kingdom to be treacherous or out-right impossible; and with Xylotile gaining more and more land to the west, the kingdom couldn't risk attempting to go around the deserts the long way either. This persisted until a certain sailor arrived at the kingdom's leased port in Snowmelt, a trading vessel from an archipelago about three days journey from mainland. This sailor, a self-proclaimed Nobleman from 'The Kingdom of Sera IX', seemed to have gotten lost at sea after a particularly brutal typhoon swept him off course and obstructed the skies for countless nights. Thankful for finally reaching another civilization, the man invited the leaders of the newly formed alliance to a banquet he promised to hold once he returned safely. Skeptical, but in need of more allies & trade partners, the kings of the Ascensia & Frosthead kingdoms sent some trusted noblemen in proxy, and awaited their return.
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