Explorer's Guide to Laiya
Through this book, you will come to be familiar with the World of Laiya, in just enough detail to give you an idea of where you would like to begin your adventuring. You will be introduced to the many nations of the world (or at least, those with any influence on the world stage), the major regions available to explore and other information as it becomes relevant.
Where to start? Perhaps it would be most useful to you to first have an understanding of the general condition of the world as a whole. To that end, I have the following information to provide:
Laiya is as varied as can be. If you have had the opportunity to do any adventuring in this world already, this fact ought to be plainly evident to you. If not, allow me to provide some perspective. A fairly large portion of the world is primitive - in fact, there are some areas that are completely uninhabited altogether. An adventurer exploring these areas would be lucky to find a village of any kind, as any intelligent life here likely has nomadic ways of life or are barbarous creatures with small settlements hostile to outsiders. These regions of the world are collectively known as "The Badlands"; a name which reflects the undesirable nature that causes the more civilized races to stay away. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have civilizations advanced enough to travel to the stars and back (actually this is only true for one civilization - the gnomes are generally very secretive about their technology, but more on that later). Between these two extremes, the influential nations of the world stand just about anywhere on the spectrum one could think. The more advanced nations tend to be on the major continent of Akikane, while the less advanced are typically spread over the other major continent of Keskas.
Generally speaking, magic in Laiya as it appears in nature is unreliable and unpredictable. Throughout the continent of Akikane, the magical presence is very weak, but surges in magical presence have been recorded to happen randomly in certain areas. Scholars attribute the existence of the man-beast races and chimera monsters on Akikane to such surges that may have happened in the distant past. Also present in the world are undead, which can be a threat anywhere in the world. The continents of Araiela and Dietmar both have a greater magical presence than that on Akikane, and about equal to each other. Through practice and skill, the presence here can be channeled more reliably into stronger spells. The works of the high elves are a testament to this. Finally, on Keskas, the magical presence is very strong. Magic users are common, and every race native to the continent is some combination of man and beast. The absolute height of magical presence for all Laiya is here on Marmir Island in the North.
A word on the Major Continents:
The continent of Akikane is by far the largest landmass in all of Laiya, and so naturally houses a great deal of the world's population. Also, as I have mentioned before, Akikane is home to the majority of the more advanced civilizations of the world. This means that any aspiring adventurers who wish to explore this land must be cautious of the laws and politics of the nations in the region. However, this should only ever be a problem for those who are exploring within national borders - the Badlands are generally free game for any who are brave enough to explore them.
Akikane, like I said before, is huge. As such, it is split into West, Middle West, Central, North, Middle East, and East regions. West Akikane is one of those regions that has a high percentage of Badland, making it a good place for adventurers. To be quite honest, there is not very much here - most of the settlements in this region are rural farming communities - unless you happen upon one of the orcs or trolls or what have you. Villainy is also quite common in the region due to a lack of law enforcement. Major races that live here are Humans, Orcs, and Giants.
The Middle West is the large peninsula between West and Central Akikane. Although a small part of it is hobgoblin-infested Badland, it is still a fantastic place for anyone (not just adventurers!) to visit. That is, depending on where you go. The peninsula is burdened by high political tensions, but if you can manage to avoid that you'll see it makes a great place for a summer home. Major races that live here are Orcs, Halflings, and Humans.
Central Akikane is the largest region, and it also has high potential for Badland exploration. Here is the height of technological advancement, as well as the height of magical presence on the continent as a whole (concentrated in the South). As it is central in the world, there are several large cities and major trading and transportation hubs here. It would be hard to imagine an adventurer who would not at some point in their travels come to this region. It is also a great place to pick up on rumors and information. Major races that live here are Dark Elves, Humans, Halflings, Dwarves, and Gnomes.
North Akikane is, first and foremost, cold. As you move Northeast through the region, you encounter more and more snow. The Northernmost areas of this region are so cold that hardly anything grows there, and there is almost always a blizzard raging. Regardless, there are settlements as far north as can be. The rest of the region is dominated by an ancient forest, most of which is considered Badland. Many dangerous creatures call the forest home, so adventurers should be cautious when exploring here. Major races that live here areDark Elves, Wood Elves and Humans.
The Middle East is a region of plains and forest. One would think that because it is covered almost entirely by the Sappor Empire, it would be hard for an adventurer to do much adventuring. However, the condition of the empire is such that restrictions are lax, and an adventurer might be surprised with what he or she can get away with. Also regarding the condition of the region, there has been a high amount of magical presence recently which seems to have given rise to a greater number of monsters, undead, and lycanthorpes than would usually be present otherwise. Humans are really the only major race that lives here.
The final region of this continent, East Akikane, is almost entirely void of any civilization at first glance (the dwarves live underground, remember!). It is mountainous (in fact it is home to Mount Durizmid, the largest mountain in the world) and generally peaceful. The surface is littered with dangerous chimera beasts, many of which can fly. There is often a high demand for mercenaries to defend a shipment, eliminate a bandit gang, or wipe out a harpy nest. This region is the wealthiest in the world, and as such it isn't hard to make a pretty coin. Major races that live here are Dwarves and Humans.
The other Major Continent of the world, Keskas, was surprisingly only discovered within the last hundred and fifty years. Well, I say 'discovered'... I really mean "was unknown of by anyone on Akikane until Celio Antunes stumbled upon it by mistake". The native Dragonborn had of course known about the continent's existence for quite some time beforehand. Anyway, this continent is a hot destination for rogue adventurers and astute scholars alike. Why? There's the obvious reason: that it is a relatively new addition to the map and most of it is unexplored Badland for the native inhabitants, but there is more to it than just that. Indeed, Keskas is a land absolutely ripe with magic. That's not to say that magic was unheard of before the "discovery" of Keskas, but the magical presence of this land is simply far greater than anywhere else in the world. Scholars attribute the half beast races, unique flora and fauna, as well as several other strange phenomena to this magical presence, as they have no other viable explanation.
A word on the Minor Continents:
Like the Major Cntinents, there are only two Minor Continents. The first is Araiela, the larger of the two. It has a few areas of Badland, although the continent used to be entirely populated. It isn't entirely clear why the Badland areas were abandoned initially, although at this point they have become infested with deadly monsters as a result of the elves' magical mistakes. An adventurer will always be able to find something to do here, if they look around. However, the High Elves that live on Araiela usually aren't very friendly to outsiders, and will occasionally become hostile.
The second Minor Continent is Dietmar and, like Keskas, was discovered only very recently. Here I can say "discovered" and truly mean it, as nobody has yet found any indigenous peoples on the continent in the thirty two years since its discovery. Since it is so new to the world, very little is known about it. I am able to say that it is covered in swamp and jungle, and creatures there can be very difficult for the average adventurer to deal with. So far only the giants have made settlements on the continent in its Southern region. If you're looking for a chance to explore new lands, this is the perfect opportunity for you.
That concludes this book. This should be enough to get you started on your voyages, and if it's not you can always read another Explorer's Guide to get the rest of the information you need! Good luck adventurer, and safe travels!
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