Odelia

There is one rule for traveling in Odelia: the farther north you go, the less you might come back. Be safe!

Odelia is a vast, mountainous region on the west of Menicea. It goes from the bottom to the top of the continent, and is considered to be one of its most dangerous areas.

The Valleys

From bottom south to the road between Elyades and Nelandra are the Valleys. They are the safest part of Odelia, dotted with hamlets, small lakes and streams.

Rivers

Most rivers south converge into the Finaria that flows down to the sea in the middle-southernmost part of the region. This same river is made of two streams, themselves made of a few more. Locals used the many waterways to their advantage, ferrying goods downstream. It was critical in building the largest city of the Valleys, Sitris, at the last confluent of the Finaria.
On the west, the "Dirina" starts close to the road to Elyades. Most of the people going south use boats departing from one of the villages along its shores.
The "Fatres" comes from the East. It was once used to convey goods from the Great Forest before the Parbora crisis, which ruined the commerce between the two regions.

Mountains

There are far too many mountain ranges south to name. Unlike the northern parts of Odelia, the south has countless small ranges that form valleys, like its name implies.
Most mountains are relatively smooth, having only a few cliffs and pits to avoid here and there. The proximity of the Great Forest spread trees over the years; many deciduous thickets grew all over the place.
Still, a few areas are known to be dangerous and to be avoided. The south-western coast is the perfect shelter for bandits, far from everything and the Territorial Patrols. A few outlaws from the western side of the Great Forest established their camps in the East of the Valleys, often terrorizing locals who ended up moving out.

Sitris

Sitris is the central hub of the region. Located in the perfect spot, at the last confluent of the "" it supplies all the city upstream and downstream with goods from the rest of Menicea.
Just like the rest of Odelia's south, Sitris is rather calm. As the largest city of the Valleys, fields stretch all around it, taking advantage of the many rivers coming its way.

The Spires

This is where it starts to go to shit.

Unlike the practicable and safe mountains of the Valleys, the central region of Odelia is covered by irregular, high mountains, which gave it its name.
The Spires stretch from the road between Elyades and Nelandra to the "Viana fe Adissa," Life's Thread, a river in the north that separates the Spires and the Mist Maze. A common saying in the region is "if you don't know where you are, stay on the roads," as the environment makes the perfect hideout for bandits and dangerous wild creatures.
In fact, most villages are located just next to the main road, and only a few, well-secured towns dot the wildness of the Spires. If they could, Gérouns would probably pass on trying to daunt such a dangerous region, but the amount of iron, gold, and precious stones deposit convince them otherwise.

Rivers

A total of eleven rivers flow in the Spires. All ultimately go west, where two have their estuary after mixing with the others. Rivers are a vital tool for survival in the Spires as they provide locals with fish and freshwater.
The "Sivilla," Swift Water has its head on top of the Iron spire and then flows down to the valleys, often through high waterfalls. Its name comes from its fierce current; even after reaching ground level, the water is still powerful.
The "Viana fe Adissa," Life's Thread, flows north and is calmer than its twin sister. While undoubtedly more dangerous, northern mountains have softer slopes and fewer ravines, making the rivers more gentle. The only reason for its sinister name is the fact that past it is the border with the Mist Maze, one of Menicea's most dangerous places.

Even the fucking rivers are trying to kill us. I'm tellin you, this place is cursed.
No shit the north is forbidden of access, who would be mad enough 'n try to go there when the spires are already this much of a mess?

— "Confessions" of a patroller at a tavern.

The Iron Spire

The Iron Spire is a large mountain range north from the place where the Sivilla crosses the road between Elyades and Nelandra. Its name comes from the many iron deposits underground, and the fact that most mountains there are very steep.
At first, there were no bridges to facilitate access to Silver-Dust, which is located near to the top. Caravans and travelers had to take a long and dangerous road to do the climb. Thankfully, after many complaints, the crown invested in a bridge network to make the trip safer.
It is also where the Cut-Throats used to roam and steal the many caravans that took the roads every day. Nowadays, the Territorial Patrols only protect the main road with the bridges; the old ones are still existing, but the authorities greatly disadvise anyone to take them.

Eltanella

(...), and then I saw Eltanella, an art piece by Giraun himself, a glimpse of his paradise on our lands, barren of any Géroun presence. I can predict a wonderful future for that place; we will make good use of it for the population of the mountains.

Artiun Glengrisso, Travels.

Eltanella, Valley of peace, is a sacred place within the Spires. Located north-west from the Iron Spire, Gérouns took many years to build a safe road to reach the first plateaus, and connect each one of them.
While the soil is exceptionally fertile and covered with small groves dwelled by wildlife, each plateau is separated by deadly pits ranging from thirty to two hundred meters deep. Miners believe that it was an earthquake of an unmatched strength that shaped the land like this. Mining activities are heavily restricted around the area as the clergy wants to avoid deteriorating it.
As years went by and gérouns discovered the fertility of the place, the valleys were slowly taken over by fields of all kinds. Plateaus were divided between cultures, hamlets, and hunting areas. Since Eltanella only has one secured access point, defending it is pretty simple. A garrison of guards is posted at the entrance bridge, and a few squads of patrollers check on every hamlet each day.

The Mist Maze

When one goes north, past Life's Thread, they end up in what meniceans call the Mist Maze. It is known to be one of the most dangerous places of Menicea, even so that the Nelandrean Cult itself forbid its access. A few patrols roam the border each day, severely punishing any trespasser.
From a distance, everything one can see is massive, barren mountains, where nature thrives more than anywhere else. On the top, permanent snow grants each peak a white crown. While these formations are not taller than the Iron Spires, they are big enough to completely block the view to what's behind.
If the mountains were not enough, a thick layer of mist always seems to surround the place, sometimes higher and sometimes lower. It never goes away, but slowly floats around each peak, waiting for a visitor to swallow and never send home.
Despite the many tries of early explorers, Gérouns never got to know what is behind the Mist Maze. Many people tried their luck and went to see for themselves, but not one of them came back to tell their story. Only one group of gérouns ever made the trip back to Silver-Dust, as they turned back before it was too late.

There is something out there, that I can tell. This must be some kind of beast, or one of Giraun's curses. We lost one of our companions, that's when we knew we had to go back.
(...)The more we went forward, the thicker the mist became. It wasn't long before we could not see further than one meter ahead of us. Then, we heard something swift, like an arrow, but bigger, and the sound of flesh torn apart. We tried to look for his body, or even blood, but nothing.
We turned back, and we ran as fast as we could. After at least twenty minutes, we were out of the maze, in front of the Vianadissa.

Testimony of one of the survivors.

Odelia

Open full size

Population

4 200 000

Principal activity

Mining

Capital

Silver-Dust

Type

Mountain Range

Included Locations

• Silver-Dust {OLD}

Included Organizations

• The Cut-Throats

Going south is really fast in the valleys. All you have to do is hop on a boat, and you're there in a few hours.
Going north, though, is a bit longer. People often follow the roadways along the same rivers: they were built so that Dlintiarnas could pull boats upstream on the way back.
It's what most of us do to carry wares that way, which makes the Territorial Patrols' job way easier.

Read more: The Spires

The progress we've made around the early Golden Age would not have been possible without Odelia's iron. The amount produced at Silver-Dust alone fueled most of the capital's forges for many years.
Even now that its ore is getting more scarce, the region remains the leading provider of the continent. Thanks to Eltanella providing most of its food, it also allowed Insdyl's fields to focus on feeding the Great Forest and the Eastern Desert instead, which also greatly helped.

Fenris Glen Aigleran, King of Menicéa

Colonization is far from over in Eltanella. The region is still full of plateaus we have yet to reach; who knows which treasures they hold? We might even find the very first relics of the Clans War... That's exciting!
I wonder what we will do with the next ones we'll build bridges to. I heard that the cult was finally going to allow mining...
Anyway, we only explored a good half of the place yet, it's really enormous! I already discussed the details with the heads', no way I'm not in the next expedition! If there are any new beasts to slay, I wanna be the first to bring a head back!

Alexio Glen Prexyann