The world of Toril. A magical and wondrous place with many cultures and races found amongst its continents and countries. People mingled in the streets, sang merry tunes and had seasons festivals. That was the way things were at least. Long ago, a great calamity changed all this. Now, the world is torn asunder, by a great divide in the earth. This event and it's details have been long lost to history and the ages, however the scars still remain. Some say it was the gods themselves, enacting wrath upon us puny mortals. However wise sages believe this was the result of an ancient war between gods and demi-humans, devils and demons, titans and the elements themselves all collided in a grand event that ultimately ended in their exile, imprisonment or destruction.
Though the memories of what transpired many aeons ago, the scars left behind from this great calamity will always be present. A massive canyon 100's of miles deep and 10's of miles wide split
Eastmarch into two defined areas. The Crag spans the entire length of the continent reaching the large peaks of
Nortspire almost down to the edges of the coastline. On one side, humans, elves, dwarves and halflings all live in a fairly harmonious state as on the other side vile and twisted creatures from the depths of the earth have risen to take over the lands. This area has been rightfully named
The Corrupted Zone. Through the years these beasts have tried to cross
The Crag into the rest of
Eastmarch, to expand their dominion and to provide food for their ever-growing population. For as you see, to the south of the
The Corrupted Zone lies an impassable desert expanse aptly named the
Badlands. Many creatures from
The Corrupted Zone, and
Eastmarch have attempted to cross, and to no avail, all who enter the
Badlands, seem to never make it out. As a result of this,
The Corrupted Zone's creatures and beings are forced to move into humanities territory. This has resulted in a perpetual war-front along the edge of
The Crag. With the people of
The Reach banning together and sending a constant stream of soldiers to the various forts and strongholds that dot the edges of
The Crag to ward off the evil that is perpetually trying to seep into the lush green landscape of
Eastmarch. This consistent war effort to keep the forces of
The Corrupted Zone back, have resulted in a mentality of harder work, and training for the fear of the beasts beyond
The Crag were to break through, even citizens tend to train themselves in some manner, or keep weapons in their homes, just in case.
This brings us to
Ur'win City. Run mostly by the military leader of the
Council of The Reach ,
Lo'thrien Talron , along with several other council members taking care of the various other tasks required to run a city. However,
Ur'win City, being the main hub for recruiting troops, training the military and transporting them to the war-front,
Lo'thrien Talron has maintained a tightly knit city where brutality is accepted and honoured, and brawls can happen frequently. This is a city of war, and battle, a city for the military to train and harden themselves. There can be no backstabbing and trickery, no thieving or breaking the law. The presence of guards and military in
Ur'win City is staggering, and the sense of security here is overwhelming. In the best way possible, this place is far from oppressive, so long as you follow the laws, you will get along just fine in this bustling and happening urban centre.
There are many other cultures and places to explore in
The Reach and in Toril. Even within The Reach there are a few different regions that are, while still under the official rule of
Emperor Ar'iani in
Ar'ia City, tend to have their own unique cultures and different ways of going about their lives. For example, in the
Westlands, we find a much more simplistic lifestyle than in
Eastmarch, where we'd find large stone structures and heavily populated cities, in
Westlands, we find smaller towns that are more self reliant and self governed by some kind of a chieftain or town leader. An unspoken respect and understanding is made between the laws and customs in
Eastmarch, that
Westlands prefers it's solidarity and, prefers to keep out of the politics in the land of
The Reach. As a result,
Westlands pay their taxes, and has a good trade agreement with
Eastmarch, but other than that,
Eastmarch tends to keep to their own business and the west governs themselves, on a town by town basis.
Along with the various cultures and customs within
The Reach, there are other places that exist in the world of Toril. Continents and countries across the seven seas with unique and wondrous cultures of their own. Other planes of existence with creatures and sights beyond imagination. A world filled with magic and mystery, wonder and risks. Everything from the mechanical marvels of
Khorvaire, and the gemstones mined from the deserts of Al' Hakaar. Toril is a place to behold, with thousands of miles of land and ocean to explore, adventure, and live in.