This cultural divide largely stems from the fact that there are not only large, difficult to inhabit plains around the supposed dividing line here, but also the massive
Uncharted Desert, which no one has ever navigated and few can traverse with a chance of surviving.
Due to this divide, and the existence of the Abral Archipelago off the coast, Eastern Elone found greater merit in seafaring trade, which kept it connected not just with Central Elone, but also with Udai. This left much of the land between nations (and even within some nations) to be left abandoned, open battlefields torn apart and set ablaze. The city of Bang Kruthiwat sits, forever ablaze, while Shixing sees ships enter and leave at a rate surpassed by very few places in the world. Kochi, a stalwart symbol of Eastern Elone's history, stands against all odds as a beacon of unity among the scattered Abral Islands.
Central Elone, which is much more closely packed together in terms of population centers, has a much more thriving land, full of not just fertile farms, but also bustling cities and gigantic ports. The largest city in the world,
Zephys, floats above the southern region of Central Elone around all other
Draconian settlements, while the gilded city of
Camor towers over
the Elven Forest. Atop the massive mountains, Ironforge nestles itself comfortably under an active volcano, while Nerodil sits at the mouth of the continent's largest river.
Alzirgos and
Vitroveil stand as guardians of the dangerous
Ethereal Bay, while Stallbourne watches the continent in judgement from its southwesternmost corner.
No matter where one goes in Elone, they will find someone waiting for them, and they will never be far from a city where they can rise to global prominence. Elone is the continent of magic, dreams, and civilization.
Abral Archipelago
Off the eastern coast of Elone, a chain of islands spreads until one reaches the western coast of Udai. These islands have largely considered themselves (for the most part) part of Elone, though the continental shelf around it leaves it on its own, thus classifying it as a subcontinent.
It is a land that is most often traversed by ship, for there is no other real way to get around it, but while outsiders often travel through, they are not always welcomed. The residents prefer to keep themselves isolated from global politics, and thus it retains much of its original identity rather than falling to the will of powers found elsewhere in the world. Its nature, too, is incredibly unique, with cherry blossom trees and other such awe-inspiring flora.
It consists of many islands, including:
- Taiyou no Shima- The Island of the Sun
- Ha no Shima- The Island of Blades
- Omijima- The Island of Omi
- Kukku no Shima- Cook's Island (also known as Ryōri Hito no Rakuen or Chef's Paradise)
- Kishi-dō no Shima- The Island of Chivalry
- Eikō no Shima- Glory Island
- Satori no Shima- The Island of Enlightenment
- Kyokkai Shima- Boundary Isle
- Ravenhaven
- Mythscar Island
- Shinjima
These islands are mostly populated by Kamejin and Tainuki, with some Lizardfolk and Anurans as well. But the most dangerous residents are the
Dragon Lords, Reoma the Wretched on Mythscar Island and the rumored
Yrdot the Youngling on Shinjima. Entering their islands is said to be a death sentence, and so most stay away from Mythscar Island and Shinjima. All other islands are relatively safe for travel.
Northern Islands
Said to have once been a fifth continent, around the size of Shafai, the Northern Islands were said to have been called Norland before they were sunk in
Selene's Fury, now often called "No Land" as a play on its old, Giant name.
The landmasses of the Northern Islands are far from small, but the once mighty land of the Giants is mostly under the sea now, with most of what once made it the cradle of civilization gone, faded into almost uninhabitable, inhospitable lands surrounded by furious seas.
It is surrounded by Nereids and other denizens of the ocean, but they do not live on the land. When it has been attempted, it has been disastrous.
Due to the fact that it was once one land, its seperate islands do not have traditional names, as most scholars refer to the islands simply by the name of the region they once were (or are assumed to have been). This is the case for all but the southernmost island, which was taken over by pirates in the late 700s and became known as Last Words Haven.
Jihdi Peninsula
The northeastern corner of Elone, the Jihdi Peninsula is a mountainous region with flowing rivers and abundant resources, but gloomy weather conditions and dangerous surroundings that makes it difficult to live in. There is a great, never ending amount of spiders to the west, dangerous seas and Ophidian warriors to the south, and the conquerors of the Abrals always seeking to claim it for themselves.
It is also home to the cave entrance to the
Mines of the Slime, and a mountain housing a powerful
Dragon with a unique magic.
Udai
The largest continent on Totania, Udai is home to the most dangerous forces in the world, and is a land where death can be found anywhere by any means. Not just its sentient residents, but also its fauna, particularly the dinosaurs and beasts on the level of the greatest mortal warriors. When the natural order is living among Orcish hordes, animals adapt, and they adapt to a level unsustainable for most non-Udaians to handle.
The land, too, adapts. Harsh climates fight back against the harsh residents, not just
Orcs but also
Korvians and other Beastmen such as the
Mammen and
Lizardfolk.
Swamps on the western coast create the worst living conditions in all of Totania, and still multiple species persevere through it to survive in settlements like
Grandstone. The Fields of Slaughter are littered with corpses, grass stained blood, and still Orcs always move back, always fight for the land again, and always build new settlements knowing they will be destroyed again. The harsh waters around the Modan Peninsula make it difficult for trade, and yet still
Ruzrugh is the largest port city in the world. And of course, the eternal
Korvian City stands near the center of the continent, shaping the land around it as it pleases with some of the most powerful abilities in all of mortalkind.
Despite what many believe, a region at the northeast of Udai, the Steppes of Nergal, is not a subcontinent. It is technically a large island (second largest in the world behind the mainland of Shafai), because of two large rivers flowing from a lake beneath it, it is on the same continental plate as the central region of Udai, and so is not divided in any way.
Udai is the land of strength, adventure, and constant danger. To reside in Udai is to choose a warrior's death, for so few funerals are held in that land for the rare deaths of natural causes. A region of glory, war, and hard work, Udai is best avoided by the faint of heart.
Modan Peninsula
Considered to have, most likely, once been part of the Norland, before it became the Northern Islands, the Modan Peninsula sits on a strange continental shelf that many see as perhaps due to the influence of the Goddess
Mayowa during
the Kwarvian War.
Once home to a great kingdom, the Modan Peninsula is a land of vast resources constantly being fought over. Only the smaller offshoot peninsula, the Ruzrugh Peninsula, on the southern edge is safe, as it has geographic features to protect it. All other regions are in eternal conflict, feuding over one of the most resource rich regions in the world.
The Deadlands
Conversely, the other side of Udai is a zone of little but death. The western region, known as the Deadlands, is categorized best by what one must pass through to enter it: the dead forest. Trees grow, but without leaves or fruit, in an unnatural state that no one has been able to explain. North of that, a volcano has twisted the land into a blackened, lava stained hellscape with a flowing river of magma. To the west of even that, an inhospitable swamp torments its residents.
The Deadlands have one region of prosperity, around the
Floating Islands of the Blessed Springs, but this is an area that is very out of place in the region. Thus it is viewed as a holy region, a light in the darkness, only helped by the fact that it birthed the man who rose to Godhood,
Amukk, and is now closely associated with his faith.
Shafai
The smallest continent, and the southernmost region of the world,
Shafai is mostly island chains surrounding one larger island, a jungle-covered paradise with strange magic lurking in the trees.
Shafaian culture prioritizes the health of nature, and says that will aid in the health of the people. This is symbolized best by the continent's greatest natural wonder:
Yggdrasil. The World Tree towers over Shafai, emitting a healing aura around it that can mend most wounds and heal most diseases if the afflicted enters its radius.
The western region of the island has been cleared out by
Devils, which is why its hilly terrain lacks much plantlife, as it was demolished to allow for residences that have for the most part since been torn down as well.
The northernmost island of Shafai is not as natural, due to the progression of Zavese civilization which seeks to turn it into a perfect region in their image.
Everything south of Shafai is kept secret, likely by the God of Secrets
Mimir, and it is possible there is a much larger landmass hidden behind the southern horizon. Any attempt to discover this, however, would require circumventing one of the most powerful and dangerous Gods.
Not many cities populate the region, as Shafaians build up rather than out, but still visitors are always encouraged to visit the tall, towering tree homes of
Iganjojo, the ever expanding perfect city of Zavese, and the makeshift fairy houses around Yggdrasil.
Shafai is the land of nature, healing, and unity. Its residents build with the longevity of its flora and the safety of its fauna in mind, and visitors are often treated cautiously but welcomed nevertheless.
Wotruze
Wotruze is a region that has evaded scholars for centuries. For some strange reason, any attempts to document them have resulted in inconsistent reports and dangerous circumstances. It almost seems as if the islands move, dodging researchers while the dangerous waters around them cause almost as many shipwrecks as the
Great Dip.
Thus, Wotruze is mostly known as the Desert Islands, for there is said to be nothing living there but deserted ships and exiled, shipwrecked passengers. Some say powerful mages live there, with magic capable of isolating themselves from the world, though this is said to be only an urban legend.
Moroza
The least populous continent, little is known about Moroza in the rest of the world. Its harsh climate prevents most from ever venturing to it, and those that do rarely return if they travel far. Only the outer reaches of it are known, and its cultures are largely contained to the continent, not spreading beyond the
Northern Sea. It is covered in ice, the coldest region in the world, and the most common cause of death even among permanent residents is freezing to death.
Few settlements are known on the continent, and its geography is not well documented because of the danger required to do so. There have been many actual expeditions, but the only successful ones were those that decided staying home was the best course of action.
Moroza is the land of frost, fate, and doom. It is most often visited on pilgrimages to the temple of
Morrigan, Goddess of Death, and her spell is said to extend across the entire continent, making it dangerous for everyone.
Bodies of Water
There are two oceans on Totania, and many bodies of water that are offshoots of them. Those are as follows:
Great Sea
The largest ocean in the world, the
Great Sea was created by
Papatūānuku when Totania was first made. It was said to have engulfed most of the world, and even now its waters spread through most corners of Totania. About 80% of the world's water is connected primarily to the Great Sea, but most global trade does not go directly on the Great Sea due to its many dangers.
Great Dip
The eastern edge of the Great Sea is blocked off by a massive whirlpool the size of a continent, larger than Shafai itself, known as the
Great Dip. Its currents are said to tear apart any ship that enters, and there has never been anyone who has survived sailing through the Great Dip.
Bay of Wonder
Around the villages of
Bortan and
Yirthum, and leading up to the city of Zephys is a calm bay said to contain powerful mana. It is marked at its entrance by the
Peak of the World, the largest mountain in Totania, and the air around it feels different, almost heavier than it otherwise would.
Ethereal Bay
On either side of the entrance to this bay are the cities of
Alzirgos and
Vitroveil (or Retrypes before it). A misty body of water, difficult to sail in, there are great dangers here that make most sail around it to get from Alzirgos to Vitroveil.
Sirens reside in the mist, and other sea monsters prevent ships from sailing well.
Alongside that, the Vitroveil side is also the runoff for most of the
Strait of Ildial, meaning most trash from Udai ends up on Vitroveil's banks at the Ethereal Bay.
Abral Sea
One of the most traveled bodies of water in the world, the Abral Sea is the waters around the Abral Archipelago. It is made up of several smaller seas that have been classified with many names, but most just refer to it as the Abral Sea.
The water is fairly calm, but is prone to storms conjured by the local god Leigong to the west, the God of Storms.
Bay of Fire
Between Jihdi Peninsula and land of the Ophidians, this body of water connects to the Abral Sea. Due to constant attempts to make it more dangerous for others, the Ophidians have done something to the water that allows even it to catch fire.
Storms are always looming over this bay, thanks to Leigong's previously mentioned temple being right on its shores. Leigong seems to enjoy seeing dark clouds over the water, and so it is more likely that is the case than any other local weather.
Spider Shore
The westernmost part of the Abral Sea, off the northern coast of the Jihdi Peninsula, this water is teeming with spiders, always jumping onto passing ships. Those that avoid the spiders instead deal with shadows haunting their ships, looking like members of the crew but trying to convince the people onboard to do things like crash the boat or turn it around.
Gulf of Terror
On the northwestern shore of Udai, a gulf of water sits beside the Deadlands. It is not entirely water, however, as the volcano on the shore is constantly spewing lava into the waters below, creating steam that sometimes engulfs the entire gulf.
The sight of the volcano and the steam rising from the waters has given rise to many legends that there is some great monster feeding off of the lava, and that the steam is its breath. Thus, it has been linked to a feeling of great terror, which is made worse by the fact that there is always some army using the base of the volcano as a camp.
Bloody Gulf
Towards the south of Udai, around the Key of Beasts and beside the Fields of Slaughter, is another gulf often littered with bodies, known as the Bloody Gulf. The Beastmen of the Key do not bury their bodies, but instead throw the corpses into the sea, and so it is said that the waters have been dyed a permanent dark reddish hue.
Other than that, the gulf is relatively unremarkable. Ships pass through it often enough, but it does not have many trade routes passing through it due to the relative barren regions around it.
Northern Sea
The
Northern Sea is far smaller than the Great Sea. It takes up only the northern area between Elone, Udai, and Moroza, and is broken up by three Straits that filter its waters from the Great Sea. While it is home to far more residents, both sentient and not, it is far from a large ocean, and is actually smaller than either the continents of Udai or Elone.
The Northern Sea was made by the Jealous Goddess
Selene, who envied that Papatūānuku had an ocean of her own. Selene, intending to copy the Goddess of Nature and also spite the Giants living on Norland, created
Selene's Fury, which flooded the region and made the Northern Sea.
Strait of Ildial
The most dangerous water crossing in the world, for the Great Dip is not considered crossable at all, the Strait of Ildial is the area of water between Udai and Elone which also connects the Great Sea and the Northern Sea. Its waters are fiercer than any other, its air constantly tormented by storms, and its shores far from safe either. It was named after the greatest mage in history,
Kilprax Ildial, who is said to have been the first to fly over it. This may be a myth, and it may have only been named so because it is powerful and dangerous, just as he was.
Nameless Bay
The bay surrounded by KNE and KNW, feeding into the Korvian City, it is teeming with merfolk who are often preyed upon by the Korvians living on the shores above the bay. It is said to have some of the freshest water in the world.
Gulf of Cassis
The
Gulf of Cassis has more fish than any other section of water in the world. This body of water beside the city of
Saumart is a hub of fishing, and the reason for the famous
Fish Fest.
Strait of Tōru
The strait between the Northern Sea and the Abral Sea on the northeastern tip of Elone, between Elone and Moroza, it is marked by an outpost city known as Ortoise, where many Human soldiers are trained, once the capital of the
Exilés. At certain times of year, the water is so frozen over that no ships can pass through it. It is said, however, that a great Kamejin sailor once had the skill in sailing to steer his ship perfectly through the ice, named Tōru Susumu. The strait was, thus, named after him.
Strait of the Terrible
The strait between the Northern Sea and the Great Sea on the northwestern coast of Udai, named after an Orcish raider named Monshkok the Terrible, who raided ships in the strait for a long time, and even after he died was said to continue raiding in spirit (because other Orcs raided in his name). It is said his soul still haunts the Strait as a
ghost, and many fear sailing through it, though still it is a booming trade lane.
Residents
Totania is home to an incredibly diverse amount of species, detailed descriptions of them all can be found here:
To list the major species on each continent, however, they are as follows:
- Elone
- Draconians (Arux and Verthica)
- Humans (Nerodilian, Alzirgan, Jihdi, and Yajin)
- Elves (High, Wood, Dark)
- Dwarves (Mountain, Valley, Cave)
- Kamejin
- Gnomes (Secci, Detser, and Cave)
- Goblins (Votarran, Nationalist, Ocultos, Hob)
- Halflings
- Ophidians
- Tainuki
- Emetians
- Slimes
- Pithians
- Udai
- Shafai
- Moroza
- Global
- Giants
- Devils (Mortal and Satanic)
- Jinn (Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Ice, Light, Dark)
- Nereids (Northern, Southern, Eastern)
- Merfolk (Oceanic and Sirens)
- Teleosts
- Centaurs
- Satyrs
- World Forged (Loyal and Free)
It is said there are other sentient beings in other planes, like the Grords, but they rarely visit and never stay on Totania, so they are not included in the above list of its residents.
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