Wennovi Geographic Location in Valayo | World Anvil

Wennovi

A Smuggler's Guide to the Divided Continent

An accurate map is vital in my line of work.  The wrong port, route, or cove and I could easily find myself facing prison or worse.
— Darren
 

Introduction

I grew up on the island nation of Mantalos, and yet, I probably know Wennovi better than anyone from the Divided Continent. I know of no one else who has traveled through both subcontinents, Paltetia and Imbria.  The two halves are so thoroughly divided, the coasts are so well-guarded, and imports are so tightly controlled that travel between the two subcontinents is unheard of and each people believe the other to not even exist.  

Map of Wennovi

A world of Magic
 
The Great Woods is an impassible forest full of strange and dangerous creatures. No one could live there. It's illegal even to go in there, unless you're one of them hunters, don't you know?
— Paltetian citizen
Yeah, a group of nomas escaped into the west after the Paltetian Revolution. There's no way they could've survived though. Everyone knows the west is a barren wasteland.
— Imbrian citizen
 

The Great Divide

The Great Divide is a magical wonder.  The invisible, impassible barrier is marked only by a line of scorched earth bisecting the continent of Wennovi at it's narrowest point.  It has stood for over 1000 years, and in that time, no one has been able to create anything like it, even on a much smaller scale   Erected at the end of the Paltetian Revolution, it allows  the western half of Wennovi to remain free from magic and its influence.  As such, Imbria and Paltetia have developed along divergent paths for over 1000 years.   I have yet to visit this site myself, but I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of energy that exudes from this incredible feat of magic.  

Magic & Technology

In Paltetia, magic is not only outlawed, but the people there truly don't believe in it. Sure, there are some underground occult groups, but they have no understanding of magic. Neverthaless, Paltetians have managed to create extremely tall buildings and objects that approximate the conveniences of magic. They call this "technology" and assure me it is not magic.   I have visited little of Paltetia, conducting most of my trade along the port cities and in Theden. Theden is a large, busy city full of wonderous technology.   Imbria is a land where the ruling class is made of high-level magic weilders. Each country has their own beliefs and practices surrounding magic, which greatly influences they type of magic people learn.  

Economy & Trade

Paltetia is a fairly self-reliant country, though they do conduct some trade with the Western Continent and accept mundane textiles from Mantalos. All imports are known to be thoroughly inspected. Port Authority is operated by the military and smuggling magically imbued items is particularly difficult if you don't know where to land.   Salaris is the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful nation of Imbria. They control many of the major trade routes, and have recently placed an embargo upon Mantali goods, which has struck a large blow to my nation.   I do no direct trade with Torverath or Rhovan.

Geography

Furhan Mountains

The northern mountain range includes a section of mountains named the Furhan Mountains, which is where Necros's prized Lifestones are mined, along with other precious gems.   Other stones, ores, and precious metals are mined from the northern mountains as well.  

The Great Woods

A section of forest in the center of Wennovi. The Eldahi people claim the majority of the Great Woods. It holds great significance to the Eldahi people, and legend has it they have been guardians of that forest for thousands of years. it is a dense forest that is not welcoming to strangers.   The Great Woods extends into Paltetia, though little of it remains on the Paltetian side, and what is there is thought to be impenetrable and full of dangerous creatures.
Geography
Major geography of Wennovi

Fauna & Flora

Wennovi hosts a wide variety of plant and animal life. However, the most notable creature of Wennovi is the magimandus, a creature known to sense magic. Their primary habitat is the Great Woods, where in Imbria they range freely in the wild. They are known to be very territorial.   Paltetia claims a narrow swath of the Great Woods, wherein magimandi should roam. However, the area is known to be he heavily patrolled by Paltetian Hunters, a secret military organization believed by Paltetians to protect them from the beasties of the Great Woods. When asked about the magimandi, various Paltetian citizens had never heard the word, let alone seen one. My guess is they've either been hunted to extinction or weaponized by the Hunters in their quest to suppress any and all occurrences of natural magic.  
Magimandus - Magic Eater
Species | Jul 13, 2020

A creature that both hunts and consumes magic.

Natural Resources

Mantalos imports many natural resources from Wennovi where possible. My trading vessel commonly carries:
  • Timber from Eldahi
  • Stones, metals, and other minerals from Necros and Rhovan
  • Grains and other foodstuffs
  Imbria boasts 2 rather unique natural resources, both useful in a variety of spells and potions

Summary

Paltetia

  • A united nation divided into provinces
  • Magic forbidden and unknown
  • "Tech" used to approximate magic
  • Government: Elected officials
  • Laws: strict with harsh penalties
  • Separate independent countries
  • Magic known & impacts daily life
  • Many applications of magic
  • Government: varies by country
  • Laws: varies, more personal freedoms
Wennovi by hcraven using Azgaar's
Alternative Name(s)
The Western Continent
The Divided Continent
Type
Continent
Included Locations
Included Organizations
Characters in Location
Inhabiting Species
Related Myths

Geography Summary

Wennovi - continent
Paltetia - subcontinent & united nation
Imbria - subcontinent

Nearby nation


The Great Divide

  The Great Divide lies directly on the western border of Eldahi, separating a land of magic from one that knows nothing of magic. It is over 1000 miles long and has stood for over 1000 years.  
Great Divide
Building / Landmark | Jul 5, 2022

An impassible magical barrier that separates Wennovi into two lands: Paltetia where no magic is allowed and Imbria where magic flourishes

Related Articles

Magic throughout the lands
Generic article | Dec 19, 2020

The definition and use of magic varies throughout the land and is greatly influenced by culture

Magic Tiers
Generic article | Dec 20, 2020

The amount of magic a person can wield greatly impacts their socioeconomic status

Imbria
Geographic Location | Dec 10, 2020

Eastern subcontinent of Wennovi and home to Salaris, Necros, Torverath, and other countries



Pre-Separation

... 0 WE

Notated as WE (Wennovian Era), this is the time period prior to the Great Divide, a magical barrier that separated Wennovi into two subcontinents: Paltetia, and Imbria

  • -1443 WE

    -1441 WE


    Paltets Rebellion
    Civil action

    An uprising of non-magical servants

  • -646 WE

    -493 WE


    Mage Wars
    Military action

    A series of battles/wars in which prominant mage families fought for land and ruling rights. By the end, the Imbrianus family managed unite all of Wennovi, creating the Imbrianus empire.

    Location
    Wennovi
  • -28 WE

    -1 WE


    Paltetia Revolution
    Era beginning/end

    Non-magic people united against mages, witches, and wizards, beginning with coordinated assasinations and ambushes on the ruling magic classes (see Magic Tiers ). These attacks destabilized the ruling class and jeopardized Emperor Imbrianus's reign.

    Emperor Imbrianus sought a quick resolution to this bloody battle, and so negotiated peace by offering the western half of Wennovi to all non-magic people wishing to live free from the influences of magic, while retaining the eastern half of Wennovi, effectively cutting his empire in half.

    Location
    Wennovi
    More reading
    Paltetia Revolution
  • -1 WE


    Great Divide
    Construction beginning/end

    The Great Divide separates Wennovi into two subcontinents: Paltetia and Imbria. The completion of the magical barrier will mark the beginning of a new era.

Post-Separation

0 WE and beyond

The completion of the Great Divide marks the beginning of a new era, the Divided Era (DE).

  • 379 DE


    Witch Strike & Failed Assassination
    Revolution

    A coordinated magical attack at a number of high-society events taking place throughout Imbria on a single night. Many mages died that night, but the primary target, Emperor Imbrianus, escaped the attack at his palace.17 mages died. 53 witches were executed following this concerted attack, while an unknown number of witches were interrogated by the emperor's arch-mages.

    Location
    Imbria
    More reading
    Great Uprising
    Additional timelines
  • 380 DE

    394 DE


    Great Uprising
    Military action

    A massive coup / civil war in Imbria that had long-lasting repercussions. Witches rose up against the ruling mage class and toppled an empire. (see Magic Tiers)

    Location
    Imbria
    More reading
    Great Uprising
  • 394 DE


    Independent Nations
    Founding

    The end result of the Great Uprising was the splitting of Imbria into smaller, independent nations: Eldahi, Salaris, Torverath, Necros, & Rhovan

    Additional timelines
  • 712 DE

    712 DE


    Nomas Riots of 712
    Civil action

    A series of riots and demonstrations throughout Salaris where non-magical people protested their lack of freedoms and security.

    Arcanis Academy was tasked with subduing these riots. The success of the Academy Elites and cadets improved the academy's relationship with the magical and nomas communities as well as opened them to receiving contracts from Salarian government and military, including training of Wizard Officers for the military.

    Additional timelines
  • 813 DE

    844 DE


    Northern Wars
    Military action

    War between Rhovan and Necros over territory and resources

    Additional timelines

Comments

Author's Notes

This article was created for the Call of Cartography community challenge. Thank you for reading!  

About the map

The map was originally hand-drawn. It was digitized and edited in Inkscape, and then further edited in Azgaar's Fantasy Map Generator. Rivers and trade routes were autogenerated, then edited. All coastlines and state borders were created by me.

*All flags were created by me using FlagMaker 1.7


Please Login in order to comment!
Apr 18, 2020 19:01 by Matthew McKay

Really like the concept of the magic eaters and the way the article was done from the viewpoint of a smuggler! Great work!

May 4, 2020 02:08

Thank you :)

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