The Lay of the Land

Boklad

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

A busy market town situated on the northeastern coast of Dhalmekia. Also known as the "Thousand Tables," its streets throng with merchants from across the realm, each loudly hawking their wares to keen-eyed customers intent on finding a bargain.

Boklad

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

A busy market town situated on the northeastern coast of Dhalmekia, where the Strait of Autha drains slowly into the gaping crater of Dzemekys Falls. Also known as the "Thousand Tables," its streets throng with merchants from across the realm, each loudly hawking their wares to keen-eyed customers intent on finding a bargain. The gate at the rear of the town leads directly onto the Crystal Road, and therefore out of the republic. As such, it is heavily guarded against entry or exit.

Cid's Hideaway

A refuge hidden in the Blighted lands of central Storm, from which Cid operates his secretive community of freed Bearers. While survival in the deadlands is widely considered impossible, a combination of near-indestructible Fallen ruins and considerable ingenuity have led to the establishment of a safe haven where those who rally to their leader's cause are only just about able to eke out an albeit meager existence.

Cid's Hideaway

A hidden refuge built on Fallen ruins in the Blighted lands of central Storm. It is from here that Cid operates his secretive society of freed Bearers. So accustomed are most so-called "Branded" to ill treatment at their masters' hands that their first experience of something approaching freedom within the hideaway's walls—be it even something as small as a hot meal or a soft bed—can come as a considerable shock.

Cid's Hideaway

A hidden refuge built on Fallen ruins in the Blighted lands of central Storm. Here, Cid and his adopted family of freed Bearers from across the Twins made their home. That is, until the fledgling utopia was brought crashing down after its location was discovered by Hugo Kupka, Dominant of Titan in the year 873. In but a single night, the hideaway was destroyed—fewer than half managing to escape the slaughter visited upon them by Kupka and his men.

Drake's Breath

Affiliation: The Iron Kingdom

One of Valisthea's five remaining Mothercrystals, located on the volcanic isle known to the Ironblood as Beinn Leodladh, in the seas between Rosaria and the Iron Kingdom. Though its occupation can historically be traced to the duchy, control of the crystal was recently wrested from Rosaria's grasp by the Crusade following a series of bitter conflicts.

Drake's Breath

Affiliation: The Iron Kingdom

A Mothercrystal that once commanded the waters between Rosaria and the Iron Kingdom. After centuries of bitter conflict, the Ironblood took control of the crystal and the island upon which it stood. That is, until the year 878 when the sacred spire was brought crashing down by none other than Cid the Outlaw.

Drake's Fang

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

One of Valisthea's five remaining Mothercrystals, located in the Dhalmekian Republic. Unlike its sisters who jut from the earth to tower above the landscape, Drake's Fang is completely enclosed within the vast hollow of an ageless mountain, its citrine fingers reaching inward to the barrow's heart. Excavation of these crystals has, over centuries, showered the Dhalmeks with substantial fortune, and as such, is seen as a symbol of the nation's prosperity.

Drake's Fang

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

A Mothercrystal that was located in the heart of the Dhalmekian Republic. While it is widely reported to have been destroyed by Cid the Outlaw in the year 878, rumors also abound of orcs—subjects of the Kingdom of Waloed—having been sighted there at the time. Regardless of the cause, the loss of their Mothercrystal and the Dominant upon whom they so heavily relied soon brought the Dhalmeks to the negotiating table in a desperate bid for cessation of hostilities with the empire.

Drake's Head

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

A Mothercrystal situated on the Sea of Grace in northern Sanbreque. Drake's Head towers over the Holy Capital of Oriflamme, its mighty form a testament to the power and permanence of the empire. However, mysterious aetherfloods and the specter of the ever-encroaching Blight have led some in power to call that permanence into question.

Drake's Head

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

The Mothercrystal upon whose wings did Sanbreque ascend to geopolitical supremacy. It towered over the Holy Capital of Oriflamme, its mighty silhouette a testament to the power and permanence of the empire. And then, in the year 873, it fell at the hand of Cid the Outlaw.

Drake's Spine

Affiliation: The Kingdom of Waloed

A Mothercrystal situated in Stonhyrr, capital of the Kingdom of Waloed. Its sheer walls strikingly similar to the towering cliffs that line the coasts of Ash, the interior can only be gained by means of a solitary stone span that stretches from the heart of the city proper. Being the last remaining Mothercrystal on Ash, the crystals harvested from its surface are a vital lifeline for the Waloeder people, but even then their number is far from enough to sate the kingdom's appetite, thus forcing her king to seek sources elsewhere.

Drake's Spine

Affiliation: The Kingdom of Waloed

A Mothercrystal that towered over Stonhyrr, capital of the Kingdom of Waloed. The fall of Drake's Tail meant that, for a brief moment, it was the last remaining Mothercrystal in Valisthea. That moment, however, ended abruptly when the Spine fell following Clive's otherworldly struggle with Ultima.

Drake's Tail

Affiliation: The Crystalline Dominion

A Mothercrystal located in the Crystalline Dominion. It is one of only five remaining in Valisthea, and is the largest of its kind. Silhouetted by the setting sun, the islands of the Dominion spread out before it, the Tail is truly a wonder to behold.

Drake's Tail

Affiliation: The Crystalline Dominion

A Mothercrystal that was located in the Crystalline Dominion. It was one of only five remaining in Valisthea, and the largest of its kind. It was lost in the chaos that followed the rebellion spearheaded by Prince Dion Lesage and his knights dragoon, but not before undergoing a fantastical transformation heretofore unwitnessed in the entirety of Valisthean history—a literal blossoming of the crystal, its shards peeling away like petals of a snow daisy to reveal the sacred heart within.

Dzemekys Falls

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

A vast cavity in the earth located in the Steps of the Forgotten—a desolate coastal region of eastern Dhalmekia. Despite the fact that, for centuries, seawater from the Strait of Autha has flowed into the plumbless crater without cease, it shows no sign of filling. The tragic tale that came to be known as the Sins of Dzemekys is said to have taken place here.

Eastpool

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

A hamlet located in the eastern part of the Imperial Province of Rosaria. It was once surrounded by fertile farmland, but the southward creep of the Blight eventually drove out most of the inhabitants.

Eastpool

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

A hamlet located in the eastern part of the Imperial Province of Rosaria. It was once surrounded by fertile farmland, but the southward creep of the Blight eventually drove out most of the inhabitants. In the aftermath of the attack on Phoenix Gate in 860 and the Ironblood invasion that followed, many fled here, including Bearers who had lost their masters. The majority of that population, however, was wiped out in the "culling" of Bearers ordered by Empress Anabella, and the village now lies abandoned and in ruins.

Eastpool

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

A hamlet located in the eastern part of the Imperial Province of Rosaria. It was deserted after the "culling" ordered by Empress Anabella, with bandits eventually moving in to occupy the ruins. The bandits were eventually driven from the ruins, and the hamlet claimed by a group of freed Bearers and Sir Wade's Guardians of the Flame, who had but recently lost the Lazarus District of Port Isolde to an aetherflood.

Eistla

Affiliation: The Kingdom of Waloed

A settlement situated in mining country in the center of Waloed. The miners make homes among their excavations, and live there with their families.

Eistla

Affiliation: The Kingdom of Waloed

A settlement situated in mining country in the center of Waloed. The miners made homes among their excavations, and lived there with their families. However, with the advent of the Arche, its residents disappeared, and now the village is all but deserted.

Gjallarhorn

Affiliation: The Kingdom of Waloed

An aging fortress in the western reaches of the Kingdom of Waloed. Due to its proximity to Storm, it is oft used as a staging point for the royal army.

Gjallarhorn

Affiliation: The Kingdom of Waloed

An aging fortress in the western reaches of the Kingdom of Waloed. Similar to other constructs across Valisthea, the keep appears to have been built on the site of ancient ruins, and it was in an underground chamber not unlike Phoenix Gate's Apodytery that a fully intact rendition of Ultima's Eikonical pantheon was discovered.

Haven

Affiliation: Mysidia

An idyllic village situated in the center of one of the north's last remaining woodlands. Here live the Motes of Water, a tribe originally hailing from Ash, having only arrived in the region in the last century. A wooden palisade encompasses their isolated community to provide protection from the region's myriad beasts and beastmen.

Haven

Affiliation: Mysidia

A small village situated in the center of Mysidia. The Motes of Water who established the current settlement nearly a century ago found their new homes amongst the ruins of pre-existing stone architecture. To ensure the existence of their people remains unknown, only a handful of Haven's residents are ever permitted to leave the village, and even then, usually only for the purpose of trade.

Hidden Truths

Affiliation: Mysidia

A small village situated in the center of Mysidia. The Motes of Water who established the current settlement nearly a century ago found their new homes amongst the ruins of pre-existing stone architecture. The village has long been hidden from the outside world by a powerful glamour that Haven's residents maintained with a network of stone cairns filled with crystal shards. Now, however, with crystal in short supply, the Motes and their newly freed Dominant, Waljas, must prepare for the day that glamour fades.

Lostwing

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

A settlement located in central Sanbreque, on the northeastern edge of the Greatwood. Having initially found prosperity as a stopover point for traveling traders, it fell from favor when newer, better roads bypassed it, and eventually fell off the map entirely. The village is built both in and around Fallen ruins that the people of Lostwing claim was once called an "airship."

Lostwing

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

A settlement located in central Sanbreque, on the northeastern edge of the Greatwood. Having initially found prosperity as a stopover point for traveling traders, it fell from favor when newer, better roads bypassed it, and eventually fell off the map entirely. Presently, its obscurity serves as cover to mask its burgeoning status as a safe haven for Bearers who work the nearby vineyards for Quinten—ealdorman and co-conspirator of Cid's—while casks of Gaultand Rouge aged in Lostwing's cellars provide the village with much needed income.

Lostwing

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

A settlement located in central Sanbreque. It had fallen almost entirely into ruin after new roads bypassed it—that is until Quinten, a co-conspirator of Cid's, took it upon himself to rebuild it. His chief aim in doing so was to amass enough manpower to take revenge on the Lord Chief Justice of Sanbreque, and he found no shortage of others who had suffered at the man's hands willing to join him. Fearing this coming retribution, the Lord Chief Justice set the Black Shields to seek out the village in order to destroy it.

Lostwing

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

At one time, this small village in central Sanbreque boasted a thriving winery, with the Gaultand Rouge produced there being prized by connoisseurs across the land. Alas, all the years of hard work were brought crashing down in an instant when the Black Shields, sent by the Lord Chief Justice of Sanbreque, turned Akashic, sowing death and destruction in their wake. However, before those few villagers who survived the assault could rebuild, an aetherflood descended, forcing them to take refuge in the vineyards to the east. There, Ealdorman Quinten seeks to start a new village with his "family."

Mysidia

Long thought lost to the Blight, Mysidia is, in fact, one of the last few regions in the former Northern Territories that remains lush and teeming with life, though one might not believe so when viewing it from across Oillepheist Bay. This is solely due to a powerful magical glamour erected by its residents, the Motes of Water, to make the lands appear to be dead from the outside, and thus discourage unwanted visitors.

Mysidia

Long thought lost to the Blight, Mysidia is, in fact, one of the last few regions in the former Northern Territories that remains lush and teeming with life, though one might not believe so when viewing it from across Oillepheist Bay. The region was abandoned almost a century ago following a failed attempt by the ruling thegns to cast a spell that might halt the decay of their Mothercrystal, Drake's Eye, only to be claimed by the Motes of Water but a few years later.

Mysidia

This remote corner of Valisthea was once home to thousands of northerners who maintained an expansive religious complex dedicated to the worship of Shiva. Following a failed attempt to devise and conjure a spell that would prevent the Mothercrystal, Drake's Eye, from cracking, the location was abandoned by all, save an ailing witch who died a short time later. Why the people of the north might abandon a region that had yet to succumb to the Blight remains a mystery, but decades of subsequent assults on Rosarian lands suggest that the thegns sought strength in numbers by consolidating remaining populations near the ducal border.
Several years after the northerners' departure, the Motes of Water claimed the land for their own, establishing a small village, and casting a glamour about the region that made it appear to have already succumbed to the deadlands. With their supply of crystals that powered the glamour now dwindling, the Motes now must look to restoring their ties with the outside world.

Northreach

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

A town which doubles as a defensive gateway to Sanbreque's Holy Capital of Oriflamme. It was originally a purely military outpost—a towering bastion constructed to prevent land-based assaults on the capital from the southwest. To this day, a heavily guarded checkpoint ensures that none can pass through the wall without prior authorization, and as such, the need to linger here prior to entering has led to the rise of a thriving market and various other commercial enterprises on the wall's southern side. The garrison, however, along with the inns and brothels most of the soldiers frequent, as well as the residences of the nobles who make Northreach their home, remain on the northern side.

Northreach

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

When Sanbreque moved its capital to the Crystalline Dominion, Northreach went from being a vital gateway to the seat of the empire to a forgotten country backwater in a matter of moons. And with the fall of Drake's Head, the aether was soon leached from the lands around it, leaving the fields fallow, and the once-thriving environs barren and lifeless.

Northreach

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

A town which once acted as a defensive gateway to Sanbreque's Holy Capital of Oriflamme. Not long after the skies took a turn for the ominous and most of the old capital was lost to an aetherflood, the Imperial High Cardinal arrived with designs to build a new empire, but at great cost to the citizens of Northreach. It was at this time Ultima's thralls descended upon the fields both north and south of the great wall, forcing those citizens to choose between abandoning their town, or fighting—and possibly dying—for those they loved. The people chose the latter, and after a hard-earned victory, the High Cardinal was finally convinced to join hands with Madame Isabelle, and a modicum of order was at long last restored.

Oriflamme

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

The capital of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, located in northeastern Storm on a peninsula that dominates Oillepheist Bay and is home to the Mothercrystal known as Drake's Head. All the empire's major institutions are located here, including Whitewyrm Castle, seat of the Holy Emperor, and meeting place of the cardinals.

Oriflamme

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

Former capital of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque. After its Mothercrystal was destroyed in an attack by Cid the Outlaw in the year 873, the decision was made to move the throne and her armies south to the Crystalline Dominion—regardless of whether or not the Dominion's citizens approved. Oriflamme has since fallen gradually into decline, having lost the Mother's blessing and all the benefits it brought.

Origin

A vast structure that lay dormant beneath the Crystalline Dominion for countless centuries. When Ultima's scheme reached its final stages, it was summoned from the depths, sowing untold destruction, and leaving bleak, black skies in its wake. It eerily resembles a Mothercrystal.

Origin

A vast structure that lay dormant beneath the Crystalline Dominion for countless centuries, and which was revealed to have been the vessel on which Ultima and his brethren first arrived in Valisthea. Though it ceased to function while its former passengers slept, it was finally reactivated to put into motion the final stages of Ultima's plan for recreating the world in his image.

Phoenix Gate

Affiliation: The Grand Duchy of Rosaria

A walled keep situated near Rosaria's northwestern border. It was originally constructed to serve as an outpost in the wars against the Northern Territories, but its true significance lies deep within the ruins atop which the stronghold stands. Here, in an ancient chamber accessible only to the Dominant of Fire, is held the Rite of Ancestral Communion—an important ritual in which it is believed that the Phoenix can hear the words of the duchy's forebears.

Phoenix Gate

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

The remains of the fortress destroyed in the year 860 on what came to be known as the Night of Flames—the castle's invasion by Sanbrequois saboteurs and the battle between the two Eikons of Fire that arose in its wake. The earth is still riddled with fissures and tears—testament to the ferocity of the fight that unfolded here. The Gate itself was buried beneath piles of soot-stained rubble, amd with it Rosaria's pride, falling as the duchy did to the empire not long afterward.

Phoenix Gate

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

The remains of the fortress destroyed in the year 860 on what came to be known as the Night of Flames—the castle's invasion by Sanbrequois assassins and the battle between the two Eikons of Fire that arose in its wake. Ancient ruins lie beneath, and are reached by means of an underground pathway. Prior to Rosaria becoming an imperial province, the Gate was of great importance to the people of the duchy, being the site of the Rite of Ancestral Communion.

Port Isolde

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

A port city situated on the southwestern coast of the Imperial Province of Rosaria. Only Rosalith rivals it for size, and in the glory days of Archduke Elwin's reign, its streets bustled with traders from across Valisthea. Sadly, those days are long since gone, and Sanbrequois occupation has seen everything, from marketplaces to military institutions, subverted to the will of the empire.

Port Isolde

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

A port city situated on the southwestern coast of the Imperial Province of Rosaria. Following the fall of Rosaria to imperial rule, the city became a stronghold of the western garrison, its gates closed to native Rosarians seeking shelter from the chaos enveloping the world beyond its walls. However, with the collapse of the empire and the withdrawal of the garrison, Port Isolde has reverted to local rule—the sellswords in Lord Byron's employ ensuring her gates remain open to refugees, yet closed to those who would usher the outside chaos within.

Ran'dellah

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

Capital of the Dhalmekian Republic. It is a thriving hub of commerce, where merchants and traders gather from across Valisthea. Its streets bustle with life, even late into the night, when the twinkle of countless lanterns illuminates the landscape. The nation's affairs are managed from the Ministry of Law in the heart of the city, wherein sits the Parliament of Ministers.

Ran'dellah

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

The capital of the Dhalmekian Republic. It was once a thriving hub of commerce, where merchants gathered from across Valisthea, and people enjoyed a life of peace and prosperity under the guidance of the Parliament of Ministers, who oversaw the nation's affairs from the safety of the Ministry of Law. Since Ultima brought about Primogenesis, however, Ran'dellah's streets have been all but abandoned to Akashic Waloeder soldiers and beastmen on the hunt for flesh.

Reverie

Affiliation: The Kingdom of Waloed

An impossibly tall tower in central Waloed that seems to pierce the very heavens. The few followers of the Circle of Malius remaining on Ash believe it to have been built by the gods, who would one day pass their final judgment from its heights. It has long been considered hallowed ground, whereupon mere mortals fear to tread.

Rosalith

Affiliation: The Grand Duchy of Rosaria

The capital city of the Duchy of Rosaria. Rosalith Castle, seat of the archduke, stands at the heart of the storied settlement, whose marketplaces teem with activity. Alas, the encroaching Blight has rendered vast swathes of the land to the north uninhabitable, driving refugees south in ever greater numbers, and placing an unbearable strain on Rosalith's all too finite resources.

Rosalith

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

The former capital city of the Duchy of Rosaria. Anabella Lesage, who once ruled alongside Elwin Rosfield as Duchess, now wields absolute power as Holy Empress of Sanbreque, and has established an administrative government under her command. The majority of Rosalith's citizens fled or were captured when the Iron Kingdom invaded, and now the only inhabitants are a handful of nobles and sundry others who have sworn allegiance to the empire for fear of retribution.

Rosalith

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

The former capital of the Duchy of Rosaria. When Hugo Kupka's forces invaded, the entire city was put to the torch, and the magnificent castle sacked, causing many of its inhabitants to flee.

Rosalith Castle

Affiliation: The Grand Duchy of Rosaria

Situated in the heart of the ducal capital of Rosalith, it is from this towering ivory fortress that the Archduke and his family rule their nation. An architectural feat the Founder himself would be proud of, the castle has stood since the early days of the duchy, and watched over the rise of this proud nation and the people who inhabit the city beneath.

Rosalith Castle

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

Situated in the heart of the ducal capital of Rosalith, it was from this towering ivory fortress that the Archduke and his family once ruled their proud nation. A well-armed Sanbrequois garrison has been stationed here since 860, when the duchy was annexed by the empire following the tragedy at Phoenix Gate and the subsequent invasion by the Iron Crusade.

Rosalith Castle

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

Situated in the heart of the ducal capital of Rosalith, this towering ivory fortress has been under Sanbrequois command since 860—although little remains for them to command since much of the capital was destroyed in the siege set by Hugo Kupka and his private guard.

Stonhyrr

Affiliation: The Kingdom of Waloed

Capital of the Kingdom of Waloed, located on the coast of Frigg's Calm, Ash's northernmost bay. Its Mothercrystal, Drake's Spine, sits just off shore and is connected to the city proper via a massive span that legends say required a hundred years and an entire mountain's worth of stone to construct.

Stonhyrr

Affiliation: The Kingdom of Waloed

Capital of the Kingdom of Waloed, located on the coast of Frigg's Calm, Ash's northernmost bay. Its Mothercrystal, Drake's Spine, was eventually destroyed by Cid and his allies, but by this time, the city had already been lost, its leader perished atop a distant spire, its citizens reduced to mindless thralls, and its streets claimed by orcs and masterless beasts.

Tabor

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

An ancient settlement in central southern Dhalmekia that seems to cling to the very cliffs which dominate the landscape of the region. Its proximity to the Free Cities of Kanver gives Tabor a ready market for the high quality leather its tanners produce, as well as the salt and minerals mined from beneath it. The town's long history of isolation, however, has clouded the hearts of its residents, and to this day many remain unwelcoming to outsiders.

Tabor

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

An ancient settlement in central southern Dhalmekia that seems to cling to the very cliffs which dominate the landscape of the region. Its proximity to the Free Cities of Kanver gives Tabor a ready market for the high quality leather its tanners produce, as well as the salt and minerals mined from beneath it. Unbeknownst to its citizenry, it is from here that, since the fall of Rosalith to the empire, the secretive coven of ducal loyalists known as the Undying have carried out their duties to the Phoenix.

Tabor

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

A settlement in central southern Dhalmekia that seems to cling to the very cliffs which dominate the landscape of the region. It is famed for its leatherworking, the signature stench of its tanneries ever prevalent in the canyons that lead in and out of town, and as such, skilled craftsmen abound, transforming hides into all manner of wondrous creations. Tabor was founded by the so-called "Guardians of the Crystal," who were later joined by nomadic peoples and hunter gatherers, creating a rich, mixed culture which gives the town its unique flavor. It was those same hunters whose skills were employed to gather the raw materials on which the leatherworking industry was built.

The Accession of the Emperor Olivier

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

Holy Emperor Sylvestre Lesage handed power to Olivier, his second-born son and only child by the Empress Anabella, in a turn of events that shocked a nation. None was more shocked, however, than his first-born son Dion, who was presiding over troop movements in the area surrounding the Crystalline Dominion when the news first reached him.

The Accession of the Emperor Olivier

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

Holy Emperor Sylvestre Lesage handed power to Olivier, his second-born son and only child by the Empress Anabella, ostensibly in recognition of the part he had played in the agreement of a peace between the empire and Dhalmekia. While the accession of one so young was unprecedented, Emperor Sylvestre reassured those bold enough to express doubt at the wisdom of such a choice by maintaining that as "Great Greagor made flesh" he would merely serve as an advisor to the young new emperor until he came of age. Prince Dion, the Emperor's first-born and rightful heir to the holy throne, was violently opposed to the plan, but his objections fell on deaf ears.

The Aire of Hours

Affiliation: Mysidia

Atop one of the region's highest peaks sits this ancient stone temple, awash in the glow of a mysterious blue light. From a magicked artifact in its innermost sanctum known as the "Vare" shines a bright ray of time-altering light that extends across the forest canopy down to Cape Nepto and the Surge.

The Aire of Hours

Affiliation: Mysidia

Atop one of the region's highest peaks sits this ancient stone temple, awash in the glow of a mysterious blue light. Within its timeless halls is housed the "Vare"—a magical conduit through which ice-aspected aether is channeled and focused onto the seas off Cape Nepto, effectively halting the flow of time in that precise location, as well as in the temple itself.

The Aire of Hours

Affiliation: Mysidia

Atop one of the region's highest peaks sits this ancient stone temple, awash in the glow of an aetherial blue light. It is believed that the structure may have once been a place of worship where the ancient peoples of the north made offerings to the Eikon Shiva. While the now-infamous "witch of the north" used the temple during her research into the development of chronomancy, the Aire of Hours did not get its name, however, until the magical Vare contained within [its] halls was used by the Motes of Water to halt Leviathan's rampage and seal him within the Surge.

The Bastards

A unit of trained assassins deployed to the Nysa Defile, deep within Dhalmekian territory, and tasked with the elimination of an enemy Dominant.

The Bastards

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

A unit of imperial army assassins tasked with taking the head of the Iron Kingdom's Dominant, Warden of Ice, and vessel for the Eikon, Shiva. All of its members, including its leader Tiamat, are Bearers—branded men pressed into servitude for their ability to wield magic.

The Black Shields

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

An order of knights instituted by Empress Anabella in one of her first acts as vicereine of the newly established imperial province of Rosaria. They are tasked with "purging the impurities" from the province—which in practice primarily involves slaying Bearers upon the slightest pretexts.

The Black Shields

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

An order of knights instituted by Empress Anabella in one of her first acts as vicereine of the imperial province of Rosaria. While they most often march in small groups, their main host has been known to rally together to conduct large-scale raids. They are tasked with "purging the impurities" from the province, to which end they conduct cullings of both Bearers and those judged to be ducal loyalists.

The Black Shields

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

An order of knights instituted by Empress Anabella in one of her first acts as vicereine of the imperial province of Rosaria. They were tasked with "purging the impurities" from the province, to which end they conducted cullings of both Bearers and those judged to be ducal loyalists. Some would later abandon their duties to enter the service of the former Lord Chief Justice of Sanbreque, who charged them with keeping watch on his enemies in Lostwing.

The Circle of Malius

An ancient religion once prominent across the entirety of Valisthea, its key ideologies were rooted in the sacred nature of the Mothercrystals, and the worship of Ultima as a god. Though long since faded, scholars believe the faith eventually branched off into what is now widely known as the Crystalline Orthodox.

The Continent

A vast landmass situated far from Valisthean shores. Aside from the most intrepid traders—and the odd particularly curious scholar—few have been known to brave the journey there or back, for which reason, the character and customs of its peoples remain a mystery to most.

The Crystalline Dominion

A tiny, independent state straddling the continents of Storm and Ash. Its capital Twinside is built on the tiny Isles of Ark from which its Mothercrystal—Drake's Tail—rises. The lack of a Dominant has seen the dominion become the subject of constant maneuvering over the years, both political and military, and it was only through the recent convening of a council of all nations that a non-aggression treaty towards the neutral body was forged, and a tenuous stability amongst centuries-old rivals achieved.

The Crystalline Dominion

A once independent state straddling the continents of Storm and Ash. Its capital Twinside is built on the tiny Isles of Ark from which its Mothercrystal—Drake's Tail—rises. After Drake's Head was destroyed in 873, the Holy Empire of Sanbreque declared Twinside its new capital in defiance of the long-standing non-aggression treaty. While controversial, the move—carried out by Prince Dion and his Knights Dragoon—proceeded mostly unopposed, largely due to the dominion's lack of a Dominant of its own with which to intimidate the interlopers.

The Crystalline Dominion

A once independent state straddling the continents of Storm and Ash. With the incursion of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque in the year 873, its independence was reduced to little more than a pretense, but things changed once again in 878, when Prince Dion Lesage and his dragoons instigated a bloody coup. As imperial institutions fell into disarray, so did the situation in the dominion and beyond. After five years, Sanbrequois dominance in the region ended as quickly as it had begun.

The Crystalline Dominion

A once independent state straddling the continents of Storm and Ash. Sanbrequois dominance here, and with it, any semblance of order, was brought crashing down in the bloody coup led by Prince Dion Lesage. Not long afterward, Twinside's luckless inhabitants were subjected to further misfortune when the fall of the realm's final Mothercrystal at Drake's Spine caused an ancient construct to rise from beneath their city, sowing death and devastation in its wake, and effectively decimating the already reduced populace.

The Crystalline Impasse

Affiliation: The Crystalline Dominion

A conflict fought between the Holy Empire of Sanbreque and the Republic of Dhalmekia in the year 878, largely concerning control of the Crystalline Dominion. The Dominion had previously been the subject of a non-aggression pact between the Valisthean nations, but in 873, the empire claimed Twinside for its new capital, an act which eventually spurred the Dhalmeks into military action.

The Crystalline Impasse

Affiliation: The Crystalline Dominion

A conflict fought between the Holy Empire of Sanbreque and the Republic of Dhalmekia in the year 878. The dispute was born from the Dhalmekians' fierce objections to Sanbreque's occupation of Twinside, capital city of the Crystalline Dominion. However, when the republic finally entered the fray, it found itself sorely outmatched. Cid the Outlaw's destruction of Drake's Fang further weakened their position, and with their homeland in chaos, the Dhalmeks were forced to negotiate a withdrawal. Credit for this turn of events was largely attributed to Olivier Lesage, second-born son of the Holy Emperor, in light of which he was made crown prince of Sanbreque.

The Cursebreakers

Affiliation: The Hideaway

A unit drawn from those of fighting age and martial training among the residents of the hideaway, who conduct operations to liberate Bearers from slavery. Beginning as a loose collection of like-minded individuals in Cid's hideaway who chose to rid themselves of their Bearer brands that they might serve the cause out in the field, the order has greatly expanded both its ranks and its operations since the move to Bennumere—all under Otto's watchful eye.

The Cursebreakers

Affiliation: The Hideaway

A unit drawn from those of fighting age and martial training among the residents of the hideaway, who conduct operations to liberate Bearers from slavery. Beginning in Cid's hideaway, the order has greatly expanded both its ranks and its operations since the move to Bennumere. While Otto manages their activities, day-to-day operations are led by Dorys and Cole. Potential new recruits must undergo rigorous training and pass an induction test before joining the Cursebreakers' ranks.

The Dalimil Inn

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

A literal oasis in the Velkroy—a desert in the western part of Dhalmekia—Dalimil offers goods, food and respite to those travelers who endure the long march through sweltering sands. In particular, the hot spring baths, fed from nearby waters, will not only ease the pains of the road, but are also rumored to cure all manner of ills, from boils and buboes, to the various afflictions to the groin—many of which are like to be contracted at one of Dalimil's many brothels.

The Dalimil Inn

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

A literal oasis, Dalimil offers goods, food and respite to those travelers who make the long march through western Dhalmekia's sweltering Velkroy Desert. Since the fall of Drake's Fang, however, what was once a constant flow of visitors has dried to all but a trickle, leaving the town in dire straits and tensions amongst its citizens high. When faced with a horde of Akashic bandits beating at both their gates, L'ubor, renowned blacksmith, convinced the town guard and its league of merchants to put aside their differences and join hands to fight for their people's survival. For this accomplishment, he earned not only the respect of his peers, but with it the position of mayor, despite being a Bearer.

The Dhalmekian Republic

A nation formed from a federation of five smaller states. It is located in the southern half of the continent of Storm, and has its capital at Ran'dellah. It is also home to the Mothercrystal known as Drake's Fang. There is no official state religion, and citizens are free to worship as they please. Dhalmekia's key political entity is the parliament, which is formed of ministers representing each of the states, with the Prime Minister at its head.

The Dhalmekian Republic

A nation formed from a federation of five smaller states. It is located in the southern half of the continent of Storm, and has its capital at Ran'dellah. Also home to the Mothercrystal known as Drake's Fang, inside which stands Castle Dazbog, home of Hugo Kupka, Dominant of Titan and Warden of Earth.

The Dhalmekian Republic

A nation formed from a federation of five smaller states. It is located in the southern half of the continent of Storm, and has its capital at Ran'dellah. Also home to the Mothercrystal known as Drake's Fang, inside which stands Castle Dazbog, home of Hugo Kupka, Dominant of Titan. Kupka, obsessed with finding Cid and exacting his revenge for the murder of Benedikta Harman, co-opted the soldiers of the realm and had them commit a series of atrocities in an attempt to flush him out of hiding.

The Dhalmekian Republic

A nation formed from a federation of five smaller states. It is located in the southern half of the continent of Storm, and has its capital at Ran'dellah. Having lost both Drake's Fang and the mighty Titan, the political situation in Dhalmekia has deteriorated drastically—the government scrambling to withdraw their troops from the ill-starred siege of the Crystalline Dominion that they might be redeployed to quell the unfolding chaos at home.

The Dhalmekian Republic

A nation formed from a federation of five smaller states. It is located in the southern half of the continent of Storm, and has its capital at Ran'dellah. After the fall of Drake's Fang, a combined force of Akashic soldiers and orcs descended on the capital, and came perilously close to destroying what little order remained. However, thanks to the intervention of Prince Dion Lesage of Sanbreque and his knights dragoon, disaster was averted at the last moment.

The Dim

Once a lush woodland that provided abundant game and charcoal to the residents of Eastpool, recent decades have seen the Blight gradually rob the region of nature's bounty, leaving little but lifeless stone and blackened boughs. Few brave the road north these days save bandits, brigands, and the occasional fool who thinks he might be the one to finally discover an entrance to the Sagespire and claim the fabled treasures within.

The Dim

Once a lush woodland that provided abundant game and charcoal to the residents of Eastpool, recent decades have seen the Blight gradually rob the region of nature's bounty, leaving little but lifeless stone and blackened boughs. Rumor has it that with the Sagespire's recent awakening, ruins in the area have inexplicably flung their gates open, introducing all manner of grim and grotesque creatures into the heretofore abandoned waste.

The Eye of the Tempest

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

A raging vortex born upon Benedikta Harman's descent into madness and loss of control over her Eikon, Garuda. Its power is such that not only are entire villages swept up by its passing, but the very ground beneath it is gouged and disfigured.

The Eye of The Tempest

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

Here once did rage a storm born of a Dominant's madness—a storm within which the Eikons Garuda and Ifrit clashed…and from which only one would emerge. Their struggle saw the landscape razed as holts, farms, and villages that had stood for ages were in but mere moments struck from existence. Now all that remains is a blackened waste somehow even more lifeless than the blighted deadlands.

The Free Cities of Kanver

A federation of neighboring independent city-states located to the southeast of the Dhalmekian Republic. While originally part of Dhalmekia, the cities achieved their independence in the year 857, hoping to step away from the republic's internal struggles and focus instead on the commerce upon which their prosperity had been built. Political power currently resides with a council of guildmasters—prominent Kanverian traders and craftspeople. The lack of a Dominant or a Mothercrystal to covet, along with its considerable financial resources, allows Kanver to retain both its independence and neutrality in the face of considerable turmoil elsewhere. As such, it lacks a standing army, the defense of its walls having been relegated to a small, yet well-trained, city guard.

The Free Cities of Kanver

A federation of neighboring independent city-states located in the southeastern part of the continent of Storm. While originally part of Dhalmekia, the cities achieved their independence in the year 857. Kanver lacks an army of its own, and relies instead on a city guard formed of mercenaries hired by its merchants and tradespeople. Unfortunately, the city guard, and indeed the city itself, were decimated in an attack by Akashic Waloeder troops in 878. Having lost its political leaders and the bulk of its citizenry, the Free Cities ceased at that point to be a nation in any meaningful sense.

The Guardians of the Flame

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

A clandestine group of ducal loyalists who lead the rebellion against the imperial occupation of Rosaria and Empress Anabella. Many of their number are drawn from those who survived the imperial attack on Phoenix Gate in the year 860, who know full well the empire's involvement in the duchy's fall. They make their home in the abandoned Lazarus district outside Port Isolde, from where they conduct their raids to free Bearers from the imperial yoke.

The Guardians of the Flame

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

A clandestine group of ducal loyalists who lead the rebellion against the imperial occupation of Rosaria and Empress Anabella. Many of their number are drawn from those who survived the imperial attack on Phoenix Gate in the year 860, who know full well the empire's involvement in the duchy's fall. After their base in the Lazarus district was lost to an aetherflood, they moved north, continuing their operations to revive the duchy hand in hand with Martha. They finally resettled in Eastpool, where they now labor to revitalize the village hand in hand with the Bearers they and Martha freed.

The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

A nation occupying the northeastern reaches of the continent of Storm, with the great city of Oriflamme as its capital. Sanbreque is the realm's largest theocracy, and home to the Mothercrystal Drake's Head. Under the rule of the holy emperor, the people of Sanbreque enjoy a life of plenty thanks to the crystal's blessing, which they believe to be a gift from the goddess Greagor Herself.

The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

A nation occupying the northeastern reaches of the continent of Storm. Sanbreque is home to the Mothercrystal known as Drake's Head, at whose foot stands the Holy Capital of Oriflamme. The empire has been at war with the Kingdom of Waloed—situated just across the Strait of Autha—ever since the Battle of the Twin Realms in 865, and judging by their clash at Belenus Tor in 873, neither side shows any sign of backing down.

The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

A nation occupying the northeastern reaches of the continent of Storm, with the great city of Oriflamme as its capital. Political power in the empire technically resides with the five cardinals, but even they are bound to the whims of the holy emperor in those manners of state in which he takes interest. In the year 860, at Emperor Sylvestre's behest, the cardinals agreed upon a plan to "liberate" Rosaria from the marauding forces of the Iron Kingdom, after which the duchy had little choice but to bend the knee and become an imperial province.

The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

A nation occupying the northeastern reaches of the continent of Storm, with the great city of Oriflamme as its capital. Sanbreque is the realm's largest theocracy, and home to the Mothercrystal Drake's Head. The empire is ruled by the holy emperor—the one true goddess made flesh, according to the Greagorian faith—who is served unquestioningly by the sworn knights of the blessed dragon, known more commonly as the dragoons.

The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

A nation occupying the northeastern reaches of the continent of Storm. After suffering the ignominy of losing Drake's Head to an audacious assault by the outlaw Cid in 873, the empire set its sights on the Mothercrystal of its nearest neighbor, the Crystalline Dominion. Sanbreque's legions duly stormed the historically neutral territory, and installed the imperial capital at Twinside. This brazen act of conquest sent shockwaves across Valisthea, and heightened the already considerable tension between the empire and the Dhalmekian Republic.

The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

A nation occupying the northeastern reaches of the continent of Storm, with Twinside as its capital. Apparently not content with the upheaval caused by removing his court to the recently seized Crystalline Dominion, Sylvestre Lesage chose to compound the uncertainty by installing his second son, Olivier, as holy emperor while still a child.

The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

A nation occupying the northeastern reaches of the continent of Storm. After its administrative capital moved to Twinside in the neighboring Crystalline Dominion in the year 873, an insurgency led by Prince Dion Lesage upended the political and military order, spreading unrest and disruption across the land. This disruption was further worsened when Ultima unleashed Primogenesis, obliterating Twinside, and plunging the realm yet deeper into chaos.

The Holy Knights Dragoon

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

Elite troops of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, led by Prince Dion Lesage. Drawn largely from the nobility of the realm, their status as knights of the sacred dragon affords them still higher standing in the eyes of the people. In the Battle of the Borderlands in 873, as in so many conflicts down the years, they proudly led the charge as the empire entered the fray.

The Holy Knights Dragoon

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

Elite troops of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, led by Prince Dion Lesage. Drawn largely from the nobility of the realm, their status as knights of the sacred dragon affords them still higher standing in the eyes of the people. In the Battle of the Borderlands in 873, as in so many conflicts down the years, they proudly led the charge as the empire entered the fray. However, Prince Dion's opposition to the machinations of the Holy Empress Anabella spurred the dragoons to rise up against their emperor in an insurgency which saw them fall suddenly and decisively from grace.

The Grand Duchy of Rosaria

A nation occupying the western reaches of the continent of Storm, with Rosalith as its capital. Rosaria was orignally formed from a collection of smaller dominions, all of which now stand united under the banner of Archduke Elwin Rosfield. Not possessing a Mothercrystal of its own, the duchy has long been locked in bitter conflict with the Iron Kingdom over possession of Drake's Breath, which lies still further to the west, in the midst of the Boiling Sea.

The Imperial Province of Rosaria

A nation occupying the western reaches of the continent of Storm, with Rosalith as its capital. When the duchy was left leaderless in the aftermath of the attack on Phoenix Gate in the year 860, the Ironblood seized the opportunity to attack the capital. Their campaign did not last long, however, as the Holy Empire of Sanbreque soon returned in full force to stake its own claim, leaving the once-proud duchy no choice but to submit and become an imperial vassal state.

The Imperial Province of Rosaria

The lands comprising the western reaches of the continent of Storm. Formerly known as the Grand Duchy of Rosaria, it became an imperial province after its annexation by the Holy Empire of Sanbreque in the year 861. Anabella Lesage, once Duchess of Rosaria and now Empress of Sanbreque, was granted stewardship of her former home and the title of vicereine, a role she embraced with sadistic relish, enacting a regime of crippling taxation and constant surveillance, along with renewed persecution of the Bearer population.

The Imperial Province of Rosaria

A nation formerly known as the Grand Duchy of Rosaria, occupying the western reaches of the continent of Storm. With the fall of Drake's Breath, life for the people of Rosaria grew steadily more difficult, and countless thousands were forced to seek refuge in and around the country's already overcrowded cities. Then, in 878, Hugo Kupka's forces invaded, piling further misery on the downtrodden populace, but loosening the empire's grip somewhat in the process.

The Imperial Province of Rosaria

A nation formerly known as the Grand Duchy of Rosaria, occupying the western reaches of the continent of Storm. While Rosaria has been a vassal state of the empire for nigh on two decades, the uprising in Twinside led by Prince Dion Lesage and his loyal dragoons, and subsequent death of both holy emperor and empress in the year 878, has left Sanbreque with barely the wherewithal to rule itself, rendering the erstwhile dukedom a subject of the empire in name and little else.

The Interdimensional Rift

A place beyond space and time—termed both a "rift between worlds" and "our darkness" by its creator, Ultima. Clive and Joshua were forcibly summoned here by the mad deity that they might reflect upon their transgressions.

The Interdimensional Rift

A place beyond space and time—termed both a "rift between worlds" and "our darkness" by its creator, Ultima. Clive and Joshua were forcibly summoned here by the mad deity when they ventured too close to the heart of Drake's Spine. Upon fighting their way free, the pair emerged to find that their victory over Ultima had resulted in the shattering of the Mothercrystal.

The Iron Kingdom

Also known in the local tongue as Haearann, the Iron Kingdom is an archipelago nation situated off the west coast of Storm, with its capital at Creag Loisgte. The Mothercrystal, Drake's Breath, rises from a volcanic island situated just within…or without…its borders (depending on whom you ask), and has been the subject of long-standing conflict between the Ironblood and the neighboring Duchy of Rosaria. The Iron Kingdom's inhabitants shun any contact with outsiders, which has given rise to a unique, if largely inward-looking, culture.

The Iron Kingdom

An archipelago nation situated off the west coast of Storm, with its capital at Creag Loisgte. The Mothercrystal, Drake's Breath, rises from a volcanic island situated just within its borders, and is worshipped as a god, just as the state religion—the Crystalline Orthodox—dictates. This same religion decrees the use of magic to be anathema, and the Bearers and Dominants who use it to be sinful aberrations, leading to even greater discrimination than that suffered by their brethren on the mainland. Given their stated desire to control all the Mothers, the Ironblood's attitude to other nations is one of indelible antagonism.

The Iron Kingdom

An archipelago nation situated off the west coast of Storm, with its capital at Creag Loisgte. Despite being nominally a monarchy, the Patriarch, the most powerful priest of the Crystalline Orthodoxy, is in truth the most powerful person in the kingdom. He rules from the isle of Beinn Leodladh—more commonly known in Storm as Mt. Drustanus—on which sits the Mothercrystal, Drake's Breath, focal point of the faith. Here, countless Bearers kidnapped from their homes in Storm and Ash are made to suffer in the name of a religion which deems them less than human.

The Iron Kingdom

An island nation situated off the west coast of torm, with its capital at Creag Loisgte. In the year 878, its Mothercrystal, Drake's Breath, was destroyed in an attack launched by Cid the Outlaw. The loss of the crystal, and of the Patriarch—chief of the priests who served it—plunged the kingdom into chaos, leaving this monarchy wanting for a leader beyond its politically impotent royalty.

The Kingdom of Waloed

The sole surviving nation in Ash. Waloed has its capital at Stonhyrr, home to the Mothercrystal of Drake's Spine. A warlike land, its considerable military might serves to keep neighboring countries at bay. While Waloed does maintain a notional alliance with the Dhalmekian Republic in southern Storm, it is very much a marriage of convenience.

The Kingdom of Waloed

The sole surviving nation in Ash. Waloed has its capital at Stonhyrr, home to the Mothercrystal of Drake's Spine. A warlike land, its considerable military might serves to keep neighboring countries at bay. Not all are deterred, however, and the constant need to fight off hordes of beastmen prevents the royalists from launching a full incursion into Storm.

The Kingdom of Waloed

The sole surviving nation in Ash. Waloed has its capital at Stonhyrr, home to the Mothercrystal of Drake's Spine. Its ruler Barnabas Tharmr, Dominant of Odin and Warden of Darkness, recently dispatched units of intelligencers to Storm with orders to scout ahead prior to a full-scale invasion. Having ceded territory to the Holy Empire of Sanbreque in the Battle of the Twin Realms in the year 865, the Waloeders launched an attack on Belenus Tor in 873 with the intent of regaining their lost foothold on the continent across the Strait.

The Kingdom of Waloed

The sole surviving nation in Ash. Waloed has its capital at Stonhyrr, home to the Mothercrystal of Drake's Spine. It is ruled over by Barnabas Tharmr, Dominant of Odin and Warden of Darkness, who has long harbored ambitions of extending his reach into the neighboring continent of Storm. Somewhat surprisingly the Sanbrequois Empire's incursion into the Crystalline Dominion prompted no immediate response from the king, who appears to be biding time and considering his next move.

The Kingdom of Waloed

The sole surviving nation in Ash. Waloed has its capital at Stonhyrr, home to the Mothercrystal of Drake's Spine. It is ruled over by Barnabas Tharmr, Dominant of Odin and Warden of Darkness, who has somehow managed to bring the hordes of marauding beastmen that once plagued his lands to heel, and persuaded them to direct their aggression at his enemies instead. These bloodthirsty forces have been deployed as far afield as Drake's Fang, in the Dhalmekian Republic.

The Kingdom of Waloed

The sole surviving nation in Ash. Waloed has its capital at Stonhyrr, home to the Mothercrystal of Drake's Spine. It is ruled over by Barnabas Tharmr, Dominant of Odin and Warden of Darkness, who—it transpires—has formed an alliance with the mysterious being known as Ultima.

The Kingdom of Waloed

The sole surviving nation in Ash. Waloed has its capital at Stonhyrr, home to the Mothercrystal of Drake's Spine. It is ruled over by Barnabas Tharmr, Dominant of Odin and Warden of Darkness, who—it transpires—has formed an alliance with the mysterious being known as Ultima. After Ultima brought about Primogenesis, Tharmr's combined force of Akashic soldiers and beastmen was deployed across Valisthea, tasked with sowing chaos and mayhem.

The Kingdom of Waloed

The sole surviving nation in Ash. Shortly after the death of Barnabas Tharmr—scion of Dzemekys and catspaw of Ultima—Drake's Spine was shattered, leaving the capital of Stonhyrr without Mothercrystal and king.

The Lazarus District

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

An exclusive walled residential area situated just outside the eastern edge of Port Isolde. It was once the jewel in the city's crown, and home to many of the nobles of the duchy. However, after the empire moved its capital to the Crystalline Dominion, Port Isolde was all but abandoned, and this once-grand district was soon overrun with thieves and cutthroats.

The Lazarus District

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

An exclusive walled residential area situated just outside the eastern edge of Port Isolde. It was once the jewel in the city's crown, and home to many of the nobles of the duchy. After the empire moved its capital to the Crystalline Dominion, this once-grand district was soon overrun with what appeared to many as thieves and cutthroats, but were in fact a band of ducal revolutionaries known as the Guardians of the Flame. Their occupation, however, came to an abrupt end at the hand of an aetherflood.

The Lost Cloak

The towering cliffs that stretch along the border between Sanbreque and the northern territories[Northern Territories] are known as the Lost Cloak, the Giant's Cloak, or simply the Cloak, and earn their name from their appearance—that of a mantle draped over the shoulders of a mighty titan.

The Lost Cloak

Affiliation: Mysidia

The towering cliffs that stretch along the border between Sanbreque and the northern territories[Northern Territories] are known as the Lost Cloak, the Giant's Cloak, or simply the Cloak, and earn their name from their appearance—that of a mantle draped over the shoulders of a mighty titan. For nearly a century, the region has been enshrouded in a magical glamour, making it appear simply another atretch of empty deadlands and discouraging all from approach.

The Men of the Rock

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

Hugo Kupka's personal guard. On Kupka's orders, they ruthlessly gutted and destroyed Cid's original hideaway—vengeance for the brutal beheading of Benedikta Harman. But Kupka's thirst for revenge is not yet slaked, and it is with reckless abandon that he employs his minions to commit atrocities across the realm in a bid to drive Cid from hiding.

The Men of the Rock

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

A private army under the command of Hugo Kupka. Originally employed by the Dhalmekian parliament to guard Drake's Fang, the bulk of the force was co-opted by Kupka when he seized control of the Mothercrystal, and has served him and only him ever since. Most Men of the Rock idolize their commander for his political and financial achievements. After all, few can claim to have been made Permanent Economic Advisor to the Dhalmekian parliament and built a wealth worthy of several generations in a single lifetime.

The Men of the Rock

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

A private army under the command of Hugo Kupka. Originally employed to guard Drake's Fang, the bulk of the force was co-opted by Kupka when he seized control of the Mothercrystal, and has served him and only him since. After Kupka's death, his forces scattered, largely returning to the countryside where many now engage in banditry.

The Northern Territories

A bitterly cold region in the northern reaches of the continent of Storm. It was originally home to the Mothercrystal known as Drake's Eye, around which a series of small nations sprang up—nations whose belligerence proved troublesome for Rosaria over the centuries. In time, however, the Mothercrystal's power dwindled, and with it, the power of these warlike nations. With the Blight encroaching on their territory ever more, the remaining tribes were united and pacified by Archduke Elwin Rosfield of Rosaria in the year 854.

The Northern Territories

A bitterly cold corner of Storm's most northerly reaches. The loose collection of nations that sprang up around the region's erstwhile Mothercrystal—Drake's Eye—were united and pacified by Archduke Elwin Rosfield of Rosaria in the year 854. However, in the years following Rosaria's annexation by the empire, a combination of both the Blight's inexorable advance and Sanbreque's lack of interest in the territories has only worked to quicken the area's destabilization.

The Northern Territories

Once a loose collection of nations that sprang up around this region's Mothercrystal, Drake's Eye, but in the four score years following the Mothercrystal's fall, a combination of both the Blight's inexorable advance and war with neighboring Rosaria worked to quicken the area's destabilization, and now only a handful of hardy survivors remain. While most of the north has regressed into a lifeless wasteland, a small corner situated on the western shores of Oillepheist Bay, known as Mysidia, remains untouched, albeit hidden by a powerful magic glamour maintained by the villagers who reside beneath the pall.

The Northern Territories

Once home to a handful of small but proud nations, the northern reaches of Storm are now almost entirely lost to the Blight—her people forced from their ancestral homes to find refuges in Valisthea's more hospitable climes. The region's downfall can be attributed to the fall of its only Mothercrystal, Drake's Eye, some four score years past. While a last-ditch attempt was made to save the crystal by having Shiva's Dominant freeze it in time, her efforts ended in failure. The ruling thegns turned their eyes south to Rosaria for a new source of power—and while their first forays were met with success, they proved no match for the might of the duchy, and were ultimately pacified by Archduke Elwin Rosfield's armies.

The Republican Parliament

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

The highest council of government of the Republic of Dhalmekia. Seven ministers are responsible for ruling the nation—though their will is often molded to that of their permanent economic advisor, Hugo Kupka, who leverages his power as the Dominant of Titan to shape the republic's policy.

The Republican Parliament

Affiliation: The Dhalmekian Republic

The highest council of government of the Republic of Dhalmekia. Seven ministers are responsible for ruling the nation. After the death of Hugo Kupka and destruction of Drake's Fang, the republic descended into chaos, and it fell to the ministers to pick up the pieces of their crumbling country.

The Royal Intelligencers

Affiliation: The Kingdom of Waloed

An elite unit of the Royal Knights of Waloed led by Benedikta Harman, who lead clandestine incursions deep into the territory of enemy nations for myriad purposes—espionage and assassination chief among them.

The Royal Intelligencers

Affiliation: The Kingdom of Waloed

An elite unit of the Royal Knights of Waloed led by Benedikta Harman, who lead clandestine incursions deep into the territory of enemy nations. Unlike Waloed's main battlefield forces, whose orders are usually issued by their Lord Commander, the Intelligencers reported directly to the king—or at least, they did, until their dissolution in the aftermath of Cid and Clive's surprise attack on Caer Norvent.

The Royal Knights of Waloed

Affiliation: The Kingdom of Waloed

The kingdom of Waloed's main battlefield forces, also known as the Kingsguard. While they ultimately answer to King Barnabas, the Knights' orders are usually issued by their Lord Commander. The Royal Intelligencers—a special unit led by Benedikta Harman, Dominant of Garuda—are a notable exception to this rule, reporting as they do directly to the king.

The Royal Knights of Waloed

Affiliation: The Kingdom of Waloed

The kingdom of Waloed's main battlefield forces, also known as the Kingsguard. At Ultima's instruction, King Barnabas supplemented his ranks with orcs, creating a hybrid force which he duly dispatched to wreak havoc across Valisthea. Even after Barnabas's death, the chaos Ultima had sown with the casting of Primogenesis continued to spread, dooming the better part of the late king's army to end their days as mindless Akashic thralls.

The Sagespire

Another ageless relic of the Fallen, the Sagespire has loomed dark on the northern Rosarian horizon for as long as anyone can remember. Local legends about the tower being haunted abound, and as such, the remote upland moors upon which the tower stands remain largely uninhabited to this day, despite having been yet claimed by the Blight. Over the years, myriad attempts to find an entrance to the ruins have ended in failure, but that does not necessarily mean that someone—or some three—has not already stumbled across a means inside.

The Sagespire

After centuries of slumber, the Sagespire has awoken, albeit for reasons unknown. An early survey of its interior suggests the tower is indeed the source of the realm's dusk crystals, the specimens seemingly growing from the walls in large, uncontrolled clusters. Also identified is what appears to be a crystalline "heart", set high upon a central dais. Most disturbingly, however, the tower seems to exhibit a manner of sentience, reacting to those who cross the tower's threshold and speaking to them in a language that is both at once uncomfortably similar and utterly foreign.

The Sagespire

A cursory analysis of vocal records discovered in the tower suggests that the Sagespire was a facility dedicated to the mass production of artificial crystal. Even after the facility was abandoned following the tragedy at Dzemekys, the remaining specimens continued to slowly grow until the destruction of the spire's heart emitted a sudden discharge of discordant resonance that led to the shattering and dissipation of all nearby dusk crystals.

The Sagespire

While the main function of the Sagespire was the mass production of artificial crystal, the Fallen facility also appears to have been used in the Magitek repurposing and weaponization of byproducts from the crystallization process. The site was evacuated and sealed during Ultima's assault on Dzemekys, with tower security and maintenance duties relegated to Echo-like automata—tireless machines that stalk the spire's ivory halls to this day.

The Sins of Dzemekys

An incident told of in myths and legends throughout Valisthea. If the tales are to be believed, mankind, drunk with avarice, thought to challenge the gods, and in return for his hubris, was met with divine retribution. The enormous crater in Dhalmekia said to have been the site of the final battle of this great conflict is surrounded by relics and ruins which would seem to suggest some truth behind the tales.

The Surge

Affiliation: Mysidia

A towering wave, seemingly frozen in time for the past eighty years. Due to its sudden appearance off Mysidia's Cape Nepto immediately following the fall of Drake's Eye, scholars generally presume the two occurances[occurrences] are related. If Shula, Tributary of the Motes of Water, is to be believed, however, the wave was not only summoned by Leviathan the Lost, but that the Eikon's Dominant still slumbers within it.

The Surge

Affiliation: Mysidia

A towering wave, seemingly frozen in time for the past eighty years. Due to its sudden appearance off Mysidia's Cape Nepto immediately following the fall of Drake's Eye, scholars generally presume the two occurances[occurrences] are related. According to Shula, Tributary of the Motes of Water, the wave was not only summoned by Leviathan the Lost, but that the Eikon's Dominant lies trapped within—victim of a terrible ritual that sought to harness his power.

The Surge

Affiliation: Mysidia

A towering wave, seemingly frozen in time for the past eighty years. It was summoned by the Eikon of Water, Leviathan, when the Motes of Water sought to sacrifice the baby Waljas—Leviathan's newborn Dominant—in an attempt to create their own Mothercrystal. Before the wave could swallow Mysidia, the Motes cast a counterspell to stop time, effectively freezing both water and child, but damning poor Waljas to an endless slumber.

The Surge

Affiliation: Mysidia

A towering wave, seemingly frozen in time for the past eighty years. It was summoned by the Eikon of Water, Leviathan, when the Motes of Water sought to sacrifice the baby Waljas—Leviathan's newborn Dominant—in an attempt to create their own Mothercrystal. Before the wave could swallow Mysidia, the Motes cast a counterspell to stop time, effectively freezing both water and child.

The Surge

Affiliation: Mysidia

A towering wave, seemingly frozen in time for the past eighty years. It was summoned by the Eikon of Water, Leviathan, when the Motes of Water sought to sacrifice the baby Waljas—Leviathan's newborn Dominant—in an attempt to create their own Mothercrystal. Before the wave could swallow Mysidia, the Motes cast a counterspell to stop time, effectively freezing both water and child. Waljas has since been freed from his temporal bonds, but the spell remains active, focused on the Surge for fear of what might happen to Mysidia should the wave be released.

The Undying

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

A secretive order who serve the lords of Rosaria from the shadows. They revere the mighty Phoenix and its Dominant, and once presided over the rites of Ancestral Communion at Phoenix Gate. Few outside the order know of its existence—even among the highest ranking members of Rosarian nobility. And to this very day, with Rosaria reduced to a mere imperial province, they continue to serve the rightful Keeper of the Flame—His Grace Joshua Rosfield.

The Undying

Affiliation: The Imperial Province of Rosaria

A secretive order who serve the lords of Rosaria from the shadows. They revere the mighty Phoenix and its Dominant, and once presided over the rites of Ancestral Communion at Phoenix Gate. Few outside the order know of its existence—even among the highest ranking members of Rosarian nobility. Their loyalty to His Grace Joshua Rosfield is absolute, and none among them would hesitate to lay down their lives for his sake. At his command, their efforts are currently devoted to uncovering the truth behind the mysterious being known as Ultima.

The Veil

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

Northreach's premiere[premier] house of companionship. While it is frequented mainly by Sanbreque's nobility and military, Lady Isabelle welcomes all with the desire—and the coin—to partake of the pleasures her skilled "courtesans" and "courtiers" offer. Few establishments in the empire are as well-loved, or as oft-visited.

The Veil

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

The Veil's owner and proprietor, Isabelle, has long sought to provide her unique brand of succor to all who seek it, and as such, she welcomes into her halls those from all walks of life, be they noble or lowborn, serf or soldier. This hospitality extends to even the exiled Motes of Water. Showing sympathy with their plight, the Dame happily offers what assistance she can, be it aid, protection, or employment.

The Viceregency

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

After the incorporation of Rosaria into the empire, Emperor Sylvestre elected not to rule the new province directly, but to make of it a viceregency with Rosalith as its provincial capital.

The Viceregency

Affiliation: The Holy Empire of Sanbreque

The imperial province incorporating the lands that were once Rosaria, ruled over by Anabella, former Duchess of Rosaria. One of her first acts as vicereine was to institute a new order of knights—the Black Shields—who were dispatched to every corner of the province to "maintain order." They would later come to serve as her personal army, settling her grievances against Bearers and ducal loyalists.

Valisthea

A realm comprising the twin continents of Storm and Ash, over which the Mothercrystals stand timeless vigil. At the foot of each, great cities have risen up over the eons, and around them, powerful nations. Though the land has been blessed with the light of magic since time immemorial, in recent years, a creeping blackness has begun to gnaw at its borders—the Blight.

Valisthea

A realm comprising the twin continents of Storm and Ash, over which the Mothercrystals stand timeless vigil. Timeless, that is, until Cid and his disciples commenced their campaign to bring each one—starting with Drake's Head—crashing down, spreading chaos and confusion throughout the great cities and nations of Valisthea.

Valisthea

A realm comprising the twin continents of Storm and Ash, over which the Mothercrystals stand timeless vigil. Timeless, that is, until Cid and his disciples commenced their campaign to bring each one crashing down, spreading chaos and confusion to every corner of the land. When ill-omened clouds summoned by Ultima gathered over Valisthea, the delicate balance governing the magic-yielding power of aether was finally shattered, and the realm was changed forever.

Valisthea

A realm comprising the twin continents of Storm and Ash, over which the Mothercrystals once stood vigil. Countless eons ago, Ultima arrived here, fleeing the Blight that devoured his own homeland, and resolved to rebuild the world and usher in a new and final age of pure reason. It was he who placed the Mothercrystals in each corner of the land that they might harvest the aether he needed to achieve this end.