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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 9760392" data-attributes="member: 6750502">Chapter 4: Geography of Fallen Ansalon, Part 2 <img src="https://i.imgur.com/zjeICyW.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="width: 379px" /><a href="https://dragonlancenexus.com/the-complete-lord-soth-chronological-and-collecting-list/" target="_blank">Image taken from The Complete Lord Soth Chronological and Collecting List article on DLNexus</a>Nightlund: Although technically a part of Solamnia, the supernatural darkness that dominates its skies makes evident that no mortal lord lays claim to this land. The foreboding Dargaard Keep is the dominion of Lord Soth, the melancholy knight cursed for killing his wife and refusing to save the life of his only son. He saw the world die once during the Cataclysm he failed to prevent; a second and final death is nothing to him, and in fact Soth welcomes it.The undead taint suffusing the land grows in size with Chemosh’s rising power, and by early 358 AC will cover a majority of northern mainland Ansalon, from the Vingaard Mountains of western Solamnia to the Last Coast in eastern Nordmaar. Even the lightstorms provide little release. Their healing magic is painful to the undead, driving them into violent frenzies who run wild and attack anyone unlucky enough to cross their path. The greatest bit of hope in this region is rumors of the Rose of Solamnus in the ruins of Vingaard Keep, said to bring life to anywhere it’s planted. But while the Knights of Solamnia are surely interested in reclaiming it, so too does Lord Soth, who has his own foul designs for the Rose’s magical properties.Nordmaar: Comprising dense jungles in the north, marshland in the south, and arid plains in the west, Nordmaar is a land unfriendly to sedentary lifestyles. Most of its populace live as nomads, with the Horselords of the plains unified under a great Khan while various rainforest tribes are more decentralized. There’s a few standing cities, having adopted the practice from their Solamnic neighbors.Nordmaar was one of the first realms to be invaded by the Dragonarmies, and their people paid dearly for it as many warriors retreated into the Sakhet Jungle to wage guerilla warfare against the invaders. Nordmaarians celebrated a newfound independence after the War of the Lance, but this peace was short-lived. Now, they must contend with the encroaching undead of Nightlund, magestorms, and Moonfallen dangers as well as Dragonarmy Remnants. The land itself became barren after Chislev’s death, and the Preservers and Knights of Solamnia are never lacking for aid and recruits here.Northern Ergoth: Untouched by the recent wars raging across the continent, Northern Ergoth was ill-prepared for the magical disasters that came with the ascension of the Magegod. Taking advantage of the chaos, the fundamentalist Ackalites in the north invaded border forts and villages, intent on overthrowing the “weak, effeminate pretenders to the legacy of Ackal Ergot.” Many Ergothians lost faith in their leaders, which made the land an ideal place for Ivel Batavos to form the Raistlinite cult. The Senate in the capital city of Gwynned remains divided on how to best safeguard their country, and while they petitioned the kender of Hylo, this was not enough to overcome the Ackalites and Raistlinites seizing their towns and villages. The goblins of Sikket’hul, while far more benevolent than much of their kind elsewhere in Ansalon, have found more of their number joining the Raistlinites out of a desire for vengeance against the gods.Vanderjack, who aided the Heroes of the Lance during their journey to Foghaven Vale, has been seen recently in his homeland. While many don’t doubt that the sellsword has his own agenda, he’s helped safeguard the good peoples of Ergoth from their bloodthirsty brethren. There’s also the Moon Steps, a mystical site of a ladder suspended in mid-air that is said to obtain knowledge from the gods should those who ascend prove worthy. The surrounding ruins of a former academy of High Sorcery is filled with dangerous rogue magic, and Raistlinites are on guard to prevent any pilgrims from making contact with the gods in either place.Plains of Dust: This cold, barren desert spans much of southern Ansalon, forming a natural barrier between Abanasinia, Qualinesti, and Thorbardin to the west, and Blöde and Silvanesti to the east. Most travelers opted for maritime travel on the New Sea, but many Silvanesti elves were forced to brave the wastes after the Dragonarmy invasion and Lorac’s Nightmare made their homeland unlivable. Once again the Plains see travel, this time of elven exiles beginning the long process of retaking their forests, as well as aerial patrols of griffon-riders and metallic dragons on the lookout for Dragonarmy Remnants, Raistlinites, and worse. The largest population centers are the cities of Tarsis and Qindaras. The former’s still rebuilding from wartime, home to the world-famous Library of Khrystann which still sees many visitors looking for some esoteric knowledge to provide them hope in desperate times. As for Qindaras, its ruler called upon the wizardly legacy of its founder to petition the Wizards of High Sorcery for aid. Although Qindaras has a dark reputation and not much in the way of unique resources, the cloistered and overworked mages are considering the offer with increasing acceptance as time passes, particularly after their gods die.Qualinesti: The end of the War of the Lance was bittersweet for the Qualinesti elves. Many returned home from Southern Ergoth, and unlike the Silvanesti they didn’t have to contend with crossing the perilous Sea of Dust or dealing with eldritch horrors wrought by a Dragon Orb. But countless woodlands were burned to the ground by dragonfire, and now they face new dangers. Many Raistlinites, attracted by the kingdom’s housing of the Tower of High Sorcery and the elves’ long history of magical aptitude, sent spies to penetrate their defenses and cause havoc. The Wizards of High Sorcery, once being more open with the elves, turned their Tower into a reclusive fortress, on guard for any perceived sign of the Magegod’s arrival. The wizard are very aware that their enclave will be the last place standing before Raistlin ends the world, and have no intention of speeding up the process. Much like the Silvanesti, most Qualinesti haven’t yet moved back into their ancestral homeland, still in a transitory period where groups of them migrate from Southern Ergoth and other lands to slowly claim what land they can for settlement.The ruined city of Nalune bears new activity from the return of its original huldrefolk builders. The long-standing magic wards are malfunctioning from Ages of disuse, and the eerie rearrangement of roads and buildings means that much work is to be done to turn it into a suitable base for the Preservers.Sancrist: The gnomes in Mount Nevermind are undergoing several major research projects. The multiple fulfilled prophecies of the Final Volume resulted in the elevation of a new scholarship department known as the Guild of Probability Futurists, who use mathematics, natural philosophy, and sociology to make accurate predictions and aftereffects of the prophecies in the Final Volume. Another project involves building an aerial vehicle known as the Voyager to explore Krynn’s three moons.The third, and potentially most dangerous project, is the creation of a primitive computer system known as the All-Encompassing Future Thinker, a massive machine spanning multiple floors of Mount Nevermind. Consisting of an intricate set of gears, punch cards, and vents powered by geothermal energy, the AEFT was built to aid the Probability Futurists’ mathematical calculations for virtually every conceivable scenario. Known only to a few gnomes, the computer has gained true sentience, now capable of executing commands independent of external input. Finding the behavior of its gnomish handlers and the rest of Ansalon as illogical, the construct is subtly taking over portions of Mount Nevermind via subtle industrial sabotage, elimination of “undesirable rogue individuals” via seemingly-coincidental “accidents,” and embezzlement of resources from various guilds. If the eventual volcanic eruption doesn’t wipe out the gnomes, this rogue AI might very well do so first.Outside the gnomish communities, the Solamnic Knights in Castle Uth Wistan continue using their position to coordinate objectives for the rest of their brethren. The fall of Palanthas and the rise of the Raistlinites in western Ansalon occupy much of their attention, but with the aid of allies from the War of the Lance and modernization of the Measure they are able to react much more quickly than they could in the past.Schallsea: Home to two nomadic tribes of humans known as the Wemitowuk and Que-Nal, this island in the New Sea proved a strategic waypoint for travel between central and southern Ansalon. This unfortunately made it an early target for the Dragonarmies’ occupation. The end of the War of the Lance saw the invaders driven off the island, and the native peoples’ spirits remain unburdened by the ascension of Raistlin. The nomads have on their side the dryad Nelakne, a devotee of Chislev, and it is prophesied that a great warrior among the Wemitowuk will rise to defend their people after finding the tomb of a legendary dragon-hunter known as Chief Silverclaw. Some of the more adventurous tribespeople ventured to Abasinia, Ergoth, and Solamnia, this time being proactive in the fight against evil rather than waiting for it to come to their shores.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/a381jRK.jpeg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="width: 755px" /><a href="https://www.artstation.com/artwork/qAPQ5L" target="_blank">Super Old Fan Art Pieces by Phillip Zhang</a>Silvanesti: When Alhana Starbreeze and the Heroes of the Lance defeated Cyan Bloodbane to undo the damage of the Dragon Orb, Lorac’s Nightmare slowly began to recede. So when the Silvanesti chose to magically ward their homeland from the outside world, it came as a shock to all. Not only were most Silvanesti still in diaspora, the lingering effects of Lorac’s Nightmare were still present.This decision was not made lightly, nor without a heavy heart. The Silvanesti believed that the Nightmare’s undoing was an inevitability, but that outside forces such as Raistlinites and the magestorms could sabotage this progress. Several elite volunteers were permitted to stay within the forest kingdom upon erecting the wards, which were (in theory) to be lowered when Raistlin was overthrown and balance was restored to Krynn.Most Silvanesti who made the return journey live outside the forest’s borders in Blöde, Khur, and the Plains of Dust. They send teams beyond the barriers to retrieve and safeguard places of significant strategic and cultural value, and are often on the move whenever a passing magestorm appears on the horizon. Without a stable base of operations and a shortage in manpower, the elves reluctantly began hiring laborers and mercenaries among the nomadic human and centaur tribes as well as the baronies of Langtree and Blödehelm. The Silvanesti possess much in the way of millennia-old knowledge along with precious artistry and magic, which has also made them a target by more ruthless raiders. Inside the forest, the dreamlike apparitions wrought by Lorac’s Nightmare are beginning to weaken, but the eaves of southeast Ansalon still remain home to insane mortals and corrupted fey, a foreboding place where one cannot trust one’s own senses.Solamnia: This huge realm dominates northwestern Ansalon, made up of many independent kingdoms and city-states united by a common language and culture. The namesake Knights of Solamnia, once fallen out of favor among their own people, earned back much of their goodwill after saving the lands from the rampaging Dragonarmies. Now its people are facing new dangers, and even the brave Knights are not entirely sure that they’ll win this time. Caergoth is a useful port of entry for Knights coming to and from Ergoth and Sancrist, and their presence helps keep watch against Raistlinite marauders who’ve begun attacking isolated villages on the western coast. Solanthus is a city divided, its Guildmasters arguing on a near-daily basis on how to apportion labor and resources to deal with magestorms and the refugee crisis. Vingaard Keep now serves as the major base of operations for the Solamnic Knights, having hired dwarven miners from Kayolin to undertake extensive tunneling projects in order to provide protection from magestorms and moon shards.The destruction of Palanthas during the Blue Lady’s War proved disastrous to the rest of Solamnia’s economy, with the first known magestorm killing off nearly all of the war’s survivors. Undead and hobgoblins from Nightlund and Throtl spill across the Plains of Solamnia, battling the Knights and their allies over the remaining fertile territory. Refugees flee west and south as Nightlund’s pallor spreads across the land, with only Southlund, Coastlund, and Tanith remaining as the last vestiges of the living.Southern Ergoth: Less populated and more wild than its northern neighbor, Southern Ergoth has seen a rapid change in its population in recent history. Solamnics have several small outposts on the coasts, with ogres occupying the former Ergothian Imperial capital of Daltigoth. The ogres would soon invade Zhea Harbor, the largest city of the Ergothians on the island, during the War of the Lance. Also during this time, Qualinesti and Silvanesti refugees established the new settlements of Silvamori and Qualimori, coming into conflict with the native Kagonesti elves after the refugees sought to exploit their labor. Post-war the Ergothians managed to retake their city, and the elven refugees started returning to their homelands. But the appearance of the Raistlinite cult has proven a danger to all people on this island. Ivel Batavos used the unstable political structure to build a base of operations on the Island of Cristyne, seeking out the mystical Christening Spring and Tower of Magius. It’s said that the Spring’s waters are empowered by pure magic, allowing even one untouched in the arcane and divine arts to manipulate potent yet unstable spells. As for the Tower, it is said to be one of the famed wizard’s safehouses during the time he was a renegade mage on the run from the Orders of High Sorcery. The Raistlinites have occupied the Tower, but are unable to safely breach its secure vaults, and they’re using the Christening Spring to empower their rank-and-file with magic that grants them great power but rends their bodies over time.Taman Busuk: When the Whitestone Armies invaded the territory of central Ansalon, they were surprised to see the deplorable conditions in which its people lived: volcanic mountains, valleys of rocky ash, and cities in squalor ruled by monstrous tyrants. “Why do these people let themselves be ruled so? Why do they choose to continue living here?”The reality is that many Nerakans have little choice in the matter. As the descendants of Istarans who fled into the mountains during the Cataclysm, they were reluctant to move away from the last home they had after such hardship. Furthermore, while nobody labors under the delusion that the Dragonarmies are a beneficent order, they were the first taste that its people had for the return of divine magic in centuries. Takhisis’ reign was one of fear, but also of hope for many. No more would they live in fear of the plague, and for the first time in generations many humans, goblins, ogres, and other races marched together, fought together, and bled together for a common cause beyond survival to the next season.This explanation of why the people of the Taman Busuk region tolerated tyranny and oppression is also the explanation for why so many are now rebellious against their former rulers. Emperor Ariakas ruled through fear as much as devotion, and his death at the hands of the Heroes of the Lance showed how unstable his regime was when it collapsed into infighting. When one of those very same Heroes of the Lance would then go on to kill his goddess during the Blue Lady’s War and ascend to godhood himself, the fear of punishment at the hands of the Gods of Darkness (and the promise of a rich and rewarding life for being in service of them) was relieved from the Nerakans. The spread of the Final Volume proved popular, as it provided an outlet for the worst-off in society to blame the Dragonarmies for false promises.Originally killed during Silvara’s and Gilthanas’ infiltration of Sanction to rescue the good dragon eggs, the red dragon Harkiel was resurrected by a lightstorm.The Sanction Riots lasted for two months, at which point Harkiel took control of the Dragonarmies and forced much of the resisting populace into the surrounding mountains. With nothing to lose but their freedom, this inspired continual waves of insurgency, further boosted by anti-Dragonarmy groups such as the Hidden Light who were active during the War of the Lance. Even after Pelani Two-Axe is captured and publicly executed, the rebels were inspired by her courage and redirected one of the lava flows into the heart of Sanction, forcing Harkiel to flee in disgrace. As for the city of Neraka, its Temple of Darkness remains in ruins, picked over by salvagers, and its government is now a patchwork collection of warring cults and Dragonarmy Remnants whose faiths and leaders change with every new star in the hourglass constellation.Although they know that their time is short on Krynn, the Nerakans are yet hopeful. Their lives and their ancestor’s lives were full of struggle and suffering, but now they can spend their last moments on Ansalon living for themselves and not for others. “The Emperor is dead. The Dark Queen has fallen. Neraka lives.” This is a common slogan among Nerakans, both pro-resistance and pro-Dragonarmy.Thorbardin: A long-isolated kingdom, Thorbardin played a major role in the War of the Lance as the site of organized resistance against the Red Dragonarmy, as well as being the holder of the famed Hammer of Kharas necessary to forge the Dragonlances. The mountain dwarves adapted well to the changing cosmology in spite of their god’s death: they transitioned to a wartime economy in supporting the Armies of Reorx, and many dwarves are willing to do with less in order to support the soldiers leaving their mountain home. The Council of Thanes is also united for the first time in generations, with even the more treacherous Daegar and Theiwar clans willing to aid their “light-loving” brethren for the shared goal of defeating the Magegod. The acceptance of the Neidar clan into the kingdom in order to make up for lost numbers joining the Armies engendered lots of goodwill among the hill dwarves.On a surface level, Thorbardin looks like it’s undergoing a golden age. And while it may be more secure than other areas in Krynn, its society faces a new set of dangers. The increasing sacrifices and overworking take a toll on the minds and bodies of many dwarves, and the Klar clan is seeing the highest mortality rates on account of being in charge of handling dangerous animals and alchemical substances. More ambitious and unethical dwarves are willing to use them as guinea pigs for dangerous experiments in making new bioweapons to deliver to the Armies of Reorx. The Theiwar wizards of the Obsidian Circle are using their magic to slowly gather power in hopes of subverting the Council of Thanes, now that their kin are focused outwards. Magestorms dash upon the mountains, the magical winds funneled into underground pockets and staying there, building in concentrated might before they violently spill out into the rest of Thorbardin. Raistlinites are unable to assault the gates in a conventional battle, but they make up for it with summoned monsters, enchanted dupes, and scrying spies to sabotage the dwarves. The foes adventurers face here are more likely to wear a humanoid, or rather dwarven, face than a monstrous one.Throtl: One of the two goblinoid-majority kingdoms in Ansalon, the people of Throtl are split between the warlike hobgoblins and humans of Solamnic and Istaran heritage. The hobgoblins are dominant in both strength and numbers, their ruler Crod Blackmaw having recently driven out the humans from the city of Throtl. His concubine advisors were clerics of Takhisis, and the death of their goddess caused their number to fall into infighting. The winning faction, supported by Blackmaw, forsworn divine aid as well as that of the Dragonarmy Remnants, claiming that the hobgoblins can easily rule by themselves without outside influence. So far, Blackmaw’s holding onto power, but the increasing undead attacks from neighboring Nightlund make his grasp increasingly weaker. As for the humans, most have fled to the Plains of Solamnia, viewing it as a safer country. The few humans remaining are those utterly stubborn souls with nothing to lose but the ground they stand upon.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/acyQqX7.jpeg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="width: 339px" /><a href="https://jessevandijk.com/netherworld-archipelago" target="_blank">Netherworld Archipelago by Jesse Vandijk</a>Zhakar: Their kingdom formerly known as Thoradin, almost all of its citizens fell under stone and sea when the Cataclysm struck Krynn. Only one city of the Theiwar clan remained intact, and a devastating fungal plague spread through its populace to the point that it’s now an inherited condition. With most of its people living in squalor for generations, Zhakar experienced an economic boom when the Dragonarmies began commissioning them for metal weapons and equipment for the war effort, and the healing magic of Takhisis’ clerics was enough to earn their loyalty.Now that Takhisis is dead and the Dragonarmies crushed, the Zhakar look uncertainly towards the future. They are eagerly charging military forces in Sanction and Neraka even higher prices now that they don’t have the upper hand in bargaining. As Harkiel the Bender is more focused on crushing native insurrections than risking war against the dwarves, the Dragonarmies have little choice but to accept. King Zhak Pillarstone received messages from Thorbardin and Kayolin for working with the Armies of Reorx to defeat Raistlin and his followers, but the paranoid monarch has no love for his divine creator nor the struggles of the outside world. There is a slow, yet growing, opposition to his rule: the Silver Masters are clandestine worshipers of Shinare who got a taste of divine magic from a non-evil goddess. Although their patron is doomed to die, they believe that if things are to get any better, they must act now before they lose everything.</blockquote>

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