Like its counterpart, the Sands of Time, Desert of the Dragons derived its affliction from the war between the god-like creatures. Desert of the Dragons is perpetually alight in flame, burning low and steadily. No one has ever set foot on the sand, for fear of igniting.
Wiki Category: Geography
Xonthian is a diverse and historically rich world, characterized by a variety of landscapes and civilizations. The central hub, Xonthian City, is a bustling metropolis where humans thrive amidst fertile outskirts adorned with abundant crops and farms. To the southwest lies the secluded island of Juan’kij, home to reclusive elves who reside within the lush forests of Timilik.
Towards the north, the Dwarves peacefully inhabit the Shadow Mountains, crafting their lives in harmony with the rugged terrain. On the easternmost peninsula of Xecutran, the elusive Atticatten have found refuge, maintaining a hidden existence. The world is not without its shadows, as Orcs, Ogres, and other darker races inhabit long-forgotten jungles, mysterious swamps, and the remnants of lost civilizations, concealing their presence from the more populated regions.
Cave of Blood
The dark, dank Cave of Blood is a system hidden deep in the forests of the island, was long forgotten and for good reason. The depths of the cave are home to creatures history has long forgotten, or at least is had forgotten. After the One Hundred Year War, Tiger and his friends found the dormant secret on the island that was eager to break free and cause havoc on the world once again. Explorers that brave the trip to the island have attempted to bring back the caves secretes, but aside from tails from sailors, no one has ever made it back.
Island of the Unknown
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Cave of Blood
The mysterious Island of the Unknown is home to the very horrors kids and adults dream about. Every corner of the uninhabited island holds a shadow that moves just on the edge of one’s vision. Explorers have attempted to categorize the island, but have only ever found their demise. Very few captains will take scholars and explorers to the island anymore. Once part of Xonthian and the Shadow Island before the world shattered, the Island of the Unknown is rich with magically enhanced creatures. Sin Orbs, Dire Wolves, and other dangers call the forests home, not the mention the magic scarred Desert of the Dragons which burn with a perpetual flame.
Tower of Magi
The Tower of Magi and the surrounding town is the main fortress and compound of the Fire Isle Mage’s. Comprised of mostly scattered stone buildings that house various magical arts, the town also boasts a hefty trade in sulfur from the outlying volcanic outlets on the islands. All of the homes are built from the same dark grey and black rock that make up the island. The tower itself, is a single tower, with smaller ones around the outer rim of the wall. The Mage’s Archive, school, and a mass hall make up the innermost buildings. The biggest problem for the mages is growing food, which they have learned to adapt into a vast underground plantation, hidden away in the mountains, along with various greenhouses which also act as food sources.
Demographics
Human
Government
Overlord
Defenses
Because the isles are naturally inhospitable, most of the island is its own defensive system. The Tower of Magi and the surrounding town is protected further by a large curtain wall and tower system.
Fire Isle
Tower of the Magi
Home to the Fire Isle Mages, the Fire Isles is a collection of shattered, rock-strewn islands with deep and old caverns that were once spillways for magma. There is still an active subterranean sea of lava below the island’s largest Volcano, Mount Kiafiar. There are several islands within the chain isle’s, the largest being Forik Island on the eastern side.
The main home of the Mages, the Tower of Magi located on the Forik Island on the coast of the Maelstrom Sea.
The islands are grey and mostly bare, with very little vegetation. Freshwater is a constant battle and is hard to find for anyone stranded on the isles. Food, especially plants, is hard to grow in the open, thanks to the highly acidic nature of the ashen earth. The smell of sulfur hangs in the air, the closer to Mount Kiafiar you get. Although the Malestrom Sea and the winds caused by it constantly churn the air, giving the island some fresh air along the coastline, it remains thick and heavy. The Tower of Magi and surrounding village is home to tens of thousands of cast-out Mages, who have established families in the harsh environment of the isles. The Tower, built during the Hundred Year War, is a tall, round structure built using Magic, and imbued with enchantments that cost the lives of hundreds of mages during its construction. Capable of protection against the raging elements that constantly bombard the isles, the Tower is used as a focus for the Mages, as well as a place of learning. The Tower, and the surrounding compound, which includes a library and studies, eventually come under the control of Illusia, who brings the Mages into a new age. The largest predator on the island beside the occasional imp or fire-lizard is the undead Dragon known as ShadowMane. A product of necromancy long before the world shattered, the dragon hides away deep under Mount Kiafiar.
Gatehar Monastery
Built by Gatehar Clerics during the Age of Re-Discovery, the Monastery is a sparling compound dedicated to the Goddess of Life. A small band of Clerics known as the Founders pleaded with the King of Xonthian City to set up a school based on their arts and magical abilities. The king granted them their school and gave them the island south of Port Orlynns.
The clerics were charged with building a place where those gifted with the healing magic can learn to extend their abilities further. A call went across the known world for any and all that were gifted in the arts of healing to join the Founders on their journey to their new home. The Founders landed on Angelic Island on the northwestern tip of the island two years later. They were given very little in the way of goods and building materials and would have to make do with the natural materials the island provided. Just north from where the Founders had first landed rose a sharp cliff face overlooking the ocean along the northern shore. A spot on the eastern side of the mountain rain was the chosen spot to build the monastery and tower which they chose to represent their order. This gave the monastery natural protection from being invaded since there were no viable landing locations along the north and eastern sides of the mountain. Because of this, the Passage was created, and the stone used from the mine was used in the building of the Cathedral.
The main building of the monastery is the cathedral. Built in the shape of an Ankh, the symbol of life, it sets in the direct middle of the grounds. Because Gate’Har was considered to be the moon, they wanted to build a tower that reached high into the sky, to try and touch the very thing they worshiped; GateHar Moon. Various stables, gardens, barracks, and a small archive. Cathedral, like its counterparts all over the world, are designed and built between large flying buttresses that hold up the walls of the building, like stone fingers. Masterworks of religious arts can be seen in various rooms and halls of the Monastery, mostly concentrated in the mess hall, library, and the Cathedral itself. Statues sculpted from the purest white marble in Xonthian, straight from the mines of Jek’lee, were transported here and turned into sculptures.
The tomes that were scattered in temples around Xonthian were brought to the monastery to be preserved and used as learning instruments. Many years passed on the island as the clerics began to slowly build their envisioned home.
Cave of Passage
Chiseled through the Hori Mountain range on the Isle of Gatehar, the Cave of Passage is more than a tunnel to the Cleric Abby on the other side. The cave houses a mysterious chamber beyond a crack in the wall, where those worthy of the Goddess either emerge with her blessing or are lost forever.
The dense stone taken from the mountain was moved to the Gatehar Monastery where it was used to build the Cathedral.
The Cave of Passage was blessed by the Founders of the monastery years after they arrived on the island. This was done to prevent any unwanted guests from going into the cavern and polluting the sacred ground upon which they were building. It was thought among the Founders that the cave was an entrance to the heart of the land, or earth. This was in part a portion of their healing philosophy but also the massive amount of magic that seeped up from the depths. Great tests were created in the cavern ranging from the recovery of an artifact made by the founders to battling the very evil which was in a cleric’s heart. This battle of self-cleansing often killed those that were not pure enough to become a true cleric. Only those pure in heart and soul were able to become actual Clerics of the High Tower. Its said that to know the power of healing, you must become pure light. The ironic thing about this, is the tests are underground and unable to see the moonlight from the depths of the cavern.
Angelic Island
Gatehar Monastery
Home of the Gatehar Clerics, the Angelic Island is a small island off the south of Xonthian. Mostly a hill-strewn, highland island, the area is known for its mystic properties. During the Age of Re-Discovery, the island was settled by the clerics, citing a deep connection to the Goddess of Life.
Made mostly of rocky highlands, and low shrubs and trees. The island is home to the densest population of deer and horses found anywhere in Xonthian.