“And when I lift my eyes and stand in awe at the vast distance my sore feet have taken me . . . the adventures of my youth taking my heart and nearly my life, I realize now more than ever that dreams are only a couple of bold steps away.”
Talidin The Trekker, Wind-Cycle 1124, Stout-Heart: Journals of Talidin
THE REGION OF THE WHITE-LANDS:
FREELAND, NUSRADUN, AND ALIATH
FREELAND
Known by some as “Red-Snow,” it is a place of exile’s refuge. The only law is that there is no law. Crowning this land of lawlessness is the great Mount Kahalm. In this mysterious place, the golden Door of The Universe is secreted in ice… a pathway to immortality, according to The Lore of Menefus. If you were to travel there you would see many frozen bodies half-eaten by ice, suspended in their folly; their corpses a memorial to their vanity. That door only brings death! Never travel to it!|
NUSRADUN
Southwest of Red-Snow is the realm of Nusradun: a place of ancient magic where powerful witches practice their ice-craft. Few know of the culture of that land, however, one spy, Lathlar The Lithe, survived 732 years ago and wrote about this peculiar realm in his book, “A Scout’s Spoils.” It is a land primarily dominated by mountains of ice and valleys of fire. Their customs are peculiar to the rest of our world, for they do not have a king but a “master-queen.” Men are servants and are considered a lower class than women. No man is allowed to sit in The Council of Seers or carry any position of power over any woman. It is forbidden for any Nusradunian to speak with anyone outside their realm, therefore they do not trade with any other nation. They have also never entered into any of the wars and affairs of the other realms by year 1,000 of the world of Zailar. No king from the realms of men, the various realms of elves, and all other races, has ever spoken to the mysterious master-queen of Nusradun. It would be considered by their culture an insult to even speak to a man who is in power over a woman.
ALIATH
To the east of the witches is the Raun Sea and perilous Aliath. This is where the giants live, unchallenged in their harsh snowy land, and as wild and unruly as they are large. Their numbers may be small now, but in war they are a terrible and savage foe. They have been known to toss boulders across long distances when threatened, and travel not in tribes but only with their immediate families. They do not have a discernible language to the outsider but they speak to each other in their minds. Some have one, two, and even three eyes, and are known to eat any traveler who dares to cross their barren icy wasteland. They were part of “The War of The Seven Letters,” but only because of the famine in their land and the promise of dead fresh flesh.
THE REGION OF THE BELT-LANDS: NE-TARUC, HEANRUIH, I.R.C., LEARRI
NE-TARUC
Going further south, the white icy lands of the north cross into the Zualdehir Mountains. Flying further south the mountains turn dark. This is the black desert realm of Ne-Taruc. That is where the sand-elf, Mage-Monarch Eluroc ‘The Dreadful,’ lives. Some say his land eats foreigners, but how would one live to tell that story? He has a powerful army of witch-warriors who can kill without lifting a finger. An unbreakable spell is on that land and whoever ventures into it never leaves. No realm will even speak to the Mage-Monarch. He is better left alone!
HEANRUIH
Going far west, across the Sea of Finlegian, you will see a large swathe of land just underneath Nusradun. Do not be fooled by those grandiose golden cities of trade. That land is the birthplace of much evil. That race (human, just like you) will sell their soul, flesh, blood, and their future for coin and power. This realm is a necessary evil where untold tortures, murders, and corruption reside. Don't be fooled by their extravagance. Someone had to die for that deceptive shine, that vile polish, and fleeting vanity. Never go there! They will sell even their own at the right price.
INTER-REALM COUNCIL (I.R.C.)
Traveling west, you see a small tropical island covered in gold statues, idols of distant lands, palm trees, and curvaceous bold architecture, part awe-inspiring yet also gaudy. That is the Inter-Realm Council. That is where the realms of the world of Zailar convene to make and supposedly keep the peace, so they say. You will see colorful gardens and dramatic waterfalls draped in lush green forests and a city where the walls rival cloud and star. Vibrant costly silk flags fly above it all. Different races: elves, humans, giants, vampires, and even beast-like men, walk peacefully amongst each other, clad in fancy silk robes. Representatives from every realm come here, except for Ne-Taruc and Nusradun. It is a beautiful island where much of the evil is not reserved for the famous Justice Hall, where they meet in such garish threads, but for the bribes and blackmail that happen underneath it.
LEARRI
Heading east, you see an island with a towering mountain at its center. Even during the day, the mystical white glow above the mountain draws your eyes toward it. Harmonic voices and music flow in the air, following you. This is the human realm of Learri! So many legends of lore are buried there! This is what your kind should be! Noble and righteous! The white starlight atop the crystal altar of Kilar-Haleth is The Flame, the power of the great Mother-Light Anutherlyoth, who is forever to be praised! You should see that island at night! Lit up like stars! Glowing living trees! Magical music! It is the birthplace of all true magic!
THE REGION OF THE FOOTLANDS: ANH, EHRFASTA, MALUTHRA
ANH
Heading southwest from Learri, you will see the arid open ranges of the human realm of Ahn. Do not be alarmed by the large black lions in their land. Those are the Jeudlan. Their eyes glow with the power of The Flame at night; a most terrible sight should you be unfortunate to walk in their path. They are the “horses” of this land. They say the beasts rule it all and that the throne of Anh is in the mouth of those lions. They are known to be irreligious but I don't think they're godless, as some scholars say. They worship chaos. They may be an unruly and disorganized brood of barbarians, but they are historical allies with the human realm of Learri and the other human realm to the east… the sun-worshipping realm of Ehrfasta.
EHRFASTA
Worshippers of Mother-Light Anutherlyoth, the realm of Ehrfasta, boasts a terrain full of vegetation, broad tropical mountains, mythical golden-horned rams, and the famous healing moss of the Norhedra Ranges. It is a land of monsters and magic in the deep places. It is the last part of the human triumvirate of The Footlands. Though Anh and Ehrfasta have fought wars against each other in the past, both realms have put aside their animosities to unite against a common enemy to the south, the savage elven realm of Maluthra.
MALUTHRA: THE THREE TRIBES
STONE-ELVES OF MARTAUK
The dominion of Maluthra is comprised of three elven tribes… each unique to the other. The western tribe rules from The Black Islands… the shadow-worshiping stone-elves… the sons of Maluthene. The full-blooded stone-elves are peculiar. They have gray skin, nappy blond hair, and high pointy ears. They also are very agile, are deadly in combat, and hate humans with a tireless passion. Most of their slaves are human. They see your kind as pets and will treat you as one, especially if they are full-blooded.
SEA-ELVES OF THRA ATHAR
On the southeastern edge of Maluthra are my people, the sea-elves. Known as the “Lords of the Brine,” we are a fierce military foe in battle and have often found ourselves at odds with the shadow-worshipping stone-elf monarchy, the ruling tribe of the land of Maluthra. We live deep in the caves of Thra Athar, down in the underground depths, and we worship The Wind, or Mother-Wind. As you can expect, this causes a lot of tension between our people and our shadow-worshipping overlords in the west.
LEAF-ELVES OF RINADUAH
Rinaduah is a land of deep and dark forests. It also boasts beasts of unimaginable horror. The leaf-worshiping elves of Rinaduah live on the east side of Maluthra and worship Rinadu, an enormous sacred leaf in the middle of their vast forest. They are savages, tribal, very uncivilized, and have been known to torture humans for sport. They do not enslave enemies. They kill them in a very slow and painfully intimate way, and then eat them alive in front of the Assembly of Rinadu.
THE FOUR TOWNS
Lodged in the middle of southeastern Maluthra, this human settlement has four towns close to each other, skirting the famous starlit Beredrin River. They are descendants of the Ehrfastian clans to the north. They live now surrounded by stone-elves, sea-elves, and leaf-elves coveting the valuable resources hidden behind their closely guarded walls, yet their greatest threat has yet to be revealed…
THE LANDS OF THE WORLD OF ZAILAR