Delenaria A clash of dark and light, wonder and monotony, construction innovation and creativity and destruction rigidity and stagnation

The continent of Kellot is a large and diverse place consisting of numerous races, kingdoms, and unique ecological regions. We start our introduction in the cool temperate forests of the kingdom of GALAVEN, it is a human kingdom located in the north east, it consists of two major regions, the first is traversed by rivers and streams descending from the FELL WALL MOUNTAINS to the west. The majority of the region is forests, near the base of the mountains it is dominated by hardy evergreens, as you move towards the coast it transitions to deciduous forests of maple and oak.   The second region of Galaven is located in the LEIRAN VALLEY, encircled by the Fell Wall Mountain range and segmented by towering cliffs, these features provide massive advantages in any conflict and are responsible for foreign armies having never set foot within Morandale, the capital city of Galaven.   This region’s most iconic features are the series of towering cliffs that stretch on for hundreds of miles from one side of the valley to the other, and more so the stunning waterfalls that they create as water flows down the valley and inevitably tumbles from the cliffs. This leads to incredible rainbows every dawn and dusk when the sun can penetrate into the valley at just the right angle that they shimmer and glow in the mists, like an ethereal flame, of waterfalls larger than any others known.   The Leiran Valley at its mouth is almost entirely Deciduous forests and as you moth up the valley ascending and moving north it starts to be interspersed with copses of evergreens, as you move further north and ascend further up the valley the temperatures drop and by the time you reach MORIAN LAKE there are only sparse and small deciduous trees growing under the canopy of far larger evergreens.   Morian Lake is large although not massive compared to others nearby, it is a deep and frigid lake fed streams flowing from fresh melt water straight from the mountains who’s shadow this lake resides within. The lake churns with fish in the fall and for those brave or foolish enough and who have the skill large mountain pearls can be found, the lower you descend within the lake the larger they are, the greater their value, and the more danger there is.   These pearls have unique magical traits, depending on the season they are harvested they can either be red and radiate warmth, or far more valuable ice blue and frigid to the touch. Only pearls gathered in winter after the first frost will be like this and their rarity is immense due to the difficulty of gathering them from waters so cold and beasts so foul. The Fell Wall mountains are black stone, capped with jagged white peaks jutting into the sky. They protect the kingdom from easy invasion, fending off attackers from anywhere but sea for the coastal region of Galaven and forming the protective valleys that have granted Galaven relative peace and stability for the last three hundred years of rule under the IRON WARD DYNASTY and supply the water to the numerous creeks, streams, and rivers Galaven is so famous for, as well as the lakes integral to its economy.   Galaven is a wealthy nation supplied vast natural resources of metals and gems from the caves and mines of the Fell Wall, its people engage in farming and trapping as well as hunting, the majority of game is foxes, deer, elk, rabbits, and game birds. It is not an uncommon sight for a bear or large cat to be near villages in Galaven, and for farmers wolves are ever present. A large portion of food is supplied by fish from the lakes and streams and in the coastal region the sea is invaluable.   Trade is the heart and soul of Galaven being one of the most well-traveled and well-connected kingdoms in all of Kellot. The majority of trade comes in through TORIN located at the base of the mountains on the coast, Torin is a major port city. And through FORDIN, it is located in a bend on the Leiran River and is the only city in all of Galaven not protected by mountains or the sea, only it’s walls and the river provide safety.   The other major point of entry is in a way part of Fordin even though it is located many days upstream, this is FORT GAROM, it is situated at the base of the first cliffs and at the edge of the lower silken lake, its fortifications jutting out over the water, perched on jagged rocks and built into the side of the cliffs. This fort serves a two-fold purpose, the first is managing the flow of goods and people in and out of the Leiran Valley, both in the sense of being a sort of customs, and literally physically letting people in through a series of massive tunnels into the cliff and exiting on the shore of the upper Silken Lake, these tunnels were made by a now forgotten mage of great power whose name is lost to time. Located on the eastern shore of Lake Selenum is Elkin, a major city surrounded by walls, it is nestled into the shadow of the largest peaks in the Fell Wall and the waters of lake Selenum, large amounts of fishing take place in the lake. But it is most well known for it’s mines, their entrances sometimes hundreds of feet below the surface of the lake in caves, access to them is only possible thanks to protection charms, spatial magics, and more commonly simple walkways built along the steep stone walls of the edge of the lake. Within these caves are mines that could rival even the dwarve’s greatest endeavors, natural cave systems interlaced with tunnels dug into the stone over generations some of them older than the kingdom itself, not even half of the system is mapped out and only a fraction of the known portions are in active use. But it is within these caves that riches of iron and silver flowing in veins like rivers through the stone can be found, deposits of gold streaming like spiderwebs through the rock, and caves where gems adorn the walls and ceilings like stars in the night sky. The deeper into the caves you go the more dangerous it becomes, with clouds of poison gas, collapses, flooded rooms, and although not entirely proven there is always talk amongst the miners of things the dwell in the shadows deep within the caves, and of worse things beyond them only known by a flicker of red eyes in the shadows and the screams of miners, and the horrible whispers that then haunt the depths for days, months, or years afterwards.   TELITH is located in the exact center of the Leiran Valley and all outgoing goods go through it whether by road or by river it is the halfway point of the kingdom. On the far northern edge of the Fell Wall are the ruins of old Monra, situated between the mountains and the sea Monra was once a thriving port city and a beacon to skilled craftsmen and adventurers alike, it was wealthy but not even a mountain of gold and many of the best wizards on the continent could stop the furry of the mountains. The entire city was abandoned when the mountain suddenly burst, it’s top being shredded and the glowing red shards of it rained down upon the city.   To this day the mountain still smokes, and on the darkest nights when not even the moons shine a red glow can be seen faintly in the smoke. The ruins of the dilapidated city are the only way to get through and further west, but most travelers will go by sea or take the time to travel all the way around to avoid going through the ruins. A menacing eerie whistle of wind blowing through the destroyed city howling as if the tortured soul of the city is still there, and the stories of the dead coming back as ethereal beings are more than enough to deter visitors.   White Fang Keep is the military stronghold of Galaven and oddly built on the side of the Leiran Valley opposite the White Fang Mountain, it is an imposing keep built with three layers f walls and towers, it was built at the beginning of the Iron Ward Dynasty and is still the heart of all military operations in the kingdom and the last stronghold to which the ruling family and as many people as can fit will retreat if the defenses are ever breached. The majority of all food grown in the north western quarter of Kellot is produced in the plains surrounding Gerand. Gerand is the largest city on the continent, not by wealth, or by military might, but by sheer population, it’s built as a regular city would, but over time more and more villages sprung up around it, and as they grew and merged it became what we see today, a single sprawling city with enough people that Gerand isn’t just a city but an independent nation with a ruling council lead by a noble family, like a monarch but with some consensus from the council. The surrounding area is nothing but fields and plains stretching as far as the eye can see with farming villages and towns every few days. Northeast of Gerand is Kellop a sizeable city on its own and the only other major settlement under the rule of Gerand, it mainly is responsible for processing materials and sending them by land to Near Keep further north to be put on boats and shipped away. It also is where the majority of imported specialty goods come into the territory. Gerand remains very neutral, being surrounded by two other major nations and more wild lands barely passing for a kingdom to the north it is completely exposed to attack from any direction and lacks a major military force due to the sprawling agrarian nature of its economy. It maintains trade relations with any nation that wants to, and despite its best efforts has become somewhat of a haven for thieves, scoundrels, charlatans, and criminal enterprises.   Gerand is home to five major clans, The Iron Wing, the Stone Bears, the Dragons Claw, The Shadow Cloak, and the Silver Hand. The Iron Wings are a tough clan, they will enforce contracts without mercy and are far from above changing rates, racketeering, and loansharking. They are moderately involved in corruption and bribery as well as instigating many gang wars. The Stone bears are mainly smugglers and mercenaries more so skirting the law rather than outright violating it, they are often hunters and craftsmen and merchants who wanted to make money faster or escape a bad lot in life.   The Dragon’s Claw are the most powerful clan militarily they are strict in their codes, they mainly are engaged in gambling, and illicit business-like smuggling and even espionage, they are also willing to do assassinations or even mercenary work under certain circumstances. However, they do not harm those who are uninvolved, they do not change contracts or extort people, they simply enforce deals made with full knowledge. In fact, they will even defend commoners from the other criminal clans or even the guards sometimes.   The Shadow Cloaks despite their menacing sinister name are actually similar to the Dragon’s Claw in their morals, but to a further extent, they are seen as an almost Robin Hood like organization that will come out of the woodwork to defend the people from the other clans, from the government, from the nobles, from merchants and bandits. They are infamous for their poor business acumen, and prolific robbery of the merchants and nobles.   The Silver Hand are the most powerful clan, they don’t get as directly involved in exploiting the commoners, but what they are doing is engaging in massive corruption, bribery, espionage, assassinations, and corrupt business operations, they don’t smuggle they threaten some people, and grease the right palms until the thing they want to smuggle is legal but only with a license, and then they get the only licenses.   The majority of trade exports from Gerand go down the river to Telera a small trading outpost and a large fortified stockpile of resources that can ship materials upstream to Gerand if there is an interruption in refined goods like weapons, metals, and medicine. From Telera shipments are loaded onto smaller boats that can traverse the lake and down the smaller streams to rejoin the Hendack Marsh River, from there they can continue downstream to the open ocean. The other route and more common during the summer months is that large caravans will be loaded and the goods get transported over land to a small port essentially just a dock at the edge of the forests where they can then continue downstream to the ocean or travel upstream in the Hendack River to then travel through the deep safe routes in the Hendack Marsh to High Water or Black Reach, and from black reach a short land journey and then they can reenter the upper Hendack River to North Lens, or further up to go through Lock City.   To the north of Galaven are the White Fang Mountains which form the