Cilicia Shard
A mid-sized shard whose population is a fairly even mix of elven and human, Cilicia is located on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean in the Old World and is primarily focused around its capital city of Adana Cilicia. It exists in close symbiosis with its sister shard containing the Emberspur Mountains; the two were intended to be a single shard, but during the Shattering fractured into two pieces for reasons that aren't clear. By far the more pleasant place to live, Cilicia is a peaceful place and thrives on the constant flow of trade between itself and the Emberspurs.
The counterpart to the Emberspurs capitol of Adama Amayát, Adama Cilicia is the capital of Celicia and the central hub of the shard. It's far older than its sister city, having been a crossroads of the region long before the Shattering, and shows its age in parts of city with a cramped street layout that hearkens back to more modest beginnings. Nonetheless, age hasn't held it back from expansion, and as it currently stands it's a sprawling, multilayered blend of different architectures and cultures. Adama Cilicia is famed for its winemaking out of the grapes the shard produces, and also for delicate elven workmanship utilizing the precious materials coming out of the Emberspurs. It's often the first stop for people coming to the region, whether they have business in Cilicia or are preparing for a journey into the more dangerous neighboring shard.
The first of the major rivers of the shard, the Ceylah runs fast and deep inland before widening as it nears the coast. It's colder than the climate might suggest, but it's a major spawning river for several species of fish and supports several fishing towns along its length as it wines up into the Celician forests. MERSIN RIVER
The second of the major rivers of the shard, the Mersin is far slower than the Ceylah and runs broad and gentle. It's a popular destination throughout the shard during the hot days of summer for fishing, swimming, and boating. MUDRA
A port town at the mouth of the Ceylah River, Mudra is notable in its production of high-quality honey. It lives in a close symbiosis with the region's extensive wine industry, benefiting both parties enormously. THE SUNSOAKED WILDS
The name 'Sunsoaked Wilds' is misleading; the overly-romantic term is borrowed from an ancient poem about the region, but actually refers to Celicia's extensive grape-growing region. With a long history of winemaking perfected by a balance of careful cultivation and magic, the Wilds are anything but. They're considered the greatest treasure of the shard, and their maintenance is a tradition lovingly passed down through a handful of dedicated families. TUMBLEDOWN
A collapsed elven ruin located towards the western border of the Sunsoaked Wilds among otherwise unremarkable vineyards, Tumbledown is clearly old but is actually far more ancient than its appearance would lead one to believe. Its original name is unknown, with 'Tumbledown' being the name popularized by a local children's rhyme. The place is overgrown with trees and intensely haunted, but lends a unique, slightly hallucinogenic quality to the grapes grown in its immediate vicinity that makes for a rare and valuable vintage. RIEV'S DANCEFLOOR
A curiosity and popular site among visitors to the shard, Riev's Dancefloor is a shallowly submerged outcrop of stone along the shoreline several miles outside of the city. It's easy to miss among the clustered stone around it due to being hidden below the ocean's surface, but well-known among the locals. Local legend says that when the sun god Riev was courting the goddess Aia, he charmed Talosh into creating it for them to dance upon. SARINICIA
The Emberspur Mountains are long-since dormant, but underground thermal heat is still very present and extends well into neighboring Celicia. The Sarinician Springs are a long chain of natural hot springs that can be found in the foothills of the shard, the most prominent of which are surrounded by the small village of Sarinicia. It's a popular retreat of bathhouses and bathing pools, famed for the healing and rejuvenative properties of its waters.
Climate and Geography
The climate of Cilicia is hot, but tempered by wind off the sea that brings abundant rain to the region and keeps it cycling between dry and humid. The terrain itself is a gentle plain that slopes from rolling hills inland to the shores of the Mediterranean; groves of bay, olive, and laurel trees tend to cluster along the path of streams, dotting a landscape that's otherwise largely claimed for grain and olive or fruit orchards. The soil of Cilicia is also famously well-suited to growing grapes, making wine that's known for its quality throughout many of the nearby shards.Population and Governance
Originally an elven city and one of the ancient elven kingdoms, Cilicia attracted a human population due to its proximity to the Emberspurs; the elves are an old enough race to remember the dragons far more acutely, and many still find the traces of their presence (as well as the resulting flavor of undead) unsettling in a way that human settlers did not. Despite this, elves still make up almost half the population of the shard and still hold official rule over Adana Cilicia in the form of an elven monarch to balance the human monarch of the Emberspurs. There's very little cultural difference between Cilician elves and humans at this point, as the two populations have been so closely intermingled for millenia. The population of the shard is fairly evenly distributed between the capital city and several midsized towns that are spread throughout the rest of the available land. Getting around the shard is expedited by its flat terrain and ancient, well-maintained roads that link all major settlements, meaning that there's little separation between settlements despite the generous size of Celicia.Capital
ADAMA CILICIAThe counterpart to the Emberspurs capitol of Adama Amayát, Adama Cilicia is the capital of Celicia and the central hub of the shard. It's far older than its sister city, having been a crossroads of the region long before the Shattering, and shows its age in parts of city with a cramped street layout that hearkens back to more modest beginnings. Nonetheless, age hasn't held it back from expansion, and as it currently stands it's a sprawling, multilayered blend of different architectures and cultures. Adama Cilicia is famed for its winemaking out of the grapes the shard produces, and also for delicate elven workmanship utilizing the precious materials coming out of the Emberspurs. It's often the first stop for people coming to the region, whether they have business in Cilicia or are preparing for a journey into the more dangerous neighboring shard.
Other Notable Locations
CEYLAH RIVERThe first of the major rivers of the shard, the Ceylah runs fast and deep inland before widening as it nears the coast. It's colder than the climate might suggest, but it's a major spawning river for several species of fish and supports several fishing towns along its length as it wines up into the Celician forests. MERSIN RIVER
The second of the major rivers of the shard, the Mersin is far slower than the Ceylah and runs broad and gentle. It's a popular destination throughout the shard during the hot days of summer for fishing, swimming, and boating. MUDRA
A port town at the mouth of the Ceylah River, Mudra is notable in its production of high-quality honey. It lives in a close symbiosis with the region's extensive wine industry, benefiting both parties enormously. THE SUNSOAKED WILDS
The name 'Sunsoaked Wilds' is misleading; the overly-romantic term is borrowed from an ancient poem about the region, but actually refers to Celicia's extensive grape-growing region. With a long history of winemaking perfected by a balance of careful cultivation and magic, the Wilds are anything but. They're considered the greatest treasure of the shard, and their maintenance is a tradition lovingly passed down through a handful of dedicated families. TUMBLEDOWN
A collapsed elven ruin located towards the western border of the Sunsoaked Wilds among otherwise unremarkable vineyards, Tumbledown is clearly old but is actually far more ancient than its appearance would lead one to believe. Its original name is unknown, with 'Tumbledown' being the name popularized by a local children's rhyme. The place is overgrown with trees and intensely haunted, but lends a unique, slightly hallucinogenic quality to the grapes grown in its immediate vicinity that makes for a rare and valuable vintage. RIEV'S DANCEFLOOR
A curiosity and popular site among visitors to the shard, Riev's Dancefloor is a shallowly submerged outcrop of stone along the shoreline several miles outside of the city. It's easy to miss among the clustered stone around it due to being hidden below the ocean's surface, but well-known among the locals. Local legend says that when the sun god Riev was courting the goddess Aia, he charmed Talosh into creating it for them to dance upon. SARINICIA
The Emberspur Mountains are long-since dormant, but underground thermal heat is still very present and extends well into neighboring Celicia. The Sarinician Springs are a long chain of natural hot springs that can be found in the foothills of the shard, the most prominent of which are surrounded by the small village of Sarinicia. It's a popular retreat of bathhouses and bathing pools, famed for the healing and rejuvenative properties of its waters.
Quick Facts
Approximate Size: ~2300 sq. milesNumber of Entrances: 4
Capital City: Adana Ciliia
Dominant Race: mixed
Approximate Population: ~30,000
Type
Territory
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