Iscalion Shard
The largest of the shards by an exponential amount, Iscalion is the final stronghold of the dragons and located in the polar regions of the Old World. The shard is featureless and icebound, with its last great inhabitants spending most of their time sleeping in the lairs they've dug to reach the volcanic warmth that lies deep below the surface. Outsiders are permitted to live only on a small island far out in the ocean near the shard's entrance, and few choose life in such a desolate place that offers little motivation to do so.
Built on the site of a long-ago shipwreck, the Wavebreaker, the town of Wavebreak was initially constructed from the timbers of the ship itself and rough-hewn volcanic stone. Since then it's expanded somewhat using imported materials, but the town remains small and for the most part is populated by the descendants of those first castaways. Many of its structures appear little more than ruins, but actually serve as part-time dwellings. It was shapeshifters who helped the Wave Walkers survive in such a forbidding place, and the two populations still share a cameraderie thousands of years later that leads to a far closer relationship than shapeshifters are usually willing to share with members of another race. Though it has little reason to still exist, those raised in Wavebreak tend to hold a fondness for the unique wildness of the place and the shard it serves as the gateway to. The elves who call it home maintain strong bonds with their kin in Fyrenstone and rely on imported supplies to survive.
A towering spur of stone among the coastal mountains, tall enough to stand out even among such lofty companions. Aligning the rising sun with the spire as you sail away from shore is the most reliable way to safely reach Wavebreak in the vastness of the open ocean. THE CALVING GROUNDS
With no real distinguishing features to make it obvious from the surface, the Calving Grounds are located in a wide, shallow basin in the ocean to the south of Wavebreak. Ranging in and out of the shard via the same mysterious way that non-sentient creatures seem to cross its boundaries, whales reliably return each summer to give birth and nurse their young here. THE FIRESPINE MOUNTAINS
Lying about fifty miles inland from the coast, the Firespines run the length of the shard and contain a number of still-active volcanoes. Though there's plenty of smoke and heat, there haven't been active eruptions in long enough that it seems clear the dragons leech enough of their energy to keep them in a subdued state. Most dragon lairs lie somewhere along the range. THE ROYAL RUINS
The last of the royal line died a thousand years ago, and her lair remains untouched and empty. Its treasures lie untouched by the dragons in reverence to her memory, and no outsider has been fool enough to try and claim it as their own... if they could even find it, since which lair belonged to the Queen is a secret known only to the dragons and the long-since dead. VASYAN SHORE
An immense sweeping shoreline that extends for hundreds of miles along the Great Bay's southern edge. It's the best place to come ashore, and the landing site for most expeditions to Iscalion's mainland; the dragons, for their part, seem to tolerate brief intrusions so long as they're not disturbed and any visitors don't stay too long.
Climate and Geography
As one would expect, Iscalion's climate is one of bitter cold and ranges from just above freezing to temperatures plunging into the extreme negatives. The landscape is covered with snow year-round, with large portions of the ocean similarly becoming icebound during the winter months. There simple isn't a climate to support greenery, and what little life exists comes almost exclusively from the sea. While Iscalion is situated over an area of volcanic activity, there's little evidence of this fire on the surface; the heat is only felt deep underground, in the caves and tunnels that the dragons have developed over the millennia that they've called the north their home.Population and Governance
Even here in their homeland, the dragons are all but extinct. Iscalion is home to somewhere in the range of three hundred dragons, who live individually with very little common culture; while mated pairs exist, the birth rate is nonexistent and it's more for companionship than anything else. They spend the vast majority of their time underground using the volcanic energy to sustain themselves, and emerge primarily to hunt the open ocean for whales and other large sealife. There's no government left since the death of the last of the royal family more than a thousand years ago, and little need for it. Outside of the dragons themselves, Iscalion is home to a small population of the other races; a small, windswept island exists far out in the ocean near the shard's entrance, several day's sail from the main landmass, and is home to a town composed mostly of Wave Walker elves under the leadership of an elected headsman. A handful of shapeshifters call the town home as well, though they spend a minimum of time there versus freeroaming across the seas and wild shores.Capital
WAVEBREAKBuilt on the site of a long-ago shipwreck, the Wavebreaker, the town of Wavebreak was initially constructed from the timbers of the ship itself and rough-hewn volcanic stone. Since then it's expanded somewhat using imported materials, but the town remains small and for the most part is populated by the descendants of those first castaways. Many of its structures appear little more than ruins, but actually serve as part-time dwellings. It was shapeshifters who helped the Wave Walkers survive in such a forbidding place, and the two populations still share a cameraderie thousands of years later that leads to a far closer relationship than shapeshifters are usually willing to share with members of another race. Though it has little reason to still exist, those raised in Wavebreak tend to hold a fondness for the unique wildness of the place and the shard it serves as the gateway to. The elves who call it home maintain strong bonds with their kin in Fyrenstone and rely on imported supplies to survive.
Other Notable Locations
DAWNTOUCH SPIREA towering spur of stone among the coastal mountains, tall enough to stand out even among such lofty companions. Aligning the rising sun with the spire as you sail away from shore is the most reliable way to safely reach Wavebreak in the vastness of the open ocean. THE CALVING GROUNDS
With no real distinguishing features to make it obvious from the surface, the Calving Grounds are located in a wide, shallow basin in the ocean to the south of Wavebreak. Ranging in and out of the shard via the same mysterious way that non-sentient creatures seem to cross its boundaries, whales reliably return each summer to give birth and nurse their young here. THE FIRESPINE MOUNTAINS
Lying about fifty miles inland from the coast, the Firespines run the length of the shard and contain a number of still-active volcanoes. Though there's plenty of smoke and heat, there haven't been active eruptions in long enough that it seems clear the dragons leech enough of their energy to keep them in a subdued state. Most dragon lairs lie somewhere along the range. THE ROYAL RUINS
The last of the royal line died a thousand years ago, and her lair remains untouched and empty. Its treasures lie untouched by the dragons in reverence to her memory, and no outsider has been fool enough to try and claim it as their own... if they could even find it, since which lair belonged to the Queen is a secret known only to the dragons and the long-since dead. VASYAN SHORE
An immense sweeping shoreline that extends for hundreds of miles along the Great Bay's southern edge. It's the best place to come ashore, and the landing site for most expeditions to Iscalion's mainland; the dragons, for their part, seem to tolerate brief intrusions so long as they're not disturbed and any visitors don't stay too long.
map of Iscalion Shard
Quick Facts
Approximate Size: ~150000 sq. milesNumber of Entrances: 1
Capital City: Wavebreak
Dominant Race: draconic
Approximate Population: ~2500
Type
Territory
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