Muria
Geography
The main continent in which this campaign is set. Muria is located in the northwestern region of the world map. It is a continent divided into four major regions: the Northern Reaches, the Midlands, the Frontiers and Western Muria. The land is largely occupied by city-states of varying sizes, with the sole exception being the Izeran Federation in the Midlands. The descent of the Midnight Star has also caused much of its debris to scatter across the land.
Northern Reaches
The Northern Reaches spans the upper region of Muria, spanning from its northernmost tips to the mountain ridges that separate it from the Midlands. Geographically, this region is marked by towering mountains and boreal forests; its land is canvassed by year-round snowfall. It is also the location of the crash site of the largest chunk of the Midnight Star marked by sickening crystalline growths tinted purple, precisely in the mountain ranges colloquially known to Northerners as "The Point of No Return". Once, before the Midnight Crisis, the Northern Reaches was home to many old kingdoms locked in conflict with one another; yet the crisis, and the resultant Midnight Blight, eradicated much of the kingdoms that lorded over these lands. The otherworldly creatures borne from the Midnight Blight also terrorize this region more frequently due to the close proximity to much of the star's debris. Now, only four kingdoms remain: Ulstedt, Arcreach, the King's Chasm and the Sable Kingdom, though the latter has been silent since the crisis. The western region of the Northen Reaches is the ancestral grounds of the King's Chasm, an old, powerful and incredibly influential kingdom of Dwarves with a lineage stretching to times before the Modern Age. It is considerably more mountainous, with caverns filled with precious metals and minerals. The western region is critical to the supply of such resources to the rest of Muria. It also borders the mysterious Western Muria, separated by the Jade Valley. This region also has access to remnants of the Midnight Star that is more accessible. The eastern region is more hospitable and populated compared to the western region, and is home to the more active city-states: Ulstedt and Arcreach. Boreal forests, narrow rivers, frozen lakes and volcanic vents decorate the land. Infrastructure is largely more developed here as well, with roads built for easy travel within the region and outside. Despite its more agreeable conditions, the Midnight Horde is much more prevalent here - a force endemic to all life that makes life within this part of the north much more hostile and inhospitable.Midlands
The Midlands is home to a large share of civilization on Muria, and is the central heart of activity in the continent. It is much more varied in terms of landscape and geographic features, diverse in people and diaspora though all this is dependent on their geographic locations. The northern areas of the Midlands borders with the Northern Reaches, and shares much of the same features - namely the cold weather, the mountainous terrain and the ruined structures of old kingdoms. Further south, the scenery changes to rolling farmlands, lush forests, rivers and lakes with hills, caverns and mountains interspersed across the terrain. There is additionally a vast subterranean network underneath the Midlands known as the "Underdark", where denizens who refuse to live in the surface retreat to. The Midlands is the domain of the Izeran Federation, a collection of Midland city-states that banded together that has since come to encompass the entire region. As of today, all Midland city-states have fallen in-line with Izera with the sole exception of Barovia. Despite sharing the same banner however, much of the Izeran member states retain their autonomy, with the caveat that the Izera's governing body - the Bureau - is allowed to operate within all these nations. The Midland coastlines are also popular hubs for trade and commerce; the western coastline is dominated by Crystallis and Port Alfrons, from which one can sail to the Revel Islands west of Muria. The eastern subset of the Midlands, however, was subject to a history of repeated wars and battles; from the battles with the Xerasian Invaders to the most recent Steelsworn War, eastern Muria is no stranger to devastation. The land had never fully recovered, however - desolate landscapes are scarred by bombardment and bloodletting, and decorated by debris and scraps left behind by armies. The unnatural influence of Xeras still taints the easternmost lands, which have become home to some of the more exotic and alien flora and fauna in all of Muria. The ruination left behind by the Steelsworn Gigant is also still evident, as it once trampled on helpless and hapless villages and towns in its path.Frontiers
A desert region that spans the entirety of Muria's southern tip, bordering on the Midlands. It is split between three major sub-regions: the Golgonda Dunes, the Red Desert and the Carthas jungles. Once a proud center of commerce and culture, the Frontiers have been largely abandoned in the wake of the Midnight Crisis; it has since become a lawless land, where warlords, sealing designates, fugitives, bandits, cults and all other manners of unsavory folk have retreated to. The Golgonda Dunes resembles the typical desert, filled with yellow-golden sand, deep valleys and rugged mountains. Two of the Frontier's largest city-states are based within areas with flatter terrain - Mediana and Avardir. The Golgonda Dunes are also home to rich deposits of mineral and Midnight Shards, a crystalline substance left behind by the Midnight Shards that permeate in areas with high Midnight Blight exposure. Ruins of past kingdoms can also be found among the sands, though some have been picked clean by looters and graverobbers. The Red Desert is a far more treacherous terrain compared to the Golgonda Dunes. Located below the Golgonda Dunes, its grounds are stained red like blood; some theorize it to be the result of Arcadian magic, though others think it was the result of the blood spilt from the Arcadian civil war. The Red Desert share much of the same features as the Golgonda Dunes, but is far more perilous in both terrain and fauna. It is also a location of high exposure to the Midnight Blight due to the prevalence of sizeable crash sites across the desert. Caradhina is the only city-state to be properly located within the desert, in part due to its Arcadian heritage. Osmadh, meanwhile, is nestled in the eastern coastline. This desert is also notorious for the numerous ruins of both Arcadian and unknown origin, though few have lived to document its secrets. The Carthas Jungles encompasses the southern tip of Muria as a whole, and is a location of high diversity. It trades the vast open sands with a dense jungle environment. Due to the remote nature of its locale, very few have made the journey to Carthas - the only notable settlement within this region. But it also serves as a popular hub for illegal activity - particularly piracy, as an alternative shelter to the Revel Islands. Historically, the Frontiers is important for travel and trade between Muria and the southern continent, Glimmervale. However, the fall of Arcadia - a powerful kingdom that existed prior to the Modern Age - brought about a regional decline that was only expounded by the Midnight Crisis. The resultant power vacuum paved the way for warlordism, banditry and overall anarchy within the region.Western Jungles
The Western Jungles is a mysterious and largely uncharted land. Little is known about this region, save for its massive jungles, drastic variations in elevation and diverse flora and fauna. There is little signs of civilization within these parts - Ostell, for example, is a newly created settlement only a couple decades old. The only notable kingdom here is Hamura, an old city said to be a remnant of the times prior to the Modern Age.Localized Phenomena
The Midnight Blight
The Midnight Star's descent caused massive chaos and havoc across all of Muria. However, it is what happens after the crash that is arguably more devastating to all of Muria. The star's descent scattered various debris from its greater mass across the land. From these remnants did a sickly purple miasma emerge, and from its depths did creatures of an otherworldly nature manifest. The purple gas warped anything it comes into contact with beyond recognition; creatures of flesh slowly begin to decay and morph into monstrosities; some die, some turn into more grotesque monstrosities while others transformed into stranger creatures beyond flesh. Plants either shrivel up and die or begin to grow at an extremely accelerated rate before quickly perishing. Non-sentient and non-organic material are no exception to their effects; the soil becomes consumed by purple crystalline growths, metals undergo severe changes in properties, and liquids retain the properties of this gas. The blight is a constant threat to all of Muria, and brought about ruin to entire cities, towns and kingdoms unprepared to fight back. Though the threat is slightly more diminished these days, it is by no means over; the Northern Reaches, for example, are completely besieged by the Midnight Horde. As some race to fight back against the tide, others race to understand its properties and find means to cure it - or even exploit it for their own benefit. As such the byproducts of the blight - the Midnight Shards and all of its derivative forms - are an incredibly popular and sought out resource.
Type
Continent
Included Locations
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