"The land itself is quite nice. Fertile, soft, easy to work with. The rulers of those lands, however, are not pleasent. Not soft. Especially not easy to work with"
-overheard at a tavern in Sunhaven
Zunstradia (also known as
The Blood Lands) is a region of
Valka-Kar . It is home to the Zunstradians, a culture of
Humans that inhabit the area from the Darkwoods to Northrun, as well as the Vampire Lords who rule the lands.
Geographical Features
Zunstradia is dominated by rolling plains of red grass and flowers. Northrun and the Zunstradian Flats are both such plains, with Northrun having a significantly more red tinge to its grass. This red foliage has given the region the nickname "The Blood Lands".
Two major forest are in the northern and southern regions of Zunstradia. The Quiet Trees are a forest that partially surrounds Lake Mica. Sound in the Quiet Trees is said to be muted and dulled, with voices being carried off quickly and never reaching the intended ears. The Darkwoods in the south are a large forest of black-trunked pines known as Darkwood Trees. These trees are prized for their color, with dyes being made of the bark and eleborate furniture and woodwork being made of the timber. The needles of the trees can be boiled into a drink that the locals refer to as "Umbra". This drink is said to have powerful hallucinogenic properties, showing the drinker their worst fears. Umbra has been known to cause madness in those unprepared.
The Redberry River runs through part of Zunstradia. An abundance of fruits are grown along this river.
Locations
Harken's Grave
Harken's Grave is the capital city of Zunstradia and the seat of the Vampire lords. It is a large castle built on the rocky coast of Lake Mica, with a sprawling city around it. Harken's Grave was previously called Castle Deepdrink after the deep tunnels that wind under the castle and into the waters of Lake Mica. The name Harken's Grave is currently used interchangably between the city and the castle. The castle was first built and the town first settled by the Torchman who came over from Torch's Rest. This makes Harken's Grave the longest standing settlement in Zunstradia aside from Oldport.
Oldport
The great city of Oldport is said to be the oldest human seaports and cities in the world. Oldport was the first place that the Torchmen landed during their exodus.
Oldport is home to The Bath Of Ivan, a large cathedral that contains a pool of oil brought from the rivers of Torch's Rest. This oil was used to annoit the old kings and queens of Zunstradia. The cathedral itself currently sits in disrepair, although the oil pool is still present and maintained by the locals, rather through keeping threads of the old faith or simple tradition passed on through generations.
Maksim Keep lies on the edge of the city of Oldport. This decrepit and decaying castle has sat empty for many years.
Sunhaven
Sunhaven is a settlement in Northrun, along the Red River. This settlement has remained free from the vampire lords control through the effort of
The Order of the Sunspear , who maintain a small outpost in the town.
Rekanyet
Rekanyet is a small village in the Darkwood. The village sits on the coast of the lake that shares its name. Its sister village, Rekachyat, lies on the southern end of the river running from Rekanyet Lake.
Rekachyat
Rekachyat is a coastal town in the Darkwood, and the southern most settlement in Zunstradia. It lies on a small peninsula and is a frequene stop for sailors heading to Harvaskr or beyond.
Festovsky
Festovsky is a settlement at the end of the Red River, on the coast of a small lake that shares its name. Festovsky is one of the major food producing settlements in Zunstradia, with rolling fields of wheat and barley to the north, and the fruit orchards along the Redberry River to the south.
Inhabitants
Humans
(see also
Humans )
The humans of Zunstradia are descendents of the Torchmen who came over from Torch's Rest in the second verse. The humans here pride themselves on their history and lineage, frequently referring to themselves as "still having oil in their veins".
Vampires
(see also
Vampires )
The Vampires of Zunstradia are all descendents of the humans that were experimented on by Harken the Alchemist.
Tieflings
(see also
Tiefling )
Tieflings are the descendents of the cults of Ethokar. Although by the current year, many tieflings have migrated to other regions of Saoirse, there is still a few pockets of tiefling communities in Zunstradia.
History
Before the Torchmen came, Zunstradia was wild and unpopulated by any greater race.
Origins
The Zunstradian people are the descendents of Torchmen who sailed over from Torch's Rest and settled along the coastline. They are thought to have migrated there sometime in the second verse, led by Ivan the Blackfox, the first king of Zunstradia.
Ethokar Cults
The cults of Ethokar were originally founded in the northern reaches of Zunstradia, in places such as Sunhaven. These cults would succeed in the year 400 v3, summoning their dark and violent lord. When Ethokar was defeated, the cults were punished by the gods and became the tieflings of today.
Harken the Alchemist
Harken the Alchemist was the Zunstradian king at the time of Ethokar's unleashing. He performed many alchemical experiments on humans while trying to perfect a method of creating powerful, alchemically-altered soldiers to fight against the horde of demons that were unleashed for the fifty year that Ethokar stalked the earth. These soldiers would become vampires and would rebel against their master in the year 449 v3. They would kill Harken and rename Castle Deepdrink to Harken's Grave.
Vampire Lords
The Vampire Lords now rule Zunstradia, having usurped the Zunstradian Kings and destroyed much of the culture of the humans. The Vampires rule with an iron fist, and only truly keep the populace alive so they have a source of food for themselves. A guerilla movement has been formed to fight against the Vampire Lords named the Blackfoxes, although they have been widely unsuccessful.
Notes
