Atlas of Cassel Vol. 1

Welcome Travelers, to Cassel, One of the Seven Faithful Nations under the light of the Tower of Heaven in the shade of Meliheal, defenders of the wellspring, scions of Saint Nora, and folowers of Sillnos. If you are picking up this volume then I assume you are curious about the many unique locations across Cassel, its sights and wonders.

Well look no further! In this volume you will find information on the Dragon Craters of Xiralgus the Nova and Maeos the Incorporeal, The Sands of Nessa, the Voltaic Seas, as well as many man-made structures including the Valley of Kings, the Palace of Wrethilin, and many more.

- Salika's Atlas of Cassel, Vol. 1

About the Maps...

There are many suitable maps of Cassel and the world of Vreathe that could be used in this volume, but none are better than the ones drawn by Lord Grethan Fruela of South Cassel. His Self Updating map of Vreathe provided the perfect reference for creating smaller detailed maps. He also has several other maps to his credit, including an excellently detailed map of the entire nation of Cassel.

Also included with several select entries are "god's eye view" maps. These were painted in meticulous detail by an Elf from Ledo, who doesn't want to be named, and also claims to have a ritual for seeing the world from far above. These maps seem accurate enough, though many of the mountains are oddly free of ice. It is fine however as we will not be looking at any of those mountains in this volume.

- Atlas of Cassel, Page 7

Impact Crater of Maeos the Incorporeal

Let us start with one of the most dangerous places in Cassel: the Maeos Impact Crater. Created by the death of the Dragon Lord, Maeos the Incorporeal, the crater measures roughly a kilometer across. Large and strange stones litter the landscape that only 'exist' during certain astronomical events, as if the remains of the dragon continue to hide itself.

The most dangerous aspect of this dragon crater is the ever present flow of corrupted magic. Thick fogs cover the landscape, glowing in red and blue, but never actually mixing. These colors signify glowing Neon gas in the presence of either aether or mana. Humans that linger in the fog for too long are said to wither away from madness and sickness. Animals that stay too long are forever changed into newer forms.

Still the land is valuable, and a number of small baronies litter the landscape in various safe zones, forming an area of West Cassel known as the Dragon Marches. The land forms a buffer zone with the Empire of Irellith.

- Atlas of Cassel, Vol. 1, Page 19

The Realm of Feylisa (Cavern)

Land of the Dead (or Dragons)

Directly underneath Cassel is a cavern ten times as large, and here sits the Realm of Feylisa. depending on who you ask, it is a terrible place of dead creatures, horrors beyond human understanding that plot the destruction of the World Tree...or a land of dragons.

But how does one get to this secret realm underneath Cassel? It isn't easy, that's for sure, and it is debatable if there is even an entrance to the land in Cassel. The only known entrances involve traveling south to the The Olimian wastes, braving the Aetheric Dragons there that will kill on sight. If you reach the ancient ruins of Tenali, you went way too far and will likely die before you make it back north.

On the Map presented to the Right is an interpretation of the Realm of Feylisa. Red dots indicate possible entrances. Yes, there is an entrance in Cassel, but it's in the Sun Valley, the Realm of the Fairy Xana. I would recommend trying the desert first...

- Atlas of Cassel, Vol. 1, Page 27

The World Above

Realm of Feylisa

The Valley of Kings (Cemetery)

Tucked in the mountains in the western reaches of Marsan is an expansive valley of many tombs and crypts, stretching as far as the eye can see. This is the Valley of Kings, where monarchs have been buried for many thousands of years. Most of the Kings of the Silver Age are buried here, in ancient stone structures that dot the landscape.

While these tombs draw the attention of would be robbers, inside the mountains are the tombs of the Casselian Kings. Stretching and twisting pathways ensure their coffins can't be found, and various magic seals are put in place to prevent them from ever coming back to life.

In-between the many tombs is fertile land and in the mountains are valuable minerals. Many people make the valley their home. Four Baronies are located in the Valley: Roy, Gladio, Reina, and Sacellum.

- Atlas of Cassel, Vol 1, Page 32

The Sea of Wrethas

The Inland Sea of Wrethas is an artificial body of water created in the distant past. According to the Fairy Xiara, the Silver Race used it as a location for a grand experiment on water life. They brought creatures here from all over Vreathe, and even beyond from other worlds connected by the World Tree. The colossal Dams of Karrask were built to manage the water level.

The Silver Race was long gone by the time the first king of Cassel moved into the area. He drained the sea so his people could settle the lands then took the magic crystal that kept the dams operational. He left the water level high enough so the Mesa City of Wrethilin would always be surrounded.

The water level changes quite drastically between the winter and summer months, and most towns not built on high ground are made so the buildings can float during especially bad flooding events. During drought years the water level can get quite low, and there are two times in history when the lands around Wrethilin were dry.

- Atlas of Cassel, Vol 1, Page 37

Old Sea

Current Sea

The Boiling Islands

In the Northeast of Cassel is a chain of volcanic islands. Originally the sea here had no volcanic activity, but this changed during the Silver Age with the death of a Dragon Lord, Xiralgus The Nova. The Dragon's body crashed into the sea, slamming into the ocean bed below. The dragon was a god of fire and earth and its power created a tectonic rift when it died.

What you see to the left is just the eastern half of the island chain created by Xiralgus. It continues west, onto land into the Elf Kingdom of Lyonne in the form of the Red towers. There are dozens of volcanoes in the boiling islands, but the seven largest are listed to the left. For reference, this atlas volume is published in the year 2981 of the Iron Age.

Curiously, if the Realm of Feylisa does lie directly underneath Cassel, then it should be a volcanic hellscape due to the heat of the world below. This leads scholars to two wildly different conclusions, that either the Boiling islands are created solely with the residual magic of a dead dragon god or the Realm of Feylisa is located somewhere else in the universe, or an entirely different plane of existence...

- Atlas of Cassel, Vol 1, Page 46

Dragonscale Hills and Califons Hills (Pool)

Let us continue looking at volcanically active areas of Cassel, this time in the southeast. The Ledon Flatlands has low lying mountain ranges on either side. There are hundreds of hot springs in the Dragonscale hills, and several dozen known in the Califons Hills. Volcanic eruptions are rare and there aren't even any that were recorded in the Iron Age.

These hot springs are quite important as it is one of the few known natural resources in the County of Ledon, other than lumber from the vast untamable forests. The spring water has magical properties, and with proper distillation and concentration, can be bottled up into an effective potion that accelerates natural healing. A large supply of Cassel's potions comes from several settlements in the Dragonscale Hills.

There are also several resort towns in the area with larger springs that people can bathe in. People visit from all over Cassel and beyond. Most people will swear by the healing properties of the springs after soaking in them for several days. The Town of Farossa, located in the Southeast of Ledon, is one such resort town.

- Atlas of Cassel, Vol. 1, Page 51

The Fairy Springs of Azure (Haven)

While we are on the subject of springs, there is an entirely different sort of spring located in Northeastern Cassel in the frontier lands of Azure. These cold freshwater springs are called "Fairy Springs" because, well, fairies live there. The locations of these--

"I know you aren't going to give away our exact location, but I'm going to magically hijack this page in every copy of this book anyways, alright?

Listen up readers. Yes there are magical fairy springs in Azure. Yes, Seven of us live there. Yes We did in fact come from the Moon Kalbeth. No, we will not grant you a wish if you visit us!

Good luck even finding our secret springs anyways. They are purposefully enchanted in such a way to keep us safe and hidden from the one thing we hate most: People! That is all.

- Xana

--you may as well sign your own death warrant. Like I said earlier in this volume, I prefer taking my chances in the desert with the dragons.

- Atlas of Cassel, Vol 1, Page 58