Hey all, here's the first segment of many, as so widely requested. (well, only one person actually wants it, thank you hatebonds. life saver.) I'll move between looking at the world and looking at my characters, so next installment will probably be either Hieros or Paean. oh, and most of the names come from either greek or latin, so they actually mean something. except Belraine and Midraine, those just sound cool. any thoughts and suggestion would be awesome, like how to make this more interesting.

Helping me design the world! ok, here's some intructions, take an area, (you dont have much to choose from right now, but if you want intruction on a certain area, tell me and I'll give you a short lowdown on your profile... Then decide what sort of character you want, and draw away! just keep it a little realistic, this is fantasy, but... I prefer it grounded. (like Lord of the Rings, not WoW.)when you're done, stick it up here on deviant art, and link back to me in the description, sort of like "Twin-lions-swordsman's world" nothing fancy


GUIDE TO THE WORLD
Welcome to the world. I will give you a brief introduction before delving into deeper detail on each matter, so do not worry, you who seek intimate knowledge, for it will come.
First, this world is not the human’s world. The elves were here first, the giants could reason that it is only an extension of their bodies, and I’m sure that the Goblins bought it long ago. However, we humans due play a large role in the shaping of our world, and should be aware of all of its wonders, and dangers.
The world can be split two ways: first there are the nine tiers. The tiers are monumental cliffs, ranging from a hundred feet or so to almost a mile high. They were formed long ago and all but tall tales of the war that raised them now still exist. The second is the world can be divided into thirds, the North and west, where the light of Eumenes always shines; the south, where man flourishes and spreads, and where the light of Eumenes is but twilight; and the east, where great Endemos blocks the light of Eumenes and even cuts short the daylight the sun provides.
These systems often divide the realms of races, for some prefer the twilight of the east, and others flourish in the light of the west. The tiers also aid in dividing the world, and indeed, the Elves of Aerios have not come down from the ninth tier in over a thousand years.
There are many features of the world not shown on the map, for the sake of business, but most of the important features are there, such as the great central river, and the mountain ranges. Of course, great Endemos could never be left off of a respectable map, and as this is clearly a manmade map, the Plains of Belraine feature quite prominently.
We will now continue on to a more detailed study of each section of the map, the races of the world, organizations, and even some key historical and contemporary characters. Enjoy.

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The Central Kingdom (Midraine) is located on the plains of Belraine, which are also called the plains of man. It is the largest of the major kingdoms, and is mainly based around “common” products, such as agriculture, wood working, and normal metallurgy. Within the plains of Belraine are found the Archais-Akmon woodland, the southern swamps, and the mighty central river. The kingdom is formulated mostly as a feudal society, but with a few notable exceptions. For one, the kingship is not hereditary, but is passed from the king to a chosen successor, who must meet stringent requirements and an examination by his peers, known as the “Masked Court” where every member of the panel wears a mask, and speaks through a representative, so that no retribution can be served against a member who finds the fatal flaw in the applicant.

A common tradition among the residents of Midraine is the right of ascension, in which a man, before he can open a shop, own a farm, or even marry must complete a journey, walking his way to the capital city (Belraine), where he will meet with the greatest members of his trade, and register himself as a full-fledged member of society. On this journey many young men will often mature and gain much larger a much larger perspective on their country, town, and life. This tradition is not always observed, mostly in areas that are too far from the capital, or men who already have people depending on them.

Within the Archais-Akmon woodland are many ruins of unknown date, and it is believed that man first originated from this area.

The people of Midaine vary greatly in customs, appearance, and loyalty, due to the huge size of the kingdom. Many dukedoms barely recognize the king as their sovereign at all, leading to breakdowns in communication and fealty. Some of the northern most kingdoms are more allied with the confederacy of independent kingdoms to the north, and would not be reliable allies if war ever broke out between the two regions.

Typically the people far to the east of the river, near the Erepho Mountains, are of light skin and hair. People living near the woodland have olive skin tones and dark hair, and to the west of the mountains the population has much darker skin, with varied hair colors. The population on the east side and north, from the capital to the safeguard hills, are greatly mixed.