*Note: The following has been copied/pasted from the DragonLands main site, to learn more, please click on the following link: Regions of the Dragonlands
Please read the other topics in this forums, for more information on Ismene and the surrounding areas.
The DragonLands Proper
Also known as the "Original" DragonLands, this area constituted the entire "known world" of DL when the story began in DL year 2998. The DragonLands proper are more or less in the center of the currently known areas of the DragonLands, and they are the most heavily populated in terms of both people and settlements. The DragonLands Proper are located within a great ring of mountains, which enclose a roughly circular area so large that it spans a wide range of climatic zones from North to South. Several large rivers crisscross this region, but the only two appreciable bodies of water are the Telnor Sea, actually a large freshwater lake, and a smaller lake just north of Marrid Warren. Except for a series of mountainous spurs which project into the DragonLands from the surrounding ring the landscape is made up of relatively gentle terrain ranging from rolling hills to broad plains.
The Nomadlands
The Nomadlands are located immediately to the south of the DragonLands proper. A vast area several hundred miles across, the Nomadlands are mostly covered by grassy plains; however, areas of forest and desert are also to be found. The climate is very hot and dry for the most part, and the rivers that cross the Nomadlands are often reduced to the merest trickles during the summer. Its native inhabitants are the Horse Nomads, a people very different from those of the DragonLands. Their lifestyle and culture have been shaped by the harsh conditions they live under, since the Nomadlands are by and large incapable of supporting large populations. There are no cities in the Nomadlands, nor any truly permanent settlements of any sort; nor do most of the Nomadlands readily support farming. The Nomads thus follow a wandering existence, grazing their herds in one spot and then moving on.
The Lost DragonLands
Just as the shifting of magical boundaries has recently opened up the Nomadlands to dragons and wraiths, a long-ago shifting of the boundaries isolated the Westernmost group of warrens in the then-DragonLands from the others. No one knows how long ago this occurred; however, within each group of warrens and landbound settlements, no records of the other group survived to the present day. Thus, until a chance encounter in 2999, the two groups were totally unaware of the other's existence.
In many respects, the Lost DragonLands resemble the DragonLands Proper. The dragons and riders of the warrens protect the landbound within their territories, and are in turn supplied by the landbound. Each warren is run by a Warrenlady, who in turn reports to the Dragonlady Vignette at Ismene Warren.
However, there are important differences as well. When the DragonLands magic receded from the Lost DragonLands, it left behind a cluster of magical "pockets," within which the magic remained. No one knows just how many such pockets there are, as most are quite small. Only five large pockets exist; each of these contains a warren, in addition to landbound towns and cities. Beyond the pockets are the wastes (see Section 2.4); thus, while joined dragons and riders may teleport between the magical pockets, this is more difficult and dangerous than in the DragonLands Proper because the teleports take them across areas of the Wastes' chaotic magic. In fact, direct teleports between widely separated warrens such as Geode and Xylian are not always possible, requiring intermediate stops at other pockets that lie in between.
Wraiths and wild dragons can be found in certain areas between the pockets, where the magic of the DragonLands is still sufficiently strong to sustain them; thus, while landbound humans may cross the gaps between the pockets, this is done only at extreme risk.
There is no single Landbound Nation within the Lost DragonLands because of the difficulty of communications between the pockets. Thus, each of the major pockets has its own Landbound Nation. There is no king, and the landbound of each pocket are ruled by one or more independent lords.
Commerce does go on between the pockets, but it is a risky undertaking. Lacking the protection of the dragonriders in the spaces between the magic pockets, merchants have been forced to adopt a "convoy" system under which many wagons travel together under the protection of soldiers or mercenaries. Even the most heavily armed and armored convoy, however, cannot fend off determined attacks by wraiths or wild dragons; thus, some convoys get through to their destinations, while others do not. Therefore, the Landbound within each pocket must be relatively self-sufficient. The Guilds exist within the Lost DragonLands, but like all other institutions within these lands, are rather decentralized.
There are five warrens in the Lost DragonLands, as follows:
The inhabitants of these warrens, of course, had no idea that they were "lost" during the time that the two groups were separated. To them, Keldarra and its group of warrens make up the "Lost" DragonLands.
The Wastes
Beyond the DragonLands are the Wastes. They are, in essence an area of chaotic magic where the DragonLands magic grows weaker as it meets and interacts with the very different magical systems of other areas of New Brittany which surround the DragonLands. The Wastes exits around the borders of the DragonLands Proper, the Lost DragonLands, and the Nomadlands, as well as between the magic pockets of the Lost DragonLands and under the sea beyond the coastal areas off Jasra Warren. Wild dragons and wraiths can and do exist in some parts of the Wastes, in any area where the magic of the DragonLands is sufficiently strong (and uncontaminated by outside magic) to sustain them. Joined dragons and riders *can* enter the Wastes, but only at great risk because the magical bond that joins them is particularly susceptible to the gradual weakening of DragonLands magic and the greater influence of other forms of magic that occur as one proceeds more deeply into them. This "changeover" may occur gradually as one proceeds deeper into the Wastes, allowing warren dragons to avoid danger by sensing when the DragonLands magic is becoming too diluted for them; however, within the Wastes, the boundaries can shift quickly and without warning, dooming any who are suddenly caught by such a shift.
Shifts in magic can also occur within DragonLands itself. A recent shift in the magic at Marrid Domain has caused havoc in the magic there, to the point that most dragons and their riders have had to flee. Many went to Xylian Warren and now reside there.
Wraiths, requiring a lower level of DragonLands magic to support them, can often evade the warren dragons by retreating into areas deep within the wastes where their enemies cannot follow; wild dragons may also do this, since they have no rider-dragon bond to worry about.
The interactions of DL magic with other forms of outside magic can produce weird creatures within the Wastes, some of which are able to exist within the DragonLands themselves. The Wyrms, which resemble wingless Oriental Dragons (whereas DL dragons are of the Western type) are one example, but there are many others.
Landbound humans are not directly affected by the chaotic magic of the Wastes, and can enter them at will; however, in so doing, they face terrible danger from the wraiths, wild dragons, and waste creatures they will inevitably encounter. Thus, few do so without very good reason.
*******************************************************
WarrenLady Tarika _________________ <--T'ka's Hatching Festival Dress
^ ^
Avatar found at: Blue Corn Comics
(Not exactly sure who did the pic, if anyone recognizes it, and can prove to me they know who the proper credit should go to...please pm me)
Dragon pic found at: Ancient Dragon Gallery 2 (artist unknown)
Name siggies made by me at: Glitter Text Graphics
You can post new topics in this forum You can reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
<--T'ka's Hatching Festival Dress
Locked: Sun Jan 28, 2007 12:43 am by Tarika
