Cities:

These are the cities found within this area; each one is marked on the map, and divided by tiers. The larger the tier, the larger the city - tier one may be a small village or town, while tier four may be sprawling cities of grand proportions.

ASGARD:

RACE: humans, mixed. LEADER: Archmage Nido (NPC). TIER: four.
LANGUAGE(S): Common. ALLEGIANCE: free.

APPEARANCE: Constructed on Sud'rlund's eastern coast, the tower is designed to accommodate jotuns as well as typical humanoids, with the various gates, halls, and stairways having been built to massive proportions. Cloistered walkways run alongside the edges of the main halls, and specially carved balconies allow for easier communications between jotuns and smaller races. The tower is built of light grey granite, with enchanted ice acting as extra support and an insulating layer to ensure the interior is habitable for all races.

CULTURE: Nothing about Asgard's culture is known, other than it is Millirand's Tower of Magic and belongs to the Order of Mages.

EINARTOFT:

RACE: jotuns. LEADER: Ingvar (NPC). TIER: three.
LANGUAGE(S): Common. ALLEGIANCE: Sud'rlund.

APPEARANCE: The sole entrance to Einartoft is across a massive stone bridge, wide enough for several Jotuns to stand shoulder to shoulder, carved by Jotun hands many centuries ago. Carefully concealed runes have allowed the bridge to weather all of th strife Millirand has seen over the millenia. Einartoft itself is carved out of a mountainside, and is reached by ascending a staircase carved for Jotun. Inside, a massive, towering great hall is the seat of the Jotun king, or queen, their personal Huskarlar, or bodyguards, and various attendants, while smaller, but still massive, stone chambers serve as living quarters, storage, and other necessary accommodations.

CULTURE: Stronghold of the jotuns, and marshaling point for the King's or Queen's Host, the army called upon to serve in times of war. During times of peace, contests of martial skill and physical might are common, whether informal or organized, and great feasts are common. Among the gods of Millirand, Zeldrima is most often called upon, as the jotuns seek to divine whether or not a venture will be come to good fortune or not.

FORT AMARANT:

RACE: atlanteans. LEADER: Commander Ossaru (NPC). TIER: three.
LANGUAGE(S): Common. ALLEGIANCE: none.

APPEARANCE: A city seemingly built of coral, the city tends to be rather sprawled out rather than tall, as all buildings are reliant on the coral itself. Amarant's city is alive - literally. The coral seems to respond to the thought patterns and wishes of its residents, who are almost always ready for battle at a moment's notice. The various colors of coral make this a feast for the eyes, in spite of the town's militaristic nature.

CULTURE: Fort Amarant's building structure is unique as all of it is mostly naturally grown - sometimes magically enhanced, but there are no bricks nor migrated building materials. Instead, mages are in charge of construction via communing with the life force of the city. The city itself is alive, and can act in defense of itself via tendrils that shoot out from its structures that unleash a paralyzing toxin upon those they come into contact with, breaking invaders' defenses to make them vulnerable for a finishing blow by an atlantean warrior.

The citizenry are taught to be grateful for the city itself, and to always thank the city for its defense - this spirit of gratitude is said to help the city grow and to make it defend the people more efficiently.

Fort Amarant serves as a training ground for atlantean warriors. Although the training is strict, the citizens are taught from an early age to have an appreciation for not only those that protect others, but those who are protected due to the mechanism by which the city grows. All Clans of atlanteans are welcome, and those that create trouble are quickly dealt with and often given to the squalus for prey.

GHERO'S FOLLY:

RACE: various. LEADER: None. TIER: one.
LANGUAGE(S): Common. ALLEGIANCE: None.

APPEARANCE: A small, scattered collection of houses surrounding a meeting hall, Ghero's Folly, located in the Uncontrolled lands, was intended to be a trade hub Now, it mainly serves as a refuge for people who don't want to be found. A simple wooden palisade surrounds the town.

CULTURE: An unspoken rule in Ghero's Folly is nobody asks about peoples' lives before they came to this remote place. People come here to be forgotten, not to talk about their pasts. While technically a part of Sun'drlund, they are far enough into the Uncontrolled lands, and too small, to warrant any real attention. Ever since Ghero died, the people in the town have taken to governing themselves.

GREAT TEMPLE OF ZELDRIMA:

RACE: various. LEADER: Zeldrima's Chosen (NPC). TIER: Two.
LANGUAGE(S): Common. ALLEGIANCE: Sudr'lund.

APPEARANCE:Zeldrima's temple is built in the form of a tall, spiraling tower made of purple stone inset with swirling gold designs. Within, visitors are met with the sight of a statue of Zeldrima poised above an altar. Anyone who makes an appropriate offering to the goddess is allowed into the Hall of Doors. The Hall is lit by motes of gleaming starlight, and lined with numerous doors. Entering one of these doors leaves the visitor with a random blessing or gift of some sort that they are allowed to take with them. Exiting the door leaves them outside the temple.

CULTURE: Unique among the Great Temples, the high priest or priestess, known as Zeldrima's Chosen, is appointed by casting lots. The winner of the casting gives up their name while serving as head priest for a year before lots are cast again, and a new head is chosen. Many other decisions are made by casting lots, often leaving outsiders wondering at the apparent chaos.

MOUNT TRONDEN:

RACE: jotun. LEADER: Lawspeaker Skrymr (NPC). TIER: two.
LANGUAGE(S): Common ALLEGIANCE: Sud'rlund.

APPEARANCE: Atop Mount Tronden stands a settlement of the same name. A stout wooden palisade, made of thick tree trunks hauled up the mountain by many jotuns, stands in a circle around the town. At the center of the town stands a circle of standing stones carved with runes. Nearby stands an ancient meeting hall, the traditional home of the Falkmotr. The structures in the town are made of half-stone, half-timber construction, and are typically very thick-walled.

CULTURE: The Falkmotr, a council made of the wisest of the jotuns, holds the true power in Sun'drlund. They have in the past deposed and even executed kings and queens who failed to heed their words of wisdom. The common folk of Mount Tronden are mainly hunters and woodsmen, while a handful manage small farms.

NIDVAR:

RACE: jotuns, dwarves. LEADER: Hreidmar (NPC). TIER: two.
LANGUAGE(S): Common. ALLEGIANCE: Sud'rlund.

APPEARANCE: Nidvar is a dual-city built beside a mountain range. Above, the jotuns dwell in sturdy houses, while dwarves live in subterranean dwellings carved from solid rock. A monolithic stone carved with runes and images of the gods stands near the meeting hall at the center of the town.

CULTURE: Jotuns and dwarves live side by side as equals in Nidvar, and the dwarves have mined the nearby mountains extensively. Larger tunnels big enough for jotuns run among the smaller, active mineshafts, allowing the jotuns to haul away old rock and worthless metals. The dwarves also craft weapons and other metal goods for the jotuns.

Sanctorium

RACE: golem. LEADER: Inaya (NPC) TIER: two.
LANGUAGE: Common. ALLEGIANCE: None.

APPEARANCE: Sanctorium is a retreat set in a valley littered with discarded metals and other various materials. Acting somewhat as a defensive gate, creatures with soft hide or unprotected skin must be wary of their steps. The entrance of the city is a warped, looming arch that allows nearly any height of golem passage. Past the gateway spreads a moderate-sized city crafted with a combination of shiny and dull metallics, smooth stone, and sculpted crystal. Golems of varying sizes and shapes can be viewed wandering about the city, completing their individual tasks. Shops catered to the golems are scattered within the area, ranging from mechanics to architects, though a small scattering of vendors selling organic items cater to the few non-golem visitors and citizens Sanctorium harbors.

CULTURE: A refuge for forgotten guardians and unneeded golems, Sanctorium provides safety for its elemental beings. Its leader is often considered one of the most sapient and wisest of the automations, and is elected to the position every twenty years. Through a series of democratic holdings, Sanctorium’s inhabitants are able to each voice their opinions about their security and tasks. The sanctuary also accepts every guardian that arrives or are discovered.

SEDAVAALI:

RACE: selkie. LEADER: Lady Niraveena (NPC) TIER: N/A.
LANGUAGE(S): Common. ALLEGIANCE: none.

APPEARANCE: A very lonely city, identifiable only by three bare, pale sticks of wood jutting past the water's surface and spaced seven feet apart. Underneath the waves, three ancient, dead, but well-preserved gigantic trees can be seen; these form a circle amid a forest of delicately woven kelp. The bottom of the circle is empty of plantlife, and consists of only sad. All three trees have platforms carved into their massive trunks, most large enough for several selkie to fit within comfortably.

Gems and extravagant shells litter the sand below, catching and refracting light, discarded by the selkie living high above. Legends say that they can catch and refract one's happiness, and appear far brighter the more joyous Sedavaali's transient inhabitants.

CULTURE: Sedavaali is a very sacred place to the selkie, visited every seven years and spending only seven days within as a whole. To enter the city, one must leap above the oceans waves to properly breech the interwoven barrier. To barrel through the wall is seen as a heavy offense, resulting in immediate removal and banishment of the aggressor. Strangers are not welcome inside the circle, but may view through the brambles outside. When festivities end, the selkie breach ocean waters once more to leave the city abandoned until the next celebration festival.

Landmarks:

These are the landmarks and important places scattered through this area. They can be anything from forests and rivers to special caverns, monuments, ruins, and more.

High North

A land untouched by the residents of Sud'rlund, unexplored and rumored to be very dangerous. None who have ventured forth have ever returned, though shortly before their disappearance, reports of icy statues have been sent.

Ice Barrier

A massive wall of ice that separates the High North and the Uncontrolled areas from Sud'rlund itself. It is miles high and nearly a mile thick, with fierce, enchanted blizzards home to the most vicious of arctic elementals. Nothing can get through or over it, and it is constantly watched and guarded by the bravest jotun guardsmen.

Swiftflow Current

A wide ocean current that sweeps through the waters between Sudr'lund and the Darklands. Though relatively thin - not even a league deep - it is very, very fast, and acts as a barrier that protects the undersea lands far beneath. It may be used to travel from the northwestern, arctic waters to the eastern edge of the Darklands within a day.

Tartarus Ruins

An ancient palace buried deep within the earth; it may be found by an old, jewel-studded column that arches over a partially obscured cave. When entered, the caverns open into a labyrinth of old, decaying halls thought to be of dwarven make, their walls decorative and made of seamless stone. Many creatures have made this ruin their home, and it is rife with danger - but at the center of the great structure lay a hall of ornate marble, flanked by statues of dwarf kings long since dead. At the end of the massive hall stands the great throne, where the skeleton of the last king sits. He will greet you, and offer you a blessing - and although these are temporary, they are quite powerful.

Tomb of Thieves

In the earliest ages of the Realm of Millirand, the jotuns built vast tombs and crypts to house their noble dead, forever in peaceful slumber. Though much of that is now passed, such barrows still remain - and this one, located near the great wall, has been protected from the elements and maintained by its new protectors. It is a series of caverns carved into the ice and rock, where the bodies of many giants and jotuns are laid to rest; some humans (most more recent) may be found, on newer stone biers. Most are inset into the walls, well preserved by the ancient ice. However, at the fore of this barrow, bandits have taken over much of the old halls - and now use it as a place of refuge and hiding, forgotten from the world.

The Uncontrolled

A portion of Sud'rlund lost in a brief war with the dragons of Jes're'en, a frosted countryside filled with the bones of the fallen and ruins preserved in the ice. A place of mourning and grief, only accessible by traveling all the way south to get around the Wall.