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.

AGARTHA:

RACE: ocean-Kin xeriin. LEADER: Nares (NPC). TIER: one.
LANGUAGE(S): Common, Lai'sen. ALLEGIANCE: Cimmeria.

APPEARANCE: Agartha sits deep under the sea, within an underwater canyon. It is deep enough that light from the surface can't reach it, leaving the city and its inhabitants reliant on bio-luminescence and artificial lighting. The city is carved from old coral, and is largely asymmetrical, with winding passages and chambers carved to follow the shape of the coral .

CULTURE: As there is no real day or night in Agartha, the city instead follows a passage of hours independent of movements of sun or moon. Generally isolationist even towards those sea-kin xeriin who live in shallower waters, the inhabitants of Agartha are content with their lives in the deep, dark depths. They harvest pearls and scavenge wrecks and other debris that sink into the depths, generally making use of them themselves, or rarely trading them with more shallow-dwelling ocean-kin xeriin.

AGUANGOLA:

RACE: sea saurians. LEADER: Lady Saverr (NPC). TIER: one.
LANGUAGE(S): Common. ALLEGIANCE: Cimmeria.

APPEARANCE: Aguangola is a saurian settlement big enough to accommodate the giant sea saurians. The carnivorous sea saurians hunt the vast seas of Xaeri to the west of Cimmeriaand some ways from the Kelpvale - a healthy distance from the Gyre. Overall, the structures are very simple, made out of already existing rocks, as these creatures often lack the limbs necessary for more advanced structures.

CULTURE: Aguangola is a society that has to focus heavily on food collection and storage due to the lack of limbs and tools necessary for a larger civilization to flourish via agricultural focus - as well as the natural obstacles of the Kelpvale and the Gyre. Sizeable farms are maintained by the herbivorous sea saurians, while saurians with a taste for meat hunt the seas.

In spite of their ferocity, all Aguangolans are extremely grateful for food they do have - to waste food is seen as a horridly disrespectful affront - not only to the host, but to the creature that gave its life for the meal. To snub a meal is grounds for a duel between two creatures, and is often presided over the ruling family of Liopleurodons who founded the city and rule it to this day.

HARMONY:

RACE: xeriin, saurian. LEADER: Koro (NPC). TIER: three.
LANGUAGE(S): Common, Lai'sen. ALLEGIANCE: Free.

APPEARANCE: As befitting a city founded as a home for every type of xeriin, and every imaginable saurian, Harmony has watery depths, broad streets and wide arches, and towering spires. Situated on the side of a cliff by the sea, tucked up along the mountains separating it from Kerguelan, the lower reaches of the city plunge beneath the waves, with a wide area by the water's edge. The upper reaches tower high into the air, and consist of great spires and elevated galleries. The rest of the city is a collection of stone and wood structures, some of which are large enough to accommodate even the largest of saurians.

CULTURE: Harmony is aptly-named, with members of the three main types of xeriin living along side each other, with every conceivable type of saurian. They all live as equals, with the city's elected leader assisted by a council made up of three xeriin, one from each type, and three saurians, one aquatic, one terrestrial, and one avian. Bright colors, and typically joyful demeanors are common; the inhabitants often find cause to celebrate.

OLOUS:

RACE: ocean-Kin xeriin, saurians. LEADER: Dohrn (NPC). TIER: two.
LANGUAGE(S): Common, Lai'sen. ALLEGIANCE: Cimmeria.

APPEARANCE: Olous is built within a large, upward-spiraling stone spire that's been hollowed out inside. Numerous openings line its outer edges, and a series of caverns lie below the spire. Numerous spiky extensions jut out from the spire, and a large number of polished pearls placed around the outside of the city reflect the sunlight during the day..

CULTURE: Every xeriin within Olous is partnered with an aquatic saurian from a young age, and the inhabitants of this city form the core of Cimmeria's military force, organizing themselves into patrols. They tend to engage in numerous underwater sports, and similar activities, priding themselves on their athleticism.

PALEKAIKO:

RACE: water nymphs. LEADER: none. TIER: one.
LANGUAGE(S): Common. ALLEGIANCE: Cimmeria.

APPEARANCE: A village hidden away by powerful illusions and clever camouflage, Palekaiko's main attraction is the large waterfall that falls to the sea below - a rainbow seeming to be permanently affixed to the majestic sight. The actual civilization is centered around a magical spring that seems to never run dry or stop.

CULTURE: Palekaiko is populated by alluringly-dressed water nymphs who live a fairly carefree lifestyle - the popular fashion is grass skirts and necklaces made of floral arrangements to help accentuate the natural beauty of the all female water nymph population. There are many empty huts which belong to water nymphs who are scouting abroad during rainy seasons for males who can provide for the water nymphs - including food, labor, and procreative needs.

In spite of the predatory nature of the water nymphs, these 'victims' are given a luxurious lifestyle - so long as the victim is useful to the nymphs, they are treated to dancing, great food, etc. Rarely will a nymph marry or pairbond with her chosen male, though many are kept under their spell for many years; marriage requires trust and a willingness to stay without the bewitchment, and very few often do. Those that become needless to the nymphae or a threat to Palekaiko are cast from the city and sent to the underwater graveyard at the foot of the falls.

THONIS:

RACE: ocean-Kin xeriin. LEADER: Chief Ballard (NPC). TIER: three.
LANGUAGE(S): Common, Lai'sen. ALLEGIANCE: Cimmeria.

APPEARANCE: Thonis is designed much like a city on the surface might look, with streets, columns, archways, open market squares, and such like. The structures are all carved from stone, and numerous aquatic plants have been arranged into well-tended gardens that slowly wave as the drifting water moves them. Most windows are large enough to serve as doors, and numerous statues can be found scattered about.

CULTURE: Generally cosmopolitan, and welcoming to the occasional aquatic saurian, or rare selkie that may come by to visit. Should a boat pass by overhead, they will typically surface to greet the passers-by. Ceremonies honoring Nicaen are common, and take place at regular intervals around the year.

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.

Ancestral Cliffs

The country of Cimmeria has one of the largest continental shelves in all the Realms, and where that shelf ends, there's a straight drop down to the deepest parts of the ocean. Carved out of this cliff is the figure of a xeriin whose name and affinity have been lost to the weathering of the ocean. At the base of this colossal statue are names, carved into the base of the cliff. It is uncertain when these names started here, but each generation, a dedicated group of Ocean-Kin collect the names of all those living in the Realm's seas and their parents. Then, to this cliff they come, and carefully they carve the names into the wall.

Although they may seem chaotic to a visitor, these names have a rigid system of organization. Heroes who have their names carved into the wall ave a golden shell carved next to their name. The first born in a family is set above their parent, and younger children are linked with a carved line inlaid with pearls so that the younger may start at the bottom of the cliff further on. The joining of families is indicated with a similar inlay, using abalone shell instead of the rounded pearl beads. Typically, the first born will be recorded over the parent closer to the statue, though in the case of a blemish, this may change. Blemishes can be any number of things, but the most horrendous is the appearance of a Myth-Kin in the column of names, and any such discoveries are usually blotted out with a coral transplant. Strangers who become one of the family are typically carved and inlaid with copper, starting out very obvious, but becoming more compatible with the surroundings as they oxidize.

In this way, the giant cliff becomes a wall of names, some with columns reaching almost to the top, and some just a couple names tall. Using the trails and columns of names, a single individual can trace their lineage all the way back to the very beginning of the record, through all of the notable sea-faring peoples since. The lasting image is of columns of neat script and tangles of pearl or shell strings that cross them at infinite intervals with coral and copper sprinkled in, seemingly at random. The ongoing list shows no signs of ending and will likely wrap around the continent completely before it is moved elsewhere to continue the records.

Antillian Isles

A long, narrow chain of rocky spires jutting up from beneath the waves. The spires are home to mainly seabirds, although a few sky-kin xeriin hermits have occasionally taken up residence atop a few of the spires in the past./

Bluestone Rise

A large, smooth ridge of blue-tinted stones. The curves and clefts in the stones filter sunlight through onto the ocean floor in dancing, shifting patterns that change as the day passes, and as the year goes by.

Cimmerian Rift

A hidden Rift who's entrance is located under the shallow waters on the shores of the Cimmerian ocean. It lay unknown by surface life for countless generations, and thus lay unclaimed though it is within Cimmerian boundaries, though it was only recently discovered by salvagers looking for a wrecked ship.

Many centuries ago, when all four Markers were lost briefly in the Bloodreign War, the Rift was formed and persisted long after the initial imbalance was restored. Now, it remains an eldritch location, forever warped by the Void. Within the Cimmerian Rift, gravity, direction, even the passage of time are inconsistent, and these effects only grow worse as one ventures further into the area. In appearance, it looks like a twisted version of glowing forest and floating land; islands may break away or merge with the bedrock at random, and plants may bloom and die within moments, alien and unnatural. Strange forms of life, many displaying bio-luminescence, lurk within the Rift. Those who dwell deep within the Rift seem to swim through the air, which behaves more like water, preventing quick movement for those who are not adapted to swimming. Reality is warped; things that may appear to be solid may not be, and textures are almost never what they appear. It is said that at the heart of the Rift is a chasm to the Void itself, a hazard that can swallow the unwary without warning. Whether this is true or not is unknown.

What is known, however, is that the Rift changes those who are in it for long periods of time; individuals that spend more than a few days under the Cimmerian Rift's influence may begin to display physical changes upon their bodies to be more aquatic in nature, and longer still may result in a shift of magical balance towards the element of water. Further changes, and their effects, are currently unknown.

Coral Cavern

A deep, massive, winding series of caves within a large coral reef. Many varieties of fish and other sea creatures live within the reef, and bio-luminescent corals and plants line the passages. A shrine to Nicaen is located within a large chamber, deep inside.

The Gyre

A strange, underwater brine pool filled with brackish water that slowly swirls around in a slow, circling maelstrom. Nothing lives within, or nearby, and few care to even go near to the place, considering it to be cursed, or poison, or both.
Once home to the Spirit Weapon Urtuth; a female leviathan, secondary form of a beautiful elf. Sealed in a delicate bow. Destroyed long ago.

Kelpvale

A broad, underwater valley filled with kelp. Home to numerous creatures who live and hunt between the vast fronds of kelp that give the region its name. Larger predators generally avoid the dense vegetation.

Nahuru Atoll

A deep lagoon within a verdant atoll. The waters within are clean and clear, allowing somebody on the surface to see the lagoon floor. The small islands on the atoll are low-lying, and covered in a few trees, shrubs, and grasses.

Wandering Isle

A fair-sized island that floats on the surface of the ocean, kept afloat by strange magics. The island is adrift in the ocean's currents, and is swept along according to the ocean's whims, making a general circuit around Cimmeria.
Home to the Spirit Weapon Gozkuth; a male kraken, secondary form of a heavyset boy. Sealed in a decorative warhammer. Still located deep within the island.