“You gaze upon a vast map created by the four dominating nests of your time. The familiar signs and symbols trigger nostalgia and you sigh, looking at home. Everything else seems so far away and distant. Some dust falls into your eye and you rub it furiously, as a friend sitting beside you elbows you. They joke that you’ve been studying in the library for far too long.”
You can find the full map HERE
Continent of visla
The Northern Nest Territory
Northern Nest Territory lies deep within the Forest of Snow. Aptly named, it always snows and rarely melts, even during summer. Forested hills stretch across the south east of the territory and are prized by the locals as great hunting grounds. Northerners take extreme care in preserving the ecological balance of the forests, to keep the pristine habitat for future generations. The tall pine forests are a deep green and always powdered with brilliant white snow and icicles. The temperature here is almost always in the negative throughout the seasons, meaning that summer is not much respite from the elements. While longer summer days are welcomed with festivities, caeli living here also enjoy long nights of winter when the night sky beckons elders to begin storytelling.
Snowfall AcreSnowacre lies on the Eastern side of the Northern Nest, largely flat with some cold-borne forests sitting between windswept mounds to protect themselves from strong gales. These forests provide fuel and food to the families living in the North. Porminn, hares, and other burrowing creatures reside in these pockets of greenery. Eventually gentle hills become steep inclines as salty ocean water hits rocky ground and freezes. Small fish can be caught here along the shoreline.
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The PickingsThis area is often bustling with pickers working to gather blocks of ice from freshwater lakes, which are two of the largest lakes in the northern territory. These are an important source of income for families who sell carts filled with ice blocks to merchants in the nest, who resell these goods for use in Star Nest and Seashore. Most demand comes from within the Seashore market and Swan Island resort, which are notoriously warm and requires chilled desserts like ice-cream for tourists and citizens. The income for pickers is fair, though the area has a reputation to be low-class.
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Thick ice sheets cover turbulent ocean, which surrounds the Icy Pass on both sides. It is impossible to manoeuvre through by boat due to submerged icebergs, and flying is just as perilous with wind pushing inwards from the sea. The elements pose too much of a risk for even the most experienced of fliers or sailors. If the sea must be travelled, most caeli choose to walk along the narrow pathway, littered with cairns to prove that others had once gone this way, perhaps even as a rite of courage. The path is said to lead to the Eastern Ruins from the Northmost point, however what one may find there is known.
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The Star Nest Territory
Star Nest Territory is elevated and vast, spanning multiple lands from the Great Mountain Pass all the way to Swan Island.
Great Mountain Pass |
Iron Cloudlands |
Windy and steep, the Star Nest's mountain range is lonely and devoid of visible wildlife. The only break in repetition from great faces of dark cliff and muddled rock are the bright and visible stars overhead. Shadows left by the Great Mountain Range makes for arduous and obscured terrain to travel so most caeli choose to use the bonfire-lit pathways as a safe route to the Star Nest.
The Great Mountain Range creates a stark natural barrier between the Southern and Northern parts of the continent and dominates the otherwise plain landscape. Eventually, closer to the Star Nest small travelling camps can be seen littering the tops of hills near the signal bonfires. The view at the peak of one of these mountains reveals thick cloud cover masking the landscape below while constellations gleam in the sky above. |
Thick industrial smog competes with cold mist in this lightly mountainous area. Snow often falls into crevices and valleys where caeli trek to find work. This is a busy area for the mining industry, despite the lack of comforts and abundance of pollutants. Excavators, metallurgists, engineers, and even jewel appraisers can find a never-ending supply of work here. Most will take their profits back home at the end of the year, sufficient to take care of an entire family through the income of one worker.
Living here full-time is difficult, with only the most essential supplies hauled over from the main nest unless goods are privately delivered by couriers. Good accomodation is also scarce and the area is instead overwhelmed by cheap drafty cabins. |
Swan Island |
Twilight harbour |
The newly discovered Swan Island has been converted by Star and Seashore Nest travellers into a large holiday island, with the heart of a small island community. Many wealthy Star Caeli families will visit for a few weeks to holiday in the refreshingly clear air, though most do not stay for long as it is not as convenient nor sustainable as living within a nest. Although the land is officially owned by the Star nest, the area is in neutral territory- a truce formed by Star and Seashore for the sake of peace.
The Island hub is a small gathering of leafy huts surrounding a tall waterfall, where guests can rent one of the small residences for several nights to adventure the pristine rainforest. More permanent homes are made inside the cliff-face surrounding the waterfall, connected together by feeble wood platforms and rope bridges. Long-term residents live and open tourist shops in this area, illuminated at night by large torches dotted across the waterfall. |
A sleepy town built on an important mercantile seaport, perched on the shore of the Star nest mainland. It's an essential naval base for cargo-carrying ships hauling tradable goods to and from the Seashore nest, or closer to the Northern nest. Bypassing most of the treacherous mountains and steppes has led to lowering costs in shipping and arrival time, only further enhancing Star nest productivity.
Eerily quiet, only the sound of water slapping sharp rocks enter the residential zone- all the doors lit by soft whale-oil lamps in cramped and narrow brick-lined streets. However, closer to the port docks there can be seen gigantic shipping freighters made of wood and steel- all of them stocked and guarded by wary Star workers. Alongside the long port docks are ship-building stations, capable of producing many high-quality vessels when operational. If someone paid attention to the water, they would realise that the near-perpetual darkness has led to the murky sea being swirled by bioluminescent fish and crustaceans. |
The Seashore Nest Territory
Seashore Nest Territory is blessed with the Radiant Bay, widely populated with all kinds of fish and marine life. While the locals are excellent swimmers, tourists and guests can simply enjoy the warmer weather and cheerful atmosphere. Protective cliffs surround the bay, giving shelter from strong winds and waves. The sea and land is calm and clear, making this area prime for trading along cliffs and inside of boats but mostly within the Seashore Daylight Market. A small island sits in the middle of this bay, as a residential area for the Seashore inhabitants.
The Golden MeadowsNorth of the Seashore nest are the Golden Meadows; It is friendly territory to the four nests and often they meet here for festivals, though it belongs to the Seashore nest in official records and has remained in their tight grasp. These meadows are filled with swaying golden wheat that crunches under your feet. Various multicoloured wildflowers can be found here, surrounding the Seashore farms and orchards. It is peaceful and warm with little to no predators.
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Radiant BayThe Radiant Bay spans across almost all of seashore's maritime territory, as it surrounds the nest starting from a sheltered reef and expanding into deep azure seas filled with boats. The waters remain calm near shore but swells the further it flows away into open ocean. This bay is the most important component to the seafaring Seashore lifestyle, as it provides an abundance of seafood, resources, and rare pearls. The reef itself is a source for growing various red and pink coloured corals which are harvested into brilliant materials for jewellery. The Radiant Bay has helped Seashore prosper from an early time and continues to act as a route for trade.
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The Central IsleThe Central Isle is a picturesque residential island and fishing port nestled within the tranquil embrace of the Radiant Bay. The Isle holds a captivating allure, surrounded by the glistening azure waters of the bay on all sides. The island's shores are a mixture of pristine sandy beaches and rugged cliffs that plunge into the crystal-clear waters.
The fishing port runs across almost the entire perimeter of the Isle, and countless entrances to homes can be found amongst the dense and leafy vegetation at the very top of the Isle. In the centre of the Isle is a natural dome cave with an open roof, a shared space for Seashore citizens to relax in the shade or trade their wares. |
The Marsh Nest Territory
Marsh Nest Territory is wide and deep, though lacklustre in resources. The climate here is humid and hot, giving way to a host of tropical fauna and flora. Hunting large game and dangerous predators are the main attraction to locals who hold this land. On the seaside fringes of their territory, marshland gives way to complex seawater swamps. Most Caeli stay away from these treacherous swamps, as someone could easily go missing.
The Dark Forest |
False Shores |
Peril's Deep |
Surrounding the Marsh Nest is the Dark Forest. Though the land is not officially Marsh Nest territory no other group has managed to start a nest here, as it is treacherous, damp, and filled with dangerous wildlife. Creatures that inhabit the forest grow large, strange, and often hostile. The Caeli living within the swamp have adapted to deal with this environment and find no use in claiming an official title as owner of the land, as no one else dares to tame it.
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Contrary to what the name suggests, the forested area covers an expanse of salty sea water. This is hidden by layers of coastal groves that rise into what appears to be a normal forest but is actually a false floor made from a network of living and rotten trees, roots, and vines. The area is an absolute death trap with many watery sinkholes and broken paths that are easy to fall into. Travellers without a local guide may never find a way out of the natural maze.
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The coastal forest stops abruptly before Peril's deep, where deep rock pools are hit with seafoamy waves. There are hidden natural treasures in the depths of these pools but almost no one who dives here lives to tell the tale. However, tree-climbing mangrove crabs and giant snails are easy picking for anyone who dares to boat around the pools.
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Neutral Lands
Barrow Plain |
Muggy Thicket |
East Ruins |
A narrow strip of land wedged between the Great Mountain Pass and the Golden Meadows, it is one of the few truly neutral areas of Visla. An empty plain, covered with the tracks of countless caeli who traverse through the center of Visla in order to reach other nests. The soil is worn clay and shrubs grow in small clumps, so the path here is quick and easy to tread. The plains best quality is that it signals the halfway point of a journey, and signs are easily found if you ever get lost.
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Exactly as it sounds, a foggy and muggy thicket is an uncomfortable and thick patch of shrubs and trees. The Muggy Thicket rests on the boundary of Seashore and Marsh territories, where rambling forests turn humid and damp with the abundant rain that invariably covers the Marsh. There's always a camp or two in this area although no one ever stays for long, partly because there's nothing to profit but also because of the giant mosquitos.
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The East Ruins lies within Star Nest territory, but only in name. No guards or civilians are stationed here and the area has remained abandoned for generations. The area is remote and is not easily reached by any of the nests, due to being surrounded by the Great and Icy Passes. There is little arable land to farm so no one yet has tried to settle the ruins. However, there are adventurers and looters which regularly occupy the caverns hoping to find historical artefacts and jewels which were left behind by the previous occupants.
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OFF THE SHORES OF VISLA
The queen's mawThe Queen’s maw is a vast expanse of open ocean that stretches endlessly, dividing the known world in two. The ocean begins on the most Western side of Visla, touching the territories of the Seashore and Star Nests, and it is unknown there it ends.
These waters are treacherous and filled with dangers that are beyond the imagination of most. The oceans of the Queen’s maw are plagued by fierce storms and hurricanes that can strike at any moment, making the journey across the divide a perilous one. Many brave sailors have attempted the journey, but few have ever made it to the other side. Any Caeli that makes their way through the storm may then encounter giant predators that live deep within the waters. |
thousand islandsThe Thousand Islands, a scattered archipelago of small desert isles, forms a fractal of dots amidst the vast expanse of the ocean. Extending both to the north and south, they span across the Queen's Maw, creating a crescent shape from the air. This dotted crescent, though arid, possess a raw and unyielding beauty from the smattering of golden freckles across a vast blue ocean. However, getting stuck on one of these isles would certainly mean death if not rescued by a passing ship.
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Continent of Malla
THE DESERT NEST TERRITORY
Firan coveA cove hidden by the shape and angle of tall sandstone and white rock cliffs and columns, the Firan Cove lies right on the doorstep of the Desert Nest Canyon, which provides shelter to a small reef. The Cove has one main entrance and exit directly to the Desert nest, and it is used as the main location for fishing and boating in the nest. Bahaynt calves often frequent this shallow cove to remain safe from predators at this sensitive stage of life, and Desert Caeli bond with them during the time they remain there.
the sunsoaked DUNESKnown as the Makhmon Desert to the Desert Nest folk, the Sunsoaked Dunes are an inhospitable stretch of endlessly shifting sands that span the entire continent, aside from small areas sheltered by deep rock formations. The sand gleams in shades of white, yellow, gold, red, and in some areas black, depending on where you are in these endless dunes.
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the SANDLOCKED OASISThe oasis is a cae-made agricultural pan, fed by deep aqueducts and drainage systems that intersect across the entire continent, pulling rainwater directly to the farms. This is where the Desert nest generates most of their food, in these fertile and perpetually wet soils and waterlines.
Salt pan flatsTo the south of the oasis, across the shore, is a spectacular cascade of salt-pan pools, starting from a flat salt-water lake that flows down the cliffs into terraced catchments where the Desert nest caeli harvest the crystallized salt. The piled up salt terraces gleam a pristine white and the water an unnatural turquoise blue due to the dissolved minerals. The area is considered one with healing properties and wounds are often sterilized in some of the lower pools.
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