Geography

Calacia

On the world of Calacia, the sun rises in the west and sets in the east; the planet rotates the opposite direction of Terra. Calacia also has two moons, Luaris and Siraul. Luaris has a blue cast, and is sometimes called "Irotana's Eye", the "blue moon", and "light moon", as well as other names. Its opposite is the reddish moon Siraul, the "chaotic moon", the "blood moon," and the "Eye of Chaos".

Mat'cel: A large continent to the west of Shadow Star Island, largely unexplored. As far as Shadowstarians have been able to determine, it is sparsely populated by small villages of humanoids, such as humans and Amaane.

Sacoridia (Taerone): A large continent to the east of Shadow Star, dominated by Chaos until the Ryuuki Wars. A huge marsh known as the Marsh of Sacor seeps across its eastern half.

Corisian Islands: A large island chain to the west of Shadow Star.

Temple Island: A small island hidden in a shallow part of the sea, where many sandbars are. In fact, it looks just like the sand bars unless the gods wish the person searching for it to see it.

Tears of Eshye: A small island chain off the western coast of Shadow Star.

Shadow Star

Shadow Star is an island on the planet Calacia. It is roughly the size of Georgia, with a mountain range running from the north of it to the south called the Sierac mountain range. Rivers, canals, and roads criss-cross it, running from villages to cities to towns. Shadow Star is surrounded by the Sea of Burunn'e.

Star Scape Mountain

Star Scape is a long-dormant volcano, honeycombed with many passages and rooms carved out hundreds of years ago. It is located about a day's flight south of Cascadia. The main hall has a connecting canal with the ocean and a large freshwater spring. It contains a hatching cavern, but as many of the recent hatchings have taken place solely in Cascadia, it has been abandoned. as well as guild-hall branches of the ones in Cascadia. At night, from the peak, they say you can see every star in the heavens.

Kiridia

Kiridia is a smaller city north of Cascadia. It is almost at the very northern end of the Sierac Mountain Range and is a resting place for travelers over the mountains. They do a lot of mining and it is home to many dwarves and gnomes. The finest jewelry and weapons come from Kiridia.

Oceanica

Oceanica is home to seadogs, fishermen, bards, crooks and swindlers. It is a small sea town on the west coast of the island where the water is always warm. The only guild halls they have are the healers' guild, the Knights' Guild, containing a small branch of the Patrol holding about fifteen people, and a small branch of the bards' guild, specializing in sea songs and culture. They produce pearls and fish to be transported all over the island and are a good source of economy, and also control much of the trade of Shadow Star, both between Calacia and other spots on the island, and with outside traders from Mat'cel, Sacoridia and even Chaos itself.

Nightglass Beach

From the southern foot of Starscape Mountain to the southern shore is the Nightglass Beach, blackened and backed to black, rippling glass from the heat of mages' battles in Chaos attacks.

Druidic Circles

In the forests at the foot of the Sierac Range, near Cascadia Falls but seperated by a few-mile long strip of woodland, is a druidic site. It's somewhat similar to Stonehenge, but not a full circle. These sites don't have names, but are scattered throughout Shadow Star and used for various rituals such as First Change. One is in the forest, as mentioned. Another is midway between Oceanica and Starscape, off the shore of SS, underwater. A third site is east of StarScape, but on land, and a fourth is on a tall mountain peak north of Kiridia.

Old Ruins

Shadow Star was once purely feudal, and so there are some old ruins of castles. In the east, there is a crumbling fortress half in ruins. A second ruins is in the mountains.

Altars of Chaos

There are a few altars of Chaos, in perfect shape as no one goes near them, with curses and shades within and around them. These sites are pure evil, tainted by humanoid sacrifices and Chaos. Their field of darkness extends on a 15-foot radius in every direction. One is a few miles east of the eastern ruins spoken about above, and one is a few miles north of the mountainous ruins. A third is north-west-west of StarScape.

Cascadia Falls

Cascadia Falls is located in the center of Shadow Star island, about a day's journey by a flying creature from just about anywhere. Cascadia Falls is named so because of a massive waterfall where the city touches the range. It is the heart of Shadow Star, the Calacian New York, containing the palace of the four realms, and so is often the target of Chaosian attacks. Because of this, it has been built very defensively, nestled against steep, tall cliffs and ringed on the eastern side by a tall, thick wall. The sprawl of the city falls from west to east, with upper-class places located closer to the palace, which is at the westernmost point, and it is estimated between 30,000 and 50,000 people live within its walls, and this number often increases during wartime, when country refugees flee to the city.

The city of Cascadia itself is laid out with the Palace against the western cliff walls, flanked by the river to the south, the bondquarters and training grounds to the north, and the Guildhalls on its eastern edge. The river divides the city into two parts, the main part, which is about two-thirds of the city, and the riverside part, the remaining third. From the river to the cliffs, the Guilds go in order of Knights', Artisans' (with the Great Hall and main square between) Bards' and Healers'. The Mages' Guild is set flush with the cliff walls, with extra rooms being drilled into the cliff walls as needed. Eastward from the guilds is mostly legit businesses and middle-class housing. The farther one gets toward the outer walls and away from the Palace, the scummier and poorer the places tend to get, although effort is made to keep the buildings lining the central road leading up to the Guildhalls and Palace fairly decent-looking. Riverside property is fairly expensive, and mostly used for businesses, although some nobles are rich enough, or lucky enough, to have riverside property on the far side. The remaining third of town is mostly government-related buildings, such as the Knight barracks, and nobles' property. Cascadia is divided up into uneven districts, which usually house similar businesses or homes, so much that one can usually tell what kind of a business a place is just by where it is. The Red Torch is one such district, known for illicit goods and sex.

Abandoned houses can be common or rare, depending on where in the city you go. For example, in the Riverside district, where space in high in demand, it can be hard to find a spot. The Homestead district, where a good majority of middle-class Cascadians live, has a few here and there, but usually any space that can be afforded is snatched up and built on. Broken Hammer and the Torch districts tend to have more abandoned space, because who wants to live there? The Warehouse district also has a fair number of broken-down warehouses that no one's bothered to tear down. A good number of these warehouses are filled with homeless people or gangs.

Districts of Cascadia

Homestead: The district for most middle-class housing, it's one of the largest districts in the city and packed to the brim with houses and apartments. It's ringed to the north and south by the Northern Stream and Riverside district respectively.

Riverside: Almost exclusively a business district, it runs down the northern side of the Cascadia River. Land is fairly expensive and hard to acquire, and most of the businesses are places of leisure that can boast of the river view.

Purple Peacock: North of the Northern Stream, it's a mixed district with homes and businesses both. Businesses tend to be more practical than leisurely.

Red Torch: The equivalent of a red light district, it's on the low end of town, one of the smallest but most seedy districts. Prostitutes, black market dealers, and thieves are all known to gather here. It's marked by magical red torches.

Blue Torch: The district immediately bordering Red Torch, it's not nearly as illegal, but still fairly low-class. There's both homes and businesses here. Marked by blue magetorches.

Gray Torch: The third of the torch districts, it's also lower-class but better than the other two. It's mostly housing, and marked by gray magetorches.

Broken Hammer: The location of a lot of seedier activities, but there's several legitimate small businesses here, as the land is cheaper. Largely businesses.

Warehouse: This region is thought to be the oldest business district of Cascadia, dating back to before the Age of Darkness. Nowadays, it is largely storage buildings for the overflow of large businesses, but they mainly stick to the western parts, leaving the lower areas abandoned or in use by less legitimate businesses.

Places in Cascadia

Restaurants and Bars:

Quiet Fox: Located in Riverside and run by a pterocentaur named Jacyln, the Quiet Fox is just a few minutes away from the Knight Guildhall and within walking distance of the palace, overlooking the great Cascadia River. Midrange pricing with highly-rated food. Hours are sunrise to sunset.

Fainting Goat: Formerly known as the Stumbling Goat, The Fainting Goat prides itself on a quiet, relaxed atmosphere lit by candlelight in the evening, ideal for couples and with a menu to match. Mid-range to expensive pricing, average food. Hours are eleven AM to midnight.

Velvet Gryphon: Run by a dragoon named Abednago and located in the Purple Peacock, the place has a fairly lively atmosphere and features fast and friendly service at a reasonable cost. Hours are 8 AM to 11 PM.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: A combination high-class restaurant and dance hall, run by gypsies, on the upper side of the Riverside district. Menus are available in roma and common. High-price, high-quality food. Hours are early evening til late in the night.

Forte: A bar in western Homestead run by Sway Swelter, which serves a wide variety of food and often has live music entertainment. Midrange pricing, hours are early morning til midnight.

Unlucky Apprentice: A bar run by Sathal and Gastin out of Broken Hammer, it has a decent selection of low-priced alcohol and a limited selection of food. Hours are 5 PM til 4 AM.

Apartments:

Skylight: An upscale condominium complex with skylights on the top floor and balconies for every room. Within minutes of the major guilds, ideal for Air Realmers. Fairly expensive.

Tassel Apartments: A 'try before you buy' place that gives people three nights for free. Midrange pricing, comes with the necessities. Upper floors include kitchenettes. Community baths. Located in western Homestead within walking distance of most guilds.
Known residents: Elakhi Chloris, Danny Napoleon

Blue Roof Apartments: Within walking distance to the Northern Stream, the rooms are small but low-cost, with community kitchens and baths. Owned and operated by Omith A'osut.

Businesses:

As You Like It: One of the Red Torch District's cleaner and better-run whorehouses, therefore it's a bit more popular than other establishments. Run by Em'met Mimishaa, prices vary on account of various sexual deeds, and the "employees" all exchange shifts so the business runs literally all hours of the day and night.

Crystal Cut: Located in the Riverside District, in a section where the shops and apartments above them tend to be a bit small and crowded together. Owned and run by Shion Reegis, Crystal Cut, as the name implies, is the place to go for paperweights, ornaments, personal effects, utensils, quill-holders, picture frames, bookends, suncatchers, windchimes, protective talismans, and even the ocassional pair of glass slippers, along with anything else the owner can think to make. The hours run from ten in the morning to seven-thirty at night. Prices for small items or talismans tend to run from Tanas to Tyras, while larger or more elaborate items can run from Claes to Aeras.

Follow Your Nose: Another cramped but cozy business in the Riverside District across from Crystal Cut, selling nothing but perfumes, scented soaps, scented lotions and little sachets of potpourri. Owned and operated by Alisha, hours run from ten in the morning to six at night. Prices usually stay in the Tyra to Clae range.

Footwork: Situated in a large, open room underground in the Broken Hammer district, the Footwork is owned by Alixa "Velocity" Placka and "Wall" Kenchan. A high-level club by fighters for fighters, they charge a modest fee for membership but are rather picky about who is let in.
Members: Fluxx, Calcifer, Misty Unvara, Arax Snef, Hethel, "Twilight" Nikado, Rasmahn Brand, Teslian "Stripe" Nikado, Elakhi "Jade" Chloris, Anko Nagasei

The Little Details: A smithy in Broken Hammer run by imps Enrique and Chus Delmun. Their work is known for its delicate detailing without interfering with functionality. They deal exclusively with weapons.

Jade's Forging: A boxing ring which hosts fights two nights a week and also offers classes for kickboxing. Owned by Jade and operated with the assistance of Ayane, they have been branching out into other styles of ringfighting as well. All public fights take place in the evening.

Isle of Chaos

Chaos Island: Shadow Star is a relatively solitary island, except that an island commonly reffered to as Chaos Island is near SS. This island is relatively small and not all that fertile- it's wild and somewhat barren desert land. That, and an intense hatred and resentment for their more prosperous, once controlled neighbors, spurs on attacks from the Chaos realm. It's south of Shadow Star with a rough coastline. See the Chaos page for more geographic info.

The island of Chaos is small, about the size of Oahu. It is an arid desert of an island, barren and rough, strewn with huge rocks. Most of the sparse plant life consists of dzuku, a creeping, fast-growing vine that seems to be able to grow in practically any environment. Infrequent plots of crops can also be found, often raised by thieves as a side source of income. Poppies grow the best, propelling the underground trade to Shadow Star. There is a dormant fire mountain on one part of the island, and the city of Dralche is on its slopes. The shores of Chaos Isle alternate between coves of sand and steep cliffs pockmarked by innumerable caves.

The island itself is barren, riddled with caves and underground caverns, highly unfit for farming or even suitable drinking water at times. Chaosians despise the fact they cannot overcome the forces that keep them largely pinned on this tiny place. Only recently have they been able to stake out a supply base on Sacoridia, one of the larger and more fertile continents close by. This is where metal, wood, stone, and food come from to better the lives of and strengthen the Chaosians. Other supplies are routinely stolen in massive raids on fleets and farms from the outer edges of ShadowStar Island. Inland villiages are occasionally attacked as well, if the defenses are weak and there is a quick escape route by river to the sea.

Scoriada has weather much like the West Coast of the USA. Residences are a mile away from the mine, with the Lord Overseer's being the fanciest.

Dralche

The most notable part of the city of Dralche is the towering castle in which the royals and highest-ups in the government reside. Demons own most of the land aboveground, a symbol of their power and position on top. Vampires also own a good portion of land, but due to their weakness to sunlight, they tend not to use or own as much. Most vampire lands have massive mound-like buildings covering them, protecting the vampires from the sun and giving them a place to live. Nahgam own a small portion of land as well, and many act as caretakers for vampiric lands. It is rare than any defect or lower Chaosian species will own land aboveground. Unlike Shadow Star, nightfall has little difference on the activity of the city; business and pleasure proceed practically around the clock, though demons are known to typically favor daytime and vampires the night.

The upper levels of the underground are most typically occupied by the middle-class of Chaos; usually nahgam and Unitarian defects, which make up a substantial part of the Chaosian population. A good number of them have jobs in the Justices, Thieves' Guild, or the Wings, but the majority are civilians. Poverty is pretty common. Day and night are hard to keep track of underground, so like the surface, activity tends to take place around the clock.

The middle levels are largely for agricultural purposes. Yes, Chaosians farm; the staple of Chaos island is a fungus called Qarnak. Also in the middle levels are raised the staple meat: Jituq. Jituq are a cross between bats and rabbits. They have bat wings and senses, and reproduce like rabbits. Their bodies are larger and more muscled than large jackrabbits. These creatures live off the poisonous underground plant called Marniqol, which looks similar to Qarnak, except its growth looks like a vine and it's a darker color.

The lower levels of Dralche are little more than pits of mud and rock, occupied mostly by orcs, ogres, and trolls, who don't apparently mind the lack of creature comforts. These are the lowest levels inhabited, pitch black except for an occasional flickering magelight, damp, and covered with maaosu, a moss that smells like it would be delicious, but is poisonous to pretty much every creature that has had the misfortune of eating it. There is little in the way of organization or buildings, except for the prisons which are kept in the lowest level, a psychological torture on many levels.

Below that, only a brave few have ventured down, and few return to tell about it. It is rumored that the Nameless Goddess herself lives in the deepest parts of the earth, and below are nameless creatures never seen by even the Chaos lords.

Ablatas

Directly south of Chaos Isle, just off the eastern tip, is a much smaller island called Ablatas. A supporting community for Chaos, it has a marginally better climate and land for farming, and also train units for the army. The vast majority of the inhabitants are Unitarian defects, although there are a few families of nahgam as well. Demons and vampires shun the place as inferior. Its only city, barely large enough to be called as such, is named Shoku.

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