Yorash: Cradles of Civilization

The Numena created cradles of civilization throughout Yorash to help mortals rebuild. Here are a few descriptions of just a few to get you started, but the world is large, so you can certainly create your own! Feel free to share with me on my Twitter or via my contact page.

Anseria

Once a mighty river, the Anser Sea sits atop a volcanic rift in the earth and ahs widened over many generations. The river valley was so vast, it was shared by humans and dwarves alike. As the river grew and split the land, they landed on opposite sides of the water, with most of the human settlements in modern-day Phyrans and Ahtins and most dwarven ones in Marcao and Ijiat.

Today, the Anseria region is home to bustling ports Lestan and Spokara, where neighboring nations Phyrans and Ahtins compete for financial and political power. The more militant Ahtins holds a standing army, one of the few nations in Yorash to do so, and rumor has it that their secret research team is actually more like a secret police, experimenting with new ways to use magic to extract information from enemies of the state.

Phyrans, on the other hand, is a more peaceful nation. Its citizens consider magic to be a gift, seeking to understand how it can improve their lives as a whole rather than to harness its might. Its Naron Temple, housed in Spokara, is famed for its magic education and research, and children from all across the region are sent there to hone their talents to better serve their families or their desired professions.

Figures of Interest:
-Roxana Crohner: human leader of the Naron Temple in Spokara, Phyrans; tough but firm, an experienced wizard with an affinity for weather magics and a gift of the Sight
-Beyana Evadrian: elven commander of the mages’ army in Canstore, Ahtins; a hardened battle mage, recently wracked with visions of devastating war despite never having the Sight
-Natayra Kapeer: wealthy catfolk delegate of the Phyranic Assembly in Lege, Phyrans; has recently come out as a proponent of a new imperialist approach to foreign relations, making waves in her political party

Korst

This far northern river, part ice floe really, was home to the dragonborn, who protected its natural beauty for a thousand years by keeping an exclusive closed community. As the landscapes of the world changed, leaders were pressured to allow outsiders in, and as they did, so began the Migration, as many dragonborn learned of the outside world and began to leave home with a newfound desire to explore.

Today, the Korst River has also given its name to the most populous city inside the Permafrost Circle, where it’s essentially winter year-round. Creatures of all kinds live there, and the economy largely runs on two things - fishing and tourism. The beautiful glaciers in the north draw many visitors, but very few stay for good. Magic is a little rarer here, as most mortals care to live in more favorable conditions, and it’s harder to convince great teachers of magic to live in the bitter cold, even if they can make fire at their whim. Natives who display strong magical talents in Korst often outgrow their mentors relatively early and either must be content to stop their education there or make the journey southward to bigger and better schools.

Figures of Interest:
-Stortia Crasten: halfling druid leader, protector of the ice floes in the Korst Glacier; patient watcher of the land, currently tracking a strange migration of monsters to the southwest and seeking communication from other druids throughout Yorash to determine their destination
-Lone Survivor of the Obsidian Massacre: a figure of dragonborn legend; an entire clan of dozens of dragonborn were supposedly once wiped out in a single night while they slept, their entire village reduced to ashes in the air and the ground covered in smooth obsidian - except one young girl… some people think she’s a myth, but others say she traveled south, carrying a remnant of her people, searching for the perpetrator and their fearsome weapon