Galandris

Galandris is a continent on the other side of Elideria, making it cut off from the rest of the world. Galandris is home to several human kingdoms, an ancient elven empire, and two rival dwarven clans. The human kingdoms are born of different cultural backgrounds, and form alliances and war with each other over the years, while the dwarven clans fight between each other and an unknown evil deep beneath the earth. The elven Dwenaren Triumvirate watches over and protects the mystical Life Spire; a gigantic, spiraling spike that juts from the center of Galandris.

Humans
Humans rule over several kingdoms across Galandris that are in various states of alliance and war. Humans had been new arrivals to Galandris millennia ago, establishing themselves in tribes as they battled against the native Galandrian elves. Now, they are a diverse people, having built empires from dust. Their kingdoms frequently clash over cultural and religious differences, as well as for precious land and resources. Below are the seven dominating human cultures across Galandris, who rule over their own empires and envelop most of the land.

The Auri are light-skinned, blond-haired people from the Centerlands, ruling over the Aurinis Kingdom in the capital of Tyris. The Aurinis Kingdom is wealthy and heavily populated, making up for the bulk of human rule in Galandris. Because of this influence, however, the Auri are often scorned, their leaders seen as dictators and their nobles seen as pompous. Their worship of the Dawnfather has warped from their sincere roots and has become a haven for profiteering, and high priests blindly spread faith in the Dawnfather for their own personal gain. Despite the moral ambiguity, the Auri are not a warring faction, but they will defend and annex lands that defy them. The Auri speak Common, with nobles and other high-class figures adopting High Common.

The Velgaard are a light-skinned people from the northern Gray Wastes, ruling over Velgaardt and its surrounding lands. They are a vicious empire steeped in ancestral honor and conquership, believing that their ancestors intended for Galandris to be theirs, and so they war against any that stand in their way. They hold faith in the Ancient Ways, worshiping the spirits of nature, although their beliefs are in their god Helmiir, who is said to be a god of war, and they use this belief to justify their militaristic ways. The Velgaard speak Velgaardian, though some learn Common and Dwarvish.

The Welynt are fair-skinned, black-haired folk that rule over the theocratic Welysan Empire from the capital of Talltown-in-the-Spires, named for its location. They are monastic, placing their faith in the Ancient Ways, and they seek to uphold their honor and tradition through any means necessary. Often, however, they are a reclusive people, content to live in the Spires as they have for generations. The Welynt speak Common, and learn the read and write their ancient language of Keba.

The Seaborn are a diverse people that come from the Wash, as well as the islands surrounding Galandris. While there are many guilds and organizations among the Seaborn, most make up the Naval Federation, which functions as an empire for the seafaring folk. Seaborn encompass a majority of all seafaring opportunities in Galandris, and are swords-for-hire, merchants, pirates, and military fleets. Religion among the Seaborn can range from the Dawnfather, the Ancient Ways, or any other fringe religion, although secretly, some come to worship the mysterious aquatic entity known only as “the Deep.” The Seaborn speak Common primarily, though many pick up additional languages in their travels.

The Enish are a dark-skinned people that come from Redsands, and they rule over the Enish’ai Empire and its capital, Bastion. Their culture is heavily influenced by religion, though their faith is divided between the Dawnfather, the Night Queen, and the Ancient Ways. Despite this divide, the Enish are united and proud, content to stay within Redsands so long as other empires don’t infringe on their lands. In some remote towns and cities, however, the Enish adopt a more savage way of living, thought to be caused by the madness the desert inflicts. These fringe groups are called the Ur’enish, which roughly translates to “false people.” The Enish speak Enta, but also learn Common.

The Iskari are a pale-skinned people who rule the Shadowthrone, situated in the Deadlands. They are mysterious and dangerous, their Shadow Empire full of assassins, warlocks, necromancers, and other practitioners of dark magic. They hardly interact with other kingdoms, unless they feel that their practices are at risk of becoming exposed to the world at large. They are said to worship the Keeper, a god of death, but these are just rumors among the other kingdoms. They speak Iskari, and often pick up other languages such as Deep Speech and Undercommon, but they rarely learn any other language.

The Helanti are an olive-skinned people who rule the Helanti Empire in Ilysgrove. Despite not ruling with a theocracy, their worship of “the Pantheon” influences a lot of their empire’s decisions, such as dictating who they should be at war with, and who they should consider as allies. This can lead to an unpredictability when dealing with the Helanti, and so the other kingdoms regard them with suspicion and caution. Generally, though, the Helanti are peaceful, seeking only to indulge and create grand artistic works, fulfilling their hubris and serving their gods. The Helanti speak Helantese, and sometimes learn Celestial or Common.

Elves
Elves were the first race in Galandris, living in peace and harmony and building cities for their near-immortal people to live and thrive. All was thought well until the dragons arrived in Galandris, wreaking havoc among the people and destroying the elves’ grand structures. Although they were vastly outnumbered, the elves defeated the dragons, and were once again at peace, until the dwarves and humans also arrived. Frustrated with these invaders, the elves retaliated, entering a generations-long war with the humans and dwarves. At the end of these wars, as the elves neared extinction, they surrendered and signed a peace treaty so that their people may live.

The remaining elves built three empires for their people, each ruled over by a single head figure, which formed the Dwenaren Triumvirate. Centuries later, the elves still hold a grudge against the large and encroaching human kingdoms and the dwarves, who they see as nothing more than conquerors and savages. The elves rule over their kingdoms in solitude, forced by their treaty to tolerate the other races for fear of another great war. The three elven empires, being the Druids, the Scholars, and the Vanguard, encompass three different parts of elven society, but are all functionally the same. Elves rarely worship any religion, and are more in-tune with the aspects of nature.

Dwarves
Dwarves are an ancient race who dwelled beneath Galandris for millennia, until the Dragon War roused them from their solitude and forced them to the surface. They kept hidden until the end of the war and the arrival of the humans, establishing a magnificent kingdom in the mountains of the North Range. What was revealed to the dwarves after creating their kingdom in the mountains was that there existed a deep rooted rivalry between two clans, the Goldshields and the Bronzehammers. This rivalry stemmed from a centuries-old conflict over rulership of the dwarves as a whole, and it was long thought put to rest, until it divided the people once again.

The scholarly Goldshields and the militaristic Bronzehammers began to fight with one another, shattering their kingdom and reviving the bitter rivalry between the two ancient clans. Although the wars have died down, the two clans are still at odds with one another, over religion, territory, and resources, and smaller fights often erupt at a moment’s notice.

The Goldshields find worship in the ancient dwarf gods Gorim, Durn, and Kod; the Grandfather, the Father, and the Son respectively. The Bronzehammers, on the other hand, worship the dwarven god Bjornen, who is seen as a god of war and honor.