Ulmera
Ulmera is a land of rolling foothills and deep pine forests, broken only by the innumerable lakes that are fed by the mighty rivers rushing down the Torverns on their journey toward the ocean. This rugged land is also home to the nations of Zaranta, the Silver Empire, and the Free Cities of Ulmera. The cities and towns of the two powers are dotted across Ulmera, bastions of safety and civilization in these inherently dangerous, but beautiful lands.
Spreading over most of the western reaches of Ulmera is the Silver Empire of Zaranta. From the metropolis of Vaalbara, the royal Zachar family reign over the Empire while legions of bureaucrats, and lords and ladies do the day to day work of running the nation. For centuries the Empire has flourished and expanded by the hand of the royal family, and these prosperous times have assured the loyalty of the nation’s diverse population.
To the east of the Silver Empire are the Free Cities of Ulmera, a confederacy of small city states around Lake Ulmera and towns from the surrounding countryside. The Free Cities allied together in their loose colition to resist the ambitions of Zaranta to the west and of Tororae to the south, with each city and town having a say in how to maintain their overall autonomy.
This is not to say that the nations of Ulmera have tamed the forests, lakes, and crags of the land, because even they cannot civilize the wilds of this land. Many animals and monsters stalk the dense woods and deep lakes, hunting and preying on those poor souls who get lost among the mazes of trees or who capsize while traversing seemingly calm waters. It is recommend to stick to the roads, and to travel in groups, or else you too could go missing.
Major Settlements
Zaranta, The Silver Empire
Vaalbara, The Silver City
Vaalbara is the capital city of The Silver Empire, and the seat of power of the ruling Zachar family. The metropolis spreads out from the ancient Silver Spire that rises high above the forests and hills of Ulmera, piercing the sky with its height, and from which the city gets its title of the Silver City.
The spire is believed to be a remnant of the star the celestials arrived in eons ago, and that it is an eternal nature sign of the Silver Empire’s righteousness and divine right to prosperity, expansion, and power.
Population: ~1,000,000
Saint Kessal
Saint Kessal is the Silver Empire’s major port, and home to the nations modest but powerful navy. Named after the legendary hero Kessal Mortonly, the city is said to stand on the very spot that the saint prevented an ancient and evil horror from the depths from coming upon the shores of Ulmera; he was as a rock that would never weather, standing against the constant crashing of the ocean.
This notion of being a rock against the ever raging sea gives the people who call the port home a hard and stalwart nature; they are a people who delight in challenging the waves in their rugged and sturdy ships. This stalwart nature also lends itself to the cities architecture, with her buildings all being made of stone and metal and never reaching much higher than the tops of the city’s walls.
Population: ~250,000
Leeside
Nestled in the foothills close to the foot of the Torverns, Leeside is the industrial hub of the Silver Empire. Ore and lumber from the mountains and the foothills are shipped here via the nations extensive rail network, to be refined and processed in the cities many mills, forges, and factories.
As the Empire’s centre of industry, Leeside provides the nation with the raw materials needed to power and expand their influence. Thus it should come as no surprise that Leeside is also where the Zarantan army is based and marshalled from. The city’s factories and laboratories being a boon for developing weapons to defend the Empire. It is also home to one of the largest train yards on the continent, and the centre of the many rail baron’s operations.
Unlike Vaalbara with its pristine streets, vibrant buildings, and silver signs, Leeside is covered in a layers of soot, smoke, and grime. Smog and foul smelling vapours drift along the and from the factories, giving the while city an acrid and almost overwhelming stink to those who have not yet gone nose blind to it. Despite this, the people who call the city home are proud of it, and see the grime as a sign of progress.
Population: ~500,000
Valking
Located away from the foothills along the border between Ulmera and the endless plains of Zetrea, is the city of Valking. As the agricultural centre of the Silver Empire, most of the cities population lives in the surrounding countryside tending to the numerous farms, vineyards, and ranches that feed the nation’s population.
Within the city walls, a collection of open air produce and livestock markets, as well as foul smelling tanneries, dominate day to day life, with those living in the city working to support those industries
Population: ~80,000
Major Settlements
The Free Cities of Ulmera
Reaburn
On the northern shore of Lake Ulmera, and straddling the Bedmere river is Reaburn, the largest of the Free Cities. Raw ore and lumber is shipped down the river from the mountains and foothills, and is then sent out across the lake from the impressive Reaburn port on barges of all shapes and sizes.
This constant flow of goods has made Reaburn the economic hub of the Free Cities, and where vast sums of gold are exchanged day in and out.
Population: ~90,000
Wroxton
Sitting on the western shore of Lake Ulmera is the city of Wroxton. The city has built up around the prestigious University of Wroxton, with most of the population living and working in service of the school. People from all over Ediacara come here to study the finer arts of magic, philosophy, and mathematics from some of the top minds in their fields.
This love of learning and open sharing of knowledge is why Wroxton joined the Free Cities in the hope to insure that their freedom of thought is never stifled.
Population: ~70,000
Atmore
Standing proudly on a tall promontory jutting out of the lake’s southern shore is the city of Atmore. It was here in the city’s grand debate halls that the alliance of the Free Cities was drafted and signed, bringing together the major cities and many towns around the shores of lake Ulmera in solidarity against the expansionist tendencies to the empires to the west and south.
The House of the Free Cities is here, and it is from this stately building that the representative government of the alliance meet to debate and jockey in the interest of their homes.
Population: ~65,000
Landmarks & Points of Interest
Silverwood Memorial Park
Sprawling over one hundred acres is the Silverwood Memorial Park, a graveyard for the elite of the Empire that is equal parts cemetery and well kept botanical garden that sits along the shore of Silverwood lake, from which the park gets its name. Ornate statues of the gods, of heroes and legends, and of past rulers are scattered about, looking over tombs as large as manors and just as ostentatious.
A veritable army of workers look after the tombs, and maintain the gardens day and night. All of them live in the small village of Tombrise, which is located a few miles up the coast.
Lake Ulmera
More of an inland sea than a lake, Lake Ulmera this is the largest body of water anywhere on the continent, rivaled only by Uralia’s Lake Rasano. The lake plunges over a thousand feet in spots, hiding much within its dark and murky depths. Due to the mineral rich run off from the Torverns, the lake is a deeply rich of hue teal year round.
The Free Cities of Ulmera are centred around the lake, and controlling the lake was one of the driving forces in the establishment of the confederacy. The empires to the south and west of the lake have made no secret about their ambitions, and most experts agree that is just a matter of time until The Free Cities will be tested by their neighbours.
Ulmera Crater
This blasted out hole in the earth is a giant scar upon the otherwise lush landscape. It is a result of a meteor falling from the sky a few thousand years ago, devastating the surrounding forest, and forever scaring the foothills. The trees have never grown back, and the wildlife (both beast and monster) avoid wandering too close.
Most residents of the region say to avoid the crater, because odd things seem to happen in and around the hole: things like ghost lights floating out of the depths; strange noises and cries echoing across the area, seeming to slip out of the blast zone; and aberrations not of this world are said to fold in and out of reality, using the crater as a nexus into the our realm.
The Hills of the Dead
Eons ago this was the site of a grand battle between two great armies. Legends say that both armies fought to the last man, taking no prisoners, and resorting to more and more cruel and destructive acts of war.
The amount of blood spilled on these grounds cursed the land, and now the undead roam these hills day and night, aching to spread their eternal suffering to the land of the living.
Ecology
This is only a list of a few of the more impressive beasts who stalk the forests and ply the depths of the regions many lakes.
Wyvern
Due to the large amount of game animals who live in the endless woods of Ulmera, it is little wonder that a healthy population of wyverns also call this region home.
With such a bounty ripe for the picking, the usually solitary wyverns hunt and live in family groups of up to a dozen individuals, making them more of a threat here than anywhere else.
Treant
These lone wanderers of the wood slowly march across the vastness of Ulmera, tending to the forests they travel through.
By in large they stick to themselves and avoid any signs of civilization as they saunter about the rolling landscape, with encounters with them being rare and usually not too dangerous.
Unicorn
Sightings of the majestic and beautiful unicorn are a common occurrence throughout all of Ulmera. Countless stories tell of travellers and hunters who got lost in the woods and hills far from any trail or village, desperate, afraid, and alone.
The legends say that it is in these moments that the pure white horse will appear to lead the lost souls out of the wood, and back to the relative safety of the trails.
Lake Hydra
Many of lakes that are spread across the rolling hills of Ulmera are home to vicious, and very territorial, species of hydra creatively called Lake Hydra. Unlike their cousins who live in swamps and mires plod about on four legs, Lake Hydras glide through the waters of the lakes they call on four paddle like flippers.
Like all hydra, they have the multiple writhing heads that have a nasty habit of growing back when removed. It also may just be a coincidence, but almost all of the lakes these hydra inhabit have the ruins of a mysterious civilization hidden beneath their waves.
Water Spirits & Elementals
The fast flowing and rapid filled rivers that rush off the Torverns give rise to the energetic and violent manifestations of the rivers themselves in the form of malevolent spirits and elementals. These beings of water range in size from small droplets to ragging torrents, and all of them are ready and willing to drag wayward travellers down to a watery grave.
It is advised to make peace with these spirits when you travel through the wilds of Ulmera. This means stopping to making offerings at the many shrines and idols scattered about the woods as a way to ensure your safe passage through their usual haunts.