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Description
This is mainly in response to the Ultimate OC Challenge Contest, being held by the OC-Makers-Club [link] and Xadrea [link] . Because I seem to take projects WAY too seriously, I created a map for the new character I’m designing. I GUESS A CHARACTER ISN’T A CHARACTER WITHOUT A COUNTRY TO LIVE IN. AND A COUNTRY ISN’T A COUNTRY WITHOUT SOME SORT OF DETAILED HISTORY. AND A HISTORY ISN’T A HISTORY UNLESS IT’S PUT IN CONTEXT. Thus, I’ve created the aforementioned map and the following histories of all the countries, cities, and features shown there. I’m going for the gold here, people. I want to win this contest. Plus, this was actually really awesome to do, so even if I don’t win, I had loads of fun. Anyway, please enjoy!

Arsuria – The once prosperous nation of Arsuria has since become somewhat of a wasteland. Their economy based heavily in the textile industry, they saw fit to divert rivers and tap into lakes to supply their large cotton fields. The lack of natural water sources quickly drained the surrounding land and allowed for the continued expansion of the Oobrong Desert – which now covers much of the country. Once the largest river in the world, the vast and bountiful White River is nothing but an enormous scar with a trickle of glacial water in its bed. The coastal regions are mostly salt marshes to the south and hard, rocky beaches and cliff faces to the east. The country is ringed on the northwest and north borders by the aptly named Razor Cliffs, the tallest and most treacherous stretch of the Camberge Mountain Range. On the other side of the mountains lies Maggan, and to the southwest Arsuria shares a border with Ter’sholt. Arsuria’s capitol, Riverport, is claimed to be the earliest permanent establishment in the New World, named by the one and only Charles Mabrook. Before settlement, the town of Poltak held the name of capitol, and even now remains the largest city in Arsuria.

Kingdom of Lakes – Considered the cultural centre of the New World, the Kingdom of Lakes is a peaceful, populous nation. Though the monarchy of the country died ages ago, the Royal Navy of Clearwater remains in service to the Councillate Government. Based out of Cape Hope and the nearby city of Desmerestia, it remains the most powerful naval force outside of the Old World. The country’s capitol is the Isle of Nine, a small piece of land surrounded on all sides by nine large lakes: Lake Tormod, Lake Gloria, Lake Perchance, Snake Lake, Plains Lake, and The Four Sisters Lakes. The largest, Lake Tormod, is the birthplace of the River of Samuel and Isabella, after which many romantic artisans model their work. The Kingdom of Lakes is famous for its incredible works of stained glass, its ironworkers, and for being the home of many Lost Arts. The large country shares borders with Yeishland to the North and Ter’sholt to the East.

Principality of Maggan – Known to many simply as Maggan, this nation is situated at the top of the New World. Its icy climate and cold sun provide a hostile environment, and so despite its huge expanses of land is the least densely populated country of all. People who don’t reside on the grounds of Castle Maggan mostly live near the Camberge Mountains, eking a living off the sporadic hotsprings that well up from the earth. The monarchy is led by the brave Prince of Maggan, whose sole duty is to provide for his people. The most marked feature of this country is the infamous Pit of the Dead – a massive crater that permanently collects anything that falls within it. Across the mountains lies Arsuria to the South, Ter’sholt to the Southwest, and Ulluhn to the West.

Ter’sholt – Known as the Land of Fields, the country of Ter’sholt is primarily an agricultural society. The natural waterways cross-crossing the land are fed mainly by the glacier-covered Ice Hills of the Camberge Mountains. It’s rich, fertile soils and mild climate provide a perfect environment for much of the New World’s food crops. However, this type of environment is also conducive to abnormal weather phenomena – namely violent wind vortexes. The capitol, Gologor City, once lay in the most active vortex zone, but after being destroyed more than a dozen times, was moved out of The Path of the Wind God. The people of Ter’sholt prefer to keep to themselves, believing in the philosophy, “Don’t look for trouble, and trouble won’t find you;” however, they also believe in being prepared for the worst. For this reason, the garrison town of Fort Andrew was erected on the Eastern border shared with Arsuria. Because of its high status in New World food market, Ter’sholt is considered a virtually irreplaceable trade partner, and shares many good relations with its neighbouring countries – the best being with The Kingdom of Lakes. Using its long, mossy coastline to its advantage, Ter’sholt has a large fishing fleet, stationed off the mainland on the South Albion Islands. The sprawling nature of Ter’sholt makes it the only country to share borders with all other countries in the New World.

Ulluhn – The Nation of Horses, also nicknamed “The Horses’ Ass” by higher society, survives on the keeping of livestock. Ulluhn, meaning simply “pasture” in the Native tongue, provides an ideal place for grazing beasts, such as horses, cattle, and sheep. Despite the necessity of leather, wool, and meat, the trades-people of Ulluhn are frowned upon by the rest of the industry because of the nature of acquiring such products. The majority of its goods are exported to the much larger neighbouring Principality of Maggan – the wool and leather are used for warmth in the cooler climates, and the meat for food during the winter. This poor province struggles to maintain some semblance of governmental leadership and organization, but is plagued by rebellious uprisings and civil wars. Covered mostly by expansive grasslands and staunch, shrubby forests, Ulluhn has few permanent establishments: apart from the capitol Unmill, all major cities have been burned down during uprisings. The last known existing permanent location of any significant population was Trin, close to the Southern Ter’sholt border.

Wes – The people of Wes are considered an ancient people. Though they share no distinct connection to the people of the Old World or the Natives, they are extremely culturally advanced. Their native tongue is complicated, and has yet to be deciphered by scholars. However, despite the obvious language barrier, the people of Wes are experts in trade, favouring the wheat of Ter’sholt, the leather of Ulluhn, and the granite and marble of Maggan. The rock is put to good use, as the stonemasons of Wes are considered the best in the world. Also named the Bread Basket of the New World, Wes is famous for it’s baked goods and the most popular recipes are considered “national treasures” – kept under lock and key in the capitol city of Klwekkietaboiu. This small country is bordered by Yeishland to the Southwest, Ter’sholt to the Southeast, and Ulluhn to the Northeast.

Yieshland – Yeishland is a land of mystery. Few venture beyond its borders out of fear of the Native Tribespeople that still linger there. Everyone from Old World missionaries to New World fortune hunters have sought to establish contact with its people, but after rumours of mutilation and even cannibalism of visitors, all attempts were abandoned. The country consists mainly of old, dense forests and few foggy foothills. Early traders from The Kingdom of Lakes seeking Wes and Ulluhn took to calling the trade route through the forest “The Wrong Way” or “The Dark Way”, and the name has lived on since. The few traders that have managed to slip past Yeishland’s borders report sightings of strange little men with yellowed skin lurking in the hills. The trader’s outpost is therefore called Gnome, and it remains small and mobile to avoid Native rebellion. Yeishland shares its borders with Ter’sholt, Wes, and The Kingdom of Lakes.

Description
This is mainly in response to the Ultimate OC Challenge Contest, being held by the OC-Makers-Club [link] and Xadrea [link] . Because I seem to take projects WAY too seriously, I created a map for the new character I’m designing. I GUESS A CHARACTER ISN’T A CHARACTER WITHOUT A COUNTRY TO LIVE IN. AND A COUNTRY ISN’T A COUNTRY WITHOUT SOME SORT OF DETAILED HISTORY. AND A HISTORY ISN’T A HISTORY UNLESS IT’S PUT IN CONTEXT. Thus, I’ve created the aforementioned map and the following histories of all the countries, cities, and features shown there. I’m going for the gold here, people. I want to win this contest. Plus, this was actually really awesome to do, so even if I don’t win, I had loads of fun. Anyway, please enjoy!

Arsuria – The once prosperous nation of Arsuria has since become somewhat of a wasteland. Their economy based heavily in the textile industry, they saw fit to divert rivers and tap into lakes to supply their large cotton fields. The lack of natural water sources quickly drained the surrounding land and allowed for the continued expansion of the Oobrong Desert – which now covers much of the country. Once the largest river in the world, the vast and bountiful White River is nothing but an enormous scar with a trickle of glacial water in its bed. The coastal regions are mostly salt marshes to the south and hard, rocky beaches and cliff faces to the east. The country is ringed on the northwest and north borders by the aptly named Razor Cliffs, the tallest and most treacherous stretch of the Camberge Mountain Range. On the other side of the mountains lies Maggan, and to the southwest Arsuria shares a border with Ter’sholt. Arsuria’s capitol, Riverport, is claimed to be the earliest permanent establishment in the New World, named by the one and only Charles Mabrook. Before settlement, the town of Poltak held the name of capitol, and even now remains the largest city in Arsuria.

Kingdom of Lakes – Considered the cultural centre of the New World, the Kingdom of Lakes is a peaceful, populous nation. Though the monarchy of the country died ages ago, the Royal Navy of Clearwater remains in service to the Councillate Government. Based out of Cape Hope and the nearby city of Desmerestia, it remains the most powerful naval force outside of the Old World. The country’s capitol is the Isle of Nine, a small piece of land surrounded on all sides by nine large lakes: Lake Tormod, Lake Gloria, Lake Perchance, Snake Lake, Plains Lake, and The Four Sisters Lakes. The largest, Lake Tormod, is the birthplace of the River of Samuel and Isabella, after which many romantic artisans model their work. The Kingdom of Lakes is famous for its incredible works of stained glass, its ironworkers, and for being the home of many Lost Arts. The large country shares borders with Yeishland to the North and Ter’sholt to the East.

Principality of Maggan – Known to many simply as Maggan, this nation is situated at the top of the New World. Its icy climate and cold sun provide a hostile environment, and so despite its huge expanses of land is the least densely populated country of all. People who don’t reside on the grounds of Castle Maggan mostly live near the Camberge Mountains, eking a living off the sporadic hotsprings that well up from the earth. The monarchy is led by the brave Prince of Maggan, whose sole duty is to provide for his people. The most marked feature of this country is the infamous Pit of the Dead – a massive crater that permanently collects anything that falls within it. Across the mountains lies Arsuria to the South, Ter’sholt to the Southwest, and Ulluhn to the West.

Ter’sholt – Known as the Land of Fields, the country of Ter’sholt is primarily an agricultural society. The natural waterways cross-crossing the land are fed mainly by the glacier-covered Ice Hills of the Camberge Mountains. It’s rich, fertile soils and mild climate provide a perfect environment for much of the New World’s food crops. However, this type of environment is also conducive to abnormal weather phenomena – namely violent wind vortexes. The capitol, Gologor City, once lay in the most active vortex zone, but after being destroyed more than a dozen times, was moved out of The Path of the Wind God. The people of Ter’sholt prefer to keep to themselves, believing in the philosophy, “Don’t look for trouble, and trouble won’t find you;” however, they also believe in being prepared for the worst. For this reason, the garrison town of Fort Andrew was erected on the Eastern border shared with Arsuria. Because of its high status in New World food market, Ter’sholt is considered a virtually irreplaceable trade partner, and shares many good relations with its neighbouring countries – the best being with The Kingdom of Lakes. Using its long, mossy coastline to its advantage, Ter’sholt has a large fishing fleet, stationed off the mainland on the South Albion Islands. The sprawling nature of Ter’sholt makes it the only country to share borders with all other countries in the New World.

Ulluhn – The Nation of Horses, also nicknamed “The Horses’ Ass” by higher society, survives on the keeping of livestock. Ulluhn, meaning simply “pasture” in the Native tongue, provides an ideal place for grazing beasts, such as horses, cattle, and sheep. Despite the necessity of leather, wool, and meat, the trades-people of Ulluhn are frowned upon by the rest of the industry because of the nature of acquiring such products. The majority of its goods are exported to the much larger neighbouring Principality of Maggan – the wool and leather are used for warmth in the cooler climates, and the meat for food during the winter. This poor province struggles to maintain some semblance of governmental leadership and organization, but is plagued by rebellious uprisings and civil wars. Covered mostly by expansive grasslands and staunch, shrubby forests, Ulluhn has few permanent establishments: apart from the capitol Unmill, all major cities have been burned down during uprisings. The last known existing permanent location of any significant population was Trin, close to the Southern Ter’sholt border.

Wes – The people of Wes are considered an ancient people. Though they share no distinct connection to the people of the Old World or the Natives, they are extremely culturally advanced. Their native tongue is complicated, and has yet to be deciphered by scholars. However, despite the obvious language barrier, the people of Wes are experts in trade, favouring the wheat of Ter’sholt, the leather of Ulluhn, and the granite and marble of Maggan. The rock is put to good use, as the stonemasons of Wes are considered the best in the world. Also named the Bread Basket of the New World, Wes is famous for it’s baked goods and the most popular recipes are considered “national treasures” – kept under lock and key in the capitol city of Klwekkietaboiu. This small country is bordered by Yeishland to the Southwest, Ter’sholt to the Southeast, and Ulluhn to the Northeast.

Yieshland – Yeishland is a land of mystery. Few venture beyond its borders out of fear of the Native Tribespeople that still linger there. Everyone from Old World missionaries to New World fortune hunters have sought to establish contact with its people, but after rumours of mutilation and even cannibalism of visitors, all attempts were abandoned. The country consists mainly of old, dense forests and few foggy foothills. Early traders from The Kingdom of Lakes seeking Wes and Ulluhn took to calling the trade route through the forest “The Wrong Way” or “The Dark Way”, and the name has lived on since. The few traders that have managed to slip past Yeishland’s borders report sightings of strange little men with yellowed skin lurking in the hills. The trader’s outpost is therefore called Gnome, and it remains small and mobile to avoid Native rebellion. Yeishland shares its borders with Ter’sholt, Wes, and The Kingdom of Lakes.