The Continent of Tymora

Tymora is the largest continent on Carcer, a vast and varied land surrounded by countless islands and seas. Its landscapes range from fertile kingdoms and ancient forests to frozen tundra, endless grasslands, burning deserts and towering mountain ranges.

It is also an old land, shaped by the many peoples who have called it home. Ancient roads cross forgotten borders, ruins lie beneath forests and deserts, and many modern settlements have been built upon the remains of those that came before.

The Dworn were among the first free peoples to explore and settle much of Tymora, and their mark can still be found in old roads, bridges, fortresses and the foundations of cities that are still inhabited today.

The Forsaken split from the Scions after their civil war.

Now Tymora is home to countless cultures and peoples, spread across great kingdoms, isolated settlements and wild lands where borders mean very little.

Much of Tymora has been mapped, but there are still plenty of places waiting to be discovered.

The Dragonspire Mountains

The most imposing geographical feature of Tymora is the Dragonspire Mountains, an immense mountain range running across almost the entire width of the continent.

The Dragonspires divide Tymora into northern and southern lands. Their peaks are so formidable that crossing them overland is difficult and dangerous, with only a handful of heavily fortified passes providing reliable routes through the mountains. For many travellers, going around them by sea, or for those fortunate enough to have access to it, by air, is preferable.

The mountains themselves are far from empty. Ancient ruins, forgotten roads, mines, caves and settlements can be found throughout the range, some still inhabited and others abandoned so long ago that even their names have been forgotten.

The Ironcrag Mountains are another significant mountainous region. It was near the Ironcrags that the early human explorers known as the Karns first reached the strange floating land that would eventually become Tengri-Uul.

The Oakwood Forest

Stretching along both sides of the Dragonspire Mountains is the enormous Oakwood Forest.

The forest is ancient, appearing almost as though it was once a single woodland split apart when the Dragonspires rose between its northern and southern reaches.

Its borders touch several different lands, and different sections of the Oakwood have developed identities and names of their own. Settlements, old roads, ruins and hidden communities lie beneath its canopy, and not everything living within the forest recognises the borders drawn on the maps of kings.

The Kingdom of Valendor

Much of eastern Tymora is occupied by the Kingdom of Valendor, the largest human population on the continent and, according to Valendorian tradition, the homeland of the first humans of Carcer.

Valendor stretches from the Dragonspire Mountains towards the frozen north, from the Grass Sea and Plain of Bones in the west to the long eastern coastline. Its landscape includes fertile valleys, forests, mountains, marshes, rivers and coastal regions.

The kingdom is divided into eight duchies surrounding the Crown Lands, which are ruled directly by the King.

Auravell and the Crown Lands

At the centre of Valendor stands Auravell, the kingdom's capital and seat of the Crown.

The lands surrounding Auravell contain some of the most important places in the kingdom, including the Argentwood, the Northern Oakwood Forest, and the legendary Well of Life.

The Well lies within a ring of five great volcanoes known collectively as the Flames of Creation. To the people of Valendor, this region is both geographically and spiritually the heart of their kingdom. The Well is considered one of the most powerful and revered places in Carcer.

Iceveil

At the northern edge of Valendor lies Iceveil, a region of frozen tundra, glaciers, snowfields and long winters.

Its capital, Frostmarch, watches over the northern approaches and the ancient frozen connection between Valendor and Vintergard.

Highwall

Along Valendor's eastern coastline rises Highwall, a dramatic region of enormous red cliffs, narrow ledges and high plateaus overlooking the sea.

Its capital, Starhaven, sits atop the cliffs and has become a major centre of magical study, astronomy and air travel.

Verdantmere

The fertile lands of Verdantmere form much of Valendor's agricultural heartland.

Golden fields, orchards and ancient woodland spread across the region, its capital is Greenglen, a city built amongst groves and gardens rather than over them.

Emberholme

Between the colder north and the fertile lands further south lies Emberholme, a volcanic country of fire, mineral wealth and fertile ash.

Its capital, Ashreach, is built along the slopes of Mount Varthuun amongst obsidian, lava flows and geothermal vents.

Goldspire

Goldspire is one of Valendor's great centres of wealth and commerce.

Its capital, Aurithal, commonly called the City of Gold, is famous for its markets, financial houses, palaces and enormous stores of wealth.

Ironkeep

Between the Dragonspire Mountains and Valendor's central forests lies Ironkeep, the military heartland of the kingdom.

Its capital, Shieldhaven, is a fortress city built around the Citadel of Vaelgard, with roads and strongholds extending outward to protect the approaches to Valendor's heartlands.

Shadowfell

Shadowfell is a country of forests, mist-covered valleys, marshes and hidden paths.

The Veilwood dominates much of the region before joining the greater Oakwood Forest. Through it winds the dark Black River, while scattered Shadowed Glades and hidden valleys make travelling without local knowledge difficult.

Its capital, Duskmire, lies concealed deep within the Veilwood.

Driftmire

The wetlands of Driftmire occupy a landscape of swamps, mangrove forests, rivers, tidal marshes and mist-covered coastline.

Waterways serve as roads through much of the duchy.

Its capital, Azureport, stands on Sapphire Bay and serves as one of Valendor's great maritime centres.

Vintergard

Beyond the northern reaches of Valendor lies Vintergard, the island homeland of the Thalkir.

It is a harsh country of frozen fjords, jagged cliffs, pine forests, violent seas and long winters. The Thalkir have adapted their entire culture around surviving these waters, hunting the enormous creatures that inhabit the northern seas and trading their valuable remains throughout Tymora.

Between Vintergard and the mainland lies Skagmir, the great frozen crossing connecting the two lands.

Stories and maps disagree on some details of Skagmir. To travellers from Valendor it is commonly spoken of as an ancient bridge of ice, while Thalkir accounts describe the region as a vast and treacherous frozen waterway filled with shifting ice.

Either way, crossing it is not undertaken lightly.

The Great Grass Sea — Ötgön Tal

West of Valendor stretches the Great Grass Sea, known to its people as Ötgön Tal. Tall grass rolls beneath the wind like waves upon an ocean, broken by wandering rivers, scattered oases and the paths of enormous migrating herds.

These plains are home to the Salhichin, nomadic herders and warriors whose lives move with the beasts they tend. The herds provide food, clothing, transport and even homes: some families live upon wooden platforms built across the broad backs of the towering Dalbukh.

Across this sea of grass travels a kingdom unlike any other. Its people live both upon the land and high above it, bound together by great chains, shared trade and an uneasy dependence on one another.

Tengri-Uul — The Sky Mountain

Above the herds hangs Tengri-Uul, the Sky Mountain, an enormous floating island crowned with towers, palaces and bridges of enchanted stone. Here the Tengri-Kharn, the city's ruling nobility, govern its trade, diplomacy and defences.

The island maintains a constant height above sea level, bearing the weight of its city without sinking or tilting. What keeps it suspended remains a mystery, but what guides its journey is far more tangible. Three great tethers descend from the island to teams of colossal herd-beasts below. Salhichin herders guide and tend these animals, drawing the city across the plains, while wind-callers use air magic to steady its passage.

The Sky Lords may choose the destination, but it is the herders and their beasts who carry them there. Along the way, the Oasis Tribes guard the freshwater springs upon which the travelling herds depend. The floating city, the nomads beneath it and the settlements along their route together sustain one of Tymora's greatest travelling trade networks.

That partnership brings wealth and opportunity, but also friction. The Tengri-Kharn rule from their palaces above, while the Salhichin shoulder the work below. Neither can easily prosper without the other, even when pride, resentment and competing beliefs threaten to pull them apart.

Explore Tengri-Uul and the Grass Sea for more about the floating city, its great tethers and the creatures that make this moving kingdom possible.

The Plain of Bones

North of the Grass Sea, the fertile plains give way to the Plain of Bones.

It is a hostile region of burning desert, rocky badlands and ancient ruins. Few travellers willingly enter its interior without good reason.

Somewhere within those wastes, early human explorers discovered an ancient sealed tomb. Twelve survivors of that expedition would eventually establish the society now known as the Arcane Federation.

Eldanost — The Eternal Spire

Rising from the Plain of Bones is Eldanost, the Eternal Spire, capital of the Arcane Federation.

The city was constructed directly above the ancient tomb discovered by the Federation's founders. Magic has allowed civilisation to survive where ordinarily little could, with arcane storms and magical barriers surrounding the city and protecting it from the desert.

Beyond Eldanost are the domains and places of study belonging to the Federation's great magical houses, including strange places such as the Crucible of Ascension.

Much of the Federation remains closed to outsiders, and reliable maps of its territory are uncommon.

The Free Cities

Many Free Cities can be found across Carcer, each standing apart from the kingdoms around it and proclaiming its own freedom and independence. Their cultures, surroundings and ways of governing differ, but independence does not mean an absence of power or control. Behind their public ideals lie the ambitions of guilds, influential families, hidden factions and those wealthy enough to shape the city's future.

The largest and best-known of these is Tanyth.

Tanyth

Nestled in the sun-warmed lowlands south of the Dragonspire Mountains, the Free City of Tanyth sprawls across the river-delta plains like a jewelled serpent basking in the sun. Its spires catch the light of day, its bazaars hum with the music of a hundred tongues, and its gates are open to all. Tanyth is, at least on parchment and proclamation, a sanctuary for all the peoples of Tymora, a place where no king reigns, no duke commands, and no race or creed claims dominion.

A City of Illusions

To outsiders, Tanyth is the dream of unity made real. Dworn craft wonders in forge and fire, beside Scion enchanters. Highwall scholars debate Tengri-kharn philosophers. Goblins peddle wares to Kir'Ko travellers while Fey performers draw crowds from every corner of the continent. This is the image Tanyth sells, a thriving Free City where all can find their place and fortune.

But beneath its glittering mask, Tanyth is a city of half-truths and careful control.

The Hidden Powers

Though no monarch sits on its throne, Tanyth is far from leaderless. On the surface, the city is governed by The Rule of Three: the Regent, who commands the city's official guard and enforces its laws; the Seer, who interprets omens and advises on foreign policy and arcane threats; and the Oracle, who speaks for the spirit of the city itself, often delivering cryptic proclamations believed to be divinely inspired. Together, they present a façade of unity and structured governance, a triumvirate said to balance military strength, arcane foresight, and spiritual wisdom.

But these are merely the visible gears in a machine far more complex.

In truth, power flows in whispers and gold. The city's lifeblood is pumped through the Veiled Syndicate, an ancient network of crime families and merchant princes who operate behind layers of shell organisations and secret oaths. Trade guilds hold veto power in council chambers, assassin cults enforce political will in the shadows, and forbidden magical cabals shape policy through manipulation and blackmail.

The so-called freedom of Tanyth is regulated with careful intent. Markets thrive, but tariffs, taxes, and bribes are expected at every tier. Laws exist, but their enforcement bends with the weight of coin and favour. Justice is dispensed by The Veil, a faceless tribunal said to be impartial but suspected to be handpicked by the powers they pretend to restrain. Few know their identities. Fewer still survive challenging them.

The People of Tanyth

Tanythians are shaped not by shared ancestry, but by shared ambition. They are cunning, charismatic, and endlessly adaptable. Most are not born here; they arrive by caravan, ship, or secret paths, bringing with them old wounds and new schemes. Some seek reinvention. Others seek escape. All seek something they believe Tanyth can offer.

The city is a tapestry of cultures stitched along fault lines. Each district is a world unto itself, and while the city boasts a banner of unity, integration is surface-deep. Tensions simmer in alleyways. Fistfights become arson. Petty rivalries bloom into full-blown turf wars. The Watch turns a blind eye or, more often than not, closes both of them for the right price.

A Haven and a Trap

Tanyth is a sanctuary only for those who know how to survive it. Outlaws find anonymity. Refugees find opportunity. Exiles find space to rebuild. But every safe harbour comes with strings, and in Tanyth, those strings are often one step away from being a noose.

The city offers endless potential, but at a cost few understand. The longer one stays, the deeper the roots of obligation grow, to a guild, a patron, a cartel, a cause. Favours are currency, and debt is more binding than chains. What seems like freedom is often just the space between one leash and the next.

Those who rise too fast attract envy. Those who trust too easily disappear. And those who try to change the system from within are swallowed by it, repurposed or erased.

Tanyth is a city of paradox. It is free, yet shackled. Welcoming, yet wary. A paradise for those who know how to play its game, and a graveyard for those who do not.

A City of Power

Tanyth is not merely built upon power, it is fed by it. Beneath its streets, vast and ancient ley lines converge, their energies drawn upward into the stone, the air, and the flesh of those who dwell within its walls. The city drinks deeply, and in doing so twists the natural order of the world. Long ago, the founders of Tanyth bound immense spells into the city itself, wards of preservation and resurrection meant to prevent collapse and ensure the city could never truly bleed out. Life is harder to extinguish here, death less absolute, but not without consequence.

Mana gathers and circulates through Tanyth like a second bloodstream, saturating spellcasters and priests alike, making magic easier, faster, and dangerously tempting. Spells answer more readily. Prayers are heard more often. Yet the power is not free. Each casting leaves an echo, each resurrection a debt. The city remembers every life it returns, every soul it refuses to release. In Tanyth, death is delayed, negotiated, or redirected, but never denied. The longer one remains, the more tightly the city coils around them, until even survival feels like an obligation owed to something vast, ancient, and patient beneath the stone.

Other Free Cities of Tymora

Tanyth is not the only Free City in Tymora. Scattered across the continent are several others, each presenting its own unique face to the world, shaped by different cultures, landscapes, and histories. Their façades may differ, and their surroundings may vary, but beneath it all, the same gears turn. Behind their banners of freedom and independence lie familiar patterns of manipulation, hidden powers, and shadowed deals. Though each city tells a different story, their core machinery of influence, ambition, and control operates in much the same way.

Two of the more well-known among these are:

Vireaux

The City of Masks and Marble

Perched atop coastal cliffs and built from gleaming white stone, Vireaux presents itself as a centre of enlightenment and refined culture. It is celebrated for its grand theatres, respected philosophers, and endless festivals that draw travellers from across Tymora. Yet beneath this beauty lies a ruthless society shaped by espionage, social control, and hidden debts. Noble houses and artistic guilds wage silent wars behind painted masks, using charm and scandal as weapons in a never-ending game of status and survival.

Kaer’Shaad

The City of Stone and Silence

Carved deep into the western badlands, Kaer’Shaad is a city of silence, shadows, and secrets. Its towering temples and rune-carved halls are home to stoic monks and scholars of the old ways. To outsiders, it seems a place of peace and reflection, but beneath that calm exterior, dark forces stir. Relic-hunters, blood cults, and power-hungry archivists vie for dominance in the buried ruins below. Order is maintained through ancient oaths and the silent enforcement of robed assassins, whose names are never spoken.

The Draken Lands

Not every civilisation of Tymora has attempted to build a sprawling kingdom.

The Draken inhabit some of the continent's most unforgiving environments, including deserts, jungles and volcanic wastelands. Their settlements tend towards heavily fortified communities capable of surviving the land around them.

Two great cities stand at the centre of Draken civilisation.

The best known is Ashkarak, the Fortress of the Scorched Bones, a former Dworn fortress deep within the sun-scorched desert. Its blackened walls stand above ancient tunnels, wells and underground reservoirs first constructed by the Dworn before the stronghold was abandoned and later claimed by the Draken.

The Wild Lands

Not every part of Tymora belongs neatly to a kingdom.

Orcs and Goblins have roamed the continent since long before the rise of the human nations. Their clans adapted to almost every environment Tymora could offer, including frozen tundra, forests, deserts and mountains. Some still follow this wandering existence, while others have settled within the cities of other peoples.

The Saen, Timur and Garlu, collectively called the Deschani by outsiders, can likewise be found in dramatically different environments. Saen clans in particular make their homes in forests, plains, deserts, mountains and jungles, adapting their settlements to the land around them rather than attempting to reshape it.

The Kir'Ko favour places that other peoples find difficult to reach. Their settlements can be woven into sheer cliffs, mountain peaks and the canopies of enormous forests, with great nest-like dwellings built into the landscape.

The Fey are harder still to place upon a map. They can be found throughout Tymora, sometimes living in isolated communities and sometimes amongst the cities and settlements of other peoples. Their unpredictable nature and tendency to adapt to their surroundings makes the idea of a single Fey homeland difficult to define.

Tavaru — The Ever-Wandering

Somewhere beyond the shores of Tymora travels Tavaru, homeland of the Konganese.

Calling Tavaru an island is accurate, but incomplete.

Tavaru moves.

It travels unpredictably across the oceans, sometimes following currents and tides, sometimes apparently moving against them, and occasionally disappearing beneath the surface entirely before emerging days or weeks later.

The Konganese call it Tavaru, the Ever-Wandering, and their oldest traditions describe their ancestors finding the island after fleeing their original jungle homelands across the sea. In time they realised that the land beneath them was travelling with a purpose of its own.

Where Tavaru can be found at any given time is another question entirely.

A Continent Still Being Discovered

For all the kingdoms, cities and roads marked upon the maps, Tymora remains a continent filled with unknown places.

The Dworn travelled it before many modern nations existed. Orcish clans crossed lands before human borders divided them. Cities have risen upon the ruins of older cities. Fortresses have changed hands so many times that their original builders have been forgotten.

There are ancient ruins in the Plain of Bones, forgotten tunnels beneath the mountains, hidden settlements within the forests, unexplored islands beyond the coast and places known only through the stories of travellers.

Tymora is not a continent that has been completely mapped and explained.

It is a place people are still discovering.

And beyond every road, mountain pass and familiar border, there is always somewhere else to go.