Part 2: Historical Annex: The Pagan Kingdoms of Granheim.

The Baldov Pentapolis: Situated in the north-west of the island, this was a pentarchy where five ports were established by ancient mariners. These sailors intermingled with the indigenous peoples of the semi-arid peninsula. Its geographical boundaries include the Southern Ocean to the north and the beginning of the Granheim Sea to the west. The Holy River and its vast lake separate it to the west and south from the Mar-Mortem Domain and the Valley Peoples. To the south, the region borders the Granheim inner sea and the mouth of the Holy River.

This peninsula is characterised by its floodplains in winter and dry expanses for most of the year, with a predominant semi-desert vegetation in its centre and a significant community of orcs living peacefully alongside humans.

The main economic activities in this region are extensive livestock farming and piracy. Located here are the five domain cities: Baldov, Bay Bridge, Savannah Village, Forah, and Cabria, each governed by a regent. Formerly, they chose the military leader (Jakai) to represent them; however, history took a drastic turn when the pentapolis was subjugated by the Holy Kingdom of Granheim, which proceeded to choose their leaders (the Jakais) instead.

The Mar-Mortem Domain: This domain is a theocracy dedicated to the worship of the lunar divinity. Located in the north of the island, it is guarded by the majestic Atrium Mountains, which divide it from the holy kingdom to the south. It is landlocked. To the north it borders the Valley Peoples and Ygenivia, to the east Ygenivia, and to the west the Baldov Pentapolis. Steeped in lunar veneration, this realm has forged its identity around the worship of this deity both as a symbol of the moon and of death in its warrior aspect.

Its population was an amalgam of ancient natives (such as the valley peoples), sailors from continental colonies, elves, and orcs.

Its confines border the pagan forests of the Kingdom of Ygenivia and the Valley Peoples to the north, the Holy River lake of the Baldov Pentapolis to the west, the Forest Peoples to the east, and the Atrium region of the Holy Kingdom of Granheim to the south. These lands recount the history of a domain that has endured the passage of time.

The winding currents of streams, springs, and waterfalls have brought fame to this nation, feeding not only its landscape but its economic activities as well. The region is distinguished by its mining activity and skill in medicinal crafting—two fundamental pillars of its economy.

At the heart of this land lies Waterfall Village, the epicentre of the realm. A little further east, standing as guardians of the faith, are the Mar-Mortem Castle and the venerable Lunar Temple. Its population is primarily of mixed descent (between conquerors and natives), alongside significant communities of semi-elves and orcs.

Ancient verses recall that the domain governed the northern part of the present-day Holy Kingdom of Granheim, but as the shadows of conquest advanced from the south, the theocracy was pushed northwards. Despite hardships, they re-erected their temples on lands that had once belonged to the Valley Peoples; however, under pressure, they eventually capitulated and paid tribute to the Holy Kingdom.

The Valley Peoples: They stood as the original lords of the island's northern region, settling in the valley formed by the Holy River and its lagoon. Their inhabitants dedicated themselves to pastoralism, hunting, and fishing. Many fractured kingdoms of the same origin existed, which vanished with the passage of time.

This ancestral people's enclave lies north of the Mar-Mortem Domain, bordered to the north by the mouth of the Green River at the Southern Ocean and the Kingdom of Ygenivia, to the west by the Baldov Pentapolis, to the south by the Mar-Mortem Domain, and to the east by the Kingdom of Ygenivia and its forests. The region is primarily a valley to the south-east, while forests dominate the north-east.

Initially, this people dominated the entire north-west of the island, from the mouth of the Holy River to the foothills of the majestic Atrium Mountains. Yet as time passed, the Valley Peoples saw their influence wane, ceding ground to the rise of the Baldov Pentapolis from the west, the advance of the Mar-Mortem Domain from the south, and the relentless growth of the Kingdom of Ygenivia from the north-east.

The history of this people leaves an indelible mark on their neighbours, and the great holy river flowing through these regions whispers tales of bygone times that are not yet forgotten.

Kingdom of Ygenivia: Historically, this realm shines as heir to the people of the Children of the Sun, whose lineage extended across the eastern part of the island. Characterised by the coexistence of humans and elves, this land witnessed the fusion of both lineages (semi-elves). Like the Valley Peoples, they are said to have been among the first to arrive on the island—the Valley Peoples in the west, the Children of the Sun in the east, and the Forest Peoples in the south.

The kingdom is precisely bounded to the north by the vast expanses of the Southern Ocean, where numerous islands, bays, and inlets rise, affording views of Potentia, an island under the control of the Holy Kingdom. To the east, rugged coasts are battered by the waters of the Southern Ocean and the narrow Sun Bay, which is difficult to navigate for medium and large vessels. To the south, the border is demarcated with the sister realm of Solarium, the Forest Peoples, and the Mar-Mortem Domain, while the west shares a boundary with the Valley Peoples. At the heart of the realm lies the Sun Lagoon and the river of the same name, which bisects the region. The nation enjoys a warm climate, numerous beaches and forests, alongside massive settlements, schools, and solar study temples.

Once hunters and fishers, the Children of the Sun eventually turned to extensive agriculture, utilising accessible rivers to cut canals and harness fertile soil. They confronted the conquerors in an unparalleled manner, even expanding their territory in the process. Queen Ygeni, aided by her children, fostered the kingdom's expansion, founding an entity where the council of elders holds supreme authority and binding the majority of the Children of the Sun in the north to secure borders and strengthen their presence.

This realm bears witness to a love for ancestral legacy and the fusion of humans and elves in a sun-drenched land whose testament persists in every corner of its territory.

Nation of Solarium: Around Sun Bay stands the nation of Solarium. This land congregates the Children of the Sun to the south of Ygenivia, sharing the same ethnic roots as their northern brethren. It is a vassal state of the Kingdom of Ygenivia, distinguished by being a theocracy ruled by venerable priests of the solar temple erected ostentatiously in Solarium, its capital.

The nation borders the Forest Peoples to the west, the Wasteland Forests to the south, the Southern Ocean to the east, and the Kingdom of Ygenivia to the north.

Sun Bay features several inhabited fishing islands. Its sole borders are with the dreaded Wasteland Forests, where terror pervades the inhabitants due to the belief that they are infested with demons. In Solarium, its principal city, the magnificent solar temple stands out, raised as the oldest on the island and considered a pilgrimage site for all the devout.

Imposing fortresses have been erected on the western side to contain both the advance of the dreaded demons and the threat of the conquerors. This nation stands as testimony to the fusion of faith and politics, driven by the inhabitants' fear of those demons whose shadows constantly stalk their borders.

The Forest Peoples: Historical verses recount that these elven folk formerly inhabited the south of the island; however, with the arrival of the conquerors, this race was subjected to extermination or displaced towards the forests sheltering the lands around the Atrium River in the mountain foothills. Legend says they arrived at the same time as the first Children of the Sun, but these elves chose to settle in the south, whilst others joined the Children of the Sun or the Valley Peoples.

The nation is bounded to the north by the Kingdom of Ygenivia, to the east by the Nation of Solarium and the Wasteland Forests, to the south by the Easthorn region of the Holy Kingdom (separated by the rushing Atrium River), and to the west by the waters of that same river, the foothills of the Holy Kingdom's Atrium Mountains, and the Mar-Mortem Domain.

The Forest Peoples are a stealthy and evasive folk who avoid all contact with humans, marked by their displacement at the hands of the conquerors and subsequently by the demons dominating the surroundings of the Wasteland Forests. They typically build their settlements high in the forest trees, whose aloe sap contains a substance that repels demons. This people perpetuates its existence through knowledge and caution.

Wasteland Forest Region: In the eastern peninsula of the island stands this region shrouded in mystery and legend. Theoretically, it falls under the protection of the Holy Kingdom of Granheim, although it boasts only a few scattered coastal fortifications. This dense forest region is terrorised by demonic packs that prey on settlers or the imprudent who venture into those parts.

The region is bounded to the north by the forts of the Nation of Solarium, to the west by the Forest Peoples, to the south by the legionary enclave and the rushing Atrium River separating it from the Holy Kingdom, and to the east by the Southern Ocean.

Barring a few Holy Kingdom coastal fortifications, the region remains practically uninhabited.

Legionaria: On the northern side of the Atrium River's mouth stands the city-state of Legionaria. This enclave is almost entirely surrounded by the Wasteland Forest region and guards a history of resistance and tenacity.

The legionnaires—renowned mercenary warriors from another continent—were initially hired by the Holy Kingdom of Granheim to conquer the Wasteland Forest region. However, faced with the insatiable voracity of the demons infesting those forests and a lack of resources for the campaign, they decided to fall back and entrench themselves in the south of the peninsula. There, amid desperation and bravery, they managed to establish themselves with the aid of a few natives and settlers who were also fleeing demonic attacks.

This city, close to a quarry, is a stronghold where all who traverse the perilous Wasteland Forests can find rest. Its economy is based on the crafting and trading of iron items famous throughout the island via its small port.

Isla de Potentia: In the waters stretching off the coast of the Kingdom of Ygenivia lies the island of Potentia. The chronicle relates that until recently, the islet was an integral part of the Kingdom of Ygenivia. However, native believers in the faith of the Omnipotent Radiance from all the pagan realms established themselves there, led by Lim, daughter of Queen Ygeni and exiled princess of the same kingdom. They are said to have fled their homelands due to religious persecution, particularly the scourge of Prince Markhus of Ygenivia, who expelled all devotees from his country.

This island, converted into a religious refuge for the Potentates, immediately received support from the royal navy of the Holy Kingdom of Granheim, which solidified its defences and uses it as a strategic platform. The islet serves as a launching pad for raids and incursions against realms deemed pagan for not sharing the same faith, and it forms the theatre of conflict for control of the northern seas.