Mareten

The nation of Mareten is the oldest surviving nation, apart from the Dwarves; even the Dwarven cities were hard-pressed during the Age of the Beastmen. But how best to explain this ancient nation? A map, of course!

This map took a long time to make. Appreciate it!

The nation of Mareten is... well, not small. And this isn't the most detailed version, either; I reserve that as a GM map, thank you.

The red lines show borders; the thick lines are the outer borders, and the thin red lines are roughly where the cities reside. The single tower in the north-west is the Tower of the Airwalkers; across the river is the land of the Mountain Dwarves. the solitary city in the north-east is a pirate city, known as Silversand Cove - a nice name for a poorly-managed conglomeration of thieves and their ilk. The entire city is built on the sea shore, which means every building continues to sink into the sand. Once a house is no longer accessible, its owner usually just builds another on top, resulting in some very strange catacombs beneath the city.

The river at the north-west corner of the map is the Istrom River, a great, rushing, cold river, that feeds the Wild Plains and the Southern Desert. It splits the continent in half, nearly.

The black lines are major highways; these are well-kept roads, usually free of robbers and animals, and well-trafficked by merchants and other travelers. The faint tan lines are smaller highways; still usually safe, but smaller and not as well-traveled as the main roads. The river running north to east is the Recondite River; it meets the sea near the nation's capital, Slowhaven. The river splits just before the lake, near the great city of Riverbend, becoming the Shadiuine river before it meets Lake Felding. It continues to the sea, splitting around Wrapport.

The gray line at the south of Mareten is The Wall, an enormous wall 100 feet tall and a mile wide, carved out of mountains. At the northern end of the wall, where the road crosses it, is Wallace, a city filled with merchants and military, and the headquarters of the Wall Guard. The wall continues through the Annhoradwy woods; for thousands of years, Mareten has been trying to chop back the forest, but it stubbornly refuses to budge.

Near Slowhaven is a grove of fruit trees, possibly the largest grove on the continent; it is home to the Clerics of the Grove, devout caregivers, as well as the Bladedancers.

With ample farmland, rich mountain mines, bountiful water supply, and nearly impervious walls, the residents of Mareten are, for the most part, happy and well-off. Still, the King cannot afford to be lax - forces wait outside his gates with powers he cannot hope to match. It is the Age of the Fae, and few things are what they seem.