![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aena_alone
![[staff profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user_staff.png){kind=small}
denise posting in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
dw_maintenanceПривет and welcome to our new Russian friends from LiveJournal! We are happy to offer you a new home. We will not require identification for you to post or comment. We also do not cooperate with Russian government requests for any information about your account unless they go through a United States court first. (And it hasn't happened in 16 years!)
Importing your journal from ЖЖ may be slow. There are a lot of you, with many posts and comments, and we have to limit how fast we download your information from ЖЖ so they don't block us. Please be patient! We have been watching and fixing errors, and we will go back to doing that after the holiday is over.
I am very sorry that we can't translate the site into Russian or offer support in Russian. We are a much, much smaller company than LiveJournal is, and my high school Russian classes were a very long time ago :) But at least we aren't owned by Sberbank!
С Новым Годом, and welcome home!
EDIT: Большое спасибо всем за помощь друг другу в комментариях! Я ценю каждого, кто предоставляет нашим новым соседям информацию, понятную им без необходимости искать её в Google. :) И спасибо вам за терпение к моему русскому переводу с помощью Google Translate! Прошло уже много-много лет со школьных времен!
Thank you also to everyone who's been giving our new neighbors a warm welcome. I love you all ❤️
![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
ersetu_feedI’ve added several new maps on my DeviantArt account related to Mother of Learning. I figured I should also post about it here, plus there is a worldbuilding post attached to this new map drop.
Here are the links:
https://www.deviantart.com/dodo-ptica/art/1281670102
https://www.deviantart.com/dodo-ptica/art/1281672964
https://www.deviantart.com/dodo-ptica/art/1281673873
https://www.deviantart.com/dodo-ptica/art/1281675262
Because the last map contains a sizeable worldbuilding post attached to the map, I will replicate it here. First, here’s the map:
This is a version of this map where I explain some new things. I’ve added some new names that I figure I should explain, plus a whole bunch of points of interest marked with red numbers.
You might notice that the new map has different borders, with a different distribution of minor states and less of them overall. I think this looks better overall, and makes more sense, while still maintaining the same sense of chaos and fragmentation the previous map of Altazia had. This shouldn’t affect the story of Mother of Learning and its canon, but it’s possible that I made comments and answered questions previously based on the previous map and that this conflicts with those. In those cases, I’m inclined to take the new map as canon and those old comments as outdated, but please free to remind me of any previous statements that contradict this.
Some of the notable nations on the map did not have a presence in previous maps, or were not really explained much. So here are some descriptions:
Kalvare: This is a fairly large southern state that recently rose to prominence due to Splinter Wars – a rare example of a state that actually profited from the chaos. Kalvare makes no secret that it desires to conquer the cities of the Southern Trade League. They believe such a move would finally give them the position and resources they need to become one of the great powers, and they also claim that this would be good for those cities as well. By uniting the many small states into a single unified force, they claim, they could transcend from prosperous but irrelevant provinces into a true powerhouse. The trade cities aren’t convinced.
Kalvare has secretly entered into an agreement with Sulamnon, and is effectively allied with them. When the next round of Splinter Wars begins, Kalvare is supposed to conquer the Southern Trade League with some help from Sulamnon, and then use their resources to help the overall war effort. Kalvare thinks of this as an alliance of equals, but Sulamnon definitely considers them a junior partner in this operation, fueling some discontent.
Southern Trade League: Although colored as a single state in the map, this is really just a collection of many small trade states acting as a somewhat unified force against outside threats… primarily Kalvare. This is the reason for the internal borders and a lack of a capital icon. The states are wealthy and populous, but their military is purely defensive in nature. Historically, they tended to hire lots of mercenaries when fighting.
This region has a long history, having been home to prosperous trade cities that relied on trade with Xlotic and the Shivan Archipelago since time immemorial. They claim to be the oldest civilization on the continent, and are very proud (some would say arrogant) about it. Despite this, the region has never been unified until the Ikosians invaded and conquered them all. The trade cities are all fiercely independent and have traditionally competed against one another to capture more of the trade coming from the south.
In recent times their influence and prosperity has faded greatly, due to the many threats they struggle to deal with. Aside from Kalvare, another major threat they face is the Kingdom of Tetra, which managed to supplant them as the primary southern trade power and has a larger and more unified fleet. Although there is little danger of Tetra conquering them via a naval invasion, its rise to power weakens the trade league’s economic prosperity and the member states would love to see someone take them down in the next round of Splinter Wars.
Taraman: This is small state with an important trade port, and considered important to both Sulamnon and Eldemar. If Sulamnon can fight their way through the mountain passes and conquer Taraman, they will have a stronghold on eastern coast of the continent, be able to menace Eldemar’s shipping and otherwise be a thorn in their side. Naturally, Eldemar is very interested in making sure that doesn’t happen, and have offered to help Taraman fight off any such invasion.
As for Taraman itself, they are attempting to stay neutral, but are increasingly worried by the short, unconvincing responses they are getting from Sulamnon, and the Eldemarian faction is gradually growing stronger.
Taraman is one of the main ports where Hsan ships arrive to Altazia, and also one of the main starting points for Altazian ships departing to Hsan. As such, there are an unusual number of Hsan visitors here.
Western Colonial States: These states are actually a very recent creation. Before the Old Alliance launched efforts to colonize this western region, it was just monster-inhabited wilderness. When it collapsed, these provinces were left to fend for themselves and became independent. As such, these states are sparsely populated and poorly developed, though they have vast untapped resources that many of the eastern states would love to get their hands on.
Although seemingly large, these states are highly decentralized and have difficulty rallying their entire forces onto a specific problem or enemy. They often quarrel with each other over border areas and other disputes, but the Splinter Wars were less devastating here than they were in the east, because of lower population densities and the difficulty of moving forces across the terrain.
Most of the states here are not too attached to their independence and would be entirely willing to swear an allegiance to one of the big powers in exchange for development support. However, the issue is that it’s not clear at the moment which power they should side with. Because of this, they have adopted a wait-and-see approach.
+++
Points of Interest:
1. This coast is officially uninhabited. In reality, there are small groups of seal shifters living here, avoiding monsters and outsider ships alike. Although they mostly dwell on the coastline, exploiting their ability to move between land and water to evade threats, they also sometimes use the river to travel more inland to acquire specific things.
These seal shifters used to live a lot further to the south, in what is now Eldemar. After the Necromancer’s War, they were forced to flee to the north, out of reach of Eldemar’s authorities. Unfortunately for them, the current colonial push by Eldemar is once again pitting them against the invaders from the south. A fair number of tribes has already fled from the coastal area being settled by Eldemar, while others linger, aware that resources are scarce and that more northern tribes don’t have any room for them. Tribes fleeing Eldemar’s influence have to go even further to the north, where the weather is harsher and conditions less conductive to living.
These seal shifters have little contact with seal shifters living in Ulquaan Ibasa. Ibasans are seen every bit as negatively as Eldemar, and siding with them is seen as a major blunder made by their ancestors. Seal shifters that come from the island are seen as suspicious and an unnecessary risk, threatening to pull them into a conflict they have no intention of participating in.
There are talks among some of the shifter tribes of undergoing a great migration in order to reach the other side of the continent. While the west side of Altazia is also being colonized, the states are weaker there and population densities lower. The hope is that seal shifters would have an easier time resisting encroachment there, or at least be able to negotiate a more favorable position within one of the local states. Some of the more radical voices are even suggesting they could enlist some friendly outsiders to help them out in the endeavor. For now, this remains just a wild idea, with most opting to see how the latest round of Splinter Wars is going to pan out.
Needless to say, seal shifters have no love for Eldemar, and hope they lose any upcoming conflicts.
2. Somewhere in this region is the lair of Oganj. Oganj is not happy about Eldemar’s colonial push north, seeing them as invaders encroaching on his territory. While the invasion of Cyoria wasn’t as big of a success as he had hoped it to be, he is overall happy that a major staging point for colonists has been devastated. He intends to take advantage of this moment to begin attacking settlements and outposts in the region. That said, he is willing to abandon the area if things don’t go his way, as he is very strong even by dragon standards, and is confident he can evict some unfortunate dragon elsewhere and take their territory.
Aside from Oganj, the region also has a number of other dragons living here. While these dragons are not as powerful as Oganj, they are also not nearly as willing to abandon their homes, and will fight tooth and nail against any human encroachment – and may decide to opportunistically prey on them if they look weak or Eldemar shows unwillingness to defend them.
3. This small island is surrounded by steep cliffs and hosts large groups of sea drakes on the few shores it has. There is a derelict tower on top of the island, built by unknown hands. The tower has already been long abandoned by the time Ikosians came along, and no native could tell them who had made the place. It has been explored twice, but without ever yielding some great secret or treasure.
Both of the exploring parties died soon after under suspicious circumstances. Additionally, a number of ships passing near the island have ended up disappearing or sinking. Although Eldemar’s authorities insist this is all just a coincidence, the place has acquired a reputation of being cursed. Ships avoid going near it, and nobody wants to set foot in the old tower anymore.
4. This large island, sitting between Eldemar and Ulquaan Ibasa, is largely uninhabited. It is mountainous and quite inhospitable, and while Eldemar forbids anyone from settling there unless they swear fealty to the king of Eldemar, they only have a small number of outposts that are seasonally inhabited by fishermen and explorers, no permanent settlements.
People from Fort Oroklo sometimes visit it to hunt and acquire resources.
5. The port city of Luja has an autonomous status within Eldemar. It is the place where the majority of Eldemar’s maritime trade flows through, and their shipbuilding hub. Though autonomous, they are considered a loyal subject of the crown, as their prosperity depends heavily of Eldemar and they never attempted to separate from it in any of the Splinter Wars.
Eldemar (the city) and Luja have a friendly rivalry with one another, as they both consider themselves to be the cultural centers of the country, and both are old cities with a long history. Luja has actually profited from Eldemar’s “shrunken” status, as it once competed with other cities throughout the continent for trade traffic and shipbuilding commissions, but now has Eldemar’s full focus and funding.
6. This small splinter nation of Zalwati has a large, sparsely populated mountain range covering most of its territory and only the northern end of it is somewhat developed. Despite its lack of resources and population, it managed to survive the Splinter Wars largely unscathed due to the great diplomatic skill of its leader, King Hirzin, and the highly defensible nature of its southern border.
Hirzin has managed to become a minor celebrity in Altazia, due to a combination of natural charisma, philanthropic initiatives, and tendency to be at the right place at the right time. He travels the continent constantly, and leverages the contacts and friendships he gains to keep the pressure off of Zalwati, helping the kingdom maintain its independence.
Eldemar’s and Sulamnon’s intelligence agencies both think there is something very suspicious about Hirzin, as they have both tried to look into him and found his security to be suspiciously good. His past is also shrouded in mystery – despite his great charisma and ability, he seems to have not done anything of note before his sudden rise to prominence.
His true goals are unknown.
7. In the previous maps, this area was marked as uninhabited, consisting of high mountains inhabited by dragons and other monsters. This is still the case, but I decided to place it within state borders anyway, since this made sense to me in-universe. Make no mistake, this is still effectively uninhabited land – but the countries surrounding it claim it as their rightful territory nonetheless. The borders shown here are probably disputed by everyone involved, as all of them would like to show more territory owned on their maps.
This also means that all five states around this region are actually much smaller than they appear, because much of the territory they have on the map is functionally worthless.
8. The two interior states of the Southern Trade League are something akin to a military march pointed at Kalvare. They are financed by the coastal trade cities, investing heavily in their military and defensive infrastructure. They have little industry, having been devastated in the previous Splinter Wars, but the massive investments by their richer partners on the coast have actually led to something of an economic boom at the moment.
9. The Tarhun Islands have changed hands often throughout history. They are actually not particularly hospitable or conductive to settlement, but their strategic position in the middle of the Ishekatara Sea means that a lot of people want them anyway. They are currently ruled by Tetra, but Falkrinea has launched a number of probing attacks at the islands and intends to invade them the moment the next round of Splinter Wars start.
The islands only have one settlement of note, a port town located on the biggest island, and capturing it is enough to gain control over the entire archipelago.
10. The lakes in this region are very deep and mysterious. Before the arrival of the Ikosians, the lakes and their surroundings were the domain of elementals and fey, and even now many of them still survive there, and maintain ancient pacts with the locals.
The entire area of the lakes, along with the nearby river valleys, are called Lushna, and were one of the four centers of human civilization on the continent. They were also the closest to Xlotic, and were thus the first to be conquered by the Ikosians. Despite this, the region retains much of its old character, and was notorious for being fairly rebellious and hard to govern.
In the previous maps, this region was far more fractured, with way more tiny states. Although I’ve decided to consolidate them more, the official borders do not tell the full picture. The internal politics of these states are still very chaotic and divisive, full of autonomous regions and ancient conflicts bubbling beneath the surface, far more so than in most other Splinter States. You can assume that sort of those old borders are still effectively in place, even if they’re not reflected on official maps.
The southern part of Lushna is currently ruled by Tetra. Because the region traditionally relied on the ports located in the south, this gives Tetra tremendous influence over the region. The local states are very concerned about the possibility of being absorbed by Tetra, and this is the main reason they are not engaging in more internal fighting.
11. Much like the point 7, this region was marked as uninhabited in previous maps. I have shrunk the area officially marked as uninhabited, but in practice the situation remains the same. The oval shape you see is only the very highest part of the mountain, where no one can even pretend they rule the land. However, the mountain range extends further south, and these lands are practically uninhabited as well… though the surrounding states make claims on it.
12. Abnazia has designs on the western colonies, and to get to them, it has to go through this region. The kingdom of Mahruk, one of many states created after the collapse of the Old Alliance, is heavily influenced by Abnazia, who hopes to encounter minimal resistance from the locals when they finally send their forces to secure the region.
13. Kingdom of Wendrel is the northern-most of the colonial states. When the Old Alliance fell apart, the expansion of the human communities to the north stopped, with Wendrel as the last stable province to emerge from those efforts. All of the colonial states are sparsely populated and highly decentralized, with poor infrastructure and road connections, but Wendrel is particularly bad in this regard. The state has weak road connections, and many of the settlements are autonomous by necessity rather than rebellious feelings, and can go for weeks or months without getting traders or visitors from the outside world.
Because of this, it is a somewhat popular place for people who want to run away from their old life or start over, as there is a plethora of places where one can disappear to. It is also a popular destination for groups and individuals that want to try and set up their own communities and secret compounds somewhere without a strong government to meddle in their business.
14. This region was in the process of getting colonized when the Old Alliance fell apart. After that, the communities here collapsed and survivors migrated south towards Wendrel and elsewhere. There are a large number of ruins scattered around the region, largely following the river inland. Many rumors and wild stories are told about what happened here.
15. This stretch of coast now controlled by Falkrinea, Sulamnon, and various other minor states was highly developed and influential even before the Ikosian invasion. It is known as the Five Towers Coast, due to the five cities that once vied for influence here. The cities still exist, though the signature towers they once had in their centers are long gone, and most of them had their importance decline over the years.
aena_alone
