Lords of Sovereign - the Free Kingdoms of Old

Map commission done courtesy of ~Sapiento, part of my 'Lords of Sovereign' fantasy story I'm doing.

The story of Lords of Sovereign is heavily inspired on traditional high fantasy stories. Think Conan the Barbarian, Jason and the Argonauts, and the Fighting Fantasy novel series (a Choose-Your-Own Adventure book series that inspired me to do this). For those of you not familiar with those movies or books, think Fire Emblem where the story is around a core of 'heroic' individuals instead of clashing armies and major battles/politics like Game of Thrones.

This is a map of the oldest lands in the world, known as the Old Lands. The various kingdoms, households, and fiefs of the Old Lands are collective known as 'The Free Kingdoms', all of which stand in direct opposition to the Fel Forces of the Foul in the east. Below you will find a description of the different areas and regions that will be explored in my story 'Lords of Sovereign'.


----------------------


The Inner Kingdoms are the most significant region in all of the Old Lands. Situated on a floating landmass over the Well of Eternity (itself a massive lake sunk in 3-4 miles below elevation of the surrounding land), the Inner Kingdoms are home to the Kingdom of Night, the Kingdom of Day, and the Celestial Royal Family of the Crystal Spire.

The Crystal Spire lies at the direct center and the heart of the Inner Kingdoms. A magnificent crystalline palace, two magical artifacts control the passage of day and night throughout the known world: the Moonstone and Sunshard. Both objects can only be controlled via the rightful rulers of the Crystalline Thrones, and as such even if forces of evil take the Crystal Spire they would not have any control over the stones (historically, previous dark lords and evildoers have sought to capture one of the two rulers and forcibly 'marry' into the Royal line in order to gain control over the artifacts). The twin rulers of the Crystalline Thrones are the Watch-Warden and the Celestial Castellan (always one of each gender, whether they be husband/wife, sister/brother, father/son, etc).

The continent rotates clockwise, with its northern face always shrouded in perpetual nighttime due to being in the shadow of the Moonstone. The Citadel of Midnight (home of the Lunar Legion) watches over the great Skyway Bridge, while Lake Eveningtide (base of the martial order of the Ladies of the Night) rests quietly in the northwestern portion of the island. To the south, a land of eternal sunlight lie both the Tower of Day (a singular wizard's tower and home to the advisor to the Royal Family) and Dawn's Overlook (a monastery of an order of battle Valkyrie).

Lastly, the Skyway Bridge is a uniquely magical bridge that is always fixed on the direct eastern point of the floating island, moving as the island rotates over the Well of Eternity. Its eastern end is connected directly to the Bulwark.



The Bulwark, also known as the City of Five Nobles, is a massive city-kingdom that acts as the central crossroads of the entire area of the Free Kingdoms of Old. The Bulwark is autonomous and independent of the rule of the Royal Family, in return for being the greatest garrison and only point of entry into the Inner Kingdoms. There are four Great Gates (each a mile in height) that control all access to the city, itself surrounded in a massive stone wall that reaches the clouds: the Greenway Gate, the Skyway Gate, the Lonely Gate, and the Stone Gate.

Five Nobles rule the city via a simple majority system. These nobles all hail from the Eastern Fringe (located to the east of the Bulwark, across the Stoneway Bridge). The current seated members of the Council of Five are: Baron Blood, Countess Courage, Earl Glory, Duchess Honor, and Marquis Valor.

The city is not without its own fair share of dangers and threats, and on more than one occasion has a weary traveler fallen prey to the creatures that lurk through the sewers and alleys and shadows of this great but crowded city.



The Eastern Fringe is the most war-like of all the Free Kingdoms. With forces vastly smaller than the rest of the lands, they are nevertheless the most battle-hardened and experienced; the reason being that the Cursed Lands lie directly across the Crack of Doom. Even in times of peace, skirmishes and raids from those broken and wicked lands spill across and threaten the Eastern region.

The Fields of Glory and Fields of Blood are two Great Plains producing a vast majority of the food supplies for the region, with most of the lands populace either residing in the Red Meadows or within the Bulwark itself. The Hills of Honor separate the two Great Plains, with Caer Courage keeping an ever watchful eye over the surrounding plains. Lastly, the Stoneway is a massive bridge that goes over the Vale of Valor, home to many forests and mines that supply the Bulwark with its share of natural resources.


The Sommerlands, also known affectionately as the Lands of Summer, is a peaceful and fertile area lying to the south of the Well of Eternity. From the Bulwark's southern gate, one would travel down the Greenbelt Way, across gentle rolling hills and grasslands all the way to the Shelter, one of the largest and most prosperous settlements in the Sommerlands. Settled on the shores of Lake Tranquility and the Soothing Stream, it has always formed the last line of defense should forces of evil cross the Perilous Marshes and the Swamps of Sorrow (though such forays are rare as the swamplands care not for friend or foe).

The Dale (nestled in the Good-Hearted Heartlands) forms the central farmlands of the entire Free Kingdoms, while the Arbor and its never-ending orchards known as the Fruitful Fields provide much diversity and food for all. The Moors in the southeast provide the lands inhabitants with both fish and herbs (collected from the nearby swamps) and is always a place of worry as it is the only passable entryway into the Sommerlands from the east.



If one should find themselves traveling north from the Bulwark, they will have to travel down the winding roads through the barren Lonely Hills. Not much grows in these lands, though the House of Homeliness of Lady Aurora offers travelers a place to stay from the harsh elements.

Once the Lonely Hills have been cleared, the first thing any traveler will be greeted by is the massive Wall-City of the Golden Gates. A heavily fortified mountain pass nestled in the greatest vein of gold mines in the north, Lady Gold affords the best that money can buy to ensure trade travels from her city to the Bulwark and other Free Kingdoms.

Venturing to the northeast is the Silver Sepulcher, a great castle-fortress that overlooks the only traversable land pass from the frozen Forgotten Wastes and into the Northern Peaks region. To the east lies Bronze Bay, a mountain trade port that connects to the Black River and the only method of travel into the eastern Hespian (via the docks at the Glittering Halls). Rumor says there are passages that lead into the Valley of Shadows and thus into the region known as the Farlands, but such a route has proven too dangerous to map safely.



The Hespian, reached either via the Hespian Way through the Evergrowth from the Arbor or from the river-ports of the Glittering Halls, is a wild and relatively untamed land in comparison to the other regions of Free Kingdoms. Those seeking new beginnings, a fresh start, or those simply undertaking rites of passing come to the Hespian.

The rangers of the Woad and the Pathfinders of the Sanctuary patrol the lands, honing their archery and tracking skills against the many wild and dangerous creatures of these untamed lands though such patrols are scant a guarantee of safety for any would-be traveler. A strong and heavily armed escort is highly recommended for those wishing to visit these lands. The only 'known' method of access to the Farlands is across the Black Sea via the Glade-Shady Shoals sea-way connection.

The most geographically significant area of the entire region is a region of jungles known as 'The Evergrowth', which spans all the way from the shores of the Black Sea to the area south of the Sommerlands. The jungle is said to be alive and constantly seeks to expand northward, if not for the mountains by the Glittering Halls and the constant wood-cutting efforts made by lumber mills in the Sommerlands (which in turn provide a near limit-less supply of wood and lumber for the Free Kingdoms). All expeditions and attempts to explore the Evergrowth have failed, and a moratorium on all future attempts to explore that region has been issued by the Royal Family at the Crystal Spire to deter would-be adventurers - all in order to keep the count of those 'missing' at low numbers (though that doesn't stop the occasional youth from venturing into the Evergrowth, never to be seen again).