The Wall of Gemnos

The wall of Gemnos is the oldest building in Gemnos. No one knows who built it,  but as long as man has recorded history on Gemnos, the Wall has been there, eternal, tall and unbreakable.

More than 3000 miles long, 100 feet high and about 60 feet thick, built with flawless stones dipped in magic, the Wall cuts across from the Narrow Sea across the plains of Lamar, around the Mountains of Zark, separating Varnor from the Republic and all the way to the Sea of Djabi.

It is said it was built to keep out flesh-eating monsters who roamed the plains of what is now the Republic, before the dawn of man. Whether that is true or not is very hard to say. Throughout the ages, the wall has had many purposes. For examples, nomads of Varnor have been using it for hundreds of years as a way to pass into adulthood. Amongst the tribes, any boy wanting to be a man only had to travel to the wall and scale it without help.

Today it has three primary functions. First of all, it serves as a border between Varnor and the Republic. The towers, located with 1500 feet between them, are manned by Varnor. Second of all, the wall serves as a trade road, running across the continent. Third but not least, the wall is a city onto itself. Or rather many small villages. All along on top of the wall, communities has sprung up, along the trade route. With the wall being 60' thick, the 20' in the middle is road, while the rest is used for buildings.

The Great Crevasse and the Twin Rocks

During the Second Demon War, when the area of Gemnos which is now called the Cursed Lands was overrun by demons, the last battle was fought near a small village some hundred miles east of the Seven Army Nations.

The village no longer exists, but back in the day, in 5679, there was a symmetrically shaped boulder more than 50' tall and 40' wide, just standing in the middle of the plains, outside the village. One day the boulder split into two rocks of equal size and a portal opened. Out of that portal came the Red Triad and their army of demons.

Years passed, and the demons rampaged through the lands of men, all while substantial forces guarded the portal and the rocks.

When the Brave Wyverns sacrificed their lives and closed the portal, a great force shook the earth and ripped it apart, creating the Great Crevasse, a great canyon without bottom, a oneway portal to Hell. Or so it is said. Demons from all over the continent were sucked into the eternal darkness therein. Aurac the Great Wyrm followed them into the darkness and kept them from coming back.

As mentioned, the Great Crevasse is bottomless. It is also between 2 and 5 miles wide in most places, so it is a fairly large hole in the ground of Gemnos. It is possible to scale the side, but going down, you will find nothing but death. Few who persist in climbing down ever return. About 1.000 feet down, an impregnable darkness covers the entirety of the Crevasse.

After the war, due it it's particular shape, the Twin Rocks quickly became a holy place to priests and worshipers of the Twins. It still is today. In fact, many of the most devout priests of the Twins spend significant time and money traveling to the Twin Rocks, at least once in their lifetime, to pray for guidance in life or other important matters.

Due to it's importance, a small fortress has been built next to the Twin Rocks. It is run by a high priest of the Twins, whose job is solely to assure that the Twin Rocks remain unharmed and unchanged. Around the fortress a small village has sprung up, mainly to service the many visitors that come to see the rock and seek guidance from the Twins. The village is aptly named Twin Rock village, while the fortress is called the Watchtower.

The Arcane Academy

There is no way you can put 200 mages together on a small island and think that something bad won't come out of it. I mean, look at the devastation just one or two can cause. I tell you, it is suspicious that they haven't all killed each other yet. Something fishy is going on out there, across the water. I hear they steal babes and feed their blood to the wizards to empower them.

- Robert Watcher, cityguard in Lochhurst, 5673 

Located on a magical island called Cruul in the middle of Dragon Lake, the Arcane Academy is one of those places surrounded with more myths and stories than anything else, perhaps except Jack.

What we do know with certainty is the following:

Founded by Marlin the Archmage when he was young, the Arcane Academy serves both as a center of magic education and research. It fields the greatest library in the Seven Army Nations, but unless you are a member of the Academy or have an invitation from Marlin or a teacher, there is very little chance you will ever see the inside of the library.

As Marlin said in 5789, when the Academy opened, it was to be a place of learning, where magic-users of all kinds could stay and be safe from percecution, while they learn to practise their arts in a safe environment.

The Academy has room for about 200 students, and most of those will be between the ages of 10 and 25, but sometimes the power manifests at a later age, and thus a few students are much older. Aside from the 200 students, the Academy has about 20 teachers working and living there. Going to the Academy is expensive, or cheap, depending on who you are. Each new student must take a test before joining (in early spring), and the result of the test determines your fee for the next year.

Once you start, you will be required to take and pass a number of classes. The first year only has 3 different classes, while year 2 through 5 have 6 classes, year 6 has 4 classes and year 7 through 10 only has one or two, your area of specialty. Teachings of those classes typically start at 7 am and lasts until 6 pm. Every 7th day is off.

Year 1: Cantrips, History of Magic, Practical Magic

Year 2: Cantrips, History of Magic, Practical Magic, Monsters, Evocation, Abjuration

Year 3: Monsters, Evocation, Abjuration, History, Making potions, Transmutation

Year 4: History, Making potions, Transmutation, Enchantment, Necromancy, Arcane Knowledge

Year 5: Enchantment, Necromancy, Arcane Knowledge, Conjuration, Making Scrolls, Divination

Year 6: Conjuration, Making Scrolls, Divination, Illusion

Year 7-10: Area of specialty

If you wish to visit the Academy, you need to head to Lochhurst and go down to the harbor. There you will find a guy named Remus who has a boat and can sail you out to the island. Taking your own boat just won't do. Many have tried, but Cruul, as mentioned earlier, is a magical island, and so far, it seems that it is impossible to find, unless you sail with Remus. Many have tried and failed. Allegedly, following Remus' boat won't do the trick either, as it always seems to disappear from sight at the most inopportune moment.

This message was brought to you via Blogsy

Handdrawn map of the West

The Ancient Forest

The Ancient Forest is just that - ancient. Rumored to be one of the first forests on Gemnos, the southern tip of the forest is part of 7AN and the home of many lumber communities. Currently many of the communities are at war with wood elf tribes which for now have been pushed back.

The Bluestone Hills

The Bluestone Hills which partially are part of the 7AN get their name from the blue stones that can be found and mined in the hills. Bluestones have magical properties and extremely rare and valuable.
In 5654, before the Second Demon War, there was a find of Bluestones here, and a lot of people headed there in hope of salvation and riches. Small mining towns popped up here and there, with everybody and their dog looking for the magical but elusive blue stones. But most are disappointed. Some gems were however found, making their owners rich beyond their wildest dreams, or dead.

Aside from the mining towns, the hills crawl with evil humanoids and cultists.

The Dragon Mountains

To the west of the 7AN, are the Dragon Mountains. Rising to more than 16.000 feet, these ancient mountains are literally infested with orcs.

Oakwood

All the way to the east, you will find Oakwood and Eletha's Crystal Palace. The ancient forest is a dangerous place, not only because of the elves, who will protect their queen at all costs, but also due to a strong connection with the Faerie, which often enables powerful fay creatures to slip through the cracks of reality and enter the mortal world.

The Black Hills

The Black Hills, located to the south of the nation are split in two parts. The northern lays within the territory of the 7AN, while the southern belongs to tribes of evil humanoids. Hillston, the hill dwarf town, sits further to the south, acting as a shield against the evil monsters.

The Dragon Lake

The Dragon Lake takes it's name after the fact that when the area was settled after the Second Demon War, a great black dragon had a lair in the lake. Now the dragon is long gone. Instead, the area is dominated by the Arcane Academy located on the Island of Cruul at the center of the lake.

Questar Wood

Questar Wood is named after the tribe of wood elves called the Questar, Questar Wood is a dark, damp forest. The Questar elves are fairly xenophobic and few non-elves enter the woods. Queston has some trade with them, but not much. Local rumors claim they protect an ancient evil or an artifact. The Questar tribe rules the eastern part of the wood. The western part is dominated by evil tribes of goblins.

Glimmerlake

Located almost 100 miles outside 7AN territory, Glimmerlake is a lake that glimmers almost unnaturally when the sun shines. It is a semi-holy place to the worshippers of the Twins and their aspects and many pilgrimages end there.

The Yellowwood

The Yellowwood is located outside the borders of the 7AN, to the west of the nation. All trees at the center of the forest have yellow leaves all year around. Sages and druids claim that the yellow leaves have magical properties of various sorts. It is also known to be a very dangerous place to adventure. Many adventurous people have left to collect yellow leaves and never returned again.

Yokar River

The Yokar River starts up high in the Dragon Mountains, from a glacier, and flows down through mountains, often underground, before it arrives on the plains, west of the 7AN. Before Yokar River enters the 7AN, it is more than a mile wide, once inside the 7AN, it is close to 1/2 mile wide. This means it is virtually impossible to cross without a boat, so most crossing takes place at towns or villages.