A fortress rising from the sea Aeche has long been the principal fortification of the west coast, a stronghold ready to repel would be invaders from distant lands and withstand any siege. The island itself maintains a fleet of its own and while not so famous as those of Kawachi the shipwrights of Aeche are known for their rugged designs. This durable nature is not however a result of any militant intention, but rather the necessity of strong vessels for use in whale hunts. The largest export of Aeche whale oil has long been vital to the local economy and in recent years the trade has attracted numerous western merchant guilds many of whom now base themselves on the strategically located island.

The Webwood
The Webwood, or the black forest, is an absolutely massive forest located in the far north-lands. It is easily the largest and most famous woodland in all of Ethica, home to the most savage of beast and monsters alike. Few who enter the Webwood alone ever leave it again and to this day, only the Northern tribes have learned to navigate the crisscrossing paths of the Webwood.

A thick vale of mist always surrounds the woodlands season round, growing thicker in the winter months and lighter in the early summer time. Worse still, thick roots that grow from the unnaturally large trees have grown into and around neighbors trees into tunnels and tangled masses of knots and barriers, making movement in a straight line from one point to the next nigh impossible. This, in addition to the wood's characteristic thickness that dulls all but the sharpest of axes and preternaturally wet foliage due to the mist, and you have a forest you cannot so much as properly light a fire in let alone clear a pathway.

The Tribes that live here have eeked out a living from hunting and gathering and these tribes rarely stay in one place for long. Burning what deadwood they can find when able to using dung fires. Magic is thick in the Webwood and those shamans counted among the North-folk have learned to harness this untapped power. Those powerful enough even able to shape the very trees about them to hid their tracks or temporarily make new paths when needed. Beyond the mad tribesmen and the eerie mist of the Webwood there lies within beasts never before seen by most mortal eyes. Vilespawn of Azueral dwell within, along with carnivorous plants, dire bears, ice troll encampments, and even the odd gore cyclops make the Webwood easily the most dangerous place in Ethica. Some claim that to reach the heart of the forest is to find the largest tree in existence, some deem it a god, others claim its fruit grant immortality. Whether true or not, the dangerous beasts of this forbidden realm easily keep those curious away. To enter the Webwood is to enter another world entirely and - more than likely- forfeit your life.