Alright guys, I've created a new worldmap with most of the principle locations on it. There will be information entries tied to each of the locations with some very vague details about them. At the moment I've written some entries for two of them and will create the rest tomorrow. Zephyr, I've kind of been waiting for some Muraad information from you for a while and haven't gotten anything yet, so I decided to try my hand at creating some light background for them. I tried to fashion it as a place that Van might come from. Tell me if you think I should change anything.

Oh and Scout, go ahead and PM me your ideas for Lanostre when you get a chance. If it fits, I'll try to incorporate it into the information entry for Lanostre that I'll be posting tomorrow. 

Anyway, here's the world map.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/gxj7POE.png[/IMG]

[b]World Map:[/b]

After a series of brutal invasion campaigns, the Varyan Empire has conquered the western continent as well as its powerful southerly neighbor, the queendom of Lanostre. Even with the defeat and devouring of his rival gods: Muraad, Omestris, T'saerae and Lanostre-- the god emperor, Lord Varya, still hungers, and has aimed his people to the east, where lies the mysterious continent of El and the wild golds that rule it.

No western-born human has ever ventured into the dark blizzards that enshroud the world and returned to tell the tale, as the preternatural storms that rage across the frozen oceans can kill human beings within minutes. Only in recent years has the Varyan empire developed a method for its soldiers and inquisitors to cross the treacherous oceans. Through the use of powerful steam arks-- great vessels borne of a union between technology and ethereal magic-- Varya has sent a great armada of the empire's finest soldiers and inquisitors to the eastern frontiers in an attempt to conquer the unknown continent of El and to bring the wild gods which rule there back to the motherland.

1. Native Varya/Magnagrad:
[hider=...]The western-most region of the continent where Lord Varya fell as a remnant of the Ice Titan, it was once a dry, flat land with little usable water and natural resources. Owing to the conditions of their homeland, the first resurrected Varyans who lived here were a nomadic people who subsisted off the herds of beasts who wandered the dry plains and by raiding the early settlements of the neighboring Muraadans to the northeast. It is believed by T'saeren geologists that long before the Celestial War between the two titans, Native Varya was once an arrid desert, as grains of what can only be assumed to be crystalised sand have been found in the deepest fathoms of Magnagrad's foundations. 

In modern times, Native Varya is nigh unrecognizable to the frozen desert it once was. These days, the monstrous city of Magnagrad rises over the natural ice-covered land, its mechanical sprawl now spreading to the farthest reaches of the continent. It is a monolithic expanse of ethereal steam and dark machinery, built over an unchecked period of hundreds of years of unprecedented expansion which has seen the city grow both horizontally and vertically. In the current age, Magnagrad rises hundreds of feet into the sky, an ever-growing arcological citadel where the fates of its people either lead them to climb to the city's prosperous heights or fall to its darkest depths. It is a titanic construct which now dominates the continent, covering the former lands of the conquered like a mechanical shadow.

In Native Varyan to the northwest, where the first foundations of Magnagrad were built, lies a district known as 'The Godsreach'. The Godsreach, located at the highest peak of the massive city, is where the most important structures of the city are located and its most powerful citizens live. Both the Great Basilika, where the Varyan Faith is headquartered, and the War Fane, home to the empire's military, are located within the Godsreach. In fact, it is said that Lord Varya himself resides somewhere within the Reach, though it is also whispered that the god does not reside in one single place within Magnagrad, but instead exists "everywhere" within his great city. Nevertheless, the Red Shrine, a massive temple taller than any structure in Magnagrad, was constructed as a ceremonial 'throne' to Lord Varya. No human being, save for the most powerful members of the Varyan church, are ever allowed within.

The rest of Varya is a giant sprawl of hundreds of different provinces and sectors spread throughout the continent-wide city. The vast majority of the empire's population live 'below-ground', within the old sectors that are now used as foundations for the new construction projects of the city (where the wealthier and more powerful people live). The lower-level sectors run the gamut from rough working-class neighborhoods to deadly sub-city ghettos, with the lowest depths of the city providing havens for outlaws and escaped Omestri slaves. Life for typical Varyan citizens is a never-ending struggle for ascendance, as most people dream of living on the surface districts where the air is cleaner and life is generally easier. 

Not all of the Varyan continent has been consumed by Magnagrad however. The northernmost regions of Muraad, where the cold is deadlier than anywhere else on the continent, is still home to rural Muraadan communities, while the eastern mountains of Omestris are still barren of the city's touch, despite the natural beauty of the area. The Lanostran subcontinent to the south still proudly retains its architecture and culture, as the fact that Lanostre is still plagued by demon attacks deters most native Varyans from immigrating.[/hider]

2: Muraad
[hider=...]A desolate and yet-untamed land to the north, this region was the site of the god Muraad's fall to earth after the war between the Ice and Fire titans. The wilds of Muraad, where the climate is colder than anywhere else on the continent, are legendary for their variety of rare and dangerous fauna, chief among them the ice dragons, which the Muraadans have hunted to the point of extinction.

The Muraadans, known for being a solitary and hardy people, are not soldiers by trade, but are nigh-unmatched hunters and crafters who spend most of their lives on the ice itself, either defending their lands from the powerful creatures native to the wilderness or working in the great mines that dot the Muraadan expanse. Muraadans, who's god was born of the Ice Titan's own heart, are ever-enduring and durable and can withstand the punishing cold more than any other race on the Varyan continent. This inborn survivability gave the Muraadans an indepent mentality which led to their penchant for surviving on their own rather than joining together in groups. For this reason, Muraad has lacked a strong centralized governing body, and instead of forming powerful kingdoms like the other races during the early formative period of humanity's resurrection, the Muraadans instead separated into individual clans, which throughout history, have bloodied the snows while fighting countless wars against one another. It is said that the Muraadan's splintered society is what led to their eventual defeat against the Varyan empire.

After being conquered, the Muraadan's innate gifts were put to use by the Varyans in the construction of Magnagrad, and it is said that most of Godsreach was built by Muraadan hands. For this, the northern race, though conquered, has earned the respect and comradery of many native Varyans in the centuries after their god's defeat. Not that the Muraadans care for the Varyan's respect either way, as even now, Muraadans are a solitary and migrant people. Those who do leave their homeland to venture out into the Varyan heartland never stay in one place too long, and the not-large Muraadan population of Magnagrad choose to live in small enclosed hamlets within the city.[/hider]

3: Omestris

4: T'sarae

5: Lanostre

6: The Wounded Sea (a small stretch of ocean which saw the bloodiest fighting between Varya and Lanostre during the empire's invasion of the southern continent)

7: Lanostran Protective Aegis 

8: Varyan Protective Aegis

9: The Dark Blizzards

10: Proposed location of the continent of El