Guide to Fonnelaxus

Travel guide I wrote for my fantasy kingdom.

INTRODUCTION

Fonnelaxus is one of many kingdoms that make up the Phoenix Pride Empire. It is a place of diversity and acceptance, though by no means entirely safe. During this nation’s first year, it has experienced a significant population boom from members of other kingdoms in the Empire, holding the promise of a new world.

Created by Emperor DeVore and High Queen Laria, it has seven basic geographical regions. These regions are called Blood Mountain, the Dead Coast, Deis, Firmare, the Fonnehame Coast, the Iridescent Mountain Range, and Soulthirst.

BLOOD MOUNTAIN

 

Blood Mountain is a landmark as well as a region. Separate from, yet still connected to the Iridescent Mountain Range, it is well noted as being enigmatic and magical. Atop the peak rests the city of Drakehold, named for its original residents being Dragonkin, but during recent months it has become home to other winged races. Among them are Phoenixes, Werevultures, Weregryphons and Air Elementals. The climate is unusually warm, but not so unusually windy. Drakehold’s main economic value is based in mining and distributing iron, which is overly abundant within Blood Mountain. This gives it its reddish color, which in turn has resulted in its name.

Deep within Blood Mountain lies the Dwarven city of Rumnaheim. The city is named after the descendants of the great Oskar Rumnaheim, who was said to have once been a great adventurer. Like Drakehold, the residents mine iron ore, though being deeper in the mountain they are able to mine rubies as well. Most of the kingdom’s blacksmithing occurs here.

DEAD COAST

The Dead Coast lies to the east of Blood Mountain and Deis, and is rightfully named due to the desert-like quality brought on by the salt deposits from its neighboring sea. The small town of Bloodvale lies at the base of Blood Mountain in an artificial valley carved from their salt mining operation. The salt is then taken to Demideity City where it can be distributed throughout the kingdom, though the majority is sent to Nosferatia for meat preservation (See Soulthirst). At the base of the Iridescent Mountains is another small town derived from a salt mining camp called Ashrime. Most of Ashrime’s salt is sent through Bloodvale to Demideity City, but a little is kept. The southern climate is appropriately dry and hot, and the few residents are mainly comprised of Fire Elves and Fire Elementals, but there is a Phoenix here and there. The northern climate is more tundra like, giving Ashrime the opportunity to mine frozen saltwater crystals for water as well as salt. Those residents are made up of the heartier human subraces.

DEIS

South of Blood Mountain and west of the Dead Coast is the Deis region, forested inland surrounding the Capital of Fonnelaxus: Demideity City. Within Demideity City lies the Temple, where the three Kings and three Queens rule from. Their major export is the cutting and selling of timber. This is also where the melting down of precious metals occurs to create coinage. Being the Capital, it is home to at least one of almost every race conceivable, however within the forest live Dryads, Wild Elves, Halflings, and Earth Elementals. The climate in the Deis region is temperate in the northern half, and subtropical in the southern half.

FIRMARE

To the west of Deis, still inland, is Firmare, which contains no major cities or communal organization but is comprised of various farmsteads on a vast prairie. The Firmare region is where most of Fonnelaxus’s agriculture takes place, including crops, herbs and spices, and livestock. The climate is temperate, and the people who live there consist of humans, common elves, and gnomes. Firmare is the Fonnelaxian frontier, in that the lands further west are largely unexplored. Ranchers, hunters, herders, and farmers are slowly trying to change that, but the dangers along the Fonnehame coastline present the need to hire adventurers of all types.

FONNEHAME COAST

The western coastline, known as the Fonnehame Coast, is little explored territory, at least by civilized means. Clans of Orcs, Gnolls, Goblins, Centaurs, and Gargoyles roam the shrubbery plain, consistently warding off intruders and quarreling amongst each other for territory. This presents a problem for the ever growing Firmare region, which has begun to need bigger farms to produce more food for the increasing population. The climate is cool and rainy in the north, subtropical in the south, and mild in between.

IRIDESCENT MOUNTAINS

 

Glimmering with gold, silver, and ice, the Iridescent Mountains tower above all else in the kingdom. Their beauty can be seen from anywhere, including Cambiare in the far south. Just north of Blood Mountain, they produce the rivers that run throughout Fonnelaxus.

The city of Frostbourne lies atop one of these beautiful mountains, populated with mostly miners of the precious metals. These metals are exported and sent to Demideity City to be refined into the national currency.

Apart from Frostbourne there are mining camps scattered along the mountain range. The climate in this region is appropriately arctic, leaving the only residents as Snow Elves, Ice Elementals, and the few magi who have mastered cold based magics.

SOULTHIRST

Important: Travelers should note that a license is required by law to enter Soulthirst unless one of the two conditions is met. 1) The person entering Soulthirst is undead or 2) The person entering Soulthirst is a carnivorous shape changer (AKA Lycan).

 

The tropical swamplands along the southern coast make up the Soulthirst region. This is perhaps the most dangerous place in all of Fonnelaxus, not merely because of the wildlife but also because of the residents.

The city of Lyconia lies somewhere within its boggy mists, perhaps no more than a league away from Nosferatia. Lyconia is home to the Werewolves, Werebears, and Werelions. In Nosferatia, however, the residents are made up of Vampires, Liches, and Ghouls.

These two cities have a pact to not kill each other’s innocents, and they’re also not allowed to kill and eat anyone outside of Soulthirst. Intruders must be brought before an Archon to stand trial before a death sentence can be carried out because not all outsiders are considered criminals. Some are messengers from either the Royalty or Nobility from other regions, or have license to be there. Other intruders are merely lost, and receive only one warning to leave. If they wander onto their lands a second time without a license, the penalty is death.

The method of execution is being harvested for blood until dry, and the meat being preserved. The blood and flesh that the Lycans harvest is traded to the Vampires and Ghouls, and in return the Undead trade to the Lycans the meat they’ve preserved. It is through this method of trade that their alliance is strengthened by dependence upon one another. Each keeps what is theirs and distributes it to merchants throughout their respective cities.

Undead and Lycans are restricted to living in their own regions because of the potential danger to other citizens, but may, with license, travel to other counties. This includes high ranking officials and military personnel. In this part of the region, the major form of wildlife to look out for is the deadly Blood-bowl Mangler.

Further south, in the Thirsty Sea, lies the island of Cambiare. Cambiare’s residents are Weresharks and Werecrocodiles, but there have been rumors of a hidden Water Nymph colony on the uninhabited parts of the island. This is the nation’s major fish export.

Author's Note

Fawn-el-axis. You're welcome.