This by no means makes the people of La’marri pushovers. Remember, many mages (including some potentially very powerful ones), and even refugees from other parts go there to live or even just visit, so while peaceful, they are certainly not without means to protect themselves, nor would they hesitate to do so. While there may be no real government and no official laws, there are some very basic, unwritten laws to which the visitors and inhabitants abide, and if another inhabitant, or the village as a whole, is threatened, there will be consequences awarded to whoever, or whatever, is deemed the threat.

In the center of the village stands an old stone temple, which serves both as a place of multi-faith worship (anyone of any faith is free to use it if they so desire) and as a quiet, safe space for meditation, reflection, or just some alone time. A portion of the ceiling is cut away in the temple, serving as a sun and moon roof, and at certain times of the year various constellations align within the cutout. At one time, this may have had some sort of sacred meaning, but the relevance has long since been lost. Many younger children like to claim that the temple is haunted.

The orphanage is run by a woman known as the Matron and a few other helpers. Anyone is free to adopt a child, and children generally stay in the orphanage until they are deemed old enough to be able to care for themselves—generally, until they are around the age of sixteen.

On one final note, the Matron and any helpers are all NPCs free to be played by anyone!

This is definitely not a village one would want to stop and ask for directions at. An ignorant person, or just someone who isn’t very experienced with this kind of environment, could easily end up dead or simply very, very messed up.

While there is a general lack of unity among the village as everyone is basically just looking out for their own interests, that’s not to say there is no unity at all. People tend to be protective of what they consider to be theirs, so if the village were to fall under attack for whatever reason, chances are, the people would defend it, and given the high population of mages, most with little to no inhibition when it comes to using the deadly magics they practice, attacking the village for whatever reason would be pretty darned stupid.

Zantaric is located in the Southern portion of Le’raana near a jagged mountain range that may have once been volcanic (there are rumored to be lava fields nearby, though very few people venture that far) and an ancient, secluded forest that seems to be gradually withering away. Deep within the woods, an old, abandoned temple also lies. While some inhabitants may use the temple as a place of worship—no one religion lays claim to the temple—more often than not it is used as a secluded spot to conduct business deals.

Beyond Hyoite, the terrain eventually begins to lose its arctic qualities and steadily grows a bit warmer until it opens up into the Sionad Valley, which lies between the Kilanthro Mountains and the arctic tundra. Beyond the Kilanthro Mountains lies Connlaoth, and though Hyoite and the lands beyond the Kilanthro Mountains are outside of Connlaoth’s rule, Hyoite is not without Connlaothian influence—just in a different, more subtle way. Some Connlaothian refugees, mages from the Northern parts of the country, sometimes make the trek through the treacherous Kilanthro Mountains to the freer valleys beyond, some even traveling to Hyoite. It may be cold, but it’s safe, and traveling in the summer months isn’t all too bad. During those months, Hyoite may seen some greenery and growth, though of course it is fleeting. Travel during the winter months, while dangerous due to the weather, however, does ensure that a mage fleeing persecution is not easily pursued.

The city itself is located within the oasis, and is built primarily of mudstone, given there are very few strong natural materials available, and the city is not located close enough to a river or quarry for stone to be practical on a large scale. The only thing truly built from stone, which was brought to Essyrn via caravan, is the protective wall which envelops the city. It’s been battered and repaired time and time again, but still it stands. Perhaps it has something to do with magic, for in recent times magic has begun to be relied on more and more when it comes to strengthening the structures within and of the city.

Beyond the oasis, golden sands, dotted here and there with low-growing shrubs, make up the scenery. While the terrain is calm most of the time, occasionally having a mild windstorm, freak sandstorms do occur, even if they are rare. There hasn’t been one for a quite a few decades, but the last one was said to have caused some serious damage to the city itself—though the most damage was to livestock and what crops they do grow—and, worse, was said to have buried whole caravans alive before they could reach the safety of the city.

The native peoples of Essyrn are a friendly and hospitable one, their long history as a nomadic people quite familiar of the dangers of desert life—from the lack of water to the violent sandstorms to the extreme temperatures in both directions (scorching hot during the day and freezing during the night)—has built a camaraderie amongst themselves that extends toward others. One element of this camaraderie than can be witnessed in their everyday lives is the lack of gender roles in their society. Men and women are considered of the same status—both are required to carry their own weight, which means they should do the work that their physical build and individual talents lead them to. In the past, when they were a traveling people and the dangers were far higher, they didn’t really have room to be picky about gender roles!

The original people of Essyrn tend to be dark of hair and skin and fair of eye. The typical mode of dress includes light fabrics of rich, bright colors, and veils for men and women alike are not too uncommon (in the beginning they served a practical purpose: protection from the blowing sands. Since the founding of Essyrn, they have taken on a more stylistic, traditional purpose). However, they are not the only inhabitants of the city; foreign travelers, and other desert peoples often visit Essyrn, and many have even married into the original culture over the years, making it, overall, a mixed one. While the original culture also still stands, it is also one that has been influenced in places by foreigners. With that said, visitors are obviously welcome.

However, with the oasis being what it is—a breath of fresh air in an otherwise harsh environment—there is the risk of attack by foreign invaders. It’s a bit unlikely given Essyrn’s location and that any attacking force would have to figure out a way to provide themselves with adequate water all the way out there, but it is still a risk, and one Essyrn is prepared for. On that vein, the societal structure of Essyrn is communal as opposed to governed by an appointed ruler or leader.

Beyond Essyrn, the Moraki Desert is home to many other tribes and peoples, possibly even other cities and villages. It’s a big desert, and Essyrn certainly isn’t the only oasis out there.

While the “trade” of the thief is cut-throat and competitive by its very nature, the Guild also serves as a sort of neutral ground between the other various bands of thieves and even solo thieves, so long as they follow the one key code of keeping the location of the Guild a secret—if they fail in that, well, given how expansive the Guild’s network is, this fact would likely be discovered, and the code-breaker put to a swift, clean end. Lone thieves, and even existing alternative groups, can also come and petition to join the Guild itself.

The location of the Guild is kept a closely guarded secret, and it is especially difficult for someone to find it if they do not know what they are looking for. Any thief looking to journey to the Guild would have to acquire information as to its location through some very careful means, and would have to be patient in doing so. The information can be found from various thief networks, but given the secrecy of the profession, it is information that isn’t freely given out until trust is established.

Who leads the Thief’s Guild? More than one person, certainly. The Guild is scattered all over Le’raana, broken up into smaller bands that are all part of the same Guild. Each individual band consists of a few leaders, and all the leaders together ultimately run the entire Guild. The Guild never operates on a large scale, always operating in the smaller groups to maintain secrecy.

Most of the tribes and villages can be found along the coastline, preferring to be out near the sea as opposed to within the dense jungle that covers most of the island. There are said to be some rather large predators within those jungles…

The islands, in addition to being tropical, are also mountainous, and the Southern portion of Yoreiq also bears volcanic activity, magma pouring from the Eiba Mountain and into the ocean, actively forming and reforming the land there. The volcano is no threat to any of the villages; the people know not to build too close.

Ainu is the largest known village in Yoreiq, and is one of those communities open to outsiders. A portside village, this is where any ships traveling to Yoreiq dock, and is thus the first part of the island any visitors will see: a modest village near the ocean where the homes are raised off the ground, huts that can be easily built and rebuilt in response to the storms that often visit the isles.