Valain

Valain is the world in which all of Emilie's quick-shots take place.

History
Legend says that long ago, elves were the dominate species of the world. Their magnificent empire and its religion stretched across all of the eastern continents (excluding the far west, a place they called the Unknown. For reasons that are self-explanatory). As their empire grew, however, so did dissent. Political unrest caused the empire to fracture into four groups that bickered and fought constantly.

Back then, the elven gods were much more involved with the affairs of mortals, in some cases even going so far as giving advice and counsel to leaders. When the empire fell to civil war, the gods were just as divided. They started taking sides and picking favorites. In order to give their chosen faction an edge over their opponents, they started handing out divine power like it was candy. It was the magical equivalent of nuclear war.

Finally, after war had ravaged the land for decades, the goddess Arahael managed to seal away herself and her siblings in a desperate attempt to end the fighting. The disappearance of the gods sent the world into a different kind of chaos. They entered a dark age that lasted for centuries as they struggled to rebuild. Much of Valain's history was lost during that time, including the time before the Divine War. The only thing people really know is that "there was an empire, then a lot of magic happened, then there wasn't an empire". As other species rose to prominence, bringing with them their own religions, the elven pantheon was all but forgotten.

Politics
The ancient elven empire is long gone. The nations that rose up in its place are vastly different.

Vilyas Res
Translated to "Old Land of Memories" in ancient elvish, most people refer to it as the Kingdom of Res. What is left of the ancient empire and its culture is on this island nation. Its royal family is of elven blood, but many other races reside there, as it is just a nice place to live. Its capital city, Eden, is a shining hub of art, culture, and history. Although no one really knows how the Divine War came to be, the leaders of Vilyas Res are at least aware that war almost destroyed the world once. As such, they are strong proponents of peace. They are currently in the middle of attempting to end hostilities between Idras and Ennor.

The island is mountainous. That, coupled with the fact that it is, in fact, a remote island nation, makes communication with other nations difficult. In lieu of a powerful military, they have a complex courier system used to gather and send information across the world.

Notable Cities

 * Eden

Halorn
The southernmost nation of Valain is a curious one. It is governed by council, and every city is entitled elect a representative, no matter how small and seemingly unimportant. The laws here are not necessarily strict and always fair, but upheld to the letter. Lawbreakers are not tolerated. Ironically. The capital city of Tol-Faire is known for being home to one of the largest, most high security prisons in the world.

Much of Halorn's land is swampy. They have good farmland in the west, but not a lot of it. As such, they rely heavily on trade with the other nations. Their leaders really wish Idras and Ennor would get over themselves, because they have enough to worry about with the encroaching threat from the west.

Notable Cities

 * Tol-Faire
 * Arahl

Adventures

 * Evil QS
 * Order QS

Idras
Located to the southeast, Idras is one of the two nations to actually share a border. This shared border has recently become a source of conflict between the people Idras and Ennor.

This nation is heavily militaristic. They do love their shiny armor and weapons. Before they declared war, their soldiers were mostly used for patrolling the Wastes to the north and maintaining order. Sylem, the capital, is famed for its metal-crafting industry. Hurray for blacksmiths.

Notable Cities

 * Sylem
 * Deriah

Adventures

 * Darkness QS
 * Order QS

Ennor
Ennor sits in the northeast and shares its southern border with Idras. They are currently engaged in a brutal war over the territory. The land isn't particularly valuable to them, but their leader is a stubborn man that refuses to submit to or compromise with anyone.

The capital of Mesa is Valain's chief source of valuable minerals, as it is situated on top of a vast mining system. Many dwarves come from their underground empire to trade.

Notable Cities

 * Mesa

The Authority of Vana
No one knows exactly when the Authority rose to power, as it appeared in the chaos following the Divine War. Its leader, Vana, united the primitive tribes of the Unknown and formed a powerful, dangerous nation intent on expanding eastward, whether the other nations are okay with that or not.

The original Vana is long dead, but the name became more of a title passed down from ruler to ruler. The exact way the next Vana is chosen is unknown, though it is certainly not by any diplomatic process.

Notable Cities

 * Khavan

Uninhabited Regions
So much magic was used during the Divine War that certain areas of Valain were permanently scarred, making them either incredibly difficult to live in, or just plain weird

The Wastes
This small chunk of land is nestled between Idras and Ennor. It is the only place the two nations won't fight over, because nobody wants it and it is awful. Given its location, the climate should be relatively mild. It's not. Blizzards rage here day and night. The only people crazy enough to live here are cultists that call themselves Children of the Wastes. Thankfully, the cultists were recently driven from their shelter, where they presumably died of frostbite.

Adventures

 * Darkness QS

The Gray Islands
The islands off of Halorn's northern coast are... strange. They seem to be stuck in some kind of perpetual twilight-like state, the sun never fully rising or setting. The sky is always a dreary overcast. It's not exactly monochromatic, but everything has a gray-ish tinge to it that makes it downright creepy.

Legend says that once, at the height of the ancient empire, the elven gods banished a great foe, locking him at the bottom of a pit on one of the islands. Had the adventurers in the Order/Chaos QS followed Tira's plan, they would have ended up here.

The Valley of Peace
The region between Halorn and Idras is in a state of complete serenity, and it wants very much to remain that way. Remain in the valley too long, and you will never leave. It is safe to pass through as long as you hurry, and don't wander off. Always travel with a group. Use the buddy system.

According to legend, the Armor of Gathel -- or its missing pieces -- are located somewhere in the Valley.

Isle of the Ancients
While not necessarily uninhabitable, the Isle of the Ancients is home to the castle where the ancient elven gods once lived. The innate magic of the place makes it nearly impossible to get to.

Inhabitants
Elves are no longer the dominate race. Nowadays, you can find most any race you can think of wandering around Valain.
 * Humans mostly hung out in the Unknown during the Divine War. They ventured out and established themselves sometime after, becoming one of the largest groups in Valain
 * Elves are definitely still around, as are half-elves Many live in the Kingdom of Res. Some of them are quite snooty about the fact that they once controlled most of the world.
 * Orcs and half-orcs were in much the same position as the humans were during the Divine War -- chilling in the Unknown. They ended up establishing a strong presence in Idras.
 * While the elves were busy blowing everything up topside, the dwarves were enjoying a cultural renaissance deep underground. While many dwarves do move to the surface for any number of reasons, the dwarven people are doing just fine down below.

Religions
Religion isn't really a big deal in Valain. There are several pantheons that different races have established, but organized religion is a rare thing. This is unsurprising, considering a bunch of really stupid elf gods nearly destroyed the world once.

Elven Gods
Nowadays, the elves of Valain don't remember much about the ancient gods. Most people believe they never did exist and are no more than a myth, while others believe they were either killed or banished. A rare few believe they abandoned the mortals out of disgust.

The ancient gods come in pairs -- twins -- one to balance out the other. Legend says Mother and Father, the two original 'overgods' gave up their very essence to create their 'children' and the rest of the world.

Return
The elven gods remained sealed up in their castle for tens of thousands of years, locked safely away from mortals where they couldn't hurt anyone. At least, that was Arahael's plan. She didn't, however, count on a very curious, very determined half-elf.

Evera had devoted her entire life to studying the ancient empire. Gathering every map, every note, every shred of evidence she could, she attempted to plot a course to the Isle of the Ancients. She hired a group of mercenaries to help her, and they set out. The magic protecting the Isle got them supremely lost, and it was actually when they had given up and tried to find their way home that they reached their original destination. Magic is weird that way.

Through a series of accidents and shenanigans, Evera broke the spell and unleashed a shockwave of divine energy that collapsed most of the castle and killed or seriously wounded all of her mercenaries. Evera herself barely survived.

Arahael was very much upset. She tried to redo the containment spell, but there was no way Del was letting that happen again. A fight between the two siblings ensued that produced an impressive lightshow visible for miles. In the midst of all of this, Arryn healed the remaining mortals and teleported the back to their homes. Because she is considerate.

Now the gods are back, and they're here to stay, if Del has anything to say about it. Which he does. A lot. Someone go tell him to shut up.