"...Based on its placement on the map, I’d be inclined to think it’s in St. Tamlin’s Church in Dersey Woods, right in the very heart of the Tumulus Plains."
Chapter 4, Spirit Rider: The Royal Problem
~~~
Thanks to the protection of the Saintsridge mountain range and bounties of the land, the tranquil green plains forming the westernmost 'beak' of Dalloran, has become the richest and most sought-after region in the world. To have a hope of stopping (I daren't mention residing full-time) in all but a handful of the Plains' cities, one must be wealthy indeed. Even to put up a tent in the genteel 'wilds' between places comes at a cost, with near-every blade of grass being owned by a network of Dukes and Barons.
...Past tall, slim buildings fitted with delicate railings and plant-boxes. The architecture seemed designed to capture as much sunlight as possible, and the streets were wide enough for pedestrians and carriages alike. Inviting awnings hung over quaint little shops. Dersey had mastered the art of being a city whilst feeling like a town. The scent of flowers carried on the gentle breeze, and even the people themselves appeared to be infused with the sun.
- Chapter 9, Spirit Rider: The Royal Problem
~~~
The capital of Paralex, centre of world government, and most costly city on the planet. This is a place where the rich grow richer and even paupers wear top-hats. Even though Dersey is a city where you could be fined for breathing improperly - I have an ongoing dispute with the local constabulary - you can almost accept it.
Some cities have more history or spectacular sights, but Dersey seems to ignore the greed and riches of its people, remaining, in some impossible way, humble. A town that never quite expected to be a city. The buildings are slender, with dainty balconies, and plant boxes. The place seems to soak in the sun, its cobbles glinting gold in the early rise and the wide streets clinging to the orange rays at days' end.
Through the charming streets and fountain-marked plazas, to the north of Dersey is the jewel in this crown of a city - the Palace.
The Palace itself was truly a sight to behold: a grand, elegant edifice of white stone and marble. Part castle, part mansion, melded together perfectly. Towers led onto arches, led onto terraces, led onto west wings, and east wings and more. Yet nothing was out of place. This was a building that had clearly been built and rebuilt and extended dozens of times, showing each new tower and floor with pride. Much like Dersey itself, the Palace seemed to gleam even in the moonlight. Every single window was awash with a pool of rich golden light. The gates, set in formidable twenty-foot-tall walls, remained closed at their approach. Beyond them, the paved courtyard and the flight of steps leading up to the Palace entrance seemed empty. The tall oaken doors, nestled within the pillared entrance, remained shut.
- Chapter 9, Spirit Rider: The Royal Problem
~~~
To hear of the twenty foot tall perimeter walls surrounding it, you might think nothing of the Palace can be seen. You would be wrong. Rising greater than any building in Dersey, this mighty structure of gleaming marble and white stone can be observed from a great distance, its Starlight Spire the highest point in the Tumulus Plains, save for old Mt. Folly.
In the distant past, it was far more meagre, little more than an over-stuffed keep. But as centuries turned it was extended and burnt to the ground (twice) and built upon and built upon and built upon, until it became the miniature city of towers, halls, and wings we know today.
Even before the dawning of the Magnovalis Era, when Newton Magnovalis defeated Silas the Wicked in single-combat, marking himself as the first true king, this place was inhabited by legends. Stretching all the way Before History, stories say a nameless ruler commanded his people from atop a mountain of riches, on the very spot where the Palace now stands.
To be admitted inside the Palace walls - I told only a small lie, any evidence of my deception now somewhere beneath the Evercursed Ocean - is truly an honour. The gardens alone could bring a tear to any botanist's eye, tended by an army of dedicated gardeners, measuring grass and pruning so much as a twig out of place.
Within, the lavish halls and passages imagined outside, are so much more to behold. The Palace is elegance. It is richness. In other places, such extravagance and artworks and armours may be gaudy or overmuch. But it is as if this is where their very image was born. An indoor fountain bigger than a man's house? Of course. Kitchens that span three floors? You expect nothing less. There is no arrogance in the Palace's decoration, it simply is, and anyone who looks upon it can scarcely say otherwise.
Yet a warning to any magicians wishing to visit the Palace, for this is one of the few places in the world where your magic will not aid you. When Newton the Great took the Palace as his own, he built within its perimeter several defences, including an anti-magic barrier. Whilst not exhaustive (the barrier permits magistructs or magic cast before passing through) no new magic can be cast within the Palace walls. Through history there have been calls to remove this, in the interests of mutual trust. But still several would-be magical assassins have made attempts on the royals. Sometimes it seems the only thing standing between Paralex and a second Age of War, is the inability of a master magician to cast a single spark.
Though they had left the capital behind, Dersey Woods was just as quaint as the city it bordered. The trees were large enough to take seriously, but a long way from ever being foreboding. It was the kind of forest where people took nature-trails and all the wildlife either frolicked or pranced. A snow-covered but well-worn path wound its way between the trees.
- Chapter 16, Spirit Rider: The Royal Problem
~~~
Like so much of the Tumulus Plains, Dersey Woods, which hug the northern part of the capital and almost the entire Palace, are a gentle place. The Woods are the common haunt of soft-hearted aristocratic hunters, strutting (or just as often carried) through the trees in search of some friendly badger they can skewer. Local places of interest include Lake Sebastian, with its gentle, clear waters and St. Tamlin's Church, the official burial site for the royal family. Though the latter is of course protected by a Royal Barrier, the impressive ruins can still be viewed from afar.
“...Our targets have taken the whole floor.”
“I thought you said they were ‘little’ aristocrats?” Sam whispered.
“They are.” Grim approached the nearest turn in the corridor. “Some aristocrats have built entire castles in the Tumbling Dales, just the other side of the city, solely to get ready for the Royal Ball.”
- Chapter 18, Spirit Rider: The Royal Problem
~~~
The Royal Ball has been a staple of the aristocratic calendar for centuries, yet even before then, the most powerful people within Paralex have always sought to be close to the Palace. But the capital city Dersey only has so much space and strict guidelines on expansion. To this end, visiting nobles flaunt their wealth by erecting everything from temporary mansions to entire castles within the Dales. More often than not, these self-same buildings are abandoned afterward, to be built over or renovated by the next noble to come along. So the place earned its nickname 'Castle Town'. Stalls line the narrow passages between the ever-competing turrets and towers as the merchants fight for the attention of visiting aristocrats.
“Where’s Besfen?” he asked the Reaper, looking around.
It pointed with the scythe to a small mountain on a continent to Sam’s right. “There, within the Wandrums, on the continent of Dalloran...."
- Chapter 4, Spirit Rider: The Royal Problem
~~~
Soft and hilly, the landscape of the Wandrums meanders up and down , dotted across with small mountains, scruffy forests, and boggy swamps. Whilst the Taiper Uplands act as a natural barrier against much of the uncompromising weather from the Whistlemoors, an edge of wind and cold still whispers throughout the Wandrums, lending it an unwelcome northern air. Affordable living can be found in the towns and cities, whilst a traveller with at least the minimum of preparation - and a decent weapon - can fare well enough in the wilds beyond. You'll likely find more trouble from your fellow man, than from beasts in the dark.
“What is within the Edgewall?”
“”Besfen,”” the class said in dull repetition, Sam mumbling along.
“And what is Besfen?”
““Safe.””
“What is beyond the Edgewall?”
“”Paralex.””
“And what is Paralex?”
“”A vicious, dangerous death-trap, filled with diseases, monsters, murderers, and high taxes.””
“Excellent work, class.” Shrake patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
- Chapter 2, Spirit Rider: The Royal Problem
~~~
Of the mountains scattered across the Wandrums, Besfen is by no means the largest, but almost certainly the most famous. By Royal Decree, Besfen has been granted the status of a 'country' independent to the rest of Paralex. Much like the Independent Jaserta Republic, Besfen is allowed to set its own laws and has no obligation to pay towards the land. The single concession was that Besfen had to take on and ensure the survival of the menzian ducks, who had otherwise been hunted to near-extinction everywhere else.
The mountain was a good choice for independence, being that one must pass through both the Coatrict Woods (and the packs of bansheeran-wolves within) as well as the Blanche Pits (so produced by the acidic clouds breathed by the blanches) encircling the mountain's base.
Strictly speaking, whilst one may scale the mountain, it is actually illegal to enter the town at the peak, without a permit. Obtaining such, requires an inordinate amount of paperwork and severe commitment. Besfen isn't a place to be visited. You live there or you don't.
I interviewed a close associate who managed to sneak a few hours inside the town (the people of Besfen may CLAIM to have bodily thrown myself off the mountain, but they are of course unwashed ignorant liars) and learnt much.
It seems the town embraces its isolationist attitude to the extreme. They have gone so far as to build a wall around the entire mountaintop, containing the town, surrounding farmlands, and even a forest, so to 'protect' themselves from Paralex. Whilst they lack the organised protection of the Constabulary found elsewhere in Paralex, they seem content with a handful of 'town guards.' The townspeople trade tales about what a wretched place the rest of the world is and their 'education system' would make any teacher worth their salt tremble. Generations of such fear-mongering have lead to a populace with an abysmally poor understanding of many concepts that would be elementary learning for most.
As he shifted the bricks, he looked about, making sure the Reaper wasn’t creeping up on him. But all he saw was more ruins. They seemed to stretch on for some time, before a treeline and Mt. Besfen itself, obscured all else.
And then Sam realised. A destroyed town, at the foot of Besfen.
He recoiled from the pile of rubble and wheeled around to find the Reaper hanging back, orange eyes fixed on him.
“This is....”
“Mereton,” the Reaper said, “or at least, what’s left of it.”
- Chapter 6, Spirit Rider: The Royal Problem
~~~
Once an unremarkable little town, Mereton was nestled at the foot of Mt. Besfen, barely a stone's throw from the Blanche Pits and Coatrict Woods otherwise surrounding the mountain. It was a half-way point between the absolute isolation of Besfen and connections to the rest of the world. Yet of recent times, tragedy has struck, in the form of an unprovoked attack by dark forces. Unfortunately, there were no survivors and the ruined town has been left much alone, now a memorial to the victims. Curiously, it was discovered that all the bodies received a burial mere hours after the attack, with an impromptu graveyard set amongst the ruins. No one has yet taken credit for this macabre act of kindness.
"...Then it’s just a trek through the Feygard, then the jungle itself… and whatever creatures get in the way.”
- Chapter 21, Spirit Rider: The Royal Problem
~~~
There has always been a fear the most ferocious or most intelligent creatures residing within the Stratigent Jep may one day seek to expand their territory. At times the more tenacious beasts have emerged from the jungle to terrorise the surrounding farming villages. Before long, many of these places were abandoned or otherwise reimagined as hunting outposts, with the people dedicating themselves to protecting the other villages or even venturing into the jungle to cull the most vicious creatures within. Following this, several leagues of land surrounding the Stratigent Jep was renamed the Feygard.
Now a quiet, empty place, the Feygard offers rich farmlands for any who would dare dwell here. Whether by generations of fear the land's protectors have instilled, or some other reason, the creatures of the jungle have not advanced. Yet still isolated beasts break out from the tree-line, daring a meal in the villages beyond. Every settlement in the area comes with a watchtower manned at all hours, whilst wise farmers here know that a pitchfork isn't just for work and learn to keep a wary eye on the trees.
"...A portal door or two will get me to the village of Mathners."
- Chapter 21, Spirit Rider: The Royal Problem
~~~
For a time, the great hunters of the Feygard would engage in a merry sport of daring one another to establish their outposts closer and closer to the deadly Stratigent Jep. To this day, Mathners remains one of the closest settlements, for good or ill.
A hardy village of hardy people, whilst few still willingly head into the jungle, they know well enough how to defend their homes from the monsters that emerge from the trees.
Moist, warm air pressed against his face and he looked up at a shadowy canopy of leaves high above. Soft, fruity scents reached from all around. This place – the Stratigent Jep Grim had said – was a jungle.
- Chapter 21, Spirit Rider: The Royal Problem
~~~
Even the oldest records name the Stratigent Jep as one of the most dangerous locations in all of Paralex, a reputation no less true now. The deep, dark, all but uncharted jungle teems with poisonous plant-life and vicious beasts. A scant few tengu villages reside amongst the loftiest branches of the tallest trees. Even their seasoned people, grown and tempered against the dangers of the jungle, dare not spend any longer than necessary on the jungle floor.
Many an aspiring explorer has lost their lives seeking to map this twisting maze of trees and undergrowth, leading to countless legends about just what might lurk within the jungle. Most zoologists agree it is merely a scientific curiosity that many of the wildest creatures in the Stratigent Jep can be found no where else in the world. Yet rumours persist that a secret Beastmaster's College lies hidden in the jungle, where its members craft monsters so wicked, even distant Karmune and Vasane wouldn't sanction them.
Whatever the truth of monsters imagined or otherwise, my scars and I, urge caution. Curiosity and wanderlust can take a man far indeed, just so long as it doesn't take you right into the jaws of a hungry beast.