The living lands of nocturna
Nordheim
A frozen tundra where food is scarce and every day is a fight for survival, only the strongest men and women come out of the Nordic region of Nordheim. There cities are scarce, only the strongest or most fortunate of tribes being able to permanently settle into one location to live. Most tribes travel in nomadic fashion, setting up in one location for times varying from years to mere months. There are said to be ancient treasures buried in Nordheim, from an age before, where there were mystical creatures not maliciously inclined, that lived freely among men and women. Frequent treasure-hunting expeditions end in failure, but there persists the legend of three ancient treasure sites hidden somewhere in Nordheim. Dornmar, the ancient underground city of stout, short bearded folk known as dwarves, Eladaran, a beautifully crafted citadel of tall, elegant creatures called Elves, and lastly Gorfir, supposedly a massive underground network of caves and mountain holdings that housed the massive, legendary lizards known as dragons. Despite the fact that none of these cities and holdings have ever been found, treasure hunters still frequently travel to Nordheim in search of them, scouring the snowy wastes for any sign of the ancient races.
The Holy Empire
A lush, verdant land, which some say is the last bastion of beauty in all of Nocturna. Temperate and seasonal, The lands of the Holy Empire are a far cry from the battlefields to the east, at the border of the Blacklands. Farmland spreads for miles around and people live in idyllic villages and towns, with the occasional city. The capitol, The Holy City, rests at the very center of the country, a massive religious site and governmental city. Priests walk the streets, spouting holy scripture and offering alms for the infirm and poor. Monster Hunters make their headquarters here, aided by the church in hunting down heretic witches among the countries, and in training themselves for the battlefield. Forests dot the landscape of The Holy Empire, giving a feeling of natural beauty to the land.
Akavashani
If The Holy Empire is a Forest, Akavashani is a plain. Grass stretches far, and woodlands are few and far between, instead the natural stones being used to build housing. There are no cities in Akavashani, but the villages stretch across the landscape. There is trouble telling at which point one town ends and the other begins, so spread and cluttered are the buildings and people of the land. The only sign of a higher class are the Dragon shrine and the Monk Monasteries, which rest in cleared areas devoid of other peoples, often in deserted mountainsides or hidden valleys.
The Blacklands
The Black City
Once the greatest city of Nocturna, Arrandira, once known as the jewel of the east, is now known as the Black City, and is overrun with vampires, werewolves, and their servants and slaves. There a twisted parody of society thrives, where the strong prey on the weak, and sunlight is a foreign concept in a land as covered by darkness as this. Brutality and twisted malevolence rule the night here, and there is nothing to save you from falling should you stumble. And when you fall in the black city, you don't stand back up.
The Wild Forest
This is where the wilder men of the Night live. Mostly composed of more Feral werewolf tribes, the Wild Forest is home to violent animals and deadly plantlife that makes the creatures there that survive vicious and dangerous. Only the strongest of creatures thrive in the Wild Forest, its tangled boughs and roots ready to ensnare anything not up to the challenge and slowly devour it.
The Sulfur Coast
The waters on the coast of the Blacklands permanently smell of Sulfur and death. The Nuckelavees that live in the waterbed glare at any ships passing by, and take any foolish sailors unlucky enough to fall from the safety of the ships. And some speak of darker creatures that live in the waters of the Sulfur coast. They tell of monstrous shapes in the water, and ships suddenly collapsing in on themselves, or capsizing and going under, the screams of the crew slowly being drowned out by a maddening groan as something devours the ship and its contents.
Shadowhaunt Manor
Some say this is where it all began. The mansion where the first monsters were unleashed, and turned the very existence of Nocturna into a living hell. Whether this is true or not, it is now home to the king of all monsters, Vladimir Highblood, the lord of Vampires and mightiest dark sorcerer in the Blacklands. Some say that Vladimir's dark magic has made the manor larger on the inside than the outside, to the point that it practically seems to be a city in its own right on the inside. The manor is guarded by Vlad's fiercest generals and forces, including Fenrir Silverclaw, the Alpha werewolf, said to be the first werewolf brought into existence. It is from this dark holding that Vladimir directs his armies in the never-ending war. Monsters march on the human lands all at the orders of the shadowy figure who hails from this lonely manor. Mystery shrouds the air, and many say that not even Fenrir has ever seen Vladimir face to face.
