The continent of Saldivia in the Breaking Age: its peoples and its landmarks

  The Saldivian continent cannot be described with any basic shape. The most that could be said is that it had three vague 'points' similar to a triangle: one facing to the North West, one facing to the South, and one facing to the North East. Along the inland of this continent a clump of mountains were stationed, tall and majestic, only outmatched by the Giant's range in Argosant. Many rivers poured from its roots, flowing out through all of the nations and eventually, out to sea. These mountains were named "Ashagal Pierin", the 'focused' peaks, also translatable to the center peaks. These were the largest mountains in the land, and the nations were mainly divided around it.
  On the East coast of the continent, opposite the nation of Quenie, was the land of Dunal. Considered the trade center of the known world, they shipped large amounts of commodities everywhere, having a powerful trade navy (although the ships were not well equipped for war or battle of any sort), able to traverse the oceans to reach almost every nation. Directly descended from the Dunnallion in the old days of the Red Age, they possessed most the old lands they had, stretching from the Meldon River to the Caragan River, taking up most of the Eastern Coast. However, their actual control only stretched so far, and lands towards the north and south were mostly populated by villages and small towns that claimed to belong to none. Dunal was also famous for its large port city, Aldane Qala, "Bright(est) City", known for being the largest port in the known world and also for the Tower of Tiel Aldane, (in emphasis, meaning THE brighest, shiniest, normally related to those in majesty), a tall and seemingly topless building that was made of gold and iron and other precious materials, forged together to create the large and impressive structure, built in the older days of glory, (the Golden Age), when all prospered. It served as a meeting place for those of the Merchants' order, who controlled the land through a partially democratic system. The Dunalion look almost exactly the same as the Queniens, being of average height and having many colored hair and many colored eyes.
  The South was taken up by the Zanturians, the nation of Zanturia. They walled themselves off from the other lands, building an actual physical wall called by them "Zantu Yackmondan", in their strange language, Zantu's Long Arm, (referred to in their teachings as the arm that shields them from all harm, Yackmondan being a literal pronoun). It was referred to by the rest of the continent as "The Cult Blockade", having no relations with the strange Zanturians who worshipped their false god (for it was the Zantu that were long descended from the evils of Jal'Mansar, who had planted the seed of dissent in the previous War of the Powers. It could be said that the false god was in reality, Jal'Mansar, though he indirectly manipulated them), and also at times attacking the other nations at random. They were hostile and unwelcoming, guarding the Cult Blockade's gates with large numbers and preventing entry for anyone except those that explicitly vowed to server their god (on pain of death, in service for life, to never leave the lands except the Master willed it), and killing any others that approached without hesitation. Zanturia is supposedly independent, able to grow its own crop to feed its population and sustain its large armies. However, their ships that launch from their Eastern coast attempt raids on richly laden Dunalion ships, only repelled by the Quenien ships hired from time to time. The Zantu are pale and rather tall, alike to the Corallion, only shorter and much paler. Most of them possess piercings all over their body, in ritual and sacrifice to Zantu. They have only black hair and possess high cheekbones for the most part. This nation is regarded as a threat by every other land, even the Argosantic continent.
  North of Zanturia, West of Dunal, is the Nation of Corallion. Cold to most other foreigners, the northernmost part of it suffers from perpetual winter, ceasing only occasionally and for short periods of time. It is home to the world's most skilled swordsmen, using scimitars to weave their 'dance', the name of which they give to battle. They are unique among the world in terms of looks; pale and tall, ranging between 180 centimeters to 2 meters among the tallest. Because of this, they are easily recognizable in foreign lands and are sometimes shunned, leading the Corallion to become mostly introverted and secluded. However, their physical stature was not the only reason for their seeming eccentricity; they had strict codes of behavior inherited from the Alphin who migrated there in the early days of the Red Age (as such, even the original Doren, now referred to as the Dorin were founded there), becoming much like those of the mysterious and wise. In battle, they were terrifying, wearing hideous masks that struck fear into those that looked at them. Matching the Massodrians in single combat, they used their scimitars to great effect, having a great number of named techniques and sword strokes that could outsmart an average swordsman entirely. Stretching beyond this, their traditional method of tactical combat was unorthodox and unpredictable. 'Guerrilla warfare' was often used by their soldiers to great effect, knowing precisely the advantages of remaining unseen before and during the strike. As such, they were named by many as "the walking dead", (agraddin Grall in Zanturian, who feared them greatly for various reasons) and were respected in war and battle. Were they less reserved, a conquest of theirs might have been unstoppable. However, because of their nature, they hardly expand their territory, but also hardly entreat with others. They grow mostly potatoes, but also grow many Saugan, a tough crop of plant that produces sweet fruit all year round and has edible roots and leaves. The Corallion hold this plant in high regard, using it in many of their poems and their idioms and allegories of strength and providence.
  Finally, to the north are large wastelands that endure endless winter and snow. They are mostly uninhabited, being mostly unlivable, except for a small race of men that are unnamed among themselves. They live on the wild beasts that live up there and tougher species of Saugan that grow in the Northern parts. They occasionally make raids on both the Dunal and Corallion border, but very rarely, keeping mostly to themselves and and hardly even showing their presence, being skilled in the art of walking unseen in the winter lands. Among the people of Corallion, who have had the most contact with them, they are known as the Erene, the homeless/lost.
  In the earliest of times, Saldivia was known as Yarmon.

The continent of Argosant in the Breaking Age: Its peoples and its landmarks

  The continent of Argosant was shaped like a vague hour glass; to the north the land 'stretched out' into two 'arms', the West reaching down south in a large hook that encircled the land of Lurnuva, whilst the East wing was in a shallow Northward slope. Along the north edge of this continent ran a long wall of near impassable mountains, tall and majestic, given the name of "Emperor's Wall", translated from the old speech of the previous ages "Eladar Giel", when the north was still ruled by the single nation of Parius. To the south, across the narrow lands which were the alleged Argo border, splitting the north and south nations; the land too did stretch out in 'wings', the West being populated by a large and wide Savannah, with an enormous forest separating it from the rest of the continent. Traversing this forest was among the most dangerous of tasks. The East 'wing' was the land of Apochem, another large and spacious land largely populated by the fearsome beasts "Tarkhu", and other larger and more dangerous creatures. These were lands held to be uninhabitable and of utmost danger, separated from more civilized lands by mountains even taller and more fearsome than the Emeperor's Wall, named the Giant's Range for their incredible size, and also for rumors of Giants being wanderers along this great wall.

  A total of five nations were in existence on the continent of Argosant during the last of the Old Ages; to the north most east was the nation of Quenie, who resided upon the coasts closest to the other continent of Saldivia. They were expert seafarers and sailors, thriving upon the trade economy of the not so distant Dunal, just across the ocean. The Queniens also lived very much on fish and mostly other commodities traded in from other nations. Their military was not very strong, but considerably well trained, and their might at sea was nigh unbeatable, using small and swift ships to patrol the straits and defeat pirates where necessary. Many a time, a Ledarn, a small and fast travelling ship equipped mainly for battle, was hired by other countries to ensure the safety of their oceans and trade routes. Queniens were mainly equipped with strange layered armor that was durable, held together by nails and axles, causing them to move relatively freely yet still be rather well protected. Their swords were mainly curved, very much alike to those used by the Dorin. Their cavalry was largely limited, giving more priority to the building of ships than to the raising of horses. They also used tall spears in battle to fortify the front lines against reckless charges, but bows were few among them. Queniens were mostly alike to the Ocaren, but were closer in appearance to the Dunalion, having many varieties of colored hairs, red, blond, brown, and black. Their eyes were just as many colored as their hair.

  Along the Emperor's wall, next to Quenie, was Ocaren, the nation of the brave. Home to the headquarters of the Dorin, these lands featured rolling hills and mountains, with pockets of forest spread throughout. Rivers from the Emperor's wall networked the land, heading out into the seas. Ocaren held great might in cavalry and spears, and each individual soldier was very well armed. They were held as one of the strongest nations militarily, and in the sun were akin to the old nation Parius in the days of the Red Age, which stood the strongest against the might of the oncoming shadow. The nation took pride in a special brand of soldiers that were well trained to face the front lines, the Alciers, men that wielded hafted blade-spears, shields and short swords, dressed in especially strong armor and able to confront even the toughest of Massodrians in the wars. They were devastating both on horseback and on foot, charging down enemy defenses on the former and holding lines against the enemy on the latter. The Ocaren traded well with the Queniens, but were on short terms with the Iantarans, having warred with them once before. However, Ocaren was constantly at war with Massodria, the bloodshed only punctuated by short treaties and respites such that both sides could regain their strength. This limited the normally great might of Ocaren. The people of Ocaren were of average height, between 170 centimeters to 180, the tallest being 190. They were mostly slender, many with dark hair and eyes of various colors, although distinguishing features such as blonde hair or reddish hair were by and large.

  The East wing of the North was held by Iantara, one of the greatest military nations in the Breaking Age. Their wide lands were cultivated with wheat and potato farms, and they traded with the Queniens. Their military largely consisted of infantry, armed with large shields, short sword, and the occasional spear or halberd. They held a moderate force of archers, but their cavalry was close to nonexistent, having dedicated most of the open land to farming and training grounds. Their lands used a system of forced recruitment for a year or more, taking men of age to become soldiers for a short time, disciplining them in the ways of their army. The Iantaran military strength was in the large amount of numbers it could muster in a short time, along with the coordination of each unit, as the soldiers trained were highly united and disciplined to follow orders. However, they were vulnerable to cavalry flanks and spearhead assaults, making them easily defeated in open areas. They spoke the same language as the Ocaren, and the culture was greatly similar. They were also very much alike in physical appearances to them

  Finally, the South nations. Across the Argo border were the fearsome Massodrians, stout men with a strict warrior code that led each individual soldier to be terrors in combat. They were strong militarily, regarded as the fiercest fighters and most immovable kinds of people. They cultivated rice, grain, vegetables and other commodities in their homeland, being highly self reliant and rarely entreating with other countries, being quite isolated because of the Great Forest, the Giant's Range, and Ocaren. Each Massodrian had their own individual weapon that they trained with, thus having a great variety of soldiers to choose from. However, horses were rarely used for combat in their land, mostly for heavy loading and transport. The North forgets, but the nation of Massodria traditionally holds back the tide of Tarkhu from the East, having strongly fortified the Gap in the Giant's Range, which allowed easy access to the civilized lands. This was the main reason that Massodrians had to be fierce and wild in combat; to face the regular raids of the terrible beasts of the East, and drive them back. Thus, the Massodrians were almost constantly 'at war', facing threats from two sides. The people of Massodria were relatively 'short',  but stockier and tougher. They ranged mainly between 160 centimeters and 170 centimeters, tall people being extremely rare, and only of average height among the Ocaren.

  Lastly, the land of Pedi'imon. This wild Savannah held many different names by nations, but was called Pedi'imon by its own people. It was separated from Massodria by the Great Forest, a dangerous and enormous stretch of wild trees even wilder beasts, made passable only by the old forest road made in earlier times. What is special about Pedi'imon is that it still remembers the Oldest Language, spoken by the humans in the Time of Happiness, now long forgotten and not even having its own myth. However, it had been reduced and simplified greatly into a crude sounding language spoken by the people of Pedi'imon, who had taken to other dialects and sometimes the 'common speech' of the continent, which was that of Massodria, Ocaren and Iantara. They were dark skinned people, and militarily were not so strong. However, they were known for their mastery of the wild creatures in their land, and of the knowledge of special herbs that were more effective than any designed medicines by the Dunalion. They were large in number, spread out across the lands that they inhabited in small villages and communities, rarely making contact with one another. In times of peril, 'warlords' would rise up and unite villages into larger armies, and attempt to beat back whatever threat there was. Their height was of great variance, though they were, as aforementioned, of especially dark skin.

  In the earliest of times, Argosant was known as Oshavia.

Walk

I stepped out into the world for the first time.
Where was I going?
I didn't know.
What did I do it for?
How could I have known.

A few steps forward, and a few prints behind.
As the foot flew forward
The prints disappeared
They faded away
As if they were naught


I carried on walking, and as I did others followed.
They stepped where I stepped
They walked as I walked
Their prints faded
As did mine

I changed my steps, I narrowed them down
The prints were closer
The prints were deeper
They faded away
As if they were naught

The others did not follow. The kept their steps wide
Their prints were the same
Their prints were the same
They stayed
As if they were something

I kept walking.