Kealia

Kealia is a major continent in the south-west of the navigable world, with 6 nations. It is largely temperate, a mix of lowland and mountainous terrain. It is a relatively prosperous landmass, with a large population. Most of the countries exist on the cusp of industrialisation, limited primarily by the lack of suitable energy sources.

Geography
Kealia has several major mountain ranges – the Middenmons, Pikes, and Nobilians – and two minor mountain ranges – the Serration and the Oltenwolds. These mountain ranges are separated by lowlands, much of which is heavily forested. The Forests of Kealia range from the cold coniferous forests of the south, to deciduous forests in the north. The continent trends from wet in the north west to dry in the southeast, and is generally cooler on the western side to the eastern side. In winter, the continent has regular snowfall, particularly in the mountainous and southern regions. Temperatures are more stable on the coastal exterior, and have a greater variation in the interior.

The Nations of Kealia
There are six major nations within Kealia. This list does not include minor entities such as warborn tribes or outlander tribes.

History
Kealia was once known as Kortan. In the Divine Eras, it thrived as a garden region, with many great arcologies doted through the lands. Like much of the world, it was brought to ruin by Godswar. The aftermath of this conflict left Kealia with many pockets of Soulblight. The northern regions of the landmass were ravaged by volcanic activity, expanding the landmass significantly as the shallow sea rose above the land. It was largely uninhabited in the centuries following the end of the war.

The first great influx of settlers came from the Palantine, when Seluson, the legendary companion of the Asklepion the Great lead a large fleet to the continent in 662NA. These settlers, predominantly human with some halfling and dwarven members, found their expansion largely unopposed, with the exception of a slight Goblinoid presence.

These settlers would collectively be known as the Selunites, and their scattered nations would rise to dominate the region until the coming of the elves of the Dailem Empire during the aftermath of the New Age Collapse (1800’s NA). This Elven Empire would drive most of the humans to the west of the continent where they would eventually form the nations of Wesrex, Avontia, and Lancanland. The Elves would take the richer east and northern lands for themselves, and would rename the continent to Kealia. This Empire would last for several millennia until it was dissolved in 1645LA, some 2,245 years after its founding. This was largely an era of peace, the Selunite nations to the west dominated and kept in check by the Elven superpower. This is sometimes regarded as a Kealian golden age, for it was in this time that the continents influence was at its highest relative to its neighbours.

Coinciding with the end of the empire – and directly causing the event – was the Adurn concessions, where the Dailem empire was forced to cede huge amount of territory as payment to Arbanite mercenaries in return for support after the Empire was exhausted by the triple crisis of the preceding decades. These Arbanites would settle and eventually become Deal and Adecilia. The influence of the Arbanites in Lancanland was also significant, where several wars would one day see the cultural traits of both Selunite and Arbanite combine.

In recent years the continent has been dominated by the ongoing Dealian War of Succession.