Lands of Lume
The topography of Lume: A brief account of the little-known terrain of this fanciful Continent.
The known world of consists of a single, immense continent, called Lume by its inhabitants. Only pockets have been explored, even less are documented, and currently there exists only vague geographical classifications. Among the Folk, areas are labeled by landmarks or other peculiarities of the area. For example, Nali's villagers may carry the appellation **of the Spear**, due to their cultural connection to the weapon, while a fishing village might refer to themselves as **Folk of the River**, or **Folk of the Nets**. Previously unknown cultures, Races and creatures are discovered at a rate faster than they can be studied, and the work of the academic is - happily - without end. Smaller islands and flotillas merit a longer entry, at a later time.
The Continent was historically the playground and dominion of the Deumana, ancient demigods with the technical prowess to reshape matter, albeit within certain limitations. Turns and Cycles later, it is now the residency of the Races, housing also the bulk of Lume's Flora, Fauna and Fungi, amongst others.
The Cerulean Crown and Inland Forests
As this landmass girdles the planet, and was heavily terraformed by its one-time masters, the resulting terrain is as strange as it is diverse. The uppermost reaches are spiked by the frigid mountain range called the Cerulean Crown, which span the northern peninsula. Choking this freezing terrain is the Waste, a stricken expanse devoid of traditional life, still reeling from the chaos of the Schism. Below this are the Verge Plains; grassy highlands that precede the Inland Forests, on which Megafauna graze. These forests are legion, covering much of the Continent in eccentric Flora and Fungi. Many a Fauna and Folk live throughout these interwoven woodlands, and no two areas are quite alike. They contain swamps, bogs, jungles, mountains, hills, caves, abandoned residences, many bodies of water; more than can be listed. The daunted cartographers of Lume are a pessimistic lot, marking much of the inland area with dreary inscriptions amounting to ‘hic sunt monstra’.
Taal's Forge and the Great Dunes
To the south are the deserts endearingly referred to as the Forge, otherwise called Taal's Anvil (or ‘’Taal’s Forge’’, by some). For numerous strides the forests pepper the Forge in the form of oasis and underground valleys, eventually giving way to bleak expanses of sandy dunes. It is here the Dunefolk reside, and any creature hardy enough to brave the elements. As the desert approaches the southern coasts, small areas of jungle resurface, alongside great catacombs of caverns and large fantastic obelisks, carved into gravity-defying shapes by wind, water, time, and its monstrous inhabitants. Known as the Repository of Lume, it is said by the Sunfolk to be the final resting place of the Deumana. The area trembles under the weight of the Atrocities, frightening giants housing ecosystems on their crustaceous bodies; these amphibians are fast, unpredictable, and as terrifying as they are colossal. They guard the Repository; containing scattered technological remnants from the time before the Schism.
Multis to the East
Returning north and then traveling east brings one to the valleys and floating mountains where Necrosis originated. Air plants and forests here are common, consuming minerals floating on the wind, as well as via tendrils descending down to tap nutrients from the earth. Gases are said to allow this marvel of engineering, though more research is needed to explain the wondrous Tillandsia Aeranthos. Less sparsely populated than the Inland forests, there are names known only by locals for the areas in this east-most stretch of the Continent. Necrosis coins his empire 'Multis', and for a time it encompasses several regions in this sector. Not impressive by the reader's standards perhaps, it is nonetheless the most ambitious imperial undertaking since the infamous Liche Liege.
Of the Inhospitable West
On the opposing coast, to the west of the forests, are splattered many remote islands and peninsulas. Though the Druids have traveled closest to this area, residing the furthest west of all Folk, they saw no reason to pursue explorations. Gardeners there are said to be somewhat hostile towards the Races, and Folk speak of Mytikos denning in this seldom visited region.
Lume is as ancient as it is multifaceted, with many regions unexplored and undeveloped by the Races; though not perhaps, by other beings. Bewildering and dangerous, expeditions are rare, and the little that can be confirmed must be credited to the studious Slenders.
Fragmented Deumana bio-digital records predating the Schism tell of an age when the Continent was divided into separate landmasses throughout Lume. Only the dead gods could dream of what must have occurred to change the face of the planet so drastically.
