Cathall

Continent of Crowns and Cracks in the Light

Overview and Identity

Cathall is the beating heart of Mernac—vast, ancient, and burdened by the weight of its own ambition. No other continent holds as many souls, and none has been shaped so deeply by both mortal will and divine interference. Here, almost every Race walks the streets of its cities, and nearly every corner of the land has been stained by conflict, culture, or conquest.

The Scribes and Sages who know of such things have long warned that Cathall is more than just the most populous of continents. It is the fulcrum upon which the fate of Mernac tilts. This is where wars begin and legends end. Where temples rise beside taverns, and the sacred often sleeps beneath the boots of the profane.

From the distant reaches of Bonkus in the frozen north to the sun-kissed 10,000 islands of Garuff in the south, Cathall breathes contradiction. Its kingdoms rise and fall with alarming speed. Its cities bustle with invention and heresy in equal measure. And throughout it all, the influence of both The Mothers and The Fathers is felt in every stone and every oath.

It has been written, by those who have dared to write such things:

“The key to ruling Mernac will be found on the last body of the last creature in the last battle for Cathall—for if she is lost, so is the world as we know it. Pray to The Seven Mothers that we never find out if this be true.”

Geography and Regions

Cathall’s size and internal variety make it nearly impossible to describe the land as a whole. Nearly every terrain type found in Mernac exists here in one form or another. Fertile valleys and howling deserts sit mere days apart. Mountain spines give way to coastal cliffs, then to deep grasslands and tangled woodlands.

The central body of Cathall is dominated by broad rolling plains and temperate forests, which have allowed many kingdoms to flourish agriculturally. To the far north, the land becomes harsher, colder, and rockier. Snow-covered peaks and permafrost soil dominate regions like Moksun and Bonkus, where only the hardiest races and beasts survive. The southern coastline, particularly around Surgog and Elber, boasts golden beaches and palm-fringed lagoons warmed by southern currents.

The Tumultuous Sea crashes against the eastern edge, its swirling storms and massive waves hiding the hidden city of Onisac. To the west, the Port Dispai overlook rough waters dotted with trade routes and shipwrecks alike.

Among Cathall’s most distinct natural features are:

The Hollow Hills:

A vast region of gentle, rounded elevations dotted with ancient burial cairns, many of which still hum with divine energy.

The Quillwood:

A dense forest in Feywick known for trees whose bark can be sharpened into blades.

The Scorching Dunes of Volgar:

A magically scarred desert said to have been cursed during the last war against Barak’s followers.

Lake Virella:

A massive freshwater body at the continent’s heart, believed to be the site of one of the earliest known divine visitations.

Due to its central placement on Mernac and its coastal accessibility on all sides, Cathall is both highly connected and incredibly contested. Geography here rarely provides protection, which has made fortified cities and magical wards all the more essential.

Settlements and Political Powers

No other continent rivals Cathall for political complexity. It is home to 15 recognized Kingdoms and 22 major cities, each with its own leadership, allegiances, ambitions, and divine influences. The result is a shifting patchwork of alliances, betrayals, and uneasy truces, many of which change with the seasons.

Notable Kingdoms:

Permia – Located in the southeastern corner of Cathall, Permia sits against the Sea of Garuff and hosts both Goldmont and Port Astyric. This tranquil, coastal realm is known for its reverence of The Mothers and ancient wisdom. The Goldmont Cliffs, a sacred overlook, is said to be the site where Barak and Siberlee once stood to call forth new gods before the coming of Man. Temples and libraries fill its polished cities, and whispers claim this was the very land where divinity first touched soil.
Lingin – Found in the southern midlands, Lingin is bordered by Solaris to the north and Permia to the east. Its land is warm and fertile, perfect for cultivating warriors and field grains alike. The people are tough, shaped by a long history of border skirmishes and monster incursions from Elber and beyond. While rich in crops and coin, Lingin remains a kingdom more feared than loved.
Gilmore – Positioned on the Solaris border, Gilmore. or Greater Gilmore, as the locals usually call it, lies at the central artery of trade in Cathall. Though technically ruled by a monarchy, the real power lies with its merchant houses. Its neutral policies and lavish banks make it the economic heart of the continent. While few trust its politicians, everyone trusts its gold.
Solaris – Nestled on the eastern coast between Gilmore and Quontas, Solaris basks in light and prosperity. Its shoreline is dotted with sunlit harbors, the most famous of which is the temple-rich city of Morningsong. Towering Sea Temples shaped like radiant shells honor Mother Sola, glowing from within during sacred rites. Solaris fields a strong navy and serves as a bastion of the Light against the darker tides from Zonga and Quontas.
Quontas – Sitting atop the high eastern cliffs near the city of Lightmore, Quontas is strikingly isolated and beautiful. This kingdom is populated almost entirely by Dark Faeries, most notably Succubi, who trace their spiritual lineage to Quont, the god who sacrificed his manhood to aid in the creation of Man. Males who enter often fall to enchantment and obsession, making female emissaries a necessity. At night, its coastal cliffs hum with music no ship dares to follow inland.
Zonga – Located in Cathall’s northeastern desert, Zonga stretches across windswept ruins and red canyons. Its capital, Shadowvale, is built into the rock like a scab that never healed. The Sectis, insectoid worshippers of Barak, thrive in hive-cities beneath the sand. The kingdom is cursed, both magically and politically, and most outsiders refer to it only in fearful tones.
Moksun – Positioned in the far north, Moksun is a realm of eternal frost, bordered by Bonkus and Feywick. Snow falls 17 moons out of twenty, and only brief seasonal thaws allow for trade with Dilber’s Stand. The primal Azeman dwell here alongside deep-forest Murmil, moving in sync with the rhythms of long hibernation and feral instinct. Few kingdoms hold as much ancient mystery—and as little comfort.
Feywick – Tucked between the northern coasts and the forested highlands, Feywick contains both Whitehealth and Blue Elm, though much of its population lives unseen among the trees. Over 80% of its people are Faeries or Murmil, living by pact and rite more than law. Outsiders are generally unwelcome and watched by unseen eyes. Visitors speak of entire villages that vanish when approached by those not of Feywick blood.
Kezia – Sitting at the continent’s mountainous midsection, Kezia is bordered by Gorus, Kru, and Hob. This harsh, deeply traditional Human kingdom is fiercely loyal to The Fathers. Its people wear white face-paint to honor the rumored bloodline of Barak that runs through their royal house. Though tactically brilliant, Kezia is universally feared for its religious intolerance and zealotry.
Hob – Located just east of Kezia and bordering the Hollow Hills, Hob is a scholarly kingdom of darkened towers and vast underground libraries. It is governed by Dark Elves, who oversee the Great Library of Hob—a collection of forbidden knowledge unmatched in Mernac. Mountain Dwarves also thrive here, working stone halls deep beneath the surface. Though dark in magic, Hob is neutral in war.
Kru – Sitting between Surgog and Kezia near the coast, Kru is a military buffer state with proud cavalry and high fortifications. The city of Linking Point is its primary stronghold. Its people are pragmatic and weather-hardened, often serving as peacekeepers or mercenaries. Though small in land, Kru casts a long strategic shadow.
Volgar – South of Hob and east of Kezia, Volgar is a windswept grassland bordered by forest and plain. Its capital, Mispoint, is a philosophical paradox, half battlefield, half academy. Trolls and Wookalars live here in strained harmony with Humans, forming an uneasy but enduring coalition. Storms roll across Volgar like marching armies.
Surgog – Nestled between Elber and Kru, Surgog is a rugged kingdom of broken terrain and rougher diplomacy. Port Woozle, one of its few major settlements, is more a military dockyard than a proper city. The land is rich in ore but cursed in memory—many believe ancient Sectis tunnels still lie beneath its hills. It is a kingdom always ready for war.
Elber -Southern and haunted, Elber is home to Peaguts and crumbling magical sites left over from a divine catastrophe. Arcane weather still plagues the land—lightning with no storm, fire with no heat. Nomadic Gnomes roam freely through its blighted woods and forgotten temples. Most who live here are born to ruin and shaped by it.
Garuff – A sprawling archipelago forming Cathall’s southernmost edge, Garuff is a tropical maze of over 10,000 islands. Hidden coves, volcanic crags, and drifting jungle islands make it impossible to govern and ideal for pirates, fugitives, and forbidden cults. Onisac, the largest known port, often vanishes from maps between moons. Garuff is where people go to disappear—and where some things go to awaken.

Many of these kingdoms have changed hands multiple times over the centuries. Some, like Elber and Hob, have fragmented entirely at points in history only to be reestablished by descendants of lost dynasties or divine intervention. The above description refer the the late 260s AM, just before the Sap wars.

Key Cities:

Goldmont: Known for its talented Polatik emasaries, Goldmont is sometimes referred to as the great Arbiter of Cathall, and perhaps all of Mernac.
Port Mystic: A southern port known for its taverns, gambling, and prostitutes. Port Mystic is the true crossroads of all Mernace, with the vast majority of imports and exports to the other continents going through it numerous warfs and docks.
Traddlebow: The unofficial capital of wealth in Cathall. A cultural crossroad where legends, merchants, and mercenaries meet.
Onisac: A hidden city in the Tumultuous Sea, visible only to those with the correct magical phrase or lineage.

Morningsong, Lightmore, Halfway Gorge, Shaddowvale, Bonkus, Ironforge: Each offers its own political or economic specialty—trade, mining, scholarship, or warcraft.

Some cities are aligned with kingdoms, while others operate independently or are ruled by magical, religious, or mercantile factions.

Climate and Natural Cycles

Cathall’s climate is as varied as its people. In the north, particularly in Volgar and Garuff, winters are long and severe. Frost clings to the mountains for most of the year, and travel is near-impossible during deep winter moons. Further south in Cathall, the land becomes temperate, and eventually subtropical, with long growing seasons and warm rains. The southernmost parts, like Garuff are tropical are often covered with impassable jungles.

The eastern coast is lashed by storms stirred by the Tumultuous Sea. These storms are legendary for their ferocity and are believed to carry omens or portents. In contrast, the southwest experiences Dust Tides, when desert winds from Zonga sweep across nearby kingdoms and deposit layers of silt so fine it silences even heavy footsteps.

Throughout Cathall, celestial cycles have a greater-than-normal influence. The moons Araf and Jahannan create visible tidal surges on both coasts. Mages in Kezia claim that spells cast during Chandralee behave unpredictably, often drawing divine attention or distortion.

Each kingdom has its own calendar for planting and harvest, though many have adopted the Mernacian Standard in diplomatic and economic documents. Still, in cities like Silos or Fort Witriss, one can often find local clerics consulting stars or bones before daring to bless a crop or consecrate a marriage.

Unique Ecology

Cathall’s ecological richness matches its racial and cultural diversity. Because the continent includes nearly every major terrain type in Mernac, its flora and fauna are as varied as its people. From mountain beasts adapted to icy cliffs to jungle-dwelling predators in the southern canopies, Cathall is a biologist’s paradise… and a hunter’s challenge.

Flora:

Glowbind Moss: Found in the damp hollows of Moksun, this luminescent moss is used in healing poultices and enchanted inks.
Ironbark Trees: Dense-wooded trees from Kezia whose bark can dull steel. Often used to craft shields or unbreakable books.
Virella Lilies: Found only along Lake Virella’s shorelines, they are sacred to followers of Mother Sola and believed to bloom only when a prophecy is fulfilled.
Frostbloom Vines: Growing in the cliffs of Bonkus, these vines produce blue flowers that remain frozen year-round, even under direct sunlight.

Fauna:

Stilt Elk: Towering animals adapted to the flooded plains near White Heath. Hunted for their leather and revered by Gnomish druids.
Flamefoxes: Native to Zonga, these foxes leave a scorched trail when frightened. Their pelts are used by Fire Mages to control heat in rituals.
Skyfishers: Massive winged amphibians that glide over the cliffs of Surgog and dive into canyons to feed. Highly territorial.
Ashcats: Shadow-hued felines that appear only after magical duels or divine visitations. Considered omens of death or change.

Some scholars believe Cathall’s beastlife is unusually responsive to divine energy. During eras of heightened conflict between The Mothers and The Fathers, strange mutations have been reported—animals speaking, plants uprooting themselves, and entire ecosystems shifting overnight.

Races and Inhabitants

Cathall is the only continent where nearly every one of the 20 Races has, at some point, lived in significant numbers. This is both its greatest strength and most persistent source of tension.

Races of the Light :

Humans: The dominant race by population. Found in nearly every kingdom. Adaptable, inventive, and deeply divided along religious and national lines.
Elves: Especially numerous in Permia and Feywick, where their groves have stood for thousands of seasons.
Gnomes: Thrive in the cooler mountain cities of Kru and Dilber’s Stand, where their inventiveness and love of problem-solving are embraced.
Murmil: Seen in the fertile lands of Gilmore and Lightmore, often forming agricultural communes protected by small circles of Monks or Druids.

Races of the Dark:

Dabbats: Though often feared, a number of Dabbat clans have earned legitimate recognition in the far reaches of Kezia and Moksun.
Trolls: Found more in the mountainous north, especially in Volgar and Hob, where their sheer strength is valued in cold-mining operations.
Dark Elves: Control cities like Mispont and are considered the most educated of all the inhabitants of Cathall.
Sectis: Often exiled from other continents, small Sectis communities dwell in the ruins of Zonga and beneath the fractured city of Gorbus.

Other Races:

Wookalars, and Orc appear only in isolated colonies or ruins, usually tied to older stories or historical events.

Furs are notably absent, as their homeland is restricted to Ooloo.

With such a racial patchwork, Cathall’s cities often feature magically enforced neutrality zones, especially around temples, academies, and major markets. Tensions are always present but often managed through politics, ritual combat, or divine arbitration.

Myths and Moments

Cathall’s history is long, loud, and bloodstained. Every stone seems to carry a story. Below are a few that echo across the ages:

The Day of Thirteen Kings (1296 AM):

In a single day, the heads of thirteen kingdoms met in Goldmont to form the Cathallan Accord, a now-defunct alliance meant to oppose The Other’s growing influence. According to legend, the accord was cursed before the ink dried. Within five seasons, four signatories were dead, three cities razed, and two dynasties were dissolved by internal betrayal. Only Gilmore, the neutral host, remained untouched.

The Siege of Fort Witriss (1830–1834 AM):

A four-season battle in which a combined army of Elves, Humans, and Murmil besieged the undead stronghold of Fort Witriss. The siege ended only when the fort’s commander surrendered to a vision of Mother Ga herself, who was said to appear in the flames of the last funeral pyre.

The Fall of Port Dispair (2010 AM):

A brief but devastating naval raid carried out by Sectis warlocks during a rare triple eclipse. Entire families disappeared overnight, and the port’s waters turned black for three moons. Though rebuilt in 2093, the area is still considered cursed by many.

Relevance

Cathall remains the center of Mernacian affairs. Its sheer population, trade routes, magical academies, and religious sites ensure that no decision of continental or divine consequence is ever made without considering its effects here.

The Scribes and Sages who know of such things have long whispered that control of Cathall is key to tipping the eternal balance between The Mothers and The Fathers. It is a crossroads not only of people and paths, but of purpose itself.

Though conflict in Cathall is almost constant—whether open warfare, religious inquisition, or magical rivalry—it also produces the greatest moments of unity and brilliance. Its thinkers shape laws. Its mages invent spells later taught across the world. And its warriors often become the heroes of stories told far from their place of birth.

If Mernac has a soul, it may very well reside in Cathall. That soul is fractured, but still aflame.

Quotable Lore

“If the Light ever fails, it will be in Cathall. And if it holds, it will be because someone chose to bleed for it while the rest of the world turned away.”
— Onas Brushstroke, Onas’ Fables