Helone as a continent is defined as the land mass from Edheglath in the northwest to Dolione in the southeast. No one knows what exists further north or further south than these two places, as no one has ever returned alive.
The Dolonde Empire is the largest presence in Helone, and comprises of Dolonde itself, Dolione and Karne. Three other separate factions exists; the Ondonel and the Tumunzir kingdoms, as well as the drydanate Edheglath
Belonde houses many ruins from attempts to civilise this frigid place, as the underground is rich in mineral and ore. The harsh environment and violent winter storms have so far thwarted all who dared. Only one tribe make this place their home, the Taa’sa, who have learnt to survive by following the migratory patterns of the ernihn. When they fly up into the mountains in the fall, the Taa’sa follow them, and when the ernihn flock back to the lowlands to graze in the spring, the Taa’sa follow them right back.
A ring of mountains hem in the land which is compromised of heaths and streams and spongy ground. Access to Belonde is almost guaranteed to be impossible in the winter when the passage freezes over. Despite the cruel environment, life still persist here, like the aforementioned ernihn.
The Empire maintains a trading post/ring fortress outside the mountains, Akmeniškė. The only other place of civilisation would be the Taa’sa’s summer settlement, Sayhai. Unless you find it in the summer and see their tents, you’d likely miss it, as it’s otherwise just a large, hollow hill. Then again, what WOULD you be doing in Belonde in the winter…
Sometimes referred to as the Midway Empire, the kingdom of Ondonel is situated in the very middle of Helone. Like the lands around it, it too was once home to nineteen disparate tribes. Hundreds of years ago, however, the Sziq tribe commenced a bloody conquest that united all the tribes and formed the current kingdom. While the king is chosen from the Sziq, the other tribes form part of the council. Their size would make them a worthy enemy to the Dolonde Empire, were they not separated by such a large, neutral territory.
This proud nation has the longest coastline of any in Helone, most of it sand. Gaupchyay, the capital, lies at the heart of a natural lagoon about halfway down the eastern length of coast. Most of this east side is protected by the violent storms of the Falonde Sea by large sand dunes. This has enabled the Dolonde Empire to become one of the few seafaring nations of Helone; in fact, most trade from south to north is carried out by boats that enter the Gaupchyay Lagoon and from there sail their boats all the way up to Karne along the Pikeliškės River. The land is an about equal mixture of forest, wetlands and plains, with the terrain being moderately flat except for Nevaychyay, a small highland area in the northwest, and Rubokai to the southeast, the area of land past the small peninsular. There are also many, many small lakes scattered around. Climate is temperate and humid, with winters averaging just below 0 degrees Celsius and no higher than 20 in the summers. Don’t let this fool you, however, as winter temperatures always drops to at least minus 20, some harsher winters going further down to minus 30. Snow occurs every winter.