Putting Magic Flavor on the Table; Ravia

 Adapted from Dominaria - MTG Wiki and Avistan - PathfinderWiki

The continent of Ravia forms the Chaian Sea’s Northeastern shore and share’s a landbridge with Boia to the south. This land brims with a convergence of cultures, arcane marvels, and the interplay of elemental forces. Ravia is a crucible where the powers of magic clash and harmony are forged amidst the chaos.

Ravia is a vast and diverse continent on the world of  Memory. It is a land of great civilizations, rich history, and varied landscapes. Stretching from the frozen reaches of the Seol to the tropical shores of the Gulf of Jal, Ravia encompasses a wide range of climates, cultures, and peoples.

The continent of Ravia is home to numerous nations, each with its own unique character and lore. These nations include the powerful Tordic Empire, known for its grandeur and decadence; the martial kingdom of Boduvia, engulfed in revolution and political strife; and the ancient elven nation of Cesiral, with its majestic forests and enigmatic traditions.

Ravia is also dotted with bustling cities and thriving trade hubs. Invenek, a city built upon ancient Aber ruins, stands as a beacon of progress and innovation in the region. The city of Arann, located on Rafs Island, is a hub of diplomacy, commerce, and adventure.

The continent is not without its perils. The harsh and frigid lands of the Zhian League are home to legendary dragon kings and fierce Viking-like warriors. The haunted forests of the Korstadian Kingdom harbor dark secrets and supernatural terrors. And in the wilderness of Safra, lawlessness and chaos reign, with independent settlements vying for power and survival.

Ravia is a land of legends and epic adventures. It is a place where heroes rise, ancient evils awaken, and destinies are forged. From towering mountains to treacherous swamps, from bustling cities to untamed wilderness, Ravia offers countless opportunities for exploration, discovery, and heroism.

Geography

Rafs Island: Situated in the northern hemisphere of Memory, Arkarra is a land of towering mountains, deep forests, and winding rivers. The region is known for its connection to the elemental titan of Earth. The Machtstone, imprisoning the titan, lies hidden within the heart of the Great Mountain Range, protected by ancient wards and guardians.

Ethnicities of Ravia 

Eszi, the Goblins of Ravia

Ezri Goblins have a natural knack for invention and craftsmanship. They possess a remarkable talent for creating ingenious contraptions, makeshift weapons, and traps from whatever materials they can scavenge or acquire. These creations often combine crude mechanisms with surprising functionality, demonstrating the Goblins' resourcefulness and ingenuity.

The Humans of Ravia

Gereko 

The Gereko are often nomadic and deeply religious people who live south of the Igrun River and Eastern slope regions of Ravia as well as the Reach of Azogh and the Zhian League.  Recorded on knotted cords, Gereko history recounts Like their Pograme cousins, these humans descended from the enslaved workers of the ancient empire of Aber but have since developed a unique and advanced culture of their own.

Kotu 

The Kotu are the direct descendants of an ancient Witch Queen; each Queen of Rzhis is said to be a daughter of the Witch Queen. They are the ruling class of Rzhis, with the descendants of Ivrilzhi, the current queen of the land, holding the highest political and social positions.

Olstad 

The Olstad is a human ethnicity once feared along Ravia's coastlines for the fierce and merciless raiding they conducted in their longboats. They are sometimes referred to as Vikings, though this may more specifically be applied to Olstad fighters and warriors.

Pograme

Pograme is a primarily nomadic human ethnic group known to favor the open road over permanent settlements. Sometimes called the people of the road, their traveling caravans can be encountered throughout Memory, but Pograme also settle in permanent communities, most notably the countries of Colia and Korstadia. Pogrami are often thought of as scoundrels and rogues, an unfair reputation that is based on outsiders interacting with the Pograme criminal families. Despite outward appearances of frivolity, the Pogrami people are fiercely loyal to family and friends and embrace a rich culture steeped in history and tradition.

Qedak 

The original natives of most of Ravia before the spread of the Tordic Empire, the Qedak represent what every resident of the continent thinks of when they refer to "barbarians." Their traditional lands claimed by competing Tordic nations, the Qedak are a pragmatic product of their harsh environment and direct descendants of a more savage age. Qedak in Eastern Ravia cling tightly to their traditional ways, while those in Western nations like Salvia and Tordal have largely integrated into the local Todic or Saolish culture.

Saolish

The Seolish people have spread from their origins along the Northeastern coast of Ravia. They are the true legacy of the once great Seolish Empire, whose lands once encompassed kingdoms as numerous and varied as Castland, Boduvia, Gevan, Merhal, And Totur. While the Seolish Empire may have shrunk since its golden days, the Seol live on, still inhabiting all of their former territories and beyond.

Tordic

Tords are a human ethnicity who are renowned for possessing great skill, intelligence, and sophistication. They are the creators of one of the greatest empires Ravia has ever known and many modern nations owe their existence to the conquests of the Tordic Empire. This period of greatness is now a thing of the past and the Tordic people know they are now just as well renowned for their decadent indulgences as their empire crumbles around them

Khuragz, the Dwarves of  Ravia

Khurghaz can be found throughout Ravia, although most inhabit the Kingdom of Khiz. Of particular note are the city of Khunbund in Khiz, whose inhabitants consider themselves the heart of dwarven culture and life.

Macham the Halflings of Ravia

Halflings are generally easy-going yet excitable, staid and yet frenetic if roused. Their greatest advantage is ironically their perceived physical weakness, as halflings know that the larger folk will usually underestimate them.

Nearionor, The Elves of Ravia

This is the most common elven ethnicity on Memory. When people think of "elven culture," they typically think of Nearionor culture. They are the descendants of the elves who returned to Memory using the Sovyrian Stone. They are sometimes called "returners.

Ugluk the Orcs of Ravia

Orcs often struggle to gain acceptance among other communities, who frequently see them as brutes. However, those who earn the loyalty of an orc friend soon learn that an orc's fidelity and honesty are unparalleled. Orc barbarians, fighters, and rangers are prized as gladiators and mercenaries. While some human settlements might be hesitant to accept an entire orc community into their midst, a small handful of orc mercenaries can do the job of an entire squad of human conscripts, so long as the orcs are well fed and well paid. Though the belief that orcs are only suited for battle is pervasive among other humanoids, the harsh orc mentality comes from a long history of conflict rather than a lack of ability in other areas.

Uncommon Ancestries of Ravia

Braz, the Kobolds of Ravia

Kobolds are a small, craven, draconic race that dwells in places hidden from the sun, particularly subterranean caverns or densely wooded areas. Most commonly encountered in and around the nation of Andoran,  the inherent cowardice of the kobolds has lent the schemers a bit of cleverness and ingenuity, especially when it comes to devising deadly traps. Despite the fact that kobolds believe they are, in fact, the most superior race on Golarion, they are commonly found in service to other, more powerful masters

Emixca, the Leshy of Ravia

Guardians and emissaries of the wild places of Ravia, the Emixca are immortal spirits of nature temporarily granted a physical form.

Langy the Shoony of Ravia

Shoonies are small, bipedal humanoids who resemble brachycephalic dogs. They are primarily found on the Isle of Kortos in small farming communities. Shoonies are unwaveringly optimistic and always see the best in others, seeking redemption and forgiveness before violence.

Lebaga the Gnomes of Ravia

Gnomes are a wounded race, not native to Golarion and far from ideally suited to life in the mundane world. Cast adrift from their original home, the realm of the fey known as the First World, the gnome race is still shaped by the spiritual damage caused by their exodus from a land of endless possibilities, to one firmly grounded in reality.

Orana, the Sprites of Ravia

Sprites (or luminous sprites) are primitive, diminutive fey who live in forests. They rarely get taller than nine inches, weighing up to two pounds. Sprites choose to defend nature; however, not all recipients for their protection want or need it. They are distrustful of all other creatures, including other fey. 

Rare Ancestries of Ravia

Akroi, the Strix of Ravia

Strix (used as both the singular and plural term) are a race of dark-winged humanoids who live in only a single region in all Ravia: the forsaken rocky spires on Seol's west coast known as the Devil's Perch. Grisly tales told by the local human population has made them the target of much hatred and fear; in truth, the strix wish mainly to be left alone

Nations of Ravia

Arann

The city-state of Arann, positioned on the southern tip of Rafs Island, is a bustling metropolis serving as the island's economic, cultural, and political center. Its grand structures and soaring spires dominate the cityscape, showcasing the architectural prowess of its inhabitants. The Arann Citadel, a fortified structure at the heart of the city, houses the ruling council, ensuring the city's governance and prosperity. The city's vibrant marketplaces bustle with trade, attracting merchants from far and wide, while its diverse neighborhoods reflect the multicultural fabric of Memory.

Reach of Azogh

While orcs can be found throughout Memory, nowhere else are they as plentiful or live in as densely populated settlements as in the Reach of Azogh. Azogh is an unforgiving wasteland filled with shrub brush, steep mountains, and uneven badlands, where water is scarce and generally limited to the seasonal Flood Road.

Boduvia

Boduvia is a land where once high ideals have been laid low and mob rule has led to chaos. Boduvia was once a vassal nation of Saol, but also known for its free thinkers, poets, and artists. The people of Boduvia decided to throw off their foreign rulers and their own nobles who had colluded with them. A bloody revolution followed in which many, many nobles lost their heads. The problem was the executions did not end the bloodshed and within five years, the severed heads of the ministers of the first government rolled down the steps of the guillotine. In the 50 years since, over a dozen governments have ruled Boduvia, rising and falling like the waves of a stormy sea.

Castland

Castland is a nation of the people, governed by the principles of Common Rule which grant every citizen a voice. Castland holds the reins of its own destiny in the strong hands of its people; it considers itself the birthplace of freedom

Cesrial

The homeland of the elven race on Memory, Cesrial was almost completely evacuated by the elves just before the the arrival of the Elemental Titans. They only recently (by elven standards) returned to Memory to reclaim their ancient homeland and have become an isolationist realm, allowing few non-elven visitors into their mist-shrouded capital, Fil-Shonana.

Colia

Colia is a nation in Southern Ravia on the verge of tearing itself apart. The political entity known as Colia was once two vastly different nations locked in a constant state of war before being conquered by a foreign despot: After centuries under the rule of a ruthless dynasty, they suddenly all disappeared, and Colia must now decide its own destiny.

Driz

Driz is one of the oldest surviving nations of Ravia, having been founded during the early years after the Titanfall. Due to an ancient pact made out of desperate necessity, it has been controlled throughout its entire recorded history by the followers of a single deity: the Dark Prince. It is a shadowy land of furtive whispers ruled by the immortal Black Triune, whose populace is closely watched by the clergy of the Dark Prince, lest they stray from his heinous teachings.

Gebzon

The Gebzon Protectorate in eastern Ravia was a land long defined by its conflict with the Infernal forces of the Bleeding Mire. For over a century, people from all over Memory came here to support the native Gebzonese in their crusades to drive back the devils to the west. The fortunes of the crusaders rose and fell until a seeming miracle occurred: The stream of devils seemed to stop  With the end of the war, Gebzon’s Queen stepped down and appointed her Chancellor, a civilian, to rule Gebzon. The nation is now dealing with the aftermath of the war, defeating the remaining devils of the Mire, reclaiming the corrupted lands they left behind, and managing its own internal struggles with its few, war-depleted resources.

Gevan Union

A rising power on the Northern shores of Ravia Gevia desperately wants to be an empire whose power rivals those of the great nations of Memory. At the moment it is a nation whose ambition outstrips its abilities, but with new incentives encouraging immigration and enlistment in the national army, this may not be the case for long.

Gorian Federation

The Gorian Federation is a land glutting itself on the wealth of trade, ruled by the high prophet of a strange, secular religion that values wealth and trade above any deity. This religion permeates every level of Gorian society, as followers of the Prophecies of the Coffer favor each other in all business deals. While other religions are tolerated in Goria, their followers rarely go far, as the majority of the Gilded Bureaucracy which runs Goria is made up of followers of the Prophecy

Khiz

The terrain of Khiz is utterly dominated by tall and imposing peaks, rich with ore and ironbloom mushrooms. Heavily populated by dwarves, This nation is the largest center of dwarven culture on or beneath Memory. Khunbund, the largest dwarven city on Memory is located under The mountains of Khiz.

Korstadia

The Venerable Kingdom of Korstadia is a fog-shrouded nation of countless horrors, and a once-proud realm that suffered under the tyranny of a litch-king for centuries.

Lonisian Confederation

Lonisia is a burgeoning confederation located in Central Ravia. Formerly an archduchy of Tordal, the Archduchy of Lonisia, it seceded and became an independent country.

Merhal

Merhal is a struggling country that only recently gained independence from the imperialistic nation of Gevia to the south, which continues to try to reclaim it. The people of Merhal are proud of their freedom, liberty, and self-sufficiency and are continually on guard for incursions by their Northern neighbor.

Rzhis 

Rzhis is a harsh, cold northern land covered in the snow and ice of a winter that has lasted centuries. The snow never melts, and almost as omnipresent as the snow and ice, is the feeling of dread that pervades the nation, for as harsh and unforgiving as the land is, it is nothing compared to those who rule it. The land has traditionally been governed by the White Witches of Rzhis, descendants of the terrible crone, the Witch Queen.

Safran Commune

Safra has long been a haven for pirates, anarchists, exiles, and anyone else who does not fit into the more "civilized" nations. The commune is by no means a unified nation but rather a constantly shifting group of small city-states and fiefdoms (never larger than a few thousand souls), each at odds with the others, both to gain more power and prevent their own demise.

Salvia

Salvia is a vassal state of Saol. In the eyes of the Tzardom it is not so much a sovereign nation as a glorified trade route

Saolish Tzardom

Saol remains one of the most powerful nations militarily in Ravia. Its control of the Imperial Bay, the passage between Ravia and the Chaia Sea, also gives it a vital role in much of the region's trade. Nevertheless, as important as the nation may be today, it pales compared to its former Imperial glories. Today, in the eyes of most external observers in other parts of Ravia, Saol suffers from extreme diabolism and a tyranny that prevent it from truly achieving its full potential. Internal observers, including the new nobility of Saol, firmly believe that the Dark Prince and Hell serve Saol and assist in maintaining the power necessary for Saol to assume its rightful role among the leading nations of Ravia

Shom Brotherhood

The realm known as Shom was once a turbulent, violent Costal Kingdom called the Arch-Duchy of Seborut, where leadership changed as often as the years. This ended in when the land was conquered by Shom, a petty tyrant masquerading as a god.

Tordal

Knights, fair maidens, heroic adventures, and righteous quests are the legends of old Tordal. But the once-powerful empire has fallen from its former glory. Now rival nobles battle each other with bitter knights and proxy armies for personal power rather than honor. A smoldering truce with Kuma again threatens to ignite into war, and Tordal's daughter states look down upon her with contempt. Yet there is still greatness in Tordal; a stone foundation under the flaking gold adornments. Sons and daughters of forgotten royal bloodlines hear change on the wind—but is it the whisper of greatness to come, or the death rattle of an empire long past its prime?

Zhian League

The Zhian Wilderness are the homelands of the Kotu people and are kingdoms as wild and untameable as the people who live there. Nestled on the northeastern tip of Ravia, it is a realm of taiga and marshland that spends much of the year frozen beneath layers of snow, a place utterly inhospitable to all but the hardiest people

Key Features:

City of Arann: Arann, also known as the City of Spires, is a magnificent metropolis perched on the southern tip of Rafs Island. Arann serves as a beacon of civilization, a center of knowledge, and a hub of commerce in the world of Memory.

Ambitions Influence: Many settlements in the Ravia Region often reflect the dark influence of a foreboding power. Fortified cities, shadowy hideouts, and decadent palaces stand as bastions of power, often ruled by enigmatic figures who trade in secrets and manipulate the fates of others. Hidden catacombs, dark magic academies, and clandestine guilds thrive beneath the surface, where knowledge of forbidden arts and twisted rituals is sought after.

Seolish Coast: Along the northeastern coast of Ravia lies the Seolish Coast, a rugged and diverse shoreline with picturesque cliffs, hidden coves, and treacherous waters. Seafaring adventurers, pirates, and traders frequent these shores, seeking fortune and fame while navigating the perils of storms and sea monsters.

Titans' Path: Ravia's landscape is imprinted with traces of the Elemental Titans' ancient footsteps. Known as the Titans' Path, these colossal marks on the land serve as sacred sites for various cultures, drawing pilgrims seeking blessings, inspiration, and connection to the primordial forces that shaped the world.

Secrets of Ravia

The Lost City of Aindoria: Legends speak of a fabled city known as Aindoria, said to be the heart of an ancient and advanced civilization. The city's location remains a mystery, lost to the annals of time. Explorers, archaeologists, and treasure hunters have dedicated their lives to finding the Lost City, believing that its discovery could unlock the secrets of forgotten technologies and arcane wonders.

The Sanctum of Balance: Hidden within the depths of Ravia, where the forces of white and black mana converge, lies the Sanctum of Balance, the prison that houses Shadowreaper, the Elemental Titan of Black Mana. This sacred site is a testament to the delicate equilibrium between opposing forces and the resolute determination to contain the primal power of black mana with the purity of white mana represented in the celestial pearl, the Machtstone of white mana. However, the Black Mana Elemental Titan's imprisonment is not without its dangers. Cursed lands, twisted creatures, and the allure of forbidden magics test the resolve of those who venture into the depths of the Ravia Region. Adventurers must navigate treacherous intrigues, confront their inner demons, and resist the temptations of power surrounding them.

Under the Reaper’s Shadow: Certain factions of the Ravia Region embody ambition, cunning, and an unyielding thirst for power. They are individuals who navigate the treacherous waters of politics, engage in cutthroat mercantile dealings, and harness forbidden magics to achieve their desires. Dark knights clad in ebony armor, necromancers who command the restless dead, and rogue assassins lurking in the shadows are all part of the tapestry of life in this region. Adventurers drawn to the Ravia Region often find themselves entangled in webs of intrigue, pursuing hidden artifacts of power, and seeking to understand the depths of forbidden knowledge. They may be tasked with unmasking conspiracies, thwarting the plans of dark cults, or venturing into ancient crypts in search of forgotten treasures. The path they tread is perilous, with every step potentially leading them deeper into darkness.

The Unseen Nexus: Hidden deep within the heart of Ravia is a mythical place known as the Unseen Nexus. This ethereal realm is said to be a junction of realities, a meeting point of worlds, and a realm where time and space intertwine. Those who dare to traverse the Unseen Nexus may find themselves gifted with unique insights and extraordinary powers or cursed with madness and chaos.

Adventurer Hooks:

Arcane Apprenticeship: The City of Arann beckons aspiring mages and arcane enthusiasts. Seek apprenticeship under renowned wizards, unravel ancient magical texts, and prove yourself worthy of the secrets guarded within the city's esteemed magical academies.