The Coast of Iyresa is a country bordering the Black Tides on its north and eastern shore, and boasts the status of being the largest trade hub of the world. The largest cities in Iyresa are cascadea and stonefall.
Cascadea sits atop a gigantic floating landmass that was suspended in the air 62,000 years ago for some unknown reason. While Cascadea is widely regarded as being the undisputed king of entertainment and pleasure cities, as well as hosting the one of the most luxurious auction facilities in the world, it is no exaggeration to say only the wealthiest of the wealthy and high-profile merchants or adventurers can hope to stay.
The city of Cascadea was built slightly above the surface of a shallow lake on the floating landmass, and is densely constructed with East-asian (china/japan) architecture, with plenty of orange lanterns, tatami, sliding doors, pagoda-style roofing, and small arching bridges to cross between the lake’s water channels. Navigation through the city is done through either walking or via East-Asian canoe/boat. The city is split into 5 different districts, called Drifts. As the center of the lake is a pit where the water from the lake falls into, the city itself was built starting on the edges of the lake, leaving about a 500m space from the pit.
On the other hand, the city of Stonefall, which sits in the crater left behind by the violent dislodging of the floating landmass, enjoys only the second-hand benefits of Cascadea: medium quality goods and services, as well as more crime and disorganization. Split into 5 different sections of the city (denoted by elevation) called Hollows, the higher Hollows enjoy sunlight and more organization and regulations, while lower hollows devolve into a survival of the fittest and chaotic livelihood with black markets and unethical or illegal activities. The different hollows are separated by (something??), and entrances from one Hollow to another are heavily guarded. The only way to move from one Hollow to another is via (something??).
To enter the country, there are pathways coming from the cindral-mountains in the southwest, as well as port-phyrella: one of the largest sea ports for ships coming in from anywhere in the Black Tides.
Between the main cities and the mountains, Iyresa is made up of abundant plains which are home to B-D rank monsters.
To the west, in the cindral-mountains, there are numerous caves which are host to both precious ores and ferocious beasts.
Due to the central and highly visited nature of Iyresa, many festivals take place in the region, in celebration of the mosaic of cultures and peoples.
iyresan-bay: an underwater plateau of shallow depth which was home to beastfolk cities and towns of ages past destroyed in wars. The bay is home to a myriad of fish who make their homes in the illuminated waters.
Iyresa was originally home to the beastfolk, who inhabited every inch of land east of the cindral-mountains.
62,000 years ago, a meteor hit the northern part of the land, sending the beastfolk southeast towards the forest.
The meteor blast shot out floatstone which landed in the index, alerting the inhabiting humans of the the power the stone had. As a result of the new discovery and power of the stone, the humans ventured down across Black Tides to see the aftermath of the blast to see if the could salvage even more magical materials.
==Upon arrival, humans imitated powers from the stone and learned/evolved their own magic. Some people from the index saw these new magical phenomena as blasphemous as it went against their religion, and others wanted to keep exploring these abilities and make it apart of their day-to-day lives; hence, this created a new population of humans in the north of the continent, whereas the non-believers travelled back to the isles.==
Eventually, the beastfolk returned to rebuild civilization but were faced with foreign humans from the index, resulting in tensions which led to a territorial dispute.
This dispute was violent, as the beastfolk were abundant in number. However, the humans had managed to hone their magical abilities enough to be able to fend off a large amount of opponents with both defensive and offensive spellcasting.
A shrine was built southeast of the crater on an island. This shrine was meant for beastfolk to come and pray when their loved ones were out fighting.
The humans, knowing they were outnumbered, and the beastfolk, knowing they could not match the humans’ offensive powers, eventually decided to call a ceasefire. This ceasefire lasted for a year before coming back together and declaring a truce, where both beings could co-exist.
To this day, the truce remains and the beings co-exist peacefully with each other.
The Floating Landmass and Cascadea's Origin: The floating landmass that houses Cascadea is believed to have been suspended 62,000 years ago by an ancient and forgotten civilization. Legends suggest it was the result of a cataclysmic battle between two powerful deities, one seeking to destroy the world and another protecting it. The pit in the center of Cascadea's lake is rumored to be a remnant of the god's spear strike. Fragments of this civilization's arcane glyphs can still be found in Cascadea's undercity, which remains largely unexplored.
Stonefall’s Struggles: The crater left by the landmass’s dislodging gave rise to Stonefall, a city built from the ruins of the original settlement. Its earliest inhabitants were refugees and survivors of the cataclysm, struggling to adapt to a hostile environment. The city eventually became a haven for outlaws, mercenaries, and traders seeking to profit from Cascadea’s splendor, leading to its current fractured society.
Detailed Notes
Government Structure
The coast is a democratically run nation with a chair made up of 10 people. Of the 10, 5 come from cascadea, where each candidate is from a different drift, and 5 from stonefall, where each candidate is from a separate hollow.
Due of the diversity of the chair, internal conflict arises because of opposing interests and goals.
Internal conflicts leads to negligence in both cities, which results in crime lords arising in the lower Hollows
Cascadean Elite: Wealthy merchants, adventurers, and entertainers. The rich enjoy lavish lifestyles with access to private auctions, feasts, and the best luxuries.
Stonefall Upper Hollows: Artisans, traders, and guild members benefit from proximity to Cascadea but lack its opulence.
Stonefall Lower Hollows: Laborers, petty criminals, and displaced refugees live in squalor, where survival outweighs morality.
Rural Plainsfolk: Farmers, hunters, and small-town traders. Largely self-sufficient.
Political/Social Ideology and Culture
Iyresa’s society values wealth, ingenuity, and adaptability over tradition or lineage. This capitalist ethos makes it a beacon for traders and adventurers but fosters stark inequalities. Its political neutrality allows it to serve as a diplomatic meeting point for rival nations, though behind closed doors, power is wielded by the wealthy and ruthless.
Trade and Economics
The main industries of the Coast is trading and tourism/traveling, and entertainment.
Other industries include: property (especially on cascadea and the first hollow), mining, and purchases on any mosaic of magic items, runic technology and knowledge.
Export ores, and magic tools
port-phyrella: One of the busiest ports in the world, handling everything from massive merchant ships to smaller smuggling vessels.
stonefall’s Black Markets: A hub for forbidden goods—stolen relics, counterfeit potions, and illicit substances.
Very few skilled merchants use illusion spells to make their wares more appealing.
Organized crime has risen in the lower Hollows, such as smuggling, kidnapping, drug dealing, thievery, illegal use of magical items, and manslaughter.
The organized crime has arisen due to tensions in the government chair, where even though stonefall has 5 representatives, no real changes are being made to make the quality of life better. Crime lords are resorting to these crimes so that they can make a living as well as protect their peers from other crime lords.
cascadea is absent of crime on paper, however, many citizens strike deals with crime lords from stonefall to obtain illegal substances or other dangerous items.
The upper class of humans in cascadea, though rare, use illegal illusion magic to deceive traders or customers for personal gain. Some of these scholars of magic have made their way up into a government chair.
Education
Inter-racial relations
Music/Fashion/Food
Science, Medicine, and Technology
Runic Vehicles: Enchanted boats and carriages that use small runestones for propulsion and navigation.
Clockwork Gadgets: The artisans of stonefall craft intricate mechanical devices, such as auto-crossbows, lockpick tools, and even small automata for basic labor.
Mining Equipment: Magic-powered drills and carts used in the cindral-mountains for extracting ores.
Military, Secret Services, Conflict
The Coast does not have a military, due to being strictly a neutral nation that is sworn not to support any side in any conflict. However, due to the disparity between the livelihood in cascadea and stonefall, it cannot be said that there are no underhand deals and decisions being made.
The Supernatural/Myths/Legends
Michael Jackson
Architecture/Civic Planning
Densely constructed with East-Asian (China/Japan) architecture
Aging & Pregnancy
Marriage
Death, Funerals, and the Afterlife
Adventuring Hooks
Forbidden Depths of cascadea: The pit at Cascadea’s center is off-limits, with rumors of ancient horrors or treasures lying beneath the lake.
Hidden Caverns in thecindral-mountains: Some believe these caves house runic teleportation gates to other realms, guarded by elemental beings.
Trade Rivalry: A wealthy Cascadean merchant hires adventurers to sabotage a rising rival in stonefall, igniting tension between the cities.
Monsters in the iyresan-plains: Increasing monster attacks threaten Iyresa’s trade routes, hinting at a deeper disturbance in the land.
