Lipton, the capital city of Knorr, is a common starting place for adventurers, and almost all who live there agree that the tunnel under the sea is mythical. Mendicants claim to know where it is, but usually at the cost of a drink of Eurr and a meal. Alistair Ileth, a scholar of navigation, cartography, and history argues that the mere existence of tunnels that would take months, riding, to traverse, presupposes the existence of sea monsters so terrible it would be worthwhile to forgo the expediency of sea travel, and if those existed, surely there would be some record.
(side note, if anyone wants to put an island or some shit in the upper left corner, I can move the stupid logo; I'm not fussy at all about where it ends up.)

 

In the the northernmost edge of Knorr in the Cavlgar mountain range lies the Lorraine Orrey. An ancient sanctum dedicated to the mapping and recording of the heavens. Older than all the current nations on the continent, the Orrey has withstood the millenia with no signs of decay. Its enchantments, rooted into the very mountains themselves have denied all forms of weathering on either the vast stone structure or the intricate instruments within.

Currently, the Orrey is a location of knowledge and study. The enchantments laid on it are perfect for ensuring the preservation of everything from ancient tomes to cultural relics. As such, it has become one of the most prestigious places of learning across Barovia.

What is not often mentioned is that the enchantments also extend to the residents inside. The passage of time no longer matters for those residing within its walls, causing many a researcher to lose track in the pursuit of knowledge. So long as you do not leave it is possible to live as long as you wish at the age you arrive. Leaving the grounds appears to end the effect, causing anyone to immediately experience the full passage of their frozen time.

 

In the far North East of Forgis, so far as to be nearly off the face of the known world, there is an ancient and ruined city. Few who have made it there and returned alive, for it is as far from one coast as another and takes weeks of perilous travels to reach. Those who have returned alive report that the city is larger than any other in the world, despite its ruined state, and that it contains all manner of mysteries. Buildings which reach unfeasibly towards the sky, liquids that burn, rooms that freeze anything stored in them, buildings that speak to you in unknown tongues, these are but a few of the crazed reports. But most mysterious of all, in this frozen and desolate wasteland, is art work that suggests this city once enjoyed a tropical climate - pictures of strange, pale creatures sunning themselves in shade of still recognisable landmarks, pictures of tree lined avenues and overflowing gardens.

Most discount these tales, and put it all down to madness. But still this nameless city exerts a pull on the wildest and most ambitious of adventurers. They wonder if perhaps they might be the one to unlock its secrets.

 

At the mouth of the Cysen lies the Delta. While nominally under the control of Knorr, these lands are more urbanized and wealthy than the rest of Knorr, the boroughs and cities of the Delta war amongst each other, but often will band together when they detect the overreach of the kingdom's authority.

 

I was starting to miss this thread. Oh, I decided the Delta has orchards.

 

Deep in the wastes of Forgis are the Darkwood Valleys. These shadowy and fog-filled valleys, actually a series of craters from hundreds of ancient lunar meteorites, are filled with a forest of tall, dark trees. The ground is filled with veins of silver, lunar rocks, and adamantine ore, which are absorbed into the trees, creating a wood that is nearly as strong as steel and weighing half as much. Only adamantine saws and axes are able to cut down these trees, and the mineral deposits in the soil are great components for gunpowder, leading to an abundance of firearms among the trappers in the region.

Various expeditions have made their way to the valleys, intending on obtaining the riches of woods, metals, and furs from the region. But the region is haunted by werewolves, wild elves, and other mysterious creatures of nature. Miners and trappers go missing often, and it is not unknown for a supply ship to return to a settlement to find it missing, with all buildings gone and no evidence of their existence remaining. Magic items and spells prove to be unreliable, either failing to work or creating completely random effects.

(Recycling some old DnD setting ideas. Think the old great northern American forests back during the early years of settling.)

 

The ancient kingdom of Knorr is marginally more powerful than the other two, and has a stronger military, but cannot attack either for fear of the third nation mopping up the remaining combatants after the war and becoming the biggest power on the continent. The minor Nations would have been fair game, had they not been part of alliances.

The founder of Knorr performed a rite of succession on a full white lone moon, the results of which have made the kingdom one of the most resilient and economically advanced Nations on Qitor. The rite's effect is deceptively simple, it allowes the founder's soul to displace that of his line's lawful heir upon succession, and then he may usurp the body of his heir and so on and so forth.

Much like a competent player playing ck2, this means that the leader of Knorr is perpetually forward thinking, unmoved by earthly distractions he's lived a hundred times, and can successfully complete plans that will come to fruition well after his current form's natural life.

As such Knorr has never had to suffer a mad King, just a ruthless pragmatist who perpetually becomes more and more skilled. As such, though it is one of the last major countries to be ruled by an aristocracy, it functions relatively smoothly.

The current goal of the secret perpetual ruler is to bring Knorr and all its provinces properly under him. Since he can't expand outward, he's consolidating power and focusing on making the country itself more prosperous and powerful.

 

The plans of the immortal King of Knorr are slowing more and more with every decade that goes by, as he grows more distant from not only his people, but his generals and nobles. His lack of understanding of ordinary concerns, or indeed of basic mortality, are slowly but surely eroding the loyalty of his nation, and if he doesn't act to improve things he will most certainly be overthrown within this current lifetime.

Or so the secret oracles of the Priests of Slorath predict.

 

There are myths, almost legends really, of a cult that operates on Forgis. They are said to worship the Dragon of Desolation and have worked to bring back it's return for centuries. Those who encounter them are said to be sacrificed. Their lives given to the restoration of the great Dragon. Adventure's who return are said to be different.