===== Eastern Rhine ===== The Eastern Rhine was one of the earliest full regions conquered by Centralia. The Balenjiogajo Reach contains a wealth of resources, primarily the balenjiogajo the region is named for. Their hides and fat were quite attractive to hunters and fishers for food, clothing, and all manner of oils. At the same time, The Eastern Rhine contains many dense forests of spruce and sequoias good for shipbuilding. The region contains The Barkholm Chain, Na’Roo, the Kamman Refuge, the Ile Aux Vaux, the Ile De Sarver, the Mayshire Isles, the Vensay Atoll, and a series of smaller island settlements established by Centralia to drain the area of resources. Very few native settlements still exist. Those that do are either very well hidden or very well protected. === Kamman Refuge === The Kamman Refuge contains two of the earliest Centralian settlements in the Eastern Rhine. Port Eastmere and Port Courtsborough were both early attempts at not simply establishing trading fortresses, but permanent places for Centralian nobles and primarily civilians to live and make a profit meant to be sent back to the Centralian Isle. The people of both cities have close relationships with the large native rondo known as the Kamman. Primarily semiaquatic lizards, but with many humanoids and even a few orcs in their ranks, this rondo travels across the island in cycles, living with the land. Due to their amicability when dealing with the initial wave of Centralian settlers, they were allowed to continue their ways of life without much disturbance by the Centralian Lords. As such, the island is a sort of refuge for the native people here. Similar to the Barkholm Chain, the island was initially settled due to having vast amounts of thick woods good for lumber, particularly to create ships. A few large plains stretch across the island, which were found to be reasonably fertile, making them ideal for farmland and thus a good starting place for Centralia to test out their colonization in the first place. Neither city is particularly impressively large, but they’re certainly modernized by Centralian standards. Both Port Eastmere and Port Courtsborough are wonderful places to live, if not a bit quiet. === Ile Aux Vaux (Isle of Valleys) === Ile Aux Vaux, translated as the Isle of Valleys, is an island owned by a Centralian noble family called the Montres. Their primary source of wealth is focused on farming. Indeed, the valley was found to contain a proper floodplain in it, great for growing grains that require a lot of water during the wet seasons. The manor of Montrevaux is one of the largest in the Rhine, said to be nearly the size of a village on its own. Many of the people living in or near the manor are farmers or servants for the Montre family. === Ile De Sarver (Sarver Island) === Similar to the Ile Aux Vaux, the Ile De Sarver is an island run by the Sarver family from Centralia. Their city of Cape Sarver is quite small and out of the way, but serves heavy strategic importance to Centralia via the Sea of Silver. The Ile De Sarver has some of the richest silver deposits on Jaern hidden in a massive cavern system below the islands, mapped to even go deep below the ocean. === Mayshire Isles === The Mayshire isles are a trio of small islands that serve as the fishing hub of this end of The Rhine. Valenmasse in particular was established for and is well known for hunting mass amounts of balenjiogajo for their rich resources. In other words, Valenmasse and the rest of the Mayshire Isles by extension, are a permanent home for the impermanent sailors of The Rhine. Given the island is near the edge of The Rhine, a few ships each year are still able to operate during The Freeze, bringing in important fats and oils to keep people warm. Meanwhile, during the summer months, scores of fish are caught out in the ocean here and sent back to the rest of The Rhine. Truly, the Mayshire Isles must be blessed by the gods in some way for its abundance, with no fear of ever taking more than what the land can provide. Surely, that could never happen, right? === Vensay Atoll === On the opposite side of the Mayshire Reef from the Mayshire Isles lies the Vensay Atoll. The Atoll is uninhabited by sapient life. However, the shallow waters inside the Atoll contain a dense biodiversity unknown to the Rhine, especially after its colonization. Much of the sea life here is designed to withstand the cold, either through thick hairs or thick blubber acting as warmth to protect against the Atoll’s cold waters. During The Freeze, the inside of the Atoll is covered with a layer of ice, forcing the sea life inside to hunker down and wait for the Rhine to warm. The ice is usually thick enough to walk across, but thin enough that one could theoretically see the isolated miniature ocean below their feet. === Barkholm Chain === The Barkholm Chain is a string of isles connected by small reefs containing Cape Lafey. A small landmark known as Dain’s Cairn rests to the north, but who precisely it was intended to commemorate has been lost to history. The island chain is home to a string of thick forests of massive sequoias. Enough lumber to build several homes resides in even a single tree. Cape Lafey was established in 2223, by an elf named Gustavo Lafey. The Lafey family still runs the port city with a close eye. The city serves as the major place of transport to and from the island chain, taking in many lumberworkers who seek to make a living. === Na’Roo === Na’Roo, and its southern neighbor Na’Too, were only recently brought into the Centralian fold. In 2545, trade treaties were officially made with the native inhabitants of both islands, allowing the Centralians to build port cities, Port Archer and Fort Shaylyn, with the caveat that the semi-aquatic lizards living on the island would have both full rights as citizens and the freedom to practice their own nomadic lifestyles on the islands. Centralia relented primarily because their focus had shifted towards the rising threats of Prall and the Southwest region, meaning they were desperate to make any sort of deal with the people of Na’Roo and Na’Too, especially given the two blocked off a very fast current between the Mayshire Isles and Cape Lafey. The port cities themselves are modernized to the Centralian style, they are far from temporary “frontier” forts. Yet, they are still quite small. Some also give reports of a ghost town in the area, said to have been Centralian settlers from centuries before during their first attempts at conquesting the Rhine. === Sandtane Archipelago === There are no major Centralian settlements on Sandtane Archipelago. Coralblade Reef contains a special subspecies of coral that is quite proficient at splitting apart large ships, making the area hostile to attempt to navigate for all but smaller ships. A thriving set of Shellbearer nomad rondos live among the island chain, with one in particular known for valuing endurance and power. This rondo has odd customs for dealing with its dead. It honors the memory of the dead by reusing their body. While their spirit moves to the Kurago, their soul can find peace knowing even in death they have a use and a purpose. Some have their shells made into shields or armor. Most prefer for their bodies to be utilized as a fertilizer for growing crops.