Acqua's Work In Progress Map

[Acquariana]

For some reason recently in my creative challenges and work shop stuff I've been revolving around this whole Dark Queen's Empire idea, so during one of my character challenges I had no idea how to describe her location so I just decided to come up with a really rough map of her world in about two hours. Also, I know that the abbreviation is supposed to be DQE, not DQR but I'm too lazy to erase, radda radda. I also tried to fill in land masses and water with colors but paint is evil and won't let me do the color dump correctly. ;__; Just know if it has blue lines/text within it or above/below it, it's a land-mass.

Political Map:


Environmental Map:
(Currently being Reconstructed. Have to re-learn some geology stuff. x__x)

Bodies of Water Map (Please note that the rivers, lakes and seas pictured are only the largest/most significant ones.)



Map Legend:
Political Map:
Brown lines = separation between land mass and water
White within the brown shapes = continents or islands
Light blue lines = political borders
Light blue names = political entities
Black names/Purple color = uninhabited

Environmental Map Color Codes:
Land:
Purple: Tundra
Dark Blue: Taiga
Dark Green: Temperate Deciduous Forest/Temperate Rainforest/Subtropical Forest
Light Green: Prairie (Temperate Grassland)
Orange: Savanna (Sub-tropical/Tropical grassland)
Light-blue: Rainforest (tropical)
Tan/Sand: Chaparral
Yellow: Desert

Seas/Oceans Notes:
Red line: Major current that is warmer than 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit)
Purple line: Major current that is between 15 degrees Celsius and 7.5 degrees Celsius (59-45.5 degrees celsius)
Blue line: Major current that is cooler than 7.5 degrees Celsius but not frozen (45.5 degrees Fahrenheit)

Continents and Their Countries:
· Luthena: DQR, Ishborga, Altaios, Partens, Istanelia, Frontanelia, Arthemex, Versalon
· Calropa: Tropos, Lyria, Kingdom of Arxa, Kingdom of Ixfarra, Istaira, Republic of Astr, Composina
· Aestora: Kingdom of Arsea
· Draconia: Drocanian Empire
· Ysira: North Hansr, South Hansr
· Asara: Oscarza
· Efama: Southern Tundra

Lower Case I = Somewhat important Islands:
1.Aeser (Controlled by Ishborga); Trade
2.Altaina (Disputed territory between Ishborga and Altaios); Minor religious site
3.Ättinon (Controlled by Ishborga); Trading
4.Osira (Autonomous State within Ishborga's domain); Precious gems
5.Tekki (Autonomous State within Ishborga's Domain); Minor religious site
6.Afeà (Independent, but in a military alliance with C1); Trading
7.Telokenolos (Controlled by the Kingdom of Arsea); Trading
8.Istrior (Disputed territory between Tropos and the Kingdom of Arsea); Minor religious site

Upper Case I = Important Islands/Island Countries:
1.Ersgarthi = Disputed territory between DRQ, Ishborga and Altaios; major trade center of the north
2.Kingdom of Aria = Independent Kingdom allied with C2; crops and also a center of trade along its southern coast.
3.Isica = An island under the control of the Kingdom of Aria. Supplies crops.
4.Sosgarthi = Independent, though under threat of invasion by the Kingdom of Arxa; major religious site
5.Hanserlanthi = Disputed territory between North Hansr, South Hansr and the Kingdom of Arxa. Precious gems
6.Azelam = Independent. Major trade center between the Kingdom of Arsea, Tropos, Composina, the Kingdom of Ixfarra, and the Drocanian Empire.
7.Yusosgarthi = Once independent but under siege by the Drocanian empire. Home to a major religious site.

Upper Case C = United Set of City States
1.City States of the Aeribbean Peninsula = Unified by a military alliance and economically through use of the same currency.
2.City States of the Osethran peninsula = Unified by a military alliance only. Under threat of being conquered by Lyria.
3.City States of Aðem (Adhem): Unified by a military alliance and economic alliance through the use of a non-tolling system for fellow city states as well as the same currency. Currently free from threat of invasion.

 

[Acquariana]

Races:
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Humans: Initiators of the Scientific Revolution. They are the most capable of working with technology, creating steam-punk era technology to deal with problems that other races would use magic to overcome. This is due to their limited ability to use magic. Height of adults ranges from five to six feet, with females generally being shorter than males. Builds can also vary considerably depending on social class. They have the most complex caste systems out of the animals, as well as the most distinguished set of social norms and political systems for their complexity and ubiquity. The majority of humans live in the northern states, idolizing the Dark Queen. However, there are sizable human populations throughout all of the countries who worship Luthena or other gods depending on their location and upbringing with other races. Human societies, in spite of the Dark Queen's powerful reign, tend to be patriarchal. They also tend to be the most zealous about religious causes, leaders often using religious causes as an excuse to trick the masses into supporting some petty war for an island or piece of territory from another country.

Magi: Magi are quite diverse, and arguably more intelligent than humans. Their diversity stems from the fact that they can possess powers concerning many different areas, with elemental, healing, and psychic magi being the most common. However, they are not as technologically advanced in normal cases due to the use of magic to alleviate problems that humans use technology to solve. If they make technology, it is normally to enhance, apply, or ease the use of magical powers. Magi are arguably a subspecies of human, for they are able to interbreed with humans and produce fertile "mud-blood" offspring. They also look the most like humans, with similar builds and heights. However, they are capable of possessing odd eye colors such as purple and red that are extremely rare for humans. They are also capable of posessing unusual hair colors such as green and blue. They live in almost all countries except for the Dark Queen's Empire, where the surviving magi have been sent to labor camps. Most worship Luthena, although some will pray to other deities or gods depending on their specific powers or the influence of other races on their religious views. For example, many Magi in the deserts of Tropos might pray to the desert angel Harena because of the religious influence of the Sylphs they live with. Magi societies tend to have more equal gender roles than human ones, but still tend to have more males in political power.

Elves: Elves are the second least distant from humans and can interbreed with both magi and humans. It is proposed that genetically they are nature-based magi whose mutations giving them their ability to understand Nature's ways have been furthered. Most are quite tall and lanky, ranging from six to eight feet in height. Common hair colors include chocolate brown, a sandy blonde, and leaf green, with shades ranging in between those somewhat less common. They often live in forests or meadows, tending to plants for medicinal use or for food. They tend to dislike technology because they are aware of the harm it does to the wildlife that they love. Although the Elves are very tolerant of other religions, they strongly defend their worship of Naturia, Luthena's first daughter who acts as Mother Nature. Elves run tightly knit, matriarchal societies focused on teaching equality of all under Naturia and Luthena and a good respect for Naturia's ways. They typically inhabit places with temperate forests such as Istanelia, Ishborga, the islands in the Swindle Sea, and Altaios. However, there is also a large population in the southwestern and northern parts of Versalon because the altitude tempers the tropic's wind currents and high pressure winds from the north into what feels like Spring year-round. Also, most populations from Istanelia have migrated southward to the forests of Frontelia in an attempt to evade the Dark Queen's labor camp collectors.

Sylphs: They drift throughout the world, but tend to build homes in the deserts of southeast Tropos and the northeast of the Kingdom of Arxa. They have two forms. Their humanoid form tends to look somewhat androgynous to other races, mostly with males due to the fact that most Sylphs have long hair. Typically in the desert, they tend to be tan or dark with dark eyes and dark hair; however, they can easily change their skin and eye color to whatever they wish, even becoming temporarily transparent if desired. Most adults are shorter than adult humans, from about four and a half to five and a half feet in height, with little to no significant difference in height between males and females. Their air-form, which can range from the appearance of a harpy to complete invisibility, depends on what the sylph wants to look like. Most earn their living as messengers, being able to travel hundreds of kilometers in a single day. Almost all Sylphs can converse in at least three languages, that of the sylphs and those of the two areas they most frequently visit in their travels. Their religious views are somewhat looser and allow for multiple deities to be worshipped; however, Luthena is almost always recognized as most important. The importance of the desert angels Harena, Sira, and Soara vary from Sylph to Sylph. Other than being messengers, there are some sylphs who are renowned for their singing. Some argue that their voices even surpass the merfolk's voices. They are currently unwelcomed by the queen, for her desire to promote the newly built railroads has led her to brand their messenger role in society as unnecessary and costly.

Merfolk: Like the Sylphs, they too possess two forms. However, they are quite restricted, not being able to be out of water for more than a week at a time. Their first form is their aquatic form, a humanoid torso and head with a scale-covered portion of their body merging their two legs, their feet bones modified to form a tail. To be able to breathe underwater, three small, scaly flaps on each side of the neck act as gills. An uncommon but not unheard of mutation is the occurrence of two tails due to the separation of the two leg bones. Skin tone and hair varies like human's; however, there are additional hair colors that they can possess such as blue, turquoise, and green. They are like the Elves of the water, strongly connected to Luthena's son Wundmar, who has dominion over the creatures of the sea. There are many temples underwater devoted to the worship of Wundmar as well as Luthena. Other than their ability to communicate to sea creatures and manipulate water to a minor extent, they have melodic voices that can hypnotize humans. Like the Sylphs they tend to be bilingual, growing up knowing both the local dialect of Mërvolska (the Merfolk's language) and the language by the people living on the shore. They tend to live in under-water towns made of stone a couple miles away from the coast of almost all the seas except for the DQR's sea where the population has been hunted to near-extinction for their scales, which are said to be almost as valuable as precious gems. There are also no populations in the Southern Sea nor the Aðem Sea due to the water being inhospitably cold for them. In terms of view on gender roles they are on par with magi, with the preference for a matriarchal or patriarchal society varying from town to town.

Fae: Fae are an all-female race that are born from the flowers of Fae Trees, a plant thought to have originated in the forests of northern Frontelia. They are no larger than the size of a song-bird and tend to live in small colonies in forests, making homes and buildings out of dead trees and bushes. They have weak magical powers, being able to shoot off little sparks of light and illuminate a small area if need be. They often use their powers to mischievously dazzle and frighten little children in nearby villages. They worship Luthena and Naturia, but do not really devote a particular time or location to worship. They believe in the idea that faith alone shall bless them and provide salvation when the time comes.

Dragons: Although quite rare outside of the Drocanian empire, there are significant populations present in the countries of Composina and Istaira. Adults tend to be large, at about 20 feet in height and 25 feet in length. They are characterized by various colored scales covering their whole body except for their wings and belly. Their belly is soft, which often leads them to cover it with precious gems found in the caves they inhabit for protection. Typical wingspans for a dragon range from 40 feet to 50 feet. Most dragons can breathe fire, although it requires the use of chemicals that they would rather not use. Thus most use their claws or intimidating roars to scare away potential threats before using fire. Dragons, unlike their nearest relatives, the Salamanders, are actually quite sentient, as shown by their long poetic tradition accounted for by runic transcriptions found throughout the country side of the Drocanian empire. Their mother tongue, mostly unaffected by interactions with the other races, is said to be the oldest existing language, with most dragons being able to read Draconic runes that were written over two millenia ago during the many wars that plagued late antiquity like an educated English speaker can read Shakespearean English without much difficulty. It is actually from these runes that most of the history of the ancient world is known. In terms of religion, the Dragons tend to take very individual approaches with it due to their isolation from one another, which leads to them not really having an organized religion. All that is certain is that the majority believe in Luthena as divine in some way. Also, contrary to the Queen's propaganda, they are not ravenous man-eaters. Most prefer to hunt the deer and elk that live in the forests near their mountain range. It should be noted, though, that desperate ones might turn to livestock and horses to feed themselves.

Unicorns: Unicorns are like horses, but not domesticated and much more intelligent. They originate from the Kingdom of Arsea, but due to their endurance have managed to swim from hunter's ships and begin small populations in forests along the coasts of Tropos and the Kingdom of Ixfarra. They are sought out by humans and magi for their blood, which is a key ingredient in the most powerful healing potions. Their tears are also known to have powerful healing properties. They are typically white with a silver horn that extends anywhere from a foot long to a meter long. There are also however black ones with silver colored horns. While communication with Magi and Humans is quite rare for them due to their avoidance of them at almost all costs in most cases, they are capable of communicating to all races in all languages via telepathy. They tend to pray to and worship Naturia, although they respect Luthena for being Naturia's mother.
Pegasuses (apparently Pegasi is wrong o_o): Pegasuses are basically unicorns plus wings. They can interbreed with Unicorns but it is rare because they tend to travel in different groups and have a much wider range than the Unicorns. They can be found in forests and meadows in every country in the continent of Luthena, all countries in the continent of Calropa, the Kingdom of Arsea, Oscarza, the Drocanian Empire, and the continent of Ysira.
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[Acquariana]

A Timeline from Prehistory to Present
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30000 A.L.*: Glaciers covering down to southern Ishborga and glaciers covering up to northern Oscarza begin to melt and recede.
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27000 A.L.: First Elvish civilizations found in the forests along the coast of modern day Tropos
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25000 A.L: Global climate warms enough for Magi and Humans to begin migrating northward from the islands of the Aeribbean Sea. Nomadic tribes of Humans and Magi established in the Western and Eastern Aeribbean Peninsulas. Oldest dated ruins of Merfolk civilization found off the coast of modern day Tropos.
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20000 A.L.: First signs of civilization among the nomadic sylph tribes of the deserts in the middle of Calropa.
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19000 A.L.: Humans begin farming communities in southern Luthena, Vampires retreat to the borderlands of the Northern Tundra due to an end of the Ice Age.
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10000 A.L.: Further warming of the global climate prompts Human and Magi migration further northward and southward in the northern and southern hemispheres. Tribes established in Draconia, and modern-day Ishborga. Supposed date of domestication of animals such as dogs in Luthena as well as cats in Calropa, horses in the Kingdom of Arsea, and Pygmy dragons for flight in the northernmost part of Draconia as well as in the southernmost parts of Calropa.
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5000 A.L.: First advanced civilization found in the rain forests of what is modern day Lyria. First signs of primitive sail ships found at ruins on the Eastern Aeribbean Peninsula.
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4500 A.L.: Invention of handwriting via runic script along the northeastern coast of modern day Istanelia.
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3000 A.L.: Extinction of Vampires, although written evidence of their language is found in the DQE and the northern parts of Altaios and Partens.
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4000 A.L.: Several tribes band together to form the Aethir empire (roughly comprising of the modern day countries of Istanelia, Ishborga, and the Dark Queen's Empire west of the Prime Meridian). First major empire
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4000-3000 A.L.: Expansion of Aethir Empire via conquering the tribes of Partens and Altaios. Formation of the Calropean Empire (all of the continent of Calropa) and further development of civilization in the northern peninsula of the modern day Drocanian Empire. Formation of the Kingdom of Hansr.
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3000-2000 A.L.: Several minor wars between the empires over territory in the Swindle, Aeribbean, and Aestalos Sea. Formation and organization of city-states in the modern day Kingdom of Arsea. Oldest surviving temples and religious sites erected
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2000-1000 A.L.: Decline in Fae population. Larger wars, with bigger weapons.
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1200-1000 A.L.: Aethir Empire conquers the Calropean Empire in the Aeribbean War, now controlling half of the world's sentient population. Creation of an extremely efficient road system to lessen the travelling time by carriage.
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1000-500 A.L.: Tension between Kingdom of Hansr, newly formed Kingdom of Arsea, and newly formed Draconian Empire over Oscarza as well as the many islands of the Aestalos Sea.
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500-250 A.L.: Tension increases as the Aethir Empire continues expanding in the Aestalos Sea, angering the other ancient world powers.
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250-100 A.L.: Division between the Humans and Magi within the Aethir Empire, various repressed ethnic groups within the Aethir Empire begin to protest as well.
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100-0 A.L.: The Great War. No more than six months passed during this time period without a country attacking another or succumbing to civil war. Famine and illness also swept the Aethir Empire, making its already disorganized mass collapse harder.
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0 A.L.: Luthena descends upon the earth with Naturia, Harmonia, and Pax, relieving the famine and illness and beginning the long process of negotiating new borders out of the mess that was the world.
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50 P.L**.: Dissolution of the Aethir Empire into the Duchy of Northern Calropa, the Kingdom of Middle Calropa, the Republic of Southern Calropa, Altaios, Ishborga, Empire of Istanelia, Partens, the Western Northlands (DQE west of the Prime Meridan), the Mid Northlands (the DQE up to northwest part of the border of Altaios), the Eastern Northlands, North Hansr, and South Hansr.
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50-1000 P.L: Establishment and colonization of islands along the continents of Luthena and Calropa. Establishment of magic guilds to teach proper magic use. Surge in religious activity and creation of religious art and architecture. No major wars. A.K.A. PAX LUTHENAE (Luthena's Peace).
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1050-1200: a series of civil wars and secessionist movements are carried out in the Duchy of Northern Calropa, the Kingdom of Middle Calropa, and the Republic of Southern Calropa, leaving most the continent of Calropa in a state of political flux with no definite government.
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1243: Eruption of Mount Heliokos in the Aeribbean Sea.
1243-1260: A minor dip in temperature due to the chemicals released during the eruption. Further, magi who evacuated from the island ended up in modern-day Tropos, allying themselves with the Sylphs of the desert to peacefully expand.
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1265: Tropos becomes a peaceful, if somewhat disorganized republic.
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1250-1275 P.L.: Versalon-Istanelian War: a war involving the two Aeribbean Peninsulas and the Empire of Istanelia due to many differences both in cultural and religious views between the mainly Elf and Magi populations of the peninsulas and the human population of modern-day Istanelia. Results in the end of the Istanelian Empire and the independence of Frontelia, Arthemex, and Versalon.
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1280: Versalon grants the City States of the Aeribbean Peninsula complete independence.
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1300: Oscarza unifies to become a republic.
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1300-Present: Increasing human and mud-blood presence.
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1300: Middle Calropa finally regathers itself into two opposing Kingdoms: the Kingdom of Ixfarra and the Kingdom of Arxa
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1310-1375: Consolidation of southern territories of Calropa into the modern day countries of Composina, Istaira, and the Republic of Astr.
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1390-1500: Lack of war causes an increase in artistic production as well as industry. Printing presses invented. Large ships capable of travelling for months at a time built.
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1450-1550: Colonization of the major islands
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1500-Present: Decline in dragon and salamander populations of Drocanian Empire
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1550-Present: Increasing conflicts over major islands and minor islands between countries
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1600-1700: Scientific revolution initiated by the humans in the Western Northlands. Invention of artificial heating and lighting systems using coal, an abundant resource in the Northlands.
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1650-1700: Magic restricted in the Northland countries due to it not being necessary to produce heating anymore. Scientific revolution spreads to the rest of the world.
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1700: Invention of railroads and trains
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1700-Present: Expansion of railroads at first in the Northlands, but then all throughout Luthena. The second most expansive railroad tracks are in the Drocanian Empire. The third most on the northern part of the continent of Calropa.
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1750: The Dark Queen Aeona Alptraum assumes power over the King Josef Kuchke by means of inheritance due to the mysterious deaths of her two older brothers. (Oh, those totally weren't assassinations at all//sarcasm.)
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1750-Present: Consolidation of the Northern States by the Dark Queen into the Dark Queen's Empire. Work camps for "disobedient" magic users created in the DQE. Assimilation of the many different cultures of the north. Increasing racism from Humans from Istanelia and the DQE toward other races, especially Magi.
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[Acquariana]

​THE DARK QUEEN'S EMPIRE AT A GLANCE

Map Legend

Light blue lines: Borders between countries
Dark blue lines: District borders
Red Dot: District Capital
F.D.: Federal District


Motto: "Iuncta iuvant" (Together they thrive)

The DQE's Flag. The colors represent the national colors of the three countries united under this empire. The star on the purple part refers to the DQC, which is in the former Western Northlands.

Capital: The Dark Queen's City (DQC), domestically called Regina (its old name) or The Glorious Queen's City (GQC)
49.2 degrees North, 132.84 Degrees West

Political System: Parliamentary Monarchy, though the parliament does not elect a prime minister.

More information about the political system

Her system is a monarchy limited by a parliamentary body called Man's Voice elected by all eligible humans over the age of 20 from each district of the DQE (eligible as in willing to pay the bribes and taxes necessary to vote). Five people from each district (including the F.D.) are elected to serve on Man's Voice. This in effect means that the Queen essentially has most of the power as long as she can keep the aristocracy happy and silence the voice of the poor humans and the mud-bloods. The parliamentary body also has limited powers, only able to pass laws concerning domestic affairs. The Queen, in addition to the ability to line-item veto bills (basically, delete particular parts of a bill to alter what it does) or just outright veto bills from the Parliament (, has dominion over the affairs of the military and her own court of nobles whom she appoints regarding diplomacy with other countries. There is also a weak judicial branch, only able to uphold the laws already passed. It does not have the power to question whether the law that it is deciding to prosecute someone over is a valid law or not.

Though the federal government exorcises considerable domestic control, the districts do have some liberties. They maintain their own education systems for the most part. Further, the level of involvement in construction and other infrastructure related activities varies from district to district due to varied amounts of funding for each district based on GDP within the district. Districts with higher GDP get more funding for infrastructure and research.

Other than scientific research and construction and maintenance of railroads and bridges, there is little interference from the Queen when it comes to the economy. Factories have no regulations and there are no laws concerning workers' rights, other than one that states that women are allowed to work. Unions are not allowed, and trying to start one or being found to be a member of one can result in being sent to a work camp for several months. Work camps also exist for those caught practicing magic (Magi, Elves, etc.).

In work camps, the prisoners are forced to work grueling, 14 hour shifts in a factory daily, helping to mass-produce textiles, machinery, or even mining minerals depending on the work camp to which a prisoner is assigned. Work camps in themselves are not actually funded by the government once they are constructed, but by companies that buy them. Living quarters and food in the work camps are generally minimal as to minimize the loss of money that comes with having to keep free labor alive.

Her majesty's political compass

Queen: Aeona Alptraum ("The Glorious Queen," though most out of the DQE call her "The Dark Queen.")

The Districts

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There are ten districts, including the Federal District. Each district, with the exception of District Two and the part of district four beyond the prime meridian, represents a former county or district within the three Northlandic countries united under the Dark Queen's Empire. Due to the fact that this gigantic nation is literally three nations conglomerated into one through economic necessity, there are significant cultural differences from district to district. The F.D. publishes public records of GDP made by each district each year, which then allows some districts more money to invest in technology and construction of infrastructure. However, the result of this is that, being driven by money-making and efficiency as they are, the citizens of each district use the records as a sort of gauge of the other districts' worth.

Federal District: 49.65-42.5 Degrees North, 136.44-115.92 Degrees West
"Her Majesty's Domain"
Capital: DQC
Estimated Population: 15 million

This district wraps around the Nordike Bay. With many small rivers and a couple flowing into it, numerous cities and towns have sprung up that prosper via trade and transportation of resources from other districts accessible by river. It is also the district that contains the capital of the Dark Queen's Empire, the Dark Queen's City. Though solely the presence of Alptraum and Man's Voice would be enough to warrant the admiration of most of the other districts, almost always earning the highest GDP of the districts secures its status in the empire. There are no work camps located here. Between the rivers and cities are often farmlands, the lack of severely cold temperatures allowing wheat to be grown as livestock to be tended to. Very little remains of the forests that once covered this region, except on the southern border with District Two.
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District One: 67.33-44.93 Degrees North, 135.72-77.76 Degrees West
"The Wealthy West"
Estimated Population: 7 million
Capital: Evergreen City
55.59 North, 131.4 North

This district is the second wealthiest. Like the Federal District, several rivers, including a couple major ones, run throughout it, giving it access to other areas of trade. With merchants along the coast and rivers, to the east it becomes more rural. However, these districts contain expansive mines of iron, coal, and copper. While the coastal areas remain unaffected, the eastern half of the district exhibits the ramifications of severe mining, with the majority of lakes and streams in the eastern part too dirty to drink from for fear of health problems. There are several work camps located here, mostly clustered in the northeastern region of the district.

District Two: 48.7-28.88 North, 128.52 Degrees West-15.84 Degrees East
"The Breadbasket" ("The Southern Slums" by those of the wealthier districts)
Estimated Population: 30 Million
Capital: Palm City
34.81 North, 110.16 West
(Formerly Sciutà de Palma, citizens in the southern part of the district and the city proper will refer to it as Palma or SP, though those names are discouraged by northern citizens of District Two)

The poorest district, most other districts look down upon people from here. The majority of its inhabitants either are farmers, plantation owners, or people working as servants for plantation owners. Most of the people around here speak a dialect strongly affected by the neighboring Istanelia, making them seem all the more uncouth to those from other districts. In spite of the large number of farms and plantations, there is still an amazing diversity of wildlife not seen in the other districts. From the southwest's beautiful, sub-tropical forests and wetlands to the rolling hills of the prairies dominating the strip under Districts Three and Four, many of its ecosystems still prosper.

District Three: 65.7-48.4 North, 85.0-31.3 West
"Industrious Land"
Estimated Population: 50 Million
Capital: West Regina
53.8 North, 54 West

This district is the third wealthiest. However, that is mostly due to it having the largest number of work camps, which are located in the northern half of the district. It is estimated that two fifths of the population are either working for or involved in maintaining a work camp. While the factories do generate the majority of revenue, the capital of West Regina, located on the northwestern coast of Lake Regina, is world renowned for international trade, the rivers that feed into and flow out of Lake Regina crossing into the neighboring countries of Istanelia and Ishborga. As if that did not make it key enough, the lake and its rivers also give it paths to the DQC, Evergreen City, and districts to the east. In the southern parts west of Lake Regina's coast, there is little but barren waste surrounded by rugged, yet beautiful mountains due to the rain shadow. Temperatures in these wastes are the most dramatic of all the districts, ranging from 24 Celsius in July (75.2 Fahrenheit) to -50 Celsius (-58 Fahrenheit) in January.


District Four: 66.4-48.6 North, 31.3 West-29.2 East
"The Twin District"
Estimated Population: 20 Million
Capital: East Regina
54.1 North, 15.48 West

This district, just behind District Three in terms of wealth, shares an intense rivalry with it. Its capital is situated on the eastern coast of Lake Regina, also acting as a major port, though more so between itself and Districts Five through Seven. The rest of its revenue comes from salt mining as well as precious gems (sapphires, rubies, emeralds, etc.). Like District One, the countryside is devastated from the effects of the mining, with only Lake Regina containing safe drinking water. In addition to providing safe drinking water, Lake Regina also serves to drastically moderate the climate in the southwestern part of the district, with temperatures rarely falling below -10 Celsius (14 Fahrenheit), but rarely rising above 20 (68 Fahrenheit).

District Five: 65.58-51.0 North, 12.6-71.64 East
"The Mudblood Land"
Estimated Population: 10 Million
Capital: Novograt
51.81 North, 8.46 East
This district's population has fallen severely thanks to the Queen's policies. There are still many mud-bloods who hide their magic here. Its capital is situated in the south-western part of the district near the Voll river. Though it is in the middle in terms of production, with several industrial factories to produce textiles and some farms in the southern parts of the district, people from this district are often ostracized because of their culture, which is quite different from the other districts. They place less emphasis on unity with the other districts and some speak an entirely different language handed down from the magi that used to prosper in this district when it was part of the Middle Northlands. Its name, which roughly means "City of Nicholas," still stands in blatant defiance of the Queen's policies because it honors a local hero, Nicholas the Great, whose leadership in battle helped fend off an invasion from what is modern-day Ishborga in the 1300's. This district's climate is not as moderated, though precipitation is still common. Temperatures are variable, and random days that are relatively warm or cold for a given time of year have been known to occur. Temperatures generally range from 25 Celsius (77 Fahrenheit) in summer to -20 Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) in winter.

District Six: 55.46-43.31 North, 4.68-46.08 East
"Stormlands"
Estimated Population: 10 Million
Capital: Grohgrad
43.58 North ,20.88 East

This region obtained its name for its many military bases. About 70% of all military operations west of the Prime Meridian begin in this district. There are 1 million troops stationed in this district, with half of them living in Grohgrad itself. This is a reflection of the long-standing, militaristic culture of the district's people, who value learning the use of weaponry and learning warfare tactics as a result of constantly invading and/or fending off Ishborga and its forces for the past several hundred years. The mudblood culture from District Five up north also persists as a large minority (30%) of the population. The weather here is very unstable and variable, and all four seasons can sometimes be experienced in a day, thanks to the convergence of continental air masses, arctic cold fronts, and the Swindle Sea's warm currents. Temperatures range from -15 Celsius (14 Fahrenheit) to 30 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit).

District Seven: 70.43-53.43 North 48.6-99.72 East
"Gate to the East"
Estimated Population: 8 Million
Capital: Austin
54.78 North, 84.96 East

This region tends to be considered the most important, since three major rivers ultimately connecting to Lake Regina flow within its borders and another major river makes up its border with the country of Ishborga. This place serves as the center of trade and production of art in the East. Its artistic output has severely decreased, however, thanks to the Queen's policies. Another hampering impact that the Queen's policies made was on its economy, losing a good deal of its revenue from tourism and the arts. It only makes half the revenue it used to before being assimilated into the Queen's empire. In fact, it was in the process of trying to emancipate itself from the Middle Northlands, but was unsuccessful in doing so before the Queen took over. There still exists tension between this District and the rest of the DQE. The climate is comparable to District Five's, except in the northern parts of the district, temperatures rarely rise above 15 Celsius (59 Fahrenheit) even in July. Though art is at a low, the architecture still remains beautiful, with buildings ranging from renaissance to baroque style adorning the capital of Austin and other cities in the southern parts of the district.

District Eight: 70.84-59.78 North 109.8-176.76 East
"Land of the Frozen Lakes"
Estimated Population: 300 Thousand
Capital: York (Yorberge, though this name is only used by locals)
67.33 North, 112.68 East

A large deal of this district is actually part of the northern reaches of the Altane Sea, a very large salt-water, inland lake. Even more land is claimed by semi-permanent to permanent glaciers. The rest consists of bogs or moors that become frozen over for 7-8 months out of the year. In the winter months there are periods in which the sun fails to rise; on the other hand, the brief summer brings almost constant sun-shine, with a couple weeks of no night. The people here are stereotyped as reserved with an odd, northern accent that comes from their native tongue. In spite of regulations against languages other than common-speak, it is not an uncommon occurrence to hear a northern off-shoot of an ancient Elvish tongue, which would sound extremely archaic and formal to most modern-day Elves due to its retention of archaic grammatical features and words that most off-shoots of the Elvish language family have lost. 2/3 of the people live in the capital of Yorberge. In terms of GDP, this district is the second poorest, its only saving grace being its somewhat prosperous, but small fishing and whaling industry.

District Nine: 70.70-56.13 North, 177.84 East - 160.2 West
"The Pinelands"
Estimated Population: 2 Million
Capital: Maple
56.4 North, 166.68 West

There is a strong divide between the northern part of this district and the southern half. The southern half consists of relatively flat land, mostly containing thick pine forests with some temperate species intermixed in the southernmost parts of the district, especially along the outskirts of Maple. Wood and wood-based products make up a large part of District Nine's economy because of how abundant it is in the southern parts of the district and along its coast. However, to the north and to the east, the land becomes hillier and more mountainous until one reaches the highlands that make up the rest of the district and create a natural border between district eight and itself. The people of the southern half have been exposed to the people of the Western Northlands for a long time, and were thus not at all troubled by their assimilation into the Dark Queen's Empire. The people of the northern half are somewhat divided, however. Some of them to the far north are not even aware they have been taken over, while those closer to the southern half are somewhat afraid because their culture and non-standard dialect of Common Speak is under threat by the Queen's policies. This northern part serves as a hiding place for some magi who used to live in the northern half, but could not escape overseas to the nearby country of Partens. The southern half is more of an oceanic climate, vacillating on average between 20 to -2 degrees Celsius (68-28.4 Fahrenheit), while the northern half ranges between 8 Degrees at its warmest (46.4 Fahrenheit) to -35 Celsius (-31 Fahrenheit) at its worst in the winter months.
​

 

[Acquariana]

​

Common Speak:​

Real World Equivalent: English (Though some dialects barely even . . . you'll see)
First Written Accounts: 1000 P.L
Origin: The Middle Northlands
Status:
Official: Dark Queen's Empire
Co-official with Another/Other Language(s): Istanelia, Frontelia, Versalon, Arthemex, Ishborga, Altaios, Partens, Tropos It is also used as a lingua franca not just throughout the continent of Luthena, but among all of the industrializing world powers.


Dialects (From most formal/respected to least formal/respected)

The Queen's Speak: Very similar to Received Pronunciation. Inside of the Dark Queen's Empire, only the particularly affluent or powerful actually speak in this manner. Magi and expatriates of the country tend to make fun of it for that reason, but most take a person who can speak in this way very seriously. Only about 5 million people out of the 152.3 million inhabitants of the Dark Queen's Empire (only 3.28 percent!) can speak perfectly in this register.Western Dialect: Much like the London dialect described here. This is much more common, with about 87 million native speakers of this dialect in the Federal District, District One, District Three, and District Four. This is the standard register taught throughout the world.

Eastern Dialect (South): This dialect is rhotic, but otherwise possesses similar pronunciation as the Western Dialect, due to the contact between the southern half of the Eastern Northlands and the Western Northlands. Some archaic features persist, such as distinction between 'thou' and 'ye,' as well as the retention of the verb endings '-st' for the second-person singular form of verbs and '-th' (though at this point it is interchangeable with '-s') for the third-person singular form of verbs. This dialect is found in the southern parts of District 9.

Middle Dialect: Though one would suspect this to be the most archaic and pure of the dialects, it is not so much, anymore. Over the years, it became heavily influenced by the languages of various Ishborgan invaders, maintaining its rhotic quality (pronunciation of r's even when they do not come before a vowel). Furthermore, r's in word initial positions are not pronounced with the usual English alveolar approximant, but rather with an alveolar trill, a sound imported from surrounding languages that are beginning to die out thanks to the Queen's promotion of Common Speak. This dialect is found in Districts 5-7.

Eastern Dialect (West): Though the grammar is similar, pronunciation of Common Speak here is starkly different, and often made fun of by the other districts. The vowel shift that occurred with the other dialects (except for the other Eastern Dialects) did not occur fully. Additionally, the use of the near-open front unrounded vowel (the 'a' in cat for most dialects of English) is very limited, with the open front unrounded vowel being used instead for most words where that vowel would occur. When it is used, the letter 'ä' or ligature 'æ' is used to denote that sound. For example, hand would be written 'händ' or 'hænd.' Some letters also failed to be affected by the vowel shift that occurred with most other dialects. For example, the long 'i' sound still remains what it used to be in Old Common Speak. For example, 'I' in this dialect is pronounced as if it were written like 'Ee' in standard English. Additionally, 'gh' is pronounced like so.

Eastern Dialect (North): This dialect is not really more than 50% intelligible with most other dialects, and the Ninth District simply does not bother to call it something other than English because it does not want to waste resources trying to enforce the Queen's language laws when the mountains beyond which the speakers of this language live are practically impassable. Dialect continua between this dialect and the Eastern Dialect of the southern part of District Nine do exist, but they tend to sound closer to the Middle Dialect, than anything. Due to its isolation since conquest by Middle and Western Northlanders, it features many archaic constructs and forms simply not found today. This dialect is found in the northern half of District 9, and eastern half of District 8.

Southern Dialect: This dialect is very rural sounding to most citizens of the Dark Queen's Empire, and is ridiculed even more than the Eastern Dialect (West). Its most characteristic sound is its drawl. Other marking features include the ending '-in'' for the present progressive verbs as well as the second person plural pronoun 'y'all,' derived from 'you all,' which is also used. It is actually the northernmost extent of the Istanelian dialect. Istanelia Dialect: Spoken in Istanelia, as well as Arthemex, Frontelia, and Versalon, it possesses the mentioned features of the Southern Dialect, but also goes further, using ''n' at the end of possessive adjectives to indicate "one" (his'n, her'n, yer'n). Additionally, the two 'th' sounds become allophones of 't,' making that the word 'that' could also be pronounced as if it were written 'tat' and still be considered correct in this dialect. As one goes further south in Luthena, the occurrence of 't' instead of the 'th' sounds becomes more and more common. Tropos Dialect: This dialect is considered the most uncouth of the dialects. Its orthography is a lot more reflective of its phonology, which makes it all the more laughable to those more familiar with the Western Dialect or the Queen's Speak. In some cases it is even somewhat unintelligible with the more standard dialects. The 'th' vowels are almost extinct, with 'd' or 't' replacing them in writing, as well as in pronunciation. Grammar also differs somewhat, with "done" being used for the present perfect tense. Further, the construction of a pronoun plus to go in the present progressive plus an infinitive to form a future tense (I am going to ____), is often reduced simply to 'ma or 'sa tacked onto the pronoun plus the infinitive (I'mma _____).

Samples (Article 1 from the Universal Declaration of Rights):

The Queen's Speak: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience, and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Eastern Dialect (North): Altan sawolberend wesath geboran Frean ond efan i arum ond richtum. Hie wesath geblessodan mid raede ond ingehydge, ond soldath gefaran with hie i ferhthe gebrothorscipes.

Eastern Dialect (West): All human beings are born free änd equal in dignity änd rights. They are endowed with reason änd conscience, änd should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Southern Dialect: All human beins are born free'n'equal in dignity'n'rights. They're endowed with reason and conscience, and should act t'ward one another in a spirit o'brotherhood.

Istanelian Dialect: All human beins're born free'n'equal in dignity'n'rights. They're endowed wi' reason'n'conscience, and should act t'ward one another/anoter in a spirit o'broterhood/o'brotherhood.

Tropos Dialect: All hyumin beinz're born free'n'ekwal in dignitee'n'raitz. Dey're endowd wi'reesun'n'consuns, and shud act t'ward wun anoder in a spirit o'broderhood/o'broterhood.

 

[Envy]

What traces of past remain unseen but influence the existing world?

 

[Acquariana]

Oof, you just reminded me, I was going to get to monuments and ruins of importance. Since Luthena the Goddess does actually exist, there are some unmentioned sites which have long been forgotten since antiquity (before Luthena descended), which were used to evoke her presence or the presence of other deities. These allow her to maintain supervision over the world, though her power grows weaker as the sites are further obscured and left to fall apart. Though some explorers and very well-learned scholars have an idea that these sites exist, there aren't enough sources intact to attest to their existence other than Dragon runes in southern Calropa and in rural Draconia. Getting runes from rural Draconia is especially difficult, since the sub-arctic climate renders it almost practically inhospitable for several months of the year. As mentioned in the Dragon's racial profile, their language is extremely archaic, and thus understanding these runes even if one obtained is by no means something any Average Joe could do.

While Sylphs are still alive, you could consider them as an under-appreciated source of cultural dissemination that impacts the world today, since they take in and interpret the cultural practices of those to whom they travel.

I hope that got somewhere toward answering your question. Though it is a fantastical world, I'm not terribly privy on some unseen force affecting everything. (Unless you consider the queen's true motives unseen, which resulted in the consolidation of three massive states into a REALLY BIG state.) I don't really update this so often. Just when I actually have enough time to sit down and type out an entire post worth of info.

 

[Envy]

I was really refering to the old buildings and graves but good job

 

[Acquariana]

Lingua de Sílfide/Silfianu (Sylphian)​

Real World Equivalent: Romance languages, with some influence from Japanese and Arabic

First Written Accounts: 850 P.L. (This is considered the date when it was no longer intelligible with its mother language, Luthenian (Latin).

Origin: Its origin is not certain. The debate is between the islands in the Gulf of Calropa or the desert just to the north in the Kingdom of Ixfarra.

Status:
Official in no country
Co-Official with Another Language: Tropos, the Kingdom of Ixfarra, the Kingdom of Arxa
Banned in Public: Dark Queen's Empire

Usage: The language is mostly in use between Sylph populations. Because of their constant travelling, their language tends to assimilate many words from other languages quite quickly. The most numerous number of word borrowings (words that do not ultimately come from Luthenian, Sylphian's mother language) come from the languages of the human and magi tribes that live in the deserts of Calropa. There are some isolated human and magi populations in the Kingdoms of Ixfarra and Arxa who speak Sylphian, but mostly only do so when addressing Sylphs.

Orthography: The language, when written, is written using a variant of the Luthenian (Latin) alphabet. Each letter generally corresponds to one sound, with the exception of the letter 'r,' which becomes either an alveolar trill or uvular trill depending on the dialect at the beginning of words and when doubled ('rr'). Otherwise, it is pronounced as an alveolar tap or flap. Another exception is the letter 'h', which has become silent in most dialects. There is also a final exception in the letter 'c' and letter combination 'sc.' The letter 'c' is pronounced like the English letter 'k' when the letters 'a,' 'o,' and 'u' follow. However, before the letters 'e' and 'i,' it is pronounced like the English 'ch' in cheese. 'Sc,' is simply pronounced like 'sk' in ask when preceding the letters a, o, and u, but is pronounced like the 'sh' in sharp when preceding the letters 'i,' and 'e.' The letter 'g' is also an exception, but acts as it does in English. When a consonant is written twice, other than the exception already described for 'rr,' it means to pronounce the consonant for a longer amount of time (germination). This is sometimes used to contrast, such as the word batili meaning "in vain," and bâtilli, meaning "fortress."

If you noticed the accent mark on bâtilli, good! That's another important thing. Most accent marks don't alter the quality of the vowel-they either point something out or shift the stress. The acute accent mark (like the one on the e in café) goes over any vowel other than a. For the letter a, a grave mark is used. These two accent marks show a speaker that unusual stress is present in the word, since stress in words with more than one syllable almost always falls on the second to last syllable when unmarked. They also distinguish between homophones such as de (of/from/about) and dé (may I give). The circumflex accent mark on the a in bâtilli doesn't change stress at all, but is another mark that shows that letters after it were cut out from the language whence it came. In this case, an 's' was removed from the French word "bastille," meaning fortress. The last accent mark of note is the tilde. The tilde is only found on the letters a and o. It tells you that a verb has been nasalized. This is the one accent mark that actually changes the quality of a vowel. An example is in the verb "andã," (they walk).
One last thing that somebody would notice when it's written is an apostrophe. Apostrophes are used to either mark that part of a word has been shortened, or that the object particle 'na has been tacked on. With the second usage, it also tells the user to not change the stress in response to the particle. For example, the name Luciana would have stress on the 'ia,' but Lucia'na would still have stress on the 'u'.

Phonology: The language is based on a stress-accent system. When a vowel is stressed, that means it's pronounced slightly longer and with a slightly higher pitch than normal. The typical stress in polysyllabic words is the penultimate syllable. Monosyllabic words are normally stressed, especially if they have an accent mark on them.

The vowels are essentially the same as Spanish, with exceptions among various dialects. The letters 'a' and 'u' tend to show the most inconsistency between dialects. The letter 'a' can range from the open front unrounded vowel found in Spanish in most conservative dialects to the near-open central vowel in middling dialects. Some dialects among Sylphs in Luthena have made the letter 'a' a 'schwa' sound like the 'a' at the end of words such as "intelligentsia" or "bacteria" in English. The letter 'u' has two allophones (interchangeable sounds), which are the close-back rounded vowel and close-back unrounded vowel (think of a Japanese 'u').

The two nasal vowels ã and õ also tend to vary between dialects. The nasal 'a' can range anywhere from a nasal open front unrounded vowel to a nasal open back unrounded vowel (the latter is the French nasal 'a.'). The nasal 'o' is normally a nasal close-back rounded vowel, though sometimes it is pronounced as a nasal open mid-back rounded vowel (the French nasal 'o'), or a nasal close mid-back rounded vowel.

There are not very many diphthongs, but there are some. Any combination of 'i' and another vowel, unless the 'i' has an accent mark, means that it changes from a close front unrounded vowel (ee in cheese) to a palatal approximant (the 'y' in yes). It can still be pronounced as a close front unrounded vowel; however, this is only done when speaking slowly so the spelling of a word can be ascertained or the meter is better maintained by producing the two vowels separately. Another diphthong that is not optional to pronounce is 'u' when linked to another vowel. The letter 'u' becomes a labio-velar approximate (the English letter 'w'). In the word lingua, for example, if one pronounced it lean-GOOH-ah instead of LEAN-gwah, a Sylph would think that the person was saying lingúa, which is a type of sausage native to the Kingdom of Arxa, not a language!

In regards to consonants, most of the dialects generally pronounce the consonants the same. However, as noted, 'r' and 'h' tend to vary based on dialect. The letter 'r' only varies when in positions where it would be "rolled," such as word-initially and when doubled. Most conservative dialects in Calropa pronounce it as an alveolar trill (the Spanish rolled 'r'), while dialects of those outside Calropa pronounce it as a uvular trill (the French 'r'). The letter 'h' is silent in most dialects within Calropa, with the exception of some village speakers in Arxa and Ixfarra. They tend to pronounce the letter 'h' as a glottal stop (like how some British speakers of English pronounce the letter 't'). In some dialects in countries where Common-Speak is the primary language

Grammar Overview: The grammar contrasts a lot with Common-Speak. The typical word order of a sentence is subject object verb, though it is technically free due to the presence of a marker for the object ('na). The language is also null-subject, with verb endings to mark for number and person. Verbs conjugate into seven tenses (though two of them are really just two aspects of the same tense), and four modes (indicative, imperative, conditional, and subjunctive).

Nouns and adjectives change endings for gender (masculine and feminine, with remnants of the Luthenian neuter in masculine words that end in –u in the singular, then –a in the plural) and number. There are four classes of nouns, and two classes of adjectives. The first noun class consists of nouns that end in –a in the singular. These are almost all feminine, and change their ending to –e when plural (naguela = the hut, naguele = the huts). The second and third class of nouns both end in –u. The second noun class nouns change their ending to –i in the plural while the third class of nouns change their ending to –a in the plural (dadu = the die, dadi = the dice) (ovu = the egg, ova = the eggs). There are only a few words in the third class, and generally are linked to some sort of scientific or magical field. These three classes of nouns make up a small majority of words in the language. The fourth class of nouns is a catch-all class of sorts. The most typical words in this class end in –i in the singular. Their plural ending is –e (renni = hostage/captive, renne = the hostages/captives). Their gender is not easy to identify, and usually is only clear when an adjective is used to modify them. Sub-groups within this last group include words ending in –ó in the singular, which simply lose the accent on their singular ending and add to it –ne for their plural ending (preparasció = preparation, preparascione = preparations), as well as words ending in à in the singular, which also lose the accent on their singular ending and add –te to it for their plural ending (difisciltà = difficulty, difisciltate = difficulties).

An adjective modifying a noun always agrees in number and in gender. Adjectives generally come after nouns, though they sometimes can come before or after with altered nuances or simply for the sake of meter in a song/poem. For example, saying "amigu anteriori," (old friend) is more positive in connotation than "anteriori amigu," (used-to-be friend (but isn't now for some reason)).

Dialects:
While there are several dialects with slight to large differences between them, most of them can basically be split between the dialects between the countries where the languages are co-official with another language, rural and urban dialects within each country, and then dialects of the Sylphs who spend most of their time outside of these countries.

Ixfarra Dialect: This dialect is generally the most conservative of the dialects. All personal endings on verbs are maintained, with rural dialects often featuring a glottal stop where a 't' once existed in the Latin personal ending. Some reflect this in their orthography by featuring an apostrophe. (Ama (he/she loves) -> ama' (he/she loves) (Luthenian: amat)). Another major difference between rural and urban dialects is the treatment of the letter 'h.' The pronunciation of the letter 'h' (voiceless glottal fricative) never disappeared from words in some rural dialects of Ixfarra thanks to extensive interaction with other languages that pronounce the voiceless glottal fricative spoken by the nomadic human and magi tribes of the Calropan Desert. A feature it shares with the Arxa dialect is a large amount of words of Calropan (Arabic) origin, again due to interaction with human and magi tribes of the desert. This often creates two sets of words to mean the same thing, such as notti and leila, which both mean night, but originate from Luthenian and Calropan respectively. Words derived from Luthenian tend to be more commonly used among urban speakers of Sylphian while words from Calropan tend to be more commonly used among rural speakers.

Arxa Dialect: This dialect is the second most conservative of the dialects. It is close to the Ixfarra Dialect, but mainly differs in how it treats the letter 'r.' Due to further influence from Calropan-speaking tribes; the letter has regained its "rolling" quality in all positions. This has also led them to treat a doubled 'r' as they would any other geminated consonant: by lengthening the amount of time it is pronounced. In most dialects in Arxa, 'h' has maintained its original sound from Luthenian as a voiceless glottal fricative.

Tropos Dialect: The dialects in Tropos essentially work on a continuum. The Tropos dialect, while still maintaining personal endings on verbs, simplifies grammar and utilizes less words from Calropan. Speakers of this dialect instead tend to import words of common-speak origin, such as "scippi," for ship instead of "navi," a term more commonly used in the more conservative Arxa and Ixfarra dialects. Another notable difference in the Tropos dialect is the typical syntax. Unlike the Ixfarra and Arxa dialects, typical syntax is subject verb object (SVO), the same as English. Adjectives also tend to be placed before their modifier more often in the Tropos dialect, as well. They also treat vowels differently than the other two dialects, basing pronunciation somewhat on stress for the vowels 'a' and 'u.' In non-stressed positions, the letter 'a' is pronounced as a near-open central vowel or even a schwa word-finally, while the letter 'u' is pronounced as a near-close near-back rounded vowel in non-stressed positions (like the 'oo' in foot). They gain their normal sounds (open front unrounded vowel for the letter 'a' and close back rounded vowel for 'u') when they fall in a stressed position, such as the second to last syllable of a typical polysyllabic word.

Dialects of the Luthenian Diaspora: These tend to be the least conservative. Often these dialects replace the alveolar trill of Calropan Dialects with uvular trills, reflective of the Elven tongues that these Sylphs have learned. These also tend to not use words borrowed from Calropan, often utilizing words from the Elven languages instead of words from Luthenian. One example is the word blancu (white), which originates from an Elven language word "blank" in Istanelia, while a Sylph who travels in Calropa is more familiar with the term "albu," with the same meaning, from the Luthenian "albus." Another common feature is the reduction of noun endings when a noun does not have the object particle 'na tacked onto it, as well as the reduction of the object particle itself to simply 'n. Words ending in –i or –u are often pronounced as if those endings weren't there, thus making the penultimate syllable the ultimate syllable. The stress still remains on this ultimate syllable. For feminine words, the ending -a is reduced from the open front unrounded vowel of conservative dialects to a mere schwa, like words that end in the letter –a in English

Samples (Article One from the Universal Declaration of Rights):

Ixfarra Dialect: Tode/Umne essere humani libri e/hua iguali in dignità i/hua dereci se nascen. Con rasó i/hua conscienscia se dotã, i/hua s'actuari in ànimu de fraternità deben.

Arxa Dialect: Tode essere humani libri e iguali in dignità i dereci sõ nascidi/se nascen. Co' rasó i conscienscia sõ dotadi/se dotã, i s'actuari in spíritu de fraternità deben.

Tropos Dialect: Tode 'ssere humani sõ nascidi libri e iguali 'n dignità i riti. Illi sõ dotadi co' rasó i consienscia, i deben s'actuari in spíritu de fraternità.

Istanelian Dialect: Alle 'ssere humani sõ nascidi libri e iguali in dignità i riti. Illi sõ dotadi co' rasó i consienscia, i solden s'actuar in gesta de fraternità.