Eifel

Creator Information
Eifel is a world created by Lisa Garcia. It was first entered in the 'rising stars of manga' contest hosted by Tokyopop, but failed to place even in the top 10 enterants. Since then it has been carried on by the creator as a journal based roleplay, and she has plans to turn it into a tabletop rpg.

The World
Eifel is a blended world, where magic and science collide. There are a few large cities, interspersed with smaller cities. There seems to be a recent rise in criminally insane and homeless vagrants, as well as orphaned children. This has lead to a large facility being built on an island to house such 'unsightly' blemishes on the varnished surface of society. Here the residents are given a special form of 'treatment', which permanently alters their brain functions, turning them for the most part into complacent 'zombies', so that they will neither harm nor bother the guards and wardens of what is loosely termed an asylum. The Island is located in a vast lake surrounded by a deep and confusing forest. The idea being that it would be easily accessible by those who knew it's location, and at the same time hidden from the general populace.

Kingdoms and Countries
Virdeen - Encompasing the Cities of Liyaan, Basque, and Liyhur, and most of the surrounding lands they reside in. Virdeen is the largest of the kingdoms and has many towns and smaller cities within its borders. It is also the former home of the Asylum, and while they do not fall under it's laws or juristiction, the secret home of the Nyn and the hidden cities and colonies of the Fey share this land with them. Though the Fey are techincally found all over Eifel. This Kingdom is rules by a Monarchy, and the Queen is held in highest regard.

Melva - The country that encompasses the Magic City Ceria and the Melva Ruins, along with most of the lands around it with the exception of the Virdeen port of Basque. It is ruled by a Parlament-style counsel of elders, with half of them being Mages, and the other half other classes, so that those without magic talent are not left without reprisentation.

Esmyr - the City itself seems to be the bulk of this country, since most of the continent it resides on is flat grasslands with hardly a river or lake to be found. Their government consists of a presidential democracy, and everything about them seems to be much more technologically advanced than the other two lands of Eifel. They have a military force, but it seems to be mostly for policing the huge city itself, and isn't entirely equipped for invading other lands. Even with their technological advances, most of the world seems to agree that magic is still a stronger force than science.

Other locations - The Sacred Chain and Holy Forest are autonomous of any government, their sole jurisdiction being the Goddess and the Dragons who serve her. Menaan also has it's own government and society, though it is too small an area to have many more colonies aside from the city of Menaan itself. Many Maruke colonies on other continents consider themselves outposts of Menaan though and occationally quarrels break out over who's government they should be abiding by. The Nyn and Fey each share land with the other countries, but have their own autonomous governments and in most cases the locations of their cities and homesteads are not even known to the governments let alone the general public. It should be noted though that in an attempt to keep relations prosperous between the Eiflans and the Fey in Virdeen, the Queen has recieved a seeing stone from the Queen of the Faeries (a Seraph Caste Fey), so that they may meet on occation to discuss political matters. The Undines for the most part consider their underwater domains to be their lands, and Eiflans respect this. The exception to this is the dual city of Liyhur, where the Eiflans and Undines each contribute to the maintenance of the city.

Cities
Liyaan - The Capital of the Eiflan Kingdom of Virdeen. Liyaan is the largest city in Eifel and also one of two major ports in the world. It is home to one of the Largest Cathedrals, and has Academies of Science, Magic, and Summoning. Though the Summoner Academy is the largest and most prominent of the three. It sits not far from the Labrynth Jungle, on a large inlet on the Eastern edge of the mainland, and is known for it's beaches and swimming as much as it is for it's academies and port. It is also the home of the largest of Eifels thieves guilds and several Bounty Hunting Guilds as well. It's one of the most modern of the cities, offering not just running water but magically lit lamps and both hot and cold water options.

Basque - The second major port of Eifel, Basque is the third largest city and renowned throughout Eifel for it's outdoor cafes and warf-side market, where everything is sold from fresh fish to arts and crafts. It's the central headquarters for the Eiflan Swordsmanship Tourneys as well. One of it's best drawing points for vacationers and tourists though is that it offers the closest land-based view of the Holy Tree.

Liyhur - Called "The City on the Lake", this title is self explanitory. Liyhur is built on top of Lake Liyhur on a thickly forested Island East of Liyaan. The city is built on artfully curving cobblestone walkways that connect large circular platforms of the same design. It is actually two cities in one, a collaboration of Eiflans and Undine, who have their own city built into the foundations of Liyhur deep beneath the surface on the Lakes bed. There are several enterances on the circular platforms which lead to spacious rooms under the city which connect the Undine level to the Eiflan level, and in these areas Undine merchants and Eiflan merchants each sell their wares in an area that both races can easilly access. Furthermore, while the Eiflans maintain the surface of the city, the Undine keep the submerged portions from erroding and falling into decay.

Esmyr - The Plains City Esmyr is the most technologically advanced of all the cities, it is the home of the largest Academy of Science and Technology in Eifel, and some of it's engineers have been responsible for huge projects in Eifel, including the construction of the Asylum and all the machinery within it, and the invention of Land Vehicles and Airships.

It's Esmyr that first gained running water and invented the firearms that gunners prize so highly today. Their city is highly advanced, with electronic lifts to move them from one part of the city to another. The city itself is bi-leveled, with the secondary level rising high above the ground like several large round mushrooms towering over the lower half. To make up for the increased shade however, there are reflective honeycomb shaped devices spreading like spiderwebs between the massive pillars of the upper levels, which generate artificial sunlight for the areas below. When the sun sets over the grassy plains, the light reflects off of these and the entire area around the city is bathed in a beautiful golden glow. It is the second largest city in Eifel after Liyaan.

In addition to this, it is also the center of the Country by the same name, and makes up the bulk of it's population as well. Esmyr has a military force, which is more like a police force than an invading force, and because of it's technological advances it maintains good relations with both Virdeen and Melva.

Menaan - Menaan is small compared to the other cities, but it is unique in that it is the largest settlement of Maruke in all of Eifel. There are reletively few Eiflans living this far south, but the Maruke are specially equipped to deal with the harsh conditions and rugged terrain provided by the Yumel mountain range. Being of Canine descent, they are mostly carnivorous, and so do not need to farm very much, only coming down from the mountains for a brief time durring the spring when they farm and train their young in the surrounding forests. Menaan is not technological in any way, they use wooden carts and beasts of burden to acomplish their tasks, and build all their own housing, weapons, and tools. Aside from the small wooden huts they construct every year in the forests, Menaan is a rugged city carved into the very side of the Yumel Mountains. Hand chiseled cave-like dwellings protect the Maruke from the harshest of winters wrath and provide a safe and practical home for the Warrior Race.

Because they do everything by hand, and are meticulous and nearly obsessed with achieving perfection in whatever they strive for, the very best swords a swordsman could come across are those created by the Maruke of Menaan.

Ceria - A beautiful lake-side town who's main industry is the fresh fish caught from the lake their town borders. They are also a large perveyor of textiles and their cloth is some of the best in Eifel. The Capital of the country of Melva, the land around them is sparsly forested, with mostly grasslands which gradually withdraw into an unforgiving desert. It's said that this is the oldest country in Eifel, with it's former capital being the alleged Alfan ruins in the area surrounding the Melva Oasis.

Aside from it's beautiful lakeside charm, Ceria is home to Eifel's foremost Acedemy of Magic, and students come there from all the corners of Eifel to learn how to hone their skills and achieve the class of 'Mage'. Being the home of such a school, the city is mostly powered by magic, which lights the houses and runs many of the devices people use in their day-to-day lives. The school itself is located on the lake, and a magical teleportaion circle located on the edge of town is the only way to gain entrance.

Melva Oasis - At first glance, many would not realize that there is a city in the desert at all. Melva, now the second largest Undine city in Eifel, lies under the waters of a tropical desert oasis west of Ceria. The city itself is magical, allowing both Air breathing and Water breathing races to move about freely within it's depths. It's a beautiful city, And one of it's main attractions is the ruined temple, a Goddess temple from ancient times when the desert was still fertile and green and a bustling city existed there, thought to have been one of the lost Alf cities.

Other towns - Aside from these major locations, there are several other small towns and provinces located throughout Northern Eifel and at least one very small Eiflan settlement on the edge of the forest which leads to the Yumel Mountain Range. None of these are very large, nor are they very technologically advanced, and many of them (the farming and agricultural ones in particular) Do not even have paved roads yet.

Fey Colonies - Fey live all over Eifel, but their Colonies are difficult to find. This is because the enchantments put on them using Fey Psionics make it so that a special item is needed in order to see them. This can be any sort of round object with a void in the center. A ring, a perforated coin, even a monacle could be used because the glass in the center does not obstruct vision. Looking through this object it's possible to see the hidden Fey Colonies and also any Fey using their psionics to hide themselves from the eyes of Eiflans. These rare items have to be crafted and enchanted by the Fey themselves, for Eiflan magics can't affect their own enchantments. In some cases however, there are certain 'tells' that allow wise Eiflans to spot a Fey Colony without nessesarilly seeing through their Illusions. Things such as rings of toadstools or unnatrual flower formations generally belie the Colonies of smaller Fey who live in wooded areas or sunlit clearings. The Larger Fey, such as the Angel Fey, are much more adept at hiding themselves however and so are much harder to find when they do not wish to be located.

Aside from these however, there are a great many other Fey who live in the open, visible to all who wish to seek them. In the Yumel Mountains there live a colony of Wyvern Fey who enjoy the high altitude and have grown thick fur to ward off the cold. And in the forests surrounding Liyhur there is a known and quite friendly colony of Angel Fey. There is proported to be a colony in the desert as well, though it is too difficult an area to traverse so this remains mere speculation and rumour. Less known though, is a Colony of Dryad Fey Which reside in the Sacred Forest, it's said they show themselves only to the Priests, Priestesses, and Monks who reside on the Island, keeping themselves invisible to any outsiders who should happen to make their way there.