The Lands of Eeria:
Eeria: the home world of the Grys and Grysaille; generally cold, with long winters and a thin atmosphere.
Algizor: the high mountain country of the Grysaille. Most trading and travel occurs during the long winter, when the rivers freeze and become easily navigated sled roads. Algizor is rich in mineral wealth, forest woodlands, and multiple hot springs. It was the discovery of the hot springs that allowed the Grysaille to survive the first winters of their exile.
Naian Grysdoram and Sowan Grysdoram: Grysdoram is the original country of the Grysaille, before they were exiled to their high northern reach. After the war to gain a port, the “Grysrealm” became divided into North Grysdoram and South Grysdoram.
Lyssen fon Jerren t’na Naiangrys: the Isles and Fjords of the NorthGrys. The far northern coastal realm, north of North Grysdoram. Commonly referred to as “Naiangrys.” Only livable due to the mitigating effects of the ocean surrounding it.
Falen t’Pandra: Plains of Pandra; the windswept, high plains country east of South Grysdoram and south of Algizor. Commonly referred to as “Pandra.” The Pandra Grys specialize in breeding selected varieties of mussak.
Dromon: country to the south of Grysdoram; the wide river dividing the two countries aids greatly in preventing any spats between these two realms.
Naian Quarran: North Wasteland. Just that. Ice and snow all year; no one lives there.
The Kaial Moro: the High Valley, was already in dispute between the Grys of Grysdoram and Falen t’Pandra, before the Grysaille fought their way to the sea. The Grysaille now have control of the entire High Valley, and defend it on two fronts; to the south against the Grysdoram grys, and to the East against the Pandra grys. To the Grysaille, this is their most fertile farmland, as it is lower in altitude than Algizor, and has a ‘summer’ growing season for an additional 6-8 weeks. For this reason, they defend it with a passion, and intend to keep it at all cost.
The Eternal War:
Far back when the sentient species of Eeria, the Grys, were hunter-gatherers, about 35,000 years ago, a recessive genetic anomaly occurred, allowing certain of the Grys to harness the underlying power of their world; they developed magic. As the mages increased in number and power, so did ignorance, superstition, jealousy, and prejudice. Eventually, with the development of agriculture and permanent settlements, the magic users were banished, and driven into the high northern mountains.
New mages were still born to the lowland population for some time, but as much as parents tried to hide their children’s power, eventually they would be discovered, and the parents would walk them up the long, winding, mountain trails to the now-gated high passes, and with many tears and much wailing, handed them over to the guard tower mages. The mountain Grys would welcome the children, foster them, and teach them how to hone their powers. Eventually, the gene was weeded out of the lowland Grys, and the lowlanders lost all contact with their high mountain brethren.
As thousands of years passed, the mountain Grys began to evolve physically to adapt to their surroundings. Their snouts lengthened to allow the air to warm before reaching their lungs, and their chests broadened to accommodate their increased lung capacity, giving them more oxygen with each breath to compensate for the high altitude. Their spinal column vertebrae lengthened for the same reason, and their legs became longer, allowing them easier travel between villages in deep snow. Their fur thickened and grew further down their backs, shoulders, and thighs. They grew tufts on their elbows, all helping to protect themselves from the bitter cold of their long winters. And with their magical advances, they began to think highly of themselves, and called themselves the Grysaille, meaning the ‘noble Grys,’ or ‘noble people.’ Their society evolved separately from the Grys, as did their language and culture.
They named their country Algizor, and established their first city (Capital City) around the caves and hot springs that saved their lives through the long, brutal winters during the early years of their banishment. To their welcome surprise, they discovered that the land of their exile was blessed with natural resources of forest and minerals. They became experts in forging high quality steel and other implements of metal, ceramics, glassware, and imbuing gemstone amulets with magic.
As time passed, and they had resources and craft to trade with the lowland countries, they realized that they needed a seaport, as Algizor was completely landlocked, and the passes guarded from without, as well as within. So about 5,000 years ago, the Grysaille fought their way down from the mountain pass closest to the ocean, and took the lands to northern side of the river valley all the way to the seaport, dividing the country they passed through into two areas, and claimed this narrow strip of land for Algizor. They wanted no prisoners and did not wish to interact with the ‘lesser’ lowlanders (except in profitable trade), and so gave the seaport dwellers and riverside farmers the same two options the Grysaille were given thousands of years before: leave or die. The Grys left.
Needless to say, the Grys want their land and their seaport back, and have been fighting the Grysaille for it, ever since. The Grysaille will not give it back; in their not so humble opinion, the Grys have other seaports they can use. Like many wars, it really is about the real estate. The lowlanders have greater numbers, but the Grysaille have stronger bodies, better training, better weapons/steel, and of course, magic, and can easily withstand the lowland winters, so there is no ‘war season’ for the Grysaille; it is ALWAYS time to defend their land, and they do so regardless of the weather. Neither side has yet to discover gunpowder.