Jevithem, The Joining Fields

Also known as the Fields or the Greens, Jevithem is physically known for just that and more. Indeed most of Jevithem is rolling hills and fields of grass, and it's divided into the midlands (north and east) and the lowlands (west and south). In the middle and leaking to the southeast is lake baymoor, the largest lake in all of Riiga. It has two main forests, known as chera forest and nighen forest, in the northwest and southwest corners of Jevithem, respectively. Numerous rivers flow into baymoor from the surrounding mountains and where the roads cross the rivers are bridges with guarded gates. The largest of these rivers is the river baymoor, which flows out of chera forest.

To the south are the gutalia mountains, to the west are golemn peaks, to the north are the leren mountains, and to the east is the yrth range and the senien mountains. Jevithem connects all countries to one another, and is thus considered the uniting province. The land is shaped like a C, with baymoor in the middle, and its waters flowing eastward to the sea. To the southwest is Phedailin, to the west is Leotyne, to the north is Trelinia, and to the northeast, past the winding Cape Valley, is Laurondirin.

Because of its central 'joining' nature, the borders of Jevithem have wavered back and forth over time. The towns of Cliffmere and Relanee have especially been the topic of land ownership for many years, but both towns are currently official Jevithem land. At one point in time, Cliffmere was Leotian, and at another, Relanee was Laurondrian.

Jevithem Castle

Jevithem's primary colour; a cold, steely, bluish grey; marks the attitude of its culture. Jevithem castle is built using stone of this colour, very similar to slate in appearance, and it has a very solemn ambience about it. It was begun in 3649BD when Lord Troy was appointed to rule the land known as Jevithem. The best way to describe the castle is snug. It hides between a large hill and the gutalia mountains, with nighen forest to the west and baymoor to the right. From a distance, it appears like an animal trying to hide and heal its wounds. It does not stand gracefully and tower into the sky like the other castles of Nidonn. It has an unusually jagged outer wall with squat towers. Inside this wall is a small space and then another wall, with many plain-seeming structures peering over the top of it from inside. All of the windows are small and dark and the castle has many unlit stairwells, boardwalks, and corridors. Because of its low situation and the way its so near to mountains, it doesn't get much sunlight. It all reflects the slightly eerie personality of Lord Troy, who was, for some time, believed to be delving into dark magic. This rumour was dispelled as foolery when the High Priest walked through the entire castle and then stayed the night in an attempt to detect dark channeled energy, but Troy was given the clear. Nevertheless, not many people enjoy entering the castle or living within its walls.

It is quite large and spread out, as opposed to rising upwards. It gives the impression that it was built with the assumption that it would one day be filled with people. Typically, major Jevithem structures have little to no decoration, low lighting, and large rooms connected by long corridors. In one certain tower known as Lysaeum Tower, there are quarters in which people who are declared insane are kept and they are attended by a handful of doctors. It's been said that the lifeless feel of the castle is the best remedy for calming a troubled and deranged mind. According to these doctors, the insane feel more at home in dark and cold places. Jevithem castle is also rumoured to train the best spies in Nidonn.

Beryl Keep

Beryl Keep is situated on the only road to the castle, and it rests on a high hill with a cliff on the lakeside. Unlike the castle it serves, Beryl Keep is crowned with tall and sharp towers, but the overall impression of the castle's structure is still quite short, dark, and cold. Also like the castle, it has a peculiarly-shaped outer wall that doesn't appear to make much sense -- there are many walls that only serve to make the entire wall seem disjointed and jagged if viewed from above. The keep itself has one of the largest barracks in Nidonn, as Jevithem's military specialises in sheer numbers of soldiers. The living quarters even extend some way underground and are said to even lead to the water's edge, far below, if certain corridors are followed correctly. There is a proper way to get to the water's edge, though, and down there are docks where supplies from Cape Crossing can be unloaded. These are usually hoisted up large wells so that items did not have to be carried up the stairs manually. As the keep is so high up, it gets more light and wind, and is favoured by more people over the castle.

Its tower, Pearl Tower, is to the east, north of the castle and also overlooking the lake. Despite the stonework of the keep and castle, Pearl Tower is bright. It was built during the reign of Lord Daphne, around 600BD. From the top, one can see all over Jevithem, and on a clear day, one can see Trelinia, Leotyne, and occasionally Phedailin. Jevithem also has another tower, north of Yele, in the mountainous pass between Laurondirin and Jevithem. This tower is Slate Tower and was built while Lord Troy was still in power, when Jevithem was young. The tower seems useless when compared with Pearl Tower: one can see naught but mountains from the top, save Yele to the south. If, for some reason, clouds and fog lifted from the mountain ranges, one would be able to spot a large approaching military force from Laurondirin for a couple hundred kilometers, but the chances of this happening are very unlikely.

Vilenden

Like most Jevithem cities, Vilenden has many farmers, but this town differs from the rest in that most of the farmers here raise livestock. The city is known for its many kinds of good quality dairy products, working animals, and other goods such as eggs and wool. It is situated on a busy crossroad in the southwest corner of Jevithem, and leaving Vilenden from the south generally -- yet incorrectly -- is interpreted as entering the durac fields of Phedailin, though the border is much further south than this. The townspeople tend to tell visitors that Phedailin is closer than it actually is, perhaps in an effort to feel closer to the protective hand of Phedailin's forces.

Cape Crossing

Cape Crossing is the largest city in Jevithem, and it is situated just outside of cape valley. It was originally a dock where goods that had come from Laurondirin could be sent straight across the lake to the castle and keep, but it quickly grew in size. Much of its success is thanks to its markets, shops, and farms, and its strategic position in terms of trading. Many merchants visit Cape Crossing as often as they can. As it marks the centre point of Cape Road, which stretches across all of North Nidonn, it is very busy, and the city is also known to some of the finest accommodation. Its inns are said to be second-best only to the upper class inns in Duracia.

In 1101AL, almost immediately after the death of King Sigmund, Laurondirin and Jevithem fought over their borders and Cape Crossing changed flags countless times over the next 21 years. Anu Kaurden and his sons were involved in the capture and loss of Cape Crossing. It has remained under Jevithium rule since 1122.

Yele

Though Yele is far from any other town, hidden away at the end of the southern fork of cape valley, it is famous for one thing: Lord Radcliff of Leotyne was assassinated in the year 1175AL by the Twilight Blades. When this happened, his son, prince Lance, was sent away by his mother under the protection of one of their own assassins. Lance lived with this man and hid away in Yele for three years. When Lance became the lord in 1178, he gifted the town of Yele with money and many goods as a show of thanks. It has since grown both in size and prosperity, since more people heard reputable things about it. It is mostly known as a blacksmith town, as a good deal of the men there are either miners or blacksmiths.

Maer

Maer actually covers a large area if one counts all the farms of those who consider themselves residents of the town. It sits on the north side of the baymoor river and the farms surround the northern and western sides of the town. On the eastern edge is a port, mostly home to fishermen and their boats. It is a busy and dense city, filled with many trades and markets.

Relanee

Relanee is closer to Laurondirin, and was once actually Laurondrian property. It is another small mountain city far from the fields of Jevithem, much like Yele. Relanee is one of the later towns of Jevithem, and was built because travellers found the trek from Cape Crossing into cape valley arduous, and arriving at the small town of Gehts Hill was hardly replenishing for weary men. Yele was too far south to be a suitable place to rest, and Slate Tower is a military post and does not welcome the common traveller. So, towards the northern end of the valley, Relanee was founded. People there soon discovered that the soil was not as harsh as that of Yele, and the farmers grow crops of rice, corn, and potatoes.

The construction of Cheriumn Cathedral consumed all of the hidden funds of Lord Daphne. He pushed the northeastern borders of his province upward into Laurondrian land, consuming Relanee and taking it by force in a typically swift Jevithium battle in 663BD, nine years into the construction of the cathedral. Though the fight was fierce, few lives were lost. The province of Laurondirin retaliated and sent fresh forces back into Relanee to try to drive Jevithem soldiers out. This battle was far more brutal, as both armies were large and neither wanted to leave. It wasn't until the city's population began to drop to a dangerously low level that Jevithem withdrew their forces. Laurondirin nestled back into their city, oblivious to the Jevithium messenger heading to King Taharial to express Jevithem's woes at the hands of Laurondirin. King Taharial responded and demanded that Laurondirin pay compensation to the people of Jevithem and to give Relanee over. The lord of Laurondirin did so, drew back their borders further, and fell silent. Daphne, however, only gave a small portion of the compensation funds to Relanee, and spent the rest on the construction of the cathedral.

Cheriumn

On the edge of chera forest is the small city of Cheriumn. It is known mainly for its impressively large cathedral that marks the centre of the town. This cathedral is the highest non-military/royal building in Nidonn if measured from the ground level. Its bell tower, they say, was as high as they could make it at the time. The bells, Perion and Wrisen, used to be rung on a certain time each week, but are now rung much less often in an attempt to preserve them. The city was actually firstly just Cheriumn Cathedral, but the city grew around it over time.

Cheriumn Cathedral, due to its peculiar history and grandeur, became a very popular site for religious travellers, so many traders began to set up stalls outside in the cathedral's grounds. The cathedral taxed them part of their profits but they made such good business that it barely mattered to the traders. Soon, some began to build homes and settle around the cathedral. Then there were so many houses that a government house was required to oversee everything, and a town formed around Cheriumn Cathedral which they named after it. Cheriumn grew into a small city and nobody ever did see anything sinister come from Chera River. Due to its somewhat out-of-the-way location, pleasant surroundings, and glorious central cathedral, Cheriumn managed to avoid any great battles or conflicts and became known as a very peaceful city.

Cliffmere Farms

Cliffmere, like Relanee, was once considered outside of the Jevithem border. Until around 2550BD, Leotyne's border extended to the east edge of the eastern-most farm of Cliffmere, but disputes between Lord Jaheim of Jevithem and Lord Remliel of Leotyne sparked several battles, and one of these battles occured in this town. Leotyne could not rely on its fortifications to save the people, as the town was not fortified, and the soldiers struggled to act offensively against Jevithem's swiftness, so Leotyne withdrew from Cliffmere, and Jaheim took it by force. It wasn't until King Devante intervened that the matter was settled officially. He had both lords present their reasons for wanting the town within their broder, and Devante decided to change Jevithem's border to include Cliffmere Farms. Though Remliel was angry at the decision, he was truthfully relieved; true Leotians only want to worry about defending one location, and Cliffmere was too far from the castle for his liking. It is a large farming town, like most in Jevithem, and its memorial hall is often visited by those wishing to learn more about what happened there so many years ago.