The Known World

The Known World is the name given to the land charted by human cartographers. This includes the multicontinental region of Deyeron, as well as the larger, Western land mass known as The Farlands. Realms and kingdoms that are uncharted are not included, as they are unknown.

Geography
Within the charted regions of the Known World is the country of Deyeron, which is comprised of three major continents, as well as smaller islands and landmasses. These are assumed to be explored, unless otherwise stated, as they have been illustrated onto maps. The Eastern half of the Farlands is also charted, though everything extending farther Westward is, at least by the characters in the novels, unexplored. Kingdoms within the borders of the Known World include Riverfall, Windspeak, Nightfall, Yvaereth, Velerin, Villamaje, Shemerith, and Saevia. The Elven kingdom of Fayn is also included, though its location is hidden from humans, and is therefore uncharted on maps.

Because of how extensive the Known World is, a wide range of climates and geography can be found within it. The Northernmost regions, including the mostly unexplored God's Reach, is buffeted by snowstorms, while Southern regions, such as the Eastern Seas, are warmer.

Significant Locations

 * Seaview Citadel
 * Starlight Palace
 * Blackrock Keep
 * Karthymere Fortress
 * Velerin
 * Seavale Keep
 * Fortress of the Green Legion
 * The Tower of Vyrohimn
 * The Forgotten Island
 * Castle Myldrazus
 * Castle Avolyre
 * The Halls of Fayn
 * The Forest of Rock
 * The Gateway

Races and People
There are a wide range of races within the Known World, due to its size. Northmen from kingdoms such as Riverfall and the upper parts of Nightfall are fair-skinned, often with blue eyes and dark or blonde hair. Further south in places like Villamaje, the people are darker-skinned, vaguely Hispanic in appearance. Characters such as Jyr, of the Sunfields, have black skin, though the realm from which they come - The Sunfields - is uncharted on maps.

In the Known World specifically, there are few who have dark skin, save for the people of the Eastern Seas. Because of the size of bodies of water between continents, Northmen may not see a Southerner in their entire life. Rough sea conditions also ensure this.

History
During the First Age of the Earth, Deyeron was inhabited only by elves. Humans began to populate regions of the Farlands after coming down from God's Reach, where the first human, Arlin Valinor, was said to have been created by The One. For around three decades, humans gradually began to spread across the Farlands, and presumably into regions uncharted.

Upon the arrival of the mythical First King, Alvador Zorander, humans began to journey father East into Deyeron, where they were met by the elves. The War of the First Age was fought between humans and elves, leading eventually to the Great Victory of the First Age, when the elves were defeated and Deyeron was conquered by humans. Later on, ancestors of the many powerful families seen in the Plight of Steel novels divided the continents and established their monarchies. During the Second Age of the Earth, both Deyeron and the Farlands were populated by humans, and the elves were forced into their capital of Fayn, where they took refuge from humanity and the royal families.