:: STARTING OUT
 
The world in which Sevrin finds himself it known to its residents as Talamh. So far we know of only a few places. Sevrin lands in Dramane Groves, a very small and rustic community of talasid in the southern part of the continent. To the Northwest is the sea and the port of Triath, where the "blood-prince" Tsusaeng is rumoured to be hiding. (Triath is itself a bustling port city of many species, which Fennel travels to quite often.)
 
To the -- well, they're not really sure where exactly, but somewhere to the Southeast is the mythic valley of Anraea. What's so mythic about it? Magic is reputed to touch everything and nothing. The trees and fruit grow to enormous size; the waters swell; the plains are lush and fertile. The inhabitants, however - not a magical one among them. It's rumoured this is where the last of the humans died out, and it has become sort of a Shangri-La in Talamhese legend. Because the balance of magic is so fine here, one who could actually use it would find himself, it is said, infinitely stronger than anywhere else. In other words, the "magic resources" of Anraea are practically untapped. As far as anyone knows, the only inhabitants are animals and a few scattered tribes of various species - mostly anthids - who have somehow stumbled onto the place and decided to make it their home.

:: INHABITANTS
 
Consider this section a work in progress; new species will be added as they appear.
 
The Fae: The Fae in Talamh ("fae" meaning in this case "people of the earth," or magical beings who draw their powers from the land) have had their magical capabilities severely diminished in the absence of humans, perhaps moreso than any other species. Without a "neutral" to balance their powers, they have been reduced to simple healing and elemental spells of little consequence. Those who can practice the art are rare nowadays, and any magical ability is prized. For certain species, such as the proud faeries, this is an embarassment they would rather not discuss. Species of Fae include our dear Talasid, the aforementioned Faeries (who like to consider themselves rulers of the Fae), nymphs, and earth-spirits.
 
Vampires: Clearly not the stuff Sevrin is used to seeing in horror films, vampires are a living species unto themselves in Talamh. As the species most resembling Man, they are generally hated or feared. Little has been seen of them, however, save that Caol seems to think they are Very Bad News...
 
Anthids: What IS an anthid? It's a bit like a werewolf that's stuck in mid-transformation. Of course, wolf is not the only species - there are cats, bears, raccoons, etc. Most are approximately human size, though they tend to vary greatly. Anthids are rather rare as a result of being persecuted by vampires and humans alike for centuries, and generally prefer not to mix with others outside their species. It is extremely unusual, then, to see vampire and anthids work together - though their feud is not so fierce or bloody as that between the vampires and the Fae, it's nevertheless quite a deep-rooted and hostile one.
 
Dragons: Did someone say dragons? No, sadly not, not yet. Many other species remain to be discovered...

:: LUNAR CALENDAR
 
The Talamh calendar is divided into nine tain (months), each having approx. 18 days. (Days in Talamh are longer than days here, but our years still don't match up exactly.) A month is defined, as on Earth, as a complete lunar cycle. The months on Talamh, as well as their "zodiac" readings and symbolism, are outlined below:
 

:: LANGUAGE
 
Though many (if not most) of the species on Talamh have their own languages, there is also a base language known as "Talann" which is familiar to most, particularly those in more populated or "cross-species" areas. The Talasith language, Talisean, is comprised of a very rudimentary writing system which is used more for bookkeeping than literature, and a spoken language which changes freely and tends to borrow words from other cultures as quickly as it encounters them. Linguistically, Talisean is a mess - the grammar rules are inconsistent and flexible. It's an extremely lax and at times coarse language, which makes it utterly appalling to the more "sophisticated" members of the Fae.
 
More information on the language will become available later. (And yes, the fact that Caol can't speak what should be his own native tongue very well should raise some red flags.) In the meantime, a glossary of the words we've encountered so far:
 
Ne nuh aa ranasarae?: "You're not going to defend yourself?"
Nitae!: "Speak!"
Nu ke suu tae: "I should kill you."
O'ae?: "Well?"
O'dan: A swear, roughly equivalent to "Damn it!" or "Shit!"
Oferu ostatsu: Lit. "stinking (rotting, decaying) vampire."

More will be added to this page as I think of it. :D