The People of Kentro

Kentro is a vast land that houses countless kingdoms and peoples. There are a veritable host of different cultures and ethnicities that inhabit the yawning province, but many of them can trace their roots back to a common source.   Kentro itself is divided into four major sub-provinces: The Comblands, the Gilded Plains, Anhangia, and the Drugoda Desert.  

The Comblands

The lands south of the Brytnian Woods are home to some of the oldest settlements in the province, with its most influential city, Adelden, having been founded even before The Logios Empire arose in the Gilded Plains. The people of the Comblands found their footing in the cradle of the Lang and Lonely Rivers, and their culture has largely been informed by their aquatic ways; with religion and culture revolving around the natural elements of the world. It was in the Comblands where The Elemental Primordials were concieved and where the ancient pantheon still sees a resurgence every few ages or so.  

The Gilded Plains

Once the cradle of the mighty Logios Empire, the Gilded Plains are the home to four of Kentro's great city-states as well as the ancient city of Eodur. To the north, there is Northguard, a nation whose culture is largely informed by its role as the stalwart guardian against raiders of the Verge.   To the east, Mudan and the surrounding cities are marked by religious turmoil. The Red River Falls and the mountains beyond were long a source of mythological wonder for the people that lived in this region, and the introduction of Aonism was a tumultuous one. Even still, the customs and traditions here are firmly rooted in the natural world around them, something that can be seen just from the impressive structures they have hewn out of the cliff face.   To the south, Estmere sits at the feet of the Eordwall Mountains and on the shores of Lake Eoten. It and the surrounding kingdoms have long served as vital trade hubs and their cultures reflect as such, with little bits and ends taken from the countless others that have passed through.   And to the west, beneath the shade of Mount Exemplar and the Forest of Souls is Ceadun, the second-oldest city still standing in the province, if not the world. Vestiges of the scientifically driven Logios Empire still remain within the traditions of the people of Ceadun and the surrounding cities and some few structures from those days still stand today.   Lastly, Eodur itself stands at the border between the Plains and Anhangia and is a veritable melting pot of all the Kentran states. The first settlement that eventually became Eodur was founded long before written memory, but in modern days, it serves as the very nerve center of the vast Kentran Kingdoms. Through Eodur, cooperation between all of them is made possible.  

Anhangia

Nestled between the Oran Mountains to the north, the Brytnian Woods to the west, and divided from Requiem by the Verdelen River, the kingdoms of Anhangia have long sought to differentiate themselves from their neighbouring regions. Before the construction of The Unity Highway, travel from other parts of Kentro into Anhangia proved deceptively difficult. As such, Nessbrim and the surrounding cities developed in relative isolation. This independent streak persisted even when the rest of Kentro sought to unify in Eodur. For a time, they attempted to play ball, but be it through stubborness or otherwise, Anhangia pulled out of the agreement. For this reason, it is sometimes considered to be a province of its own when discussing geo-political borders.  

The Drugoda Desert

The vast desert that comprises the southeastern reaches of Kentro is sometimes considered as part of the Comblands, but for the purposes of cultural differences, it merits its own section. Like Anhangia, the inaccessibility of the region meant the city of Oasia and the other settlements along the Hayat River developed separate from those of the rest of the province. Unlike, Anhangia, they were far more willing to share when the Unity Project sought to bring together the disparate nations of Kentro. The kingdoms of the desert are among the most ancient of the province and are steeped in rich history and culture. To this day, they are the only major region that has yet to adopt Aonism in favor of their own pantheon of Great Beasts. Their grasp of magic and engineering is also highly adept owing to their continued survival past the fall of Antecea that set back many of the other regions of Kentro.