Shylor

The Quiet Coast • Homeland of the Goblinoids • Land of Twilight Cities

Overview

Shylor stretches across most of Pridaria’s eastern coastline, a flat and open land known historically for its quiet communities, integrated goblinoid culture, and unnervingly perfect coastal weather. It is one of the oldest settled regions of the continent and the ancestral homeland of the goblinoid peoples—goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears—who built a stable and cooperative society long before the arrival of other species.

For centuries, Shylor was seen as a calm, loosely populated region where people of all kinds moved to enjoy easier living. That image persists on the surface—but the Cataclysm left deeper, stranger scars here than most realize.

Geography

Shylor is defined by:

• A nearly continuous eastern coastline along the Crescent Sea
• Wide, flat plains ideal for small farms and low-density settlements
• Gentle river systems flowing eastward
• Sparse inland development aside from major cities
• A magical coastal weather phenomenon that grants near-perfect climate conditions

This geography made Shylor a natural transit hub both before and after the Cataclysm.

Demographics

Shylor has a diverse population with a human plurality but not a majority. No species holds more than 40% of the population.

Estimated distribution:

• Humans: ~38%
• Goblinoids (combined): ~32%
• Goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears living in integrated communities
• Elves: ~7%
• Dwarves: ~7%
• Halflings: ~6%
• Avian Peoples: ~8%
• Other Species: ~2%

Though goblinoids are not the largest group numerically, they maintain the oldest cultural centers and historically anchored the region’s political identity.

Major Cities

• Lycadia — Capital City
  Home of Blackbramble Academy and the seat of government.
• Steefe — Inland Cultural Stronghold
  A historic goblinoid city known for artisans and martial traditions.
• Ols — Twilight City
  Once a thriving coastal port; now one of Shylor’s most dangerous fog-bound anomalies.
• Brimgate — Vanished City
  A once-bustling trade port, now locked in perpetual twilight.

Government

Shylor is a one-house representative democracy led by a Prime Minister.

Structure

• The Assembly consists of elected representatives from all districts and communities.
• The Prime Minister is chosen from among the Assembly members.
• Goblinoids historically dominated political leadership due to the region’s origins, but today humans and other species hold many seats.

The government is generally stable, pragmatic, and slow to adopt radical change—fitting the region’s easygoing cultural temperament.

Cultural Identity

Goblinoid Heartland

Goblinoids built the first planned settlements of Shylor, establishing communal cities where goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears lived in integrated and mutually supportive ways. Their values—structure, craft, adaptability, and practicality—still shape the region’s identity.

The Quiet Coast

Outside the major cities, Shylor developed into:

• A suburban sprawl of small towns
• Low-intensity agriculture
• Light trades and artisanship
• Peaceful multicultural communities

The region is famously relaxed, making it attractive to migrants from across Pridaria.

Political Unrest

While most goblinoids embrace the multicultural direction of modern Shylor, a minority of hard-line hobgoblin groups promote a quiet ideology of goblinoid superiority.

They avoid openly stating their beliefs, but their rhetoric frequently implies that:

• Non-goblinoid politicians are not “true Shylorians”
• Cultural leadership should remain in goblinoid hands
• Immigration dilutes traditional identity

The Op-Ed Scandal

A hobgoblin writer connected to one of these groups published an op-ed saying:

“Non-goblins should not hold any power in Shylor.”

The backlash was immediate and severe.
Even the hardliner groups denounced him—not because they disagreed, but to avoid:

• Public outrage from goblinoids and non-goblinoids alike
• Federation scrutiny
• Loss of political influence

The scandal remains a touchstone of political debate.

The Cataclysm in Shylor

On the Surface: Minimal Damage

Shylor appeared lightly touched by the Cataclysm. Its perfect coastal weather remained stable, and its major inland cities endured with fewer disruptions than other nations.

But this perception hides several profound and frightening changes.

Southern Shoreline Collapse

The most visible scar lies in the far south of Shylor, where roughly 1,000 square miles of land vanished during the height of the Cataclysm. The coastline tore inward, creating a jagged, unstable new shoreline.

Consequences included:

• Loss of a major highway artery
• Destruction of a snail rail route
• Several small communities being wiped out, submerged, or forced to evacuate
• Ongoing geological instability in the region

The missing land did not sink—it disappeared. No rubble, no underwater ruin, only smoothed stone and impossible depth where a continent once stood.

Sinkholes and Vanishing Bedrock

Elsewhere in Shylor, entire layers of bedrock vanished during the Cataclysm, creating unpredictable sinkholes that swallowed buildings, roads, and farmland.

Today, engineers and artificers race to:

• Reinforce lev-train lines
• Detect upcoming collapses
• Stabilize major districts

It remains an ongoing national concern.

Twilight Cities & Vanished Towns

Beyond physical destruction, Shylor suffers from one of the strangest Cataclysmic anomalies: settlements that fell into a state of perpetual twilight shortly after the Cataclysm began.

Affected settlements:

• Ols (city)
• Brimgate (city)
• Thistlebar (town)
• Kelmor’s Rest (town)

They share haunting traits:

• Constant fog
• Eternal dusk
• Frozen time—no decay, no growth
• Complete absence of residents
• No signs of evacuation or panic

Expedition Findings

Returning teams report:

• Figures in the fog
• Sounds of bustling streets with no people present
• Aberrations and undead in impossible densities
• Memory loss
• Shadows acting with independent intent

Scholars believe these towns slipped partially out of sync with the Prime Plane, but no explanation fits all evidence.

Post-Cataclysm Role

As Pridaria struggled to rebuild, Shylor became a vital logistical lifeline.

• Its coastal docks supported supply runs to Hothstan
• Its rail and highway connections, though damaged, remained more intact than most
• Its perfect weather ensured shipping reliability
• The Federation invested heavily in keeping Shylor connected

Today, Shylor is more economically important than it has ever been.

Economy

Current Major Sectors

• Coastal shipping
• Rail-connected distribution
• Small-scale agriculture
• Artisan crafts and minor magical goods
• Emergency infrastructure support teams
• Research divisions studying the twilight anomalies