Heart of Fire Map - Continent of Tairon

The continent of Tairon is the location where the events of "Heart of Fire" and "A Pair of Hearts" (book 2) take place.

A slight smaller than Australia, Tairon has four mountain ranges and a variety of biomes. While mostly forested, travelers will need to prepare for steep hills, harsh desert, unforgiving tundra, thick tropics with camouflaged predators, and soggy wetlands where horses cannot tread. Despite these challenges, it is colonized by five major races:

Fae *endemic*: The original inhabitants of Tairon's temperate zones. Born from their "Mother Tree", these fairy-like creatures share many characteristics with plants. Such as a photosynthetic epidermal coating and asexual reproduction. As they are strongly tied to the Mother Tree, Fae do not typically venture far from Kor Lahru (Fairy Fields). And when they do, they must stay in areas with medium-to-strong mana reserves, as they are magical creatures and will grow feint quickly without it.

Tal: A distant relative to the Fae, Tal are tall and slender with erect ears; similar to elves in other worlds. In the past, the Tal planned on expanding their claim into western lands, but the plague of Lavi virus 200 years ago limited their domain to Mount Tenlok and the surrounding hills. The plague caused their society to be separated into two branches, the Upper and Lower, with the Lower inhabiting the underground city of Omei. Lower Tal suffer from the deforming effects of Lavi infection, but are generally less snooty. They are also quite capable with magic and alchemy.

Nords: Adapted to the arctic climes of the White Ridge Mountains, Nords are short, stocky, and snow-complected with white skin, hair, and pale eyes. Their wide brow and nasal bridge allows for increased oxygen intake at high elevations while their small, sunken noses maintain warmth. Until recently, Nords resided exclusively north of the Silver Mountains, but the expansion of the Mountain Giant domain forced them south. Now they struggle to build their realm while northern territory is being taken by humans expanding north.

Dwarves *extinct*: Immigrants from across the Tairon Sea, Dwarves made a stronghold in the southern Elder Mountains. Their expert mining ability paired with the region's vast mineral resources made their society boom; this is especially true with the discovery of Astram (a rare and coveted metal) and the arrival of dragons. Their downfall, and subsequent elimination from the continent, was led by Gurn, an alchemist who led a rebellion against the ill treatment of the lower class. Today the only Dwarven blood runs in the veins of Halflings, offspring of dwarven refugees and humans.

Kiithran *endemic but expanding*: Large, feathered, elk-like creatures that roamed the southwestern slopes of the Elder Mountains in herds. The impact of a massive meteorite 6000 ya exposed them to millennia of radiation, resulting in extra-scapular appendages which adapted into glider-like wings. The rapid selection also prompted their increase in intellect. This was enhanced and molded by the guidance of the Sylvani dragons after their arrival on Tairon. They are currently tribal, but entering into a paradigm shift.

Dragons: After centuries of territorial disputes and a clan-wide war, a small collection of peace-minded dragons made the long and difficult flight across the tempestuous Tempic Ocean to start new clans on Tairon. Draco, the group's leader, entered into alliances with the current inhabitants to ensure borders were properly held, thus creating the Montari (Mountain), Ignis (Volcanic), and Sylvani (Forest) clans. Despite occasional rows, clan life is finally peaceful. They even share in interclan festivities every ten years at the Clan Summit.

Humans: Being the last race to arrive on Tairon, humans had a lot of catching up to do. With their land bordered by four races and an ocean, the human realm was limited to the southwestern corner of the continent; roughly the size of California and Nevada. This posed no problem in the dawning years as settlements were built and grew. But after a few centuries, an ever increasing need for resources pushed them northward into dragon and nordic lands. The dragons, appreciative of their intellect and creativity, entered into a strong alliance, allowing humans access to the Silver Mountain foothills and its riches in return for artifacts (jewelry and food mainly) and a cease-expansion into the mountains. The Nords, still expanding themselves, agreed to having The Gaping Maw as their border and started a healthy trade relationship. With the settlement of humans, all five races entered a prosperous age of trade and (for the humans) technological advancement.

Current Settlements of the Five Races

Fae/Tal
    Kor Lahru: Fae for "Light Fields", aka "Fairy Fields" by humans. Vast fields of endemic, magical plants brimming with mana. Home to Mother Tree and Talian farms.
    Mirna: Talian kingdom located in the slopes of Mt. Tenlok, the highest peak of the Elder Mountains. Inhabited by the Upper Tal.
    Omei: Underground city located below Mt. Tenlok and Kor Lahru. Light provided by the mana crystals that coat the cavern's ceiling and the bio-luminescence of Mother Tree's roots that encapsulate the city.
    Inhabited by the Lower Tal.

Dwarven
    Dorrak: Ruined Dwarven Kingdom buried by a landslide caused by Gurn

Kiithran
    Morai Durnath: Kiithrani for "Meteor Mountains". Aka "Morai Mountains" or just "Morai". A collection of floating mountains held airborne by repelling magnetic forces from buried meteorites.

Nord
    Falorn: Nord capital. Main resources include meat, fur, and leather from arctic animals such as the Frosthoof.
    Grata: Smaller fishing settlement
    Koth: Southernmost city. Specializes in fishing, hunting, and crafting. Foreign trade center.

Dragon
    Silver Mountains: Montari domain. Borders human realm. Main supplier of Amec (purple) mana crystals.
    Mount Blackstone: Ignis domain. Located on the Ikbar Peninsula. Major supplier of Balfic (red) mana crystals.
    Heartwood: Sylvani domain. East of Elder Mountains. Main supplier of Sylic (green) mana crystals.

Human
    -Cities-
    Altaira: Capital. Located at base of Silver Mountains. Close relationship with Montari clan. Progressive society.
    Renguard: Trade center. Manarail hub. Black Thorn HQ.
    Valhan: Prison city
    Tern: Seaport
    Cree: Riverport
    Rozenfall: Located in mana-less zone. Specializes in Arrun Tree (anti-magic) products and farming
    Dairos: Southernmost seaport. Located in saltmarsh; buildings on stilts. Must travel by Auna (emu-like bird) to enter or leave. Specialize in seafood and crafts. Decent size halfling population.
    Tryst: Travelling outpost north of Dairos; trade Auna for horses. Beginning of Manarail.
    Donis: Northernmost city on east coast. Specialize in lumber and fish.
    Blueport: Riverport on east coast. Specialize in fish and farming.

    -Towns/Settlements-
    Landelle: Farming town
    Edgewood: Farming town and supplier of magical plants
    Misty Hollow: Mining and lumber mill
    Mill Top: Farming and milling. Large supplier of flour.
    Everglen: Stop-over/Inn town
    Shrye: Travelling outpost northeast of Dairos. Trade horses for Auna.
    Brin: Farming
    Akrin: Farming
    Stone Grove: Mining and farming
    Verbena: Farming
    Evitt: Manarail outpost and connector to Altaira
    Crescent Bay: Fishing town. Main concern for Human-Nord relations.
    Kanar: Outpost on northern border of the Aktahlik Desert. Serves as a rest stop for traveling to-and-from the east coast.
    Devai: Southernmost outpost on east coast. Located on edge of tropical forest. Currently dealing with "Eight-Face" (amphibious predator) attacks.

Completed using PS CS2
Map brushes and tutorial from calthyechild
Font from The Cartographer's Guild