Krin'thir

Krin'thir is one of the major continents on the planet of Sprin'Torel.

Geography
Krin'thir takes up the northern half, and majority, of the Westernmost landmass, from the northern coast to the edge of the swampland. The geography within this continent is extremely diverse, including two lakes, a vast forest, swampland, and a rather large mountain range.

This continent includes the following countries:

Fotrein
Fotrein is the largest country in Krin'thir, encompassing the entirety of the forest, and all of the land East of it. This country is predominantly made up of elves, though plenty of other creatures who live and thrive in the woods make up a large portion of the population.

The capital, Whitpoint, is deep in the forest and home to the Fotrein's Council of Elders. Many of the country's villages and towns are also scattered around the forest, with some cities scattered outside of there. Of the cities outside of the forest, the majority of them are on the coast, serving as trading points or fishing towns.

Fotrein is known for its knowledge, home to one of the one of the oldest libraries where the Council of Elders have stored their knowledge since they were initially created, in 13 AC. Additionally, though they are not known for it, they do some forestry and can provide excellent quality meats from the forest and the neighbouring sea.

Shiaria
Shiaria is located on the Northwestern part of the country, extending as far East as the edge of the forest and as far South as the northern coast as the southern lake. This country is predominantly Elvish, though there are also a large number of halflings and merfolk.

The capital, Spirithorn, is located on the cross-section where the mountains, the plains, and the ocean meet. Similarly to Fotrein, Spirithorn houses Shiaria's Council of Elders. Unlike Fotrein, however, the various towns and cities are more vastly spread out, some of which are even deep in the mountains or under the lakes.

Shiaria's main source of income comes from mining - both of ores from within the mountains, and of salt from within the ocean. There are some lesser sources of income, such as from fishing and tourism, but Shiarians know that without their mines, their standing in the world would suffer significantly.

Awhaysia
On the Southeastern edge of Krin'thir, with a border going as far West as the edge of the Swamp and as far North as the Southernmost lake, is Awhaysia. Though a majority of this country is swamp, that hardly stopped people from starting small towns within the swamp and larger cities outside of it - some people even getting creative enough to find ways of founding cities on the bordering ocean. One of these cities on the ocean is the capital of Awhaysia, Kilspell, and is famous for being a city that is not only resting on top of the ocean, but for existing far below the water's surface as well, earning it the nickname of The Gateway. Similarly, the entire country exists as a sort of embassy between the world above and the world below the ocean floor, with a predominantly Merfolk population, moving above and below the surface as they wish.

Given that this country is predominantly swamp, there is not very much that Awhaysia has to offer to the outside world. As such, they focus their efforts on being as self-sustaining as possible and gaining a sense of pride in their homes. This, in turn, created a certain sensationalism around Awhaysia, and eventually tourism took off, earning the country more foreign income than ever before.

Shaojan
On the Southwestern corner of Krin'thir, stretching as far north as the top of the Southern lake, and going as far East as the middle of the lake, lays the country of Shaojan. Unlike the rest of Krin'thir, Shaojan has arguably the harshest climates in the entire world, with the tallest mountains and the lowest valleys. Though this section is extremely mountainous, there are not very many dwarves. Instead, various elves and humans sought to use the harsh climates as a training ground, and as such it is full of various monasteries dedicated to training body and mind.

Though Shaojan is predominantly populated by dojos and monasteries, there are still a few large cities located inside of the mountains, where the climate is more temperate, and outside of the mountains. The capital, Fallbarrow, is one of the cities outside of the harsh mountains, located on the edge, close to the lake. Fallbarrow is as important as it is small, serving to provide food and necessary resources to all of the monasteries to keep them functioning at minimal cost.

It is also worth noting that Shaojan, presumably due to its lower population, exists with a smaller Council of Elders than any of the other countries, rarely exceeding more than 7 members, and sometimes even dipping below that.

Politics
One commonality between the various countries on Krin'Thir is that they have similar forms of government, using a gerontocracy known as The Council of Elders.

Each of the Council of Elders is a group of the wisest and most experienced members of each country, comprising of around 7-10 members. When a member of the council retires, they will provide a list of potential candidates for the rest of the Council to decide on to replace them. In some situations, the Council will deem multiple, or even no members, on the list to be worthy of being a member. But, at any given time, most countries agree that there should be 7-10 members to determine how their respective countries should be run.