Geography
The majority of inner and eastern Umbria is rocky deserts dotted with volcanoes. To the far Northeast is a sizable mountain range, separating the country from its neighbors. Though, some swamp areas exist, creating havens for amphibious and repilian species like grungs and lizardfold. Further to the west, the country becomes more tropical as the ocean draws near. Most of the large cities, including the capital, Penumbra, are situated along the western coast. The small archipelago of Asteri, officially incorporated into Umbria and situated slightly to the southwest of the mainlaind, also has a tropical climate.
History
The first records of Umbria and its civilization claim the country quite literally spawned from nowhere during a great magical storm around 3000 years ago. Generally, most people believe this to simply be a creation myth. Strange meteorites have fallen on Umbria since the beginning of its recorded history.
In ancient Umbria, lost, advanced civilizations of moon and sun elves built elaborate dungeons beneath the earth. The lizardfolk and grung arrived a few centuries after Umbria supposedly spawned, though their villages were always quite isolated, leading to minimal contact between the two groups. About 1200 years ago, a great cataclysm occurred, sending more meteorites to the earth than ever before. Those who survived the meteorite impacts then had to deal with a great increase in undead fiends. Most of the surviving Sun Elves fled to Asteri, while most of the Moon Elves feld to the more fortified mountains.
Sometime after the cataclysm, Dwarven explorers arrived in Umbria and discovered an excess of incredibly powerful magical ore. Although the lands were still plagued with undead, individuals of various species and origins came to try and make a fortune in the "Ore Rush." Rumors swirl about various dangerous and expensive magic items left behind in the abandoned tunnels, and many of these rumors have been proven true. Adventuring is a very profitable and well-respected career here - in fact, most government leaders get their start as adventurers. This is... not the most productive government system, to say the least.
Notable Locations
- Pulsa - A large mining city in inner Umbria. Location of the University of Pulsa, where Kevin, Omni, and Cinnamon went to college. It is surrounded by a fortified wall to keep out the undead. Just outside the wall are various smaller suburbs, including the one where Kevin grew up. Though rather unassuming on the outside, a wealth of treasure apparently lies beneath Pulsa. Many adventurers - including the PU student parties - are assigned to explore the vast labyrinth of tunnels beneath the city. The tunnels themself seem to share a common origin point below school for some reason...?
- Namtoa - A small town very close to a volcano. Cinnamon's current wizard tower is actually on the volcano (heavily fortified with protective measures, of course). Part of his job is to prevent it from erupting. Though fairly unknown in the greater scheme of things, this town has a distinctive trait - its architecture. Many of the structures here appear to have been crafted directly from molten lava by some sort of powerful mage in days long-past. Some townspeople believe an "aura" protects the town from conflict.
- Asteri - Although the islands are territories of Umbria, they are ruled mostly by a kingdom of Sun Elves who fled the mainland after the the great cataclysm. Asteri is extravagant and wealthy compared to the Umbrian mainlaind. In the center of its primary island lies the prestigeous Asteri Institute of Science and Magic, which is also the oldest structure on the archipelago. The islands are a popular tourist destination for foreigners. Some mainlanders hold disdain for the residents of Asteri, sometimes due to their wealth and sometimes due to the kingdom's secrecy...
- Penumbra - The capital city of Umbria. It serves as the main port for the country, and many traders visit here. Like Asteri, it is one of the few real tourist destinations of Umrbia, though it's got a bit more of a rough and chaotic atmosphere. The population is quite dense, with high-rises abound and market stalls crowding every street. Expect someone to always be trying to sell you something here. Its tradition of using intricate lanterns for decoration and lighting gives it some visual flair, especially at night. The Eastern border of the city is heavily fortified, though it's just to keep out undead and monsters - people can get in pretty easily. As expected, the main government halls of Umbria are situated here on a series of vast estates belonging to powerful adventuring parties.
- Dry Gulch - The starting location of the campaign, and the location of Cinnamon's original wizard tower. They have a yearly meteorite festival. The town itself is nothing of note, but apparently it's a good place to take up a low-profile job if you're hiding from a lich.
- Wet Gulch - The sister town of Dry Gulch. Their baseball team mascot is an ooze.
- Iskioth - A small lizardfolk village in one of the isolated swamps. Solomaz comes from here.
- The Heralayas - A large mountain range running along the Northeastern border of Umbria. Many moon elves fled here after the cataclysm.
Economy
Most of Umbria's economy is centered around the energy sector, thanks to Oil Industries. Magical ore from the meteorites that have fallen on Umbria for millennia has sunk deep into the ground, so the mining industry is huge. This special ore is used to make various technologies, such as rock phones. Oil industries is currently trying to monopolize the teleportation industry - which is incredibly imporant in Umbria due to the inhospitable landscapes.
Demographics and Culture
According to the most recent census data dwarves and elves are the most populous species on Umbria. However, the disorganized government and the harsh landscape make it difficult to conduct a fully accurate survey. Though, no one species makes up a majority of the country - it is highly diverse, and most Umbrian citizens have bigger things to worry about than racial differences. Hybrids are common.
It's been noted that the native sun and moon elves on Umbria are genetically distinct from other elf subspecies. Most notably, they do actually spend a short period of each rest sleeping rather than trancing. They have large fangs and eat meat, unlike the vegetarian leaning of most elf types. While the skin of sun elves is dotted in sparkling specks, moon elves have a sort of reflective quality to their pale blue complexion. Their innate magic apparently originates from the astral plane rather than the feywild. Some researchers have tried to look into the differences between the native elves of Umbria and other elf groups, but the exact reason is unknown.
Due to their poorly structured government, the people of Umbria tend to be rather independent and try to be self-reliant. At the same time, the unified threat of undead fiends minimizes serious conflict among the living. Despite access to some advanced technology like rock phones, much of inner Umbria is poor. Since many parts of the country are difficult to traverse, some areas have developed their own unique cultures in near isolation. The dominant "Umbrian culture" is most visible in Penumbra and along the coast, heavily influenced by centuries of contact with pirates and merchants. This coastal culture and its focus on seafood and boats doesn't really transfer well to the inland deserts though. Further from the sea, the rough-and-tumble pirate vibes have evolved into more of a wild west cowboy sort of thing.
The primary religion of Umbria is a form of sun worship, stemming from their tradition of burning bodies to prevent them from becoming undead. However, it is by no means a state religion, and many towns have local deities or traditions that they still follow. The second most prominent faith in the country is the esoteric Cult of Dreams, though this faith gained a bad reputation after a small offshoot denomination committed mass suicide. All variants of this religion remain fairly mysterious to outsiders.