Overview
Durakarn is a far-southern nation of Valrindor and a former large, prosperous province of the Malverand Empire under Isandriel. Its modern capital is Drakarim. Its older capital stands deep in land once swallowed by the darkness.
Durakarn survives for centuries at the darkness border, where its people maintain military defenses, essence-driven technology, and skyships developed from Brighthaven designs that Isaac brought to Drakarim.
Geography & Layout
Durakarn lies far south in Valrindor near the Land of Darkness. Drakarim stands on a sprawling plain surrounded by mountains, rivers, and lakes, with the ocean visible in the distance.
Older Durakarn includes territory that was overtaken by Jorhan's corruption. The ancient capital stands deep inside the former darkness, beyond days of corrupted wilderness, dead trees, purple-tinged pools, strange glowing flora, and dark towers. Southern Durakarn still holds or regains green fields, sapphire-blue lakes, snow-specked peaks, pine forests, clear rivers, small villages, stone roads, and towns near the remaining walls of darkness.
Design, Technology & Architecture
Modern Drakarim's architecture uses massive dark gray stone buildings streaked with gold, linked in places by glass bridges. The country uses sleek, angular, metallic skyships descended from Brighthaven designs, and its darkness suppressors are Durakarn-Brighthaven technology.
The ancient capital has dark towers, cracked tiles, and grand buildings once painted gold and white. By the time Brynor's group reaches it, the city is crumbled, faded, empty, and almost suspended in time, with no visible constructs, inhabitants, or vegetation.
Society & Power
Durakarn is isolated, hardy, and guarded with outsiders. Hunting and farming coexist with advanced essence technology and skyships, and the people around Drakarim wear thick layered clothing suited to a harsh climate.
Drakarim's leaders handle diplomacy and grant Eira access to city vaults after she arrives with Kaelion, Jin Leiyun, and a windweaver crew. Rowan leads the Durakarn military and commands guards, mages, and armed skyships during the response to Jorhan's final journey through the darkness.
History
During the Malverand era, Barachiel places Isandriel over southern Malverand, including Durakarn and Brighthaven. Durakarn is a large, prosperous region, and Isandriel later leaves its administration to Cormac. Isandriel turns toward Brighthaven and the other provinces under his jurisdiction.
When Jorhan spreads corruption across Valrindor, Durakarn is swallowed by the darkness. Isandriel and Thamrielle strike back against Jorhan's corruption, but their magic feeds the corruption and expands it beyond Durakarn. Isandriel orders evacuations from the western territories and sends his people toward safer provinces under Sigvariel and Jeremiah. Over the following centuries, Durakarn is reduced to a fragment of its former self.
Durakarn is Isaac's homeland from his life as Isandriel, so the darkness there is personal to him. He plans to establish diplomatic ties between Brighthaven and Durakarn. Durakarn holds at the darkness border. After Arcanis defeats the darkness, Isaac returns there because his people are free again.
Eira visits Drakarim with Kaelion, Jin, and a windweaver crew. Durakarn's leaders grant her access to city vaults, where records repeatedly name Isandriel as an ancient leader of Durakarn. A concealed gate stands inside a hill near Drakarim. Eira leaves after Kaelion and Jin form a friendship with Rowan.
After Jorhan's defeat, Jorhan, Eshmir, Brynor, Aurion, and Lirien travel through the darkness toward old Durakarn. Jorhan clears the ancient capital, pushes south, and uses his final overload to clear a town and surrounding land reaching beyond the horizon. Jorhan and Eshmir die in that act. Rowan agrees to future contact with Irrathis. Aurion takes the spiral shard from the cleared Durakarn town.
Afterward, Brynor and Rowan agree to stay in touch. Gate travel becomes unsafe. Lunorax protects a group passing through the gate from Durakarn to Irrathis, and the entity moving inside the void makes the gate unsafe to keep open.
Features & Locations
- Drakarim, Durakarn's modern capital.
- The ancient capital of Durakarn, deep in the former darkness.
- A concealed half-circle gate near Drakarim, used for travel from Durakarn toward Irrathis.
- Southern Durakarn's surviving or reclaimed fields, lakes, villages, rivers, and mountain views.
- Smaller towns and ruins near the remaining walls of darkness.
- Advanced skyships and Durakarn-Brighthaven technology.
Related
- Aurion
- Brighthaven
- Brynor
- Cormac
- Darkness
- Drakarim
- Eira
- Eshmir
- Gates
- Irrathis
- Isandriel
- Jorhan
- Land of Darkness
- Lirien
- Malverand Empire
- Rowan
- Skyship
- Valrindor
- Xalmyrra