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Naquart

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Updated
BySuraia Silverbell
The Common Heart of the Xaverion Islands

Overview

Naquart is the largest island of the Xaverion archipelago, lying north-west of the elven isle of Tanea. It has a mild, moderate climate and is widely regarded as the central hub island for all races, not just humans.

Originally taken largely by human forces during the War of the Islands, Naquart has since become the place where mixed-race communities are most common; some towns are truly blended, while in others humans make up only about half the population.

Today, Naquart is known for three things in particular:

  • Peragon, capital of both Naquart and the wider Xaverion Islands

  • Its forests and lakes, especially the Oak Highlands and Silverdeep Lake

  • The scars of its undead plague and the rise and fall of the Crimson Order

Location & Climate

  • Position: North-west of Tanea, in the northern half of the Xaverion realm.

  • Climate: Mild and moderate, neither as hot as Endorat nor as harsh as the far northern isles.

The island’s gentle weather and fertile soils helped it recover from war and undead incursions, and they are part of why so many different peoples have chosen to settle here.

History & the Fifth Era

Conquest & Central Role

During the War of the Islands (years 4–8 of the Fifth Era), Naquart was largely conquered and held by human forces.

After the peace treaty and the founding of the Xaverion Order in year 9, Naquart’s role changed: rather than remaining a purely human stronghold, it evolved into neutral ground and shared territory, where elves, dwarves, halflings, humans, gnomes and others live side by side.

With Peragon recognised as the capital of the Xaverion Islands, Naquart became the everyday political and cultural centre of the nation—a place shaped more by councils and markets than by castles and crowns.

The Undead in Naquart

In year 5, reports of ghoul attacks began to spread across Naquart. At first the incidents were scattered, easily handled by local paladins, but by the late year 8 entire groups of undead were attacking villages almost daily.

Key points in this dark chapter:

  • The churches of the New Faiths largely withdrew to the Landing of the Gods, leaving many communities exposed.

  • The Crimson Order formed on Naquart in year 6, presenting itself as a Thoron-devoted militia to defend the common folk.

  • The burning of Elderbrook in year 9—initially blamed on an overwhelming undead attack—became a turning point. Only much later was it proven that the Crimson Order itself had arranged the destruction.

After the War of the Islands ended and the peace treaty was signed in year 9, united efforts by many races—supported by Veil mages and the paladins and priests of the New Faiths—eventually brought the undead scourge under control.

The Crimson Monastery & Crimson Witch Hunts

Deep in the Oak Highlands stood the Crimson Monastery, once a proud sanctuary of Thoron’s followers and headquarters of the Crimson Order.

Over time, the Order:

  • Slid from defenders of the people into zealotry and paranoia

  • Turned its fury not only on undead and necromancers, but on non-human members and ordinary villagers

  • Orchestrated attacks and purges under the excuse of rooting out Ghor’s corruption

In year 17, on Lunaday, Cycle of Arilya, Season of Ysandra, the Xaverion Order, supported by knights of noble houses and paladins of the New Faiths, marched on the monastery and destroyed the Order’s power base in a single day.

Their fall did not end the fear:

  • Surviving members scattered.

  • The islands entered the era of the Crimson Witch Hunts, where anyone suspected of having served the Order might be imprisoned or even burned.

  • Even in Year 19, high-ranking members were still being captured and sent to Abaraxion.

In the present day, ruins of the Crimson Monastery still lie hidden among the Oak Highlands—avoided by most, watched closely by Ahn’Ghor and other Ghor-hunters whenever rumours stir.

Regions & Landscapes

Oak Highlands

The Oak Highlands are the largest forest region on Naquart, a broad sweep of woodlands and rolling high ground.

  • Home to the Crimson Monastery’s ruins

  • Dotted with small hamlets, shrines, and old battle sites from the undead years

  • A place where travellers still speak softly after dark

Many stories of Naquart’s undead plague, heroism, and tragedy are rooted in these woods.

Silverdeep Lake

Silverdeep Lake is one of the largest inland lakes on Naquart, ringed with smaller settlements and farms.

  • Fishing, small-scale trade, and agriculture sustain the communities around its shores.

  • The lake’s misty mornings and calm waters are often described in song and tale as the “silver mirror” of Naquart.

Notable among its lakeside communities is Threea Hamlet (see below).

Settlements & Notable Sites

Peragon – Capital of Naquart & the Xaverion Islands

Peragon is Naquart’s main coastal city and harbour, boasting the largest port on the island. It serves as:

  • Capital of Naquart

  • Capital city of the Xaverion Islands

Peragon is often called “the city of the common people” because:

  • It has no castles and no resident nobility.

  • It is governed by a council, reflecting Naquart’s mixed-race, citizen-driven character rather than hereditary rule.

From Peragon’s docks, ships sail to nearly every corner of the islands—though since the rise of the sirens and other sea-borne horrors, such journeys always carry risk, and often require the escort of the Seafarers Accords.

Eastmere

Eastmere is a mid-sized town on the shores of Silverdeep Lake.

  • Sustained by fishing and lake trade, as well as farming the surrounding fields.

  • Acts as a local hub for the smaller hamlets scattered around the lake’s edges.

Elderbrook (Ruins & Memory)

Elderbrook once lay only a few days’ travel from Peragon, a prosperous village on the edge of the Oak Highlands, surrounded by farmland.

During the undead years:

  • Elderbrook endured frequent attacks, becoming one of the most hard-hit settlements on Naquart.

  • On Amberday, Cycle of Qastaii, Season of Thoron, Year 9, the village was burned overnight, with no survivors.

For years it was believed to be the result of an overwhelming undead attack. Eventually, investigations revealed the truth: the fire had been orchestrated by the Crimson Order.

In the present day, Elderbrook’s site is a scar in the landscape and in memory. Pilgrims, survivors’ descendants, and chroniclers sometimes visit to leave offerings or to record the stories of those who died there.

Roseworth

Roseworth is a small, secluded village, described in records as being “in the middle of nowhere.”

  • Its isolation means it rarely appears in official politics.

  • Those who hail from Roseworth often carry a quiet pride in their remote, self-sufficient community.

Threea Hamlet

Threea Hamlet lies south of Silverdeep Lake. With only around 137 inhabitants, it is a small but prosperous settlement, relying mainly on fishing and agriculture.

Population details:

  • ~60% human

  • ~25% human-elf

  • ~15% elf

Governance & notable locals:

  • Mayor: Madam Cordelia Brood, a human widow who took over after her husband’s death. She is relatively new to the role but assisted him for years and manages well.

  • Healer: Eilonwy Everglade, an elf widow.

  • Guards: Chief “Bogo” (human, 40+) and Gidion Grey (human, about 25).

  • Elven Teacher: Alya’ra Everglade.

Education is a point of pride in Threea:

  • There are two schools—one human, one elven.

  • Half-elves and other races may choose which school to attend.

Threea’s residents seldom leave; instead, traders come to them, so most goods can be obtained without ever quitting the hamlet. The locals think highly of their home, even if few elsewhere have ever heard of it.

Other Settlements

In addition to the towns and villages above, Naquart has:

  • Various small hamlets and farmsteads scattered across its plains and lake-lands

  • Other harbour towns

  • The settlement known as New Tinkeron, referenced in internal records but seldom mentioned in public chronicles

These smaller places give Naquart its patchwork character: a blend of busy harbours, quiet villages, and out-of-the-way communities where strange things may still happen unnoticed.

Naquart in the Present Day (Year 22, Fifth Era)

By the current year, Naquart stands as:

  • The political and social heart of the Xaverion Islands, through Peragon’s council and markets.

  • A symbol of coexistence, where many races live together more closely than almost anywhere else in the realm.

  • A land marked by recent history—the undead plague, the Crimson Order, and the witch hunts still cast a long shadow over local memory.

The undead no longer roam the roads as they once did, but Naquart’s people remember. They honour the lost villages like Elderbrook, watch the Oak Highlands with wary eyes, and place particular trust in Ahn’Ghor hunters, Xaverion Knights, and the Seafarers Accords when rumours of Ghor’s touch rise again.

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