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Places in Xanth
North of the Gap
Ogre-Fen-Ogre Fen- Home of the Ancestral Ogres. An ugly
swamp inhabited by ogres, which explains the twisted
trees. It is not a popular spot for sightseers, or anyone
else, as the ogres will happily eat passersby if they can
catch them.
The 5 Forbidden RegionsDirectly
south of the Ogre-Fen-Ogre Fen. From north to south they
are:
Air-This area is full of moving air, with dust storms and
tornadoes driving sand against the cliffs. There is no
vegetation or life here. It is bounded by a cyclone
fence.
Earth-As soon as you cross the border the wind stops, but
the relief is only momentary. The ground is quaking and
lava flows through the barren rocky terrain. An
unscalable mountain range is visible and a huge volcano
flowing lava at the border of the region of Fire. Only
rock plants and other sturdy growths are produced in the
ever-changing soils.
Fire-A ring of fire rages along the border to this
region. The land beyond is burned and the air is full of
ash. To the north, an eternal forest fire rages. To the
west, a lake of fire occasionally belches up mushroom
clouds of flame. To the east is a field of fire from
which columns of flame rise occasionally as gas puffs up
from fumaroles and ignites. New plants push up through
the ashes, only to be consumed because they are so
desiccated that they havn't enough water in their tissues
to resist the flames.
Water-At the north end of the relm of fire, the firewall
at the flaming border raises a hot cloud of steam, which
coalesces on the other side into clouds. The Water Wing
has a tendancy toward weather. Strong rainfall is common
here, as are sleet and snow. Water abounds in all its
states, and there is almost no dry land. A few
middle-aged mermaids and tritons live her, enjoying the
constant abundance of cool water.
Void-Beyond the border of Water, is an imperceptable
swirl of nothingness. Perception is confused here, one
sees what one wishes to see; and all is illusion. It is
difficult to leave the Void, once entered, an invisible
one-way stone wall prevents any escape. Any who enter the
Void are considered lost, though there have been a few
lucky folk who managed the difficult escape.
Regions of various creatures-
Dragonland
Naga Caverns
Region of the Goblins
Home of the Callicantzari
Elfland
Region of Griffons
Birdland
North Village- Before Castle Roogna was restored, this
village was the center of human government. The Storm
King was the last to govern from here. This is the
largest human village in Xanth, home to Bink and his
parents Roland and Bianca. This is also the home of
Justin Tree, a transformed man who opted to stay in tree
form even after Trent returned and offered to restore
him. This village is built within a stockade, to protect
all who reside there.
The Gap
The Gap Chasm-A great chasm stretches across Xanth, from
east to west. Considered one of Xanth's best natural
defenses, the Gap Chasm is also the lands worst
inconviences to traveling folk. Though there are 3
bridges traversing the Gap, because of an ancient forget
spell, some don't even know that it exists, and cannot
cross. The forget spell has mostly dissipated by now, but
it was forgotten for so long that it takes some time for
the word to spread. Patrolling the floor of the chasm is
a great whomping dragon, Stanley Steamer, a friend to the
royal family and Princess Ivy.
The Gap Village-This human settlement is more rustic then
the North Village. It is only a minor stockade, but is
the largest human settlement on the edge of the Gap. It
lies close to the shallowest part of the north slope.
This is the hometown of Chameleon, and Magician Humfrey
himself!
South of the Gap
The Faux Pass-A misstep by the Giant Faux caused him to
trip on a mountain range and create this pass through the
mountains.
The Isle of Illusion-The former home of the Sorceress
Iris, this isle is virtually barren, with scraggly plants
and a dilapidated shack. When Ireis resided here she used
her talent to create the illusion of a lush isle, with a
magnificent palace in place of the shack. For a time in
her old age her talent started wandering back to the
Isle, creating the illusions that once were.
Everglades-Endless tracks of swampy fields, islands of
palm trees, and tall grass through which one will pass
over and over again unless rescued by Arnolde Centaur
with reverse wood.
Vale of the Vole- Considered by the Voles who reside here
not to be a part of the land of Xanth, it is a peaceful
valley of the Kiss-Mee River, with it's wiggly curves and
loving nature. There was once a considerable problem with
Hummers in the Vale, as the Demon Corps of Engineers
pulled the river straight. Once restored, the Vale became
peacefull again, though the Kiss-Mee River and Lake have
yet to fully recover from the trauma.
Lake Ogre-Chobee-The shores of this lake are the first
ancestral home of the Ogres, who moved here from the
Ogre-Fen-Ogre Fen. Under the lake lies Gateway Castle,
the home of the Curse Fiends. In the center of the castle
is a great Vortex, into which the Fiends throw unwanted
guests and other such ilk.
Faun & Nymph Retreat-A handsome lake and a lovely
mountain surrounded by thick forest, enclosed by a ring
of mountains south of Lake Ogre-Chobee, is the last
reserve of the ancient Fauns and Nymphs. They spend their
days in innocent pleasure, full of chases and
celebrations. They are so innocent that they do not
understand the concept of hate, and do not remember over
the span of a day. They are without defense, but once
Stanley Steamer resided here and protected them, but his
place was taken over by Snortimer, Ivy's
monster-under-the-bed.
The Fountain of Youth-No one in Xanth knows of the
whereabouts of the Fountain. It's locations is a well
kept secret of Magician Humfrey, who uses it's elixr to
keep himself at the perfect age of about 100.
Land of the Basilisks
The West Stockade-This enclosed village is on the western
shore of Xanth "where the gaze-gourds grow."
This is a minor human settlement, signifigant only
because it was the home of Millie the Maid, Sorceress
Tapis, and Electra.
Isle of View-An affectionate island where the sleeping
princess was supposed to wait for her prince. Just
speaking it's name in the company of the opposite sex can
lead to some interesting results, as Prince Dolph found
out.
Isles of Joey-a group of islands:
Theive's Isle-where travelers forget about the valuables
they bring with them, so they fall to Black Pete, who
uses mustard seeds dipped in Forget-Whorl to make you
forget.
Beauty-whose natural splendor is so complete and perfect
that it would seem illusionary, but it is very real. A
hundred-one and a half monsters live here, each more
terrible than the last.
Horror-which resembles one of the more frightening scenes
of the gourd.
Water-where the water-worm turns all it touches to water.
Fake Isle-which is used as cover for a giant female
kraken weed who eats the innocent prey that approaches.
Food Isle-which is a huge cake with ice cream, chocolate
sauce, and all the trimmings. Children enjoy gorging
themselves on the isle, but soon regret eating so much
cake.
There are believed to be other Isles of Joey not yet
discovered.
The Gold Coast-the sand, trees, plants, fruit, and rocks
are all pure gold. There stands the Ivory Tower, on a
lonely promontory, where Rapunzel was once imprisioned by
the Sea Hag. The Tower is only accessable by foot at low
tide. Otherwise it is cut off by swift moving tides and
dangerous golden rocks.
Fee-Inland from the Gold Coast is the region of the Fee.
In this glade live stunningly beautiful humans, mostly
young women in glowing white, who are all marred by a
single animal feature. Their leader is Fulsome Fee, a
handsome young man with duck feet. They seek to breed
with outsiders of any race, whether willing or not, and
insist they mate for life. It is best for busy travelers
to avoid the Fee.
Magic Dust Village-The village is a normal stockade where
humans and other creatures harvest the magic dust that
wells up from the rocks below. They use captured rocs to
beat their wings and distrubute the dust all over Xanth.
The large abundance of the magic dust causes a great
increase in the potency of magic, so no one uses their
talents here. They live simply, using no magic to
facilitate everyday life. The Gorgon and her sister the
Siren live nearby, and the folk of the Village aren't too
keen of their alluring capabilities on the village men.
The Source of Magic-Far below the Magic Dust Village is a
great cavern surrounded by the Shield from the adapted
deathstone. Inside the Shield is the Source of all magic
in Xanth. The Demon X(A/N)th. An omnipotent being, he
spends his days pondering ways to gain status in the
complicated demon games he plays. Helped at times by the
creatures of Xanth to realize things he never knew about
mortal life, the Demon undertakes a serious bet with his
fellow demons in the book Yon Ill Wind.
Region of Madness-lies all around the southeast edge of
the Magic Dust Village. A strange region seeped in magic,
it is known for being completely mad, and the events that
occur in its wild jungles are wierd even for Xanthly
standards! Home to living constellations, new species of
butterflys, and Xanth's first recorded sighting of
reverse wood, the Region of Madness plays bit parts in
The Source of Magic, and plays a greater role in Geis of
the Gargoyle.
Mount Parnassus-Home to the Simurgh, the wisest bird in
Xanth, who has seen the destruction of the universe 3
times. The Tree of Seeds grows on the peak, and the
Maeneds roam the slopes. The Oracle of the Pythia live
here, who answer questions while sitting on a stool over
a cleft. The Muses reside here also. No creatures are
allowed to fly over or around the mountain, and the
Simurgh renders those flightless who try.
Mount Rushmost-This is the meeting place of the winged
monsters. It is virtually unaccessable by any means other
then flying. The leader of the winged monsters, Cheiron,
holds court here. Weddings and other important events of
the winged creatures are performed here.
Centaur Isle-On the verge of Mundania, Centaur is the
southernmost region of Xanth. This is the home of the
centaurs, they live here peacefully, playing people-shoes
and trying to forget the existance of obscene magic.
The Gourd
Though technically not a region of Xanth, the Gourd world
is a unique feature of the magic of the land. Existing
inside the peephole of the hypnogourds, this is the realm
of dreams. Ruled over by Trojan, the Night Stallion or
the Dark Horse, it is the birthplace of all the bad
dreams, created by the gourd inhabitants, and delivered
by the night mares, Trojan's handiwork is the bane of all
souled creatures. If one looks into the peephole in a
gourd, their body freezes in place, and their soul
travels into the dream world. It is unfortunate to be
trapped in the gourd, because you cannot get out of your
own volition, someone in Xanth proper must break the line
of sight between your eye and the peephole. If no one
rescues you, then you may be forever stuck in to gourd
world, or at least until your body rots from
malnourishment.
Castles of Xanth
Good Magician Humfrey's Castle-Though its exact location
is not known, on purpose, mind you, Humfrey's Castle is
generally located south of the gap and north east of
Castle Roogna. Though Humfrey would rather spend his time
pouring over his tomes, his status as the Magician of
Information tends to encourage flocks of querents seeking
an answer to their problems. To discourage petty problems
that may not be worth his time, Humfrey had the centaurs
build the castle with some very unique capabilities. At a
word, something such as "In the name of Good
Magician Humfrey, Castle change shape," the castle
will up and rearrange itself to a new configuration,
complete with 3 challenges that a querent must overcome
to gain admittance to seek an answer. Humfrey also
charges a years service in exchange for an answer. These
challenges and services, and the overall exertion it
takes just to find the place, discourages most visitors.
Humfrey now gets about one querent a month, which is a
bit much for his tastes, but nothing can be perfect.
Castle Roogna-This is the hub of human activity in Xanth.
For two generations so far, the royal family and friends
have lived and ruled from this magnificent ediface.
Dating from the time of the Fifth Wave, Castle Roogna was
built by the late King Roogna. It was built on a bet
between Roogna and Magician Murphy, if Roogna could
overcome Murphy's curse of misfortune and get the castle
built within a year, Roogna would be King and Murphy
would forget his wish to be king. But, if Roogna failed
to live up to the a forementioned terms, Murphy would be
the one to rule. For a time it seemed as if Murphy's
curse was too strong for Roogna. A goblin-harpy war was
set to be waged exactly where the castle was being built,
and the Fifth Wave was just beginning to wave through
Xanth. But, with the help of a foreign barbarian and his
giant spider friend, both the wave, and the goblins and
harpies were vanquished, and as a result, the Forget
Spell was detonated in the gap. It is all described in
Castle Roogna. After laying in ruins since the death of
King Gromden and the accession of King Yang, castle
Roogna was home to Rose of Roogna for a time, but was
deserted for a century or so after that. It wasn't until
Bink and the Magician Trent stumbled upon the castle that
the Golden Age of Xanth began, and Trent once again
established Castle Roogna as the governing point of
Xanth. The Castle has many natural defenses, such as the
orchard around it where the trees can move to block off
trespassers, and some cherry bomb trees.
New Castle Zombie-After the Zombie Master Jonathan and
Millie the Maid were restored, they set about looking for
a place to live. Their Old Castle Zombie was being
inhabited by the Good Magician, so they built themselves
a New Castle Zombie. On the outside it looks rotten and
slimey, with an algae ridden moat and crumbling bricks.
It's structure is stronger then it looks however, and
don't judge the inside the same way. Millie has made many
improvements to the decor, and all rooms except the
Zombie Masters laboratory are virtually zombie free. With
a faithful contingent of Zombie defenders, Castle Zombie
is a very unique and interesting place to visit.
Ivory Tower-Because it had not been built yet, Humfrey
was allowed to not write about the Ivory Tower in his
essay for the School of Magic, to the annoyance of
Professor Glosscout. The home of the late Sea Hag, and
prior prison to Rapunzel, the Ivory Tower is located off
the shore of the Gold Coast.
Nameless Castle-A fairly new edition of our knowledge of
Xanth, Nameless Castle is located on a cloud above the
Gold Coast. It is made of cloud itself, with a gateway
that seems as if it's built for a giant. It's labyrinth
of rooms inside are built to human standards, however. In
the center is a large room with a large glass ceiling,
where Roxanne Roc once sat for centuries waiting for the
egg that held Simurgh Jr. to hatch. It is now inhabited
by a pretty girl named Chlorine and her friend the dragon
Nimby. They spend their days helping as many people as
possible, and their nights doing things I can't even
begin to discuss because of the Adult Conspiracy.
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