Kingdom Thal’draen
Kingdom Thal’draen
Origin | Role | Ith’kev | Magic & Technology | People | Culture & Religion | Legacy
Welcome to Thal’draen, a kingdom of eternal ice, floating mountains and ancient magic rising from the heart of a vast glacier.
Among all the realms of Ananthara, few combine magic, knowledge and technology as closely as Thal’draen. At its centre lies Ith’kev, a city built around an enormous magical crystal whose energy flows through its streets, buildings and floating islands like a second bloodstream.
The kingdom is known as one of the most advanced centres of magical research in Ananthara, but beneath its brilliance lies a society shaped by strict responsibility, spiritual traditions, social divisions and the dangerous consequences of reaching too deeply into magic.
The name itself reflects this identity. In Têhand, “Thal” can be associated with frost or eternity, while “draen” refers to a heart or core — making Thal’draen the frozen heart of a kingdom whose very existence revolves around the crystal at its centre.
The Origins of Thal’draen
The history of Thal’draen reaches back to the age of the Old Dragons. According to legend, the ancient dragon Khev’raen fell during the wars of the Old Dragons. His impact transformed the land beneath him, creating the vast glacier upon which the kingdom would later rise.
But his essence did not disappear. It remained within the land and formed one of Ananthara’s mysterious Source Sites — places marked by the magical signature of the Old Dragons where immense concentrations of magic continue to gather.
At the heart of this Source Site formed the enormous crystal that still powers Ith’kev today.
Around it, the first settlers founded the city: Eldranis Aurion, Selendris Noctara, Talorion Myrkanis and Iselara Valandis. Their families would go on to shape the magical, political and technological development of Thal’draen for generations.
Even today, many believe that a fragment of Khev’raen’s essence remains bound within the crystal itself. And if the legends are true, Ith’kev was not merely built around a source of magic. It was built around the remains of a godlike being.
The Role of Thal’draen in Ananthara
Thal’draen is one of Ananthara’s most important centres of magic, research and knowledge.
Its scholars study the nature of Thal’ithara, ancient artefacts, magical creatures, forgotten histories and the remnants of the Old Dragons. At the same time, engineers combine magical energy with advanced technologies that would seem almost impossible in many other parts of the world.
But with that knowledge comes responsibility.
One of Thal’draen’s most important duties is the education of those whose Thal’ithara has awakened.
Thal’ithara is not simply learned magic. It is a manifestation of the soul itself — shaped by a person’s desires, gifts, fears and deepest connection to the world.
For some, that awakening may be subtle.
For others, it can manifest as extraordinary and dangerous power.
The Wyldheart Academy therefore teaches individuals not only how to use magic, but how to understand and control it before it becomes destructive.
This mission makes Thal’draen more than an isolated kingdom in the ice.
Its discoveries, graduates and magical technologies influence the whole of Ananthara.
Ith’kev – The City of Crystal and Ice
Architecture & Cityscape
Ith’kev was constructed around the enormous crystal at the centre of its Source Site. The city rises in circular layers around it, spreading across the glacier before climbing toward floating islands suspended high above the clouds.
These islands remain aloft through the crystal’s immense magical energy and the Ley Lines that flow through the city. Silver bridges connect parts of the upper city, while magical transportation, stairways, tunnels and even a glass lift disappearing behind a waterfall connect its different levels.
At night, Ith’kev becomes even more extraordinary. Aurora-like lights dance across the sky above the glacier, echoing the glowing Ley Lines beneath the city and bathing the ice in shades of blue, violet and silver.
Yet Ith’kev is not one unified city. Its four levels reveal very different sides of life in Thal’draen.
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High above the rest of Ith’kev lies Vathar, the city’s highest and most prestigious level.
Floating islands circle the central crystal, connected by delicate silver bridges and filled with pale towers, magical architecture and the institutions that shape the kingdom’s future.
Here stands the Wyldheart Academy, alongside centres of political influence, magical research and spiritual authority.
Vathar represents the image Thal’draen most often shows to the outside world:
brilliant, elegant, powerful and seemingly untouched by the hardships below.
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Beneath Vathar lies Velarith, the commercial heart of Ith’kev.
Markets, workshops, residences and gathering places fill its broad streets while merchants and travellers move between crystal-lit buildings and magically protected gardens.
It is here that much of the everyday economic life of the city takes place.
Ley Lines beneath the streets begin to glow as evening approaches, creating visible streams of blue magical energy that connect the district to the crystal above.
Velarith is where the extraordinary magic of Ith’kev begins to feel like everyday life.
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Revathis stands between the wealthy upper city and the darker districts below.
Its architecture is brighter and more comfortable, with larger homes, community spaces, parks and even magically maintained microclimates where gardens can survive despite the freezing environment.
For many inhabitants, Revathis represents possibility.
It offers a path away from the harsher conditions of the lower city and toward a safer and more stable life.
But it also reveals one of Ith’kev’s greatest contradictions:
in a city capable of manipulating weather, storing memories and suspending entire islands in the sky, access to comfort and magical resources is still far from equal.
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At the lowest level lies Dralgathis.
Far from Vathar’s white towers and glowing bridges, Dralgathis exists beneath the city’s great platforms and deep within the shadow of the glacier.
Sunlight is scarce.
Magical energy is limited.
The cold cuts deeper.
Narrow streets disappear between dark stone buildings, hidden markets and underground taverns, while gangs, smugglers and other informal powers control parts of everyday life.
Yet Dralgathis is not simply a forgotten slum.
Many of the mechanical and magical systems supporting the city pass through its depths, making the district an essential part of Ith’kev’s survival.
Those living there may possess little political influence, but the city above them could not function without them.
Surviving the Eternal Glacier
Life in Thal’draen would be nearly impossible without magic and technology. Temperatures remain low throughout the year, winter dominates the landscape and dangerous frost storms can turn fine crystals of ice into cutting shards carried by the wind.
The city survives through a combination of geothermal energy, magical heating systems, protective runes and Ley Line technology.
A volcanic system beneath the glacier provides heat and energy, while magical mechanisms regulate meltwater and help stabilise the ice itself. Greenhouses allow food to grow despite the climate, while fishing and hunting supplement the city’s supplies.
Magic does not make the glacier harmless. It makes life upon it possible.
Magic and Technology
Nowhere in Ananthara is the line between magic and technology as blurred as it is in Ith’kev.
The city’s Ley Lines distribute magical energy throughout its districts, powering buildings, machinery, protective barriers and research facilities. Some devices can even detect unusual magical fluctuations caused by an awakening Thal’ithara. At the centre of this network exists one of Thal’draen’s most extraordinary creations:
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The Arcus Nexus is far more than an energy system.
Crystals distributed throughout Ith’kev absorb fragments of information from their surroundings — conversations, emotions and magical resonance — and send them back through the Ley Lines.
Over generations, the Nexus has become a vast magical archive.
Those granted access may experience fragments of past events almost as though they were standing inside someone else’s memory.
The Nexus can respond to questions, reconstruct incomplete memories and preserve knowledge that might otherwise have disappeared.
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The Thal’ithara Academy is one of the most influential institutions in Ananthara.
It is a school, research centre, spiritual institution and political power all at once.
Its scholars study the mysteries of magic and the Old Dragons, while students learn to understand and control their awakened Thal’ithara.
The Academy is also closely connected to the governing council of Thal’draen. The historic families Aurion, Noctara, Myrkanis and Valandis continue to hold considerable influence within the kingdom.
Admission is not simply a matter of choosing to enrol.
Individuals with significant magical potential are tested, observed and, in many cases, expected to receive formal training.
This reflects one of the central beliefs of Thal’draen:
power without understanding is dangerous.
Yet it also gives the Academy enormous influence over those born with magic.
Outsiders do not always receive the same access. During rare spiritual events — particularly those connected to the Blue Moon — the Academy may temporarily open its doors to those normally excluded, allowing them to participate in ceremonies or prove that they are worthy of entering.
The Shadows Beneath the Crystal
For all its beauty and progress, Thal’draen is not without danger. The social divide between the floating heights of Vathar and the streets of Dralgathis is impossible to ignore.
The Academy’s authority over magical education, its ability to observe magical activity and the vast amount of information collected through Ith’kev’s crystal network have also led to questions about freedom, secrecy and control.
And the very magic that keeps the kingdom alive can become dangerous.
Crystal Rot – Kriosthâr’veth
Those who work intensively with crystal magic risk contracting a feared condition known as Kriosthâr’veth, or Crystal Rot. Small crystalline formations begin growing beneath the skin, creating painful glowing lines across the body.
The disease can cause severe pain and sensitivity to light. Academy treatments can slow its progression, but serious cases may require the crystals to be physically removed. The existence of Crystal Rot is a reminder that even Thal’draen’s greatest source of power is not without consequences.
The People of Thal’draen
School Uniform - Thal’draen Concept Art
The Ith’kaer – The Frostborn
The people of Thal’draen are often known as the Ith’kaer, the Frostborn. Their culture has been shaped by the unforgiving environment surrounding them.
Knowledge, discipline, endurance and responsibility are highly valued, while magic is viewed as both a gift and an obligation. But Ith’kev is far from culturally isolated.
People from across Ananthara travel there to study, trade or seek control over their Thal’ithara. Lír’vyn, Dur’kaen, Drae’khar and many other peoples can be found within its streets, making the city one of the rare places where individuals who may be unwelcome elsewhere can meet beneath the same glowing sky.
Culture and Religion
Faith in Thal’draen is deeply connected to the moon, memory, magic and the transition between life and death.
The Old Dragon Khev’raen remains one of the central figures within the kingdom’s spiritual traditions, while Lunaris, the deity of the moon and the passage of souls, is closely associated with death, rebirth and the world beyond the veil.
Moon cycles are regarded as periods of heightened spiritual and magical significance. During certain phases, rituals of reflection, purification and renewal are performed, and the barrier between the physical and spiritual worlds is believed to become thinner.
The people of Ith’kev do not view memory as something belonging only to the living. Memories are part of what a soul leaves behind. And preserving them is considered one of the kingdom’s sacred responsibilities.
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Among Thal’draen’s most important celebrations is the Star Festival.
Under the light of the Blue Moon, Ith’kev fills with music, ritual and magical light.
Harps, flutes and drums echo across the ceremonial grounds while priests and priestesses guide the celebrations. The Ley Lines themselves begin carrying light through the city, making it appear as though stars are rising from the earth and returning to the heavens.
One of the festival’s most moving rituals honours the souls of the dead.
Small lights are placed into a moonlit fountain before taking spectral forms and rising into the night. Memories of the deceased can briefly manifest around the gathering, allowing the living to witness fragments of lives that have already passed.
These souls are then entrusted to Lunaris, who guides them onward toward whatever awaits beyond death.
But the Star Festival also holds another meaning.
For students of the Academy, it marks transition and calling.
Graduates receive recognition and are sent toward future roles throughout Ananthara — whether in research, expeditions, diplomacy, magical orders or the protection of the realm.
And among them, some may receive a far stranger calling.
The Chosen are believed to have been selected by higher powers for a path beyond ordinary service.
During the most sacred part of the festival, a portal may be opened beneath the Blue Moon, symbolising the threshold between the known world and the realms beyond.
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Death in Thal’draen is closely connected to remembrance.
During Vêl’Anira, families gather with a priest to honour the life and knowledge of someone who has died.
At the Moon Fountain, magical lights are placed into the water before rising toward the night sky, symbolising the continuing connection between the dead and the living.
The Academy preserves memories through its sacred Library of Souls.
Through the ritual of Soul Binding, memories and experiences may be stored within magical crystals so that knowledge is not entirely lost when a life ends.
In Thal’draen, remembering the dead is therefore more than mourning.
It is a way of allowing part of them to remain within the story of the world.
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The transition into a new cycle is also marked by quieter traditions.
During the Nights of Reflection, people look back on the year that has passed, cleanse their homes and themselves of lingering influences and prepare for what comes next.
Protective talismans, crystal charms and moon symbols become especially common during this period.
Some believe that the veil becomes thin enough for fragments of former lives to surface — appearing through dreams, visions or fleeting reflections.
The moon is not merely seen as a light in the sky.
For many in Ith’kev, it is a gate, a guide and a mirror of the soul.
The Legacy of Thal’draen
Thal’draen is a kingdom built upon contradictions. It is a place of breathtaking beauty and unforgiving cold. A centre of knowledge capable of preserving memories for generations, yet a society where knowledge can also become a source of control.
Its crystal gives life to the city while carrying dangers of its own. Its Academy protects people from uncontrolled magic while holding enormous authority over those who possess it.
And beneath floating islands, glowing Ley Lines and auroras, people continue to ask the same question that lies at the heart of so much of Ananthara:
How much power can we hold before that power begins to shape us in return?
Thal’draen stands as the frostborn heart of Ananthara’s magic — a kingdom of knowledge, memory, ambition and ancient mysteries, built around a crystal that may still carry the soul of an Old Dragon.
And somewhere beneath the ice, within forgotten memories and the deepest currents of its magic, not every secret has yet been uncovered.
V’eild is the beating heart of trade in Ananthara — a kingdom stretching from tropical shores and endless deserts to towering mountains. In Kael’varun, merchants, pirates, Drae’khar, Dur’kaen and travellers from across the world meet beneath the shadow of an ancient dragon