Wildemount

Wildemount is an Exandrian continent located to the northeast of Tal'Dorei. The second campaign of Critical Role takes place on this continent. In the first campaign, the Briarwoods originated from Wildemount before seizing Whitestone. Taryon Darrington and his family were also residents of Wildemount, and the floating cities of Draconia had landed there.



The Shearing Channel

 * &rarr; Main article: The Shearing Channel.

The Shearing Channel is the ancient divide between the continents of Tal'Dorei and Wildemount. A former land bridge was destroyed by the Calamity, leaving nothing but jagged rock and winding rapids that is nearly impossible to cross. It is said that great monstrosities live beneath the ancient waves and devour any who seek to cross.

Eiselcross

 * &rarr; Main article: Eiselcross.

Eiselcross is a large body of land to the north of the main Wildemount continent. It is separated from the mainland by The Frigid Depths, a large channel of water. Other than two small ice fishing villages that are considered part of the Dwendalian Empire, it is largely uninhabited. Dangerous beasts live outside of the villages so people generally do not go there. It holds the ruins of Aeor.

The Menagerie Coast

 * &rarr; Main article: Menagerie Coast.

The Menagerie Coast is a collection of city-states on the southwestern coast of Wildemount and the Swavain Islands, bound to mutual self-defense and trade with each other through the Clovis Concord.

Wynandir
To the north and east of the Menagerie Coast and across the Cyrios Mountains lies Wynandir. This region is bisected by the Ashkeeper Peaks into eastern and western portions. In Eastern Wynandir lies the empire of Xhorhas, while Western Wynandir is ruled by the Dwendalian Empire.

The Dwendalian Empire

 * &rarr; Main article: Dwendalian Empire.

The Dwendalian Empire is a nation on the continent of Wildemount, dominating the western half of the region of Wynandir.

Xhorhas

 * &rarr; Main article: Xhorhas.

Xhorhas lies in the expansive wastes and turbulent badlands of eastern Wynandir. The dynasty is largely centered in the northern lands surrounding the ruins of Ghor Dranas, now the city of Rosohna. Known as the Kryn Dynasty, it is ruled by the Empress Leylas Kryn, the Bright Queen.

Draconia

 * &rarr; Main article: Draconia.

Draconia was a sovereign floating archipelago of cities on the continent of Wildemount, southeast of the Ashkeeper Peaks, above the Dreemoth Ravine. It was a Dragonborn kingdom and the home of Tiberius Stormwind.

The Greying Wildlands

 * &rarr; Main article: Greying Wildlands.

The Greying Wildlands lies north of Xhorhas and the Dwendalian Empire in Wildemount. It is a lawless realm harboring a curse that has kept it unconquered by human hands.

Blightshore

 * &rarr; Main article: Blightshore.

Blightshore lies east of the Penumbra Range and Xhorhas. Pre-Calamity, it was called the Miskath Strand.

Environment
The climate in the central part of the Dwendalian Empire is similar to that of the real world's Central Europe and Western Russia. Farther south in Wildemount is warmer.

Demographics
Of the tieflings that originate from the same area (as opposed to being scattered throughout non-Tiefling populations), many come from Wildemount.

Politics
There are ongoing continuous tensions between the Dwendalian Empire and the Kryn Dynasty, which broke out into full warfare in the War of Ash and Light in 835 through 836 P.D. Although a tenuous peace has been negotiated, hostility between the two countries remains high. For example, both are competing to recover artifacts and relics from the ruins of the Age of Arcanum city of Aeor in Eiselcross, resulting in much mistrust and subtle skirmishes.

The Clovis Concord, a loose confederation of eight independent city-states along the Menagerie Coast in the southwestern part of the continent, maintains a cordial relationship with the almost completely landlocked Empire. The Concord remained neutral during the war between the Empire and the Dynasty.

History
During the Age of Arcanum, there were approximately three major cities that utilized and had hoarded enough brumestone to be able to hold their entire cities aloft. One of these floating cities crashed in Eiselcross in the Biting North, and the Dwendalian Empire is currently excavating what they can of that fallen empire, referred to as Aeor. Another such city was Zemniaz, from which grew the Zemnian language and the culture of the Empire itself. The final city to be held aloft by brumestones was Kethesk, a shard of which came to rest in the Dreemoth Ravine where it was rebuilt into the city of Draconia, which lasted well into the modern age before it was destroyed by the Chroma Conclave.

When the Betrayer Gods were released into Exandria, they and their followers founded a kingdom of their own, called Ghor Dranas, located in the region which would later become Xhorhas. The city of Rosohna was built on the ruins of Ghor Dranas. The battles of the Calamity horribly scarred much of Xhorhas, and brought down the floating cities of Aeor and Zemniaz.

The Dwendalian Empire slowly spread to encompass its neighbors, the peoples of the Zemni Fields, the Marrow Valley, and the Julous Dominion. With the Empire's victory in the Marrow War in about 545 P.D., all of Western Wynandir came under control of the Empire.

War Between Xhorhas and the Dwendalian Empire
With news reaching Zadash that the advancing armies of the Kryn Empire had broken through The Ashguard Garrison at the Brokenveil Bluffs, the threat of the looming dark skies that accompanies their armies grew. These dark clouds that hung over the Kryn lands to the east of the Ashkeeper Peaks had begun spreading from the east, and if left unchecked threatened to blot out the sun from rising over the Dwendalian Empire. The war known as the War of Ash and Light was formally announced on 4 Fessuran 835.

Trivia

 * Wildemount was designed by Matthew Mercer with a real-world Eastern European influence. The Dwendalian Empire takes inspiration from 15th century Russia as well as Germanic nations in Central Europe (e.g., Prussia). Xhorhas has a more 13th-century Romanian flair. Outside of Wynandir, on the edges of the Dwendalian Empire, the cultures and peoples of those regions display a distinctly 14th-century Spanish flavor.
 * On the live stream, Matt incorrectly stated the year of Campaign 2 as being "335 P.D.", when it is actually "835 P.D." This was corrected for the VOD.
 * The spellings in this article have been confirmed by the official map from Deven Rue.
 * The "cricket armor" of the Xhorhasian military is designed as an intimidation tactic (such as the wailing sirens of the Stuka dive bomber during World War II).
 * In 2020, Wildemount, and thus Exandria, became an official part of the D&D multiverse with the release of Explorer's Guide to Wildemount.