Andrew Q. Gordon

The Last Grand Master  is set on the world of Nendor.  There are three main continents, Ardus, Erd and Loudria.  The island kingdom of Dumbarten is one of the largest kindgoms in the world, but set just of the western coast of Loudria, it is not considered it’s own continent.

Ardus – Book One, takes place entirely on Ardus, the southern most and smallest of the three continents.

There are Seven Major Kingdoms on Ardus, Yar-del, Zargon, Endor, Respital, Arvendia, Pelipan and Honal. Collectively, these nations are referred to as the Seven Kingdom.

The Seven Kingdoms are bordered to the north by Spine of Khron, the highest mountains on the continent, and to the west by the Trellham Mountains. The Kessen Ocean lies to the east. The southern wastes are a snowy icy land that covers the southern tip of the continent.  Haven is built into the Trellham mountains.

North of the Spine, an arid dessert that stretches all the way to the Sea of Erd. Along the northern coast, free merchant cities arose. Most, however, housed more pirates than honest merchants. The cities along the Delmun Ocean were founded by wealthy merchants who transformed their domains into prosperous city-states. Occupying the western most tip of Ardus, Belsport was the largest, wealthiest and strongest of these city-states.

Much of the story in Book One takes place in Haven, a hidden city built inside the Trellham Mountains.  When Meglar revealed his true intent, it became apparent his power might prove too great for anyone to resist. Queen Zenora of Yar-del and grand master wizard Heminaltose devised a plan to stop Meglar, but they recognized they might not have enough time to execute it. As a contingent against defeat, Heminaltose and scores of lesser wizards spent a decade carving Haven out of the bowels of the Trellham Mountains. When Yar-del fell, Haven was ready to receive the survivors.  More, Heminaltose, realized early on that Haven might need to house most if not all the sovereign realms of Ardus and he had his wizards create a massive complex capable of housing tens of thousands of people.  Construction of Haven required more than just physical space. Air circulation, sanitation, climate control, lighting, food preservation and storage, ventilation for smiths, tanners, slaughterhouses, massive kitchens to feed the survivors and many other details went into creating the sanctuary.

One of the greatest wizards ever to live, Heminaltose devised the spells so that lesser wizards could ‘extend’ them to cover new areas. This increased exponentially the number of wizards who could assist in the building of Haven.  When The Last Grand Master opens, four realms have already been conquered. Yar-del, Endor, Respital and Arvendia.  Arvendia was ‘conquered’ in name only.  Although much of the ruling class sent their families to Haven for shelter, many of the warriors remained on the savannah they called home to harass Meglar and his armies.

The other lands of Nendor will be important in later books, so here is a brief description of each:

Off the western coast, the united island kingdom of Dumbarten stretches a thousand miles north and south.  Dumbarten used it’s size and lack of neighbors to it advantage, militarily and economically, becoming over time, the most powerful nation on Nendor.