Places in Alagaesia
Aberon
Location: Capital of Surda, southeast of Lithgow near the middle of the
country
Description: “…A low, walled city centered around a bluff in an otherwise
flat landscape. Borromeo Castle occupied the top of the bluff. The rambling
citadel was protected by three concentric layers of walls, numerous towers, and,
Eragon noted, hundreds of ballistae made for shooting down a dragon. The rich
amber light from the low sun cast Aberon’s buildings in sharp relief and
illuminated a plume of dust rising from the city’s western gate, where a line of
soldiers sought entrance.” (Eldest, pg. 576)
Importance: Nasuada moves the Varden here in Eldest, and the
Battle of the Burning Plains (the last battle in Eldest) is held here as
well.
Aroughs
Location: On the banks of the sea south of Alagaesia, south of Feinster
Description: None
Importance: None
Belatona
Location: On the banks of Leona Lake and the Jiet River, southwest of
Dras-Leona
Description: None
Importance: None
Bullridge
Location: Along the banks of the Ramr River, southeast of Gil’ead
Description: None
Importance: None
Burragh
Location: A dwarven city at the northern end of the Beor Mountains
Description: None
Importance: None
Carvahall
Location: In Palancar Valley, nested in the outskirts of the Spine
Description: “A little ways from the [Igualda] Falls was Carvahall, a
cluster of brown buildings. White smoke rose from the chimneys, defiant of the
wilderness around it. At this height, farms were small square patches no bigger
than the end of his finger. The land around them was tan or sandy, where dead
grass swayed in the wind...the settlement was secluded and surrounded by harsh,
beautiful land.” (Eragon, pg. 10)
Importance: Carvahall is Eragon’s birthplace and his home until the
Ra’zac come and kill Garrow. Eragon also raises Saphira in the border of
Carvahall in secret.
Ceris
Location: An elven city at the southeastern tip of Du Weldenvarden, east
of Ilia Feon
Description: “As they passed between the trees, the canopy overhead
plunged them into velvet darkness, except where fragments of moonlight gleamed
through chinks in the shell of overlapping leaves...as Eragon entered the radius
of light, he saw three small huts clustered together around the base of a large
oak. High in the tree was a roofed platform where a watchman could observe the
river and forest. A pole had been lashed between two of the huts: from it hung
bundles of drying plants.
Importance: Eragon meets Lifaen and his companions here, who bring him to
Ellesmera.
Ceunon
Location: Northeast of Carvahall along the banks of the lake that the
Anora River flows into
Description: There is no real description of Ceunon, except that it’s
very isolated.
Importance: Seithr Oil was shipped here. Jeod, Brom, and Eragon found
that out when they were looking through Teirm’s shipping records.
Cithrí
Location: A city in Surda near the northern border
Description: None
Importance: None
Dalgon
Location: A dwarven city at the southern end of the Beor Mountains
Description: None
Importance: None
Daret
Location: On the banks of the Ninor River, south of Yazuac
Description: “The village was small and wild-looking, without any signs
of inhabitants…silent houses…fresh footprints of children.” (Eragon, pg. 152)
Importance: Eragon and Brom stop here to buy supplies for their journey.
Dauth
Location: A city in Surda near the western border
Description: None
Importance: None
Dorú Areaba
Location: The ancient city of the Dragon Riders located on the island of
Vroengard off the west coast of Alagaesia
Description: None
Importance: This was the old home of the original Dragon Riders.
Dras-Leona
Location: Near Leona Lake and the mountain Helgrind
Description: “Unlike Teirm, a planned city, Dras-Leona was a tangled mess
that sprawled next to Leona Lake. Ramshackle buildings sat on crooked streets,
and the heart of the city was surrounded by a dirty, pale yellow wall of daubed
mud…the houses inside the city wall were tall and thin to compensate for the
lack of space. Those next to the wall were braced against if. Most of the
houses hung over the narrow, winding streets, covering the sky so that it was
hard to tell if it was night or day. Nearly all the buildings were constructed
of the same rough brown wood, which darkened the city even more. The air reeked
like a sewer; the streets were filthy.” (Eragon, pgs. 247-248)
Importance: Eragon and Brom come here to track the Ra’zac, and they find
them when they get captured by them. This ultimately leads to Brom’s death.
Ellesméra
Location: The capital of Du Weldenvarden, in the center of the great
forest
Description: “The ground was strewn with dense patches of flowers. From
pink roses to bluebells and lilies, spring’s fleeting treasure was heaped about
like piles of rubies, sapphires, and opals…one tree bulged at the base to form a
two-story house before sinking its roots into the loam. Both stories were
hexagonal, although the upper level was half as small as the forest, which gave
the house a tiered appearance. The roofs and walls were made of webbed sheets
of wood draped over six thick ridges. Moss and yellow lichen bearded the eaves
and hung over jeweled windows set into each side. The front door was a
mysterious black silhouette recessed under an archway wrought with symbols…Each
unique building enhanced and complemented its surroundings, blending seamlessly
with the rest of the forest until it was impossible to tell where artifice ended
and nature resumed. The two were in perfect balance. Instead of mastering
their environment, the elves had chosen to accept the world as it was and adapt
themselves to it.” (Eldest, pgs. 221-222)
Importance: Eragon stays here to complete his Rider’s training with
Oromis and Glaedr.
Eoam
Location: On the island of Beirland off the southwestern coast of
Alagaesia. This is the only city on an island out of the group of five islands.
Description: None
Importance: None
Farthen Dûr/Tronjheim
Location: Inside a mountain in the middle of the Beor Mountains
Description: “They were inside a massive volcanic crater. Its walls
narrowed to a small ragged opening so high above that Eragon could not judge the
distance – it might have been more than a dozen miles. A soft beam of light
fell through the aperture, illuminating the crater’s center, though it left the
rest of the cavernous expanse in hushed twilight. The crater’s far side, hazy
blue in the distance, looked to be nearly ten miles away. Giant icicles
hundreds of feet thick and thousands of feet long hung leagues above them like
glistening daggers. Eragon knew from his experience in the valley that no one,
not even Saphira, could reach those lofty points. Farther down the crater’s
inner walls, dark mats of moss and lichen covered the rock. He lowered his gaze
and saw a wide cobblestone path extending from the doors’ threshold. The path
ran straight to the center of the crater, where it ended at the base of a
snowy-white mountain that glittered like an uncut gem with thousands of colored
lights. It was less than a tenth of the height of the crater that loomed over
and around it, but its diminutive appearance was deceiving, for it was slightly
higher than a mile.” (Eragon, pg. 397)
Importance: The location of the Varden in Eragon, Durza the Shade
was killed here by Eragon during the Battle of Farthen Dur.
Feinster
Location: On the banks of a small gulf leading to the sea west of
Alagaesia
Description: None
Importance: None
Fläm
Location: Near a small lake, southwest of Daret
Description: None
Importance: None
Furnost
Location: Near Tudosten Lake, southeast of Dras-Leona
Description: None
Importance: None
Galfni
Location: A dwarven city at the eastern end of the Beor Mountains
Description: None
Importance: None
Gil’ead
Location: On the banks of Isenstar Lake, southeast of Daret
Description: “From a distance they (Eragon, Saphira, and Murtagh) could
see the city was a rough, barbaric place, filled with log houses and yapping
dogs. There was a rambling stone fortress at its center. The air was hazy with
blue smoke. The place seemed more like a temporary trading post than a
permanent city.” (Eragon, pg. 289)
Importance: Murtagh, Saphira, and Eragon go here to seek out Dormnad, who
knows the location of the Varden. Eragon also gets captured here and is put
under the imprisonment of Durza. He later escapes, rescuing Arya along the way.
Hedarth
Location: At the banks of the Edda and Az Ragni Rivers
Description: None
Importance: None
Ilia Fëon
Location: An elven city at the southeastern tip of Du Weldenvarden
Description: None
Importance: None
Illium
Location: Off the southwestern coast of Alagaesia, an island from the
group of five islands
Description: None
Importance: None
Kirtan
Location: An Elven city at the southern end of Du Weldenvarden, south of
Ellesmera
Description: None
Importance: None
Kuasta
Location: Along the banks of the sea west of Alagaesia, enclosed by the
Spine
Description: “Kuasta is so isolated by the Spine from the rest of
Alagaesia, it has become a peculiar place, full of strange customs and
superstitions.” (Eldest, pg. 280)
Importance: Brom came from this town to begin his training as a Dragon
Rider.
Lithgow
Location: A city in Surda, northwest of Aberon
Description: None
Importance: None
Melian
Location: Near a small forest, southeast of Dras-Leona
Description: None
Importance: None
Nädindel
Location: An Elven city at the eastern end of Du Weldenvarden, east of
Ellesmera
Description: None
Importance: None
Narda
Location: Along the coast of the sea west of Alagaesia
Description: “The small town was dark and compact, like a crust of rye
bread tamped into a crevasse along the coast. Beyond it, the winered sea
glimmered with the last rays of the dying sunset.” (Eldest, pg. 403)
Importance: Roran goes here in Eldest to get barges for the
villagers of Carvahall to travel safely to Teirm in.
Nía
Location: Off the southwestern coast of Alagaesia, an island from the
group of five islands
Description: None
Importance: None
Orthiad
Location: A dwarven city on the western edge of the Beor Mountains.
Description: None
Importance: Urgals overran this city to get to Farthen Dur.
Osilon
Location: In the western side of Du Weldenvarden, east of Ceunon
Description: None
Importance: Arya and her guardians got ambushed near this city.
Parlim
Location: Off the southwestern coast of Alagaesia, an island from the
group of five islands
Description: None
Importance: None
Petrøvya
Location: A city in Surda near the northern border, close to Tudosten
Lake
Description: None
Importance: None
Reavstone
Location: On the banks of the southern coast in Surda
Description: None
Importance: None
Sharktooth
Location: A small island off the western coast of Alagaesia
Description: A small island shaped like a shark’s tooth.
Importance: None
Sílthrim
Location: An Elven city at the eastern end of Du Weldenvarden, on the
banks of Ardwen Lake
Description: “As the gloom deepened, a cluster of white lights – placed
at every conceivable height among the trees – sprang into existence a mile
ahead. The sparks glowed with the silver radiance of the full moon, eerie and
mysterious in the night.” (Eldest, pg. 212)
Importance: Eragon, Orik, Arya, Saphira, and their elven companions stop
here before moving on to Ellesmera.
Tarnag
Location: A Dwarven city at the northern end of the Beor Mountains near
a lake that the Az Ragni River flows into
Description: “Here the dwarves had reworked the seemingly immutable Beors
into a series of terraces. The lower terraces were mainly farms – dark curves
of land waiting to be planted – dotted with squat halls, which as best he could
tell were built entirely of stone. Above those empty levels rose tier upon tier
of interlocking buildings until they culminated in a giant dome of gold and
white. It was as if the entire city was nothing more than a line of steps
leading to the dome. The cupola glistened like a polished moonstone, a milky
bead floating atop a pyramid of gray slate.” (Eldest, pg. 99)
Importance: Eragon stops here on his journey to Ellesmera and is provided
with dwarven guards.
Teirm
Location: On the banks of the sea west of Alagaesia, near the end of the
Toark River
Description: “The city was contained behind a white wall – a hundred feet
tall and thirty feet thick – with rows of rectangular arrow slits lining it and
a walkway on top for soldiers and watchmen. The wall’s smooth surface was
broken by two iron portcullises, one facing the western sea, the other opening
south to the road. Above the wall – and set against its northeast section –
rose a huge citadel built f giant stones and turrets. In the highest tower, a
lighthouse lantern gleamed brilliantly. The castle was the only thing visible
over the fortifications…the houses were grim and foreboding. Small, deep
windows let in only sparse rays of light. Narrow doors were recessed into the
buildings. The tops of the roofs were flat – except for metal railings – and
all were covered with slate shingles. Eragon noticed that the houses closest to
Teirm’s outer wall were no more than one story, but the buildings got
progressively higher as they went in. Those next to the citadel were tallest of
all, though insignificant compared to the fortress.” (Eragon, pgs. 173-175)
Importance: Eragon and Brom go here to seek out Jeod, who helps them find
out information about the shipping records of Seithr Oil. Eragon also gets his
fortune told by Angela.
Therinsford
Location: In Palancar Valley, the only other town there along with
Carvahall
Description: “Far in the distance, it (the Anora River) flowed past the
village of Therinsford and the lonely mountain Utgard.” (Eragon, pg. 10)
Importance: Roran goes with Dempton (a smith), to Therinsford to earn
money.
Uden
Location: Off the southwestern coast of Alagaesia, an island from the
group of five islands
Description: None
Importance: None
Urû’Baen
Location: East of Dras-Leona, near the Ramr River. Capital of Alagaesia.
Description: “It was a heavily populated area, which made it difficult to
escape notice. Soldiers patrolled the roads and guarded the bridges.” (Eragon,
pg. 286)
Importance: Location of King Galbatorix’s castle
Yazuac
Location: Near the Ninor River, south of Palancar Valley
Description: “As they (Brom and Eragon) approached the small houses, they
could see smoke from a dozen chimneys, but there was no one in the streets. An
abnormal silence enveloped the village.” (Eragon, pg. 130)
Importance: Eragon uses his first spell (Brisingr) here.
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