Vulparia

Vulparia is a coastal city-state located on the western central coast of the continent of Eldor in the world of the book series "Legends of the Arcanum". The name derives from the Latin word for fox, reflecting the central mythos of its founding culture which holds fox spirits to be ancestors of all its people. The capital, Samegrath, sits on a low‑lying peninsula overlooking the Sapphire Sea and is renowned for its timber raft ports and the elaborate amber mosaics that adorn its harbor gates.

The population of Vulparia numbers approximately 75,000 inhabitants, of whom about 60% reside in the city proper and the remainder in surrounding agrarian villages. The society is organized into a council of the Elder Guilds, each guild controlling one of the major professions such as wood carving, metalworking, and herbalism. Notably, the Guild of the Fox Hunters has historically defended the city walls against migrating wolves and marauding pirates. A tradition of elaborate fox‑themed festivals, held annually during the equinox, attracts traders from neighboring states.

Economically, Vulparia relies heavily on maritime trade, exporting finely crafted wooden swords, barrels, and rare dyes extracted from the local indigo vines. In recent centuries, the discovery of salt deposits along its northern cliffs has added mineral mining to its economy, providing an additional source of revenue for the city‑state’s treasury. While often depicted in the literary canon as a place of trade and diplomacy, the political history of Vulparia includes several dynastic shifts, most notably the peaceful transition of power in 2856 souls to the current ruling matriarchal lineage. The city’s laws continue to emphasize the stewardship of nature, a principle that dates back to the earliest settlement myths that cite the fox spirit “Akril” as a guardian of the forest.