series of city-states make up civilization in the lake-filled region to the west. Each city state has its own ruler and trade between the city-states is generally friendly, though there are sometimes skirmishes that arise. The climate is temperate, with great plains between the lakes, and in summer, spring and fall, fishermen from the various city states can be seen out on the lakes at all times. Farmers typically focus on rice, a staple crop, and in drier regions farther from the lakes, wheat and corn are grown. In winter the smaller lakes freeze over, while sheets of ice extend out for nearly a mile on the great lake. Food is hard to come by in winter, and storage combined with trade with warmer regions keeps people fed during this time.The history of this region is fraught with conflict despite the easy peace currently. The flat expanse of land between lakes made it easy for the biggest battles of past wars to be fought here, and the mage wars especially are well remembered in the region. As a result, people tend to distrust mages and magical creatures, and those with magical abilities are tolerated as oddities at best if they are helpful, and driven out at worst.