Fandom Pokémon Kulvi: Untethered || Lore Thread

[Gary Sue]

Pokémon Kulvi: Untethered
A region spreading far and wide, with sprawling meadows, dense forests and jungles, large water masses and even endless, snow-riddled paths. Would you choose to explore the more central parts of the region where the towns are managed by humans alone, or head towards the more remote villages that have been built with assistance from both humans and Pokémon alike? Would you travel to the villages were Pokémon are treated as though they're sacred, or will you head right into the Kulvi League where your own and your Pokémons' mettle will be tested? Or would you rather pursuit the rumors of legendaries and deities living among humans, trying to spot them for yourself. Embrace them and help them carry out their duties protecting some and stopping situations from getting out of hand, or be among the few that foolishly challenged them against all Kulvi stands for? Whichever your path will be, may it be prosperous and get you where you desire.
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This thread contains most of the lore details for important NPCs and certain areas, which will be expanded upon through edits as the roleplay moves forwards and more details become known to the players participating. Alongside the settlements, routes and points of interest ahead, a supplementary (although rather low quality) map* will be provided to help with visualizing the region, along with a legend for it.

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Map Legend:
TW: Turnaround Woods
DC: Dimlit Cave

* Some parts of the map may or may not be present on the image. That's to keep some locations hidden or because they haven't been discovered yet.
** More importantly, the original map isn't mine. All credit goes to the original creator, as I've only altered the image and added the appropriate captions.

 

[Gary Sue]

Settlements​

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Apogea City
Connected to: Trial Path, Route 18, Beachveil City (Ferry Boat), Kulvi League (Ferry Boat)
Info: This city is one of the final obstacles a trainer has to overcome during their adventure throughout the Kulvi region. While access to it is allowed, facing the Dark Type Gym Leader in the town is strictly forbidden, unless the trainer presents all other 7 badges. This is the only badge that requires to be acquired in a specific order, as all the rest depend purely on the trainer's chosen route. This is because the Dark Type Gym Leader has been decided by all others to be the region's final and strongest Gym Leader, taking in only the most determined of challengers to qualify them for the Trial Path, and then the Kulvi League. The merchandise in this city is up-to-date, and the city is surrounded by sea all over. There's a lighthouse by its westernmost side, and the city overall is modeled to look so modern, bright and slick, one would almost call its designs futuristic. Its northern path leads to the docks, where trainers can begin their final adventure, surfing through the Trial Path in order to reach the Kulvi League.

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Aqualake City
Connected to: Route 6, Route 7, Route 17, Other Regions (Port)
Info: Being further away from Whitecoat City, Aqualake City's right side is completely surrounded by water. In fact, it's been built so that its northernmost side is underwater, with glass in place to let the passerby observe the Pokémon swimming right by it freely. The city is perfectly up-to-date, if not ahead of the rest, with all of its shops and developments. The city's southernmost side is connected to the region's most well-known port, that being the Aqualake Port. Ships from and to Kulvi leave daily, heading to the other regions before returning, bringing new tourists and likewise, trainers to a new world and adventure. There is a gym in this city, that being the Normal Type Gym, to most people’s surprise, rather than the Water Type one. The Gym Leader's house is located slightly further from the Gym, and his grandparents reside there.

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Atmos Town
Connected to: Route 9, Route 10, Mt. Atmos
Info: Atmos Town is a small town by the start of a volcano, which most of the residents consider to be one of the region's sacred mountains, if not the only one. They believe that all the geysers of hot steam are the results of the wild Pokémon protecting their deity guardian trying to ward off any hostile trainers, using attacks such as Earth Power and Fissure. Because of said 'Pokémon attacks', they warn every single trainer before they try to go up the mountain, even though that still doesn't stop some of them from doing so. Needless to say, it always results in them coming back down and leaving scared and (thankfully) safe. There's a Ghost Type Gym in Atmos Town. Most of the merchandise there is out of date, however that's because the town itself has come to an agreement to not engage in any contact with other towns, cities or villages out of their own accord.

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Aurelia Town
Connected to: Route 1, Aurelia Harbor
Info: Aurelia Town is one of the most common starting towns for local trainers seeking to take on the gym challenge. It's got a few dozen houses and stores, as well as the Professor’s laboratory. The abundance of peace and quiet, paired with the older-looking architecture of the town gives off a very relaxing, homey vibe to passengers or travelers that have stopped by the town’s lodge for some cozy, quiet vacation. For a while now, she has had to head over to Kalos to research some Pokémon, and as such she's not present and the lab is usually unattended to, bar her assistants. The residents of Aurelia are either parents to trainers that set out, or soon-to-be trainers themselves preparing to take Kulvi on themselves. There's a myth from the village, saying that those destined for glory will meet Victini, and then move out to capture it, so it can lead them to victory. The town is near the seaside, so there is a very small harbor by the back of it, facing the sea. The main purpose of the harbor is for small boats to park, for the occasional trip on the sea or fishing excursion. After a small walk from the town, one will eventually be led to the open ocean.

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Beachveil City

Connected to: Route 3, Route 4
Info: Beachveil City is one of the first cities most encounter during their travels in Kulvi, be it as locals of the region or new arrivals from the port. With every building having been made on the beachside and themed more exotically, there's always a soft breeze and more summery climate around the city. All the shops have modern and up-to-date clothing, items and consumables, at decent prices. Its residents are rather level headed and relaxed. One of the region’s Gyms is located in this very town, being the Water Type Gym. There's a port to the southwestern part of the City, and a ferry boat can be taken from there all the way to Apogea City, as well as Kulvi League (only to spectate the battles, not available to challengers). Because of the ease of access to Beachveil, the Gym Leader is used to dealing with newer trainers and helping them out, considered the most easygoing of the eight the region has to offer.

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Eastpoint Village
Connected to: Route 14, Route 15, Ancient Ruins
Info: This is one of the three, once four, tribal villages that were formed after the splitting of Kulvi, according to the legend. Eastpoint Village is the town of origin for the Bug and Grass Gym Leader twins, and it's built inside a jungle, although a deeper part of it. There's a mountain close to it, reaching incredible heights, however it doesn't have snow around its top like the rest of the region's peaks. Instead, it has a more flowery and grassy terrain, and provides a view all across most of the region, save the few parts obstructed by the mountains. There's no Gym on this settlement, and while there are no modern commodities, there's a lot of natural herbs, cures and products that the residents make with the help of both the jungle and their Pokémon, that assist them in gathering materials and growing them fully optimally. In return, all the humans help keep the jungle safe and guard it, so that the Pokémon may rest at ease in their new home, as they've grown to find the village as such. Being close to the Ancient Ruins, which lie further into the jungle, and it's oftentimes visited by explorers and ruin maniacs who love to investigate said ruins for trails of the legendary Pokémon said to have been once residing there.

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Gleamwood Town
Connected to: Route 4, Route 5, Route 12
Info: Unlike any town in the southern part of Kulvi, Gleamwood Town is made up of treehouses, as well as ordinary houses. There's wooden bridges and ladders to navigate the town, as humans have adapted to the Pokémon's needs rather than building the town as they please. They live closely with the Pokémon of the forest, keeping them outside of Pokeballs and treating them as if they were family all the same. There's a Gym in this town, being the Grass and Bug Type Gym with two Gym Leaders in command. Defeating each of them only gets a trainer half of their badge, and they can piece it together only upon having both halves. The town overall resembles the deeper parts of a forest, an aesthetic the residents decided on in order to stay closer to nature and Pokémon as a whole.

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Illuma Town
Connected to: Route 7, Route 8, Route 13, Fissure Chasm
Info: Illuma Town is a town mainly populated by psychics and strong Pokémon trainers, seeking to train their Pokémon to reach their fullest potential. One of the main reasons for the town’s more spiritual roots is the Psychic Type Gym, led by a Leader that’s a bit more than simply ‘set in her ways’. It has rather up-to-date merchandise and matching its residents’ less materialistic philosophy, rather simple, if not old looking buildings. There are even walls left around it, as tough it’s a castle all around the town. Some jobs and professions most necessary in Illuma are in low demand, surprisingly enough due to being handled mostly by psychic Pokémon or Trainers alike. It's close to the legendary Fissure Chasm, where a fight among the legendaries broke loose before their fabled 'terraforming', where they all began to form different parts of Kulvi.

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Kano Town
Connected to: Route 16, Route 17
Info: Kano Town is the town right across Route 17, connecting to Port Aqualake. It's a small town mainly comprised of sailors, and various dragon tamers. That's because of the village's so called 'guardian Pokémon' and mascot, Dragalge. Once every few months, it raises dozens of eggs and leaves them by the seaside for the trainers to grow into mighty dragon types, with various species emerging from the eggs upon hatching. As for the unusual abundance of sailors, that's due to the abandoned shipwreck, which various Water Type trainers have been trying to investigate for years on end. However, the route's currents are too strong, so most sailors end up settling on the town after growing attached to it and its unique folklore and tradition. The merchandise is up-to-date in every department, and there's even a forest further behind the town, allowing for some materials to be harvested easily for natural commodities and medicine to be made. Even so however, due to it remote location and overall small population, there's no Gym in this town.

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Kulvi League
Connected to: Trial Path Apogea City (Ferry Boat)
Info: This is the final destination for trainers aspiring to become champions, and an entertaining event for all the rest. In order to become the Kulvi’s Champion, a trainer needs to have qualified for the League by presenting all eight of the region's badges, and passed through the Trial Path with at least one Pokémon in a good condition. Once there, the trainer will be allowed to challenge the Elite Four one after the other, without any breaks between the battles, before facing off against the current Champion, them being the last trainer that successfully went through the challenge. If the challenger wins, they will claim the title of Champion for themselves, and their Pokémon party will be recorded in the Hall of Fame, where only the previous Champions and certain VIPs are allowed to step into. Spectators from anywhere can sit around the colloseum-like structure at its center to watch the fights in their full glory as they take place, so long as they can pay the modest ticket price of course. There’s a small set of buildings for all the commodities one may need around the stadium, as well as houses spread all around for lodging, working as rentals to accommodate any tourists’ stay for the main show.

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Lush Canyon
Connected to: Route 13, Route 14
Info: This is one of the only towns, villages and cities, to not feature any of said words in its name. The entire settlement is built on the surprisingly foliage-packed bottom of a canyon known as the Lush Canyon, and is heavily structured around mining, spelunking and terraforming. The reason for the unnaturally much greenery is in part the ashes getting carried by the wind all the way from Mt. Atmos, as well as a group effort from both humans and Pokémon residing in the canyon alike. Quite a few of the commodities here are rather outdated, and Pokémon play an integral role in building a variety of structures, and helping out the human residents with their professions. There's a Steel and Poison Type Gym on the Lush Plateu, looking over the canyon’s valley from the highest spot. It's run by a father, and his son, both aspiring to become strong trainers on their own, all the while able to work with others all the same.

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Northpoint Village
Connected to: Route 8, Route 9
Info: This is one of the three, once four, tribal villages that were formed after the splitting of Kulvi, according to the legend. Northpoint village is built very close to the mountains and inside the snowy plains between Route 8 and Route 9, being fully encased in snow and taken over by the colder, harsh temperatures. Most trainers that visit this village usually do so with especially warm clothes, on their journey in order to fight its Gym Leader, who is in charge of the Ice Type Gym. Alongside his duties helping run the Gym challenge, he serves as a guardian for the village and trains on the daily, as a way of keeping up the Ice Gym Leader's tradition of protecting the village, humans and Pokémon alike, from harm's way.

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Soma Village
Connected to: Route 1, Route 2, Route 3
Info: Soma Village is located at the northern end of Route 1, connected through it with Aurelia Town. Being further toward the mainland, there is little water, except for a well by the center of the village, used by the residents to get water. There is only a single shop with rather outdated modern commodities, however all the residents cultivate various herbs and turn them into bitter medicine, that trainers can use to help their Pokémon out. From Soma Village, the fastest way to get to the sea is through Route 2, which leads to the beachside. The village's residents are overall not too welcoming, although that’s not to say they're aggressive either. It’s almost as if they stay wary of anybody who's not from Aurelia Town, due to some conflicts from times long now passed. There's a few aspiring children in Soma Village, as well as Bug and Grass Type Pokémon that help out with the cultivation of herbs and crops.

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Westpoint Village
Connected to: Route 11, Route 12, Route 18
Info: This is one of the three, once four, tribal villages that were formed after the splitting of Kulvi, according to the legend. The Westpoint Village is sitting at the base of a few more mountains, surrounding it and forming a dome around the village. Most residents of the village are Ground Type trainers and focus on providing food, and natural medicine for the nearby towns. Another common occupation for the village’s residents is to use Route 12 to share their goods with Gleamwood, Aqualake and Beachveil, as traveling merchants. They have up-to-date merchandise and consumables, despite their focus on natural medicine and products. There's no Gym to this village.

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Whitecoat City
Connected to: Route 5, Route 6, Dimlit Cave
Info: Whitecoat City is located east of Gleamwood Town, and has a completely different environment to it. Rather than being warm and welcoming, the weather suddenly gets harsh and chilly, as a tall and imposing snow-capped mountain lies right by Whitecoat. The city itself gets the name due to the peak right next to it, as oftentimes even outside of winter, the snowfall reaches all the way to the city and covers it entirely, reaching upward of a foot in height. As such, the residents have gotten rather used to the weather and usually wear warmer clothes. The city has various shops with up-to-date clothing, items and consumables for the travelling trainers to buy. There's no Gym in this city, but there is a cave of particular interest to some on its western side, at the base of the mountain.

 

[Gary Sue]

Routes​

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Route 1
Connected to: Aurelia Town, Soma Village
Info: This route connects Aurelia Town and Soma Village, serving as the main way for commodities to go to and from these two settlements. Rather flat, Route 1 is comprised mostly of a cobbled path across the hills that begin where Aurelia Town ends, all the way to Soma. One may move further to the side and just far enough from the hill they’ll see a steep incline, that lets them get a good view for the beach by Aurelia as well as its small harbor. Walking far enough will be just enough to help one all the way down to the beachside, although there Pokemon there are very skittish. The Pokemon residing along this path’s grass, hills and trees overall are mostly Grass, Ground and Bug Types, with the occasional Flying Type nesting on top of some tree and some Water Types that have wandered further onto land.

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Route 2
Connected to: Soma Village
Info: A dead end that most have no reason to walk along unless they simply want to stroll, Route 2 leads to the beachside the fastest from Soma Village. Although there’s no dock, a few Ground and Water Type Pokemon have made it their home, with a few rarer specimen coming and going depending on the season, from what little the residents of the nearby village have observed. Although it is possible to reach all the way to Aurelia Town from the beachside through this path, it’s not recommended as the waves can get very violent depending on the weather.

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Route 3
Connected to: Soma Village, Beachveil City
Info: The hills of Route 3 only seem to get flattened more and become plains, with few trees in sight. Instead, the wind blows smoothly and the path almost seems to have a downhill angle from Soma Village to Beachveil City. The variety of Pokemon down this path isn’t anything worthy of note in contrast to the rest, although the occasional Fairy and Dark Type Pokemon can be found residing in the woods. Far away in the distance it seems as though a dense forest has appeared out of nowhere the further in towards the mainland one looks. There used to be merchants constantly travelling in between the two settlements, although Soma’s attempt at taking care of their own issues steered them off, and now trade has mostly ceased between the two. Even so, some residents of both places can often times be found meeting up in the middle of Route 3, relaxing in the fields or training, be it alone or with their Pokemon.

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Route 4
Connected to: Beachveil City, Turnaround Woods, Gleamwood Town
Info: The path before and after Turnaround Woods, Route 4 is much greener than the rest. Bushes and tall trees surround the main path, leading all the way up to the forest where little light manages to shine through the foliage. Some Bug Type Pokemon native only to Turnaround Woods and Gleamwood Town occasionally make their way over to the Route, taking strolls or searching for food before hiding away towards nighttime. Likewise, at night a few Flying and Dark Type Pokemon make their way out of their nests and look around for berries, allowing travelers to catch a variety of Pokemon on the route. Even the occasional Ghost Type may make an appearance, with wisps having been rumored to haunt the entrances of the forest some especially chilly nights… Rumors aside however, the route usually has residents from Gleamwood and Beachveil travelling back and forth, exchanging goods or even supplying one another.

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Route 5
Connected to: Gleamwood Town, Dimlit Cave, Whitecoat City
Info: Although the climate of this route is weird, being stuck with a forest and greenery on one side, and a snow-capped mountain’s base on the other, it’s the main path towards the eastern parts of Kulvi. Other than the occasional merchants, this is where newer trainers setting out from Aurelia will finally see new Pokemon Types, with plenty of Ice, Rock and even some stray Fire Types trying to travel through the route to a place more well accommodating to their needs. The closer to Whitecoat City one gets, the more likely it is they’ll have to travel through a fair amount of snow and enjoy the occasional snowfall too. It’s best to have warm clothes and drinks handy, as well as supplies to get all the way to the city without issue, so one may finally enjoy their reprieve. The path near the city, surprisingly enough, appears to fork towards the mountain’s base. Walking down the other path will eventually lead to one of the many entrances of the Dimlit Cave, leading to a variety of paths all across the region.

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Route 6
Connected to: Whitecoat City, Aqualake City
Info: One of the shortest routes in the entire region, the climate quickly changes from cold and harsh as one moves further and further away from Whitecoat City to more breezy and welcoming, as travelers reach further inland to the seaside city of Aqualake. In a similar vein, the environment progressively turns from a cold mountain’s base to a short road, with a few berry bushes by the sides and some pine trees that can endure the temperatures just right to keep thriving through the years. The Pokemon’s found appear to change along the route too, with Ice and Rock Types closer to Whitecoat, as long as the occasional Steel or Ground Type Pokemon. Likewise, closer to Aqualake are more exotic, Water, Grass and even Electric Type Pokemon. Their types appear to matter less and less as they all seem to look more like urban creatures that mingle among all the residents, with some even making nightly raids in and out of the city.

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Route 7
Connected to: Aqualake City, Illuma Town, Fissure Chasm
Info: According to all of Kulvi’s residents, one of the most unique routes in the entire region. With the end towards Aqualake being underwater in a tunnel that allows travelers to view out the glass walls and into the sea, admiring all Pokemon, it slowly surfaces towards the ground once again, leading to what looks like shore and a straight path towards Illuma Town. Hills and plains decorate its sides, as well as a variety of Pokemon that have taken refuge in the peaceful meadows, usually undisturbed by the human passerby who admire them as if they’re going through a safari. Said Pokemon seem to be mostly Normal Types, with some Psychic and even Fighting Types, surprisingly enough, taking refuge in areas this open. If one were to ask the nearby town’s residents however, they would go as far as to claim Ghost and Dark Types are the main attraction of the plains, albeit mostly during the night if ever.

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Route 8
Connected to: Illuma Town, Dimlit Cave, Northpoint Village
Info: From historical times, anybody that didn’t reside in Northpoint Village or have relatives over tended to avoid this route. Since the Gym Challenge was established however, trainers equip themselves properly before diving right into the sprawling tundra surrounded by even more snow-capped mountains, with the weather being less harsh than it is near Whitecoat. In exchange though, it’s a long path without many resting points, even though a few groups that have traveled through went through the effort of setting up some small camping sites with extra tents they had, as well as campfire pits, some now covered in snow. The occasional Northpoint resident can be seen crossing this route all the way to Illuma to keep the trade between the towns going, providing their berry-reliant remedies in exchange for Pokemon potions and supplies trainers may find helpful in resting up in the snowy village. With a lot of Ice, Flying and Steel Type Pokemon making their homes around the various nests and even burrows on the route close to a particular cave entrance, some of the more durable or tenacious of the region are found around these parts.

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Route 9
Connected to: Northpoint Village, Atmos Town
Info: Being between Atmos Town and Northpoint Village, this path is in quite a rough spot. From the freezing tundra to the warmer base of an inactive volcano that steam geysers keep erupting out of, the temperature slowly lets up and becomes much better suited for humans. Many trainers, funnily enough, find that all the equipment needed to travel through the previous routes becomes too much and encumbers them, so they tend to stash it away in order to get to Atmos and rest up properly in the welcoming warmth of the hot springs. Quite similarly, the plains blanketed with nothing but snow will start to become less and less white, with rocky terrain taking over towards Mt. Atmos’ base. Because of the interesting climate of the path, Pokemon here range from the same Ice, Steel and Flying types one may find in Route 8, to Fire, Rock and Ground types that feel more welcome to the warmer temperatures and barren mountainside. During certain seasons, even close to Atmos a gray snowfall like occurrence can be noticed, although do not be mistaken, it is ash from the volcano getting carried by the winds, sometimes reaching as far as the Lush Canyon. This event can hardly be noticed outside of this route though, as most of the ash settles near the rocky path.

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Route 10
Connected to: Atmos Town, Mt. Fylon, Route 11
Info: Going from the barren rocky path back to the harsh tundra, Route 10 leads right to Mt. Fylon, which is the tallest mountain the region has to offer by far. Very few have tried hiking up it, following this route and going around its base instead to get closer to Westpoint and by proxy, Apogea, where everyone’s Gym Challenge comes to a close, be it a triumphant one or not. Due to the route leading all the way up to the mountain, trees are hardly seen and it’s an uphill walk with snow littering everything, and even some bits of ice hidden under it, making walking up it a rather hard, if not dangerous effort. Although the resident Pokemon of the route tend to be Steel, Ice and Rock Types, there’s the occasional Fairy and even Grass Type running along or having set up home in some of the frosty caves. That being said, they are few and far between as snowfall is a common occurrence and it tends to be rather harsh on non-mountainous creatures by nature.

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Route 11
Connected to: Route 10, Mt. Fylon, Westpoint Village
Info: Finally moving away from the northern parts of the region and back into the warmer climate of the inland, Route 11 is a long path built on a dirt road, although the main purpose of it is getting from Mt. Fylon and Atmos Town all the way to Westpoint. Neither this route or the one preceding it have ever been used as trade routes due to caravans getting stuck, and the conditions being too harsh to properly transfer any goods. Looking to the side of the path, one could see a few muddy swamps, as well as some rocky plains that many Fire Type Pokemon call their home. With mostly Fire, Rock and Ground Types residing here, it’s not too uncommon to also see Water, Grass and even Flying Types coming down to rest close to the marshes, with the occasional Dark and Ghost Type visitors at the darker hours of the day. Due to some snow reaching over to this route, the soil is usually fertile and some Pokemon even bring over berries and bury them, having made for a good amount of berry bushes being in place. Like so, many migrating Pokemon to and from Fylon can take a rest here, or even choose to bring some food of their own to reside here and tend to the bushes and other residents. It’s a rare sight even for Kulvi, so it’s not rare for some of Westpoint’s residents to come over and help care for any wounded Pokemon either, although they tend to not try to meddle with their business too much to preserve the natural feeling of the path.

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Route 12
Connected to: Westpoint Village, Gleamwood Town
Info: The main trading route from Westpoint to Gleamwood, Beachveil and farther out Aqualake, it should come as no surprise that Route 12 is much easier to trudge and travel along than the ones before it. Starting off rocky with rather soft soil near Westpoint, it quickly returns to the familiar, soothing grassy hills that any inland dwellers must have become accustomed to by now, with the soft breeze welcoming them back in from the northern, colder parts of the region, or maybe the more urban, crowded western parts. A surprising amount of Electric and Poison Type Pokemon have made their homes along this route, alongside the by now standard Normal, Grass and Fighting Types of the southern parts of the Kulvi. Due to its status as a well-known trading route, it’s not rare to see residents from Westpoint making their way along this route, as well as travelers or other trainers going through from Gleamwood, in order to get closer to the main highlight of the region, Apogea.

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Route 13
Connected to: Illuma Town, Fissure Chasm, Lush Canyon
Info: After the more western routes the region had to offer, Route 13 finds itself on the eastern parts that start from Illuma Town and loop all the way back to Aqualake by Route 17. On Route 13 specifically, a rather dense forest built on a downhill slope takes up most of the path, although the intended route to get through it without getting lost has become clear after a few rains and a lot of travelers making their way to and from Illuma Town. By the end of the forest where many Bug, Psychic, Flying and even Dark Types reside, one may be surprised to notice a steep cliff leading down into a canyon that’s more lush than one would expect, due to the winds carrying over ashes from Mt. Atmos and helping rejuvenate the soil and keep it fertile. Following a winding path down the edge of the canyon, one can reach all the way to the bottom into one of the more unusual towns which seems to have almost half the human residents as others, with the other half being Pokemon running around and doing jobs, if not bringing materials in and out of the canyon along the very same Route 13.

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Route 14
Connected to: Lush Canyon, Eastpoint Village
Info: Once one exits the Lush Canyon, they’ll be met with another mountain in the distance and a path leading up a hill, before it goes back to being flat again. The Canyon can be seen in its entirety from close to its exit, alongside the residents running around their daily life as per usual. Along the rather empty plains occasionally decorated with some faraway apple trees and berry bushes, many Poison, Bug, and even Ghost Types can be found along the route in broad daylight- even more so during nighttime. Some Psychic Types linger around, having travelled all the way from Illuma Town, although they tend to stray away from the rest due to some natural conflicts they keep running into. Along this path, some Ground Types have also been seen digging out of burrows all the way from the mountain near Eastpoint Village, although they quickly hide back underground and try to fix their miscalculated courses and tunnelwork.

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Route 15
Connected to: Eastpoint Village, Route 16
Info: The shortest Route in the entire region alongside Route 2, this aquatic path requires either a trip from one of Eastpoint’s boats or to go through on the back of a Pokemon for the trainers with a more adaptable roster. The water from the route seems to connect all the way to the ocean, making for a lot of Water and Ice Types having various appearances along the route either out of curiosity or in order to pick fights- although thankfully, the Pokemon here tend to be less on the aggressive side. If one is lucky enough, they may even see a Dragon Type swimming by, if not far off in the distance. And a look up at the open sky will only show just how many Flying Types like to travel along whoever’s crossing the path, if not setting up nests near the shore around Eastpoint or some of the trees in Route 16 by the seaside.

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Route 16
Connected to: Route 15, Kano Town
Info: Only bridging Kano Town with Eastpoint, this route is one of the least often explored ones by most, although the tourists and foreigners most interested in culture make it their priority to travel through here as soon as they can. The route itself is filled with trees by the side, although it has a rather exotic feel to it. The breeze is stronger than in the other parts of the region, and the Pokemon around here seem to be calmer and friendlier as well, approaching travelers to see what they are up to, or some to even challenge them. Although they’ve never been seen to attack anyone that showed no interest in going through with a fight. On the more eastern side of the route, some ponds and even a small lake can be seen, and on the western side lies Kano Town, a sleepy town built on the beachside that looks over the large straight line eventually arriving at Aqualake City’s port. The Pokemon found along Route 16 are usually Grass, Fire, Ground or Fighting Types, as well as the occasional Fairy Types strolling around.

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Route 17
Connected to: Kano Town, Cruise Shipwreck, Aqualake City
Info: Another aquatic route in Kulvi, Route 17 is special in that very few people manage to successfully travel through it on their own. Most choose to take a boat across it all the way to Aqualake, as despite its welcoming looks near Kano and Aqualake, further into the route the currents get violent and can easily sweep along whoever is foolish enough to try travelling it on their own. Very few Water Type Pokemon have been seen resisting the currents and going through on their own, at least with a trainer on their back as well. There seems to be a Shipwreck since a few years now around the middle of the route, although no trainer has successfully managed to explore it yet, or rather bothered doing so. Even if they have, with nothing having been said about it, nobody would know. Just like Route 15, the Pokemon found along the strong currents are mostly Water and Ice Types, although some aquatic Ghost and Poison Type Pokemon have also been spotted where the waters get deep. It’s not too often, but sometimes stronger Flying Types patrol from higher up and rescue whoever seems to be caught in the currents, Pokemon or humans alike, escorting them to the closest settlement if possible.

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Route 18
Connected to: Westpoint Village, Apogea City
Info: The now final Route a trainer will need to trudge through for their final destination during their Gym Challenge, it’s a short winding path from Westpoint all the way to Apogea. Further inwards, it appears to be built like a footpath, leading right into the sprawling urban jungle that’s Apogea City. Up to that point however, it’s a more natural dirt path with berry bushes by the sides, and two small lakes by its sides where Water and Grass Type Pokemon tend to frolic. Before the footpath begins, a variety of Normal, Fighting, Steel, Rock, Grass and even Fairy Types can be seen. Some residents of Westpoint claim to have seen anything but Dragons along the route, although that’s not accounting for the entrance to Apogea. From there on out, very few Pokemon are seen past more urban Dark, Electric and Flying Types sneaking around or going in and out of the town at their leisure.

 

[Gary Sue]

Miscallaneous Points of Interest​

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Cruise Shipwreck
Connected to: Route 17
Info: A shipwreck in the middle of Route 17, although nobody is quite sure where it came from. There’s probably good enough documentation somewhere to solve this mystery of sorts, but as it’s never come to light, most assumed it was a cruise leaving from Aqualake and due to strong winds kicking in from a sudden thunderstorm, a recent occurrence as of late, the ship got trapped in the currents of Route 17 and after a bad collision with some rock, it must have sunk. It’s a far fetched theory, but the only one people have come up with so far. Very few people have managed to stop by the shipwreck after all, so it’s hard to even know what was inside, or which ship it was, as part of that is hidden under the surface of the constantly raging waters. Maybe there’s another way to them, but as that’s unconfirmed, it’s best to not attempt making one’s way over, as most Pokemon cannot go against such strong currents.

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Dimlit Cave
Connected to: Route 5, Route 8
Info: The largest cave system in Kulvi, Dimlit Cave has earned its name from the darkness of its humid depths. Once one enters, they best have some strong light source with them that’ll last a while, as they’ll be trudging through it all the way from Route 5 to Route 8, across the otherwise impossible to cross center of the region. Only, they’ll be under the ground and surrounded by nests of Rock, Ground, Steel, Electric and even Bug Type Pokemon all over. There used to be another exit to the cave system, however after some recent earthquakes got the cave’s ceiling weak, rocks and boulders have blocked a splitting path going east of Route 5. With some careful removal, it can probably still be accessed safely, although nobody has shown interest to put in the effort to restore access to said path.

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Fissure Chasm
Connected to: Route 7, Illuma Town, Route 13
Info: Where legendaries once fought and split the land of Kulvi into four, only a chasm has been left behind. Quite deep and hard to descend into, the Fissure Chasm has attained its mythical status due to the legends surrounding it, as well as the legendary Pokemon that had their bouts down there. Even so though, nobody is quite sure of the amount of true identity of said Pokemon, as legendary figures sprout up everywhere in the region, only to disappear and re-emerge years later time and time again. Due to the tough passage into the chasm, it’s assumed that whenever the protectors of Kulvi disappear, they have gone to rest in its safe enclosure, although very few have gone down and it’s still rather unknown what the bottom of it is like, and whether Pokemon can even survive down there in the first place. As for humans… it is most probably that they cannot. The Chasm itself may be of some value to historians, although Illuma Town’s residents keep guard of it and their Gym Leader frequents around the Chasm when she’s off duty, to make sure peace in it is not somehow disturbed.

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Mt. Atmos
Connected to: Atmos Town
Info: One of the most peculiar attractions to the entire region, Mt. Atmos has derived its name from the steam geysers all over it. Although Ground and Water Type Pokemon do their best to constantly repair the inactive volcano’s cliffside, geysers continue to erupt again and again, spitting out vicious, hot steam that could cause some bad burns and damage even to Fire Types residing on the mountain. It’s considered a very dangerous hike, although some trainers do their best to rise up to the occasion, and usually make their way back down all too quickly. The residents of the nearby town believe that their guardian deity, a Pokemon that takes many forms, resides atop the mountain and keeps its eyes on the people’s and nearby Pokemon’s safety. However, nobody has ever managed to identify or see said deity itself, so it remains mostly legend passed down from generation to generation, up until now.

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Mt. Fylon
Connected to: Route 10, Route 11
Info: One of the tallest, snowcapped mountains in the region. With very little on the surface, its main attraction are the caves it hosts which spiral all the way to the peak. Some of the caves are cold, some have snow even inside of them and others are even covered with ice from top to bottom. It’s a harsh environment very few Pokemon can stand, and no human could ever bear for more than a week. Most people only cross through Fylon in order to get to Route 10 or 11, but there’s said to be a plateau near the peak that has the most beautiful view in all of Kulvi looking over most of the region, bar Apogea and the League. There’s mostly Ice and Steel Type Pokemon around the mountain the higher one goes, as well as the occasional Flying Types that soar far up in the sky.

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Trial Path
Connected to: Apogea City, Kulvi League
Info: Previously Route 19, the Trial Path is the equivalent of a ‘Victory Road’ for Kulvi. However, the challenge cannot be taken whenever one wishes, but rather it has to be scheduled once there’s a good line of trainers ready to take on the challenge with all eight badges in their possession. Once everybody has signed up for the Trial Path and it commences, trainers are to surf through the path either on one of their own Pokemon or a rented Pokemon (usually a Lapras) from the League organizers, and they shouldn’t fall over or have their entire party knocked out by the end to successfully pass the challenge. Everybody seems to know there’s something more to the Path’s test than just surfing through, but nobody elaborates past some ‘natural obstacles that need to be overcome’. Whenever the challengers are making their way through, due to the event’s organized nature, it’s always live on air for the entire region to see, as the Trial Path and the Kulvi League are the two main tourist attractions to the region.

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Turnaround Woods
Connected to: Route 4
Info: Deep and complex, this lush forest has earned its name from all the trainers stepping in and getting lost for hours. Despite how small it seems from outside, the inside is a maze and it’s filled with Grass and Bug Type Pokemon that call it their home. Bug maniacs tend to have a field trip in Turnaround Woods once they get a feel for the area, however the less enthusiastic folk consider it a slog to get through due to its winding paths and all the opportunities for trainers to get lost and loop around the forest. Somewhere inside the forest, there’s rumored to be a small yet special island at the center of the forest’s lake, although it’s nothing more than a small landmass with some Water Type Pokemon nesting on it on occasion.

 

[Gary Sue]

NPCs​

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Jet Avonlea
Title: Beachveil's Gym Leader
Info: Despite being a Gym Leader, Jet's laid-back and he does his best to be as informative to new and old trainers alike, keeping an easy-going demeanor. While trying to teach someone and even sometimes in casual conversation, he won't mind repeating himself as many times as he needs to get his point across, and he tends to leave people around him more than enough room for error. However, as he is still in a fairly important role, his attitude is said to change up a bit once he enters his workplace, the Water Type Gym in Beachveil City.
Due to many trainers starting off with his Gym hence it's the furthest out of the 'loop' Kulvi's map makes, he's used to informing new challengers of how the entire challenge works and what obstacles they're most likely to face. For the very clueless ones coming from Soma or Aurelia, he's known to also help them shape themselves up as trainers and oftentimes teaches them what the essentials to keep around are, as well as how to care for their Pokemon.
His ace Pokemon and the one that he's most often seen around is his Swanna, that he uses only against the more experienced trainers due to its strength and experience in combat. Whenever new ships arrive in Beachveil's port, he can be seen either observing from a crowd before welcoming the new travelers, or flying alongside the ships as they move into the port to dock whenever his partner feels energetic enough even after another day's hard work.