Red Ring

The Red Ring (Hies Loricoda: Petaliro) is a large flatland about a five hundred miles across, situated in the middle of the Ecorem landmass between Petrosa and Irgaedera. It is believed that the ring of mountains marks the point where Gaede first emerged on the planet, and the site of the first human settlement, Petaliro, which is also the Lorico name of the region.

Internationally, the Red Ring is recognised as a neutral territory, sacrosanct and immune to capture and ownership by all except the people of Tecorane Liro. For this reason, it is where most diplomatic conclaves are convened.

Geography
The Red Ring is so named due to its geographical features: the red rock and the correspondingly reddish colour of the grass that makes up its most abundant vegetation, and the ring of mountains that encloses it, formed by a major collision event in the Mirea era, often theorised to be the impact of Gaede Herself landing upon the planet. The mountain range is called Cero Gaedera, encircling it completely and historically forming a natural fortress against attack.

This barrier has also prevented easy traversal in and out of the region, facilitating the formation of new species inside: Many of the creatures and plants found within the Red Ring are unique to the region, some of which may be considered living fossils.

In the present day, the Red Ring is bordered by Bel to the north and east, Hasheka to the west, Elraka to the south and the coast of the Inner Sea to the northwest.

History
The Red Ring is the site of Petaliro, the first known settlement to have been established upon Gaedera, in which humans have lived as a community, sharing communal rituals, culture and and economy. In the early decades of humanity's existence, a temple to Gaedera was carved out of the rock in Petaliro, at the very centre of the Red Ring.

Situated within the then-Maba territory, it was seized by Orbon, but never directly attacked during the Age of Movement in the later Elin era--instead, it was given up by a diminished Maba as a term of its peace treaty with Orbon.

A great territorial conflict between clans emerged in the region surrounding the Red Ring, causing it to descend into chaos and the Orbon tribe to lose control of it. Even then, due to its geographical position, it did not see any direct conflict within the bounds of the mountain, and its people largely considered (and still consider) themselves indifferent to geopolitics.

This bloody civil war only ended following the Hebis Loricoda and the historic Red Ring Pact, when a pentarchy was formed to unite the five warring factions under a shared banner bound by a pact with Gaedera: this nation was known as Ptrao. Ptrao continues to control the Red Ring region, while the original Orbon was pushed to present-day Ro Orbon.

The Ptrao pentarchs took the Temple of Gaedera as their site of parliament, after their power was consecrated, and to signify their commitment to the world goddess. Due to its symbolic importance and its neutrality, the Red Ring, and specifically Petaliro, has historically been the site of worldwide diplomatic conclaves. It is the site where the New Era Convention has been held following the Opening of Gates.

By travelling short distances and cycling their farms through fields across the Red Ring, Petaliro survived for millennia. Strict moral concepts about family kept its population stable, and it continues to survive to this day, now a quaint town in the middle of farmed fields.