Welcome to the Realm of

Cascade

The sixteenth Realm of the Domain achieved its name because of the cascading arc of the Northern Tir na nÓg Range that dominates much of its lands, especially during the colors of Autumn. As with the rest of the Realms of the Range, Cascade holds within it great wonder, amid the great civilization of Caer Palisades that dominates from the center of its coast as the greatest city in the Domain.

Three rulers held sway in Cascade's past. Until a fourth steps forward, the Realm moves along as it waits.

The Realm's name was one of good-natured contention in its early days. Most Domani felt that the name should have gone to the Realm that was founded right after it, and on the other side of Turtle Island on the shores of the Ocean of Peace: Astoria. This was felt because of the well-known Cascade Range within Astoria. The First Ruler of the Realm, however, saw fit to keep the name, and it has remained the collective name of the Realm's three provinces ever since.

Cascadian

Stats and Information

Full N ame: The Realm of Cascade

Pronunciation: Cass-kay-d

Entymology: Named in reference to the "cascade" of the Northern Tir na nÓg Range through its lands.

Date Founded: August 23, 2002

Demonym: Cascadian

Population(current): 0

Ruler(s): Under Imperial Administration

House(s): None at current time

Flag: The Ferrum Fidelis ("Iron Faith" or "Iron Loyalty") - The Tir Na Nog mountains in Autumn colors: representing the beauty of Cascade's nature in Autumntime. The brown trail curving in the center, representing the path to freedom. The crossed swords, symbolizing determination and courage. Four symbols placed in the four cardinal directions. A heart for Hope(North), a dove for Spirit(South), a celtic cross for Faith(West), and an anchor for Charity(East): representing the basic fundamentals of all pure faiths and beliefs.

Anthem: "Fire" by Hans Zimmer with Joshua Bell

Provinces: Elysia (New York and New Jersey), Pelagia (Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island), Alpina (New Hampshire and Vermont)

Royal District: None at current time

Royal Court: None at current time

Royal Home: None at current time

Cascadian Provinces

Name of province: Elysia

Location: New York and New Jersey

Population(current): 0

Origin of name: Old Greek for "blissful", and Hebrew for "God's oath". Another name for the Elysian Fields of Hades in Greek Mythology

Ruler(s): None at current time

Duchies(to date): None at current time

Name of province: Pelagia

Location: Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island

Population(current): 0

Origin of name: Greek for "the sea", in reference to it holding the Northern coastline of the Realm.

Ruler(s): None at current time

Duchies(to date): None at current time

Name of province: The Breton March

Location: Vermont and New Hampshire

Population(current): 0

Origin of name: Scottish for "blond. Meant as a faux Latin take on "alpine", for the mountains within the province.

Ruler(s): None at current time

Duchies(to date): None at current time

Places of Interest, Power, and Enchantment

The Old Man of the Mountain

Cannon Mountain

The Watcher

Mount Lafayette

The Indian Head

Mount Pemigewasset

The Sentinel Pass

Daniel Webster was quoted saying, "Men hang out their signs indicative of their respective trades; shoe makers hang out a gigantic shoe; jewelers a monster watch, and the dentist hangs out a gold tooth; but up in the Mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show that there He makes men.” That being the case, then the Sentinel Pass - known commonly as Franconia Notch - is where the gods of mountains keep watch. And where, not long ago, one of their number "died".

In either case, there are faces that remain, and it is safe to say that the pass is well guarded to this day, if one knows where to look.

Franconia Notch (elev. 1,950 feet/590 m) is a major mountain pass through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Dominated by Cannon Mountain to the west and Mount Lafayette to the east, it lies principally within Franconia Notch State Park and is traversed by the Franconia Notch Parkway (Interstate 93 and U.S. Route 3). The parkway required a special act of Congress to sidestep design standards for the Interstate highway system because it is only one lane in each direction.

The notch is located primarily in the town of Franconia but extends south into Lincoln. It is bordered to the east by Franconia Ridge, comprising Mount Lafayette (5,249 feet/1,600 m), Mount Lincoln (5,089 feet/1,551 m), and Little Haystack Mountain (4,780 feet/1,460 m), and to the west by 4,080-foot (1,240 m) Cannon Mountain and the sheer face of Cannon Cliff. The notch's height of land is located near its northern end, at the base of Cannon Mountain. Echo Lake lies just north of the high point of the notch, with an outlet that flows into Lafayette Brook, then the Gale River, the Ammonoosuc River, and finally the Connecticut River, which enters Long Island Sound at Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Just south of the height of land, Profile Lake lies beneath the cliff that once held the Old Man of the Mountain. Profile Lake is the source of the Pemigewasset River, the primary tributary of the Merrimack River, which flows to the Gulf of Maine at Newburyport, Massachusetts.

(from Wikipedia)

The Pass has been famous to the outside world for one known reason: the Old Man of the Mountain: the most spoken of, well-known, and - to most outside of the area - the only known guardian of the Pass. He "died" in 2003: the ledges comprising his face collapsing as a result of centuries of erosion. However, even though the Old Man was the dominant sentinel of the pass, he was not the only one, as there are several others that still watch to this day: the Indian Head, the Infant, the African Face, the Young Man, the Sentinel, the Grand-mother, and the Old Man's counterpart on the other side of the pass, the Old Woman of the Notch (known also as the Watcher). Little info is known of the other guardians of the pass beyond the Old Man, but what is known is that they began as people who kept watch atop the mountains for others, and their spirits merged with the mountains they stood upon.

And so, they watch over the Sentinel Pass to this day.

Caer Palisades

Considered the greatest city on Earth, New York City - Caer Palisades: for the Palisades Cliffs and Interstate Park encompassing them, across the Hudson River from the city - is a crossroads of the world, history, cultures money, and power. Birthed at the Southern tip of Manhattan Island, but "christened" at the Northern end, the caer has since grown into the heart of a mega metropolitain area: a heart of five boroughs set upon a host of islands, along the shores of two rivers and a bay. A caer the size of a small country, with the GDP and defense force to match. A caer that millions dream of going to, and few can seem to escape.

For such a place as Caer Palisades, one can forget the crossroads of power that run through the Crossroads of the World: from the thoroughfares, to the parks and monuments, to the places from the caer's prehistory that still resonate beneath it in the bedrock. The City that Never Sleeps is a city decidedly not to be underestimated. By any means.

New York, often called New York City (NYC) to distinguish it from the state of New York, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over 300.46 square miles, New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the United States. Located at the southern tip of the state of New York, the city is the center of the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area. With over 20.1 million people in its metropolitan statistical area and 23.5 million in its combined statistical area as of 2020, New York is one of the world's most populous megacities. New York City has been described as the cultural, financial, and media capital of the world, and is a significant influence on commerce, entertainment, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, dining, art, fashion, and sports. It is the most photographed city in the world. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy, and has sometimes been called the capital of the world.

Situated on one of the world's largest natural harbors, New York City is composed of five boroughs, each of which is coextensive with a respective county of the state of New York. The five boroughs - Brooklyn (Kings County), Queens (Queens County), Manhattan (New York County), the Bronx (Bronx County), and Staten Island (Richmond County) - were created when local governments were consolidated into a single municipal entity in 1898. The city and its metropolitan area constitute the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. New York is home to more than 3.2 million residents born outside the United States, the largest foreign-born population of any city in the world as of 2016. As of 2018, the New York metropolitan area is estimated to produce a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of nearly $1.8 trillion, ranking it first in the United States. If the New York metropolitan area were a sovereign state, it would have the eighth-largest economy in the world. New York is home to the second highest number of billionaires of any city in the world.

New York City traces its origins to a trading post founded on the southern tip of Manhattan Island by Dutch colonists in approximately 1624. The settlement was named New Amsterdam (Dutch: Nieuw Amsterdam) in 1626 and was chartered as a city in 1653. The city came under English control in 1664 and was renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, the Duke of York. The city was regained by the Dutch in July 1673 and was renamed New Orange for one year and three months. The city has been continuously named New York since November 1674. New York City was the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790, and has been the largest U.S. city since 1790. The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the U.S. by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is a symbol of the U.S. and its ideals of liberty and peace. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a global node of creativity, entrepreneurship, and environmental sustainability, and as a symbol of freedom and cultural diversity. In 2019, New York was voted the greatest city in the world per a survey of over 30,000 people from 48 cities worldwide, citing its cultural diversity.

Many districts and monuments in New York City are major landmarks, including three of the world's ten most visited tourist attractions in 2013. A record 66.6 million tourists visited New York City in 2019. Times Square is the brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway Theater District, one of the world's busiest pedestrian intersections, and a major center of the world's entertainment industry. Many of the city's landmarks, skyscrapers, and parks are known around the world, as is the city's fast pace, spawning the term New York minute. The Empire State Building has become the global standard of reference to describe the height and length of other structures. Manhattan's real estate market is among the most expensive in the world. Providing continuous 24/7 service and contributing to the nickname The City That Never Sleeps, the New York City Subway is the largest single-operator rapid transit system worldwide: with 472 rail stations. The city has over 120 colleges and universities, including Columbia University, New York University, Rockefeller University, and the City University of New York system, which is the largest urban public university system in the United States. Anchored by Wall Street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, New York City has been called both the world's leading financial center and the most financially powerful city in the world, and is home to the world's two largest stock exchanges by total market capitalization, the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.

(from Wikipedia)

With the immensity of such a civilization the balance seems to be in the diversity of the people, cultures, languages, and places spread across the area of the megacity itself. Till you notice what lies in the center of each of the five boroughs of the caer itself: Latourette Park in Staten Island, Prospect Park in Brooklyn, Forest Park in Queens, the Thain Family-Bronx River Forest in the Bronx, and the legendary Central Park of Manhattan Island.

Even in a place such as Caer Palisades, the balance is kept.

The Pine Barrens of NewJersey

Of all the enchanted forests within the Domain and Realms (and the world, for that matter), few are as timeless and legendary as one of the most ecologically-diverse and haunted forests on the Eastern Seaboard: the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.

The New Jersey Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands or simply the Pines, is the largest remaining example of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecosystem, stretching across more than seven counties of New Jersey. Two other large, contiguous examples of this ecosystem remain in the northeastern United States: the Long Island Central Pine Barrens and the Massachusetts Coastal Pine Barrens. The name pine barrens refers to the area's sandy, acidic, nutrient-poor soil. Although European settlers could not cultivate their familiar crops there, the unique ecology of the Pine Barrens supports a diverse spectrum of plant life, including orchids and carnivorous plants. The area is also notable for its populations of rare pygmy pitch pines and other plant species that depend on the frequent fires of the Pine Barrens to reproduce. The sand that composes much of the area's soil is referred to by the locals as sugar sand.

The Pine Barrens remains mostly rural and undisturbed despite its proximity to the sprawling metropolitan cities of Philadelphia and New York City, in the center of the very densely populated Boston-Washington Corridor on the Eastern Seaboard. The heavily traveled Garden State Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway traverse sections of the eastern and southern Pine Barrens, respectively. The Pine Barrens territory helps recharge the 17-trillion-US-gallon Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer, containing some of the purest water in the United States. As a result of all these factors, in 1978, Congress passed legislation to designate 1.1 million acres of the Pine Barrens as the Pinelands National Reserve: the nation's first National Reserve, to preserve its ecology. A decade later, it was designated by the United Nations as an International Biosphere Reserve. Development in the Pinelands National Reserve is strictly controlled by an independent state/federal agency, the New Jersey Pinelands Commission.

Despite rapid urbanization of surrounding areas, the Pine Barrens remained largely untouched because its sandy soil was unsuitable for growing most crops. Its iron and charcoal deposits did not compete with more readily accessible deposits elsewhere. In 1969, the Pine Barrens averaged a density of 15 inhabitants per square mile, compared with 1,000 inhabitants per square mile in the lands bordering it. With rising environmental concerns at the time, people became alerted to the possible destruction of the Pine Barrens and its aquifer by urban sprawl.

The reserve contains Wharton State Forest, Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, Bass River State Forest, and Penn State Forest. The Pinelands was designated a U.S. Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1983 and an International Biosphere Reserve in 1988.

(from Wikipedia)

As with any vast forest, the Pine Barrens is known for its legends: from the Black Doctor, to the White Stag; from the Golden-Haired Girl and the Black Dog, to even Captain Kidd himself. However, one Barrens legend endures above all others, so much so that its story spreads through that of all the other legends mentioned. That being the legendary Jersey Devil.

Cascade

is ruled under an

Imperial

administration

A view of downtown

Caer Noir,

Former Royal Court of the Realm of Cascade

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