East ✱✱✱ is a bright coastal island where the land opens toward the sea and the dawn breaks first. Long fishing coasts define the north and east, while fertile lowlands stretch inland. The air smells of salt and ✱✱✱ earth, and the wind carries the cries of birds far across open water. Unlike the enclosed forests of the west, East ✱✱✱ feels exposed, seen by sky and sea alike. Near the northern coast lies the Living Lake, hidden within a ring of ancient trees. Its waters are unnaturally clear and untouched by frost or drought. Mist clings to its surface even on windy days, and fish beneath its surface glimmer faintly gold. The surrounding forest grows thicker and older than elsewhere on the island, as if shaped to shield the lake. Far to the south rise the Heffa Hills, rolling golden highlands where the wind never rests. According to legend, the island was once only ✱✱✱✱ and reeds. When the first settlers arrived after venturing across The Mattlands, a great golden eagle descended from the eastern sky and circled the land for three days and three nights. On the fourth dawn, it struck the ground with its talons. Where it struck, the stone split and water surged upward from ✱✱✱✱ beneath the world, forming the Living Lake. The eagle rose ✱✱✱✱ into the sun and vanished, but its mark remained. Over generations, East ✱✱✱ grew around water and watchfulness. The people learned to fish as the eagle hunts: patiently, precisely, never wasting motion. Fishermen learned to read currents the way eagles read wind, waiting for the right ✱✱✱✱✱✱. Farmers adopted the same discipline, ✱✱✱✱✱✱✱ the soil in careful cycles instead of exhausting it. Those who rushed were punished by empty nets and ✱✱✱✱✱✱ fields. The lake revealed its nature slowly. Those who entered it without purpose felt only cold water and unease. Some were turned away entirely, unable to step ✱✱✱✱✱✱ no matter how ✱✱✱✱ they tried. But those the lake judged worthy, disciplined, selfless, or resolute, found its magic protective. Wounds closed more quickly. Fear quieted. In ✱✱✱✱✱✱✱ of dire need, warriors who fought after bathing in the lake were said to move with unnatural clarity. The eagles nested far to the south in the Heffa Hills, their gold-feathered forms visible for miles. Their presence became a reminder that survival required the willingness to wait for the right ✱✱✱✱✱✱. The Leoxar recognized East ✱✱✱’s value quickly: dependable food, disciplined labor, and mastery of the sea. Rather than dismantle their customs, the Leoxar codified them. Fishing seasons were regulated, farmland surveyed, and harbors fortified to supply the empire. Leoxar administrators ruled from coastal strongholds, and East ✱✱✱ sailors served across imperial fleets. The lake was studied and tested, but it never yielded to force or command. Those who tried to exploit its power gained nothing. Eventually, the Leoxar declared it irrelevant and left it untouched. Over generations, East ✱✱✱ learned to survive within structure. They kept records, honored systems, and preserved knowledge carefully. When the Leoxar plague struck and Sophie’s Palace sealed itself away, the empire unraveled with alarming ✱✱✱✱✱. Fleets failed to arrive. Orders stopped. Authority vanished. East ✱✱✱ did not fracture. They continued to fish, farm, and defend their shores as they always had. In East ✱✱✱, are taught that the Leoxar did not fall because they were evil, but because they stopped listening. Modern East ✱✱✱✱✱✱ are disciplined, resilient, and unyielding. Fisher-captains and farmers hold equal respect, for both understand timing, restraint, and responsibility. Leadership is earned through service and consistency. Despite their measured nature, East ✱✱✱✱✱✱ are formidable fighters. Their warriors wear heavy armor accented in gold and fight in tight formations, holding ground with stubborn resolve. At sea, they are relentless. Skilled sailors who fight with the same precision they fish. Their banners are gold and white, kept clean when possible and repaired when not, marked with eagle imagery. East ✱✱✱ does not race for land but it proves itself worthy of it. They believe Brolandia should be ruled by those who can claim territory without draining it, defend it without excess, and ✱✱✱✱✱✱ when conquest becomes their responsibility. Their saying is simple: “The lake chooses the worthy.”