Places
Alagaësia was a large continent with variegated climate and terrain, home to a wide number of creatures such as humans, elves, dwarves, Urgals, Werecats, and dragons. Several of the races inhabiting Alagaësia, including humans, elves, and Urgals, were not native to the land, having migrated to Alagaësia in centuries past.
The terrain of Alagaësia varies. In the north, it is mountainous and heavily forested, while the heart of Alagaësia is consumed by the vast Hadarac Desert. Southwestern Alagaësia is fairly flat, but the towering Beor Mountains dominated much of the southeastern portion. The eastern portion of Alagaësia is flat, like a grassland. The map does not extend all of the way to the eastern coast. If it did, Paolini has stated that the east-west distance depicted by the map would be slightly larger than the width of the continental United States.
Map of Alagaësia :
Vroengard was an island located off the coast of northern Alagaësia. It was home to Doru Araeba, the city of the Dragon Riders. Among the ruins of Doru Araeba the Rock of Kuthian, the magically sealed entrance to the Vault of Souls, was located.
Urû'baen (Translation: the downfall of the wise) was the capital city of the Empire and the center of Galbatorix's kingdom. The king rarely left Urû'baen, except during times of great need. The only known time after the Dragon War he left was to Dras-Leona, where he went to punish the corrupt Lord Tábor. Until it was taken by Galbatorix and the Forsworn during the Dragon War, Urû'baen had been an elven city named Ilirea and then the capital of the Broddring Kingdom.
Ellesméra was the capital of the elven kingdom and the residence of the Elven Queen, Islanzadí. It has been protected by Gilderien since the time of Du Fyrn Skulblaka. It was also home to Oromis, last of the old Rider Order, and Rhunön, the maker of the original Rider's swords. Ellesméra was located deep in the forest of Du Weldenvarden, magically sung entirely from a pine forest.
Carvahall was a tiny village, home to around 200 people, located at the top of the Anora River in the northern part of The Spine in Palancar Valley. The village was the only settlement in the valley aside from Therinsford, and was rarely visited by anyone save for merchants and trappers.
The Hadarac Desert was a large desert in central Alagaësia. It was the only known desert on the continent.
The Menoa Tree was a gigantic tree in the elven forest, Du Weldenvarden, where the elves celebrated the Agaetí Blödhren, or Blood-Oath Celebration. Its roots spanned an area of about 10 acres, while the trunk was thicker than a hundred of the smaller trees of the forest combined.
Farthen Dûr was a mountain in southeastern Alagaësia, in the center of the Beor Mountain range. Deep within Farthen Dûr lay the city of Tronjheim, the Dwarvish capital and long-time refuge of the Varden.
