Alagaësia

Alagaësia (Ancient Language for "Fertile land") was a large continent with variegated climate and terrain, home to a wide number of creatures such as humans, elves, dwarves, Urgals 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.

Terrain
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.

Inhabitants
The first beings to settle Alagaësia were the animals, the dragons, and the dwarves. The Grey Folk were also early inhabitants, though it is unknown whether they were native to Alagaësia, since exact dates for their culture are unknown. Later, the elves came from across the Western Sea. In the Domia abr Wyrda by Heslant the Monk, it is mentioned that the elves arrived from Alalëa in 5217 AC where Teirm now stands. They were followed by the Urgals, and eventually by the humans, who were seeking new land. The Ra'zac followed the humans, but were wiped out in a large war against the Dragon Riders. Only two known Ra'zac remained in Alagaësia by Galbatorix's time, which were killed by Eragon. In total, there were between one million and two million resident sentient beings in Alagaësia.

Government
By the time of the Rider War, most of western Alagaësia had been under the totalitarian authority of The Empire (under King Galbatorix) for about a hundred years. An independent country, Surda, existed on the Empire's southwestern border, remaining outside Galbatorix's grasp, mainly because the King did not consider it a threat to him. Later, however, the Imperial forces moved against the combined forces of Surda and a rebel group known as the Varden, and clashed at the Battle of The Burning Plains.

There were great losses on both sides, but the victory went to Surda and the Varden. However, the main body of the imperial army was withdrawn unharmed. The Varden soon ever so slowly, marched closer to Urû'baen. The Varden first took Feinster, then Belatona and Aroughs, and finally Dras-Leona. The Varden then assaulted Urû'baen, and won. With this victory, Nasuada became the new queen, she also renamed Urû'baen to its old name, Ilirea. Feinster, Furnost, Melian, and Aroughs to Surda, and Teirm all became an independent city-state. Both Surda and Teirm pledged their loyalty to Nasuada.

History
Dwarves have inhabited Alagaësia since its creation in 0 A.C. (after creation) by their god, Helzvog. They initially inhabited the Hadarac Desert, but after a generation were driven out due to desertification. They headed south to the Beor Mountains and discovered Farthen Dûr during the reign of their first king, Korgan. Until 5217 A.C., dwarves proliferated through the mountains, building cities, warring between clans, mining, tunneling, and "amassing an impressive body of mathematics, astronomy, astrology, metallurgy, chemistry, botany, and other branches of natural philosophy [...]." At that time, the elves arrived, tipping the balance of power in Alagaësia. The dwarves were antagonized by the dragons, who preyed on their livestock and plundered their cities.

Elves arrived in Alagaësia from a land known as Alalëa by ship in 5217 A.C., "to escape the consequences of some terrible mistake." They spread across Alagaësia, inhabiting Du Weldenvarden and other plains and forests. In 5291 A.C., thinking the dragon as a nonsentient beast, an elf slew a dragon. This sparked a massive war leaving immense casualties on both sides and would've resulted in the destruction of both races had peace not broken out in 5296 A.C. It was then that Eragon, a young elf, found an abandoned dragon egg, raised the subsequent hatchling, and became the first Dragon Rider. A magical pact bound the two races, giving dragons language and elves access to magic and immortality. After humans were accepted into the pact, the Riders seceded from the elven government and established a government on Vroengard. After the Fall, the elves all retreated into Du Weldenvarden and sealed their borders.

Humans first "arrived" in Alagaësia as a contingent of twenty warriors from a land south of the Beor Mountains. They landed at Surda, traded with the dwarves, and left. In 7203 A.C., King Palancar arrived near Teirm with a fleet of ships carrying his entire nation. They sailed northeast from an unknown land and settled Kuasta. Having made contact with the elves, he found passage through the Spine and settled Palancar Valley. A single ship carrying the ancestors of the black nomads arrived in 7209 A.C.. The Ra'zac pursued humans to Alagaësia. The Riders demonstrated their power to Palancar, who signed treaties with them, the elves, and the dwarves. He declared war to expand his borders on the elves thrice, and was forced to surrender every time. Finally, nobles managed to end to hostilities by secretly arranging for peace and locking him and his family up. The elves also allowed settlement of Ilirea, abandoned during their war with the dragons around 7290 A.C.

The Dragons originally dominated Alagaësia. Thought to be mere animals by mostly elves and dwarves initially, but smarter than most mortals, even when first hatched. Dragons wield semi-passive magic, meaning they cannot control it like magic-users, but as Saphira once said, "if the need is great enough," they can use magic that are beyond the abilities of mortals. Breathing fire is an exception. It can be called upon (without the Ancient Language) at will after reaching maturity (around six months old) as said by Brom. Most dwarves still share their disrespect towards dragons, striving to refer to dragons (Saphira) in the third-person, with the exception being Orik, who seems to be the first dwarf who truly loves Saphira as Eragon does.

The Urgals came from overseas and inhabited the land on the west coast of Alagaësia and made their homes in The Spine. The Urgals' culture was based on warfare, and Urgal males rose in ranks by proving themselves worthy in battles against each other or dangerous wild animals, such as cave bears and against Humans.

Kull are enormous (8 feet tall or more) Urgals that are considered elite warriors in battle.

The Ra'zac are extremely mysterious creatures. They are the offspring of Lethrblaka and live in the mysterious Helgrind. Not much is known about them except their extreme ability to kill. In Brisingr, Eragon managed to kill all of the Ra'zac, effectively making them extinct.

Behind the Scenes
Alagaësia (literally "fertile land") has two different pronunciations.

The first, incorrect, pronunciation given in the books of the Inheritance Cycle is "al-uh-GAY-zee-uh". However, the sound of the "ë" in Alagaësia is an "EE" sound, so the real pronunciation is al-uh-ga-EE-zee-uh.

It is stated by Christopher Paolini in the extended version of the Eragon movie that it is pronounced "al-uh-GAY-zee-uh," because pronouncing it "al-uh-ga-ee-zee-uh" makes it too uptight and is like showing off one's knowledge.