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The
World
Erythea
is the third of seven planets of the star Velomaris (called Father Sun by
most folk); it is slightly
larger than Terra and has a large moon called
Zael and a much smaller purple moon called Caelyr—or more commonly, the
Amethyst Moon. Erythea is a "water planet";
oceans and seas cover sixty-nine
percent of the surface, including
two large polar ice packs.
Erythea has
seven major continents, two great oceans, and numerous smaller land masses
and seas. Most of the sentient races dwell on the continents of Azhendor and Lyrrea, and it has been centuries since
civilized folk have ventured to sail across the Azure Ocean and visit
fabled Kosh or Calas. Indeed most common folk believe the myth that beyond
the ocean lies only the Void. Jaarluna
is known to most, though the legendary Land of Dread is considered a
place of death and nightmares.
Maps:
Azhendor
Azhendor
rivals Jaarluna
in size, and boasts some of the most diverse terrain and climate in all
Erythea. The continent contains tropical and sub-arctic deserts, enormous tracts
of alpine, temperate, and tropical forests, and three major mountain
chains.
The
western lands along the
Crowded
Sea
contain some of the
oldest civilizations on Erythea, including the once mighty Aziiryan Empire
and the even older dwarven
Kingdom
of Kazadmere. The arid
eastern lands, dominated by the vast
Trackless
Desert, are home to many
nomadic tribes of humans, halflings, and dragonborn, as well as the
isolated and xenophobic Kingdom
of Khizai. Aside from a few
scattered barbarian tribes, the vast evergreen forests and rocky highlands
of northern Azhendor remain untouched by the sentient races.
Calas
Calas lies
across the
Azure
Ocean
, south of the continent
of Kosh.
Northern Calas
was only lightly
explored by the Aziiri at the height of their empire (100-300 AR). The
most renown of these explorers was Herandarivus the Mad, who was the only
Aziiri to explore southern and central Calas. Though Herandarivus perished
at sea, his logs claim he made peaceful contact with a race of
dusky-skinned humans, that claimed to be part of the Oltzan Empire.
Hraalvar
Frigid
Hraalvar is home
to the proud and warlike Hraals. Fearless warriors and expert seafarers,
the Hraals are universally feared for their frequent raids on civilized
lands.
Hraalvar
itself is a vast land of glacier-capped mountains, deep fjords, and alpine
forests. Most Hraals live in walled towns and villages along the southern
and western coasts. The only city of significant size is the capital,
Krakenheim, where cruel King Hralfnir holds court from the Iron Throne.
Jaarluna
Jaarluna,
the Land
of Dread, is a mysterious region of perfumed jungles, vast
grasslands, and sweltering deserts. The entire continent is known to be
monster-infested, and populated by savage tribes of ebon-skinned human
cannibals, feral halflings, and elven head-hunters. Most common folk have
heard of Jaarluna, but think of it as a place of unspeakable evil.
In the last
hundred years, enterprising Karvejian merchants have established small
settlements along Jaarluna’s northern coast. The largest of these
settlements, the city of Starport, has recently broken
away from Karvejia to become an independent city-state.
Some
sages whisper that deep within the jungle-clad depths of eastern Jaarluna
lie the ruined cities of the lost dragonborn empire of Arkhosia. Also,
somewhere far to the south, lies the semi-mythical kingdom of the yuan-ti,
Serpentis.
Kosh
Kosh lies
across the Azure
Ocean, north of Calas. Though
the Aziiri explored and established penal colonies on its eastern and
western coasts, Kosh has not been visited since the fall of the Aziiryan
Empire over 400 years ago. It is likely these forgotten Aziiri colonies
still exist in some form or another.
Hraal
explorers recently revisited this land, though their explorations have
thus far been contained to the lands of the northeast. Hraal sailors
returning from Kosh claim the lands are home to tribes of savage humans
and goblinoids, as well as many predatory monsters.
Lyrrea
Lyrrea,
was originally populated by warring
tribes of barbarian humans and humanoids. That changed when the Aziiryan
Empire began its Lyrrean Pacification Campaign. In AR 298, after 132 years
of continuous bloody warfare, the last of the barbarians were either slain
or driven out of their ancestral lands.
The
Aziiri immediately established nine puppet kingdoms that paid regular
tribute to the emperor. With its abundant natural resources, Lyrrea soon
became the bread-basket for the entire empire.
However,
when the empire began its collapse in the mid-400s, the Lyrrean realms
were some of the first to crumble. With the Aziiri military stretched far
too thin, opportunistic barbarians and humanoids began to raid the lightly
defended lands. By the time the Kingdom
of
Voldaire
declared its independence in AR 462, all of the other puppet kingdoms had
either sundered into smaller realms, or been eradicated completely.
Most
of this rich and verdant land of forests, rolling hills, and tallgrass
plains has reverted to lawless wilderness. Numerous “pocket”
kingdoms and independent settlements remain, though only two realms of
significant size exist: the decadent Kingdom
of Voldaire
on the northwest coast, and the merchant-ruled nation of Karvejia on the
southern peninsula known as the Golden Arm.
Miiru
Miiru is said
to be an enormous wasteland of snow and ice. Next to nothing is known of
this vast frozen continent.
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