The Mortal Realm: Kora
The mortal world. Humans, orcs, dwarves, cats and cattle. While things in other realms may draw breath, eat, or reproduce, only the things in the mortal world are considered to have true souls. For some reason, the Origin made it clear that the mortal world is where souls grow and mature before returning to the World Beyond.
The known world – everything west of the Worigin Bridge – is a vast and wild place barely tamed by kings and queens. Whatever lies beyond the Worigin Bridge to the east is hinted at, but not truly known; before their extermination, the Elven Kingdoms held sway there. They did not welcome outsiders.
There are several continents across the western land, including Reysath, Sycio, Agromah, Crys, the Isles of Ogibus, and Theia. The Alenic and Cavisan Oceans serve to separate them from one another.
Continent: Agromah, the Cursed Land
A fallen continental-kingdom to the North of Civa, Agromah begins where the Ocean of Nightmares ends. After the fall of the Adelin Empire in 287 QR, the entirety of the continent was corrupted by Arch-Duke Belizal and his unholy spawn. What few maps survived the fall of the Empire are largely defunct; while some efforts have been made to explore it, most cartographers come back in pieces. If they’re lucky.
It is believed by most that the armies of the Order of Love abandoned the Order of Flames in the face of a demonic army lead by Archduke Belizal and his son, Zeborak. It’s this belief (false as it is) that lead to Niasmis being exiled from the Upper Pantheon, and her followers to suffer the Hardening.
Kebine Woods
A dead forest long petrified and covered in ashen remnants of the old Adelin Empire, not much is known about the woods. While some exploratory forces have probed the twisted forest, the expeditions have either returned empty-handed… or never at all, with no in-between. The Governess has since banned travel into the area.
Odvell Foothills
A significant chunk of Kebine sits on a series of formerly rolling hills out of some forgotten mountain range to the north-east of Agromah. In 476 QR, a small group of fifteen Huntsmen managed to break through Kebine and discovered – with a great deal of chagrin and assorted gnashing of teeth – that the hills have been overtaken by gigantic (and quite undying) groundwyrms. The two survivors refused to speak of it again.
The Temples of Extinguished Flames
The Order of Flame had a multitude of temples across the continent before the Adelin Civil War. After the war, they still did – only destroyed, cursed, and perverted. The temples of Exti Anif, Brin Oth, and Comi Haab each held relics and artifacts prized by the Illiyans. Their locations have been lost to time; thought to be known only to the damned.
Port City of Fritan / Old Veritas
The last city of the Adelian Empire to fall before the might of Arch Duke Belizal. Nisamis’s personal Archangel, Li’Orla, had been sent on a mission of mercy from the Heavens themselves to stop Belizal from razing it to the ground. When she went missing, Veritas came to an end. One hundred and eighty-six years later, in the year 473, a new settlement was built on the ruins, a place lovingly referred to as the Port City of Fritan. Why anyone would do such a stupid thing is up for debate. In 501, a naval blockade and quarantine rules were established after a dangerous relic was brought onto the Civan mainlands with disastrous results. People are allowed to travel to and from (not that many do so willingly), but there are very strict rules about what “is” and “is not” contraband.
Continents: Crys and Nith
The polar continents of Kora, both of these frozen rocks are sparsely populated and aren’t friendly for anyone that isn’t used to their chilly ways. A frozen continental island to the far north, past Agromah, and towards the top of the world. Crys is far, far more friendly – the rolling tundra and glacial outcroppings are under the stalwart gaze of Istalla herself.
Nith has no such God to care for what happens to the poor sods that are trapped between jagged peaks and barren fields. Those that live here wish they didn’t, and not just because of the cold: the Council of Nith, the last enclave of the vampire race, calls Nith home. Absolutely nothing is known about their holdings; anyone that travels to it never returns. The existence of the vampires themselves is of great debate, as nobody believes there is anything there for the frozen undead to feed upon.
Northern Tribe of the Snowy Peaks of Crys
Considered the seat of power for the continent, it’s often said that the Ouinzhee Maidens hold sway over every aspect of the Tribal life from shore to shore. Few people can confirm, as most find it too cold to make the trip worth their while.
Continent: Reysath, the Mainland
Reysath sits astride the equator of Kora, and is home to so many Kingdoms, Empires, fiefdoms and regions that it’s often called the “Mainland” of the world. Notably, the Kingdom of Dawnfire is along the southern border, while the Civan Empire claims the northern side. The Equalin Mountains (home to the Midland Wartribes) separates the two – and along the west, the hodgepodge territory of farming communities and tiny countries of the Missian League takes up valuable space on the shoreline. In the far east, the Free Cities of Ameressa stand tall over the Equalins and look down (figuratively and literally) on the rest of the continent.
CIVAN EMPIRE
(NORTH OF THE MOUNTAINS)
Located north of Dawnfire, and stretching across the entirety of the upper mainland and the coastline of the Cavisian Ocean. It is currently ruled by Empress Bimaria and honors the Goddess of Flame, Illiya, as its matron. It is in a rolling religious war with the Kingdom of Dawnfire – both for providing aid to the Goddess of Love, and a ‘sisterly dispute’ between Illiya and Melia, the Goddess of Destruction. A large part of Civan society is based upon worship of the Goddess of Flame, and while other members of the Pantheon are tolerated, it is nowhere near as inclusive as the Kingdom of Dawnfire. The Civan flag is black with a white inset of a woman’s silhouette, flowing robe, one hand above her head with a ball of gold flame over it.
You can find Empress Bimaria sitting in her citadel in the middle of Civa Prime. A very influential Guild Office for the Huntsmen isn’t far from it, either. If you wish to travel to the cursed lands of Agromah, you must depart from the Port of Prime – all other shipyards across Civa are forbidden under punishment of death to allow a vessel to launch for those dark waters.
Civa Prime
A massive city on the northern shores of the Civan Empire, Civa Prime sits on a bluff that looks over the Cavisian Ocean. The outer edges of the city is divided into five hamlets, each walled off from the main city – and Prime itself is divided into five more heavily-defended districts. As you pass through seven different (and progressively larger) gates leading deeper and deeper into Prime, the final gate will deliver you to the Imperial Citadel.
The Citadel
The Citadel itself is a two-pronged tower that is believed to be as tall as the Queen’s Tower in Dawnfire, if not taller. It is a point of dispute between the Queen and the Empress (and the Granalchi… and at one point, the Emperor of the Adelin).
Port of Prime
The Port of Prime is at the base of the bluff that Civa Prime lords over. It is the busiest port in the known world, bringing in materials from all over the western world to the heart of Civa herself. The Imperial Shipyards are stationed here (a fleet that is notably smaller than the one Dawnfire possesses), as are the Northern Guild Offices of the Hunter’s Guild.
Subcontinent: The Equalin Mountains, the Midland Wastes and the Undertunnels
Four decidedly different aspects of the same territory, if someone refers to the Midlands or the Mountains, the regions are often considered interchangeable. That is, of course, unless you live in either region and saying that will get you punched in the jaw. In the parts not considered the Midlands, there are various nomad camps and assorted villages full of hearty and relatively governable mountain folk – notably the Free Cities of Ameressa and the city-state of Midan. Once you climb on top of the Mountains and enter the Midlands, the population numbers decrease sharply and civilization becomes less… civilized.
EQUALIN MOUNTAINS
The Equalin Mountain Range is a massive length of mountains that stretches across the middle of the continental mainland. It serves as a natural barrier between the Kingdom of Dawnfire, the Civan Empire, and the Free Cities of Ameressa.
Anthor’s Pass
An easily-traversed path that leads from the edge of Dawnfire and underground through the first half of the Equalin Mountains before ending along the edges of the Midland Wastes. Controlling the Pass gives one a door – or a wall – into either the Civan Empire or the Kingdom of Dawnfire.
Guili’s Jungle
It’s hard to adequately place Guili. It spans the very northwestern portion of Dawnfire, it sits firmly in the Missian League, it creeps into the Civan Empire, and it hangs on the western foothills of the mountains. Still, given that most people find it ungovernable and painful to traverse, the jungle is in a constant state of flux of ownership – and more often is just a “borrow” from anyone that lives in the mountain range by the factions around it.
Worigin Bridge
A monument to both the power of nature and the follies of man, the Worigin Bridge is a (naturally?) occurring stone bridge that spans the Strait of Hovoth along the easternmost edge of Reysath. Traveling the bridge is a day’s trip in and of itself, and what is beyond is something of a mystery. The elven races once called the lands beyond their home, but after their extermination, mankind seemingly decided to never travel that direction again. But what is “seemingly” is not always reality, and every now and again, traders brave enough to cross beyond bring back tails of exotic riches and spices and lands where the Gods are detested. Sailors avoid the connective land entirely – although no one is really able to explain why.
Boushodin
In 502 Q.R., the city of Boushodin became an unfortunate flashpoint for the 3rd Imperium War. Nestled firmly in the middle of Guili’s Jungle at the foothills of the Equalin Mountains. The city exchanged hands between Dawnfire and Civa several times over the course of four years, ending in the winter of 507 Q.R, before it finally was occupied by the Empire. After the war ended, control of the city was handed over to Warlord Nemok Odinal of the City-State of Midan.
Over the course of the occupation, the Order of Love was busy dealing with cultists of Neph’kor and Covorn that sprung up in the middle of the bloodsoaked battlefields.
(The) Free Cities of Ameressa
The Free Cities of Ameressa are a small kingdom in and of themselves, though they refuse to be acknowledged as such. They stand at the far east of the Equalin Mountains, the south-east of the Civan Empire, and well to the north-east of the Kingdom of Dawnfire. Home to the Fellowship of the Alchemetic, the Free Cities have forsaken the Gods in favor of the Laws of Normality – and they’ve forsaken rule by Kings, Queens, and Emperors in favor of an odd system of government called “democracy,” which most of the rest of the developed world feels is a terrible idea that is destined to fail. Their feelings towards the rest of the world is just about as heart-felt and equal in derision and irritation.
Still, one can’t fault them for how successful their systems of education, healthcare, and trade are…
Midan
A city-state on the western edge of the mountains, Midan operates independently of both the Empire and the Kingdom of Dawnfire. A hardy culture, the residents of Midan trade openly with most of the factions of Reysath. Midan has been happily under the rule of the Odinal wartribe for generations.
MIDLANDS
The Midlands sit at the top of the Equalin Mountains, in a blasted rocky snowscape that… really isn’t as bad as people make it out to be. While far from perfect, a good portion of the land up there is traversable and even arable. Only the hardiest of men and women can handle the biting winters and dry summers at the top of these mountains – and fewer of them can handle the warring tribes of nomads found more towards the center of the Midlands, in the affectionately named “wastes.” There are numerous city-states and small fiefdoms that dot the edges of the mountains, to keep close to the Kingdoms and Empires at the foot of the Mountains.
…although…
… there is a small matter of a mythical story about an unceasing, eternal war being waged between the God of War and the God of Death right in the middle of it that leads to the perception that they’re all violent brutal barbaric hordes.
That’s not necessarily the wrong idea, but it is the perception.
UNDERTUNNELS
The Undertunnels, on the other hand, are an entirely different beast. As the name implies, the UTs spread under the mountains through an unchartable series of warrens and burrows that contain the homeland of the dwarves – the Crystal Kingdoms. The Undertunnels are also where one can find the Haven of the Unseeing, the caverns and honeycomed warrens where the damian people fled after they were cursed by the Lesser Daemon Zeborak…
As only the dwarves and damians – and theoretically the remnants of the orcish empire – really understand or know the factions and locations in the Undertunnels, it’s quite frankly hard to say who is who and what is what or where. They don’t like to part with their secrets, and mankind doesn’t care.
Kepershal Gemwarrens
Neither one of the largest nor one of the most important of the Gemwarrens, nevertheless, Kepershal was a stalwart outpost of Dwarven military might during the last Underwar.
KINGDOM OF DAWNFIRE
(SOUTH OF THE MOUNTAINS)
Situated on the southern side of the mainland, the Kingdom of Dawnfire is home to one of the most diverse populations in the world. Followers of nearly all of the Orders of Light are welcome, and it is the only place in the known world where followers of the Goddess of Love are not (directly) persecuted. The Kingdom is comprised of six major provinces, each overseen by a provincial Maiden and her Consort. The Kingdom is represented with a red flag and an orange inset of a half-sun imposed over two waves.
Kettering Province
Situated between the Waschali, Lowmarsh, and Mulvette provinces, with the Alenic Ocean to the south, Kettering is half-farmland and half-forest. For the most part, it is the quietest and most peaceful of any of the Queen’s provinces, and serves as the home territory for several of the most notable Orders in the Kingdom.
Fel’achir Forest
A massive forest that stretches from Mulvette Province, across Kettering, and most of the way through Waschali, the Fel’achir is a leisurely stroll and an impassable wooden wall – depending on what part of it you happen to be in. While home to the usual assortment of predators and prey, the darker areas of the woodlands are populated by incredibly dangerous fendoran (a strange bear/cat hybrid that the Granalchi are blamed for) that will happily (and easily) take off an unwary (or even wary) traveler’s head.
Orshia-Avagerona River
The Oha River, as it’s affectionately known, is a lazy stretch of water that begins in the Lowmarsh Province and winds down through the middle of Kettering before entering Basion City. It is a prized fishing destination for the most talented of Dawnfire’s freshwater fishermen (and as a result some of the Kingdom’s most talented chefs) due to a nearly never-ending clutch of prized nindeon carp that populates almost its entire length.
Yittil Canyon
Beginning at the southeastern edge of Basion City, the Yittil stretches for fourty-six miles to the Alenic. As it travels, the average depth of the canyon is between one-quarter and one-third of a mile, and has naturally-occurring steps along the sides that are stable enough to serve as roads and pathways.
Basion City
Located in the Kettering Provincial Region, Basion City is heralded as “The safest place in Dawnfire,” due to being far from anywhere the Kingdom borders. Geographically speaking, Basion is set in the bottom of a large crater (supposedly formed when a God became angry and punched the ground eons past – but versions of that story vary) with only one convenient way in and out. The Orshia-Avagerona River winds down the northern edge of the city, and flows around the edge of the basin before pouring out into the Yittil Canyon and from there, the Alenic Ocean. The edges of the basin are protected by a particularly dense section of the Fel’achir Forest.
Medias Manor
Founded in 491 by Lady Ridora Medias, the Manor is a three story, one basement manor located on the northwestern upper edge of Basion City. It is a hospital of sorts, a haven for the broken and abused. Unlike a typical ward, the Manor specializes in pour souls that have had their minds shattered by creatures and events not of this world.
Repository of Miral
Nestled in the north-easternmost of Basion City, the Repository is an important stronghold for the Order of Love. It’s exact nature is a guarded secret from the world at large (and even to the lower rank-and-file of the Order itself). However, what is known about it is that it is a place where dangerous relics captured in the field end up… and that it contains centuries of records important to the upper echelons of Niasmis’s chosen.
Port Cableture
Port Cableture is at the mouth of the Orshia-Avagerona River, and is the operating base for the 2nd Naval Armadala under the command of Admiral Theodin Maddon.
Lowmarsh Province
Lowmarsh has the unpleasant distinction of being placed along the border of the Missian League, and as a result, has seen far too-many raids and open battles between several rival factions across Reysath. After the 3rd Imperium War ended in 507, the province only saw two years of relative quiet before skirmishes began to erupt between Dawnfire and the League.
Felton River
Pouring down out of the western Equalin mountains, the Felton is why Lowmarsh exists. A third of the province is covered by the Guili Jungle, with the other two thirds covered by an inland delta as a direct result of the Felton ending in the jungle with nowhere else to go.
Elsarch
Capitol of Lowmarsh, and overseen by Maiden Lianna DeNagen and her Betrothed, Martin Stalniker.
Sebbidule
The Order of Love maintains a large temple in Elsarch, known affectionately to the locals as the “Home of Love’s Ache.” To the Order, it serves as both a training camp – and a place to deposit priests that have earned the Holy General’s ire.
Ruins of Hitheron
Technically, not part of Lowmarsh province, the Hitheron Ruins are deep inside Guili’s Jungle. Ages past – even before the fall of Agromah – Hitheron was once ruled by a powerful angel that fell to the corruption of the Abyss. The city became so tainted that the best efforts of singular exorcists and raiding parties of Huntsmen have never been able to understand why the undead continue to crawl within its walls. Strangely, nothing damned ever slips past the city’s ruined borders. Because it is considered “contained,” it isn’t a priority of the Order. In effect, it’s become a training ground for exorcists, with neophytes or struggling priests sent to practice on the shambling damned.
Squistal Village
A village that’s little more than an inn and a handful of freshwater crab huts, Squistal is rarely visited by anyone, let alone anyone of note. Even still, it has the unfortunate historical annotation of being wiped out in an attack by an Abyssian in 509 QR.
Mulvette Province
The seat of power for the Kingdom of Dawnfire, Mulvette is home to everything from the Capitol to the Grand Temple of Love to the Dawnfire Prime Annex of the Granalchi Academy to the Guild Office for the Southern Reysath Hunter’s Guild and more.
Waschali Province
The easternmost provincial region of the Kingdom of Dawnfire. It holds immense strategic value to the Kingdom, as the primary passageway through the Equalin Mountains between the Kingdom of Dawnfire and the Civan Empire. Among other villages and cities, it encompasses the entrance to Anthor’s Pass, Triefragur, Gonta, and Toniki. It is under the direct oversight of Maiden Piata and her Consort.
Teboria Lake
A large lake to the north of Toniki, nestled firmly in the mountains. The yearly thaw frequently causes the lake to overflow its shores, and send torrents of water down the streams that trickle down from it, serving to give Gonta the yearly nickname of ‘The City of Mud’.
Gonta (City of Mud)
The sub-capitol of Waschali Province. It’s a three-day ride away from Toniki, and a day’s ride from the 13th Garrison. The city is overseen by Merchant-Master Aloric Everstrand, Priestess of Stara Deboria Ult, and rumor has it, Riorik the Hobbler, Boss of the regional Fleetfinger’s Guild.
Pauper’s Row
Situated on Gonta’s west side, Pauper’s Row sits along a canal filled with backwash from Rashio’s Falls and the subsequent river named Ichaia’s Tears. The poor, the hobbled, and the destitute huddle here. The Temple of Light in Gonta sits on a small hill that looks over the unwanted masses; a beacon for the lost.
Rashio’s Fall
A beautiful cascading series of waterfalls that are fed by waters from Teboria lake and a few small streams. It flows directly into the City of Gonta. The final leg of the Fall is almost eighty feet straight up from the far edge of Gonta.
Slag Harbor
A waste-dump located to the southwest of Gonta. A few days prior to Galagrin’s adventure, Battlemage Evalia Wodoria encountered a Daringol wraith that had taken possession of a swamp beast. The results were not pleasant.
Lador
Capitol of Waschali Province.
Toniki
A small village north of Gonta, and the northernmost town in the Kingdom of Dawnfire. Relatively unimportant, it boasted reasonable trade through both the efforts of the town alchemist, and the old Bolintop Mine. When the mine collapsed, trade slowed to a crawl.
In the late first half of 512, Toniki fell under siege by the demon Makolichi, and the conglomeration of souls that named itself Daringol. Other entities (both good and evil) were involved as well; with the grand prize being a magical construct called the Coldstone…
Bolintop Mine
North-east of Toniki, the mine was one of the few sources of sylverine ore in the eastern side of the Kingdom. When the roof collapsed and destroyed the pumping station in the middle, the mine was rendered unusable.
Treifragur
Often confused as the provincial capitol of Waschali, even by scribes and authors of such tales who have to go back and correct their work in future revisions of the same tome… embarrassingly enough, it’s one of those mistakes that always gets missed until after the scribe in question has already submitted it for the kingdom at large to read (and question).
MISSIAN LEAGUE
(WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS)
A collection of city-states situated to the west of the Kingdom of Dawnfire. It has the unfortunate luck to be in the second-shortest distance between the Kingdom of Dawnfire and the Civan Empire. The League has stronger relations with each of the cities that exist within their territories than other, similar cooperatives, and as of QR 517, is lead by Luminary Mavolic.
For reasons best relegated to the ‘How can you be so stupid?’ bin, the current Luminary that rules the League openly professes loyalty to the God of Plague. As of the latter half of 510 Q.R., the Queen of Dawnfire has engaged in subtle skirmishes with the mercenary companies that defend the League – likely testing them for a future “corrective diplomacy action.”
Chestervic
The city of Chestervic holds the distinction of being the seat of power for Luminary Mavolic, and a haven to the cult of the Fallen God Pymondius.
Continent: Theia
The continent of Theia sits to the south-east of Reysath, and doesn’t get the credit that it deserves. Split into one empire and two smaller kingdoms, it is a fairly quiet and prosperous land. That’s not to say that there isn’t drama that infests it – Atheia and J’par have a fairly contentious relationship with the sprawling Golden Empire of Mathiea – but it is nowhere near the hotbed of excitement as Reysath.
Bay of Ivishal
One of the few notable parts of Theia’s geography, the Bay of Ivishal is on the eastern edge of the continent and separates the nations of Atheia and J’par, and allows for several cities with active ports to service the Golden Empire.
FEDERATION OF ATHEIA
Sharing a border with the south-easternmost portion of Mathiea, the Federation of Atheia will go down in history only for only two reasons: The people of the Federation almost uniformly dedicate themselves to the Elemental Gods and the Goddess of Knowledge. The latter is likely why the Federation is home to the College of the Granalchi, and serves as the home for their adepts and scholars.
GOLDEN EMPIRE OF MATHEIA
One of the four great Kingdoms and Empires of the Western World, the Golden Empire of Mathiea is far to the south of the Kingdom of Dawnfire, and east of Sycio. They are a continental-Empire, with only two small regions that aren’t fully in their control on the far eastern side of their territory. They have a simple rule: don’t act against us, and we won’t act against you. It tends to work out very well for them.
Anodir Township
A small farming village near the border of J’par, Anodir is as easily forgotten as anywhere else. With a local population of maybe a hundred and sixty-ish people on a good day, there are odd reports of incest that comes out of it… horrifically, some of it with exceptionally young children (a fact that would result in executions for sure if it was ever investigated).
Goldenglass
One of the larger cities in Mathiea, it’s also one of the most impenetrable. Don’t fall in the water. Drinking it isn’t always advisable either, unless you really trust the person that’s serving you a cup.
J’PAR
The people of Mathiea have a saying: “Where knowledge buds ignorance follows.” While Atheia is the home of some of the wisest men and women of Kora, J’par… is not. It isn’t to say that the farmers and laborers of J’par don’t have culture or interest in the scholarly arts, but simply that they are happier to spend their time dwelling in simple huts and muddy villages more than they are in making a mark on the world. Every now and again bandits from J’par will try to raid Mathiea’s riches or Atheia’s relics.
You shouldn’t assume it goes badly for them all the time, but there’s a reason most of them live in simple huts and muddy villages.
Balog Swamp
Even by the standards of the jungles of Theia, Balog Swamp is a miserable bog that exists to soak skin to the bone and to give breath to the largest needle-beaks known to man. Situated firmly on the border of both Matheia and J’par, neither region wants to claim it as their own. J’par has the honor only because the Golden Empire has bigger swords and forces the issue.
Continent: Sycio, the Land of the Living Damned
Sycio is a land that is both loved and hated by the other empires and kingdoms throughout the world. Her people are dusky-skinned and tanned, and most of her occupants live along the edges of the continent instead of the unforgiving badlands inland. A desert kingdom covered in golden sands from shore to shore, the seven Jewels of Sycio that sit upon the beaches of the continent are awash in treasures of all shapes and sizes.
The downside is that the Dunesires have left the cities awash in the dead, as well.
Unlike every other kingdom, fiefdom, or empire across Kora, there are no laws prohibiting necromancy or demonology. In truth, the Orders of Light themselves are considered the outcasts, the unwelcome, and the heretics – while the Fallen Gods are worshiped openly (and often loudly) with impunity. Even the Hunter’s Guild is banned from operating on the dunes…
…and it should come as no wonder that the cities themselves are coveted by the other leaders of the world.
JEWELS OF SYCIO
While Sharvastial holds a reputation of being the richest of the Jewels, the other cities of Sycio come close behind. Prior to 514 QR, the Jewels had little impact on any of the kingdoms of Reysath, K’pina, Ogibus, or Theia.
After 514 QR, however, the names Threchoul, Temtu’mnot, Jelkrac, Ona’sma, Bervix, and Sharvastial ended up on the tip of every tongue from every caste. The city of A’twol, however, has been cursed ever since it fell to a siege lead by something immensely powerful – and decidedly unholy – seven years prior in 507 QR.
Sharvastial
A city that can easily rival Civa Prime in size, Sharvastial is the easternmost city on Sycio, and the one closest to K’pina and almost the closest to Dawnfire. It is a massive trading hub for all manner of resources – from ore to gems to pottery to weapons to whores and slaves. If you want it, and you are willing to put up with the walking corpses that make up the more mundane parts of the workforce, you can find it. The City of Sharvastial is under the hand of Dunesire Da’Keloth, Sandmarshal C’marie, and Grand Animator Repudant.
The Oceans and Seas – and the Nations of Sailors
Huge tracts of the world are covered by water – and the oceans and seas are home to nations of their own. One can never understate the importance that the waterways of Kora have had on the history of the world, or the machinations of man and monster alike.
Alenic Ocean / Ocean of Tears
One of the three oceans of the world, the Alenic Ocean is more ‘sea’ than an Ocean, but the fifth Queen of Dawnfire ordered her cartographers to name it as such – because she’s the queen. While on the map as the Alenic Ocean, most people know it for its unglamorous nickname: the Ocean of Tears. That title was given due to the slave trade, piracy, and general tales of suffering that have plagued the waters south of Dawnfire between Sycio, Mathiea, the K’pina Isles, and Ogibus Bay.
Cavisian Ocean / Ocean of Nightmares
The Cavisian Ocean starts where the northern border of the Civan Empire ends, and continues around the upper half of the globe. The only two places known to mankind of any note in the waters is the snowy continent of Crys, and the cursed lands of Agromah (the latter being where the ocean earned its current nickname).
(The) Graveyard
The Graveyard is a myth. A legend. An impossible story claiming that a flotilla of formerly sunken ships the size of an island kingdom haphazardly drifts upon the currents of the Alenic Ocean. Stories say that the ships at the center belonged to the Rear Admiral Xavier Roschel – and that he sunk them all at once to enter a gateway to the Abyss so he could sail and conquer all the waters within. But that would have to be a myth, a legend, wouldn’t it? Surely if such a place existed, someone would have seen it…?
Imaii Gulf
Nestled beyond the westernmost edges of Dawnfire, the foothills of the Equalin Mountains, and south of the Missian League the Imaii Gulf is both important and unimportant. Primarily, it serves as a prized region for fishermen, but outside of that? The only way that the Gulf could be of use is if Dawnfire ever decided to invade the League, or the occasional times that the Kingdom has used it to launch attacks against the Civan Empire much further to the north. Which, of course, the Queen has.
Jorie’s Oceanus
Jorie’s Oceanus has the displeasure of floating between the south-east of Dawnfire and the northern shores of the Golden Empire of Mathiea – and extends to the eastern foothills of the Equalin Mountains.
K’pina Isles
The K’pina Isles sit almost perfectly in the middle of the the Alenic Ocean, directly south of Dawnfire, directly east of Sycio, and directly west of Mathiea. They don’t have an overarching government, per se, and operate under a loose defensive pact to keep all three fiefdoms from claiming the isles as their own. Filled with numerous ports-of-call, pirate dens, shipyards, and trader outposts, K’pina is where you go if you want to find yourself awash in riches… but you risk losing it all.
Ogibus Waters
The Ogibus waters are nestled below the continent of Theia, and are home to the Trifecta of Ogi, an island kingdom that stretches over three islands just south of the Bay of Ivishal.
TRIFECTA OF OGI
Built on and stretching over three different islands below Theia’s Bay of Ivishal, the Trifecta of Ogi (or otherwise called the Ogibus Bay) is an ages-old kingdom built on the backs of escaped slaves and the destitute from the empires to the north. Unlike Mathiea, Jpar, or Athiea to the north, Ogibus has far more democratic leanings, and is run by Chancellor Lisani Mattraew, one of the nicest women you would ever have the joy of meeting in your life.
Strait of Hovoth
The Straight connects to the Cavisian Ocean by running underneath the Worigin Bridge in an exceptionally difficult tract of water. It serves as the primary trading route between both of the primary factions on Reysath. Named in honor of the God of Fear, the currents of the Strait are enough to give even the staunchest of sailors heart attacks – and the omnipresent feeling of dread that radiates out of the mysterious lands to the east.
Aetheric: Worlds Beyond the World
The Worlds Beyond is a place that defies imagination and complete explanation. Consisting of the Worldly Sands (also known as the Grains of Time), the Mount of Heaven, and the Abyss, it is a far grander and incomprehensible region of reality.
(The) Abyss
The pit. The last stop for the damned. A place of darkness and flame; of madness and pain. The Abyss is overseen by the Great Dragon-God Gormith, otherwise known as The Warden. The Abyss is home for all of the Fallen Gods, who rule over their own regions – the individual Abyssal Canyons. The eternal storm, the Grand Maelstrom, the Nul’kotak, floats above damnation and hungrily swallows any dark aura or damned soul that ever comes near. Some say it is just the result of all of the darkness and blackness that has ever existed straining upon all worlds and all realms. Others say it may be the source of all the evils of the worlds – and some say it is a sentient God in its own right.
For it is the Abyss, and it hungers.
As varied as the Abyssian regions are, it would be difficult to list them here. Please hop over to the Gods and Goddesses tome to learn more about what awaits those in eternal perdition…
(The) Mount of Heaven
The Mount – the end all be all. The place of eternal glory, peace, joy, and everything ‘right’ with the worlds. The Upper Elemental Gods call it home, as do the Gods of Eternal Souls. Should you be blessed to enter this realm, you will have no want, no loss, no hurt or shame. Here you are home, and here you are loved.
As varied as the Heavenly regions are, it would be difficult to list them here. Please wander over to the Gods and Goddesses tome to learn more about what awaits those in eternal perfection…
(The) Veil
Entering the World Beyond the World, as mortals call it, is made possible only by traversing The Veil – an ethereal fog that keeps the worlds apart. The Veil is it’s own dimension, but the world of the living can be seen through it by auras and essences. Very few things call the Veil home natively, although souls that refuse to let go of the mortal world often linger, and some – like wraiths, ghosts, and even some forces of both the Pantheon and the Abyss – all can bounce back and forth between “reality” and the etheric realms.
Once you are beyond the Veil, you are destined for great glory, horrific torture, or eternal nothingness…
(The) Wordly Sands / (The) Grains of Time
The Sands. The first stop for almost every soul that passes from the mortal realms enroute to the Mount or the Abyss, there are a few Gods that call this realm of neutrality home. The Sands do not like idle visitors, and any such thing promised the Mount will be pushed through the grains to be scrubbed of any caustic imperfections that the world may have left behind before they are lifted up and placed upon the Ascent, while those weighted down with their sins crumble and roll through the unforgiving dunes towards the Nul’kotak.
Be wary of the Reavers, should you cross over without permission from the Gods of the Neutral – although the Reapers of Uoom always search for wayward souls themselves. The most important rule of thumb is to never look over your shoulder if you can already see the light…