The Old Empire
Geographic Features
Aebasan Sea
Antasian Mountains
The ancient and towering Antasian Mountains split east central Aurea. Even though the range was once claimed entirely by the Great Empire, except for four major passes through the range, the Imperials never truly tamed the deep valleys and high mountains. Recently, giants and their goblin slaves have been raiding the foothills on both sides of the Antasian Mountains. Some believe these raids are highly organized over relatively vast distances, suggesting that some ruler has risen among the giants there, preparing to send his armies into the lowlands of Aurea to ravage the isolated human communities in the foothills.
Deep beneath the sharp peaks of the Antasian Mountains lies the dwarven nation of the Unterreich. Unlike other dwarven Kingdoms, the dwarves of the Unterreich remain isolationists, despite the establishment of a treaty between humans and dwarves in the waning years of the Third Age of Man and the only contact with these dwarves are through the criminals that they exile to the surface world.
Aurean Sea
The Aurea Sea, also known as the Golden Sea, was long dominated by the Great Empire during the Third Age of Man. Since the dawn of the Fourth Age of Man, trading vessels have begun to again ply her waters and most of the trade lanes are now dominated by Narbonne, Treva and, of course, the independent merchants of Aescalapea. The sea is a relatively shallow offshoot of the Betshaban Ocean, abundant with fish, that remains warm throughout the year. Though there is some disorganized piracy along the Ganesian shore, the waters remain relatively safe. There are rumors of merfolk in the central Aurean Sea, though there have been no recent sightings to confirm these legends.
Betshaban Ocean
The Betshaban Ocean lies between the continents of Aurea, Duria and Gallorea and includes the Pirates' Sea and the Maroshan Sea near Duria and the Yglarsed Sea on the Gallorean coast. The ocean is dominated by the clockwise Betshaban Stream, which is fed by warm waters in the west from the Aebasan Ocean and warm waters from the Endless Ocean in the east. The Betshaban Stream tends to cool somewhat along the Durian coast, feeding into the Endless Ocean south of Danas. Prevailing winds in the southern Betshaban Ocean tend to move from the east, with the current, making westerly travel particularly easy for most ships and easterly travel extremely difficult. In the northern reaches, winds tend to move from the west, also with the current, making travel from Aurea to Duria particularly easy, though the converse more difficult. The currents and prevailing winds create a large calm area southwest of The Island of Tamarynd known affectionately as "Betshaba's Bosom". Ships who drift into Betshaba's Bosom are rarely heard from again. The northern reaches of the Betshaban Ocean are known for its legendary storms, particularly in autumn and winter. Hurricanes are a constant threat during the storm season, particularly along the Aurean coast and the northern Pirate Isles.
Though all oceans are claimed by Betshaba, the Betshaban Ocean is, obviously, considered particularly blessed (and cursed) by the Wave Queen. Though the Pirate Sea is considered by many to be appropriated by her greatest enemy, Taltos, the Deep Dweller. Most aquatic creatures, monstrous and sentinent, can be found in the Betshaban, though the most legendary creature known to travel Betshaba's ocean is the Leviathan, an impossibly huge whale said to be her personal eyes and ears in the mortal realm.
Black Swamp
The Black Swamp in central Aurea is a long stretch of swampy forest between Waldavia and southern Murgosia. The humans who live in the Black Swamp refer to themselves as Szarne and speak a dialect of Murgosh that is almost incomprehensible to the Murgosh themselves. The Szarne tend to be highly territorial and superstitious, though few have reason to risk the mires of the Black Swamp to bother them overmuch.
Dracian Wood
Though settled and worked by the peoples of both Dracia and Drussa, the Dracian Wood still has its primeval depths, where the forest itself seems unwelcoming to human intrusion. Rumors persist of all sorts of creatures inhabiting these wilds, from wolves that can take the shape of men to giants living off the forest to sentient trees standing watch for some unknown cause. Local villagers, of course, are more than willing to embellish these stories to keep outsiders from stealing the natural resources they rely on.
Greywood
Forming a formidable border between Murgosia and the nations of Dreluria and Anclea, the Greywood contains a small enclave of elves who have long been friendly to their human (and, as a result, half-elven) neighbors to the south. Though humans are still unwelcome in their sacred groves, the elves of Greywood tend to be much less xenophobic than their kin in the Glistening Weald. Recent deforestation by the Murgosh in the northern reaches of the forest, however, may change their attitude or, at the least, lead to an alliance between the elves of the Greywood and their neighbors to the south, who are no friends to the Murgosh.
Karian Wood
Once part of the Gadoran Wood, the Karian Wood has been reduced in size from centuries of deforestation by humans in the region. Though there are some remote villages cut off from the rest of the nation during the Dark Times, the human nation of Karony has resumed its harvesting of the wood to build a grand navy to protect shipping in the region from Camarian pirates.
Sonat Bay
A large bay in central Aurea, Sonat Bay is dominated by shipping between Anclea, Drussa and rising Scalaro. Murgosia long ignored the small fishing villages along the Sonat Bay that paid homage to its King, but recently the Murgosh have been building shipyards and a proper trading city on their shore to compete with (and possibly use as a base to attack) their neighbors.
Tangar Sea
A remote stretch of water connecting the Aebasan Ocean and the Eternal Ocean along southwestern Aurea, Tangar has a reputation for being a wild and dangerous body of water, with unexpected doldrums, chaotic winds and surprisingly heavy storms, particularly in the autumn months. Recently, there are rumors of strange, black ships plying her waters and even more alien vessels with odd, ribbed sails. As most respectable merchants have little reason to cross the Tangar, these rumors are as yet unconfirmed.
Tanos Bay
Situated in central Aurea, Tanos Bay is a large, deep bay with shores well-suited to several deepwater docks. Primarily used by Cordosan, Drussan and Scalaran merchant vessels, the central dangers come from privateers of those various countries attacking merchant ships of their enemies. There are rumors of an unmarked island, perhaps a floating island, somewhere in Tanos Bay with a tower on it. Though there are several legends about this tower, none have been substantiated as no one can lay claim to have visited the island more than once.
Nations
| This article is part of the Player's Guide to Aurea | |
|
Introduction · Economics and Trade · Legends and History · Religion · Regions and Realms |
