Difference between revisions of "Terryth"

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Terryth is a large, northern continent on the world of [[Urrael]]. The northern reaches climb into the arctic latitudes while the southern islands and coasts are sub-tropical. It is a rich and variable continent with several major mountain ranges, great forests, a vast western desert, and numerous rivers and lakes.  
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'''Terryth''' is a large, northern continent on the world of [[Urrael]]. The northern reaches climb into the arctic latitudes while the southern islands and coasts are sub-tropical. It is a rich and variable continent with several major mountain ranges, great forests, a vast western desert, and numerous rivers and lakes.
  
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[[File:Terryth.PNG|500px]]
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Note that this page and accompanying images are subject to change as the world of Urrael develops and grows.
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[[File:Terryth_Map_-_March_2021.JPG|500px]]
  
  
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The Midlands is the label applied to the large south-central portion of Terryth from the Sea of Storms to the northern edge of the Vallyrin Wood, east of the Raithos River and west of the Terralosa Mountains. Broadly flat and rich in water and earth, this part of the continent has been home to many of the great civilizations of Terryth. The roots of these peoples go very deep, beyond written memory, and there are many lost secrets here.
 
The Midlands is the label applied to the large south-central portion of Terryth from the Sea of Storms to the northern edge of the Vallyrin Wood, east of the Raithos River and west of the Terralosa Mountains. Broadly flat and rich in water and earth, this part of the continent has been home to many of the great civilizations of Terryth. The roots of these peoples go very deep, beyond written memory, and there are many lost secrets here.
  
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=== Forests ===
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=== The Vallyrin Wood ===
  
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The Midlands are home to seven major forests of interest: The [[Vallyrin Wood]], [[Raven's Nest]], the [[Forest of Deepshadow]], the [[Old Forest]], the [[Highfire Forest]], [[Erranoth Forest]], the [[Dell Forest]], and [[Darkwood]].
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The greatest forest of the Midlands, the [[Vallyrin]] is huge, dark, and full of mysteries. From the ancient and indecipherable ruins of [[Ruach]], to [[Aelfen]] holdouts and [[Allanyn]] tribes, to scattered riverine settlements and incursions by the [[Kens]], [[Oriloth]], and [[Tharr]], the Vallyrin is a place of surprising intrigue, conflict, and secrets.
  
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=== Rivers ===
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The chief settlement of the Vallyrin is [[Red Dale]], situated where the Raven River forks into the two branches known as Red Feather and Black Feather.
  
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The Midlands have '''three major rivers''' and a number of smaller streams and tributaries.
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=== The Raven River Valley ===
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[[file:Raven_River_Valley.PNG|300 px|right]]
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The Raven River is the chief river of the Midlands, reaching north from the [[Sea of Storms]] at [[Tarsis]] and branching throughout the great [[Vallyrin Wood]]. Its great navigable lengths connect [[Allanyn]], [[Aelfen]], [[Garreth]], [[Tharr]], [[Kens]], and [[Torrethi ]]peoples. The sources and upper branches and tributaries of the Raven are in the Vallyrin, and reach the various peoples there. The middle reaches of the river, including [[Lake Akkad]] and the [[Arkhen]] branch, are ancestral lands of the [[Torrethi]], while the southern reaches are ruled by the [[Garreth]].  
  
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The [[Raven River]] is the chief river of the Midlands. It penetrates north from the Sea of Storms to the heart of the Vallyrin Wood, bisecting the region. The Raven is a major avenue of trade and strategic lifeline. Access to its waters has begun and ended wars. [[Harreth]], one of the ancient [[Grandfather Cities]] whose defenses were legendary, was finally conquered only after the river was diverted away to starve it of water and resupply. Its seat at the mouth of the river is what has historically given [[Tarsis]] its wealth and influence.  
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A moderately sized timber forest called [[Raven's Nest]] sits astride the river.
  
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The [[Raithos River]] is the longest river in the Midlands and one of two western rivers to feed the fields of the [[Sindathi Empire]]. It marks the western boundary of the Midlands and runs from the southern ocean at [[Kharg]] north and east, past the [[Aggonavid Mountains]], across the [[Andesian Plains]], through tributaries and lakes all the way to the [[World's Crown Mountains]] where it is ultimately fed by the [[Starry Falls]]. Mighty and slow, the Raithos is easy to navigate and given to gentle flooding as often as not. Its river valleys are consequently some of the richest lands in Terryth.
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=== The Raithos and Shemali Rivers ===
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The [[Raithos River]] serves a similar role in the western Andesian Plains as the Raven does in the central Midlands, watering vast swathes of agricultural land and linking otherwise widely spaced peoples. As the river that passes through [[Arleon]], the Imperial capital, the Raithos is of prime importance there.
  
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The [[Shemali River]] is a much shorter, relatively faster river that almost touches the Raithos and flows from the [[Destin River]] tributary and [[Daios]] southeast to [[Arboth]]. It serves a similar function as the Raithos in that it waters great agricultural fields of the settled [[Sindathi]] and [[Jollarin]]. It also serves to indirectly connect Arboth to the Raithos by way of the roads between Daios and [[Naithos]].
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The [[Shemali River]] is the center of [[Jollarin]] lands, and the port of Arboth at its mouth is a major naval base for the Empire.
  
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The [[Clearbrook]] is a lesser river that springs from the ground at Kor Arren and flows about two-hundred miles west to the city of [[Dell]], at the edge of the Dell Forest.
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=== Lesser Rivers ===
  
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The [[Borryl Stream]] is a minor river that flows south from [[Ilthar]], at the southern edge of the [[Iron Hills]], to [[Shield Lake]] and the settlement of [[Lorran]].
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Other, lesser rivers (or streams, in local parlance) include the [[Clearbrook]], the [[Borryl Stream]], the [[Terryl Stream]], and the [[Granitefall Stream]]. There are also a number of tributaries that are not individually described.
  
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[[Terryl Stream]] is a more westerly companion to the Borryl stream, near [[Westride]] and emptying into [[Gaer Lake]].
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=== Deepshadow ===
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[[file:Kingdom_of_Deepshadow.PNG|right|200 px]]
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Another great forest of the Midlands is the Forest of Deepshadow. This great, dark wood is the home of the Deep Aelfen and the Kingdom of Deepshadow. Intrusion is forbidden, and the crucified and brutalized bodies of trespassers decorate the borders of the forest.
  
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[[Granitefall Stream]] descends from the [[Granitefall]] in the [[Terralosa Mountains]] and flows west into the lowlands at [[Thalia]].
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=== Kensorros ===
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The ancestral lands of the old kingdom of [[Kensorros]] were long ago conquered by the [[Sindathi Empire]] and split up among several Imperial provinces to hinder rebellions. This did little good and the [[Kens]] proved to be one of the most difficult peoples in the Empire. These lands are centered on the old capital [[Wykrim]] and include the [[Highfire]] and [[Old Forests]], the [[Dun Fens]], and the [[Middle Plains]].
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=== Dell Forest ===
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Known among the Sindathi as the "Dell" after a casual insult by a past reigning Emperor, this is the location of the Aelfen [[Sunset Kingdom]]. The only Aelfen kingdom to be subjugated to the Empire, the Aelfen there are restless and resentful of their Human rulers but lack the power to win independence.
  
 
=== Hills and Mountains ===
 
=== Hills and Mountains ===
  
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The [[Iron Hills]] region is in the central Midlands and so-named for their many rocky hills that seem to be overflowing with minerals, chiefly iron. This makes the land difficult to farm, but the Garreth who settled here have always been rich in iron and bronze and led to the development of thriving industries in metalcraft and armaments. The [[Bloody Mines]] are home to one of Terryth's most easily accessed sources of [[Blood Copper]].
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One major mountain range and several rocky, hilly areas are in the Midlands: The [[Terralosa Mountains]], the [[Iron Hills]], the [[Fellstones]], and [[Skyhome]].  
  
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The [[Fellstones]] are a rough area of tumbled stones and jagged hills, west of the Iron Hills. They have historically been home to savage Oriloth tribes who used this region's minerals, almost as rich and easily accessed as the Iron Hills, to arm their warriors with superior equipment. The Sindathi Empire long ago installed a fortress called the [[Crag]] to try to maintain some level of order here, but it has never been completely successful.
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=== Savage Moors ===
  
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The [[Terralosa Mountains]] are high, rocky mountains that mark the eastern edge of the Midlands. [[Torreth]] populate the western foothills, but struggle against Oriloth who live in the higher places of the mountains.  
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The [[Savage Moors]] form the northeast border of the Midlands, and are so-named in Sindathi because of the brutal, nearly perpetual warfare waged there between native Allanyn and encroaching Oriloth. Both peoples are warlike even among themselves, and networks of rivalries, alliances, and blood feuds can get extremely complex and erupt into nearly genocidal conflicts.
  
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[[Skyhome]] is a small, standalone mountain straddling the continental divide at the far western edge of the Midlands. Alone in the Andesian Plains, this mountain was considered by the native Sindathi to be a holy place, ascended only by priests, Emperors, and the most worthy heroes. Atop it is an ancient colony of priests called the ''[[Ovaeryn]]'', or "Sentinels."
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=== Andesian Plains ===
  
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=== Plains and Expanses ===
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The vast [[Andesian Plains]], original home of the conquering Sindathi, form the ultimate western edge of the Midlands. Watered by the great Raithos River system, the Andesian plains support both nomadic horse peoples like the [[fenbari]] and agricultural, settled peoples like the Jollarin and [[nimbari]].
  
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The [[Savage Moors]] lies to the northeast and the huge [[Andesian Plains]] to the west. The [[Middle Plains]] lie amidst several forests and the northern boundary of the Iron Hills. The [[Coastal Plains]] are the lowlands that run along the coast of the Sea of Storms from the Deepshadow east to the Terralosa Mountains, south of the Iron Hills.
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Famously, the Andesian Plains are home to the fearsome man-eating Andesian lion.
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=== Nations and Peoples ===
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A region of crossroads, most of the peoples of Terryth can be found in the Midlands, even if just as expatriates or travelers. Though some native nations have been subsumed into the [[Sindathi Empire]], the they include [[Kensorros]] of the [[Kens]], the sorcerous city-state of [[Thalia]], the [[Marror]] of the [[Torrethi]], the [[Kingdom of Deepshadow]] of the [[Deep Aelfen]], various [[Oriloth]] tribes, the [[Sunset Kingdom]] of the [[Aelfen]], and the [[Grandfather Cities]] of the [[Garreth]]. To the south are the [[Pirate Isles]].
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Of special mention is [[Tarsis]], the City of Silver. Tarsis sits in the low center of the continent at the mouth of the great [[Raven River]]. This cosmopolitan place is rivaled only by [[Kcathmar]] and [[Kharg]] as trade centers. In addition, the [[Great Northern Way]] runs up from [[Tarsis]], through [[Deckwell]] and [[Kor Arren]] to [[Wykrim]] and finally to the city of [[Thar]].
  
 
== The East ==
 
== The East ==
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This refers to everything east of the [[Terralosa Mountains]] and [[Dorresse Forest]].
  
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=== The Oriloth Crescent ===
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A great crescent of land running from the [[Savage Moors]] southeast over the [[Terralosa Mountains]] and following them southwest to the source of the [[Eidelos River]] and the [[Twin Claws]] is dominated by [[Oriloth]] tribes. They vary in their behaviors and levels of civilization or savagery, but these territories are dangerous to cross and often the site of bloody conflict with other nearby peoples, especially the [[Allanyn]].
  
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=== The Civilized East ===
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Beyond the Oriloth tribes, the eastern lands of Terryth are home to the [[Kingdom of Kcathmar]] of the [[Ryarr]] and various small states and confederations of the [[Leannyr]] and [[Kilrannyr]]. Some few [[Aelfen]] holdouts exist in the East, but fewer than in the Midlands and West.
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The great [[Korre River]] serves a similar trade and communication function for eastern lands as the Raven and Raithos rivers do for the Midlands.
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Kcathmar itself is divided between upper, mountainous, southerly Kcathmar and lower, northerly Kcathmar. Upper Kcathmar is more oriented toward seafaring and is the dominant region, while lower Kcathmar is more agricultural and rural, with more local ties.
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=== The Clanlands ===
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In the northeast, beyond the civilized lands but before reaching the ultimate frozen north, is a chilly, rough land between the [[World's Crown]] and [[Hadrygar Mountains]] inhabited by the [[Vogar]] culture.
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===The Sea of Burning Water===
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The [[Sea of Burning Water]] is so named because of numerous small, and several large, volcanoes there. Dangerous and beautiful, they are the target of occasional mercantile ventures to obtain useful and rare alchemical materials.
  
 
== The West ==
 
== The West ==
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Encompassing everything beyond the [[Aggonavid Mountains]] and [[Andesian Plains]].
  
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===The Sea of Diamonds===
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The dominant feature of the West is a great desert named the [[Sea of Diamonds]]. A sandy ocean, it is inhabited by a strange and reclusive offshoot of [[Oriloth]] known as the [[Weroth]] and a race of nomadic human traders and raiders called the [[Ghell]]. It is spotted by freshwater oases whose existence and placement seem to defy logic and is littered by forests of fossilized trees, unusual ruins, and other indicia that it was not always just an empty desert.
  
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=== The Great Inner Sea ===
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A huge freshwater inland sea, connected to the [[Azure Sea]] in the south by the [[Ghor'Aggoth River]] is the heart of [[Illar]] civilization. Their namesake capital of [[Illaria]] is located there, and the sea is home to several great islands, including one housing the [[Sapphire Temple]].
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=== Southern Coast ===
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The southern coast is dominated by the seafaring [[Illar]], long-time naval rivals of the [[Sindathi]] and [[Ryarr]]. They have many colonies along this coast, including [[Kharg]].
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=== Islands of Thalegh ===
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The islands to the far southwest belong to a barbaric and warlike people called the [[Thalegh]], who are primarily known for piracy and wearing gemstones embedded in their foreheads as marks of status or office.
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=== The Mountains ===
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Two mountain ranges run the western coast. The smaller [[Val'Ferroth Mountains]] lie across from the Thalegh Islands where the [[Azure Sea]] reaches the [[Dark Sea]] and serve more or less as a western edge of Illar and Thalegh settlement.
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The [[Val'Agroth Mountains]] are much larger and run far north along the [[Dark Sea]]. Most in Terryth consider this the ultimate western border of civilization, beyond which there is only deep water and mystery.
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=== Beyond the Mountains ===
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An isolated [[Aelfen]] kingdom lies beyond the Val'Agroth Mountains, alone in the far northwest on the [[Corrista River]].
  
 
== The North ==
 
== The North ==
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This term really refers to the [[World's Crown Mountains]], including their foothills and other surroundings, from the eastern Clanlands to the western Badlands. This region is cold, and the [[Ice Dunes]] north of the mountains can be perpetually frozen. The occasional active volcano, such as [[Emberheart]] and [[Mount Stonefire]], contrast with the snow and ice and provide geothermal warmth, including hot springs.
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Natives include the [[Tharr]], [[Fell Oriloth]], [[Eutnar]], and certain [[Allanyn]] tribes. The [[Sindathi Empire]] maintains a garrison at the fortress of [[Icegate]] north of the Vallyrin, meant to protect the lands of [[Orruth]] and the valuable gold mines of [[Val Erroth]].
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=== Kingdom of Tharre ===
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A Kens city known as Jervais was conquered and settled by a Tharran king some centuries ago. Rather than simply pillage it and leave, however, he decided to come down from the mountains and try his hand at civilized living and Jervais was renamed Tharre ("Tharr place," in [[Rosh-Tarr]]. He then set about conquering the surrounding land as well to carve himself a lowlands kingdom. When the borders of Tharre met the expanding Sindathi Empire, the resulting war was inconclusive. Rather than risk facing down what was beginning to be a continental power, however, the Tharran king agreed to an alliance and swore honor and allegiance to the Arrigar dynasty.
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The Imperial fortifications at [[North Hold]] and [[Black Keep]] serve as boundary markers between the Kingdom of Tharre and other Imperial provinces.
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=== Barbarian Lands ===
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The foothills and mountains outside of Imperial lands and Tharre are known as the Barbarian Lands. These territories are virtually ungoverned, home to a fluid mixture of barbaric Tharr and Fell Oriloth who shepherd, gather, hunt, raid, and trade among themselves. A source of destructive raids and fierce mercenaries, virtually everything that comes from these lands is both violent and strong.
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=== Emberheart and Mount Everfrost ===
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'''Emberheart''' is a highly active volcano whose plumes and fiery display can sometimes be seen at night from the towers of Icegate. Though often rumbling and spewing magma, there is no recorded instance of a major explosion. Accordingly, it is occasionally approached by alchemists and [[Daeinarian]] scholars looking to study or harvest from it.
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Possibly the highest mountain in the world, '''Mount Everfrost''' serves as the westernmost marker of the World's Crown Mountains. The mountain features in numerous stories and legends by Sindathi, Werothi, Orilothi, and Tharr; always something grand and dark and mysterious. In many, the mountain itself has a temperament and personality, and works against those who dare to scale or even approach it.
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=== The Ice Dunes ===
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The ultimate north, this is a land of near-perpetual snow and ice with no native peoples save the furred and barbaric [[Fell Oriloth]] and the mighty [[Eutnar]]. Few have dared to explore this barren and dangerous region, but they reported burning earth, strange ruins and unearthly statues, dragon bones, and other fantastical oddities.
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=== Citadel of Fire ===
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The [[Avyn]] [[Tharros]] has a special place in Tharr society (and is even their namesake), and his clergy have chosen to build their singular and mighty mountain fortress among them. This is the only formal and fixed location in Terryth for the selection, training, and governance of [[Warbringers]] and priests of Tharros. Each year, acolytes and hopefuls ascend to seek acceptance into the higher mysteries of the Avyn of War. They always descend in fewer numbers.
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=== Icegate ===
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Located at a mountain pass north of the Vallyrin Wood, this ancient fortress predated Imperial explorers and certainly the Empire itself. The Empire garrisoned it to protect Imperial colonies and protected Tharr subjects, as well as defend the city of [[Orruth]] and its valuable mines. It is an unpopular post, situated at the distant end of the Empire far from homes, families, and amenities. Accordingly, assignments there are limited to three years.

Latest revision as of 14:26, 13 March 2021

Terryth is a large, northern continent on the world of Urrael. The northern reaches climb into the arctic latitudes while the southern islands and coasts are sub-tropical. It is a rich and variable continent with several major mountain ranges, great forests, a vast western desert, and numerous rivers and lakes.

Note that this page and accompanying images are subject to change as the world of Urrael develops and grows.

Terryth Map - March 2021.JPG


The Midlands[edit]

The Midlands is the label applied to the large south-central portion of Terryth from the Sea of Storms to the northern edge of the Vallyrin Wood, east of the Raithos River and west of the Terralosa Mountains. Broadly flat and rich in water and earth, this part of the continent has been home to many of the great civilizations of Terryth. The roots of these peoples go very deep, beyond written memory, and there are many lost secrets here.

The Vallyrin Wood[edit]

The greatest forest of the Midlands, the Vallyrin is huge, dark, and full of mysteries. From the ancient and indecipherable ruins of Ruach, to Aelfen holdouts and Allanyn tribes, to scattered riverine settlements and incursions by the Kens, Oriloth, and Tharr, the Vallyrin is a place of surprising intrigue, conflict, and secrets.

The chief settlement of the Vallyrin is Red Dale, situated where the Raven River forks into the two branches known as Red Feather and Black Feather.

The Raven River Valley[edit]

Raven River Valley.PNG

The Raven River is the chief river of the Midlands, reaching north from the Sea of Storms at Tarsis and branching throughout the great Vallyrin Wood. Its great navigable lengths connect Allanyn, Aelfen, Garreth, Tharr, Kens, and Torrethi peoples. The sources and upper branches and tributaries of the Raven are in the Vallyrin, and reach the various peoples there. The middle reaches of the river, including Lake Akkad and the Arkhen branch, are ancestral lands of the Torrethi, while the southern reaches are ruled by the Garreth.

A moderately sized timber forest called Raven's Nest sits astride the river.

The Raithos and Shemali Rivers[edit]

The Raithos River serves a similar role in the western Andesian Plains as the Raven does in the central Midlands, watering vast swathes of agricultural land and linking otherwise widely spaced peoples. As the river that passes through Arleon, the Imperial capital, the Raithos is of prime importance there.

The Shemali River is the center of Jollarin lands, and the port of Arboth at its mouth is a major naval base for the Empire.

Lesser Rivers[edit]

Other, lesser rivers (or streams, in local parlance) include the Clearbrook, the Borryl Stream, the Terryl Stream, and the Granitefall Stream. There are also a number of tributaries that are not individually described.

Deepshadow[edit]

Kingdom of Deepshadow.PNG

Another great forest of the Midlands is the Forest of Deepshadow. This great, dark wood is the home of the Deep Aelfen and the Kingdom of Deepshadow. Intrusion is forbidden, and the crucified and brutalized bodies of trespassers decorate the borders of the forest.

Kensorros[edit]

The ancestral lands of the old kingdom of Kensorros were long ago conquered by the Sindathi Empire and split up among several Imperial provinces to hinder rebellions. This did little good and the Kens proved to be one of the most difficult peoples in the Empire. These lands are centered on the old capital Wykrim and include the Highfire and Old Forests, the Dun Fens, and the Middle Plains.

Dell Forest[edit]

Known among the Sindathi as the "Dell" after a casual insult by a past reigning Emperor, this is the location of the Aelfen Sunset Kingdom. The only Aelfen kingdom to be subjugated to the Empire, the Aelfen there are restless and resentful of their Human rulers but lack the power to win independence.

Hills and Mountains[edit]

One major mountain range and several rocky, hilly areas are in the Midlands: The Terralosa Mountains, the Iron Hills, the Fellstones, and Skyhome.

Savage Moors[edit]

The Savage Moors form the northeast border of the Midlands, and are so-named in Sindathi because of the brutal, nearly perpetual warfare waged there between native Allanyn and encroaching Oriloth. Both peoples are warlike even among themselves, and networks of rivalries, alliances, and blood feuds can get extremely complex and erupt into nearly genocidal conflicts.

Andesian Plains[edit]

The vast Andesian Plains, original home of the conquering Sindathi, form the ultimate western edge of the Midlands. Watered by the great Raithos River system, the Andesian plains support both nomadic horse peoples like the fenbari and agricultural, settled peoples like the Jollarin and nimbari.

Famously, the Andesian Plains are home to the fearsome man-eating Andesian lion.

Nations and Peoples[edit]

A region of crossroads, most of the peoples of Terryth can be found in the Midlands, even if just as expatriates or travelers. Though some native nations have been subsumed into the Sindathi Empire, the they include Kensorros of the Kens, the sorcerous city-state of Thalia, the Marror of the Torrethi, the Kingdom of Deepshadow of the Deep Aelfen, various Oriloth tribes, the Sunset Kingdom of the Aelfen, and the Grandfather Cities of the Garreth. To the south are the Pirate Isles.

Of special mention is Tarsis, the City of Silver. Tarsis sits in the low center of the continent at the mouth of the great Raven River. This cosmopolitan place is rivaled only by Kcathmar and Kharg as trade centers. In addition, the Great Northern Way runs up from Tarsis, through Deckwell and Kor Arren to Wykrim and finally to the city of Thar.

The East[edit]

This refers to everything east of the Terralosa Mountains and Dorresse Forest.

The Oriloth Crescent[edit]

A great crescent of land running from the Savage Moors southeast over the Terralosa Mountains and following them southwest to the source of the Eidelos River and the Twin Claws is dominated by Oriloth tribes. They vary in their behaviors and levels of civilization or savagery, but these territories are dangerous to cross and often the site of bloody conflict with other nearby peoples, especially the Allanyn.

The Civilized East[edit]

Beyond the Oriloth tribes, the eastern lands of Terryth are home to the Kingdom of Kcathmar of the Ryarr and various small states and confederations of the Leannyr and Kilrannyr. Some few Aelfen holdouts exist in the East, but fewer than in the Midlands and West.

The great Korre River serves a similar trade and communication function for eastern lands as the Raven and Raithos rivers do for the Midlands.

Kcathmar itself is divided between upper, mountainous, southerly Kcathmar and lower, northerly Kcathmar. Upper Kcathmar is more oriented toward seafaring and is the dominant region, while lower Kcathmar is more agricultural and rural, with more local ties.

The Clanlands[edit]

In the northeast, beyond the civilized lands but before reaching the ultimate frozen north, is a chilly, rough land between the World's Crown and Hadrygar Mountains inhabited by the Vogar culture.

The Sea of Burning Water[edit]

The Sea of Burning Water is so named because of numerous small, and several large, volcanoes there. Dangerous and beautiful, they are the target of occasional mercantile ventures to obtain useful and rare alchemical materials.

The West[edit]

Encompassing everything beyond the Aggonavid Mountains and Andesian Plains.

The Sea of Diamonds[edit]

The dominant feature of the West is a great desert named the Sea of Diamonds. A sandy ocean, it is inhabited by a strange and reclusive offshoot of Oriloth known as the Weroth and a race of nomadic human traders and raiders called the Ghell. It is spotted by freshwater oases whose existence and placement seem to defy logic and is littered by forests of fossilized trees, unusual ruins, and other indicia that it was not always just an empty desert.

The Great Inner Sea[edit]

A huge freshwater inland sea, connected to the Azure Sea in the south by the Ghor'Aggoth River is the heart of Illar civilization. Their namesake capital of Illaria is located there, and the sea is home to several great islands, including one housing the Sapphire Temple.

Southern Coast[edit]

The southern coast is dominated by the seafaring Illar, long-time naval rivals of the Sindathi and Ryarr. They have many colonies along this coast, including Kharg.

Islands of Thalegh[edit]

The islands to the far southwest belong to a barbaric and warlike people called the Thalegh, who are primarily known for piracy and wearing gemstones embedded in their foreheads as marks of status or office.

The Mountains[edit]

Two mountain ranges run the western coast. The smaller Val'Ferroth Mountains lie across from the Thalegh Islands where the Azure Sea reaches the Dark Sea and serve more or less as a western edge of Illar and Thalegh settlement.

The Val'Agroth Mountains are much larger and run far north along the Dark Sea. Most in Terryth consider this the ultimate western border of civilization, beyond which there is only deep water and mystery.

Beyond the Mountains[edit]

An isolated Aelfen kingdom lies beyond the Val'Agroth Mountains, alone in the far northwest on the Corrista River.

The North[edit]

This term really refers to the World's Crown Mountains, including their foothills and other surroundings, from the eastern Clanlands to the western Badlands. This region is cold, and the Ice Dunes north of the mountains can be perpetually frozen. The occasional active volcano, such as Emberheart and Mount Stonefire, contrast with the snow and ice and provide geothermal warmth, including hot springs.

Natives include the Tharr, Fell Oriloth, Eutnar, and certain Allanyn tribes. The Sindathi Empire maintains a garrison at the fortress of Icegate north of the Vallyrin, meant to protect the lands of Orruth and the valuable gold mines of Val Erroth.

Kingdom of Tharre[edit]

A Kens city known as Jervais was conquered and settled by a Tharran king some centuries ago. Rather than simply pillage it and leave, however, he decided to come down from the mountains and try his hand at civilized living and Jervais was renamed Tharre ("Tharr place," in Rosh-Tarr. He then set about conquering the surrounding land as well to carve himself a lowlands kingdom. When the borders of Tharre met the expanding Sindathi Empire, the resulting war was inconclusive. Rather than risk facing down what was beginning to be a continental power, however, the Tharran king agreed to an alliance and swore honor and allegiance to the Arrigar dynasty.

The Imperial fortifications at North Hold and Black Keep serve as boundary markers between the Kingdom of Tharre and other Imperial provinces.

Barbarian Lands[edit]

The foothills and mountains outside of Imperial lands and Tharre are known as the Barbarian Lands. These territories are virtually ungoverned, home to a fluid mixture of barbaric Tharr and Fell Oriloth who shepherd, gather, hunt, raid, and trade among themselves. A source of destructive raids and fierce mercenaries, virtually everything that comes from these lands is both violent and strong.

Emberheart and Mount Everfrost[edit]

Emberheart is a highly active volcano whose plumes and fiery display can sometimes be seen at night from the towers of Icegate. Though often rumbling and spewing magma, there is no recorded instance of a major explosion. Accordingly, it is occasionally approached by alchemists and Daeinarian scholars looking to study or harvest from it.

Possibly the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everfrost serves as the westernmost marker of the World's Crown Mountains. The mountain features in numerous stories and legends by Sindathi, Werothi, Orilothi, and Tharr; always something grand and dark and mysterious. In many, the mountain itself has a temperament and personality, and works against those who dare to scale or even approach it.

The Ice Dunes[edit]

The ultimate north, this is a land of near-perpetual snow and ice with no native peoples save the furred and barbaric Fell Oriloth and the mighty Eutnar. Few have dared to explore this barren and dangerous region, but they reported burning earth, strange ruins and unearthly statues, dragon bones, and other fantastical oddities.

Citadel of Fire[edit]

The Avyn Tharros has a special place in Tharr society (and is even their namesake), and his clergy have chosen to build their singular and mighty mountain fortress among them. This is the only formal and fixed location in Terryth for the selection, training, and governance of Warbringers and priests of Tharros. Each year, acolytes and hopefuls ascend to seek acceptance into the higher mysteries of the Avyn of War. They always descend in fewer numbers.

Icegate[edit]

Located at a mountain pass north of the Vallyrin Wood, this ancient fortress predated Imperial explorers and certainly the Empire itself. The Empire garrisoned it to protect Imperial colonies and protected Tharr subjects, as well as defend the city of Orruth and its valuable mines. It is an unpopular post, situated at the distant end of the Empire far from homes, families, and amenities. Accordingly, assignments there are limited to three years.

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