Illandria
A land torn asunder, literally as well as figuratively. Steep jagged mountain ranges bisect the continent of Illandria from north to south, and live volcanoes are not uncommon. Neither is the sudden violent resurrection of seemingly dormant peaks, bursting back to life in explosions of lava, ash and Tidal Fyre. The continent itself is nearly carved in two, Northern and Southern Illandria held together by a rough isthmus formed of the eastern branch of the central mountain range. The deep gulfs stretching to either side of the isthmus are both haven and hazard for creatures of the sea, the water warmed and enriched by the underwater activities of the live volcanoes in some areas, yet poisoned by the same activities in others.
Throughout the entire continent the mountain ranges are framed by rough hills, the vegetation and animal life varying widely from one section of range to the next. Beneath these hills low valleys grow lushly, flourishing in the rich mineral deposits washed down from the volcanoes each year with the spring snowmelt. Most of the poisons also produced by the volcanoes are filtered out in the hills before they ever reach the lowland valleys, causing occasional stretches of barren chemical-scorched hillside to appear each year. Due to the density of the mountain ranges most of them maintain a snowcap year-round, and the land is riddled with small springs. This combination produces numerous rivers and streams, some of the rivers reaching substantial size. The continent is also rich in the ores valued by many sentient races, and a wide variety of these races have settled there. However, due to the mountainous nature of the land, broad tracts of wilderness still exist - most of them not only unsettled, but also completely unexplored. And many for very good reasons. Although great mountain ranges tear the continent along its entire length from north to south, the greatest hazard of Illandria is not the volcanoes, but rather the Fyres. In one section of valley, hill or mountain you will find an area completely devoid of this primal force of Rosha - in the next, it is so dense and overpowering that merely venturing into it can cause plants and animals to mutate, twisting a creature as simple as a mouse into something completely unrecognizable. In other areas, the Fyres might magnify a spells' effect unpredictably, or cause it to turn violently back upon the caster. And in still other areas the Fyres have stagnated, and will poison the careless mage who attempts to use them with a consuming malaise that eventually results in death or insanity. Like a great spiderweb, neglected and tattered; some areas are free of web, some areas intact - and some are snarls of tangled strands.
In Southern Illandria a large inland sea is warmed year-round by the turbulent churning of concentrated Chaos Fyre deep beneath the surface, and is rumored to be home to a breed of fanciful, intelligent aquatic dragons. These creatures rarely show themselves anywhere near the surface, but those few who have ventured into the depths of the Sea -and returned - seem bedazzled by the mere thought of them. They describe slender, graceful creatures with great wing-fins of shimmering gauze, skin that ripples and glows with the vibrant, ever-changing iridescent tones of a living gem, and great black eyes that seem to radiate tranquillity and comfort. They claim the creatures weave the nexus of Chaos Fyre like strands of silk to form their nests, deep in the black caverns of the Sea’s rough bottom. A single island rises in the western portions of the Sea, the active volcano that formed it frequently giving off renewed streams of thick lava, rich in Tidal Fyre. Oddly, unless the volcano is actively disgorging magma, the island itself has absolutely no Fyre at all - it is magically dead.
On the eastern coast of Northern Illandria, great saltwater swamps and marshes stretch deep inland. Several large rivers flowing down from the mountain range just to the west create broad, shallow channels that extend completely through the dangerous region, but the shifting silt that forms the bottoms of the channels make it impossible to bring any craft larger than a canoe up them. Innumerable tiny hot springs create a warm, humid atmosphere in which matted jungle vegetation flourishes, in most areas blocking the sun from ever reaching the roots of the massive mangrove-type trees supporting this over-abundance of foliage. Among these roots and the rich, muddy sludge that fertilizes them, live innumerable life forms that live and die without ever seeing the sunlight. Huge saltwater crocodiles, sea-snakes and carnivorous turtles move through the eternal twilight, among many, many other creatures - some sentient, many not. There is only one law in this sultry warren.. survive, if you can.
Throughout the entire continent the mountain ranges are framed by rough hills, the vegetation and animal life varying widely from one section of range to the next. Beneath these hills low valleys grow lushly, flourishing in the rich mineral deposits washed down from the volcanoes each year with the spring snowmelt. Most of the poisons also produced by the volcanoes are filtered out in the hills before they ever reach the lowland valleys, causing occasional stretches of barren chemical-scorched hillside to appear each year. Due to the density of the mountain ranges most of them maintain a snowcap year-round, and the land is riddled with small springs. This combination produces numerous rivers and streams, some of the rivers reaching substantial size. The continent is also rich in the ores valued by many sentient races, and a wide variety of these races have settled there. However, due to the mountainous nature of the land, broad tracts of wilderness still exist - most of them not only unsettled, but also completely unexplored. And many for very good reasons. Although great mountain ranges tear the continent along its entire length from north to south, the greatest hazard of Illandria is not the volcanoes, but rather the Fyres. In one section of valley, hill or mountain you will find an area completely devoid of this primal force of Rosha - in the next, it is so dense and overpowering that merely venturing into it can cause plants and animals to mutate, twisting a creature as simple as a mouse into something completely unrecognizable. In other areas, the Fyres might magnify a spells' effect unpredictably, or cause it to turn violently back upon the caster. And in still other areas the Fyres have stagnated, and will poison the careless mage who attempts to use them with a consuming malaise that eventually results in death or insanity. Like a great spiderweb, neglected and tattered; some areas are free of web, some areas intact - and some are snarls of tangled strands.
In Southern Illandria a large inland sea is warmed year-round by the turbulent churning of concentrated Chaos Fyre deep beneath the surface, and is rumored to be home to a breed of fanciful, intelligent aquatic dragons. These creatures rarely show themselves anywhere near the surface, but those few who have ventured into the depths of the Sea -and returned - seem bedazzled by the mere thought of them. They describe slender, graceful creatures with great wing-fins of shimmering gauze, skin that ripples and glows with the vibrant, ever-changing iridescent tones of a living gem, and great black eyes that seem to radiate tranquillity and comfort. They claim the creatures weave the nexus of Chaos Fyre like strands of silk to form their nests, deep in the black caverns of the Sea’s rough bottom. A single island rises in the western portions of the Sea, the active volcano that formed it frequently giving off renewed streams of thick lava, rich in Tidal Fyre. Oddly, unless the volcano is actively disgorging magma, the island itself has absolutely no Fyre at all - it is magically dead.
On the eastern coast of Northern Illandria, great saltwater swamps and marshes stretch deep inland. Several large rivers flowing down from the mountain range just to the west create broad, shallow channels that extend completely through the dangerous region, but the shifting silt that forms the bottoms of the channels make it impossible to bring any craft larger than a canoe up them. Innumerable tiny hot springs create a warm, humid atmosphere in which matted jungle vegetation flourishes, in most areas blocking the sun from ever reaching the roots of the massive mangrove-type trees supporting this over-abundance of foliage. Among these roots and the rich, muddy sludge that fertilizes them, live innumerable life forms that live and die without ever seeing the sunlight. Huge saltwater crocodiles, sea-snakes and carnivorous turtles move through the eternal twilight, among many, many other creatures - some sentient, many not. There is only one law in this sultry warren.. survive, if you can.