Aduria

Aduria: From Twilightpeaks.net [1] by Green Knight

To the southwest of Cerilia lies the great continent of Aduria. Aduria is the original homeland of the tribes that settled Cerilia (save the Basarji). It is often referred to as the ?Lost Continent?, but the fact is that it is inhabited even to this day, and that Anuireans (and other Cerilians) continue to trade with and engage in diplomacy with realms in Aduria (even if the extent of this interaction is less than it was during the height of the Anuirean Empire).
The continent of Aduria is vast in terms of both size and age, offering a myriad of different climates, terrain types and cultures. Human kingdoms rose and fell in Aduria millennia before the Tribes landed in Cerilia, and the ruins of even older civilizations remain scattered across the land. Aduria is frequently divided into two parts by scholars; the Anuirean Colonies and the Southern Outlands. The northern part, the Anuirean Colonies, was either subjugated by the Anuirean Empire or otherwise had significant dealings with it. The southern part remains ? as it always has been ? a great mystery to Cerilian scholars. Any information about these distant lands is sketchy at best and often known only through several intermediaries.

Aduria measures approximately 6300 miles north-south (thrice that of Cerilia) and 4800 miles east-west (half again that of Cerilia). It covers an area of more than 12 million square miles ? or near enough 5000 provinces ? dwarfing Cerilia by a factor of five. One should perhaps expect this to mean that Aduria is the home of countless cultures and kingdoms ? and it is ? but Aduria also has endless expanses of wilderness and wastelands, something not found in Cerilia. Average population density in Aduria is much, much lower than in Cerilia and the various regions of the Lost Continent are often separated by great mountain ranges, or endless jungles and deserts (where human habitation is more or less non-existent). The kingdoms of Aduria are also, as a general rule, less developed and less advanced than their Cerilian counterparts. The end result is that Aduria is very different from Cerilia ? teeming masses of humanity living under ?primitive? conditions, separated by vast spaces of unsettled lands. Unsettled by humanity, but not necessarily empty ? there are plenty of monsters in Aduria?

Humanity is the most important civilized race in Aduria ? as they are everywhere else ? but they share the continent with others. Anuireans have left lasting impressions on the lands of the north and Anuirean blood runs thickly in many prominent families, but elsewhere local human cultures dominate the land. Athan, Hurim, Naizad and Neha blood are the most prominent in the north ? further to the south other peoples dominate the land.
There are elven enclaves in the Colonies, and dwarves are said to be found somewhere in the Outlands (and there are undeniable evidence in the form of ruins that dwarves were once more widespread). Halflings can be found in Alitaene and in smaller numbers in Rhandel, but it is not known if they arrived directly from the Shadow World or came with the Anuireans (maybe a little of both).
There are some goblins in north-eastern Aduria, but theirs is not a major race in Aduria. Gnolls, on the other hand, can be found everywhere it seems. They claim the lands in between ? the wastelands and wilds that are to rough or to poor for more civilized folk ? and frequently make trouble for their more civilized neighbors. If there are orogs in Aduria they are not a major factor anywhere on that continent. Other more exotic races can also be found in Aduria, for example centaurs in the north-east, wemics in central Aduria and hideous snake-men lurk in the great southern jungles.

During the heyday of the Iron Throne, Anuirean colonies and enclaves could be found across the northern reaches of Aduria. A collection of city-states, kingdoms, and empires that are still influenced by their former Anuirean masters, the Anuirean Colonies cover a vast area, testimony to the Anuirean Empire?s wide reach. First conquered about seven centuries after Deismaar, when the Empire was at its height, the Colonies include lands that were once home to the Brecht, Andu, Rjuven, and Masetian peoples. Of the five tribes driven out of Aduria by Azrai, only the Vos, who originated further to the south, did not come from this area.
First along the coast going west from Mieres is the desolate Sere Coast. Except for the kingdom of Tenouire, there are no major settled lands for hundreds of miles. The area is poor in natural resources and the generally barren terrain and dry climate does nothing attract attention. Tribes of gnolls roam the region and there are rumors of elven settlements around major oases.
Oeried, the first major settled region along the northern coast west of Cerilia, once lay at the heart of the Masetian Empire, before they were conquered and expelled from their land by Azrai during his great war against the realms of men. Azrai gave the conquered territory to Naizad, one of his greatest generals, and later became the Naizad Empire, which survived until the death of Azrai at Deismaar, when it collapsed into chaos due to internal strife and rebellion. Nearly seven centuries later, Anuire conquered the ancient city Orideichus and took control of not only the city, but also the river valleys, marshlands and plains to the south.
To the west of Oeried lies Rhandel, a rocky peninsula jutting out into cold waters of the Miere Rhuann. Once home to the Brecht people, it fell to Azrai along with the rest of the northlands and was given to Naizad along with Oeried, Lurech, and much of the rest of far northern Aduria. Following Azrai?s death, a rebellion toppled the Naizad governor and for a short time, the small state was ruled by a popular line of kings. In the seventh century after Deismaar, an Anuirean invasion successfully conquered Rhandel, and installed a Lord-Governor who reported to Anuire. This system survived until nearly four centuries after the fall of the Anuirean Empire, but eventually local guilders seized power for themselves and installed a figurehead Overking as the ruler of the peninsula. Rich in both ore and wood, especially large forests of tall cedar trees, which give the nation its common name of The Cedar Kingdom, Rhandel is a rich nation supplying weapons, wood, ore and skilled mercenaries to surrounding nations. The merchant class has replaced the old Anuirean lords as de-facto ?nobility?. These merchant-princes truly rule Rhandel, although they are rarely united on anything and constant feud amongst themselves, only ever united to bring down an Overking who is overstepping his authority.
Lurech is the name of the next great peninsula stretching west into the great western ocean. Once the home of the Rjuven, it is still inhabited by the descendants of those that did not flee. A newly arrived people from Mor Atha have partially displaced and intermarried with the Rjuven. Lurech of today is a mixture of smaller fiefdoms that are as likely to war against each other as they are raiding their neighbors.
South of all these nations is the Empire of Alitaene (also know as Aquitain or Aquitania), which includes the lands of the ancient Hurimar Empire. At the height of the Anuirean Empire, this region was Anuire?s most important colony, and even today, it remains a rich and powerful nation. Great castles dominate the hilltops and the elite still keep their Anuirean links and titles. Many of the old Anuirean families have ties in Alitaene, as it was common practice for many of the noble families during the Anuirean Empire, to send their second or third sons off to Alitaene to rule holdings there.
West of Alitaene, across the Straits of Atha, lies the great island of Mor Atha. It has a feudal strong culture that is a mixture of Anuirean and local customs, but unlike most feudal realms it is not strongly tied to ownership of land, but rather ships and trade rights. Mor Atha boasts perhaps the finest naval tradition on Aebrynis, their ships have traveled to all corners of the world, and Athan enclaves can be found in many distant kingdoms.
East of Alitaene, beyond the great Inner Sea, is the ?Empire? of Nehalim, a once-great nation that has fallen on hard times. Ironically the decline began after the fall of the Anuirean Empire ? with their traditional external enemy gone, the lords and masters of Nehalim fell to scheming and feuding, resulting in countless years of internal war. Today only the northern reaches of Nehalim bordering the Horn of Gham remain civilized, with a patchwork of small fiefdoms locked in a web of ancient feuds and alliances. The great Nehalim basin has descended into savagery and become infested with non-humans and monsters.
Stretching north from Nehalim to Mieres is the region known as the Gold Coast. The name could stem from several sources, but the two most likely candidates are the endless sunbaked stretches that dominate the region or the mined-out gold deposits in the Horn of Gham. Once the home of several strong Anuirean realms, only a few poor city-states along the coast continue to cling to existence. The rest of the region has suffered from the triple curses of a poorer climate, exhaustion of resources and decline in trade.
The ?Beastlands? is a little-known and less-traveled region sitting in between Alitaene, Nehalim, the Gold Coast, the Sere Coast and Oeried. It is rugged land, both in terms of terrain and the life led by its inhabitants. The region has spawned a seemingly endless series of warlike realm ? ranging from the ancient forebears of the Andu to the present day conglomeration of ner-do-wells ? that have raided or conquered the surrounding kingdoms.

The northeastern shores of Aduria are known as the Duor Gaen (DEW-oar Gain), or the Sere Coast. Arid grassland and brown, rocky hills march for hundreds and hundreds of miles westward from the Baerghos islands, scoured by a dry easterly wind sweeping down from the Mountains of Haze. In winter, the winds shift, coming out to the north to pound the coastal areas with the endless storms for which the Miere Rhuann is named. Rainfall is exceedingly rare in the interior, especially during the long summer, but somewhat more common along the coastline during winter.
To reach the Sere Coast, ships journey from the sheltered waters of the Arnienbae (that being the bay into which the River Maesil empties, and where the City of Anuire is located) and the Straits of Aerele (that being the narrow straits between Cerilia and the Adurian mainland), setting a course due west, making for the Baer Race (the narrow strait between the Adurian mainland and Baerghos) and the open waters of the Miere Rhuann beyond.
Despite the relative harshness of the region, it is by no means a barren wasteland devoid of life; several kingdoms and tribes can be found here ? with Tenourie being the most renowned.

Beyond the harsh lands of the Sere Coast lies Oeried, a vast area of dry plains and savannah, crisscrossed by slowly meandering rivers. From the foothills of the Kiervon Mountains in the east to the Villiani Mountains in the west, from the Miere Rhuann in the north to the foothills of the great Aramarch Mountains, Oeried covers an immense area (comparable to south-central Anuire in size).
Where the Sere Coast is dry and hot because of the easterly wind patterns drive dry and hot air over the Mountains of Haze, Oeried is blessed with at least some moist air being driven in from the Sea of Storms year-round. Rainfall in summer is scarce except along the coast, leaving the interior plains dry and sun-baked; but somewhat less so than the Tallellaigh. But the great rivers bring life in the form of water, carrying melt-off from the mountains across the plains and turning the dry plains into a cacophony of life in the riverlands. In winter rainfall is fairly common throughout Oeried, as cold and moist air from the Sea of Storms empty across the arid plains, invigorating them enough so that they can carry through another dry summer.

West of the vast river plains of Oeried lies a rocky peninsula jutting into the cold waters of the Miere Rhuann ? Rhandel. A rugged land of cedar forests, deep fjords and steep hills, Rhandel has a rugged beauty that cannot be denied. Only the coastal regions, on the western side of the peninsula in particular, have any degree of civilization. The rest of Rhandel is but lightly populated. Situated well north of Oeried, and jutting precariously into the Sea of Storms, Rhandel enjoys a considerably cooler and moister climate. Winters are generally cool and wet, with snowfall a regular feature on higher elevations. Summers are significantly hotter and drier, but are rarely dry or sweltering.
Rhandel is not rich in natural resources (except its fabled cedar timber), nor is it especially populous, and so should by rights be a poor and unimportant nation. Yet it is arguably the most prosperous and civilized of Adurian realms. Indeed, Rhandel is much given to industry in all its forms, and Rhandan steel is rightly famed throughout the lands around Miere Rhuann. And the trading-ships of Rhandel ply the waters of the Miere Rhuann, from Mor Atha and Alitaene in the west, to Thaele and Rjurik in the north, and Anuire in the east.

West of Rhandel lays a second great peninsula, this one a rocky spine that arrows straight into the setting sun for nearly a thousand miles. Riven by deep fjords, its rugged mountains make any landward approach nearly impossible, so that the sea is the only viable means of long-distance communication. The weather in Lurech can be quite severe, a testament to its location deep in the Miere Rhuann. Summers are fairly cool and wet, much like they are on the West Coast of Cerilia. Winters are even cooler and wetter, with strong winds throughout the season and heavy rainfalls an almost daily occurrence. Snowfall is also fairly common, but temperatures rarely remain below freezing for long along the coast. At higher elevations, however, snow tends to fall in great quantities and remain in place through the winter season.
The people are largely settled around the coastal areas, where they cling to life through a mixture of farming, sheepherding, fishing and hunting. Lurech is a rough land, much more so than Rhandel, and many visitors have wondered how the people manage to survive ? pointing to the many tiny farmsteads perched precariously along the fjords, seemingly unable to support an entire family.

West of the Adurian mainland a great archipelago stretches for hundreds of miles into the Sunset Sea ? Mor Atha. A realm of hundreds of rocky islands, the main island of Mor Atha itself is (some scholars claim) the biggest on Aebrynis. Forested mountains cover much of the north and west of the island, while in the south east the forests and mountains are replaced by farmlands, grazing lands and civilization.
Cold water currents from the Miere Rhuann keep the islands cool despite its sub-tropical location. Weather is usually characterized by long spells of sunny weather, broken by fierce storms and heavy rainfall. The difference between summer and winter is not very pronounced in the low-lands facing the Straits, but in the mountains it can get quite cool and inhospitable during the cold season.

Across the Straits of Atha lies the land of Alitaene. It is a place of long-forgotten empires, ancient ruins, lost treasures and unending sun. The climate in western Alitaene, around the Hurin Bay and in the Gulf of Alitaene, is warm and dry. Sea breezes keep the temperature bearable even during the height of summer, and the proximity to the sea means the costal strip is fairly fertile. Additional rainfall in the Aramarch Mountains is sufficient to sustain a great stretch of forests that cover the mountains? foothills, and this water eventually ends up in the River of Aereth that brings life to the entire western heartland of Alitaene. Even during the hottest and driest months of summer snowmelt from the mountains keeps the river flowing; albeit at greatly reduced capacity.
Further east the land turns into dry steppe, almost bordering on desert in places. In fact only the presence of the great Inner Sea prevents the plains south of the Aramarch range from turning into sandy desert. It was not always so; in ancient times the area had much more moisture and was considered a fertile place. Very few people call eastern Alitaene home, the majority of the population lives in the western part of the region.

North of the Inner Sea and west of the Gold Coast lies a land of endless mountains, raging rivers and twisting valleys. Nowadays it is most commonly referred to as the Beastlands, a tribute to the many savage species found eking out a living here. In older scripture it is more commonly named the Vaults. In the forgotten days before human civilization, the region was inhabited by several tribes of barbarian humans and their more monstrous neighbors. The names of the tribes have all been lost, save that of the Andu, who dwelled here in ancient times.

Running south from Mieres for some 1,200 miles is the desolate coastline known as the Gold Coast, named for the sandy deserts and dry grassland that stretch as far as the eye can see; and for the gold that can be found in the south. The northernmost portion of the Gold Coast is the most fertile, comprising Mieres and adjacent territories. Further south the land turns to dry steppe and finally into true desert, before once again reverting to greener pastures...and the promise of gold.

Nehalim is a vast empire, stretching from the eastern shores of the Inner Sea to the eastern coast of Aduria. A land of deep forests and verdant grasslands, Nehalim has a long rainy season during winter and an even longer dry season during summer. Following the end of the rainy season the land literally shines with a backdrop of emerald green and a hundred brilliant colors from its many flowers. As summer takes hold, the land gradually dries up and the colors disappear; the bright flowers go first, then the emerald green of grass and tree loose its luster and turn dull and brown. But by then winter has returned, and with it all the water the land could want ? and then some.