Aventuria is a continent on the world of Ethra, a place similar to Earth. Many Aventurians think their world is a disc, but theories are blossoming everywhere that Ethra is actually a sphere.From north to south, Aventuria runs about 3,000 Middenmiles. The broadest part measures about 2,000 Middenmiles from coast to coast. That may not seem very large, but consider that traveling from one end of the continent to the other using Aventurian means of transportation such as horses, mules, or walking takes at least three months.In the following paragraphs you will find short descriptions of the most important regions of Aventuria.
The Eternal Ice, Yeti’s Land, and the Far North
The northernmost Aventurian island is called Yeti’s Land. Here, grim winter holds sway for most of the year, and only during a few short weeks which count as spring, summer, and fall all rolled into one does the ice retreat along the narrow coastal areas, whereas the mountains further inland are covered in eternal ice and snow. Yeti’s Land is inhabited by its namesakes, the Snow Bogeys, commonly known as Yetis. Only a few men have dared travel to this island, but legends abound of what you might find there: legendary hoards of gold, lost elven cities, or even Evil itself.To the north of Yeti’s Land is only eternal ice (even in summer, the ice nearly reaches the island) as far as one can see. There are numerous rumors of the legendary “polar diamond” waiting to be discovered, or the “flying ships of the High Elves” that were lost in the ice.The far north of the continent consists of the Ice Cliffs, the Ice Peaks, and the Misty Peaks. The Grimfrost Wastes are also found here, harsh mountainous areas where only a few brave souls dare live: mostly daring fur hunters, the Fjarningar Ice Barbarians, and a few scattered tribes of Ice Elves. Apart from these, no intelligent creature is dumb enough to stay here.
The Northern Steppes
Between the northern coastal mountain ranges and the Salamander Stones stretches a large plain. This endless steppe is dotted with a few scattered groves and some shrubbery, though in summer, the grass grows as tall as a man. Few real settlements are found here, and the few that exist consist of only a handful of huts. Towns are an even rarer phenomenon, and in such places (for example, the gold-digging town of Oblarasim) life is rougher and tougher than anyplace else.Most of the people living here are nomads, such as the Nivese, a nomadic people who migrate along with their large herds of Karen (long-horned animals with thick, shaggy fur, comparable to real-world reindeer) from their southern winter camps to the summer meadows in the north every spring, and back again in the fall.
The Brazen Sword
In the far northeast, a mighty mountain range marks the boundary of the continent of Aventuria: the Brazen Sword. Many have tried to scale the giant mountains, the highest peaks being 12,000 paces high, but as yet none have succeeded. The lands beyond the Brazen Sword are known only from ancient legends and myths.The rugged valleys are scoured for copper and tin, but resources are scarce. Marble is also mined, and alchemists pay a lot of gold for the very pure sulfur that is found in this region. It is arguable whether the people who ruin their health in the poisonous fumes make any real profit from this kind of trade, as they tend to fall ill and die young.The biggest mystery of the Brazen Sword is the ancient dragon Fuldigor, who is supposed to be so big that a copse of thousand-year-old oaks grows on his back.From time to time, expeditions are sent to find Fuldigor, or the All-Wise, as he is also known. Few people have come back from such voyages, and it is even rarer that anyone can actually tell a tale of getting the advice of Fuldigor at all.
The Bornland
The natural boundaries of the Bornland are the sea to the south, the Brazen Sword to the east, the Dragonstones, the Red Sickle, and the Green Plains to the west, and the mountain range at Bjalthorn to the north. Fount and Wealbeck, the most important traveling routes, are the lifelines of this Noble Republic. Its capital is Festum, where the Noble Marshal resides and is elected by the noble Congregation every five years. Festum is very cosmopolitan, and its inhabitants try to keep pace with the fashions and cultures of Gareth and Vinsalt, the capital cities of the Horasian Empire and the Middenrealm.The further north one goes, the deeper the forests become, the longer the winter season gets, and the wilder the lands grow. In Sevirya, where Firun casts a snowy blanket more than a pace deep, the Bronnjars are the undisputed rulers who reign over the lands and their serfs with iron fists. Not only the forests and wildlife are sturdy, but also the human inhabitants who are especially renowned for their drinking prowess. The rough climate is a good reason to warm up from the inside, and from the lowliest peasant up to the highest Bronnjars, people drink as if there was no tomorrow. If you excel at this activity, they will honor you as a national hero.The Salamander StonesThe Salamander Stones, a chain of mountains as high as 3,000 paces, run along the southern boundaries of the Nivese Steppe from east to west. Their deep dales and canyons are riddled by clear brooks and rills, and their slopes are covered by thick turquoise fairytale forests. The Silvan Elves call this wild region their home. They say you can find their villages only if the inhabitants want you to, which is very rare.The lake dwellings of the Lea Elves lie in the depressions of the Kvill. These elves are a bit more open toward humans when compared to their relatives from the Salamander Stones, and if you happen to meet an elf in Aventuria, chances are she is a Lea Elf. Kvirasim, one of the most interesting towns in Aventuria, should be mentioned here: It consists mostly of tree houses. Both humans and elves live here.
Orkland and Svellt Valley
Stone Oak Forest, Great Olochtai, and Firun’s Wall surround the dry steppe, where trees are scarce, as if trying to hinder its dark brown and black-furred inhabitants, the orks, from leaving the grasslands. This interpretation, of course, was made by humans, who wished the black-furred creatures had never ventured forth and waged bloody war on the human population in the Orkstorm.Orks live in tribes. They do not practice agriculture, but they hunt (steppe cattle and Orkland rabbits) and keep some cattle. They know much about forging, but are, foremost, hunters and warriors, so that their artisans create sturdy, useful things rather than mere decorative articles. They view conquered enemies in the same, practical way: Those who are strong enough may live on as slaves.The valleys of the river Bodir and its tributaries are far wetter than the steppe, so the swamps and wetlands play host to a few Achaz, lizard people who usually live far more to the south.As mentioned, the orks only recently led an attack against the humans and managed to get as far as Gareth. The first cities that the blackfur army reached were Deepenborg, Lowangen, and Gashok. These were conquered and still owe tribute to their new lords. Tjolmar was not conquered, and was spared any pillaging because (as the rumor goes) its dwarfs’ betrayal bought the town its freedom. Run-down Enqui wasn’t even interesting enough for the blackfurs—no wonder, as most of its population consists of wanted criminals and its harbor is strictly avoided unless you’re about to die. Apart from this, Enqui is under the rule of the Thorwalians, whom even the orks seem to fear.
Thorwal
If you like loud hollering, proper brawling, and boozing until you fall off your chair, then you’ll like the Thorwalian lands. The giant Thorwalians are a very lively kind of people!Thorwal is the only nation where almost all rulers are elected freely, if you can call this odd assortment of mostly independent settlements a political entity at all. The “capital,” also called Thorwal, is renowned for its cosmopolitan ways and the wizard Academy of Clear Sight. Other important places are Prem, where the most famous schnapps of Aventuria is distilled (known as Premian Fire), and Olport, where the forefathers of the Thorwalians are said to have come from legendary Hjaldingard, in Gyldenland.Thorwalian society has always been characterized by absolute equality of the sexes. Men and women have the same duties and are equally good at defending themselves. In the inland area, sheep breeding and agriculture are the mainstays of the population, whereas along the coast, people live from fishing and sea trade. Thorwalians are said to be the best sailors in Aventuria. One should not forget that Thorwalians are also feared as pirates, especially in the Horasian Empire. A deep enmity exists between them and the slavers’ cities of the south, especially Al’Anfa.
Nostria and Andergast
Nostria and Andergast are two small kingdoms in western Aventuria, sandwiched between Thorwal and the Middenrealm. Nostria is bounded by the Sea of Seven Winds, the Ingval River and its tributary, the Ornib, and by the Tommel River. Andergast lies to the east of Nostria. Nostria and Andergast have been at war for almost 1,900 years, almost since the first day of their founding. They have been at peace now for some years and one might think that the age of feuds is over, but battles lasting generations have bled both countries, and more than just one generation will be needed for them to recover.The inhabitants of the Middenrealm traditionally mocked the countless wars, battles, and skirmishes. The people from Andergast and Nostria, on the other hand, didn’t think it was too funny joking about poor peasant armies trying to defend a little oak copse against the “enemy.” They say that an old pitchfork causes the same kind of death as a shiny steel sword. One village, Joborn, has suffered particularly. This village has changed ownership so often during the centuries of war that it has become impossible to tell on which side it originally belonged.Both countries have an abundance of forests and wildlife. The ork wars have not spared Andergast—it still must cope with the devastation wreaked by the orks, while Nostria always gets into trouble with its Thorwalian neighbors, who occupy Salza and northwestern Nostria at the time.
The Middenrealm
The political entity called the Middenrealm, or New Empire, is the largest state of Aventuria. It stretches from the coast of the Sea of Seven Winds between Windhague and Havena to the Black Sickle, the Troll Peaks, and Perricum on the Sea of Pearls.The supreme ruler of the feudal state of the Middenrealm is (in theory) the Emperor (right now, Imperial Protector Prince Brin), who rules from his throne in Gareth, the largest city in Aventuria (almost 200,000 inhabitants). Nominally, the entire nation belongs to the Emperor, who assigns parts of it to his vassals as fiefs. Those so enfiefed owe the Emperor their thanks and loyalty and in return get the Empire’s protection. These provincial lords form the next tier of power in the Middenrealm. They, in turn, assign smaller fiefs to loyal earls who, in turn, hold sway over a number of barons. Below the baronial tier is an almost indeterminable body of lower nobility.The realm is divided into twelve Provinces: Albernia, Almada, Beilunk, Darpatia, Garetia, Kosh, the Northern Marches, Meadows, Griffinsford, Warunk, Windhague, and Tobria.The Kingdom of Albernia, which lies to the west, is located on the Sea of Seven Winds north of the Great River. Its capital Havena is the most important port on the Sea. Nowhere else in Aventuria can you find as many fairies as in Albernia, and there are rumors that even the Great River is actually a creature from the fairy realm.South of Albernia is the Margravedom of Windhague. Harben, the capital of this province, is one of the most important naval harbors in the Middenrealm, home of the Empire’s Western Fleet.East of Windhague, you will find the Northern Marches. The river section between Elvenhus and Elenvina has gained a certain infamy among river traders, not only due to its many rocks and rapids but also due to persistent river pirates. Also famous are the secret machinations of its druidic circles and its rather too ambitious dukes.The Kingdom of Kosh lies to the east of the Northern Marches, separated from that province by the Kosh Mountains; the province also claims the foothills of the Higher Anvil. Kosh is one of the strongholds of Aventuria’s dwarfs, who make up roughly one-quarter of the population and live in so-called mountain kingdoms. Although the dwarfs are nominally subjects of the Emperor, only their respective King of the Mountain may pass judgment on a dwarf.The Kingdom of Almada, the southernmost province of the New Empire, stretches north of the river Yaquir. Its strategic position between the Horasian Empire and the imperial capital of Gareth makes it a crucial linchpin in Imperial politics and economy—important enough for the Imperial Protector (and the Emperor before him) to give Almada’s stubborn inhabitants (many of whom are of Tulamidyan descent) a lot of leeway. Almada also serves as a bulwark against the Novadis from the Khôm Desert, who try time and again to spread their belief in Rastullah with fire and sword.Kosh’s neighbor to the northeast is the province of Griffinsford, once a bountiful land. Both province and city suffered terribly during the Orkstorm, when the city was captured by orkish hordes and the countryside was ravaged by marauding troops. Although the invaders have been driven from most of the province, you are still bound to encounter the occasional troop of stragglers or even whole pockets of orkish resistance.The core province of the Middenrealm is the Kingdom of Garetia located to the east of Kosh, whose sovereign resides in the imperial capital of Gareth. Most of this province is made up of fertile fields, cultivated centuries ago. The activities of Garetia’s inhabitants are largely concentrated on one single effort: supporting the imperial capital of Gareth and its nearly 200,000 citizens. Garetia is steeped in history and legend, right down to the Demon Fallow south of Gareth, the site of the First Demon Battle in 1561 before Haal—a place forever marred by the magical energies unleashed there.Perricum, a harbor town at the mouth of the Darpat River, is also part of Garetia. The supreme command of the empire’s Sea of Pearls Navy is headquartered here.North of Garetia lies the province of Darpatia. It is a region of wide fields and meadows, renowned for the Darpat bull. There are extensive woodlands in the east. Most of the province is flat, except for the mountainous east that rises up to a thousand paces in the region of the Troll Peaks. The river Radrom forms the boundary with the province of Warunk. The Darpatians are usually regarded as a friendly and open sort of people. Rommilys, the capital of Darpatia, is located on the Darpat River. Warkhome, a garrison town in northern Darpatia, is mostly known for military matters, including the well-known Royal Warkhomian Academy of Strategy and Tactics.North of Darpatia (in fact, the northernmost of all provinces of the Middenrealm) is the aptly named province of Meadows, the center of Aventurian cattle breeding. Here, cattle barons hold sway over large plots of lush meadows, reside in splendid manors (even if not of noble birth), enjoy their wealth, and apart from that hate one anothers’ guts. Meadows stretches from the Darkencrest along Lake Lamprey, up to the Red Sickle.North and east of Warunk is Tobria, the Middenrealm’s largest province. It defends the New Empire from the goblins and other evil creatures living in the Black Sickle. Just ten years ago, the city of Ysilia and large tracts of the province were almost totally destroyed by a large-scale incursion of ogres. Tobria also marks the Middenrealm’s border with the Bornland, where a constant struggle for possession of the city of Vallusa, just on the other bank of the Misa River, takes place. Most of Tobria is sparsely settled, and the population clusters around the cities.Mendena became Tobria’s capital after the devastation of Ysilia. This well-defended, bustling port city has around 3,000 inhabitants.Beilunk (7,950 inhabitants) is also called the Pearl of the Radrom Valley, although the name is probably meant ironically since the city is mostly surrounded by swamps. Its economic importance is due to its position at the mouth of the Radrom, opening into the Gulf of Perricum.The small Margravedom of Beilunk lies south of Tobria with the capital Beilunk (c. 8,000 inhabitants) at the mouth of the Radrom itself being one of the major ports on the Gulf of Perricum. Also to the south of Tobria some miles up the Radrom you’ll find Warunk, a margravedom – or better: a city-state with some surrounding baronies ruled by an eccentric but peaceful botanicist and famed for its cheese.
Arania
Arania is the largest nation of the Tulamides, located from east of the Rasthul Wall to south of the Middenrealm’s eastern parts. The border between the New Empire and Arania runs 50 Middenmiles south of Perricum. To the south, the Gadang, the Mhanadi, and the Gorian Desert form the boundaries with Mhanadistan.Arania is a nation of ancient traditions and mysteries. Monuments such as the tomb houses of the Mage-Moguls can still be found in idyllic yew forests and secluded date groves, holding unknown treasures and works of magic. Arania is also a nation of fertile wheat fields and bountiful fruit and wine gardens. Only in Goria, home to the inhospitable Gorian Desert and its tough nomads who subsist on ostrich breeding, will you find drought and barrenness in Arania.Arania has become an important commercial power, not only due to its high yield of produce and craftsmanship, but also due to but also due to the Aranian Principal Trade Company which controls a significant part of the caravans to the south and west and the shipping between the Gulf of Perricum and the mouth of the Szinto river. In Arania, someone who makes a fortune by trading or adventuring may even buy his way into the ranks of nobility, since earning money comes naturally to all Aranians and is regarded as a virtue.Women are held in high regard in Arania and, contrary to the situation in the southerly Tulamidyan nations, they wield considerable power, controlling the treasury and dominating trade.Arania’s capital city of Zorgan, located where the Barun-Ulah flows into the Gulf of Perricum, presents itself as a center of culture and learning, but also as an example of a well-fortified city. Around 30 percent of its roughly 14,000 inhabitants are Middenlanders.
Maraskan
Maraskan, separated from the mainland by 40 Middenmiles of Marasakan Sound, is a large island, 700 Middenmiles long and more than 200 Middenmiles broad at its widest point. The island is covered in thick jungles into which clearings have been cut and cities and roads have been built. Maraskan’s spine, though, is a huge mountain chain, rising up to more than 6,000 paces at its highest peaks in the north.Until the year 6 before Haal, Maraskan was an independent kingdom, thriving on trade with the Bornland, the Tulamidyan cities, and the Middenrealm. The invasion by the Imperial Legions of Emperor Reto took the island by complete surprise and forced King Frumold into exile at Festum; until the present year, Maraskan has been ruled by duke Herdin, a loyal vassal first of the Emperor and now the Imperial Protector. The fact that the island’s potentates are too divided to ally against him has greatly helped him; should Maraskan ever ally against the Middenrealm, Herdin would be swept away like a leaf in the wind. Still, perpetual jungle warfare is the order of the day for the Imperial troops on the island.Life in Maraskan is a lot like life in the Middenrealm or Arania, with the exception of the belief in the Twin Gods, Rur and Gror. The priests of the Twin Gods still have great influence over the rural population. The cult’s most holy site is at Boran, a city still held by Prince Denderan, son of former King Frumold and unofficial leader of the resistance against the Middenrealm.
The Horasian Empire
For most of its existence, the political entity that is now called the Horasian Empire was known as the Fairfield. It stretches from the western coast on the Sea of Seven Winds from Grangor to Drol and is protected from the searing heat of the Khôm Desert to the east by the Gold Rocks and the Eternans. Fertile land and a temperate climate are the reasons for this region’s wealth, creating a land where many Aventurian traders have their headquarters.The Eagle Throne of Horas (“Horas” is a title comparable to “Emperor”) has its seat in Vinsalt, built upon the ruins of Bosparan at the Yaquir River, which had once been demolished by the Garetians. It has not been forgotten what the Middenrealm had done to the old capital, so that a traditional enmity between the two great realms has emerged.The Horasian Empire is regarded (and regards itself) as the epitome of culture. Countless Horasian noble houses copy the fashion of Vinsalt; all swords whose blades are broader than two fingers are scorned as barbaric. It is also a country of secret societies and lodges. While in other regions an enemy is usually defeated in an open battle, Horasians prefer intrigue. This doesn’t mean, however, that a Horasian nobleman wouldn’t be able to defend his honor with sharp steel.The Cyclops Islands also belong to the Horasian Empire; they are a province ruled by the Sea King in Rethis on Hylailos. On these islands live the last of the legendary one-eyed giants, masters of the forge, who gave their name to the region.
The Mhanadi Valley
The Mhanadi is one of the most important rivers in Aventuria. The Tulamides live on the fertile river meadows sandwiched between the confluence of the Gadang and the Mhanadi rivers and the Mhanadi delta at Kunchom. They are one of Aventuria’s native tribes, differing in appearance from the average descendant of the Gyldenland immigrants in their mostly black hair and dark complexions. The Mhanadi valley is an extremely fertile region where rice and other vegetables grow and where fruit is abundant. The fields are so fertile that they can feed whole cities. The biggest of these is Fasar, a large crucible of peoples, famous not only for its legendary rich and powerful Gracious Ones, but also for its dark wizard academy, Al’Achami.Other cities on the Mhanadi are Kunchom, Rashdul, and Mherwed. Mherwed is mostly populated by Novadis believing in Rastullah; fairytalelike Rashdul is ruled by the Wizard Sultan Hasrabal, and Kunchom, with its annual juggling festival, attracts not only people in need of entertainment, but also thieves and other rabble.
The Khôm Desert and the Caliphate
The Khôm Desert, the largest of its kind in Aventuria, is home to the Novadis, proud riders and desert warriors with a firm belief in Rastullah, who unveiled his 99 Commandments at the oasis at Keft some 250 years ago. Since then, they strive to defend their faith and to convert others if possible. The Caliph of Unau (now residing in Mherwed) is the mundane ruler, and Mherwed and Unau are its capital cities while Keft is its religious center. The Caliph governs the tribal sultans on the one hand, and on the other, the emirs and beys (roughly comparable to the Middenrealm’s counts and barons, but “civil servants” of the Caliph, not independent rulers) who rule the desert border regions and cities such as Mherwed.One of the most important of these borderlands is the Shadif, renowned in all of Aventuria for its magnificent horses with souls of fire and elegance.
Al’Anfa and the Southern City States
Al’Anfa, Aventuria’s second-largest city and the center of slave trade, is not known as the “Plague Boil of the South” for nothing. It is home to one of the two largest temples dedicated to Boron, the Death God. In Al’Anfa, a special rite is known which involves narcotic weeds and human sacrifice.Nowhere else is the difference between rich and poor so visible as in Al’Anfa. Not that the poor are any poorer here than anywhere else, but the rich are just utterly, stinking rich. Compared to an Al’anfanian grand (one of the members of the most important families of the city), a Middenrealmian duke looks suspiciously like a have-not.The traditional enemy of Al’Anfa is Brabak. Just a short while ago, the city on the mouth of the Mysob was able to win a war against its huge rival. Battles and permanent readiness to defend itself, however, forces Brabak to spend too much money on military matters, so that the city becomes poorer and poorer. A lot of “free thinkers” flock to this city to study at the Academy of Black Magic, where they feel “free from stupid conventions.”The other cities of the region, such as Chorhop, Sylla, and H’Rabaal, are former colonies of the Middenrealm but are now independent, like the small jungle kingdom of Trahelia. Hot-Alem is the only region that is still left to Gareth.
Steaming Jungles
The Rain Mountain range, over 6,000 paces high, marks the southern border of the continent, and its slopes and valleys are covered in thick rain forests. If you want to survive here, where giant constrictor snakes silently glide, crocodiles lurk in the shallow waters, poisonous vipers tend to crawl under your blankets and into your boots, or mighty saber-tooth tigers prey on the lonely traveler, you need courage and you need to know everything about this region’s plants and wildlife. The best teachers of such knowledge are, of course, the woodsmen who live here, called Moha (this is a generalization, as this is only the name of their largest tribe). But these copper-skinned, small but agile inhabitants of the wilderness do not like contact with the pale people. Only very rarely will trade force them to interact with the “trespassers” in order to barter their famous Moha poisons for iron weapons.
Altoum and the Forest Islands
Snowy white beaches, lonely coves, lush green jungle—suddenly, a hail of arrows suddenly rains down on you. The Forest Islands, a remote chain far from any kind of civilization, are a favorite hiding place of the Southern Pirates. You can get treasure maps in every third-rate pub between Havena and Neersand, and some of these might actually be real.The only traces of civilization among the Forest Islands are woodsmen who have settled Token, Iltoken, Sokkina, and Benbukkala. The reason for this can be seen in the wealth of spices this region has to offer: Trade of the precious substances is mostly in the hands of the Bornlandian merchant house, Stoerrebrandt. Many woodsmen live in the inner parts of the islands, but usually shun contact with the self-declared white rulers of their home.One of the ruling factions in the Charybbean Sea, as this region is also called, is the Black Serpents, a group of pirates counting several hundred members, whose headquarters is in Charypso on Altoum. Other powers are the colonial fleets of the Bornland, the Horasian Empire, and Al’Anfa as well as some daring pirate captains and quite a few Thorwalian Ottas who defend their profit with teeth and claw.
