Athania

The following information has been gathered from numerous maps, notes, and the diaries of many explorers. It is as reliable as it can possibly be, but as always with the case of geographic information, is subject to change over the course of time. -- Tholaris.

The continent of Athania spans some 900 miles from the Coast of Cabal in the west to Raven Coast in the east. From north to south, the continent spans more than 700 miles from the uncharted plains of Betharia in the south to the North Coast. I will attempt to describe the major geographical features of Athania from the viewpoint of an imaginary traveler, moving from the southwest corner of the continent to the north, then east, then south, and then finally west to end up back where we started.

Upon the western coast of Athania lies The Nightmist Forest. It is a vast expanse of oak, thistledale, and broadleaf that expands from the southernmost portions of our continent some 300 miles north, ending just before Whiteblood Bay. These trees are the oldest in Athania, and it is here that the majority of tellurians now make their home. The vast majority of the Nightmist is still unexplored by humans, for the tellurians control it completely, and they are rather particular about whom they allow to pass through.

Bordering the Nightmist to the east are the Stonefist Mountains. This is the longest, highest mountain range in Athania. Many of the peaks within the center of this range top 10,000 feet, and are covered with snow all year long. Nestled deep within the mountains is an immense lake known as Wyvern Lake -- named after the dangerous winged beasts that supposedly inhabit the trees that border the lake. Few have ever seen this lake, for no passes make their way to it, and it is only reachable by someone mounted on a winged beast, such as a griffon or a domestic drake.

Off the coast of Cabal lies a large, barren island known as Whiteblood Rock. It is said that when the first human settlers arrived on Athania, they saw this rock and that to them it seemed literally to be bleeding its life blood into the ocean. Of course, in this day and age we know that the supposed "blood" the settlers saw was in fact the excrement of the thousands of sea birds that make the barren rock their home during the winter months. The bay to which the rock serves as entrance gains its name from the island, and is therefore called Whiteblood Bay.

North of the Stonefist Mountains is a large forest known as Timberrock. This forest was the site of a horrific duel between the sorceror V'laar and the wizard Vilpish Hlaun, around 320ad. During the battle, much of the forest was blighted, and those trees that were standing were turned to stone. Since then, natural growth has replaced the blight, but deep within the forest many of the stone trees can still be found.

High up within the Stonefist Mountains runoff from year-long snows gives birth to the Andular River. The Andular leaves the Stonefist Mountains and cascades to the Atharian plains over an immense, 700 foot waterfall known as Endover Falls. From the base of the mountains it makes its winding, lazy way hundreds of miles through what is now Atharia until joining up with the Delvani. From there, the large, slow moving river finally empties into Dead Man's Marsh. Dead Man's Marsh is a vast 200 mile wide fetid swamp filled with bogs, quicksand, and giant, deadly Benthol trees. It is for all intents and purposes unnavigable, and its name gives testimony to those who have tried.

Out in the middle of the Atharian plains the Andular winds around the base of a solitary, tall mountain known as Stormwatch Hill. Stormwatch was the sight of one of the last battles between the tellurians and the humans in the 200 Year War. Hundreds of tellurians from The Ethrin Wood met against a human force of thousands from the Kingdom of Nelvar (a kingdom that at that time covered the lands of both Atharia and Calor). On the grassy plains and around the base of that hill the battle raged, and though the tellurians were outnumbered almost 10 to 1, they were fighting for their homeland, and they very nearly won the day. In the end though, the superior numbers of the humans won out, and the tellurians of Ethrin wood were destroyed almost to a man. Legend has it that to this day the tellurian dead still walk the areas around Stormwatch Hill, and legends or no, travelers are well advised to avoid the area after darkfall.

The Ethrin Wood still stands though, and it is the second largest forest in Athania, 200 miles in width and located right in the heart of the continent. The Ethrin is home to the Onuklan tribe of tellurians. Unlike their extremely aggressive and isolationist kin that dwell within the Nightmist, the Onuklan are for the most part generally friendly towards humans. There is trade up and down the Dunleaf River, and humans can for the most part travel unaccosted through the forest, and Onuklan tellurians can often be found in the surrounding cities of Amber and Seluvial.

Moving east, one encounters the Delvani River -- the longest river in Athania. Born up high in the Drake's Spur Mountains in the east, it makes its way through the Shadow Hills before reaching the plains of Danoria. There it winds its way across the continent several hundred miles, giving rise to two other rivers that split off of it -- the Dunleaf to the south, which runs into the Ethrin Wood, and the Covani, which meanders north until ending up in The Lake of Tears. The Delvani eventually joins the Andular in Atharia. Today it is perhaps the single most important trade route in Athania, ferrying goods and services across the continent.

East of the Delvani is a large forest known simply as Darkelm -- and it is argurably one of the most dangerous areas in all of Athania. Neither the living tellurians in the Nightmist Forest nor the ruins of the tellurians found within the Ethrin Wood can compare to the evil found within Darkelm. For it is said that the evil within Darkelm is an ancient evil -- predating even the tellurians, an evil that is as old as the land itself. The canopy of trees is so thick that the forest floor lies in perpetual darkness, and within that darkness things foul and corrupt are born. No man enters the Darkelm of his own will, and caravans and merchants steer well clear of its borders.

Along the northeast coast of Athania, strung out across the opening to the Bay of Danar is a series of barren islands and jagged reefs known as The Keelsplitter Islands. These reefs and rocky shores have been the death of many ships, and it is rumored that more than a few king's treasures could be found along the sea bottom here. In past times, these rocks were also the homes of numerous pirates, whom would plunder along the Raven Coast before losing their pursurors amongst the rocks. This fact has caused many would-be treasure hunters to go searching amongst the rocks, which of course, has lead to more ships strewn along the bottom.

The Keelsplitter Islands mark the entrance to the Bay of Danar, formerly known as Swordfish Bay, which has been recently renamed by Gethpin Danar, High King of the Province of Danoria. Most of the fishermen and merchants that work the sea trade along the northern coast still refer to it by its former name of Swordfish Bay.

The easternmost portion of Athania is marked by a mountain range known as the Drake's Spur Mountains. Niether as long or as high as the Stonefist Mountains in the west, the Drake's Spur are best known for their plentiful mineral and iron ore deposits found within them. West of the Drake's Spur are a series of rolling hills known as the Shadow Hills, so named because they lie within the shadow of the Stonefist Mountains for much of the day.

Between the Shadow Hills to the east and the Tolarian Wastes to the west are the vast and untamed Betharian Plains. This large expanse of high grass, small groups of scrub trees, and low rolling hills are home to the fearce and nomadic gondals. The gondals roam this land freely, and claim it for themselves. They are skilled horsemen, and fierce warriors. Most of their time is spent fighting amongst the three tribes that make up the gondal race, and it is said that this is a fortunate thing -- for if the gondals were ever united and decided to expand their territories north, the combined kingdoms of Calor, Atharia, and Danoria would be hardpressed to stop them.

Finally, at the eastern base of the Stonefist Mountains can be found a large and mostly unexplored desert known as the Talorian Wastes. Little is known about this dry, parched land, save that deep within its interior, at the very base of the mountains, there is supposed to be a giant, bottomless crater, over 20 miles in diameter. This crater has become known as the Talor Pit, and whether it really exists or not is still a matter of much speculation.

There you have it. Obviously, there is much more than this. I didn't even begin to touch on smaller geographic details such as Felamber's Canyon, Dead Spider Pass, or the Woods of Ghomeer. However, hopefully this will give you a good general idea of the continent in which you live, and will peak your interest enough to encourage you to read my full chonicles. -- Tholaris.