Annwn
"What kind
of name is that anyway?"
Siarna Blaze, Swordmistress
No one knows who first named our world, although as with most things, each
race commonly assumes it originated with them. Though the language from which
it was derived has long since been lost to time, it is believed that Annwn
is the ancients' name for the mysterious other world, the land of peace and
plenty. The very nature of the word seems to suggest the possibility of worlds
beyond this one, and raises the issue of Annwn's place in the planar multiverse.
The dominant feature of the known regions of Annwn is the central continent
of Moravia. To the North of Moravia lies the small, frigid continent of Jotunheim.
To its east is the Grey Sea, also called the Sea of Troubles, and to its
south lies the fabled Sea of Stars. It is said that a strange land
lies far across the Grey Sea, but few claim to have made the voyage, while
the Sea of Stars is filled with a myriad of wonders, set in a lush, tropical
climate. This vast sea, although well traveled, is still relatively
unexplored, and contains many strange lands.
Moravia
The center of known culture and civilization in Annwn is the continent of
Moravia. This great land mass is an roughly oblong continent, split down
the middle by an impassable mountain range known as Gaia's Spine. This range
effectively divides the continent into two regions, referred to as Westmarch
and Eastmarch. The two regions are geographically and culturally isolated,
with the only means of travel between the two a lengthy ocean voyage around
the southern shores of the continent, or a perilous journey through the Great
Desert of Khamarhan, the only gap in Gaia's Spine.
Westmarch
Westmarch can be thought to have two distinct regions. The northern reaches
are characterized by constant conflict and border skirmishes. The two major
powers of Dalon in the west and Arcadia in the East are ancient and implacable
foes, kept short of all out warfare only by the forceful intervention of
the third major power, the repressive Theocracy of Volta. The lands between
these three empires are a dangerous and lawless region known as the borderlands,
where the very landscape has been scarred by the incessant fighting of the
greater powers. To the south of this tumultuous region lie several ancient
merchant nations, vying for economic control of the Sea of Stars. Militarily
weak, these kingdoms are nonetheless the site of great technological and
artistic progress, and the intrigues and machinations of their major houses
are infamous throughout Westmarch.
Eastmarch
The eastern half of the continent of Grandia is subdivided into 10 main political
areas. These consist of the northern rival kingdoms of Exmoor and Garven,
and the once powerful but now fragmented kingdom of Ascaria in the center
of Eastmarch. To its south lie several smaller kingdoms, separated from Southern
Eastmarch by the Great Wall, a large stone structure constructed to keep
the barbarian hordes of the Southlands from invading the civilized north.
Off the coast lies the island republic of Tandeme, haven to traders, pirates,
and adventurers alike, and Eastmarch's gateway to the two great seas.