There is a continent in the northern hemisphere full of lush forests, soaring mountain peaks, rolling hills and vast grasslands. Rivers and lakes dot the land, and as one travels ever further northward, the air gets quite chill even in the middle of summer. It is a land of many peoples and many cultures. Some are ancient, almost as old as the land itself, while others have come about in the last several hundred years. Where there are civilizations and different cultures there is always war. War that has claimed the oldest of these civilizations, leaving nothing but scattered ruins dotting the landscape to remind all that there was something before them. Because of war, the land is forever changed, and its people with it. However upon these ashes, new kingdoms are being forged. Alliances are being made, or in some cases renewed. New rulers, hopefully wiser than their predecessors are emerging to take their people into new directions. It is in such a time that strong and brave people of all races are needed. A time for heroes. A time for you.
The continent of Tirhen is framed by the Shimmering Sea to the south and west and the North Sea to the north until it finally becomes the polar cap. The temperature range is temperate in the south turning colder until becoming the arctic conditions expected that far north.
The western side of the continent is mostly vast grasslands with a large forested region the further west you head until it gives way to the Shining Coast. The sand here is nearly golden in color and magnificent sunsets against the water and beaches give this region its name. It is here the Kingdom of Immater exists. It’s capital of Lotan is a port city and the shipbuilders of Immater are the finest in the known world. Ruled by the Priest King, the humans of Immater are extremely intolerant of non-human races. It was their ancestors who waged war on the dragons and later found themselves unable to recover in time to hold back the goblin hordes. Thus ruins of the ancient empire dot the Immater lands as well as those to the east and north of them. Despite this, the new kingdom boasts no fewer than twelve additional human settlements in addition to its capital, which was built upon the ruins of the old capital due to its prime coastal location. The tall, exquisitely-carved columns and domed marble buildings of Lotan compete for visual attention with the natural beauties around it. The people of Immater also worship the old gods of the fallen empire even though many say those gods have fallen silent.
Off the western shores of Tirhen lies the Golden Archipelago so named for its own golden sand beaches and boasts a number of fruit trees on many of the small isles. It is also supposedly the home to pirates. It is said here, along with Dead Eye Cove just past the northern edge of the Kingdom of Immater, that pirates make their homes, raid fishing vessels and harass the far superior battle barges of Immater. Most think that these pirates are nothing but tales to scare young children from venturing too far from the kingdom.
North of this lies a massive mountain range home to the mountain dwarves of Stormfist Hold. This impressive city is built directly into the mountains and commands the view of Stormhead Falls which feeds the rivers that flow through Immater and eventually dump into the Shining Sea or the Lake of Illusions hidden within the forestland there. North of the hold is the tallest mountain of the range named Sorrow’s Peak which is the site of an immense battle waged by the dwarves and their grey elf allies against the mountain and storm giants that would be come to known as The Sundering. The remaining grey elves removed themselves from most of the rest of the world after the atrocities of that battle and largely remain hidden away in their towers of stone to this day.
In the southern middle section of the continent exists several emerging kingdoms along the grasslands, rivers, hills and forests that make up the land. Being the most bountiful of the entire continent is it obvious why so many chose to settle and populate here. First, largely along the massive Blue Mist River, lies the kingdom of Barivain, stretching in a long but narrow tract of land from the mountains to the southern coast. The capital city of Camberie lies where the Blue Mist meets the Shimmering Sea and is a bustle of activity. Five other settlements make up the total of this kingdom, along with vast tracts of farmland on the western side of the river. Humans, half-elves and some hill dwarves and gnomes can be seen living and conducting business in the capital and several of the settlements. Most of the gnome population is northwest of the kingdom at Mell’s Folly. It is said that it was here along the uneven, rocky hillside that Mellnifalsinar decided to make a home for his people. The gnomes have adapted but their settlement is poorly planned and not as thriving as Mell likely had hoped. Just north of this is where the hill dwarves largely reside in Steadfast Hold. It was built as a buffer between the orcish hordes and the emerging human and gnomish populations. When the elves finally drove the last of the orcs out of their sacred forests, the hill dwarves remained as they knew no other life and have been content to trade with the people of Barivain and keep a watchful eye on their gnomish neighbors as well. Northwest of Barivain lies the goblins of the Foul Spear Tribe who are the last remnants of the massive goblin horde that wiped out the previous human empire. They make their homes along the ruins all along the area and are a constant threat to the western settlements of Barivain.
Southeast of Barivain lies the also-young Kingdom of Maletar. Nestled along the southern coast and into the forests this kingdom is still finding its place. The capital city of Koric is built along the water and although it doesn’t boast the sheer number of boats of its neighbor, it receives steady arrivals of trading vessels almost daily. Seven other settlements make up this kingdom, the furthest of which sits at the very edge of the Deep Wood and the patience of the region’s elves. Still the young half-elven Magocrat of Maletar has gone a long way in strengthening the relations of the humans and elves. So much so that a number of high elves have taken up semi-permanent residency in a few of this kingdom’s settlements. Other half-elves find easy acceptance within the kingdom and even dwarves and gnomes have been impressed by the rustic lifestyle of most of the inhabitants. The capital is the most modern and advanced in the kingdom as far as metal and stonework but even there the flavor of the rest of the kingdom is evident.
The entire eastern part of the continent is forest, lightly wooded at first until becoming the Deep Wood. Sections of the Deep Wood are swampy the further east you go until eventually the land and water boundaries blur. The ancient, massive root system of the trees in the deep wood make it so that normal river systems are impossible to exist, instead creating slow moving, sheet flow rivers that can not be accurately mapped. Within the Deep Wood is the elven Kingdom of Daeyshir and is home to both high and wood elves. Also ruled by a Magocrat, the high elves watch and wait to see how its western neighbor fares, not wanting to get too involved but finding it harder each passing day not to. Along the southern coastline the capital of the Kingdom, Aierion, can be seen. The buildings begin at ground level but move up into the arms of these ancient trees, providing an impressive multi-tiered city with buildings connected by wooden and rope bridges and wooden lifts to move up supplies and large groups of elves at one time. No fewer than five more Elven settlements exist in the Deep Wood. Also in the northeastern part of this massive forest lies the Spider Fell where the largest and most aggressive species of spiders are said to make their home.
The northeastern-most section of the continent is the home to the citizens of the Kingdom of Rhidhelmark. Ruled by the Thane and advised by a retinue of rune priests, the capital city of Baeltrack is prosperous and thriving despite the harsher conditions. Located on the shore of the North Sea it is ideally placed for the kingdom’s sizeable fishing fleet. Comprised mostly of humans, the people of Rhidhelmark remain open to other races and often find dwarves visiting their halls. Only three other settlements comprise the kingdom, and long tracts of land separate them. This means that should the barbarous Frostaxe Tribe of orcs in the east decide to raid one of these settlements there is little hope for help to arrive in time. This reality has forced nearly all of the kingdom’s citizens to be proficient to some degree in warfare. Despite the conditions and threats, game is plentiful and a communal bond has formed so that nearly all its people view one another as extended family.
Far to the south in the Shimmering Sea lies a small group of islands known as the Greyson Isles. Also called the Ghost Isles it is widely believed the main hilly island is quite haunted. It is said the ruins of a castle, town and village are there but few are eager to explore. Beneath the waters of the Shimmering Sea near the islands are what remains of the aquatic elves. It is unclear if they have anything more than a small settlement or two as their constant war against the sahuagin have decimated their numbers. It is widely believed these same sahuagin are the true reason the humans that once inhabited the Greyson Isles were wiped out.
General Background and geography
Map of southern Tirhen
Below is a map of the middle southern section of the continent of Tirhen. It shows the eastern border of the Kingdom of Barivain, the entire Kingdom of Maletar and the western border of the Elven Kingdom of Daeyshir (red lines = rough borders). Black lines are roads/trails. White lines are shipping lanes. Everything else is labeled. Note 1 hex = 20 miles. Terrain can change within any given 20 mile hex but the most predominant feature to be found was used. Also note the top and left sides of the map do not show terrain continuation. However it does not just stop but instead was a limitation with the software used. If you have any questions about this map, please ask!
- southern Tirhen.jpg (236.01 KiB) Viewed 2235 times
Map of southwestern Tirhen
Below is a map of southwestern Tirhen focusing on the Kingdom of Immater and the Shining Coast. Map details and hex size is the same as the previous map to keep everything consistent. If you have any additional questions about this or any other map, please ask!
- southwest Tirhen.jpg (238.75 KiB) Viewed 2215 times
Map of northern Tirhen
Below is a map of northern Tirhen. It shows the Kingdom of Rhidhelmark as well as the northern boundries of the Kingdom of Barivain and the Elven Kingdom of Daeyshir. Map details and hex size is the same as the previous maps to keep everything consistent. One thing to note is where in the southern kingdoms there would be one to two hexes of farmland to sustain a village, town or capital, most of the settlements in the north sustain themselves on fishing since it is too cold for any real farming to be done. This is not to say that fishing does not occur in the southern lands, only that it isn't the main source of food and so isn't marked as such. If you have any other questions about this or any of the maps, please ask!
- northern Tirhen.jpg (210.27 KiB) Viewed 2207 times
Map of the Greyson Isles
Below is the map of the Greyson Isles, which are located approximately 400 miles directly south of the Kingdom of Maletar in the Shimmering Sea. Most of the expanse between the isles and southern Tirhen is simply open water. As always, map details and hex size is the same as the previous maps to keep everything consistent. If you have any other questions about this or any of the maps, please ask!
- Greyson Isles.jpg (186.94 KiB) Viewed 2141 times