Editing New Jhelom (section)

===The Western Continent===
The Western Continent is a place of utter chaos, devestation, and loss. The Western Cotinent was once united it is said, but that ended the day that their King sent an expedition to the Moons themselves. Then it all fell apart. At first it was slow, as if a wave of madness preceeded the return of the ship, and then records are scarce, for the entire Kingdom, once spanning all of the Western Continent, came apart at the seams. Where once there was one kingdom, now there were a hundred. And then the Thanati and the Crusaders of the Holy Wastes arose, and one by one, the other Kingdoms were swallowed. Now there is only the anarchy of the Holy Wastes, united only in their belief that Thanati must be obliterated, the Thanati Liches themselves, and the Dozen Kingdoms in the north of the continent. Even they shall fall, as the militant Heavenly Kingdoms, lead by their General-King, exerts more and more influence over those that are not already pawns of the Thanati.

*It is said, that once, when the western continent nations were united, that they had ships that could sale to the stars. When they ventured further than the moons themselves, to the great wall of stars, They returned, changed... and the west fell in a great cataclysm that birthed the Thanati and the crusaders of the waste... which side is that most influenced by what was brought back from the wall of stars, the Thanati or the Crusaders, is unknown...

; The Thanati :

; The Holy Wastes : The Wastes are a vast section of cracked and broken desert that takes up almost all of the great Western continent. Magic within is strange, bleak and twisted, water taints itself and food spoils. It is home to an order of religious crusaders who steal life from the environment to empower themselves and seek to end the Dead empire and the Thanati.

* A secret cult, based within the Crusaders of the Western Continent, has spread throughout the world to touch everything with its corruption. Studying the magical power of numerology to create various effects, trafficking with and enslaving unclean daemons to be their personal servants and even Necromancy, of the weaker sort. They work towards goals unknown, initiation coming from those who birth that small font of strength within themselves.
*: Those who are found and do not choose to join the cabal are slain out of hand. Probably why so many become hermits.

There are a variety of Holy Crusades going on at any time in the Holy Wastes. These crusades clash against each other constantly, when not trying to attack neighbouring areas, or in some cases, getting on ships and dashing themselves against the Empire. Below are some of these Warbands

*: Warriors of the Returning Goddesses - This warband believes that the Maiden Goddesses can be revived if the Serpent Behind the Wall of Stars is weakened enough. They try to do this by slaying servants of the Serpent. But to them, anyone suspicious could possibly be a servant of the Serpent - and deserving of a beheading. 

*: Followers of the Transcendent - A Warband that professes to work for a "Upper God", existing beyond and above all lesser Gods. However, this is simply a front - the cabal at the center of the Warband are all cultists of the Serpent - they traffic in demons, necromancy and numerology. 

*: The Blades of Freedom - A Warband whose longterm goal is supposedly the destruction of Thanatis. Two of their invasions have failed before - they fight at the moment just to regain resources. They also try to raise revolutions from within the human population of Thanatis. 

*: The Order of Mzulao - The Order of Mzulao builds forts and castles all along the coast, claiming to be protecting against the "enemy from the sea". However, most of these fortresses are constructed by slaves - those who the Order bested in battle. And once they are finished, the Order sets up the slaves as serfs. They do operate some of the only real reliable ports on the East side of the continent, though. 

*: Followers of Challara - These are warriors fanatically devoted to the prophetess Challara - they escort her, war for her and do her bidding, whatever it may be. Challara's prophecies and commands are a rather confusing set - what her longterm goals are, if she has any, are unknown. 

*: The Children of the Heavens - Originally, this group sought to defeat all other groups to prevent rampant use of the life-destroying magics so common in this area. However, in the Holy Wastes, there is no other kind of magic - and not using it is a terrible handicap for a force. Now they fight as the rest, insisting instead that they should be the only ones allowed to use magic. 

*:The Expectant - Widely considered by the other insane religious fanatics as being insane, the Expectant seek simply to wipe out all others in the Holy Wastes, and to defile and destroy all alters to any sort of God. They believe that this will "kill" the Gods, and then a new God will arise on Earth, one who will be a better caretaker of the world.

*:The Emissaries - A relatively new order, they are remarkably well armed and armoured, and they worship the General-King of the Heavenly Isles as a Demi-God, claiming to somehow know his far-off will.

; The Heavenly Islands : The Heavenly Islands have not been taken into the Empire. The people there say that they are descendents of the Goddess of Storms - their General-King being a direct descendent. Perhaps this is true - the isolation and independence of these lands is guaranteed due to stormed unfailingly assaulting the ships of invaders.

* The Heavenly Islands lie very close to the Western Continent, and the General-King exerts more and more influence over the disparate kingdoms of that place.

* The General-King of the Heavenly Isles is said to study and investigate all forms of martial prowess, and to practice them all. Supposedly he wishes to make the perfect method of waging war.

; The Republic of Gold : On the far Western Isle of Yaalar, the Republic of Gold is said to be but a den of privateers. But for some reason, the Princess of the Waters and her wives seem to give the Vizier pause. It is said that she is the last descendent of a sort of elemental that the Vizier thought extinct.
* I am not calling the Vizier a fool or liar, no, hardly not. But what he says about the Republic of Gold is quite untrue. I braved the dangers of the seas to visit there. I found that it is called the Republic of Gold not because of the plunder of privateers, but because of the colour of burnished bronze roofs in the sunset at the Port. It has its dangers, of course, but no more than any other place. And I have heard fairly good things from the citizens about this "Constitutional Monarchy" and "Democracy" business. But that is inconsequential. What impressed me most was the water - the water! Apparently this Princess of Water (I did not see her during my time, but a woman was pointed out to be who was supposedly the Lady of Tides, one of the Princess's wives) has used her talents to set up machine which slowly but surely turn ocean water into drinkable water - the lushness of the islands is proof of this, I believe. The irrigation... and... and the Bathhouses! If the tax on berthing was not so crippling, I surely would have stayed longer.

; The Isles of Bone : The Isles of Bone lay between the Republic of Gold and the Isles of Smoke. These islands are the last part of the old Gorii Empire that the Gorii have actual total control over. Often times a particular Gorii will get enough of his kin together to build massive rafts and attack the Empire. The Isles of Bone are in generally a pain in the backside for mariners. They are right in the middle of possibly good sea lanes, but are fraught with shallows filled with sharp rocks, as well as unpredictable winds and currents. And the last thing you ever want is to be shipwrecked amongst the Isle of Bones. If the Gorii get their hands on you, you'll most likely be killed, set on fire, eaten, and your bones turned into tools, weapons and decorative bracelets... If you're lucky, it'll be in that order.

; The Dozen Kingdoms : The Dozen Kingdoms of the Western Continent are all weak and decrepit by this time - many being financially indebted to the Heavenly Islands, or made to heel by Thanati. 

* Shu-Li and Shu-Ti - Once, these two kingdoms were one - Shu-Yantsu, the Empire of the Winged Horse. However, at one point in the past, two brothers each laid claim to the Throne - and neither could come to an agreement over who should have it. So they divided the nation in their bitterness, Shu-Li, Kingdom of the Horsemen and Shu-Ti, Kingdom of the Soaring Birds. Shu-Li has a stronger military, but Shu-Ti has a better technology and economy. But at the current moment, both are utterly bankrupt from a war they fought against each other. The Heavenly Islands have used this war to gain influence over both sides.

* Tavaran, a mountainous, hilly nation, lies near to The Holy Wastes. Once beautiful and lush, the crusaders of that land have attacked and rendered it infertile and barren. It's people have become hardy and bitter, relying on highslope snowmelt for their water.

* Ransong is a land of forests and hills, that lies near to Thanatis. It's people stick to their cities - a plague ravages the farmlands and countryside. Many blame this on the undead - it is difficult to prove one way or another.

* Nokyong - Nokyong lies to the North of the Western Continent - it is named after the Nokyong River, which runs slowly down from the hills and mountains at the core of this land. Nokyong is often subjected to freezing winds - crop failure and famine is a constant threat.

* Karmasam - Karmasam is a small, inland Kingdom. It is fairly weak, but has existed through establishing itself as a neutral trade zone for the other Kingdoms. While this makes Karmasam undoubtedly rich, it also has filled it with foreign spies, unruly mercenaries and an isolated, miserly nobility.

* Misaam - Misaam is a city state amongst the Dozen Kingdoms. It has a long and proud history, but these days it is known that most of its riches and protection from the other nation come from its Privateers and paid bandits.

* Tongu - Tongu is a dry, inland Kingdom. It's people have become rather adept at siphoning moisture from the air - their large Moisture Towers dot the landscape.

*Jienzhan is a City State to the North of the Western Continent. It is known mostly for its military - most of the nobility are generals and (often self-declared) tactical masterminds. Becoming a soldier here is one way to ensure food shelter.

*Annamar is a City State to the West of the Western Continent. Clouds often hang over this place. It receives much rain, which its inhabitants claim is a gift of the gods. It grows many water-based grains and produce that need large paddies to grow. Much of the city-state is, because of the blessed rain, mud and swampland.

*Zarniunong is a City State to the East of the Western Continent. Though pleasant enough, compared to other places, it is mostly known as center of slavery. Zarniunong simply at certain points takes the poorest or most criminal of its citizens, enslaves them, and ships them off. While this keeps the "streets clean", it is mostly done to keep the pockets of nobles lined.

*Otschanv is a Merchant Republic - voting is open to all citizens, as long as they can pay a heft sum. This voting cost ensures that the City State always has enough funds. While Otschanv itself is develop, its hinterland has relatively little farmland compared to other Citystates - but has more forests - fur and lumber is exported from here, with most of the citizens eating fish and seaweed.