Editing New Jhelom (section)

==Empire, Nations and other Lands==
[[File:Map_of_New_Jhelom_World_10-28-12.png|thumb|upright=2.5|A Map of the World Known to the Empire]]
===New Jhelom===
* The sun never sets on the Empire of New Jhelom. A vast chain of islands stretches across both hemispheres, known as the glittering desert for the enormous amount of jewel and mineral repositories within. Water, while reasonably common, is still precious and one of their most jealously controlled resources. The islands range from a few metres across to the largest, the Imperial Capital and home of the Vizier of the Sky himself, a hundred kilometres across.
* The Vizierdom is a brutal, controlling state. The Satraps pay tax and fealty to the Vizier, wringing their quota from the smallfolk. The non-stop stream of ships, both of air and sea, report to the island's walled enclaves to trade their own curios for the vast mineral wealth of the empire - ores both mundane and magical, including the rare Sildron that recoils from both earth and water, allowing for the mighty ships of the sky. Foreigners caught outside the walls are summarily executed, as are often peasants who cannot account for being outside of their appointed place.
* The smaller islands in the remote parts of the empire, those often overlooked by the ships of the Vizier, are home to pirates both local and foreign. Using forged movement passes (and makeup to hide their ethnicity) they plunder the mining ships that burrow into the islands to reap their wealth or even unlucky foreign ships too far off course.
* Although fresh water is scarce, the coastal nature of the islands means that one is never far from the coast. One would, naturally, expect the islands to be lush and tropical, rather than desert. Strangely, however, the islands remain rather arid; mists and rainclouds seem to simply stop at the exact boundary of the islands, as though cut by some divine weather-knife.
*: What's more, this effect is known to be unnatural. Ancient carvings depict broad, water-hungry vegetation and lush islands that contrast starkly with the modern Empire. Fossil remains also identify that in the past, water was much more plentiful than it was now; whatever strange force keeps the Glittering Desert a desert was not always present.
* The royal family of the islands are named so due to their descendent from air elementals. Various noble families throughout the empire have elemental blood in their veins - and even some peasants.
* A small but prominent religion in the Empire and beyond preaches of pending apocalypse, wherein the Veiled Moon, the closest solar body, will crash into the ocean and drown all life on the surface.

; Production :

* The Empire's main form of produce comes from the cactree, a vast tree-like cactus. It thrives on salt water, keeping it within it and removing the salt to form infinitely sharp spines that stud the trunk and fruits of the cactus.
* Although the spines are not infinitely sharp, they are still very, very sharp and very strong along the long axis of the spine. However, the spines are quite brittle, and untreated spines will usually break like dry spaghetti if any sideways force is applied unless they are specially treated.
*In New Jhelom, gem stones are more common than metals. And sand is more common still. This is why their weapons are made from glass and gems in New Jhelom, and their currency is in the form of ground up gem stones inside of glass tokens. 

; Military :

* Invasion attempts are routinely launched against the empire. Fleets of ships appear, attempt to force their way in and are driven off, usually with few losses. Sometimes, they may possess one of the far flung islands for a few days, weeks or even months if communication is kept cut. The Empire typically continues to trade with the national power in question, simply because it's worth the cost of doing business.
*: The Empire is not so adept at offense, however - while easily able to defend their islands, they lack the troop ships and carriers to launch invasions, not to mention the siege weaponry.
* The Empire's finest military force are the group called the Lords of the Red Tide. Berserkers who shroud themselves in protective magic, they are dispatched in groups of 4, before channeling the motherfucking fury and losing themselves to the red flood that surrounds them. The Tide Lords routinely are used to dispatch discovered pirates; their handiwork can be recognized by small and subtle signs like arms in trees and people quite literally torn to shreds.
*: They don't live an awful lot past 30, as the red tide becomes harder and harder to resist as time goes on. While they are paramount warriors and protective magicians, eventually they simply wake one morning, look at the mirror, cock their head to one side, then tear off and eat their own face in a fit of rage and continue down their body until they're no longer functional.
* The Tide Lords are some of the few awarded Sildron for personal use. Little is more unsettling than looking up in the sky to see only a few specks.. that rapidly grow into frothing berserkers who have just unlatched their flying belts and are rapidly plummeting to the earth, leaving their floating contraptions behind.
*The Navy is and has always been the main line of defense for the Empire. The Admiralty Building in the heard of the Imperial Capital, down by the Royal Docks, is a sight to see indeed.
*: Each Satrap supplies a number of ships, the amount of which the Imperial Capital lays out. The majority of these are seagoing ships, being cheaper and easier to make.
*: The ships have no sails but the sails of glass that draw in the sunlight to power the engines. They always fly two pennants though - one for the Empire, one for their Satrap. The Flag of the Empire is Sky Blue. Most ships are designed to be fast and with low keelage, to navigate quickly around the islands. The smallest vessels carry one glass cannon - the large ones can carry many, and a greater variety of guns. Crossbowmen are also commonly seen on the ships - using regular arrows to snipe enemy sailors, or attaching the explosive heads to target the rigging of the enemies. And if it comes to it, all Empire Sailors have their trusty toothed-knives.

; The Capital : Let me speak to you of the Imperial Capital!
: Also known as Av-Yolar, City of Towers!
: It grew so large to as push to the very edges of the island it was founded up, and then could only grow up - though, still all is quite below the Nail.
: There are both Upper and Lower docks, catering to ships of all sorts. And in the center of the city is the Great Market of the World - things and people from all places trade here - slaves, magical artifacts, exotic food and water. But there, off to the side - there is the Crimson Market. Do not go there alone. There you can see such strangers - a Knife-Ear purchasing blood, a Chasatha licking her lips as she inspects a poor shivering slave maiden, while beside her a Lich inspects the slaves for strong, muscular men to work for him - and a man furtively searches to hire one of the Assassins.
: In the Upper Circle are the dwellings of the rich and powerful. Perfumed gardens, all the dancing girls you could desire, sweet beverages from over the seas - all before magnificent palatial mansions and, most lovely of all - the Ponds. Ah, the Ponds! Water for bathing, not just for drinking!
: In Glasstown, artificers and mages work constantly to make more and more of their wondrous creations. Competition and imagination run high in this district.
:Below the city lies the Dungeons of the Vizier. He has claimed near all the land below the city. Though they are called Dungeons, and a vast part of them are used for the holding of prisoners, there are many other things here - the Archives of the Vizier, the Hold of the Assassins, the Vizier's Forge, the sealed Gallery of the Damned, the Chambers of Torture - and below all this is the Well, of course.
: Fleshmarket is located near to the Great Market and this is where the slaves are kept before being sold. It is surprisingly a clean and well orderly place. The slaves even have their own fountain in the central square where they are penned in.
: All cities must have their refuse and, alas, the Imperial City has the Gutters. A place of thieves, illegal slavers, low murderers - but mostly of poverty and the poor, scrabbling for the menial jobs.
: But there is then the Flowering District! The one area of the city where prostitution is legal and controlled. But that is not all that is offered here - artists, dancers, creative minds of all sorts sell their wares. You can feel the magic - the sensuality - the spark of creativity in the very air!
: In the center of the Crimson Market there is a locked chest of malachite banded in brass. Within, in a delicate filigree of silver and strands of imperishable heartwood from ancient trees, sprinkled with blood from virgins long-dead is the heart of what may one day be a God.
: It slumbers, tended by the Crimson Market's eyeless-tongueless slaves, a bound barghest before its gates and a choir of slave children singing without, night and day.
: This heart is said to be a paean to the Forbidden Sibling of the twin goddesses, He Who Never Was, son of the dread Serpent which lurks beyond the wall of Stars, whose effigy heart the children sing to that he might someday Be.
: The darkness coalesces around this heart, and is why there is never any wonder at the horrors of the Crimson Market from the populace of magnificent, beautiful, decadent Av-Yolar.
* The Capital City has an Excellent Sanitorium. Clean, well staffed, and well equipped. It seems strange that this particular public service is filled better than others.... but then again, for some reason, the rates of madness seem to be going up slowly. But, I mean, that's probably just population growth? Right?

; Other Cities : One should not forget other important cities of the Empire, aside from the capital.
* Brallen, while stinking and foul, is the industrial and manufacturing heart of the Empire. Thankfully, the island it is located in the center of is large, or the city would pollute the ocean. But it is a barren, dull place nevertheless.
* And on the island of Siia, near the Shallows, is the peaceful and charming Trading Port of Laora. The waters here are clear and the beaches white and pristine.
* Avtion appears grim from the sea, but being so close to the Western Continent, it's high walls are a necessity. It's main focus is still of trade with that place, even though it is always ready for invasion.

* A few cities have strong springs that create entire rivers of swift flowing, clean water, that flows out into estuaries on the edges of their lands. These few places are famed for their exports of fruits, vegetables, and other valuable foods.
*: It is also, in these few cities, where slavery is not practiced, though indentured servitude remains. Why? Why should any man remain a slave? When the threat of one's water quota being taken from them is nonexistent?
*: It is also a capital punishment to poison or pollute such waters in almost all of these cities... bar the city of Brallen, whose stench of waste and alchemy is is said to lay out a full grown ox.

; The Vizier :
[[File:JhelomVizier.png|thumb|The Current Vizier of New Jhelom]]
* The Vizier's tower - the Nail - rises high above the capitol. It bears no architectural similarity to the rest of the city - it is simply a hollow tower ten thousand feet tall, suspended by magic. The Vizier spends his free time atop it in communion with the sky, seeking an apotheosis into a full and immortal elemental.
*: This is a common hobby of Viziers. If they placed more effort into magical study, as the current Vizier (a relatively powerful wizard) does, they might succeed.
* I heard that the Vizier's Mistress? That beauty? Actually a Descendent of the Elementals of Flowers.
* Over the past ten years, the Vizier has been arresting, exiling or executing all the astrologers in the Capital.
* The Assassins are said to be all across the Empire, and are said to kill at the will of the Vizier. But I have heard rumour of schism and betrayal - have some Assassins turned against the Vizier?
* I heard that the orb that contains the last Elemental of Wind is very small - the Vizier uses it as a glass eye.
* I met the Vizier once... he's not all that bad a person. He seemed polite enough, if stern. But Gods above, you should have seen it when that fool messenger brought a declaration of independence from one of our northern islands. The Vizier just stared at him, that swirling glass eye of his flickered once as he jerked a hand at the messenger, and BAM, he was turned into a salt statue. Entire court just shut up right there and stared, horrified.
*: The vizier just clapped his hands and said "Put it with the rest. And tell the Admiralty to meet me in my study..." and walked off like nothing had happened... stone cold.
* That's nothing. He let that madman, the chief of the alchemist's guild, run one of his experiments on the largest fortification there to break their spirits.
*: My brother saw the aftermath. Whatever the alchemist did, it removed all the fire, water, and air from every living thing in the fortresses guarding the island's primary bay. There was nothing left by skeletal statues of sand, metal, salt, and dirt inside of clothing and armor... apparently it took a fortnight to set up. I wonder why they haven't used it to invade some of the more troublesome raider islands...
* The Nail is not the only similar tower in the world. Old Jhelom features an exact duplicate, shorn off in the middle. Others stud the earth, slightly hazy and seemingly out of focus or sharply broken.
*: Strangely, they *reek* of planar (elemental?) magic and the power of all the elementals. It's almost as though they're pinning someone, or something, in place. But nothing so prosaic as a monstrous world-ending beast. They seem to be holding the world itself.
* The Vizier is said to love fine drinks, and he pays quality prices for every sort. They say he has tasted the blood meads of the Knife Ears, and the pebble brews of the Pale Folk, the stouts of the Arhkani, and the ancient wines of the Thanani.
*: Just never, ever, over hype a drink to him. He still keeps the quivering flesh of the last man whose drink disappointed him in his dungeons, for when he needs stress relief.
*The Vizier often adopts orphans into his household. Occasionally they are seen again, as messengers and couriers, more often they simply vanish except... it is said, when you peer under the hoods of the Vizier's Scriveners. Supposedly the orphans are sent to work in his archives, locked away from the world, and from them is chosen then next Archivist, bound to a lectern of fused and shaped gemstone 

; The Dungeons :
* The Jailers in the Dungeon of the Vizier have no heads, and they carry whips made of the spines of dead prisoners, that cause paralyzing agony with a single stroke. Some say that their eyes and mouth are on their chest.
* I head that to get to the Vizier's Archives, one must go through the Dungeons. This is how much he values the knowledge stored there.
* "I am the archivist, the curator of the Vizier's grand libraries... I can answer all questions, bound as I am to my lectern, his servants continously bringing me new pages, new quills, new inks... I can answer all questions, but I can never know the answers, they run through my sieve like mind, tearing great holes, and I know that as my predecessor, I will go mad, and die as the last of my intellect is torn asunder, and then one of my sciviners, the copiers of my texts, will be chained to this lectern next... to write until he too goes mad and becomes one with the pages..."

; Old Jhelom : Nobody is allowed to speak of Old Jhelom. They say that it's capital was on The Isle of Fire. But the only thing there today are volcanoes and obsidian. They say that in Old Jhelom, it was not the Viziers who ruled.
*They also had all the elementals working together or something. Perhaps Old Jhelom was ruled not by just one of the elemental houses (Sky) but by a senate of every single house with all of them holding equal sway? Divided into 4 courts or something.

; Spire Islands : The Spire Islands get their names due to the fact that a good deal of the area is simply massive stone spires rising out of the ocean, dwarfing both ships and any other islands found amidst them. Technically the Spire Islands are their own Satrap. They are strangely isolationist - but people do live on top of the spires. Mostly monasteries up there though. It's said that the House of Stone is fairly prevalent here - it's "their domain", a bit of a reward for not fighting with the Vizier.

; The Shallows and Pearl Road : Between the islands of Siia and Siio are the Shallows - a beautiful area of clear blue water, with villages built on rafts of stilts. They say there are ruins beneath the waves you can swim down and touch. But the main export of the Shallows are Pearls - The Empire has an insatiable appetite for these jewels of the sea.
: And this is why the ocean trade route that circumnavigates the world is called the Pearl Road.

; Slavery : Slavery is a way of life, it is the life blood of the Empire in so many ways. They harvest fruits from the dangerous Cactatrees, and they work the vast pumps and pullies that dredge clean water from deep inside the Well on those islands without natural springs. They preform maintance on the dangerous sea walls, where waves crash into stone and mortar constructs that must constantly be repaired each low tide, and sometimes before then even. There are many slaves in the Empire. But if you are a slave, you are at least ensured your daily Water. Slaves who disobey simply do not receive their water. Slave rebellions often end in parched death.

; Other Locations :
*There's an ancient city, with a grand library of magic buried in the sands of the deep desert. It is said that it has a thousand gates, each buried in a different dune scattered across Jhelom.
**Each gate has a different key. One opens only to the tears of a virgin, another only when the Azure Moon's rays project down upon it from the zenith of it's path through the sky each year. Yet another will not open except to the song of a Cthasa 

===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.

===The Jungle Continent===
The East is a jungle continent, studded with warring tribes of primitives with a startling command of bizarre technologies, powered with energy drawn from the storms. They lack any real command of magic, but are quite happy to tinker with their bizarre creations.

Their sky isn't like ours - it's not a limitless expanse leading out into space, with a sun, moon, stars, etc. that move in a consistent day/night and yearly cycle. Instead, there is a blanket of thick ethereal clouds across the entire sky that brightens and dims at regular intervals, approximating day and night. The color of the ether changes with each day, to each of the main colors on the color wheel - which makes up a six day week. The ether also rises and lowers in the sky at a slow interval, and the apexes of these fluctuations are similar to our solstices. The cycle in which these change is considered a year. This cloud like mass is smeared over the eastern continent and everything surrounding it, ocean included. It is said to be a relic of one of the small gods they captured and dissected for their divinity.

The Jungle Tribes of the continent maintain a much higher technological base than anywhere else in the world. Much of the progress is retarded as the wheel is reinvented over and over again by different tribes, but others continue to advance and are traded in order to survive. The jungle is a harsh place - anti malarial remedies, analeptic serums, prophylactic measures to ensure that mind-worm botflies do not penetrate the ears without impairing hearing.

; Grand Bridge : The Great Bridge is a vast rock arch spanning a huge portion of the continent. The two ends of the arch are studded with the two only permanent settlements on the continent - one small trade outpost of New Jhelom, protected by one permanent deployment of the Lords of the Red Tide and an emissary of the Thanati, a Spectre Lord. The other is the traditional market grounds of the tribes, who attend, hang their cocoon-tents from the rocky outcroppings and trade as equals, all tribal differences forgotten on pain of death.
: The bridge is such a critical choke point because beneath is another world. The Jungle Continent is dangerous. Beneath the bridge, though, in the dark, hang glowing carnivorous mosses. Sentient mosquitoes the size of a man. Tyrantine lizards. Grass analgues that secret acidic fluids if subjected to pressure for more than a few seconds. Trees that walk, talk, scream and wield powers. Ghost Nobles outside the Thanati kingdom, experimenting with growing the undead. If it's lethal or unnecessarily horrible, it can probably be found beneath the Arch. Some occasionally attempt to cut through, shaving months off a journey to the ends of the Bridge by taking the one week march beneath, but none are ever seen again.

* Deep in the reaches of the sunless lands roams the Antediluvian Shade, an ancient deadman, a witch of powers unknown, a touch that melts the spirit, eyes of cold fire and a scream that paralyses. Long thought destroyed, anyone bringing the information to the Spectre Lord in the New Jhelom outpost would be greatly rewarded.. and even more so if he managed to survive the trip to the Thanati realm with the Shade's curse on him to inform the Liches directly.
* It's just a jungle with no sun. With Australian style wildlife, trees and moss. What light there is comes from the glowing, carnivorous moss that hands from the arch above. Less glowing, more 'transmits the light'. So the stuff at the edges absorbs it, and slowly bleeds it through as a liquid to the rest of the ecosystem of moss on the ceiling.

===The Crescent Continent===
Much nearer the south pole is a large, half-moon shaped continent. The weather is mostly temperate, closer to cold than hot (think like northern USA or Canada). This continent is dominated by the prosperous race of fair-skinned people called the Nostos. They mine a rare mineral called Duna, which retains its magnetic properties even when heated and baked like a brick. Thanks to these powerful magnets and basic science, the Nostos have discovered very clean sources of electricity.

The southern continent is known to use vast lightning charged artillery to fend off pirate encursions. No one dares go near their brick and mortar towers that dot the coast, for fear of being burnt to a crisp.

===The Northern Continent===

; Ahrka : Far to the north, across the vast frozen wtastes of the Iceflats is the ancient land on Ahrka. A warrior land, still inhabited by ancient clans and tribes of men. A land home to bizarre spirituals and, according to some travelers, cannibalistic ceremonies. Popular tales tell of how the men of Arkha stand three heads over other men, and how every native creature is a fierce predator of manflesh.
: The Arkhans claim a direct link to their Wind God Arkh, who legend claims created man by bidding Rojq, the Father of Wolves to mate with the Bear Mother, Gyra, and granting their offspring with the gift words, to distinguish him from the beasts.

* The Northern Continent is roamed by an order of assassins, predators hidden in the snowfields. Seemingly apparitions, with a command of savage wild life, toxins and weapons and an unholy ability with knives. This order of monkish killers can secrete adrenaline on command, draw magical assaults into their blades and survive for days, naked in the snow, disdaining 'magic' all the while. Or at least the grand masters can.

===The Isles of Smoke===
* I heard the Chasatha do not mine these gems. On the Isles of Smoke are ruins of some civilization far gone. Their gems litter the empty roads. But none but the Chasatha are stealthy (or mad) enough to go down these shadowed streets without attracting the Perchers.
* The Isles of Smoke are home to more than aerial demons; haunting the obsidian forests are half-spirit things the people name Barghests. They are beast-things made of ashes, like hideous jaguars. They are not sentient, but cunning hunters immune to the touch of normal weapons.
*: If it devours the flesh of a living person, a Barghest becomes sentient and may speak every word that was spoken by their victim since the last full moon, in his or her voice. The barghest only has the use of each uttered word once - if it ever speaks its final word, it disintegrates in a puff of soot and flame. Once a barghest has learned to speak, it hungers forever for more words.
* Legend has it that the first murderer was one of the original Mortals. And that different races did not appear until people began to flee the Isles of Smoke. That's why the Isles of Smoke are in the center of all maps, it is where Mortality built their city, and where Mortals were first born. The different kinds of mortal only appeared later, as they tried to escape the madness the First Murderer and his progeny, the Murder Born, wrought.

===Other Places===
; The Stomps : There are islands even the Empire dares not claim dominion over. The still-standing shrines of the Stomps, an island chain so named for the legends surrounding it as being a literal 'stomping grounds' of the Old Gods, is a fine example.
: The Stomps are home to many oddities-- unnaturally perfect geography, alien obelisks and structures, absolutely ancient hieroglyphics in long-dead tongues, deformed animal life... few dare venture there, and even fewer have been known to return.
: Those that do bring back many tales: of paradise, of hell, of a great void, and of an absolutely abandoned chain of islands with nothing supernatural whatsoever.
: It would seem that for those who dare venture amongst the Stomps of the Old Gods, every tale is different...

; The Isle of Storms : There is an roaming island that is ruled by a man that is no longer human. He is called the Storm King his actual name being lost to the sands of time. There are many stories about this man a legendary prophet once said that these tales have a lot more truth then many will ever come to believe. The power of the Storm King is legendary entire fleets and armies have tried to take his island he slaughtered them all single handily that is if the storms didn't destroy them before he could. He is said to be immortal when asked about this he said this was not true rather he just aged so slowly no one can tell the difference. There are many secrets to his power. The two that are widely known is one his sword a nightmarish horrifyingly powerful artifact from which he took his one titles Bringer of Storms. The second is his blood, some how he managed to strengthen it to incredibly ludicrious levels of potentancy and strength. It is unknown but there are rumors that somehow the legendary Storm Elementals are involved and unlike their brethren for some reason their growing stronger instead of weaker. The only way to approach his island is to encounter a storm, in that storm you must encounter an Storm elemental and bargain/prove yourself to it. In exchange you can go to the island depending on what exactly was agreed there are many agreements for this some include a one time deal, whenever you want so long as you live, or given an item to allow access to who ever possesses it. No matter what however you ALWAYS must go through a storm to get to the island.

: '''The King of Storms'''
* The Bringer of Storms is a blade of chaos that brings mastery to the Storm. It is cursed however in that whenever it is drawn it brings a storm in both a literal sense and other ways.
* It is said that the Storm King is powerful enough to conquer the world for some reason he does not. There are many tales and stories of why this is so. Some reason however he does not do this rather he is satisfied with traveling and protecting his island including those who dwell there.
* One of the stories of why he does not conquer is that he was cursed. Another is that he made a promise to never leave. In all the stories and tales however he rarely leaves and when he does it is never for very long. Considering this many of come to believe there is something he protects. Which raises the question of what needs the protection of such a powerful guardian?
* The Storm King denies his title whenever he is addressed by it... and some claim that he lives in no palace, that he has no servants, that he is a wanderer on the isle that he "rules" that the inhabidents turn to him for advice and protection, but that he gives no orders. He is a Not-King with no nation, addressed as King only by those without.
*: Perhaps, to have the power to rule the world, one must, in turn, give up the right to rule anything at all.

; The Warrior Isle (Working Name) : On one of the larger Islands towards the blistering southwest where sea's churn and storm's brew lies a spartan warrior nation/culture of which only the strong survive, every day within the magical tainted wilds where creatures as tall as the greatest of spires live.
: Here in place of sword and shield, lies a land were fist and leg rule. These countless warriors train to become Ravalle's or fighting citizens, in order to expand their family's great fighting hall with new members. Yes, due to this savage land, most relationships are polygamous, with the strongest men and women taking pick of breeding material in order to breed new warriors to train.
: This Island is populated mainly by humans, but they welcome all species.
: The island accepts anyone and anything capable of surviving, as long as they are mortal. They have no respect for immortals, for how can anything without fear of death be courageous.