It is said that many hundreds of years ago, there were great continents, many hundreds of leagues across. It is said that some war between gods arch wizards caused the land to sink, a thousand volcanoes to erupt and the lakes fountained up, drowning the lands.

Over the drowned lands the Slope started to flow.

A continent is a landmass more than 500 leagues across. There is known to be an icy one far to the south. There is thought to be another one in the north where it is too hot for anyone where the ocean steams and the storms are never ending. It is a tradition that the Slope flows between these, but there is no real evidence that this is true. A sub-continent is a landmass more than 120 leagues to 350 leagues across. An archipelago is a set of islands numbering more than 30 large ones, or 150 small ones. Smaller sets of islands are often called an “island group”.

A set of lands and islands that one can travel between with out a Pause is known as a “demesne” although to travel between two sub-continents is sometimes called an inter-continental voyage.

((View the old page here if preferred: Places ))

Map

      Captain Johnnen Embrar's Most Detailed & Artistic Mappe

Demesne Key:

1. Ice Swept Islands
2. Iron Lords
3. Oxxten
4. Divided Continent, 4a Gidson, 4b Feelotem
5. Meeth -- 5a:The Ladder
6. Vinci-eechi
7. Forgehot
8. Treemek, 8a Lesser Treemek, 8b Treemek
9. Divided Archipelago
10. Morrowdelve
11. Tessis (The Volcanic Islands)
12. Pyth
13. Greenwaters
14. East Tath
15. Torrattem
16. Smoking Islands
17. Twisted Lands
    
    A) Lasthope
    B) Mystic Island
    C) Table Top Island
    D) Halfway
    E) Lonely
    F) The Four Steps
    
    Note light blue areas are shallow water

Eastern Demesne

Oxxten

More info on Oxxten

This is a huge sub-continent almost 190 leagues long (north to south) and 75 or so leagues wide. It is heavily mountained, especially to the west, with wide rivers, deep forests and narrow deserts. To the east the Slope splits and the Uneasy Sea allows year round sailing to an archiplego of 50 or so small islands and one large one.

Oxxten is hard to summarize quickly. It is so large that no polity in history has carved out a commanding place. The central forests are home to elves, though to be fair, most of these are peaceful folk. The land stretches far enough north that eclipses are not too uncommon and this increases the wildness and unpredictability of the land.

Deceptive Passage spills between the main land and a huge island to the north. The Slope roars thru this 8 league straight, and many a merchant who felt that by going to the west most point of the passage could reach land before they were swept past the eastern most part of the island, were mistaken and lost forever.

Religions vary by region. Most worship small gods who are unknown 100 leagues from their center of worship. However, in the south most humans worship Daughter Spring, Son of Summer, Autumn Mother and Father Winter. A division of this faith, have some also worshipping The Bastard who is held a demon by the more traditional faith.

In the south is some swampy terrain within broad valleys. A group of dwarves live here and many speculate that they have been changed by wild magic during some long forgotten eclipse. For all their soggy homes, they are a jolly and friendly folk whom are well known for their exotic beers (said to have strange mixtures of swamp drugs mixed in them). Occasionally people disappear in these swamps and it is ever suggested that the over-friendly dwarves sacrificed the travellers to some dark magic.

Thelonicans live everywhere on this land (save in the high deserts) and are unusually well organized. Several powerful families have taken control of river trade and used their wealth to enforce policies on other races. These include rights of free travel for bards, pollution standards on river water and bans on damming or redirecting rivers. The Thelonicans have (with dwarven help) built several profitable canals linking rivers systems together.

Crystal mages inhabit the central regions of the land. They have constructed small keeps on tall thin mesas and provide many services to people for free in this region. They are well liked in an otherwise lawless land.

Some of the Tinker families from Gidson to the north have moved to Oxxten. These small traders are welcome everywhere, but it is foul to cross them as they are thought to have dark wizards within their population.

The northern regions of the sub-continent have a fairly large Reptile man population. These people are unfriendly even by reptile men standards and few mammals are tolerated. However they have exotic goods (traded from the divided sub-continent to the north) and powerful magic items. Parties who have reptile men representatives have profitably traded with these people.

To the west are the barbarians of Forgehot who periodically raid and colonize. (They swoop down on the Slope, and set up temporary colonies to last until the next Pause when they return home with their loot). These raids are most common when a major Pause is predicted (say once every twenty years or so). Of course, if not hard pressed, some stay permanently. These colonies are much hated, but who wishes to spend the blood to drive off these powerful fighters?

Nearby Demesnes:

• Forgehot is 70 leagues west of the southern parts of Oxxten.
• Meeth is 90 leagues NW of the northern parts of Oxxten.
• Gidson and Feelotem are the divided sub-continent 50 leagues north of Oxxten.

(Note that from Meeth & Feelotem four other demesnes are in easy reach with exotic magical trade goods.)

Forgehot

More info on Forgehot?

This is a demesne of large islands with many volcanoes and unrelenting mountainous terrain. The people feel it is ideal: far enough north that magic is powerful and magic items can be constructed, but not so far north that the land is plagued with demons, wild magic and elves.

More than anywhere else, this is the land of dark magics. They use the dark magic for the ship and wind spells which allow them to travel within their demesne, and attack other demesne around them. Everything about their culture feels that wealth gained by theft is infinitely sweeter than wealth gained by labor. All of their stories glorify the trickster and thief. All of their gods war and thieve from each other. (Many legends say that wars have been stopped by a clever theft since the item being fought over was now no longer unhidden.)

They are willing to trade, but the yokels better give them darn good deals or the next visit might just burn down the whole town.

Their ships, captained by dark magicians make feared pirates. Few other vessels can out maneuver or out run their magic spurred ships.

The people are from four groups. Those who live in the mountains are fiercely independent and arranged on clan lines. The high plateaus have much snow and glaciers, and they fight yeti and other cold monsters.

The people of the towns near sea level form raiding / trading combines or war with each other. There are several royal families and innumerable noble lines which fight for power constantly. The high nobility learn dark magics to help them command the Slope.

The fourth group are a strange set of dwarf / human hybrids. They appear irregularly and bring powerful magics which they gift to some human (distressingly often of common birth). Some say they are not dwarf related at all, but rather humans who under the weight of their worship of dark demi-godlings, become stooped and shrunken. They form family compounds in deep cursed valleys and people who trespass soon die of tumors or worse things.

It is rumored that several of the high nobility as well as learning dark magics, also trade (or even interbreed) with mermen, to graft mermen pelagic magics to their own. Three notable catastrophes suggest this is not an easy thing to do.

More than any other culture, Forgehot is willing to accept outsiders into places of power provided they have the charisma and war savvy to kill all who oppose them. (Being generous to followers is also a big selling point.)

Some of the noble families are clearly evil (in the nasty, non-stylish way) and adventurers who overthrow their rule would be popular.

Nearby Demesnes:

• Oxxten is 70 leagues to the east.
• Divided Archipelago is 90 leagues to the SSE.
• Treemek is 60 leagues WSW
• Vinci-eechi is 30 leagues NW. (They've been raided into a 'nothing left to steal' poverty.)
• Meeth is 110 leagues N.

Ice Swept Islands

More info on Ice Swept Islands?

These are an archipelago which is a fairly peaceful and friendly place. In summer the islands are very pleasant, in winter they almost live up to the demesne's name. There are several active volcanoes, and many towns feature hot springs and (co-ed) public baths. So far south, there is little wild magic, fey folk and demons are almost unheard of. Sexually they are fairly relaxed. Polyamory families or line marriages are fairly common. Population is controlled by birth control (more than 3 kids is frowned on), deaths caused by mermen raids and the occasional famine. Also excess people are expected to colonize Newrock, a barren island to the West, still growing from lava flows. This is deadly dangerous and most colonists starve, freeze or burn. Many tiny farms with miserable wind stunted gardens lay abandoned on Newrock.

Religion: Their gods feud, riot and fight in much the way that their worshippers do not. It is said that this irritates the gods no small amount. On some of the south most islands are various holy orders where those who want to smite others for their gods can have it out. People who wish to go there are thought mad. But it must be said that the best fighters against the mermen usually spent some time in the holy orders cracking each other's skulls. There is little trade, but several rich mines exist, taking exotic metals still hot from the fire elementals deep in the earth.

Adventurers could make a living by fighting mermen raids. Magic that allows them to move rapidly to danger spots would be valuable (say a fast magic carpet or building a series of gates). Another task would be organizing and helping the unfortunates colonizing Newrock.

Nearby demesnes include:

• The nearest demesnes is the Iron Lords' lands 100 leagues to the NE.
• Almost due West some 80 leagues are a set of volcanic islands with few people.

The Iron Lords

More info on Iron Lords?

This is a small demesne with 100 or so small islands and one large one approximately 45 leagues long.

There is a deep passage between the SE half and the NW part (the large island is in the NW). The passage is called the Raging Passage, and the Slope flows strongly thru it. Sea travel is dangerous between almost all of the islands, and internal trade is by flight or magic gate.

The Iron Lords have their own religion which is only taught to those with blood relation to the Iron Lords themselves. It is thought that their gods help the Iron Lords know when one of them is in trouble or under attack for they have an uncanny ability to organize and set off to help those who are in danger.

The Iron Lords are all trained in fighting (even most women) and maintain a virtual monopoly of police work and military service. It is rare for any non-Iron Lord to serve in their armies for any length of time. (Short term service is somewhat more common.)

Iron Lords feel that EVERYTHING that anyone in their lands possess is owned by them. If you come in to their lands with tens of thousands of silvers worth of magic, the first Iron Lord youth that notices you may require you to strip naked and give him everything on your person. Failure to comply is a death sentence. That said, many non-Iron Lords have collected a great deal of wealth. Just because they could take everything you own, does not mean they will.

Colonies of dwarves have landed from upslope and colonized the mountains along the west edge of their lands. An uneasy truce has arisen. Iron Lords have cleaned out Dwarven mines at great cost, but found that they could not run the mines as well as the dwarves did. Now a polite fiction exists, “The Iron Lords claim to own all the mines and everything they produce, and the Dwarves do not argue with them.” However, any attempt to actually enforce these claims is met by determined violence by the dwarves. Neither the dwarves or the Iron Lords seem happy with this compromise.

This demesnes is far enough south that little wild magic torments the lands.

There is little for adventurers to do in this land. If polite to the Iron Lord masters, it might make a quiet place to retire. That said, if you swear loyalty to an Iron Lord, a very interesting time may be had, helping him or her advance his or her interests. A number of defeated peoples have shaman powers which engage in subtle sabotage of the Iron rule. It is a point of pride not to punish unjustly, and some clever adventuring may be needed to bring the guilty to Final Justice.

The near by demesnes

• Ice Swept Islands? about 100 leagues to the SW.
• Divided Archipelago about 90 leagues WNW.

Divided Archipelago

More info on Divided Archipelago?

The Divided Archipelago is a lively demesnes with a couple hundred small and medium sized islands. It is split into three main groups the easternmost largely cut off from the others by the Slope. However, they remain close enough that with great effort, magical gates can maintain communication between them.

The land is divided up into many independent city states who are grandly proud of seemingly tiny regional differences. The city states war and intrigue against each other constantly. Several great families have tried to weld groups of city states together by marriage but within a 2 or 3 generations the young leaders are caught up with the civic pride and are effectively independent once more. Several islands have gnome colonies which make unique trade items.

There are several established merchant / adventurers who have made fortunes from intercontinental trade and have used these lands as a central point to manage their fleets or retire, since life here is lively and centralized.

Almost every city has a specialty trade good, and these are profitably traded (when a Pause allows). Many dark magic guilds exist here as their sea & wind magics are vital. Religion is likewise divided, with few gods worshipped in more than a score of city states.

Mercenaries and privateers are often hired and adventurer / merchants can expect to find much to do. There are numerous 'wild' islands where the locals have insufficient control of their island outside of the cities' hinterland, and monsters and bandits wander freely. Numerous small gods have feuds with each other, and the faithful endlessly hire troops to prune worshippers of opposing faiths. The population is maintained by war, feud and occasional famines.

The divided Archipelago is close to several other demesnes, and even fairly short Pauses allow people to hop to other lands.

Nearby demesnes include:

• The Iron Lords: 90 leagues to the ESE.
• Pyth: 75 leagues WSW.
• Morrowdelve: (Dwarves) 45 leagues SSW.
• Treemek: 80 leagues NNW
• Lesser Treemek: 60 Leagues NW.

Pyth

More info on Pyth?

A subcontinent with many volcanoes and small islands along its southern edge.

This land is plagued by great burrowing beasts (called “eelbeasts” that love to come up and eat people and livestock. Large towns tend not to survive these creatures undermining their foundations. Large settlements are in hills built on bedrock. This limits easy access to food and lowers the population.

Most of the land is lightly forested and there is extensive herding.

Eelbeasts have several magical properties, and the locals make magic items based on them. These form much of their export market.

The major gods are the rather stern Auttonnen and his family, which emphasize the virtues of conformity and hard work.

Adventurers who can kill these underground eelbeasts can make good money.

Morrowdelve

More info on Morrowdelve?

This subcontinent is quit long and narrow with huge mountains running the length of this land. Politically the land is dominated by the dwarves which live in innumerable mines and forts within these mountains. A variety of other races live on the surface to support the mines. The master dwarven works pay for the food which the other races trade for luxuries.

Dragons and wyverns are common and make this otherwise peaceful arrangement much more lively.

In the immensely high peaks, a fair number of trolls and lesser ogres live. These become a nuisance in winter when they move down to lower and richer lands.

There are rumors of psionic dark, evil dwarves. Some say that they are from crossbreeding with the fey. Others claim that they were born of demonic sub regions of the earth. Others simply claim these are rumors to keep adventurers out of abandoned and accursed mines.

Treemek and Lesser Treemek

More info on the Treemeks?

These subcontinents are heavily wooded and foul elves go to some trouble to keep it that way. Over the last few centuries, human cultures have been turned on each other by espionage, bribes, threats and magic. Once isolated, they fell one by one to the elves.

Though the elves do not tolerate widespread agriculture, there are several trade towns on the coasts where they trade magic items and exotic magical creatures for master work metal items, and clever mechanical devices.

The trade town of Barrechette is noted for having a premier magic school which teaches Dark magic. Mariners come from hundreds of leagues to study the spells which will allow them to brave the Slope. Further, Lesser Treemek is the only source of lifehearts, a magic item which 'infects' a ship and makes the whole ship semi-sentient. Such a ship is in a hundred small ways more sea worthy and faster – vital advantages to Merchant / Adventurers who with to brave the Slope and travel to distance demesnes. Returning to Lesser Treemek with an old lifeheart can be a very profitable trek. The elves value experienced lifehearts more than new ones, and make trade 3 or even 4 to one. Thus a merchant can expand his fleet or sell the extra lifehearts for huge profits. That said, it takes a couple years for a life heart to settle into a ship.

Lesser Treemek has some very dry highlands were villages of orcs survive in some numbers.

Meeth

More info on Meeth?

This is a large Subcontinent far to the north. A land of high mountains, jungle and swamp, it is 'ruled' by Elvin Dark wizards of great power. Accepting worship, they meddle often in the politics and dreams of mortals.

Its jungles are home to a myriad of insect races, many of which are sentient. They 'marry' humans and create hybrid species based on sex, bio-mechanical augments and power. It is thought that these insect species are the bizarre creations of the Elven wizard gods.

Magic runs hot and wild in Meeth, with many uncanny or unholy creatures wandering there.

Many gnomes live in the islands surrounding Meeth. The gnomes trade mechanical devices to the insect lords which are then modified by their magics into the augments for their warrior and their human brood dolls.

A novel sort of monster roams Meeth, huge mechanical clanks, built for wars but now hunting on their own. It is said that mindless insect – gnomish workers scurry inside them, repairing and expanding their capabilities.

Meeth is a land of wealth. Magic items, weird mechanical constructs and exotic living mechanical tools are to be found here.

There is a saying, “What good be the riches of Meeth, should you lose your soul?”

Meeth subcontinent is in the SE, however a long trail of islands stretches away to the east and a bit to the north. Any travelers who wish to work their way to the upslope, can find no better route than Meeth, as the myriad of islands close to each other act as a ladder to climb west. (Many islands can be reached by a Dark magic aided ship in a single night.) Many lands can be reached from this chain of islands.

Note, that the wonders on the mainland are less exotic than many of the things to be found in the upper north eastern reaches of Meeth's chain of islands.

Nearby Demesnes:

• Forgehot is 110 leagues S.
• Oxxten is 90 leagues to the SE.
• The Divided Subcontinent is 70 leagues to the E.
• Hossith is 60 leagues NNW

Hossith

More info on Hossnith?

This is a ragged collection of large islands. It's high plateau is dry and hot and the land is almost exclusively ruled by reptile men.

Several smaller islands are not colonized by the reptile men, and are overgrown with jungle. The reptilites do not allow others to colonize these islands, using them as hunting preserves for their nobility.

The reptile men of this land fight viciously against demons, fey and other beings of wild magic. Many of them are arch-mages of crystal magic and they sell many crystal magic items to traders. They will not trade with all mammal crews, and if you want good prices at least ⅕ to ½ of your crew must be reptilite.

The summers are so hot, that most of the population retreats into thousands of caves and basements. Some of the more isolated caves are over run with fey or demonic beings. Occasionally, parties of mercenaries have been hired to clear these out.

The Divided Continent: Gidson and Feelotem

More info on The Divided Continent?

This is a large subcontinent with a appendix extending to the south. The south section of the land is cut off by a flooded area where the slope flows over it. At irregular intervals, the land rises and the two sides are joined.

The smaller southern region is called Gidson.

The larger northern region is Feelotem.

The flooded section is 36 leagues wide, and has a score of large highlands with become islands when the land floods. Joining many of these highlands are magic supported bridges (the Bridge of 10,000 Arches), which at one time joined Gidson and Feelotem. However in the north two spans have collapsed and travel must hurry over the steaming lands before the land sinks yet again.

Gidson

Gidson is made up of rough terrain, many hills and small mountains divided by deep valleys, swamps, heavy forest, high plateaus and extensive cave systems. The land is too dangerous for lone travelers, people are strongly advised to go in large groups for their own protection.

Gidson is much like northern Oxxtem politically (but with more reptile men). It has no large nations – most cities are independent ruled by wizards or powerful clerics. The land between the cities is wild and the city states pay well for adventurers who will brave the multitude of magic spawned monsters. Small curse demons are common, and it is suggested that travelers are polite to all, since you never know who may have mastered a vexing curse and be willing to urge it to rude outsiders.

One valley to the east is ruled by an urrlitch. This undead magician has an uneasy alliance with his neighbors. However, powerful and dangerous undead are being bred (?) there, and no one would be unhappy if powerful adventures were to kill him, or at least thin out the ever growing number of undead. The neighboring cities would pay well for this service as an increasing number of agues (terrible disease immune to the Cleansing spell) seem to be spreading from this accursed land.

In central Gidson, is the Temple of the Moon where it is said that a hundred small gods worked together (!) to create a holy place so powerful that the eclipse borne invaders fear to approach. Before an eclipse, several hundred people make pilgrimage to this place. There, angelic and demonic servants of the hundred gods flock, and many a pilgrim has made pacts with these beings during the night within day. Most humans in Gidson who desire to better themselves spend some time visiting Feelotem. A few come back changed, and many rulers are no longer entirely human.

Gidson is known for its families of Tinkers. They travel from village to village, repairing items, hiring out spells, doing entertainments, providing dentistry, tutoring people and trading. These hardy folk are ever polite, and the traveller is stridently warned against cheating them.

Feelotem

Feelotem is hot and humid, ruled by a (relatively) benevolent aristocracy of vampires and demonic beings who worship Mogspawn. This is some sort of demon god who has established itself on our world. Most of the aristocracy are priests of Mogspawn who gifts them very powerful and frightening rites.

Mogspawn is a mad god by human standards. It will give ANY priest of any faith rites – this is unheard of. More than one priest has made a perilous journey to this land on the edge of the ocean desert to be gifted of Mogspawn's divinity.

Relatively few humans permanently live in Feelotem, the population is mostly made up of a very tall variety of bluish elves, reptile men and dwarves. Meeddrick are fairly common. A few colonies of gnomes exist but these tend to be clustered in the south.

Theolonicans do fairly well in those regions of Feelotem which have rivers. They live in quite large villages centered around one or more Dark wizards which help protect them from the monsters of the moon.

It is said that a portal to demonhell exists in Feelotem. Bards are forever telling stories of adventurers who ventured ever deeper in mines and abandoned dwarven holds and reached infernal regions. To the west is the Dropdown, a great league across well sinking a 7 kilometers into the earth. People who climb to the bottom (this typically takes 9 days of climbing) can eat of the purple apple fruit. This mutates the person in strange ways – almost always increasing their power or charisma. It is said that the Meeddrick know of how to harvest these fruit and keep them from spoiling. However, no purple apple fruit have been seen outside of Feelotem for scores of years. A merchant who could export these could make a dozen fortunes.

The Northern regions of Feelotem have some sort of magic which makes them extremely hot and humid. No one but Reptile men, insects and demons live here. Vague rumors of demesnes farther north exist, but the stories are vague and frightening.

Nearby Demesnes:

• Meeth is 70 leagues W.
• Oxxten is 50 leagues to the S.
• There are two demesnes to the N & NW, but they are too wild and too hot for humans.

Last edit: "Trying to fix nearby demesnes lists" by Thomas from 73.152.133.171 at November 18, 2023, at 10:35 PM (Eastern Time).