The great continent of Celaphania is the largest continent and the heart of civilization. In the center of Celaphania, and dividing northern and southern Celaphania, is the island-specked Medrean Sea. The regions of Armillia and Erylion are separated by the Pyridine Mountains, and Erylion is separated from Norithia by the Black Mountains. Between Vanamar and Glaven lies the Emerald Sea. On the western shores of the Medrean and south of Vanamar lies Glaven, and to the west of Glaven are the Great Barrier Mountains which have long been home to the ancient Dworghen Kingdoms. The Tulsan Sea and Corsaro Bay are south of Glaven, and further south lies the Wilderlands. The region once known as Tulgusia, which is now the Southern Frontier, lies between Glaven and the Karghen Warhold. Northern Celaphania is connected to Southern Celaphania by the Mesorian Isthmus.
To learn about the kingdoms and nations of Celaphania, please read the article Kingdoms of Celaphania.
Medrean Sea
From the ancient times of Keshim to modern times, the Medrean Sea has bustled with exploration, commerce, piracy, and war. The Medrean Nations are those nations whose coastlines touch the Medrean—those being Armillia, Glaven, Vanamar, Crethia, Corellica, and Seranosa. Over the centuries, the countries around the Medrean have numbered anywhere from one to over a dozen. But not once—not even during the darkest of ages—has Medrean civilization faded. Whether plagued by barbarian pirate ships or graced by mighty merchant galleys, the Medrean has been, and will forever be, the heart and soul of civilization.
Tulsan Sea
The Tulsan Sea is a small sea just off the Medrean, located south of Glaven, and is separated from the Medrean by the large island of Thessalos. The western extent of the Tulsan Sea forms the great Corsaro Bay. The Tulsan Sea has also been a major center of trade and commerce, and dozens of prosperous port cities have dotted the southern coast of Glaven and the peninsula of Tulgusia since recorded history.
Emerald Sea
Another small sea just off the Medrean is the Emerald Sea, located north of Glaven. There are fewer islands in the Emerald Sea than in other seas, and much less commerce. Even so, several major port cities exist on the shores of the Emerald Sea, including Provania, the capital of the duchy of Provania.
Olusian Sea
The Olusian Sea is the southernmost sea connected to the Medrean Sea. The warm shallow waters of the Olusian have always provided a bounty of fish and shellfish, and has supported countless towns, port, and villages since the days of antiquity.
Sirian Sea
The Sirian Sea is a shallow coastal sea to the west of the Southern Frontier of Celaphania. It is more of a large gulf than it is a sea, and it is often considered to be part of the Vast Sea. The Sirian Sea has extensive coral reefs and is speckled with countless unexplored islands.
Pyridine Mountains
The Pyridine Mountains mark the border between Armillia and the Erylion Frontier. Located to the northwest of Armillia and to the south of Erylion, the Pyridines are a towering range of snow-capped mountains. The region is considered wild-country and many bandits, goblins, and barbarians prey upon those who wander from the more frequented trails. In the southern foothills of the Pyridines lies the Eldren kingdom of Sylvanin Vey. Several Dworghen settlements can be found in the western ranges.
Great Barrier Mountains
The Great Barrier Mountains cover much of the western quarter of Celaphania, rising over 20,000 feet at the highest peaks. Most of the range remains completely unexplored and is utterly uninhabitable, but the eastern and southern extents have been home to the Dworghen Kingdoms for thousands of years. Dworghs have mined the mountains for their wealth of metal ores and precious stones since time immemorial.
Tundral Waste
To the far west and north, beyond the Great Barrier Mountains, lies the Tundral Waste—a vast stretch of cold arctic plains taking up the northwestern crescent of Celaphania. The northern extent of the Tundral Waste is covered by the arctic ice cap, while glaciers extend south into the Barrier Mountains. Farther to the south the tundral plains become more habitable and are home to tribes of indigenous people populating small fishing villages. The Tundral Waste remains largely unexplored.
Wilderlands
The Wilderlands are a region south of Glaven and north of Tulgusia riven with deep gorges and dark valleys and veiled in heavy forests. Countless rivers and riverlets, coupled with the nearly incessant rainfall from the cloud-veiled Blue Mountains, allows this region to flourish with both plant and animal life.
Southern Marches
The Southern Marches are a war-torn borderland locked between the Wilderlands south of Glaven and the Karghen Warhold. Ruled over by March Lords, they protect the Republic of Glaven from the barbarian hordes further south.
Mesorian Isthmus
The Mesorian Isthmus connects northern and southern Celaphania and divides the Olusian Sea from the Bay of Tolany. It has long been a dangerous and contested land, and is today a lawless no-man’s land between the fortified garrison posts of the Southern Marches and the violent warrior tribes of the Karghen Warhold.
Southern Celaphania
Southern Celaphania is a sub-continent of Celaphania, although northern and southern Celaphania are both considered to be part of the same greater continent of Celaphania. The continent has, at times, been called Azania, Relania, or simply “Southern Lands,” but Southern Celaphania has been the official cartographical name since the Age of the Three Realms.
Southern Celaphania is comprised of the nations of Corellica, Seranosa, Crethia, Freyor, Arkana, Antilla, the Tyrrelian Marches, and the Karghen Warhold. Most of Southern Celaphania is taken up by the Azanian Jungle, at the heart of which flows the Great Azanian River.
Arcrest Mountains
The Arcrest Mountains rise high above the surrounding lowland country in the eastern quarter of Southern Celaphania. The range forms a natural barrier in the center of the northeastern quarter separating the nations of Crethia, Corellica, Seranosa, Freyor, and the Tyrrelian Marches. Although most of the peaks are under 4,000 feet, the northern-most peak, known as Majestic Mountain, rises to over 9,000 feet.
Elderdeep
Under the Arcrest Mountains lies a vast underground realm called Elderdeep, also known as the Abyssal Deep. The cave system is at least as large as the Taldacarn Caverns in Tarrona, but only a fraction of the system has been explored. The largest and most famous part of Elderdeep is the Subterranean Sea. The sea is directly accessible through one of many cavern entrances, the shortest of which winds half a mile through easy-going tunnels, well-marked and lit by torches or oil lanterns. A number of locals have made a living leading tours through these well-explored areas.
Beyond the Subterranean Sea lies an entirely different world—a world that is best left to hardy explorers and brave adventurers. This is the true Elderdeep—the Elderdeep of myth and legend, marked by hundreds of miles of uncharted tunnels and caverns, vast chambers, black rivers, and sunless, underground lakes. It was here, in the supreme depths of Elderdeep, that the demon Maldracon arose in the age of Keshim, and many of the monstrous hordes that served him are still said to prowl this primeval abyss. Explorers who have ventured in have reported encounters with monstrous aberrations and twisted abominations as well as faun and fauna ranging from glowing fungal plants to quivering polyp to writhing, vine-like tendrils snatching and grasping at anything that moves. Explorers and adventurers have also reported finding vast stretches of underground ruins, many of which were not as abandoned as they first appeared…
Great Zhonghuan Mountains
Little is known about the Zhonghuan Mountains. They are inhabited, and may once have been the seat of a great empire of Southern Celaphania known as the Kingdom of Zhonghuan. Today, the Karghen control much of the region. From what little is known, they have subjugated most of the population into slavery. The mountains are also the source for the Azanian River, as well as many of the other smaller rivers that feed into the Azanian.
Azanian Jungle
The Azanian Jungle has long been a place of mystery and legend. It is comprised mostly jungles, swamps, wetlands, and dense forests, although there are also areas of lighter vegetation and a few wide-open savannas. The great Azanian River feeds this entire land, running from the Zhonghuan Mountains and emptying into the Marisian Sea. For this reason, the Great Azanian Delta is the lushest wetland in the world. The southeastern regions of the Azanian Jungle, including the lands of Bunta and Antilla, consists of tropical and subtropical forests and deep rainforest, while the northwestern region, the Karghen lands, is marked by lighter forests, golden plains, and green savannas. The central and western extents of Azania are deep, impenetrable jungles, the vast portion of which remains entirely unexplored.
Bloodlands
The Bloodlands were known as the Blasted Lands following the cataclysmic destruction at the end of the War of Golla and Marada, for it was here that the portal to Atracus was created and subsequently sealed. The Bloodlands, located north of Azania, became known as such during the 6th century of the Common Age when the demon lord Nightloch (also called the Shadow of Azania) emerged to terrorize the lands of Celaphania. As a result of the malignant sorcery and necrolic energies unleashed by Nightloch, the entire region has been twisted into vast jungles of aberrant life, putrid swamps, and crumbling ruins. Although Nightloch was destroyed, countless monsters and unnatural beasts spawned from that dark war still roam the hunted swamps and twisted thickets.
Marisian Sea
The Marisian Sea is a large bay-like sea located between Freyor and Arkana that opens into the Sea of Isles. The Azanian River also empties into the Marisian Sea, as do several other major rivers. The great Eldren city of Tae Elernon, center of Talic culture and Eldren civilization, is found on the northern shores of the Marisian, while the villages of the warring tribes of Arkana line the banks of its southern shores.
Forgotten Sea
The Forgotten Sea, known as the Sea of Tears in Elinican and Maradian times, is called such because it was only recently reopened by Celaphanian explorers. The Forgotten Sea is separated from the Vast Sea by a chain of large islands forming a southern crescent. These islands, the largest of which is known as Kaimboka, are inhabited by bronze and iron age people who have been cut off from all other civilization since the War of Golla and Marada. The Islands of the Sea People mark the eastern tip of the island chain.
Southern Sea
South of Celaphania lies the Southern Sea. It has been charted by intrepid Celaphanian explorers, but the absence of islands and any lands apart from the Frozen Continent farther south, makes it of little interest. A few isolated islands have been found throughout the Southern Sea, but none have been inhabited.
