The Sea of Isles is the ocean between Celaphania and Tarrona and is about 2,600 miles across at the equator. The sea is dotted with thousands of islands, some being nothing more than tiny atolls, while others are hundreds of miles across with great ports and bustling cities. These islands include the pirate-kingdom of Sculdora, the wealthy island of Nuram, the Elder Isles, and the Camian Archipelagos. Primitive tribes inhabit many of the more remote islands. The island of Tricar is at the southernmost part of the Sea of Isles, just to the west of the small continent of Megonia.
Elder Isles
The Elder Isles are a collection of archipelagos located some 800 miles east of Celaphania. Many of the islands are inhabited by Eldren living in villages amidst the rich tropical forests, although some of the islands are also populated by human settlements. The islands are used as ports of call for ships traveling across the Sea of Isles as well as forts and naval bases for Armilla, Seranosa, and other nations. The largest of the Elder Isles, Opal Island, is named for its abundance of opals and vizstones, which have been mined for centuries.
Camian Archipelagos
The Camian Archipelagos lie a few hundred miles off the western coast of Tarrona. They span a greater area than the Elder Isles and are independent of other governments. A few of the islands are controlled by Tilsha and Alandar, but the rest are either self-governed states or populated by island tribes. Some of the islands are completely uninhabited, and many are used by pirates.
Sculdora
The island of Sculdora lies on the equator, directly south of the Camian Archipelagos. To its west are the Crescent Isles and to its east is the Coral Sea. Sculdora is about 400 miles from east to west, and the interior is comprised of tropical rain forests with scattered mountains that are the remnants of extinct volcanoes. Sculdora is most notable for its lack of government and for wicked cities that harbor the many pirates, slavers, and marauders who terrorize the Sea of Isles. The de facto capital, Paradise, is a lawless haven of crime, depravity, and debauchery.
Tricar
Tricar is a large island in the southern part of the Sea of Isles, some 500 miles west of Megonia. It was once the homeland of the Triclopes, but the island now lies empty and deserted, with the Triclopes extinct since the end of the War of Tyranny. Although largely jungle, the north and eastern regions were once host to great cities and fortresses. The coastal areas are patrolled by a cooperative fleet from the Medrean nations, as well as Suddaea and the Commonwealth, to keep away plunderers and tomb-robbers. Moreover, the island’s empowered defenses are still active, and those reckless treasure-hunters who have the misfortune to evade the blockade rarely meet with a pleasant end.
Nuram
Like many islands, Nuram was created by volcanism, and its most important feature is the ever-smoking volcano Mount Novarus, which dominates the entire western half of the island. The volcano has only erupted once in written history, as the result of over-mining, but is perpetually active, venting hot gases and lava with minor quakes and sputters from time to time. The volcano is believed to be extremely deep, and below the lava cap is a lava-filled chasm that may lead to the very core of the planet. During quakes and minor eruptions, rocks from the bowels of the earth are forced up and expelled or lodged in cavities in the volcano’s crater. Some of these rocks contain a mineral ore called novarite, which has a very special property—it pushes itself away from the earth, rather than being attracted to it. Today, Nuram is controlled by the Dworghen-owned Novarus Mercantile, which has exclusive rights to mine the priceless ore. Unsurprising the Novarus Mercantile is an extremely wealthy company.
Umbral Massif
The Umbral Massif is a large U-shaped islands with smoldering volcanic mountains lining its northern and western extent. The rest of the island is comprised of great lava plains and twisted forests, and the entire island is cast in perpetual twilight due to the ash and soot from the active volcanoes. There is also a sinister malevolence around the region—a residual impression left by the scores of crumbling temples once dedicated to darkness and chaos. The island is considered by many to be cursed, and it is overrun with horrific creatures and monstrous abominations. It is not known who built the temples, but they appear to be extremely old—perhaps dating back to the time of Elinica or earlier. The few human inhabitants, if they can even be called human, are little more than cannibalistic savages, but they may be the descendants of the people who built the dark temples so long ago.