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The Pirate Island

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The Island of Arkadara Stronghold of the Pirate Princes Overview of the Island The floating island is medium sized, about 20 by 100 km in size. The north coast is rugged empty land, often swept by storms, no good for farming in fact hardly anything grows there at all. The Crescent Hills protect the south from the worst weather. At the eastern end of the Hills, near Broken Beek Bay, are the ruins of a castle. Across the bay from the castle are the Three Sister Hills. They are said to be haunted by 3 witches. To the south of the Hills is the Marsh, once it was extensively worked to produce salt. Today there is only a small salt farming operation. The central part of the island is good land, once covered by hardwood trees, much of it has been cleared for agriculture and used in the building of ships. Some residents worry that trees are being cut too fast, in a generation there may be no more big trees left. The port town of Arkada is located here on the ce...
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West Azanara 03

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Nations of West Azanara 03 The kingdom of Goffnia. In the rugged northern lands are the rolling plains around the river Goff, which branches into the Finna and Logga rivers. The best farm land in the area is still not all that great, but the country is rich in mineral wealth, forest resources, and grazing land. The map shows the settled heartland of Goffnia, however the Crown claims all the surrounding forests, to the eastern mountains and to the southern city states. In the past it has claimed ownership of them too. For much of history Goffnia has been a fragmented feudal land of a dozen small kings, each fighting for resources. This is in part because of the great sage Hobbert’s teachings about what a perfect kingdom should be. A major point in his writings is the idea that a kingdom must not depend on any imports, it must control the source of any important resource. The matter was mostly settled 600 years ago when Baron von Belldun rose to power and ...
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West Azanara 02

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Nations of the West of Azanara 02 The disunited realm of Catallar. About 400 years ago there was a war over succession between the brother and sister of house Hallensa. The realm was split in two; the Queendom of Kaz and the kingdom of Hidallga were formed. Unlike most wars this one included a very strong gender element. The queen of Kaz was not simply a female monarch, she installed a matriarchy, with the aim that 90% of all important jobs, especially leadership posts, be held by women. To understand the area one must understand the character of the Catallar people. They are highly passionate and interested in reputation above all else. Personal reputation for achieving great things is first but also local town glory matters a great deal. In contrast to the other great nations; Goffnians who value organization and discipline, Parizans who value art and comfort, Albyons who value wealth and power, the Catallar are quite different in their outlook. A person’s life sho...
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West Azanara 01

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Nations of the West of Azanara 01 The Empire of Albyon. It is a union of 4 island kingdoms; the central Albyon island itself, the northern Orksyon , the southern Lyonsee , and the western Killayna . By law any member of the 4 royal families may be elected as Emperor, they must take up residence at the capital city of Lardinum on Albyon. By tradition it is usually a member of the Albyon royal house who holds that post. Albyon island is a very modern and industrious place, with several small towns and many villages. The old city of Sardrum, home of the royal house of Emery, is something of a museum keeping its medieval character. It sits peacefully half way up the Werric River with the mining town of Broffhill to the north and the imperial capital Lardinum to the south. Sardrum’s most modern feature is the railway hub located a short distance outside the old walls. Lardinum itself has been ruthlessly modernized time and time again. It is the industrial h...
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Azanara - Overview

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The Central Lands : AZANARA The continent is a large place, spanning about 3000 km north to south and 6000 km east to west ( but map makers are notoriously inaccurate at this scale, it could well be bigger ).  In addition to the main body of land there are several sizable islands on the continental shelf. The West Kingdoms of the Steam Lords. The European nations. As the name implies most of them have advanced steam power technology. The big 3 powers are; the Albyon Empire , the Kingdom of Goffnia , the Royal Republic of Parizan . There are several minor kingdoms and city states in the area, including; DwaBof the mountain realm, Queendom of Kaz and kingdom of Hidallga – once united as Catallar, The kingdom of Merconia , The very powerful Lake Towns of Le’Tarrag and La’Vettelle . Although there are sizable differences in cultural details, they are of one basic type with a common root language. In geographic terms they are isolated from the continental interior by the R...
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The World Map

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The World Map Basically the world has three continents; the North, the South, and the Central lands. There are a few fixed islands scattered about and many moving islands, not shown on this map. Because of the axial tilt of the world the south always receives more sunlight, the days are long and it is hot, while the opposite is true for the north. The central lands enjoy a more moderate balanced climate. The North. A huge desert of ice dominates the north pole, with a 1000 km of tundra surrounding it. Not many plants or animals live up here. Because of the world’s tilt this region is in perpetual twilight. The coniferous forest stretches from the tundra to the coast, from a few 100 to a 1000 km wide. The climate here is harsh but many sturdy plants and furry animals make it home. The nights are long and so are the winters. Its very poor land for agriculture, but a few scattered kingdoms do exist. Most of the people who inhabit the North are tough, they have ...
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About Georgaphy

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About Geography. How about we have some floating islands? I don’t mean sky islands; I am talking about realistic-ish islands that float in the oceans of the world. This is not a new idea, but Iv never really developed it in a setting before. They offer some very interesting gaming situations you can not have in a normal setting with immovable land masses. They make travel more challenging, as you may lose your home island. Navigation is always something of a gambol. Even if the pattern of movement is rather predictable, storms can move islands way off course. They can  make a game have the feeling of a space adventure, with the big islands being like alien worlds. Islands may break up in large storms. They may collide with each other or with the main land. They may slip from the north to the south, radically changing their climate. They may become stranded in one of the calm zones. Also of important is the idea that not all islands move at the same speed; small ones moving f...
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