The Three Rivers Continent: Forosth to Loos
Forosth
Moving back westward, to the far coast of Lwedne we have the three islands of Fienreeo, Coord and Liamset. These are three medium islands of volcanic origin situated in the Myrtna Sea some hundred kilometres west of Lwedne, the only land between Lwedne and Tronapt; a vast distance. The three islands are uninhabited but full of decayed and crumbled structures. Before the Collision they were used as research stations for oceanographic studies, but the purpose and the science are long lost.
Travelling back to Forosth-Stanf we come to the Straits of Szarn and eastward into Surdje Bay. Here we have the island of Lyskx. It is used as a retreat by the folk of the land of Hauld, specifically the town of Rhiala. Midway between Rhiala and the Forosth city-state of Nelucium is the Ovirht Archipelago, another lair of pirates and ne'er-do-well's, famous for their poisoning of Rolinna, lover and companion of Aegyptus Juvens. The Ovirhts form the arbitrary border between Surdje Bay and The Belly. The islands here are nothing more than jutting rocks, and north into the Maingulf, there are no islands at all.
Forosth-Stanf is divided into its constituent parts by the Khumaar Hills. South, in Forosth itself are a number of regimes. The largest of these is the Arch-duchy of Telxerxes centered on the town of the same name on the south coast. This extends to the town of Taas, a straight line drawn across to Culusthi on the Sea of Marnopyre coast.
The river Hustor forms a border between it and the city-state of Prosthh. West, hard up on the Straits of Szarn and on the narrow Khurviat Peninsula is the trading post of Xats, which is claimed by nobody. North is some sparsely populated steppe, broken by the trade camp of Einsvold and the chaotic city of Nelucium that is ruled by a heavenly being named Ge Diomala who espouses a vague doctrine known as the Final Sound. Most of the folk are the ancestors of Inforagers, although a lot of them lack the distinctive cicatrix.
Ge Diomala has declared war on the ruler of Prosthh, the Ensignor, who in turn is at odds with Arion, Arch-Duke of Telxerxes. The three sides have not yet fielded an army but there is much sabre-rattling.
North of Nelucium is the town of Lonord, which is a nondescript place. Beyond that are the Khumaar Hills and Stanf.
Stanf
Stanf is a wilder place than Forosth. The Inforagers have never ventured here nor have the more cultured races of the continent. There are settlements here, but they are arbitrary and in contention with each other. Most of the populace are shiftless and nomadic. The only town of size is Tarxiu on the far north, which is walled and bears some semblance of civilisation. The east coast of Forosth-Stanf is subject to typhoons and monsoonal deluges.
This weather pattern also affects western Lwedne to an extent. The Fairge is generally sheltered and calm. Fierce tropical storms also batter the southern coast of Lwedne, near Mauroh and Hlan and southern Forosth. Generally, being close to the equator, the climate is one of a tropical nature; little temperature variation, perpetually humid with rainfall coming mainly in the so-called wet season. Another note to this region is the wild seas experienced where the Fairge meets the Equatic Ocean. Two currents swirl here and create havoc-wreaking weather. This is the primary reason Helopsy remains uninhabited.
Arimorn
The south coast of the Three Rivers continent. The land in the south-western extremity of the continent is named Arimorn. This is a geographical region, rather than a political one. Arimorn is demarcated on the east by the mighty Orstrey River, to the north by the Urosp River, the so-called Spiced River and to the west and south by water. It is generally low-lying undulating country with little variation. The grandly-named Argyre Mountains are no more than knolls.
Savanna and isolated stands of jungle and forest make up most of the topography. The land is heavily cultivated with a great variety of crops. There are numerous tribes, septs and races making up the constituency here. Veltor Wanderers to the south-west, Dialesians of Port Diales, Chirda, Hansers from Kilvisti, Argyrians, Canal Societors of Fenstre, Bradeers and Kellems of the west, Iraquallier of the north, Ardnesians and Thads of Thadnurn. Fenstre sits in the Orstrey delta and is neither Arimorn nor Hauld. Argyre is more Hauld than Arimorn. Ardnes is the same.
The Orstrey River originates in the Chain, a range of mountains, which extend from northern Hauld, bend around to the north as far as southern Mynatan. It is fed by meltwater and springs and throughout its 500 km length it is broad. Ardnes sits on the west bank of it, which makes it Arimorn, the same with Argyre. Both of these places are city-states, Argyre ruled by the Riverlord, Ardnes by a Council. Fenstre, in the delta is an immense city of nearly half a million people. The people are distinct; the Canal Society. The Canal Society are ethnically related to the Oruri of Hauld, a fact few of them could willingly recall, much less care about.
Fenstre is a large granitic island in the sluggish channels and swamps of the Orstrey delta and all trade and produce from the north, and from east and west, passes through here. The principal island has been divided up into a bewildering array of canals and the Canal Society reflect their environment by being a bewildering, confusing and secretive people. They are totally mistrustful of foreigners despite the trade and wealth of the city and refer to foreigners as antemery.
Even after three generations one is still considered antemery and accorded a scornful status. The religions and culture of the people encourage complexity and camouflage and the streets, lanes and houses of Fenstre are a riot of colour, vegetation, secret entrances, lustres, furtive glances, knives in the dark and confusion. The locals take all this in their stride and a visitor would generally find the intrigue and immensity of Fenstre totally mesmerising. Fenstre is the subject of a story and is dealt with in much more detail elsewhere. Fenstre is also ancient. It is easily the oldest settlement in this part of the continent, going back just over 10000 years.
The Chirda are tolerated in Fenstre and aren't considered antemery overmuch. The same is true, to a lesser nature, with folk from Argyre, Port Ofrey in Hauld and Bozlin and Orur, also in Hauld. Folk of Port Diales are viewed with moderate suspicion due to their (occasionally justified) reputation as cheats and swindlers.
West of Fenstre, along the engineering marvel of the Port Diales causeway, is Port Diales itself. It serves an extensive hinterland and is a centre for gold, silver and jade trading. It is also Thadnurn's main port. The causeway is an elevated road through the swamp and mangrove that makes up a lot of the southern coastline of the continent. It is thirty metres wide and paved with fine flat stones for most of its length. It is elevated by four metres above the surrounding terrain. It is all that remains of an ancient pipeline and conveyor system built before the Collision.
Port Diales is a city-state ruled by a Jademaster. Much further west still of Port Diales is Tosban, a port for ferries across the Strait of Vorth to Lwedne. The town is heavily fortified against Veltor Wanderer incursions and other nomadic banditry.
West of Tosban is Real Movier on the very edge of the continent. Thadnurn, which lies north of Port Diales is principally a mining town. Here jade and amber are excavated, as well as platinum and silver. The race here are Thads, a tall people tanned much like the Veltor Wanderers. They speak their own language and are renown for their cuisine and for the extravagance of their dress. Argyre and Ardnes are river trading towns mainly, each town harbouring a unique race.
Ardnesians are a noble, aloof race believed to have migrated from further north, possibly Corsor or Mynatan. They are fair people, totally out of place in the tropics. They again have their own tongue and culture. Argyrians are a mixture of disenchanted Societors, Thads and others. They regard themselves as a distinct race. The Kellems live in or around the town of Lakkormi near the Urosp delta. Like the Ardnesians they are a fair people and the language they speak is similar to Ardnesian.
The Bradeer are a nomadic folk who earn their keep by caravanning. They are originally from Lwedne before being displaced by the more aggressive Veltor Wanderers. There is much enmity between them. Physically they show much in common with the Chirda. The Bradeer have a tongue of their own although they speak more Gartha, the lingua franca of the continent, than anything else. They are centered around Real Movier.
The Iraquallier keep mainly north of the Urosp, in and around Purshnair, where they contend with the mercantilist Hansers for trade. The Urosp is named the Spiced River for the salts and minerals washed into it by volcanic action in the Chain. After a lava flow, sometimes it is a bright yellow colour and has an arsenical reek. Usually, it is a muddy brown, like most rivers.
Hauld
Hauld is east of the Orstrey and is demarcated by the Chain to the north, the Fairge to the south, Arimorn to the west and the Croxi river to the east, where it meets the land of Loos. Like Arimorn, it is a geographical area. The main town is Orur, in the heart of Hauld. Orur is the centre of extensive farming and horticulture, with forest produce and some mining associated. The folk who dwell here are Oruri, a collective grouping rather than an ethnological group. They speak Gartha and little else. It is one of the oldest settlements on Fels.
There is none of the cultural variety of Arimorn here and the land of Hauld is generally genteel and civilised as it can be on Fels. Other towns include Port Ofrey. Bozlin, which is part of Orur's jurisdiction. Morgilt, further east of Port Ofrey is a minor port, trading in mangrove produce and sea-wares. Szarn sits west of the Croxi River and serves as a ferry junction for Fairge traffic and a river port for towns such as Rhiala further north.
West of the Croxi River is the Land of Loos. Loos is a realm only abstruse geographers would know the existence of. Like Hauld and Arimorn before it, it is a geographical region. It is demarcated on the west by Arimorn, the north by Corsor, and the south by the Belly and the east, by the Maingulf and the Sea of Marnopyre. To the geographers that know, Loos is bordered to the north by the river running from the coastal town of Jelotnar to Piernke in Corsor, hard on the Yann River. Jelotnar sits opposite Tarxiu in Stanf. They face each other over the five kilometre wide Strait of Pyre which is frequently unnavigable due to storms and treacherous currents. Jelotnar is a small unassuming port ruled by a council of Elders.
South from Jelotnar, inland of the wild Maingulf coast, lies Yamorne, a caravanserai. This place comes under the sway of the Three Towns Synod. The Synod's members are: Porjelan, Cirinx and Rakhanst. Porjelan is the largest of these, occupying a midway position between Jelotnar and Orur. It is a walled city with a dominant citadel. Cirinx is south-east of Porjelan and is a centre for fruit produce, as is Rakhanst, which is on the road to Jelotnar. Further south-east of Cirinx lies Riaelo, on the Belly's coast. Riaelo is a town that has been settled among the mangrove. A wooden palisade surrounds it and it is ruled over by a Wick. Further down, near the Strait of Szarn are the towns Hujman and Lusby, two nondescript villages dealing with the sea and its produce.
On to Corsor and Nae