Ayodesh

 

Ayodesh is the third largest contintent on Tear by area. It is connected at the Isthmus of Desh to Kashdush, the two contiguous land masses are considered separate continents. It is the worlds largest land mass measuring east to west and is over 9600km long from the city of Aleht at 65W x 14N on the shores of the Middle Sea in the east to the city of Horizon at 166W x 37N on the Sea of Tears in the west. Excepting a few tiny slices of land on the southern edge of the Odeshi Wastes, all of Ayodesh is located in the northern hemisphere.

Except for in the Isthmus of Desh, and the fertile plains between the River Sanek and the Middle Sea, Vehira is visibile in the sky everywhere in Ayodesh. Across two thirds of the Odeshi Wastes, Vehira is visible on the western horizon making it an extremely useful fixed reference for desert navigation. North of the Silver Mountains, on the Sea of Odesh, lies the city of Evenshade at 100W x 28N. Here, Vehira rests exactly on the horizon and Azane is eclipsed behind her before sunset each evening only to create a spectacular flare 80 minutes later that lasts about four minutes at the moment of actual sunset. In a traditional dinner this is the moment when toasts are made and bread is broken.

The city of Shahaifor is the principle city of the contintent, located at 43N x 124W, the city has gone through major phases of occupation, destruction, reconstruction, immolation and re-reconstruction, yet it remains one of the most powerful and important cities in the world. The region wrapping around the Sea of Palms, Pharos from, through Shahaifor to Mushadeh is one of the most densely populated regions of Tear.

The climate of Ayodesh varies wildly. At the northermost reaches, on the Odesh Isles to the far north, temperatures fall below freezing for much of the year and maintaining crops is difficult even in the most temperate areas. Western Ayodesh, however, is largely temperate and pleasant for most of the year. In central Ayodesh, where the Calcanian and Silver Mountains collide, a high plateau is formed, and the terrain and climate are both cold and inhospitable. Beneath this plateau, however, Ayodesh descends into the Odeshi Wastes, the hottest and driest area in the world. Here, temperatures can reach 50 degrees, and a few minutes under Azane can kill. On the eastern edge of the continent, the Odeshi Wastes are transformed into fertile grasslands in the Plains of Sanek, and the eastern shores of Ayodesh are warm and humid.

The fragment terrain of Ayodesh; broken up by mountain ranges and separated by deserts and seas, make for a continent with many distinct cultures. Multiple invasions, particularly during the Imperial Era, also impacted how those distinct cultures evolved. The peoples of the far east are entirely isolated from those in the west - they are often Azanists and they are economically and culturally tied to the people of Eastreach in Jumira and the Westerlands region of Golanicja. The people in central Ayodesh are far more connected to the trade networks in the Great Spiral Sea.

In terms of industry and trade, Ayodesh has everything, but again, the fragmented terrain means that the different regions of Ayodesh are often trading as much among one another as they are outside the continent.

Azure Sea

Despite being connected to one of the world's largest continents, the Azure Sea region is actually somewhat remote and isolated. This is in some ways intentional. During the Imperial Era, the Tuloszian crown conquered this region and many of its lands were carved up and given to Tuloszian Lords. Huge castles and estates were built and everything these lords needed or wanted was availabe and close at hand. Offices for some of the world most powerful companies were founded, and the region became a center of finance and industry, managing the continual flow of money and resources that maintained the Imperial wars. When the Imperial Era ended, the companies of the Azure Sea were sol solidified, and the now-former Tuloszian lords so entrenched and wealthy that they just became the new ruling class of the region. By the 15th century the region is something of a covert hub of economic and political power, isolated not as much by geography as by wealth.

Calcanian Mountains

If the Silver Mountains are likened to the pelvic cradle of Ayodesh, the Calcanian Mountains are the spine. This long mountain range runs eastward from Lapis in the west until it joins or perhaps collides with the Silver Mountains between Rainwall and Papyrus in the east. The Calcanian Mountains are a narrow but high mountain range, with many sharp, jagged peaks and treacherous passes. The range is formed of sedimentary rock, forced up by geological action. It is a major source of limestone used ton construct many of the great edifices in the Sea of Palms region. They are also a major source of quartz, coal, shale, chalk, flint and many other useful stones. Crossing this range has always been difficult - the passes are narrow and steep, and prone to avalanche, with very few reliably safe routes that are of enormous strategic and economic importance. The relative difficulty in crossing this range also keeps the people of the Sea of Palms region largely culturally isolated from the people who live on the shores of the Sea of Odesh to the north.

Isthmus of Desh

The Isthmus of Desh is a small region between the Plains of Sanek to the south and the Strongbough and Kirbek Rivers to the north that define the border between Ayodesh and Kashdush. The Isthmus of Desh is, in fact, a small mountain range - possibly part of the Silver Mountains in a geological sense, despite being separate from them by the southeastern end of the Sea of Desh. The terrain here is all but impassable from north to south, with the only real route being through the city of Sanek's Gate.

Odesh Isles

The Odesh Isles are two large, remote islands in the Northern Sea at the mouth of the Sea of Odesh. Except for some volcanic hotsprings which keep a few small areas of these islands slightly warmer, they are largely frozen and inhospitable for most of the year. The few cities here are largely supported by fishing and whaling and are highly dependent on mainland Ayodesh for trade.

Odeshi Wastes

The Odeshi Wastes are an enormous inhopsitable desert stretching north from the equator to the Silver Mountains, and east to the River Sanek. Aside from a few small cities along the coast and a couple of cities in the interior founded around natural oases, the Odeshi Wastes have no permanent settlements. However there are hundreds, perhaps even thousands of small nomadic tribes scattered across theses lands. These tribes are collectively referred to as the Odesherai. Some of these tribes support the trade networks that cross the Wastes, connecting north to south and east to west, while others are travelling bands of raiders who prey on these traders. Many of these groups are in conflict with one another over the few scarce resources available in the Wastes, and occasionally a series of conflicts might lead to a single tribe gaining power and control over many others and forming into a horde.

Plains of Marqash

The Plains of Marqash in western Ayodesh are the largest contiguous fertile region on the continent - small by the standards of other continents, the Plains of Marqash are enormously fertile owing to near perfect geologic and climatic conditions. The conquest of this region and its resources made it possible for the armies of the Tuloszian Kingdom to wage constant war against central Ayodesh for centuries during the Imperial Era. After the Imperial Era, almost all of the productive land here was owned by wealthy families and organizations in the Azure Sea region, and this remains true well into the 15th century. Essentially none of the bountiful land here is freehold land, and almost all of it is worked by sharecroppers working for subsistance for large industrial farming collectives. In some of the larger, more liberal city states, such as around the city of Marqash itself and around Horizon, the structures are less corporate and more fuedal in nature. In such places the land is more commonly worked by peasants who, at least in come cases, can own their home, tools and animals and may even be permitted to own a small, family-sized chunk of the land they work for their lord.

Plains of Sanek

The Plains of Sanek is a fertile savannah grassland situated east of the River Sanek, which runs from the south end of Sanek's Pass through several minor cities, towns and villages and empties into the Middle Sea at Gold Port. While not the most fertile or productive region, it is strategically critical to western Ayodesh as without it, the Odeshi Wastes would continue all the way to the mountainous barrier of the Isthmus of Desh and possibly render all of the Odeshi wastes entirely uninhabitable, even by the Odesherai. This grassland, and the agriculture and cities it supports enabled the Golanicjan Kingom to establish a foothold in eastern Ayodesh during the Imperial Era, and while the Imperial wars caused great harm, they also allowed for the development and stabilization of this region, and development of trade routes that diversified and stabilized the world thereafter.

Sea of Palms

The Sea of Palms region is the most densely populated region in Ayodesh and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. This region wraps around the Sea of Palms from Pharos, through Shahaifor and the many cities south of the Calcanian Mountains, and down to the cities of Mushadeh, Badi-Kark and the Strait of Addisc. The mediterranean climate, rich agriculture, ready access to many resources from the Calcanian Mountains and the relative ease of waterborne trade between the ports surrounding the sea allowed this region of the world to develop and expand quickly. The principle city of Shahaifor arose early as one of the most important cities on all of Tear, and centuries of conflict in this region during the Imperial Era did nothing to diminish its cultural or economic importance, even as it changed hands more than half a dozen times. The Great Fire of Shahaifor, in 1231, was another story however. The city was essentially annihilated in a blaze that was hot enough at its core to melt solid rock, vaporize iron and obliterate all trace of those consumed. It is impossible to know how may died in the fire but the number may be as high as thirty thousand. After the fire, a long process of rebuilding began, support by many powerful factions and companies and many Great Houses - even families from city states that had warred oves Shahaifor centuries previously committed funds and material resources to the reconstruction. By the 15th century, Shahaifor is largely restored, though works still remains to do. Its status as the economic and cultural fulcrum of the Sea of Palms has largely been restored.

Silver Mountains

The Silver Mountains are a large imposing mountain range that run mostly east to west across the middle of Ayodesh where they collide with the Calcanian Mountains between the cities of Rainwall and Papyrus. The plateau on which these mountains rest is almost three kilometers above sea level, collapsing almost completely on the southern side, where the Odeshi Wastes begin abruptly. Almost none of the water from these mountains goes into the Odeshi wastes, with over 99% of it being trapped northern side where it runs into northern Ayodesh or down into the Sea of Palms region or feeds the Papyrus or Argenta rivers. The Silver Mountains are named for their abundance of that metal, as well as for other white and grey metals including lead, tin, iron, mercury, arsenic and zinc, all of which are mined in abundance and fuel trade across the continent.