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ÄRAM: Wake of Fallen Empire
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<blockquote data-quote="mikeg" data-source="post: 3824816" data-attributes="member: 39640"><p><strong>ÄRAM: Wake of Fallen Empire</strong></p><p></p><p> </p><p><strong>GEOGRAPHY </strong></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>The Known World </strong></p><p></p><p>Äram was once the name given to the earth above the waters. It literally meant <em>were ogm</em>, or "mankind's home". But as knowledge grew of what lay beyond the horizon, and the truly vast scale of the world imposed itself, names were needed for what lay outside of Äram.</p><p></p><p>The earliest existing world maps predate the Teulan expansion, and originate from the ancient human civilizations of southern Äram, around today's Arta and Paestum. They show the world as a flat watery disc, usually with east at the top of the map. In the center is the continent of Äram, shown in rigid geometry with a sharp notch in the southeast quadrant representing the Madratic Sea. The isles of Nerfyrda, Lephthra and Alfaad align themselves within the sea as featureless rectangles. To the left, the northern continent of Boream forms a sharp arc around Äram. And as mirror image, the continent of Asur cradles Äram from the south. Clusters of featureless rectangular islands to the west are known as Vesta. The eastern top of the map is left blank, and known simply as Ocean.</p><p></p><p>During the reign of the Teulu Mawr, more detailed charts were compiled of the shipping lanes through the Madratic. Imperial navigators and pilots went from port to port for centuries collecting soundings and measuring currents and prevailing winds. The navy maintained lighthouses and even placed manned buoys at important intersections on the open sea. Coastlines were verified by astronomical observations. Although these charts were assembled on a continental scale by Teulan cartographers, the resulting maps were a closely guarded secret. Independent trading houses were taxed dearly for access to the information, and even then they were sometimes only given a written list of navigational instructions for a defined route. Few of these maps still exist, and it is believed they are kept deep within the ancient libraries of Alfaad. Today, a heavy scroll tube containing imperial elven charts would be worth many times its weight in gold for an adventuring party.</p><p></p><p>Overland routes did not receive the same close scrutiny, although many local maps were available. Such maps indicated general direction and travel time between towns, as well as landmarks, but these were largely schematic and had very little consistency of scale. Greater accuracy was not introduced until the sweeping reforms of the Emperor Durisdana. His campaign to promote overland trade and accelerate military deployment led to a vastly improved network of standardized roads. The construction was commenced under the supervision of dwarven engineers and surveyors, whose accuracy is without parallel to this day. The dwarven plans served for decades as a reliable basis for imperial cartographers, and for the first time, maps were available with a standardized scale and elevation. The benefits were immense, but these newer maps were kept closely guarded by the Empire. Of course, such maps are a rare find today, and they will command a fine sum from academics, collectors, or merchant families.</p><p></p><p>Although many current maps show the continent of Äram with a contiguous coastline, the continent itself has never been circumnavigated, and questions remain concerning how far north and west the landmass extends. There is no evidence of the existence of the ancient northern continent of Boream, and today the term refers to any of the bitter isles north of the northern sea of Moth Gar. Few have travelled beyond the Moth Gar, but tales abound of the forest people in their long lodges, islands populated by dragons, and violent lands of fire and steam.</p><p></p><p>The lands to the northwest remain largely mysterious as well. The northern hills of Gora reach the western side of the Sea of Moth Gar, and block any attempts at trade or exploration into the bleaker land beyond. The adjacent upland halfling shires offer safe overland passage between the mountain ranges. But trade routes west of the shires turn quickly southward along the western slopes, and extend southwest to the massive port cities of Csorna. North of Csorna and west of the shires sits the sweeping Nagorno Plain, home to fierce nomadic people, the border ranges of goblinkind, and weirder beings still. The Nagorno never fell under control of the Teulan Empire, and the northwestern limits of its expanse are not known. Csornan ships travel up the coast to nomadic trading camps, exchanging metal goods for furs and amber. But further travel remains too dangerous, and has always ended in tragedy.</p><p></p><p>Little is known of lands to the west. Larger islands have exclusive rights with the ruthless Csornan trading families, and remain off limits to most others. A larger landmass is understood to exist beyond these islands, perhaps larger than Äram itself, and it is considered that this land is the Vesta of legend. One of its eastern reaches is home to a group of people called the Mornites. Small truths and exaggerations of Mornite culture have come back with Csornan trading ships, leading aristocrats in the Csornan coastal cities to create their own hedonistic mystery cults based on the tales (much to the dismay of the Doma).</p><p></p><p>More is known of the southern continent of Asur. Indeed the land of Myphthra south of Alfaad was a province of the Teulu Mawr. Teulan trade routes crossed the adjacent deserts in the ancient gold/salt/slave trade before the slavers were outlawed by Durisdana. Further to the west was a people known as the Keya. The little contact made with them ceased to exist after the collapse of the Empire, but it is thought that their own southern empire has recently explored the seas south of Äram with designs on expansion. Their technology seems to rival that of the Continent, and some of the royal houses of Äram have discussed the Keyan Empire and the threat it may pose to the known world.</p><p></p><p>Some knowledge of the northern coastline of Asur exists among traders today, although most trade carried on by the houses of Csorna and Ayr is only with Myphthra south of Alfaad. There are rumors that a circumnavigation of Asur was accomplished recently in 202, and that the charts exist somewhere in the Avoca Islands in the southern Madratic, but this claim is unsubstantiated.</p><p></p><p>To the east lies Ocean. Few vessels return with anything more than strange catches in their nets, and tales of skies devoid of flies and birds. The farthest voyages have failed to retrieve any soundings, and those who have not returned are believed to be the victims of the fierce storms which can batter the eastern shores of Ayr, Alfaad and Myphthra.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="mikeg, post: 3824816, member: 39640"] [b]ÄRAM: Wake of Fallen Empire[/b] [B] [/B] [B]GEOGRAPHY [/B] [B]The Known World [/B] Äram was once the name given to the earth above the waters. It literally meant [I]were ogm[/I], or "mankind's home". But as knowledge grew of what lay beyond the horizon, and the truly vast scale of the world imposed itself, names were needed for what lay outside of Äram. The earliest existing world maps predate the Teulan expansion, and originate from the ancient human civilizations of southern Äram, around today's Arta and Paestum. They show the world as a flat watery disc, usually with east at the top of the map. In the center is the continent of Äram, shown in rigid geometry with a sharp notch in the southeast quadrant representing the Madratic Sea. The isles of Nerfyrda, Lephthra and Alfaad align themselves within the sea as featureless rectangles. To the left, the northern continent of Boream forms a sharp arc around Äram. And as mirror image, the continent of Asur cradles Äram from the south. Clusters of featureless rectangular islands to the west are known as Vesta. The eastern top of the map is left blank, and known simply as Ocean. During the reign of the Teulu Mawr, more detailed charts were compiled of the shipping lanes through the Madratic. Imperial navigators and pilots went from port to port for centuries collecting soundings and measuring currents and prevailing winds. The navy maintained lighthouses and even placed manned buoys at important intersections on the open sea. Coastlines were verified by astronomical observations. Although these charts were assembled on a continental scale by Teulan cartographers, the resulting maps were a closely guarded secret. Independent trading houses were taxed dearly for access to the information, and even then they were sometimes only given a written list of navigational instructions for a defined route. Few of these maps still exist, and it is believed they are kept deep within the ancient libraries of Alfaad. Today, a heavy scroll tube containing imperial elven charts would be worth many times its weight in gold for an adventuring party. Overland routes did not receive the same close scrutiny, although many local maps were available. Such maps indicated general direction and travel time between towns, as well as landmarks, but these were largely schematic and had very little consistency of scale. Greater accuracy was not introduced until the sweeping reforms of the Emperor Durisdana. His campaign to promote overland trade and accelerate military deployment led to a vastly improved network of standardized roads. The construction was commenced under the supervision of dwarven engineers and surveyors, whose accuracy is without parallel to this day. The dwarven plans served for decades as a reliable basis for imperial cartographers, and for the first time, maps were available with a standardized scale and elevation. The benefits were immense, but these newer maps were kept closely guarded by the Empire. Of course, such maps are a rare find today, and they will command a fine sum from academics, collectors, or merchant families. Although many current maps show the continent of Äram with a contiguous coastline, the continent itself has never been circumnavigated, and questions remain concerning how far north and west the landmass extends. There is no evidence of the existence of the ancient northern continent of Boream, and today the term refers to any of the bitter isles north of the northern sea of Moth Gar. Few have travelled beyond the Moth Gar, but tales abound of the forest people in their long lodges, islands populated by dragons, and violent lands of fire and steam. The lands to the northwest remain largely mysterious as well. The northern hills of Gora reach the western side of the Sea of Moth Gar, and block any attempts at trade or exploration into the bleaker land beyond. The adjacent upland halfling shires offer safe overland passage between the mountain ranges. But trade routes west of the shires turn quickly southward along the western slopes, and extend southwest to the massive port cities of Csorna. North of Csorna and west of the shires sits the sweeping Nagorno Plain, home to fierce nomadic people, the border ranges of goblinkind, and weirder beings still. The Nagorno never fell under control of the Teulan Empire, and the northwestern limits of its expanse are not known. Csornan ships travel up the coast to nomadic trading camps, exchanging metal goods for furs and amber. But further travel remains too dangerous, and has always ended in tragedy. Little is known of lands to the west. Larger islands have exclusive rights with the ruthless Csornan trading families, and remain off limits to most others. A larger landmass is understood to exist beyond these islands, perhaps larger than Äram itself, and it is considered that this land is the Vesta of legend. One of its eastern reaches is home to a group of people called the Mornites. Small truths and exaggerations of Mornite culture have come back with Csornan trading ships, leading aristocrats in the Csornan coastal cities to create their own hedonistic mystery cults based on the tales (much to the dismay of the Doma). More is known of the southern continent of Asur. Indeed the land of Myphthra south of Alfaad was a province of the Teulu Mawr. Teulan trade routes crossed the adjacent deserts in the ancient gold/salt/slave trade before the slavers were outlawed by Durisdana. Further to the west was a people known as the Keya. The little contact made with them ceased to exist after the collapse of the Empire, but it is thought that their own southern empire has recently explored the seas south of Äram with designs on expansion. Their technology seems to rival that of the Continent, and some of the royal houses of Äram have discussed the Keyan Empire and the threat it may pose to the known world. Some knowledge of the northern coastline of Asur exists among traders today, although most trade carried on by the houses of Csorna and Ayr is only with Myphthra south of Alfaad. There are rumors that a circumnavigation of Asur was accomplished recently in 202, and that the charts exist somewhere in the Avoca Islands in the southern Madratic, but this claim is unsubstantiated. To the east lies Ocean. Few vessels return with anything more than strange catches in their nets, and tales of skies devoid of flies and birds. The farthest voyages have failed to retrieve any soundings, and those who have not returned are believed to be the victims of the fierce storms which can batter the eastern shores of Ayr, Alfaad and Myphthra. [/QUOTE]
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