The Southern Kingdoms

The Southern Kingdoms are the most populous regions in the known world due to the temperate climates and advantageous geography. They reach from the Green Peaks in the north to the Narrow Sea in the south.

The River Kingdoms
Between the Green Peaks and the Bergelon Range lie the verdant Riverlands, so named for the two major rivers (and their tributaries) that dominate it; the Emerald Ways and the Tarn. The Bay of Crowns is also a significant geographic feature of the region as stretches nearly 150 miles inland, cutting the riverlands in two. The eastern borders are marked by The Reach in the north east (a sparsely populated region that evolves into empty grasslands) and the Al’Arad desert in the south east.

The River Kingdoms refer to the houses that rule over numerous fiefdoms in the region. There are five major houses that each control a number of vassal houses. There have been only a handful of times in history that the River Kingdoms have been at peace, because if they are not being invaded by an outside force they are fighting each other over control of lands and resources.

The Al’Arad Dessert
This vast, arid region is named Al’Arad by the Calishite people of the Mansha Cradle. Further north it is referred to as the Black Lands for the dark clay that rests just below the surface of the shifting sands. Scholars claim the region used to be a huge cradle of civilisation full of fertile grasslands and lush jungles, all fed by what would have been the longest river in the known world. However, during the divergence, a catastrophic earthquake combined with the simultaneous eruptions of several volcanoes caused the river to be diverted and dry up. Within decades the whole region would have become a wasteland. The mountain range that form the south and eastern borders are known in this part of the world as Alemoud Alam, or the Spine of the World.