[[:Template:Geography]]
Geography
The main focus of the World of Kralis is the lands of Ta Los, the greatest effort surrounds the Southern Realms. You can also explore any other charted regions and continents on this fascinating world. Dive into a deep and richly detailed world established over many years.
| Moving about the World | |
| The vastness of Kralis can be daunting. Even within a specific kingdom, nation or realm, moving from point A to point B with any haste is difficult from sheer number of miles between these locations.
Most of those on Kralis that desire to go from one location to another often rely on walking, especially if the distance is short and there are few dangers. Moving from a town to a city can often both be long and dangerous and those that travel often do so by riding horse, or wagons pulled by various types of animals (horses and oxen are the most common) or through steam-engine powered vehicles. Yet traveling more than a two or three hundred miles becomes arduous for both the animals and travelers, especially if you are traveling from the Northern Realms to the southern nations of the Southern Realms. It is impractical to do so. Unless of course you use a number of other means to move across vast regions with little effort or with even fewer steps. Many travelers that must move vast distances tend to book rooms and passage on the numerous airships that travel between specific cities and large towns. These airships range in size from small cargo ships of 30’ long with a single air-balloon and steam-engine propellers to massive cruisers (known as khrusthars) with up to 15 decks, loaded with armament for protection from sky-pirates as well as the threat of dragons and other giant flying monstrosities. Others prefer staying on land, with their feet able to touch solid earth in a matter of moments should they fall from their rides. Those that can afford it and known of a proper blacksmith and engineer (preferably the Ha'Vatu species) have found themselves able to move under the power of clockwork transportation such as iron horses or self-propelled wagons. There are also those that travel over the land on what are known as sevmahjewl (magical bikes that hover above the ground) that move as fast as a running horse. Traveling the world also may require travelers to embark on ocean going vessels. Within the world of Kralis there are several oceans, and in Ta Los there are two inland seas. Similar to the great airships that cross the skies, there are small ships, cargo ships, and huge galleys and cruisers. There are also small one and two person skimmers known as jhuntka that are propelled by both energy crystals or steam engine, as well as underwater vehicles known as submersibles. |
The Four Realms of Talos
Talos, like its sister continents, is huge. To better talk about it, it has been divided into 4 realms that contain a number of other kingdoms, lands, empires, etc. They are the Northern Realms, Western Realms, Southern Realms, and the Eastern Realms. The Baronies of Vishraan and the Ice Kingdoms are separate from these realms in the sense that they do not fit into the boundaries of each of the realms, and act as border kingdoms.
While the map of Ta Los could have been divided into two actual regions: Northern and Southern; each of the kingdoms within the specific realms are unique enough to be divided into four realms. This can be as easy as the climate and environment of each of the realms, as well as cultural.
The Northern and Western Realms are both cold environments. The Northern Realms are effected by powerful storms coming from the Vaheem, and experience more precipitation and harsher winters than the Western Realms. The Western Realms by contrast are cold, but much drier. It experiences fewer powerful storms, as most break upon Myngaard and Azar before reaching the Western Realms. Where the Northern Realms have more dense and thicker snow and rain fall, the Western Realms experience lighter rain and snow fall, but more often as most of these storms come from Iztalik and the arctic winds.
The Southern and Eastern Realms are very similar to the Northern and Western Realms as they each deal with similar weather patterns. The Eastern Realms, specifically the Kingdom of Nazhryn, are extremely wet. Where as the Southern Realms are much drier as the storms from the Sea of Ithangar are not as powerful as the ones that blow off the Vaheem.
As one travels further south, both the Southern and Eastern Realms get hotter and more dry, often giving way to sand deserts such as the Empire of Resha, the Barony of Michan and Pash Tar. While these regions get storms from the Sea of Tarn and the Blood Sea, their central regions are often bone dry with little precipitation. A few times a year powerful arctic storms blow off of Gashinar to whip the regions into powerful dust and sandstorms, often combined with both rain and snow at times.
Of Kingdoms, Countries and Nations
Ta Los, and by extension Kralis, is a huge place and as such has room for a great number of species which unite to create kingdoms, duchies, countries, nations, “realms” and “lands”. Each of these areas takes up some space in the real world, but this does not mean that each of these areas is packed full of a specific species or even multiple species.
Kingdoms, nations, “Lands”, “Realms”, countries and the like are only defined by the more apparent natural borders that divide the world. Mountain ranges, inner seas, forests, swamps, deserts, rivers, and more make up their borders. These borders are open and fluctuate, you may never know that you have crossed into one kingdom and you may expect to cross into another kingdom by crossing over the ridge of hill or the edge of a great forest, and in both cases you may be wrong as the borders tend to move back and forth over the years.
In many locales there are often huge monolithic stone structures that are arranged in a line attempting to follow the contour of the realm separated sometimes by many miles others separated by whole mountain ranges. These monolithic stones are crafted by stone masons and are inlaid with warnings, descriptions or some simply indicated that you have crossed into a specific kingdom, land, nation or realm.
As these areas tend to be defined by the natural occurrences of the world they are also not filled with mortal beings from edge to edge. It is more likely than not that a group of adventurers can set across the world and will never run into a single town or city, and it is just as likely that they will be missed by a horde of monsters that went down one valley as they came up another. This does not mean, however, that they will never run into monsters, the king’s cavalries, or fall into an abandoned ruin.
All species desire to expand, but they all realize the dark nature of the world and the monstrous beasts that linger at the doorsteps of safe communities waiting for the foolish or brave hearty to step into the wild. Because of this there are many hundreds of ruins, deserted towns, overrun fortresses and ancient forts through out the world.
So remember that as you travel the world and you look down into the valleys of nations and kingdoms that in the very far distance there is a capital, and there are villages and towns being besieged by monsters, the Wildlands grow larger and that the king’s cavalry or armies of the baron are not going to be riding from village to town to the border protecting the kingdoms from devastation, invasion or destruction. This is left up to you.
Life in Kralis, the Omniverse and Beyond
Life within the world of Kralis and in some respect the whole Omniverse is an odd mix of ancient ways, ancient beliefs and the struggle of new thoughts, ideas and way of living.
Most explorers will tell you that living in this vastness is more exciting than it should be, while the farmer might tell you that its just another day of hard work and the senator from Dardura Sheva might tell you that the most interesting battle they face is the sinister plots of Blue Scarab Trading Company or the rantings of the Northern District representative asking for more security.
More often than not life within Kralis for most folk goes by as it always has for thousands of years, peacefully. But this does not mean that there are wars being fought against the onslaught of fir darrigs, oracs or hazors, or one state against another, or a fleet of werathi descending on a lone void station drifting the in the void between solar systems as a way-station for void travelers.
Life in most large cities and towns is busy and can be filled with intrigue and casual daily violence from barfights to showdowns to one crime syndicate taking on another for dominance of a city block or two.
Life beyond the city walls, the village farms is hard and filled with great danger, so on and so forth. But beyond the edges of civilization, in the Wildlands, beasts, monsters and other supernatural life hold sway. Most do not make war to create nations or realms, they fight for survival, or for dominance of their tribe. Unless hardship or disaster lands in the laps of civilization, most tend to regard such as the problems of others, of crazed rulers making mistakes or evil conquers. Most of the Omniverse is aware and feels the presence of the deities of the varied pantheons, as well as see the effects of the divine. Magic as well has as much of a strong presence as the belief of the deities does.
Technology or Aradgah is the new kid on the block when it comes to its use and acceptance. Though it has been a part of the Omniverse since nearly its inception. It was first used by the Lhatijo and was spread through out the Omniverse, though most of it became lost through the millennia. It has become the "poormans" magic and has begun to help the common folk as much as it has helped connect the many worlds through out the Omniverse. Most mortal lives are balanced between their daily needs (survival and growth) and obligations (family, groups, clans, tribes, work), their personal desires (gaining more wealth, more power, or a better life) and the endless game of the great powers of the world and the Omniverse to advance the influence and aims of one realm, a group, a government, the great chaos, a deity or thwart and stop the going ons of another.
There are many voices through out the Omniverse and they all tell a different story from their own perspectives. There are a fifteen great cultures within the world of Kralis, and many more out in the Omniverse. Many of these voices say much of the same thing about their place, beliefs, outlooks, hopes and states of mind.
"We move from one location to another, in order to survive, we travel the same paths our ancestors have since the beginning of time. We have survived for generations doing this. We follow the shifts of the seasons, the wane of the Rhu, the shifting silpstreams of the Ominverse as well as they shifting sands of the Suduva Makatu Desert or the deep snows of the Prax Dun Mountains. The world and the stars move and so must we. Staying in one location too long draws attention and saps the region of its lifeforces, staying to long in one place means your are going to fight everyday to stay there. And that does not make sense." - Anja Greysmoke, Tribal Leader of the Aesther Tribe.
"Listen, there is more to see and learn than your scrolls, information crystals, or books could ever tell you. The city dwellers and those townsfolk call us barbarians because we live free in the world as nature and the gods created it. We do not live in houses made of brick or desire to live crushed together like ants. We live life the way it was meant to be. But there is as much culture in our traditions as there is in theirs. We chose to experience the world face to face and you cannot do that sitting behind stone walls, in dark rooms. Why should a mortal lock themselves away? We appreciate all the comforts and warmth just like the city dwellers and townsfolk who seek the same but choose differently than us. We take the world and indeed the Omniverse on it own terms. We put our faith in our ancient ways, laws, customs and traditions. Our word is our honor, we are bound by traditions that make transgressions against tribe and kin all but unheard of as our level of transgressions tell us the level of punishment enforced. Some times that means death, but at least we rarely have those that transgress against the clans and helps us to live in harmony. Because we live in this state of freedom we accept everything that comes as the way of the Omniverse and gods." - Dhar Stormcrow - Clan of the Cave Hydra, a true Tagesta.
"Haha, welcome my friend, welcome to the city of Jad! A fine city is it not! Can you smell the fresh breads baking, the sounds of industry and trade echoing off the walls? A great city indeed! Now come we must be quick, I have only a short time with you. Ahh, I see your interest in the guard there! The finest Bhahuul watch that the city can hire with out taxes! They see to our safety, much like the guards and soldiers that travel in those great airships above us, and the even more magnificent void ships beyond the sky! There is so much within the city. We have laws, and protection, we have education for our children and the ability to be in charge of our fate, more than what the gods speak of. The city is living thing, and like all living things has a need to survive: taxes. Those help the city survive, they pay for the watch, and the senators and representatives of the various sections of the city, they pay for the garrisons that patrol the region around the city, and it helps pay for that wall just there. Yes, unfortunately, there is crime. There is always someone who is willing to steal from others, and still others that are willing to steal from them, or worse to kill them or threaten the good people of the city. Just as there is the watch there are other organizations within the city that work in the shadows to commit illegal activity and atrocities. Alas, while the watch will catch most of the no-goods, they are often behind in catching the leaders of such organizations. Those caught, will be tried, and if found guilty you are often to the Depths, or worse paying with your life or perhaps those thieving hands. Yes, yes, the city is an amazing place! I love the wide, varied community that the city offers, seeing neighbors, visiting with new customers. I love having a place for my family and myself and the fact that I do not have to worry about hunting down my next meal! The city is the place to be!" - Marcus Kane, City of Jad.
"It is in my blood! It brings a vigor to life that those on the surface of the worlds cannot even begin to understand! Most call me Captain, I answer to other names as well. Its my job to keep this boat flying from place to place. She's a fast one, I call her the GreyGhost. Out here, with just the crew, you know where you are with life, and know how quickly you come to rely on the life that the ship has. There is just one rule really out here, when you take your boat out you need to love her, otherwise she will shake you to your core. It is your love for her that keeps her going when she would fall apart around you, tells when she's not right. It makes her a home. And it's a better home than most anywhere else, better than lying under the skies in the vast wilderness, better than shacking up in a flat in some great city or working a farm in order to make some silver. There is always something happen on your boat, machines need fixing, gear stowed, cargo secured. There is something comforting in the soft sound of the ship around you as she cuts through the atmosphere. Even in the middle of a storm, you can feel the energy of the Omniverse, that is not something that you can feel walking down a dirty, crowded street. Not at all. And those that live out here or on the edges of it hold no secrets, there isn't time for any of that nonsense! When your on your boat and hold the lives of your crew in your hand, you need to hold firm, they don't need to ask you for protection, they just trust you. You have to be trusting in this world, not other way to be. But the Omniverse is filled with mysteries, it has a long, long memory and you need to show it some respect. Any sign of weakness and it will swallow you whole, that's the truth of it. No use crying over it, just suck it up." - Julie Arken - Void Captain of the Grey Ghost.
"Oi there! How long you been in town? Just slipped in before the storm crashed into us? Well come sit a spell and let's raise a mug or two! You're not a city type are ya, I can tell you do not have the look or smell. Now them city folk are a strange lot, they are all caught up in the newest things, how big this or that is, snobs! It is not the size or how flashy something is, it's what's in the heart! And there is a lot of hear in this town! I know nearly everyone that lives here, and they know me, for better or worse. Not like the city where you might know a neighbor or two. We also value things more here, something that is lost on the city folk where they have too much, too easily. We also respect each other's space, no need to rub shoulders with everyone all the time, everyone knows their place here. Even our local leaders, tend to farms, pastures or fields through out the year. Most evenings the inns and taverns are busy with laughter and games. The town does share something in common with the city I suppose: gossip and rumors. Though, for the most part gossip and rumors in town tend to be more truth than falsehoods, but keeping your nose in your own business keeps tongues from wagging, but trust me there is always someone saying this or that about someone. Yeah, we got everything that we need here. Though having a bit more wouldn't harm a soul, but it keeps those that would steal a bit more rare, than in the city, and that's a good thing!" - Conan Kagan, local farmer near the town of Zym. ---
