Most of the adventures on Riadus are focused on the Continent of Reylan. The continent spans nearly 5000 miles from Ardmyre in the southwest to northern reaches of Lethler where it meets the Boreal Ice. It is surrounded by numerous seas separating it from the continents of Odian and Anlania to the south. A land bridge crosses the gap between the Envast and Merabian seas to connect to the sub-continent of Eastland.
Ardmyre
Better known as the Free States of Ardmyre, this “nation” is actually a collection of independent city-states. Each city-state is ruled by an individual Autocrat, and often includes a number of smaller surrounding towns and villages as part of its territory. Neighboring states fluctuate between uneasy peace and outright war. Ardmyre is located south of the Jade Mountains in central Reylan and stretches south to border with Haithgar along the Shimmerstone Mountains.
Languages Ardmyrian, Dverga, Goblin, Orcish
Example Characters
- A merchant carrying your goods north by caravan to sell to the wealthy state of Versona
- A gladiator who recently won their freedom and now wanders to find purpose outside the arena
- The lone surviving crewman of a sunken pirate ship looking for a new crew
Boreal Ice
Covering the northern cap of Riadus is the Boreal Ice, sometimes called the Boreal Shelf, the Ice Shelf or just the North. Little is known about it, other than most believe it to be a frozen sea of ice at the top of the world. No one knows if this ice extends to the bottom of the ocean or if this shelf of ice simply floats on top. In either case, the ice is hundreds of feet thick, at least. It’s population is unknown, believed to be home mostly to yeti, though a few human and orcish tribes of northern Lethler hunt on the ice, and a few tribes even live on the ice itself.
Languages Aquaine, Naluk, Norling, Orcish, Vylani
Example Characters
- A young seer of the stars, now burdened with the revelation of a terrible prophecy
- A skilled hunter who treks the ice shelf looking for a trophy as much as food for his tribe
- A wulfen, exiled from their tribe, who seeks refuge and friendship from either orc or humans
Canthelon
A vast kingdom of temperate forests and rolling hills, Canthelon is known for both its forward thinking customs and large military. Canthelon currently has a shaky truce with the nation of Nysaido. The truce was forged nearly a century ago after a long and bloody war which broke Nysaido’s occupation of Canthelon. Canthelon has recently allied with Rothnn, assisting in its own war of independence from Riss. Canthelon is situated in north-central Reylan, with Nysaido to the southwest past the Yorigami Mountains, Rothnn to the southeast and a coastline along the Bantin Sea to the east and Northern Ocean to the north.
Languages Canthelese, Dverga, Estrali, Goblin, Rothnn
Example Characters
- A young witch who struggles to find acceptance among those who could persecute her
- A druid of the woodland, seeking to prevent the spread of civilization from sparking a war with the fey
- A member of a small sun cult, eager to demonstrate their power to nonbelievers
Craith
A generation ago, the Ardmyrian warlord Craith set about conquering and subjugating nearby city-states to form a unified nation. The nation which bears his name is the result. Now a stable society, the small would-be empire still has sights on conquering more of Ardmyre and is constantly gaining and losing territory as it slowly creeps westward. Craith sits on the southern coast of the Ardmyrian Sea in southern Reylan. Situated just north of the Shimmerstone Mountains, it is bordered by Ardmyre to the southwest and Haithgar to the south and east.
Languages Ardmyrian, Dverga, Goblin, Orcish
Example Characters
- A volunteer soldier who has suffered the horrors of war and now seeks a more peaceful life far from home.
- A goblin entertainer, caught up in the constant conflict, has joined a local resistance to free their city but longs to simply sing and make others laugh.
- A bloodthirsty and barbaric half-orc who uses the war as an excuse to unleash the unbridled violence he lives for.
Dynthgar
Dynthgar is the homeland and birthplace of the dwarven ancestry. At one point, dwarven colonies and nations covered the continent, but most of those have died off, either abandoned or conquered by other ancestries. Dynthgar, however, lives on and seemingly will for as long as there are dwarves. The nation is well known for its mines of precious metals and gemstones, its craftsmanship and its military might. Dynthgar is home to the continent’s largest navy and though it holds itself neutral in the conflicts of other nations, its ships can be found everywhere, usually as trade vessels. Dynthgar spans the eastern coast of the Sentrion Sea north of Riss and south of Lethler and borders Luir to the east along the Jormhyggr Mountains.
Languages Dverga, Jotun, Norling, Orcish
Example Characters
- A smith of uncommon skill who travels the world seeking the right combination of unique materials for his ultimate project
- A young cleric of Olim sent abroad to experience a non-dwarven perspective to enhance their faith
- A sailor on a dwarven warship, sworn to protect their cargo and their captain.
Elsena
This temperate area is home to gently rolling hills and wide open plains. It is home to the Inabaw Nation of tribal humans who share the land with numerous independent tribes of feral orcs and goblins, wulfen and centaurs. Elsena is situated to the south of central Reylan, bordering Versona to the east, Thassia to the north and Ardmyre to the west. It’s peninsula marks the separation of the Adrmyrian and Vengor Seas.
Languages Inabaw, Sylvan, Verdantic, Vylani, Wulfen
Example Characters
- An elder sage, wise and loved, but who must step aside for one younger to assume their role
- A young but foolish warrior eager to prove themselves to their tribe and family
- A wulfen ranger who must mediate disputes between the human tribes and the wulfen packs
Geilir
Geilir, also known as the Eastern Desert, is composed mostly of open, rocky scrubland. The closest thing to civilization are barbarian tribes of orcs who keep their small settlements isolated in the hills and lower mountains. Lizardfolk settlements can be found along the territory’s many wide rivers, particularly where they meet the sea to the east. Geilir can be found on the eastern edge of Reylan, bordering Dynthgar, Luir and the Gulf of Altum to the north, Torune and Zolan to the west, and Wayma to the south.
Languages Goblin, Orcish, Skrritch, Vylani
Example Characters
- A goblin slave who accepts a deal for powerful magic so they may overcome their oppressor
- An orc barbarian who has discovered an ancient magical sword with powers beyond their understanding
- A lizardfolk shaman on walkabout to rediscover or reinvent themselves after a great loss
Haithgar
One dwarven colony stands out among all others, Haithgar. Known by dwarves as the Second Nation, Haithgar is the largest and most successful colony, and one of only two to achieve full independence from Dynthgar. Like its “older sister”, Haithgar is a mountainous, coastal area, though its climate ranges from temperate to tropical. It is known for its fine metalwork, exports in high quality raw materials and its navy. Haithgar is located along the coast of the Southern Sea in southern Reylan, bordered by Ardmyre along the Shimmerstone Mountains to the west and Craith to the north.
Languages Ardmyrian, Dverga, Goblin, Orcish
Example Characters
- A pirate hunter sea captain out for revenge after a loved one was killed by a pirate
- A miner who unearthed something… unearthly, and must now discover what danger it poses
- A human raised by dwarves who struggles through childhood despite being middleaged
Kowame
Although still officially part of Nysaido, Kowame functions as an independent elven nation. Its government is militaristically xenophobic, shunning all non-elven ancestries and only accepting foreign elves when politically necessary. Despite this, there remain settlements of kitsune, tengu and other “spirit folk” in the mountains, some members of which have made homes among the elves (having disguised themselves). Goblins, who the Kowame elves found impossible to either deport or eradicate, live in isolated communities on the fringes of elven cities and large towns. Kowame is south of Nysaido across the Farfallen Sea along the western coast of central Reylan. It borders Kurg to the east and Ardmyre to the south.
Languages Estrali, Sylvan, Vylani, Wulfen
Example Characters
- An elven samurai, pledged to serve and protect his lord, but has been given contradictory orders
- A kitsune tea master who was discovered by their community and now must flee or die
- A goblin cook, always underfoot, is the only one who can rescue their master’s kidnapped daughter
Kurg
Kurg thrives as a bustling trade hub, its spirit shaped by the constant flow of goods, ideas, and people. Kurgians value open-mindedness and respect for different cultures. They’ve learned to navigate the customs and languages of their many trading partners. This cultural mosaic fosters creativity, innovation, and a love for storytelling that incorporates influences from all corners of the world. Kurg is bordered to the west by Kowame and the east by Thassia. Ardmyre is south beyond the Jade Mountains with the Farfallen Sea making up its northern coast.
Languages Ardmyrian, Canthelese, Dverga, Estrali, Goblin, Rothnn, Versonan, Vylani
Example Characters
- A young apprentice, raised within the strict but prosperous atmosphere of a powerful merchant guild, runs away from their responsibilities seeking freedom from the guild’s obligations.
- The child of a renowned translator is driven by wanderlust to see the world they’ve only heard about in stories.
- A scrappy survivor of the bustling underbelly of Kurg’s less legitimate trade is driven to use their street smarts to rise above their origins.
Lethler
Once home to countless small dwarven colonies and independent settlements, this large, frigid territory was abandoned due to a combination of a lack of abundant resources and intense conflicts with the area’s native inhabitants: orcs and giants. The “giant nation” exists primarily in the Jormhyggr Mountains along the eastern border, north of Dynthgar, and functions with no centralized government. The orcs, however, have a wide and expansive empire spanning the entire territory. Though believed to be barbaric and uncivilized by most other ancestries, the orcs are highly organized and possess an intricate political system. Lethler takes up nearly half the land area of northern Reylan and stretches from the Boreal Ice in the north with its southernmost tip stretching between the Northern Ocean and the Sentrion Sea to reach only a few hundred miles from the coast of Riss.
Languages Dverga, Jotun, Naluk, Norling
Example Characters
- The child of a warchief who was born with a sharp mind but weak body must prove themselves worthy to one day rule their tribe
- A half-orc, teased and ridiculed, strives to represent every orcish virtue and strength in order to fit in
- A wulfen sooth-singer failed to predict a tragedy that destroyed their pack and now seeks redemption
Luir
Believed to be the homeland of all goblinkind, Luir is populated mostly by hobgoblins who form expansive tribes who are almost constantly at war with one another. When not fighting each other, raiding ships are sent south across the Gulf of Altum to pillage lizardfolk settlements in Geilir and the Goa Archipelago. Though less populous, their smaller goblin cousins make up a large portion of the population as second class citizens. Luir takes up the entire eastern coast of north Reylan, separated from Lethler and Dynthgar to the west by the Jormhyggr Mountains.
Languages Goblin, Jotun, Naluk, Orcish, Skrritch, Vylani
Example Characters
- A lizardfolk slave, captured as a child, has reached adulthood and draws upon the ancient magic of their people to escape
- A meek and mild-mannered hobgoblin seeks only to master a humble craft is called to war
- The tribes strongest and most skilled warrior in training finds themselves outmatched by a newcomer but cannot accept failure
Nysaido
This lush land of green and color is home to the elves. Though their feudal government is often severe, it is also generous in the privileges it grants its citizens. Nearly a millennia ago Nysaido set about occupying its neighbors and expanding its territory in response to the Riss war machine which had already conquered half of Reylan. Though it withdrew following the fall of the Riss Empire over a hundred years ago it’s relationships with neighboring nations remain strained. Nysaido forms a wide peninsula on the west cost of central Reylan, north of the Farfallen Sea and southeast of the Yorigami Mountains and Canthelon.
Languages Estrali, Sylvan, Vylani, Wulfen
Example Characters
- A half-elven samurai is cast out when his lord dies in battle and his heir won’t tolerate half-breeds
- An elven wizard has heard rumors of an ancient, forbidden spell and seeks it out to prove themself
- A tengu swordmaster’s monastery was raided by an unknown ninja clan and they now seeks revenge
Riss
Rocky and covered with thin forests and sparse plains, Riss is known best for once ruling an empire that spanned across almost all of Reylan. The empire fell over 500 years ago after the Emperor continued to consolodate power for himself, treating the citizenship as servants rather than vassals. What remains is a single state ruled by an elected senate with a sovereign monarch serving in name only. It continues to maintain a fierce and dedicated, though small, military and maintains the belief it remains in political control of previous territories. Riss rests in the eastern half of the central Reylan isthmus, bordering Dynthgar to the north, Torune and Gielir to the east, and Rothnn to the west. The southern coast runs along the Rissian Sea while the north coast helps separate the Bantin and Sentrion Seas.
Languages Goblin, Torunese
Example Characters
- A once famous actor finds themself aged out of a job but discovers their thespian talents can be put to other uses
- A cultist of Nual is betrayed by their leader and discovers the reason why is more complicated than mere whimsy
- A veteran soldier, desperate for coin, turns mercenary but finds their new employer to be in opposition to their values
Rothnn
This wet and rainy nation is as well known for its legendary military and worship of Valera as it is for its inclement weather. Having won independence from Riss a mere generation ago, Rothnn is still struggling as a nation in its infancy. Prior to being conquered by Riss nearly a millenia ago, Rothnn was populated primarly by nomadic tribesmen and sparse settlements who had only begun to master agriculture and animal husbandry. Any chance of developing as a unique culture was replaced by the forced adoption of Rissian law, custom and religion. With their new freedom, the nation struggles with the rediscovery of their ancient customs and the politics and culture which is the only way of life the people know. Rothnn sits in the middle of the central Reylan isthmus, bordering Riss to the east and Canthelon, Thassia and Versona to the west.
Languages Goblin, Rothnn, Old Rothnn, Orcish
Example Characters
- A once humble cartwright cannot shake the memories of the war and seeks any means they can to end the nightmares
- A simple farmhand feels the call of Valera and finds themselves in the role of a holy warrior despite not fully understanding their own importantce
- A local tailor lives in constant fear of being discovered as once being a Rissian legate and perform any task to keep themselves safe
Seph
The rulers of this enigmatic island kingdom claim to be the direct descendants of the nobility of ancient Theriath. Given this outrageous claim can never be verified or disproven, most either accept it as fact or simply disregard it. Seph is a mageocrocy, governed by a council of sorcerers from their floating capital city. Only magic users are considered citizens, and even then any sort of magic besides arcane marks one as a second class citizen at best. Those with no magic at all function as surfs in service to those who do. Seph is a large island in the middle of the Vengor Sea.
Languages Ossaran, Sephtan
Example Characters
- A lowly surf discovers they possess a latent magic talent and seeks to take their place among the nation’s elite
- The child of a powerful sorcerer, born with too little natural magic, is secretly sent to a school of wizardry to keep up appearances
- A powerful but young sorcerer is chastised by a foreigner and now travels the mainland to prove themselves
Thassia
A part of the elven nation of Nasaido in name only, Thassia is home to dozens of independent provinces who attempt to emulate the Nysaido system of government. When Nysaido’s military moved to occupy Thassia a millenia ago, the native humans were little more than simple farmers and herders with no centralized government and nothing resembling a military. They accepted elven rule as a way of bettering themselves, taking advantage of the more advanced technology and magic the elves brought with them. Over time, Thassian culture matured and became more like that of Nysaido, though to a greater or lesser degree depending on the individual province. The original religion of ancestor worship evolved to include the worship of spirit folk, dragons and celestial and infernal creatures, many of which seemed only to exist if actively worshiped. Each province has a large population of half-elves, a result of good relations with their “benevolent invaders” for dozens of generations, though full blooded humans and elves all live here with little, if any, prejudice between them. Thassia rests on the southern cost of the Farfallen Sea in central Reylan. It borders Valdain to the north, Canthelon and Rothnn to the northeast, Ardmyre to the southwest, Versona and Elsena to the east and south, and Kurg to the west.
Languages Dverga, Estrali, Rothnn
Example Characters
- A half-elf traditionalist who believes everything elven is superior to everything human seeks to perfect themselves by emulating every elf custom
- A new spirit caller finds their spirit to be too well liked by others in their town and is now expected to call upon their spirit to solve unusual problems
- A middle-aged human who has felt themselves growing old while everyone around them stays the same turns to alchemy for a solution
Torune
Once a radiant beacon of civilization, Torune now stands as a faded echo of its former brilliance. Its legacy as the cradle of philosophy, art, and democracy is marred by the scars of conquest and the bittersweet nostalgia of a lost golden age. Torune cradles the northeastern edge of the Rissian Sea in eastern Reylan. It is bordered by Riss to the north and west, Geilir to the east and Zolan to the south.
Languages Dverga, Goblin, Torunese, Zolonian
Example Characters
- A scholar, raised among the crumbling libraries and decaying academies, is obsessed with uncovering lost knowledge and texts from the height of their civilization.
- Born on the fringes of Torune near the border of Geilir, a young hunter seeks to explore the wilderness and push back the threat of monsters.
- An athlete trained in the traditions of Torunean ancient games seeks to rekindle national pride by performing heroic deeds through competitions and feats of strength.
Valdain
Although the city-nation of Valdain exists within the base of a single mountain, the dwarven populace considers the surrounding peaks part of its territory. While dwarves may have a reputation for living underground, only in Valdain is this actually true. While the dwarves of Dynthgar and Haithgar do much of their work underground, they truly live along rivers, rocky coasts and in the foothills of mountains of their respective nations. Valdain, however, is a true underground city. With the southern end of the Yorigami Mountains coming to end in the rocky cliffs overlooking the Farfallen Sea, the only way for the dwarven colonists to expand was further into the mountain itself. Valdain is a tiny nation on the easternmost edge of the Farfallen Sea, south of of Canthelon and north of Thassia.
Languages Dverga, Goblin
Example Characters
- A fumbling miner loses their job after one too many accidents on the job and must now find a new use for their shovel and pick
- A mountaineer discovers something frozen in the icy peaks, something powerful and with a will of its own
- A humble fisher finds themselves lost at sea after a storm and is eventually rescued by an unknown people from further away than they could have imagined
Versona
When the Riss Empire fell, its territory of Versona seemed to not take notice. The magistrates simply ignored any call to home and continued their rule of the area independent of the Empire. For most citizens, their freedom from the Empire came a hundred years earlier when the ruling class began to withdraw from society as a whole. Taxes were collected, civil servants were paid, and the commoners enjoyed a steady increase to their quality of life that continues to rise to this day. The magistrates, who now hold titles such as baron or count, largely allow their populace to police themselves, stepping in only to settle large disputes. Versona sits along the southern coast of central Reylan with Elsena to the southwest, Thassia to the northwest and Rothnn to the north. Its coastline runs along the Vengor Sea.
Languages Rothnn, Versonan
Example Characters
- The son of a wealthy merchant seeks revenge for their murdered famly but discovers a terrifying truth about their local baron
- A talented painter discovers their paintings have a tendency of becoming prophetic
- A dhampir wakes in an alley with no memory only to discover they are being hunted by something equally inhuman
Zolan
Jutting into the waters of the Vengor and Merabian seas, Zolan commands vital trade routes between Wayma and Eastland and the rest of Reylan. Caravans laden with spices, silk and precious metals traverse its network of roads, making it a center of commerce and cultural exchange. The nation is divided into proveniences called Satrapies, each governed by a Satrap who functions as a local monarch that answers only to the Shahanshah, who rules over the entire nation. The Zolan peninsula extends westward from eastern Reylan into the Vengor Sea, separating it from the Rissian and Merabian Seas. It is bordered by Torune, Geilir and Wayma to the east.
Languages Torunese, Vylani, Waymi, Vylani
Example Characters
- A shrewd caravan master is searching for a rare artifact rumored to exist beyond the borders.
- A discrete and subtle mage has uncovered a plot that threatens not just his Satrapy, but the entire nation.
- A Cult Hunter, responsible for weeding out heretical religious orders within Zolan, has discovered a malicious and dangerous cult has roots far to the west and must seek out their leaders to end their threat.
