Geography
The Five Continents
Armalacsa
The largest landmass on Riiga which includes Armalia and Baracsa.
Armalia
The largest continent.
Includes the regions of Teman, Yyele, Batur, Qran, Ideitess, Shever, and Karber.
Its highest mountain is thought to be Simemazha in the Great Opal Ranges. The tallest mountain in the Khatsanaras is Roqudar, and the tallest mountain among the Durdundus is Nyumyduzha.
The most powerful volcanic eruption on Armalia is Dama Mang in the eastern Hodea Mountains in East Teman, which erupted around 600AL. The ash travelled across the Gold Sea. Nissaba in the Great Opal Ranges is also believed to be a gigantic volcano, but it isn't known when it last erupted.
The longest known river in Armalia is the Qararsar in Sheber at 3200km. Other great rivers include the Goldwater in Teman at 2100km, the Amber River in Batur at 2600km, the Velishla in Ideitess at 1300km, and the Zatshra in Bymir at 2700km.
Phenomena
Liar Stones or Mho Mho in the Khayen Lowlands in Sheber -- mighty stones that are unreliable landmarks because they change position due to unknown forces when nobody is there to witness it.
The Abyssal Whisper or the Munde is a sound heard or felt around Lake Mancisa throughout history, lasting anywhere from minutes to months. Merchants in the early days of the Archroad report witnessing the same thing. It can cause illness in some of those who experience it.
The Roaring Peaks or the Dudeu Qu in the western Great Opal Ranges are sudden immeasurably loud booms and rumbles which can be heard across long distances. Despite the area being very remote, it has been known to kill those unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity.
The eastern side of the Hodea Mountains are known for lava-less eruptions called Langba Tida or Blight Bursts, leaking toxic air. It is one of the reasons why the subtropical region is scarcely populated. Gliroch thrive in this region. The phenomenon is often associated with Gorenku.
By far the largest phenomenon in the world, the Islands of Night -- also called the Blue Forest -- in eastern Temanea constitute the Teruvea, Sopone, Espone, Tenhan, and sometimes Henmi islands. They get this name from a season of heavy fog and cloud cover tinted dark blue by chemicals emitted by the trees of the area, leaving the entire region shrouded in eerie darkness for months on end. Sometimes the fog carries patches and streaks of luminescent material. This season is sometimes called the Blue Night or the Twilight.
The Cursed Lands is a region in northern Ideitess, mostly constituting the lands of the Arzhia and Brenyr peoples, which has been deemed unconquerable for centuries. Its northern shores are lined with the Silver Cliffs -- one of the longest and tallest lines of cliffs in Riiga, its eastern region contains the Mountains of Eyes -- known to cause travellers to hallucinate, and its southern forested regions were used by the native people in ancient times to defend their land against many invaders by using guerilla tactics so severe that the attackers thought the lands were inhabited by cursed people. Additionally, there are strange animals that are found only in this region -- like large insects and man-eating wildcats and canines -- that the locals are accustomed to dealing with.
Wonders
The Ruo Chuy Caves near Ra Talun on the Hoda Peninsula in Sema. It is a network of vast caves filled with subterranean rivers which mostly connect via a huge sinkhole about 200m wide (660 feet) and 400m deep (1300 feet). The caves branching off the main space are filled with underground forests and are believed to go deep below the surface. The local indigenous people believe the cave is home to a family of gods who have fled into the depths of the land to hide from foreign gods and people. The steep drop makes it near impossible for people to enter the cave. A mighty structural facade carved into the cave wall at the base of the sinkhole adds to the mystery of whoever lived here long ago, as people have only been able to observe the ruins from the top of the sinkhole itself.
Cacype Forest, also called Moonfire Forest, is located in the Bymir Basin, hidden among the far eastern Beasten Mountains. The forest resides in a steep valley and sees mostly darkness due to its unusual positioning, but it is almost always lit, due to the very large number of native fireflies which bathe the trees in a blue-green hue.
Chanting Lakes or Sivi Tusic in central Bymir are known to emit mysterious and melodic sounds that ring throughout entire valleys. It is associated with the state of Yvabiran gods and is a sign of blessing and hope.
- Otzaevir Lake is one of the Chanting Lakes in central Bymir, but it lies some distance from the other lakes, and always has a smoooth, mirror-like surface. There are old legends that anyone who swims into the lake drowns and sinks down into its bottomless depths. Regardless, the lake has long been regarded as the most important and sacred of the Singing Lakes.
The Walking Forest, also called Qyrudes Forest, is allegedly found somewhere in the western Chetetsh Ranges, but its location is said to change. Legend has it that the trees uproot themselves and travel to a nearby location among the remote mountains. The forest is also one of great beauty, though it changes its appearance and location every time someone else visits it.
Baracsa
The westernmost portion of Armalacsa and third largest continent.
Includes the regions of Nor, Umbener, Simber, Seleru, Jadar, and Had.
Mount Tauldan in the Great Ranges is considered to be its largest mountain.
Feirdus is Baracsa's largest volcano, also found within the Great Ranges, but it hasn't erupted since 1500BD. Another ancient volcano is believed to lie in the Dead Mountains, called Gasru, and it has strong associations with Karithians.
Large rivers include the Great River in Simber at 2400km, and the Hmboko and Hanjare rivers in Jadar, both around 2000km.
Phenomena
Glass Storms or Quqserel in southeastern Seleru -- deadly sandstorms with an iridescent shimmer which come from Yrtkuam where Karithians dwell.
Heaven's Rays in western Benevis -- mysterious high altitude streaks of slow-moving red/yellow/greenish light that happen during the day or night. They are generally vertical and can resemble flames or tendrils, and seem completely harmless.
Ghost Blazes or Qoim Am near the Dead Coast in the western end of the Ebere Desert have been going on for centuries. They appear as tornadoes made of fire but can occur in remote areas with no visible fire source. Some nomads of the region believe they are caused by atarru, giant benevolent cobra-headed fire-wreathed reptiles that dwell in the same area.
A mist that burns the skin supposedly exists around Ewkar Lake sometimes, usually known as Hazaja or Searing Mist. It is often used as a coming of age ritual and a rite of passage for elite warriors, to endure the mist in certain conditions. Often they wear outfits in certain patterns to create patterned burn marks on the person. The phenomenon is often associated with Gorenku.
Wonders
The Chihe Ne Ravine in northern Jadar stretches from Heja lands into the Mbokecho Empire. It is only 20-30 meters across (65-100 feet) but is so deep that the wetlands along the bottom are completely devoid of sunlight. A river runs through it, cutting the ravine deeper and deeper over time, and the top is covered in jungle, making it a potential precarious death-trap. Despite the dangerous conditions, it is the site where much of the gold and sometimes diamond from the region is found.
The Glass Mountains are a crest of peaks made of dark shimmering stone and filled with clusters of glistening gemstones. The mountains are strongly associated with the Karithians, and because of this are feared and widely avoided, able to be appreciated only from a distance.
Noqlable is a gigantic stone arch among dozens of other peculiar stone formations in Xinmou. The arch itself spans approximately 120 meters (400 feet) and is a similar height. Mystics often use the location as a sacred site, marking the beginning and end of pilgrimages.
The Aurver Falls are in Arkein, north of Cangona in Benevis. The waterfall itself always has a distinct golden hue which becomes especially vivid when the sun strikes it at a low angle. The colour fades in the lake and river below, but the origins of the colour are up to debate. They plummit about 700 meters (2300 feet) down the cliff face.
Suribia
The second largest continent.
Includes Harda, Tasif, Saron, Sacre, Ikade, Inoti, and Progori regions.
Nganihuntro mountain in the Anwanyisis Mountains is deemed to be the tallest peak.
Toogantato in the Anwanyisis Mountains and Chliraeti in the Atlis are the largest volcanoes on the continent, which erupted around 0BD and 400AL respectively.
The longest river in Suribia and second longest in the world is the Dustwater in Sacre at 3300km. Other large rivers include the Whitewater nearby at 2200km, the Rasarun in Harda at 2000km, and the Ngarasa across Ikade and Inoti at 3100km.
Phenomena
In the Sacres Plains it is known for the Vanmoug or Singing Sands to emit a melodic voice on the wind, similar to the Chanting Lakes in Bymir.
Some areas of the Pearl Mountains in Vyrtdan known as the Hills of Burden are known for being exceptionally difficult to climb, not because of the terrain, but because people feel heavier in this area. It is traditionally a coming-of-age test for people in the area, and is also used to train elite Aegis warriors.
Progora is known for its strong and fast-growing vines, especially in the Tronga Wetlands called Kwankwanmanga or Rapid Death, known to grow more than a man's height in a single day.
The stretch of sea between the East Atlis and Mafashran Island is known as the Tempest Sea, an area known to experience constant and fierce lightning storms year-round. The storms are so dangerous that almost no ship survives the journey into these waters. Those that do report several islands within this sea, but little more is known about this region.
Wonders
The Pousnar Canyons are at the southern-most end of the Dustwater River in Sacre, a river which sometimes sees dryness, especially near its southern end. The general area is not very well known, and maps of the canyons show very different arrangements of the canyons themselves. Legend has it that the canyons shift their positions within only a few years, despite many of them being very deep.
Mansi Miten is a strange forest which was witnessed by one explorer who visited the Kalaqan Peninsula in Inoti. The forest differs from all other forests in that it exists not only in a vast cavern, but the trees of the forest are hanging from the cave ceiling, instead of reaching up from the cave floor. The explorer, Laurif Meiram, never visited the forest, and only saw it from a distance.
Jindiara
The fourth largest continent.
Includes the regions of Hede, Ngoe, and Ashk.
Though fairly flat overall compared to other continents, its tallest peak is believed to be Axrang in the Red Peaks, though Sibikao Volcano is possibly the broadest mountain in Riiga, believed to be large enough to fill most of Regyland.
The Pzenkarl basin boasts massive rivers, the two largest being the Shuxuka at 3000km and possibly the longest river in Riiga, the Daalxarl at 3800km.
Phenomena
The most unusual phenomenon in Jindiara is the Saoqa Tikri Burning Rain in the eastern mudscrub in Ashk, not so-called because it is fiery, but because it causes a burning pain to the skin of those caught in it for too long. The phenomenon is often associated with Gorenku.
Wonders
Tisibikao is a vast volcanic region near the Claw Islands south of Ashk. Some of the Setekri Peninsula, as well as the Claw, Watcher, and Last Islands, sit beneath a permanent cloud of volcanic smoke and ash, as the massive Sibikao Volcano has allegedly been erupting and spewing out lava and smoke for centuries. The phenomenon is often associated with Sheokro.
Gaaptaxaar are trees deep in the jungles of the Pzenkarl Basin in Ngoe. These trees are thought to commonly reach a height of 120 meters (400 feet), and rarely reach a height of 150 meters (490 feet). These trees create an immense multilayered canopy, denying much of the ground layer of direct sunlight. Many Keid live in or around clusters of these trees.
Solcul
The fifth and smallest continent which sits on the south pole.
Largest Islands
The largest islands in order from biggest to smallest.
Windas
Lies north of Suribia.
Moonlight Island
Lies south of Karber.
Axhykelran
Lies on the eastern end of Progori.
Qran
Lies north of Bymir.
Nor
Lies north of Umbener.
Grave Island
Lies northeast of Yyele.
The Three Oceans
The Epignoria
Lies between Baracsa, Armalia, Jindiara, and Solcul.
Augair Ocean
Lies between Armalia, Jindiara, and Suribia.
Ambelia Ocean
Lies between Suribia and Baracsa.
Major Seas
North Augair
The portion of the Augair which is north of the Augair Peninsula and the Henmi and Tennan islands.
Karber Sea
Lies between Baracsa and Armalia, specifically north of the Sadhihi Islands.
Sea of Lyte
Lies between Umbener and Seleru. A mediterranean sea.
Totani Sea
The sea between Saron and Progori in Suribia.
Itemoe Sea
Lies between Baracsa and Solcul.
