Far Shores

The last unexplored continent on Aestas, Far Shores is the name given both to the continent and to the Keller colonies on the western coast. This land is many thousands of miles east from the Keller Lands, and is partially blocked by the hostile Yanoshi and their home islands. Far Shores has far more contact with the southern continent, though it is still separated by a thousand miles of ocean. Both the Uthman League and the Royal Republic of Taohuan have several outposts along the southern shores, and the Taohuan have explored the dangerous interior with their airships.The most notable feature of Far Shores is its relative wildness. Almost entirely unsettled and unconquered in known history, the continent is home to large and dangerous animals unknown to the outside world, especially the great reptiles long extinct elsewhere on Aestas. 

1) Ado Liyan - This is the most normal seeming portion of Far Shores, the southernmost end of a peninsula that stretches through the Twilight Belt. Ado Liyan is the name of a small Taohuan colony, used as a trading post and base for trading ships from Taohuan, as well as the occasional visitors from afar. The colony is a two-tiered thing, with Taohuan colonists lording over local Montocs who serve as laborers, farmers, and occasionally slaves. The entire colony is always under threat of raids from the Dim South, so foreign adventurers and mercenaries are always in demand here. The colony is the usual jumping off point for expeditions from the South, much as the Kingdom of Far Shores once was for the Keller Lands. 

2) The Dim South - Like the rest of Aestas, the equatorial region of Far Shores lies in shadow. The area is subject to violent weather, but relatively little sunlight. As a result, the nearly million square miles of land has a wan, alien quality to it. It is cool and humid, with strange mists and fogs obscuring vision. vegetation tends to be sparse, with hardy grasses, lichens, and moss dominating the terrain. Other plants that can be found resemble those of the tundra in some ways, but adapted to the tropics. Some plants have adapted by becoming carnivorous... trapper plants which sit and wait long periods for prey are not uncommon. The inhabitants likewise tend to be strange and fearsome, as the land is favorable to both orcs and goblinoids. Other weirder creatures exist here as well, most of which are varieties of the alien-seeming predators that infest the underground in more normal parts of the world.

3) The Interior Extents - Unmapped, unexplored, and unknown, the center of the continent is filled with a vast jungle. Two large rivers and their tributaries are the only real mappable features. Almost nothing is known about the jungles, save that they are filled with giant reptiles. The Taohuan claim to have made contact with a fearsome reptilian civilization that they call the Yan-Di, telling tales of human sacrifice, pyramids, and snake gods. 

4) Great Eastern Sea - Little is known about this large body of water, actually a complex system of small seas, bays, small islands, and straits. It is difficult to reach from the ocean, as the only known entrance is in the Twilight Band, and is a zone of treacherous currents, violent weather, and poorly mapped shoals. The basic outlines have been surveyed by airships from both Darlzacha and Taohuan, but even these vessels are in danger travelling over these waters. Extensive ruins have been seen from the air along the coast, hinting that there was once a large civilization, but some unknown doom came to it long ago.

5) Kyarlzem Peninsula -  This large eastern peninsula was named and surveyed by the traders of the Principate of Darlzacha. They maintain no permanent settlements here, though they do occasionally put ashore to trade with natives and resupply. The area is large and wild with climate ranging from dry uplands to low coastal wetlands and jungles. The southern parts are subject to frequent violent storms from the boundary region of the Twilight Belt. The peninsula is widely regarded as the province of giants and dragons in large abundance, though many parts of the world dismiss this as the drunken tales of sailors and travelers. 

6) Northern Plains - This broad, flat expanse stretches several thousand miles long the northern part of the continent. It is cool and wet, constantly swept by winds blowing in off the ocean from the north. The region can be loosely defined as 'steppe", though the ocean does moderate the climate for much of it. To the south, as the land rises it grows more heavily forested. Much of it is crisscrossed by small rivers and dotted with lakes, making travel less difficult than it might be. The region has little human presence, though Yanosh maintains a couple of small fortified settlements at the mouths of two of the largest rivers.  

7) Kingdom of Far Shores - Colonized by the Keller Empire during the "Keller Golden Age" five centuries past, the various settlements along the coast were mostly abandoned during the intervening years of war and chaos. One or two colonies managed to survive to the present in a considerably changed state, with only limited contact with the Keller Lands. Now an independent kingdom called Far Shores, this land gives the continent its most common name. In the present, only Gemric maintains regular trade with Far Shores - the kingdom bears no love for the Empire, and actually does nearly as much trade with the far-wandering ships of the Uthman League. The colony consists of a single small fortified city on the coast, with a network of beleaguered villages and forts in outlying areas that exist to supply food, gather exports, and to protect trade. The colony mostly ships exotic timber, animal products, and similar rare items, and imports manufactured goods from various places. It also does a moderate business as a neutral port of trade between Gemric and the Uthman League - on the open ocean, these two great nations are liable to prey upon one another's shipping... but at Far Shores, the trade is amicable and safe. Over the centuries, Far Shores has acquired an eclectic population, and so long as the peace is kept in the main city, they tolerate the presence of all manner of stranger beings as residents, guests, and citizens.