GRINDUS TERRARUM 

First Edition. Second Era. Ravenrock

Table of Contents:

1. Oceans

2. Spawn Island

3. Yantaria

4. World’s End

5. Terra Australis

6. Vetus Republica

7. The Holy Grind

8. Agnoia

9. Greater Hurria

1st Ed.  2nd Era Ravenrock Publishings

Preface

Esteemed reader, this work is the result of my many voyages. This book will help you navigate the world and hopefully avoid getting lost. Take heed and enjoy. -Joshuah IV Emperor of Hurria

Oceans and Seas

Sea of Tranquility

Off to the East of the Spawn island, the Sea of Tranquility gets her name from the soft caressing winds and the rarity of storms in this expanse. It borders both supercontinents making for a calm and pleasant journey when sailing across the equator.

Oceanum Lactalis

The Lactic Ocean extends from the northwestern corner of the world to the shores of World’s End and the Northern Fjords. Journeys there are more preillous with many icebergs, reefs and polar bears. It gets its name from it’s milky white color when the ice melts in the summer and the calcium rich rocks of the northern coast release minerals into it. 

Sea of Kaczyn

The Sea of Kaczyn covers the north eastern corner of the world. Storms there are frequent and sailing is quite complicated. The Sea of Kaczyn borders Hyperborea to the North, Terra Australis to the West and The Holy Grind to the South. It communicates with the Sea of Tranquility via the Austral Channel, between the two supercontinents.

Austral Channel

This long channel, between Terra Australis and The Holy Grind connects the Sea of Tranquility with the Sea of Kaczyn. It acts as a natural buffer zone, protecting the Sea of Tranquility from the storms that form in the Sea of Kaczyn. It is rich in Fish and often serves as a Trade Route between the two supercontinents.

Hurrian Ocean

Warm and filled with corral reefs, the Hurrian Ocean covers the Southwest corner of the world, it lines the southern and western coastlines of Greater Hurria. Along with the Sea of Ignorance, the Hurrian Ocean is the source of the warm winds that result in the high temperatures of the Rodinian supercontinent. With an impressive biodiversity, it makes for an interesting swim.

Sea of Ignorance

Found in the South Eastern corner of the world, the Sea of Ignorance is the warmest large body of water in this realm. It’s geographical isolation however makes it one the most mysterious… Who knows what treasures and strange creatures it hides beneath it’s bright blue waves. During the 1st Era, the Sea of Ignorance was a hotspot of Agnoian Fishing. 

Spawn Island:

This is where your journey begins. Here men do not build, it lies in the west of the sea of tranquility. With a temperate climate, this island is perfect to make a boat and head towards  your chosen destination. The smaller island, Isla Minora is almost swallowed by the larger island Isla Major. The wind is rather calm on this island making it the ideal start of a long journey. To the north, the Lactic Ocean sometimes brings chunks of ice to the shores of Isla Major. The island’s southern coast is the perfect jump off point to get to the Hurrian Ocean and Greater Hurria.

Yantaria

Yantaria is the Northern Supercontinent. It is flanked by Oceanum Lactalis to the west and the Sea of Kaczyn to the east. This supercontinent gets very cold and some of its regions are frozen all year round. The Northernmost regions of Yantaria are World’s End and Hyperborea. Below them are the Northern Fjords and Terra Australis. The Southernmost region of the Yantarian Supercontinent is Barenzia.

Barenzia

Barenzia is the Southernmost of the 5 great regions of Yantaria. It is also the warmest with temperate climates and lush swamps. The Vekong River flows down from the Northern Fjords, and it’s dendritic delta pours out into the Sea of Tranquility. The Swamps, although cold, are a source of malaria in the region. A young civilization called Vetus Republica has recently settled there. Barenzia is thus also called the Vetus Peninsula. When I visited, it was still barren.

Terra Australis

Home of the Australians, Terra Australis is colder and drier than neighboring Barenzia. Separated by Sharkbay, the two regions mainly differ in Terra Australis’s waterway being wider and fewer. It is sparsely populated but traces of habitation can be found there. Camping there at night can be rather spooky, sleeping in its wide valleys under its enormous starry sky, at the foot of some of the world’s oldest mountains.

Northern Fjords

Currently uninhabited, the Northern Fjords are one of the most beautiful regions of Yantaria. It’s many fjords and islands, gravel beaches and snowy mountains make for quite a sight to see. With some vegetation, the area can get gloomy, the mountainside only being exposed to direct sunlight in the afternoon and evening. Forests there can be quite dense on the highlands composed exclusively of coniferous species.

World’s End

World’s End is the home of the Snow Empire. It is currently as of the second era, the northernmost civilized region of the realm. Flanked on  it’s  coast by Oceanum Lactalis. The ocean often freezes. Winds there are violent, reaching up to 250km/h. The land is largely frozen and the permafrost can make it challenging to establish cultures. The landscape isolates this region from its southern neighbors. The northern winds bounce around World’s end, coming through the forgotten lands of the North West, hitting the North Eastern face of Snowfall Mountain and are then deflected east then north by the North Eastern face of the Boreal Peaks. The Border with Neighboring Hyperborea is a chain of mountains called the Howling Peaks. The western coast is flanked by the Frozen Highlands. World’s End thus forms a natural cuvette shape within which 2 rivers flow. In the east, the Vättern, in the west the Vänern. These cut the land into three pieces, with a central hilly region called Hoarfrost. On the banks of the Värnern lies the young city of Glazia, to its immediate North one can find ice formations harvested by the locals. Looking South, entrance to the Snow Empire is possible through Omenvägg, a walled off mountain pass, border with Terra Australis, security is tight and travelers should have their passports ready. Once past the checkpoint one can find Cake’s Lake up North, and following the serpentine Vänern, find the Imperial City of Frosttown. To its West, on a mountain side, Frostbite Castle watches over the tracks that lead to the Forgotten lands. There lucky travelers may come upon the Snow Temple, one of the largest man made structures of this realm. Aurora Borealis are common in the region due to its Apical Latitude.

Hyperborea

This Region, Bordering World’s end to the west and the Sea of Kaczyn all around it’s coastline is the most mysterious region. Few have been there and fewer have returned. It is  not currently populated by any known inhabitants, not even tribals. In my travels there, an eerie silence and disturbing brief sightings of mysterious shrewd figures in the many mountainous coves of the region made me on edge. Hyperborea is home to great mana but probably little riches. The mountainous and hazardous series of ridges and cliffs make it ill suited to surface settlement.

Rodinia

Rodinia is the Southern supercontinent, it is made up of the two continents linked by an arid and mountainous region known as the Red Wastes. Gilanda is the north eastern continent, made up of Grindjan in the north, Ragnir in the north west and Desert of Agnoia in the south. Beyond the Red Wastes, you will find Greater Hurria. These lands are made of warm pine forests, savannahs, warm plains and Jungles in the west.

Ragnir

Ragnir, distinguishable by its white cliffs, is a small region of Rodinia between the Sea of Tranquility and the Austral Channel to the North. It is a land of many mysteries and the cosmic rules of the realm have made building there perfectly illegal. It is separated  from the Holy Grind by Mount Macabre.

The Holy Grind

Home to one of the realm’s mightiest civilizations, The Holy Grind crowns the North of the Gilanda. Centered around Lake Phallus, the Holy Grind stretches from the white mountain Mount Macabre to the West, the Black Mountain to the South, Mount N_____ and the Triangle of Zeus in the East. Between the Two mountains, the Stripped Forest of Destiny grows quietly as a source of redwood. The Triangle of Zeus, getting its name from the dendritic path of the Zeus River is home of many strange clay formations. But it is nothing in comparison to the Ancient Grindlands of Gilanda’s Eastern coast. The Clay Canyons. There large clay cliffs block off the Strong winds of the Sea of Kaczyn and the Python River and  it’s many cascades flow South in a verdant valley. The Python flows down the continent and into the Sea of Ignorance. The further South the canyons go, the drier the land gets. The  Sentinels, a series of Terracotta spears growing from the ground mark the entrance into the Agnesian Desert.

Agnoia

Although once a shining beacon of Civilization in the First Era, Agnoia and her vast desert layed barren. The border with the Holy Grind to the North is delimitated by Mount N_____ and the Clay canyons to the East. Temperatures during the day can get to a scorching 55°C making crossing the desert during the day ill advised. To the West, past a large gorge, one can find the Grassy Plateaus, these flat highlands offer a beautiful view of the Golden bay to the west and are cooled by the soft winds of the Sea of Tranquility. Down South, the land gets even more inhospitable and once can stumble across one of the most spectacular sites of the realm: the Sand Titan Cemetery. Beware the sunburns and keep a steady supply of fluid with you, dehydration is deadly in this region.

Red Wastes

The Red Wastes are the Red Sand Savannahs and Mountains that join together the two continents of Gilandia and Greater Hurria to form Rodinia. No known people live there apart from a few nomads and savages. It makes for an interesting journey as although much warmer than average these lands have clean air and strong winds.

Greater Hurria

Greater Hurria, home of the Hurrian Empire is one of the southernmost landmasses of the realm. In the North, A large chain of mountains serves as a natural border. The Town of Valtordu and the Trading Post at Chnapfon flank the Eastern Border. The climate there is warm and dry. To the North West, the cliffs are higher and Dominated by the town of Hawkwind. An important holy site, the Sacred Grove can be found in that region, with its rare and sacred purple sheep. South West of this region is the Great Clay Bay, a natural formation of clay red sand and terracotta. South of it and beyond Goatlüst Ridge, one can come upon the Mining town of Tarville. Nearby and overlooking stretches of swampland one instinctively dislikes is Salwhich the Western Town. To the West, a large and luxuriant jungle extends, the climate changes to hot and humid with the shattered isles and their corral formations at the tip of the continent, overlooking the Hurrian Ocean. To the South of Valtordu and to the East of Tarville, one will enter the central plains. With 2 rivers flowing through them in the east, The western one, the Burzum River spreads in two to surround the Redwood Island and the Ted Shed. The eastern river, the Quorthon flows down to the Sea of Ignorance. These two rivers, as the reach the sea, surround the Town of Innsmouth on the coast. In the far east, golden plains of wheat spread with the Village of Dunhem as the agricultural capital of Hurria. Directly south of  Goatlüst ridge and the black Swamp, one will find the sunny shores of the Selene Bay. There the Hurrian Imperial Island is only a few hundred meters off the coast. This island, with Gibboustown and the Home of the Hurrian Emperor, yours truly, is called Ravenrock. This Island is, unlike the rest of Greater Hurria, not accessible to foreigners without work permits.

And that dear reader, is where we live. So go on, show me you’re not some cave dwelling magma cube and see it all for yourself. I bet you can’t visit every region within 3 hours like I once did. There are many secrets still to be discovered…