The Rhine Rhombus is a series of islands in the A region of Jaern. During the latter half of the year, The Rhine experiences The Freeze, causing the ocean between the islands to freeze over with solid ice allowing people to walk across it.

Most of Jaern falls under the hegemony of the island of Centralia. Centralia City acts as the capital of the Rhine, with most of the other governments of The Rhine answering to Centralia City. There are exceptions, of course, such as Prall or Scourgetide. However, the majority pay their dues to and receive benefits from Centralia City. The islands under Centralia still run their own governments, either as viceroys chosen by officials in Centralia or as governorates elected by the people of the island.

In the Rhine, whether one takes their shoes off inside the home is dependent more on the flooring a person has than anything else. This is especially true in areas under Centralian influence, as the lower classes may still have dirt floors, while most of the middle class and upper classes have proper wooden or stone floorings. It is expected that one takes their shoes off during fancy events such as galas or soirees given their high-class nature.

The Rhine is a vast archipelago composed primarily of volcanic islands. As such, the islands are surprisingly fertile due to the soil’s youth. This has led to the islands being covered in a dense temperate rainforest composed primarily of firs, sequoias, and cedars. Despite the fertility of the soil, many islands are not suitable for large scale farming due to a lack of space, more than anything. The islands of the Rhine are usually quite small, so supporting anything beyond individual farms on the larger islands is near impossible. These farms are usually owned by wealthy families due to the low availability of farmland.

The Rhine is reasonably far north compared to other Jaernian continents. As such, they are one of the few areas of Jaern commonly subjected to harsh winters. Most of the Rhine freezes over during the middle of the Sekafojo season, specifically during the months of Napen and Obern (the eighth and ninth months of the year, respectively), creating massive sheets of ice that bridge the islands together. Some have been known to walk from one end of the Rhine to the other during these months. It is during the Freeze that the islands of Northpoint and Southport come into their own. Despite the bitter cold of Rhine winters, many travellers visit during this time of year to participate in Centralian holidays and watch the popular skimmer races.

Dividing the Rhine by geographical regions is, perhaps, a folly, as it ignores the cultural differences between the islands and who rules them rather than taking the culture of the nations into account, whether individual or ruled by some other island in a hegemonic fashion. Despite this, geographers have attempted to create solid lines to divine the regions.

Due to most of the Rhine’s trading partners lying closer to the south, the Northwest of the Rhine have not been as thoroughly explored. While Northpoint is an important trading location, this is purely due to the convenience of accessing it during the Freeze rather than anything else. This area of the Rhine is populated mostly by old military forts turned into towns and lively coral reefs hidden by rocky coves treacherous for most ships. A few of the smaller islands, much further north than Northpoint, become inhabitable during the coldest weeks. The rest of the year is less eventful. The oceans thaw and life returns to its more normal state.

In contrast to the northwestern part of The Rhine, the Southwestern region is the most heavily populated, both in terms of islands and people. It is also one of the most central locations of the Rhine for crime. Pirates have set up a few cities, outside of Centralian control, and fences for stolen goods are common in most towns, despite the efforts of the T’orites and the local guards.

The Eastern Rhine is much colder than the rest of the Rhine. Given much of the Eastern Rhine is further north, a lot of it is closer to the poles and thus the most heavily affected by the Freeze. The land here is rich in natural resources greatly important to the rest of The Rhine.

The Centralian Isle is the center most island of the Rhine, as well as the largest singular island in the archipelago. This has led to the city serving as a capital, of sorts, brandishing cultural and economic dominance across the island chain. While Ferric is still commonly spoken here, Paroli is the most common second language. The Centralian Isle is, perhaps, the busiest and most varied island of the Rhine.

The Lojem Region is located about 2 months to the southwest. Ageron is located even further southwest, taking about a 5 month journey by ship to reach. Kratal is loacted about 4 months to the southeast.

The Rhine Rhombus is an area of the Rhine Archipelago that is notoriously dangerous for ship travel. Until recently, no one who had ventured there had returned alive. A recent expedition to the Rhombus discovered a giant item on the bottom of the ocean there, which sucks down ships, trapping them and their passengers forever. The group managed to deactivate the item long enough to escape but it could start up again at any time. This region of seas is located to the southwest of the Rhine with the Rhine being the eastern point. It covers approximately 375 sq. mets with the western corner 30 mets away from Taegel. The northern point is 19.5 mets to the northwest and southwest.

The predominant language of Rhine is Ferric. In most cities Ferric may be the only language spoken. On Centralia Island, it is becoming increasingly likely to run into someone who speaks Paroli, caused by the influence of southern trading companies and the influx of refugees after the Siege of Karfelon. Other islands have a mix of different languages depending on their populace. There are many lizard settlements that speak a mix of Sel'ict and Paroli, especially in the reefs and atolls of the Rhine.

The Centralian Isle is the main hub of the Rhine, for better or for worse. In the past, the Lords of Centralia conquered much of the Rhine, serving as its hegemonic rulers. In many cases, they hand-picked people to rule over selected islands once forcefully taken. Current Centralia has improved in such a manner, slightly. Most of the Centralian Lords have been ousted and replaced. Despite this, centuries of damage were done and reparations cannot happen overnight.

The Centralian Isle is home to a number of cities, including Centralia City as the capital. It is the most affluent place in The Rhine, serving as the main cultural center and effective governing body over The Rhine. In recent years, other cities such as Prall have gained their independence, indicating an intention for the current Centralian nobles to back away from their iron fist of control.

The Northwest region of the Rhine contains the Sea of Lords, the Scaletide Depths, the Clarenmeda Keys. The major islands here are Sleavenska, Northpoint, and Canterrich Island, and the small town of Satine Hollow.

The island of Northpoint contains the city of Aurolis. It is the northernmost point of The Rhine. As such, it is generally somewhat colder than the southern parts of the Rhine. Despite growing quite cold and snowy during The Freeze, Northpoint contains one of the only ports in the Rhine to remain open during The Freeze due to being along the border. It is directly under Centralian hegemony, but as is modern policy, Centralia allows the city to basically run itself. Aurolis is home to a monster-hunting guild called the Miris Den. It is run by the city’s Governor Melanie Vieuxtemps. The Governor position on Aurolis used to be a duumvirate, but with the death of Finnegan Cormac in 2559, the role has become a singular position.

Sleavenska is an island with a sordid past. Rumors state that it had ties to an alchemical necromancer cult from Devimetra many centuries ago, those archeologists cannot confirm any of this. What is true is that the island was previously ruled over by a corrupt mayor named Governor Donovan Coral, who attempted to use old alchemical rituals to create a philosopher stone, nearly sacrificing the whole town in the process. Most of the island, especially the residents of Fort Trine, have been on edge as of late. The city is still petitioning to receive a replacement Governor from Centralia. In the meantime, head scientist and inventor Angelicajimena Ochao-Báez is serving as a temporary Lieutenant Governor until the mess is sorted out.

Sleavenska has a surprisingly large reserve of mercury, being the major exporter of quicksilver across both The Rhine and Jaern as a whole. What effects this may have had on the island, both environmental and anthropological, is yet to be studied. However, for many it adds credence to the rumors of alchemical necromancy in the past.

Canterrich Island has very close ties to Centralia. As the nearest large island to the Centralian Isle, it was a tempting early target for early Centralian colonialism. Fort Antonne is one of the oldest established Centralian forts off of the Isle itself. While most of Centralian colonialism has only happened within the past few decades, Fort Antonne was built centuries ago. Nobody who remembers what Canterrich Island was like before being conquered is alive to tell it. Occasionally nomadic spirits in the area give whispers of an age long forgotten. Actually, this is surprisingly common as the forests of Canterrich island contain a high number of spirits who have, for one reason or another, failed to properly move on to the Kurago. No one truly understands why, but some believe it may be an ancient curse whose memory was forgotten when the island was conquered.

Satine Hollow is a village on a small island off the coast of Sleavenska. Satine Hollow is one of the few islands in the Northwest Rhine that has not yet fallen under Centralian control. Over the years, explorers and occasionally mercenaries from Centralia have come to attempt either a lopsided alliance or attempt a full-on conquest, but have been repelled every time so far.

Satine Hollow is populated primarily by aquatic lizards and shellbearers. The small, independent town has a democratic system. Recently, the island has been somewhat unstable. Most, if not all of the populace seemed indoctrinated in a cultlike trance towards the mayor. However, a few years ago, the mayor disappeared, leaving the people under his charms in a state of either despair or disillusion. Some believe he will return, while others hope that never happens. Both fear the disunity will lead to an attack by Centralia on the horizon.

The Southern Judas Island is technically not part of The Rhine, but Centralian influence has more or less attached itself to the island's culture. It is one month's sail south from the Rhine.

The Southwest part of the Rhine is arguably the busiest, besides Centralia Isle herself. This region covers everything from Devimetra to Ocean’s Landing, Southport to Taegel and Helmrest. Paradoxically, this region has both the highest and the lowest amount of Centralian influence, depending on where you are. Some islands are directly under the thumb of Centralia, with guards frequently hailing directly from the Isle, while other islands frequently rebel, usually inhabited by either proud natives or swashbuckling pirates. Both these groups have an uneasy alliance against the continuing Centralian colonialism, creating a near constant state of fighting between the two.

Devimetra has a bit of a rough history. While Sunkissed Pier is fairly standard as far as Centralian colonial territory goes, with traveling circuses and most amenities accounted for. The eastern side of the island, however, has been encompassed by a thick swamp within the past few years. Primarily the territory of a local semi-aquatic lizard Rondo, the swamp appears to stem from a large stone city with statues of people made from glass. None truly know precisely why this is here, but many believe it has to do with legends of ancient necromancers and alchemists gathering peoples’ lifeforces together to create a philosopher’s stone. A Caller in Darkness was spotted in the area in 2555 and later in 2559, though the beast was properly disposed of. Some believe it was likely the original source of the rot. As proof, the swamp persists, but no longer spreads.

Ocean’s Landing has two major port towns on it, Port Faraday and Port Respite. Both are nearly equal and opposites. Port Faraday was founded by a Centralian noble wishing to establish a place of learning within Centralia’s colonies. Port Respite, meanwhile, was established much later as a vacation home for the wealthy elite of Centralia. Port Faraday is still governed directly by its original founder. Meanwhile, Port Respite is run by a conglomeration of business owners whose main offices all still reside on Centralia, meaning the rulers have little to no clue what is actually happening in Port Respite unless they’re directly visiting.

In both cases, the fortresses have evolved into their own heavily industrialized cities, bordering the lavishness of Centralia itself. In contrast, much of the island’s natural wildlife no longer exists. Trees exist only in the cities and none of them are native species to the small island. No fauna remains on the island either, unable to sustain themselves due to the lack of natural plant life. The combination of the two cities are a testament to Centralia’s end goal of colonization, seeing nature as only a means to an end.

Taegel is a fairly normal island. Established primarily as a mining colony in 2232, the city of Helmrest is quite large, and thus quickly grew into something else entirely. Helmrest is run theocratically, serving as a major religious center for the Centralian business venture. It has the largest Natatorium in the Rhine, an old Tarusian Archive, an old Vormaxian University, and trades extensively with Lojem, serving as the westernmost point of the Rhine. However, in the year 2555, three tragedies struck. First, the town was almost destroyed by pirate captain E.G. Sherwood after a group of adventurers challenged him to a duel. Around the same time, it was found that a major member of the Theocracy had been killed and replaced by a shapeshifting hirudo known as The Faceless One. He had previously used a form of mind control to keep the town docile to that fact, but with his death the spell ended. Since then, Helmrest has mostly returned to normal, but remnants of the spell placed on the town occasionally crop up in riots. People have slowly been moving away from the city. Thirdly, the head of the University of Helmrest, Fatima Abiduan, was revealed to be a pirate working for Scourgetide and ousted from her position.

In the meantime, the old half-rivalry half-partnership between the Tarusian Archives and the Vormaxian Kira Institute has not ceased despite the two’s fusion into Empani. Indeed, the Archive and the Institute maintain their half-rivalry, attempting futilely to prove one Empanian Path superior to another. The city has begun to rebuild itself with a sense of normalcy, attempting to not attract large amounts of attention from greater forces.

Scourgetide is one of the few wholly free islands in the Southwest Rhine. Among those other free islands, it is one of the fewer still that engages in widespread trade across the rest of the Rhine. While most of the free, untouched islands in this portion of the Rhine are isolationist, primarily inhabited by native semi-aquatic lizards and shellbearers, Scourgetide relies on trade.

Scourgetide was initially a Centralian colony, the same as most of the other islands surrounding it. However, the colonists there began stirring trouble in a bid for freedom. While Centralia clearly fought back in an attempt to regain the area, the natural reefs surrounding the island made attacks on the island predictable, especially considering Centralia had to take a longer route around the island and wait for the proper tides to set in. Eventually, Scourgetide became more trouble than it was worth and was left to rule itself.

Despite this, no official laws were established. As the decades passed it became clear that a power vacuum of sorts existed on the island. Many of the citizens had turned to piracy, forming their own gangs and crews to pillage Centralian ships in an attempt to maintain the island. Eventually, the void was filled by a conglomeration of larger crews who dubbed themselves The Pirates of Scourgetide. No one ever accused them of being creative with names. The Pirates maintain a ‘pirate code’ valuing mercy and focusing more on stealing from the rich than murder, as a corpse or a pauper can only be pillaged once, while a wealthy merchant can be pillaged to near infinity. The Pirates are currently led by Katura Jax.

The Southport area is quite busy. A string of smaller islands, such as Maelstrom Bay and Meatball Island, rest to the northwest, two semiaquatic lizard settlements, Slet’ceth and Featherton, sit idly in the northeast, not yet conquered by the Centralian army.

Southport itself was conquered with the intention of establishing Port Davis. Built over 200 years ago, Port Davis was built as the only port in the area far south enough to not solidify during The Freeze. Because of this, it very quickly grew into arguably the most major city in the area. Some say its influence rivals that of Centralia herself, but the city’s governor is and has always been selected directly by the Centralian Lords for their unceasing loyalty. Port Davis’ status is a complete pipe dream for most of the other islands in the Southwest Rhine, but is used as a constant motivator, to try and achieve the same level of wealth and favorability among the Centralian Lords.

The Nikron Isle was conquered very quickly by Centralian invaders in the year 2345. It was established as a mining community following the success of the Ile De Sarver in the Eastern Rhine. Nearby, to the north, a second mining town of Kravico was established. Both the Nikron Mines and Kravico are the primary sources of iron, and eventually steel, across the Rhine, feeding the metal directly into the pockets of the Centralian Lords.

The Kashava Isles are quite far from most of the rest of the Rhine. Eastbank is less of a fully developed town and more of a glorified military garrison. Established in 2447, Eastbank took a surprisingly high amount of military might to bring under Centralian rule, even requiring adventurers to establish. The governor is an elderly Elvish woman who helped conquer the place. As mentioned, it’s quite militaristic in nature compared to the other towns. It is also known for having the largest jail in The Rhine,

Port Saleen is a fishing town in the southwest portion of The Rhine. The local governing body, hand selected by a Centralian committee, keeps the place calm and quiet. Not much happens there, intentionally. Port Saleen does suffer from the usual class disparity found in all Centralian run cities, with the differences being quite exasperated as time has gone on. Yet the small town persists in its poverty, refusing to attract attention, lest something worse come along to harm it.

The Eastern Rhine was one of the earliest full regions conquered by Centralia. The Balenjiogajo Reach contains a wealth of resources, primarily the balenjiogajo the region is named for. Their hides and fat were quite attractive to hunters and fishers for food, clothing, and all manner of oils. At the same time, The Eastern Rhine contains many dense forests of spruce and sequoias good for shipbuilding.

The region contains The Barkholm Chain, Na’Roo, the Kamman Refuge, the Ile Aux Vaux, the Ile De Sarver, the Mayshire Isles, the Vensay Atoll, and a series of smaller island settlements established by Centralia to drain the area of resources. Very few native settlements still exist. Those that do are either very well hidden or very well protected.

The Kamman Refuge contains two of the earliest Centralian settlements in the Eastern Rhine. Port Eastmere and Port Courtsborough were both early attempts at not simply establishing trading fortresses, but permanent places for Centralian nobles and primarily civilians to live and make a profit meant to be sent back to the Centralian Isle. The people of both cities have close relationships with the large native rondo known as the Kamman. Primarily semiaquatic lizards, but with many humanoids and even a few orcs in their ranks, this rondo travels across the island in cycles, living with the land. Due to their amicability when dealing with the initial wave of Centralian settlers, they were allowed to continue their ways of life without much disturbance by the Centralian Lords. As such, the island is a sort of refuge for the native people here.

Similar to the Barkholm Chain, the island was initially settled due to having vast amounts of thick woods good for lumber, particularly to create ships. A few large plains stretch across the island, which were found to be reasonably fertile, making them ideal for farmland and thus a good starting place for Centralia to test out their colonization in the first place.

Neither city is particularly impressively large, but they’re certainly modernized by Centralian standards. Both Port Eastmere and Port Courtsborough are wonderful places to live, if not a bit quiet.

Ile Aux Vaux, translated as the Isle of Valleys, is an island owned by a Centralian noble family called the Montres. Their primary source of wealth is focused on farming. Indeed, the valley was found to contain a proper floodplain in it, great for growing grains that require a lot of water during the wet seasons. The manor of Montrevaux is one of the largest in the Rhine, said to be nearly the size of a village on its own. Many of the people living in or near the manor are farmers or servants for the Montre family.

Similar to the Ile Aux Vaux, the Ile De Sarver is an island run by the Sarver family from Centralia. Their city of Cape Sarver is quite small and out of the way, but serves heavy strategic importance to Centralia via the Sea of Silver. The Ile De Sarver has some of the richest silver deposits on Jaern hidden in a massive cavern system below the islands, mapped to even go deep below the ocean.

The Mayshire isles are a trio of small islands that serve as the fishing hub of this end of The Rhine. Valenmasse in particular was established for and is well known for hunting mass amounts of balenjiogajo for their rich resources. In other words, Valenmasse and the rest of the Mayshire Isles by extension, are a permanent home for the impermanent sailors of The Rhine. Given the island is near the edge of The Rhine, a few ships each year are still able to operate during The Freeze, bringing in important fats and oils to keep people warm. Meanwhile, during the summer months, scores of fish are caught out in the ocean here and sent back to the rest of The Rhine. Truly, the Mayshire Isles must be blessed by the gods in some way for its abundance, with no fear of ever taking more than what the land can provide. Surely, that could never happen, right?

On the opposite side of the Mayshire Reef from the Mayshire Isles lies the Vensay Atoll. The Atoll is uninhabited by sapient life. However, the shallow waters inside the Atoll contain a dense biodiversity unknown to the Rhine, especially after its colonization. Much of the sea life here is designed to withstand the cold, either through thick hairs or thick blubber acting as warmth to protect against the Atoll’s cold waters. During The Freeze, the inside of the Atoll is covered with a layer of ice, forcing the sea life inside to hunker down and wait for the Rhine to warm. The ice is usually thick enough to walk across, but thin enough that one could theoretically see the isolated miniature ocean below their feet.

The Barkholm Chain is a string of isles connected by small reefs containing Cape Lafey. A small landmark known as Dain’s Cairn rests to the north, but who precisely it was intended to commemorate has been lost to history. The island chain is home to a string of thick forests of massive sequoias. Enough lumber to build several homes resides in even a single tree. Cape Lafey was established in 2223, by an elf named Gustavo Lafey. The Lafey family still runs the port city with a close eye. The city serves as the major place of transport to and from the island chain, taking in many lumberworkers who seek to make a living.

Na’Roo, and its southern neighbor Na’Too, were only recently brought into the Centralian fold. In 2545, trade treaties were officially made with the native inhabitants of both islands, allowing the Centralians to build port cities, Port Archer and Fort Shaylyn, with the caveat that the semi-aquatic lizards living on the island would have both full rights as citizens and the freedom to practice their own nomadic lifestyles on the islands. Centralia relented primarily because their focus had shifted towards the rising threats of Prall and the Southwest region, meaning they were desperate to make any sort of deal with the people of Na’Roo and Na’Too, especially given the two blocked off a very fast current between the Mayshire Isles and Cape Lafey.

The port cities themselves are modernized to the Centralian style, they are far from temporary “frontier” forts. Yet, they are still quite small. Some also give reports of a ghost town in the area, said to have been Centralian settlers from centuries before during their first attempts at conquesting the Rhine.

There are no major Centralian settlements on Sandtane Archipelago. Coralblade Reef contains a special subspecies of coral that is quite proficient at splitting apart large ships, making the area hostile to attempt to navigate for all but smaller ships. A thriving set of Shellbearer nomad rondos live among the island chain, with one in particular known for valuing endurance and power. This rondo has odd customs for dealing with its dead. It honors the memory of the dead by reusing their body. While their spirit moves to the Kurago, their soul can find peace knowing even in death they have a use and a purpose. Some have their shells made into shields or armor. Most prefer for their bodies to be utilized as a fertilizer for growing crops.

A few groups have a social, political, and/or economic influence over large parts of the Rhine. These factions wax and wane in strength over time, some dying out entirely, others forming anew. Currently, these are the existing factions in the Rhine:

The Knights of Neptune was founded by Akvo’ka, the Ekvilibri of Helmrest's Natatorium, and a couple of their crew in the 2520's. It began as a small regiment of 3 ships, but quickly became known as folk heroes after saving a colony ship from a group of ruthless pirates. For the next 20 years, they’ve gained more in repute around the southwestern Rhine but are still limited to a handful of ships, crewed by firm believers in helping the common sailor and protecting the seas of Neptune. Recently, the movement has been gathering followers and equipment, and now has about 2 maraujos, 2 metioujos, and 4 kurujos, as well as a small number of patrolling attack ships. Their main focus is on protecting those who cannot protect themselves, or afford to hire the expensive services of the Stormfin Sharks.

Leaders: Akvo'ka (also goes by Akvo)

Heraldry: A white trident inside a seashell, emblazoned in the center of a dark blue field.

Based in Centralia, the Stormfin Sharks guild acts as mercenary ships for hire, protecting the interests of anyone with a bit of coin to throw around. Often, they have been hired by the Centralian Lords to follow their ships around to provide protection. They always fly a pair of flags, their main flag above a secondary flag that acts as a sort of “taxi light”. When acting as ships-for-hire, they fly a flag that looks like a ship’s silhouette with a deep blue background, as opposed to when already on a job, they fly flags that look like a ship’s silhouette with a bright red background.

Most of the Sharks act as 9-to-5 workers, bodyguards or insurance for merchant ships. They get annoyed when people mess up their name, since their brand is important to them. People sometimes mistakenly call them “Sharkfins” which they are quick to correct.

The Sharks have a working radius of 200’ before attacking ships that approach too close, firing a warning shot when a ship comes within 250’. This policy is made very clear, as they advertise this policy as much as possible.

Leaders: Oliver “Oli” Sharpe

Heraldry: A black shark fin facing the right, cut through by a black lightning bolt striking from the upper right to the lower left, in the center of a gold field.

The Pirates of Scourgetide name themselves as such because they believe in and uphold the agreement and pirates’ code established at the pirate town of Scourgetide. This code values honor and mercy, taking only what they need from those that can afford to lose it, and not killing unless it is absolutely needed. They believe that all pirates under this banner have a form of brotherhood and kinship, and that betraying that is condemning oneself to a lonely deserted island far away from any trade routes.

Leaders: Katura Jax (“Cap'n on High”), Fatima Abiduan (“First Mate”)

Heraldry: A white skull facing the right above a white cutlass (facing left) crossed with a white olive branch (facing right), in the center of a black field.