“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.” - Daniel J. Boorstin

Alwadiha is a land of discovery and exploration, filled with those who push the boundaries of the known and bravely tread into the realms of mystery. The elite and prodigious spend their lives in the pursuit of knowledge, whether for greed or ego, legacy or justice. The dangers and allure of the unknown can grant fame and fortune, or bring ruin and disaster.

[Map to be inserted]

The isles of the Alwadiha region are located in the southern hemisphere of Jaern, within the Malhelakvo oceanaj. Lojem is located 6 months to the north-northwest. Ageron is located 4 months to the northwest, while Geleia is located about 4 months to the northeast.

Despite being relatively close to these other regions of Jaern, Alwadiha is somewhat inaccessible, as it is bordered by an oceanic fault line to the north. Small volcanic islands dot the fault line, and the mixing of cold and warm ocean currents give rise to tropical storms, and the active volcanoes tend to create a pervasive mist. This region is called Albahr Alnaazif (“The Bleeding Sea”), and has led to Alwadiha’s relative isolation.

Additionally, during Irkusk and Jorn (the third and fourth months of the year), the seas to the south are littered with icebergs and ice floes, and due to the volatile currents and eddies of the southern ocean, present a dangerous and ever-moving labyrinth called Ayaz Cezaevi (“The Frostborne Stockade”). However, naval travel to and from Alwadiha is possible by sailing through the southern seas during the warmer months of the year, but the lack of other ports and islands between Alwadiha and the closest ports can present a challenge to the unprepared.

Alwadiha is composed of a large island to the north, and an archipelago of wadable sandbars, islands, and coral reefs to the southwest. The region is located in the Alwadi Current, a warm ocean current that flows in from the north and keeps the isles from freezing over even during the winter months. This also keeps the weather almost equatorial, despite the region’s southerly location.

The northern coast consists of cliffsides, mountains, and plateaus. various settlements are built into the mountainsides and even within subterranean caverns. The Alsin Mountain Range shields the south from the tropical storms that blow in with the Alwadi Current from Albahr Alnaazif, creating an arid savannah and shrubland, where the capital of Albaşınd is located.

To the southeast, the savannah gives way to a temperate rainforest, with quartz-sandstone pillar-mountains called the Ghabat Al’abraj (“Forest of Towers”). These pillars continue past the coastline to form towering isles that are battered by the waves and winds. The arcanists of the Conservatory of the Mystic Soul have levitated floating islands into the sky, connected and anchored by bridges to the island-pillars.

The southwest bears the archipelago and reefs of Cam Sular (“The Glass Waters”). The archipelago is protected by a large barrier reef that acts as a natural sea wall, keeping the waters calm. On particularly calm days, the waters look entirely still and the archipelago seems to float on a giant pane of polished glass, and glimmering in the archipelago is the city of Sayf.

[The Capital and seat of the Albaşınd Albarlaman]

[Indigenous Lizard city that was sacked by the caliphate and annexed. Modern day location of the Baluri Conservatory]

[Mountain city where the Al’akadimiat Zinjar is located?]

[Coastal city where the Veiled Empire settlers first landed and the previous capital]

[Rainforest city populated by the Humans, Beasthides, and Elves. On the edge between the savannah and rainforest, it is a trading hub of agricultural products, textiles, and more. A lucrative side business is the guilds of rangers and guides to traverse the jungle.]

[city/town built on the stone pillars on the coast, with access to the Consortium of the Mystic Soul]

[The largest city within the Ashen Strand, and once a merchant capital that connected Albaşınd with the shore and rainforest, now abandoned and desolate, and is often explored for relics and treasure of the old regime by adventurers]

A semi-aquatic lizardfolk town that is built into caverns carved out of tied together ice floes and icebergs. It is a fishing and shrimp farming community that has several iceberg fishing outposts near it, casting large nets to catch shrimp. Additionally, they have a robust shipwrighting guild, specializing in the sub-aquatic sail-ships of semi-aquatic lizards that ride the underwater currents.

About 90% of the population are Semi-Aquatic lizards, with the remaining 10% being water-elementals, akvo’avians, and very few non-aquatic members.

A sunken city / ruins that is lit by an artificial sun. Its only known entrance is a lagoon and a whirlpool, rumored to be in the heart of the Frostborne Stockade, a few days south of the Sayf Archipelago. Its inhabitants include various elementally imbued lizards and even sentient automatons, powered by an ancient and mysterious magic. There are myths and rumors of spirit and echoes of the original founders of the city, found within its extra-dimensional home.

[A floating or submerged city in the Cam Sular]

[School and Institute dedicated to the Arcane]

[School and Institute dedicated to the Sciences]

[School and Institute dedicated to the Arts]

[Central Governing Body, a Crowned Republic formed of elected representatives and a figurehead sultan]

[Inquisitioners who seek to establish the Jaernian Religious Orthodox tradition in Alwadiha.]

[A militant and violent sect of the Sayf Collective, hidden in the Ashen Strand]

[The seven orders of the prophets, who believe disparate philosophies of the same Jaernian gods.]

[A group of warlocks who draw their powers from a memetic entity they refer to as “The Reverie.” They seek to spread their evangelical beliefs to the people of Alwadiha, in an effort to enlighten the populace and reveal the hidden secrets of the world.]

The official language of the region is Paroli, founded by the settlers that wound up deserted on the isle after the fall of the Veiled Empire. However, as many of the original settlers were sailors or pirates, many people speak a dialect of Haoog, which is termed Alwadi. Those that speak Haoog are able to understand and speak verbal Alwadi, but the written language uses a different alphabet, created by the prophet Kaşifi, and is written and read right to left.

The Alwadi people worship the same 14 gods of Jaern, but instead of worshiping each deity in their own respective temples, many follow one of seven religious orders founded by holy prophets in Alwadiha’s past. These prophets are said to be great priests or priestesses of the deities followed by the order, and responsible for the dominant holy teachings, dogma, and philosophies of the modern orders.

This order was founded by the prophet Alghasaq, who taught her followers to respect the boundary between the living and the dead, and that the world was borne out of darkness, and to darkness it must return in the end. Those that follow this order worship Anubis and Rudri.

This order was founded by the prophet Rüya, a dreamseer that saw a magnificent, fated future to be realized through the destruction and change of the present. Her followers believe that they receive visions of change, sometimes violent and sometimes innocuous, which must be carried out to achieve the dreamed future. Those that follow this order worship At’ena and Mishra.

This order was founded by the prophet Sahir, a great mage that some believe has discovered or possesses every spell that has ever been created. He teaches that the greatest gift of magic is the study, search, and discovery of magic itself. Those that follow this order worship Orus and Almar.

This order was founded by the prophet Kaşifi, who dedicated his life to the archival of history and knowledge, in order to build a foundation for scientific advancement. He is said to be responsible for establishing the current academic tradition, practiced at the three academic institutions of Alwadiha. Those that follow this order worship Tarus and Vormaxia.

This order was founded by the prophet Sha’salam. Conflicting legends tout Sha’salam as either a Caliphate Guard, or a personal protector to the Caliph themself. Others say that they were a masked preceptor or a judge. Common in all the legends, Sha’salam’s true identity is unknown and they were said to spread their teachings on law, justice, and order. Those that follow this order worship T’or and Ra.

This order was founded by the prophet Yıldınne, a healer who drew her power from the sun and stars. She taught her followers to bring light to those touched by darkness, and to heal the broken and beaten. Her relics are said to be able to heal any disease and grant immortality to those that dedicate their lives to healing others. Those that follow this order worship Isis, Zepherin, and Ra.

This order was founded by the prophet Qalbariya, who taught her followers to live harmoniously with the world around them, to protect the natural and the wild, and to create beauty wherever they tread. It is said that she created the barrier reef around the Cam Sular, in order to create beauty and wonder in the natural world around her. Those that follow this order worship Osiris, Neptune, and Orus.

[TBD]