Adventures in Arcadayn
An Overview of the Lands of Arcadayn
By Tim Emrick

Click here: Map of Arcadayn (~40K)

Except for part of its western border, Arcadayn is surrounded by a ring of mountain ranges: the Whitecrags (north), the Auroras (northeast and east), the Ongrican Mountains (southeast and south) and the Landrings (southwest). Everything inside this ring is Arcadayn; everything outside is the Outlands. At its widest, Arcadayn is about 900 miles from east to west, about 600 miles from north to south.

The Great Sea (about 500 x 200 miles) fills the central part of the basin formed by the mountains and connects to the Ocean of Darkness to the west. Many islands dot the sea and ocean. The largest Great Sea island, located at its very center, is home to the Cauldron, a large volcano deemed sacred by elemental cults. The western part of the Great Sea is home to numerous pirates.

To the south of the Great Sea, and stretching to the Ongrican Mountains and parts of the Landrings, is the Krithian Empire, the largest nation in Arcadayn. Its capital is Krynan, which is located on an island in the inland Sea of Krith (in the eastern half of the empire).

The great Sandmarch desert is located in the far south, adjacent to the Landrings. This is the only part of Arcadayn south of the Great Sea which Krith does not control, for it is the home of the Desert Men--fierce tribes of nomads.

The gnomes of Kurbesim live in the easternmost part of the basin, in the gap between the Ongrican Mountains (home of the bronze dwarves) and the Auroras.

At the eastern end of the Great Sea, and sharing a border with Krith, is the Kingdom of Visala. Once a colony of Krith, it is the second most powerful nation in Arcadayn. Visala's capital is Kelm Har, located on an island in the Great Sea; Harian engineers and shipbuilders are unrivalled in Arcadayn.

In the north central part of the basin, the Thunderhead Peaks (home of the iron dwarves) create a barrier running from the Whitecrags to the Great Sea. The land between the Thunderheads and the the Twin Passes is commonly called "Feria" ("the wildlands"), which includes part of northern Visala. The remainder of Feria is divided into three parts. The northern half is Riversmidst, a former Visalan colony and now a magiocratic realm. The southern half is composed of the Blackwood (a sinister, tangled no-man's-land) on Visala's border and the Bogmoors (a swampy wasteland) to the west. The diverse tribes of the Bogmoors have recently been unified as the Hold of Lis.

West of the Thunderhead Peaks is the kingdom of Haldinibar, located upon a peninsula that closes much of the gap between the Great Sea and outer ocean. Two groups of islands are found near Haldinibar: the Storm Isles (along the southern coast and in the gap between seas) and the Fey Isles (extending northwest into the Ocean of Darkness). These isles, as well as Haldinibar, are famous for the frequency of visits by creatures of Faerie; in fact, many humans here have faerie blood in their veins.

The shores of the Ocean of Darkness north of Haldinibar are simply called "the Northlands". The barbarians living here are a tall, rugged race of warriors and seafarers.

Few people in Arcadayn know what lies beyond the encircling mountains. The only known passages through this ring are: the Ocean of Darkness (notorious for storms and monsters); the Twin Passes in the Auroras, in northern Visala (beyond which live the dangerous Sakan tribes); the eastern gap between the Auroras and the Ongrican Mountains (guarded by Kurbesim); and the southern gap between the Ongrican Mountains and the Landrings (patrolled by Krith). All of these passageways are perilous and hence avoided by most people.

Krith once had an Outland colony, Tembar, to the south of the Kurbesim gap, but the colony (now known as Ongrica) revolted and was destroyed after a long civil war. Ongrica is now believed to be a cursed, haunted wasteland, so Krithians shun the Kurbesim gap except for occasional reinforcements to the gnome sentinels there.

The southern gap is guarded by Castle Farvale. The land beyond Farvale is hostile and rocky, and the rare expeditions south are usually cut short by dragons or other monsters. Very few humans have been encountered there.


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This page last updated 11/5/2003 by Timothy E. Emrick. | Copyright 1998-2003 Timothy E. Emrick.