Continents

Aserra has four continents; Thiskel, Kalesten, Athok, and Ageond.

The largest continent is Thiskel, central to the others. To the southwest of Thiskel is the remnant of Ageond—now commonly referred to as the Forsaken Land—and many island chains that are left of the continents mountain ranges all along the west of Thiskel. To the east of Thiskel is the hook-shaped continent of Kalesten. Aserra’s arctic is occupied by the continent of Athok, while the antarctic is home to only a massive icecap. Kalesten, most of Thiskel, and the more habitable regions of Athok dominate the eastern hemisphere of the planet, while Ageond, the rest of Thiskel, and the Tonult ocean fill the western hemisphere.

Kalesten

Kalesten is a rather narrow continent with a hook-like shape. The sub-continent of Ertia forms the bottom of the hook and is kept separate of the rest of northern Kalesten by the high Ertian plateau and intractable Ardir Forest. Northern Kalesten is the top of the hook, a continent of temperate forest and prairie. Southwards, a long isthmus leads down to the southern part of the continent which is thick with jungle.

The continent was relatively safe during the War of the Gods, though it suffered the same fallout as the rest of the world during the Cataclysm.

North Kalesten

North Kalesten is mostly temperate, with the southwestern side tipping into high desert. It has forests along the northern and eastern coasts, including the massive Ardir that covers the Ertian Plateau. The Green Sea, a massive inland body of freshwater lays in the east, fed by mountains from the north and south. To the west of the sea, in the center of the northern half of the continent is the Heartland, a region known for fertile soil, thanks to the confluence of rivers coming off the central mountain ranges. The west coast along the Riath Sea provides access to trade with eastern Thiskel within relatively short sailing distance.

Inhabitants

The densest region of human population in Kalesten is in North Kalesten, where there are both organized states and tribal nations. There are two major ethnic families in Kalesten, the indigenous population, and the fair-skinned northerners whose ancestors came to Kalesten as refugees from Ageond, and there is significant mixing between the two through the central region. The petite Kiar also came to Kalesten as refugees in the early years of the War of the Gods. Zaedyn, Brech'mar, Nafod, and Idayn populations were established following the Cataclysm by settlers from Thiskel. Kuzo persist from abandoned troops that arrived during the War of the Gods.

Nations

Ertia

The subcontinent of Ertia is connected to to the eastern end of Kalesten, but the Ertian plateau makes the region unreachable by land, so the region is geographically isolated, except by sea travel. It is mostly in a tropical climate with grasslands and jungles. Humans, Nafod, and Asath populate the region. Danaij invasions never made it to Ertia, and thus, neither did kuzo.

South Kalesten

South Kalesten is tropical grassland and rainforest. It is home to some humans, but Ur'Idayn dominate in the forests. The southern grasslands are home to humans, Oir'Idayn, Ochae'nafod, Asath, and Eain'Idayn. The forests also are home to more Nafod and the Samiss. Kuzo are rare.

Thiskel

Thiskel is now the largest continent, which is divided into two sub-continents connected by a small isthmus. The northern half of the continent ranges from arctic to temperate, and is around the same size as North America. The southern half of Thiskel is quite large and broad, mostly occupied by the massive Great Desert, which is surrounded by tropical grasslands and jungles.

North Thiskel

The temperate northern half of Thiskel is home to several significant human nations and the Idayn. This continent bears the scars of the War of the Gods as it was the most contested battleground

Inhabitants

North Thiskel is considered the ancestral homeland for many of the elemental races, including all Idayn races, the Zaedyn, Brech'mar, and Nafod. Humans occupy several large nations on the continent, surrounding the Eldir and Itray forests, which are home to the Idayn and Nafod. Iengi were once a dominant race, but since the War of the Gods, they are nearly extinct. Kuzo also flourish in unchecked regions, descending from troops left behind during the war.

Nations

South Thiskel

South Thiskel is home to the Great Desert, as well as tropical savannahs and rainforests.

Inhabitants

Humans, Ery'Idayn, and Asath are the most populous peoples, with Zaedyn, Brech'mar, Iengi in the mountains, and Nafod tribes in the grasslands and jungles. Samiss live deep in the southern jungles, and significantly less kuzo in than in more temperate regions.

Nations

Ageond

Ageond was once a much larger continent, but it also held the highest population of Danaij, therefore the greatest influence of the Goddess of Darkness, Ispa, and her children. During the War of the Gods, Ispa drew upon the population of Ageond to create an army to slaughter the races belonging to her siblings, the other six Elemental Gods. To protect their peoples and decimate her forces, the other gods united to sink Ageond. They succeeded in sinking most of the continent, but the southernmost portion survived the Cataclysm, and the gods let it be. Sea levels around the world dropped to fill the new void, and the climate warmed significantly from the volcanic activity, melting the ice caps. This event caused great upheaval in Aserra, but with the protection of their gods, the peoples of Aserra survived to see the world regain balance.

Forsaken Land/The Remnant

The remaining fragment of the continent is known as the Forsaken Land to most of the world today, and is cloaked in dark clouds during the day. The Forsaken Land is around the same size as Australia. Inhabitants of this land refer to it as the Remnant.

Inhabitants

The Forsaken Land is populated primarily by groups that follow the Dark Gods. Many of the Forsaken Land races are native to the island as creations or devotees of the Dark Gods, but a significant portion of the human population has roots in western Thiskel, as it has been a common punishment to exile criminals to the Forsaken Land.

Nations

The Danaij states are the largest nations on the continent, occupying the best land in the west, while smaller human nations are located on the east coast.

Tonult Islands

Many island chains north of the Forsaken Land remain as archipelagos that provide a rough outline of the continent that used to exist. Some of these islands are formerly mountains whose peaks remained above sea level or are volcanoes that arose in the Cataclysm. These islands are independent of the Forsaken Land and have since become populated by humans, Asath, and some other races.

Athok

The arctic continent of Athok is at the top of the world, with a peninsula which sits like a wedge in the ocean between Thiskel and Kalesten. It is solely inhabited by the Aeul’Idayn.