The Shattered Reach is an expansive archipelago of islands located in the southeast of Rhaedwyn. It was recently discovered during the voyages of Lauros of Tanir, the late King of the Kingdom of Tanir, as a desperate gamble to save his throne and kingdom. It worked; however, the King died not too long after his return to the capital.
The islands are inhabited by the local Hamura population, a species of white-skinned, four-armed people who have inhabited the archipelago since the dawn of time, as they claim they were created by the Gods themselves, by Sarevar, or Mythrael as we know him in the west.
The Shattered Reach was lost to the inhabitants of Rhaedwyn ever since the shattering of the Shardspire and the chaos of War in the Dark; even the knowledge of the existence of the Shattered Reach has been lost to the collective knowledge of Rhaedwyn. Thus, the local societies of the isles were left to fend for themselves, disconnected from the mainland, and with the stories of sea monsters amidst the foggy seas that separate the islands, and with no vessel capable of braving the Crosswaves that dominate their side of the Aetheric Ocean.
The Island of Thalara
Today, the most often visited is the Island of Thalara, home to the city of Sokthal, the westernmost city of Thalara and the seat of its monarchy, the House of Elwyss, led by Queen Elyndra.
Thalara, and Sokthal by extension, are the first locations any traveller from Rhaedwyn would see as they arrive in the Shattered Reach. It is, for any traveller from the west, a gigantic city of over 30,000 people. The city is located on top of an island, which has since been expanded artificially at the mouth of the Elyn estuary.
On the estuary head lies a large docking port, filled with dozens of ships coming and going, from the large lateen sails of the Rhaedweny ships to the sleeker ships of Naelithra and the bulkier ones of Tayuna, and many other designs of which no Rhaedweny can identify.
The city is built across three districts. The outer district sits between the river and the outer walls, where the marketplace of the city is located, and the fishermen and leather workers ply their craft. The middle district is where the wealthier population lives, the merchants and the nobles, and where most of the finer establishments are found, such as the Tavern of the Gulfin and the Starlet Inn, located near the main gate of the city. And finally, the inner district, or the Royal District, is where the main temple, the Archtemple of Sarevar, and the palace, known as the Palace of Tranquility, are located.
On the estuary head lies most of the houses of the average people of the city, alongside the large entrepĂ´t built by the Kingdom of Tanir.
The island of Thalara is known for its production of mastic and grapes, as well as its generally pleasant climate and weather. The island contains many other smaller cities and settlements, as well as the Carpisarium Academy, an institution of magic of middling fame in the archipelago, and the main source of sorcerous knowledge slowly drifting to the west, as they rediscover true magic once again.
Due to its western location, it lies outside of the densest portion of mist that is present throughout the Shattered Reach.
The Island of Naelithra
Whereas the lands of Thalara mark the west, with its mild days and gentle weather, Naelithra is a sharp contrast to its sibling island. Located much further north than Thalara, where the hot winds of the Uninhabitable North meet the colder climate of the Shattered Reach, this is a land of extremes. In its northern portion lie the Jungles of Laelenarion, a dense location where it is so full of life that it is bursting.
And in the middle of it all, on a small hill where the waterfalls break and the jungle opens, is Naelyrion, the seat of King Nauvengar and his kingdom.
The city is divided into four hills, each walled and connected via bridges to each other, with a central fortified castle as the main base where the throne lies. To the Naelithrans, life is a constant test of martial excellence, their existence being one of constant struggle against the hostile environment of their home island, and the dozens of insects, reptiles, serpents and other kinds of animals with which they share the jungle.
Naelithran cities often present thick and tall walls, often with sharp corners, and a martial society unlike any of the other Hamura kingdoms found so far by the western sailors, eschewing magic in favour of training and skill. Dotted across the jungle there are many abandoned fortresses which the Naelithrans claim are cursed by the Gods with the âcurse of neveryearsâ, a curse no modern Naelithran can quite explain.
Perhaps uncharacteristically, at least to those familiar with Waternaken, the Naelithrans are also fond of poetry and music, chanting what they call the âSong of Warâ anytime they find themselves fighting, a song said to date back to the âbirth of the worldâ and the first days. They also have monthly festivals of martial skill, duels in two phases: the first being that of a melee sparring until one of them drops unconscious, and the second phase that of poetry, to whoever can write the most beautiful poetry of a genre they call rauha, a form of poetry composed of a stanza of four lines with irregular length.