Our ship swung around to the west just as the sun peeked over the waves behind us. By the fine amber light of the dawn I could see towering outcrops of rock, pillars rising straight out of the ocean depths. Beyond, upon a rocky peninsula, there rose clusters of gleaming structures turned to gold in the sun.

“Behold!” Cried the Navigator Tar-esiir, “Artha, capital of Danarchis.”

“‘Danarchis?’” I hated to admit it, but my geographic knowledge failed me; the name meant nothing.

“Danarchis, lad!” Cried Tar-esiir, favoring me with a rare smile. “We have reached the north coast of Emer.”

The Great Continent of Emer, vast and wealthy. . . and full of peril. We had arrived at last.

Kalen Avanir, from his Travel Journals

Lord of the western continents, Emer dominates the map. It is the legendary home of the Masters of Emer, an ancient pantheon of godlike beings who dominated all of Emer, ruling from a great palace in the central island of Votania. Tales of the ethereal gods persist, and Votania remains a reputedly haunted place. Navigators will not take you there (it is rumored that their headquarters are there). Climate on the vast continent is quite varied. Much of the southwest is arid, and while the northernmost regions are cool and temperate; the southeast is humid and tropical, and the central areas are temperate to subtropical.

HISTORY

Emer has had a few exceptionally noteworthy continent spanning empires. In the Second Era there were the Masters of Emer, and in the Third Era there was the great Emerian Empire.

THE MASTERS OF EMER

Late in the first millennium of the Second Era, six powerful Titans decided to make their home on the cloudy summit of Votania and from there, to benevolently rule the great continent of Emer. Naming themselves the Masters of Emer, they recruited servants and began the scourge. Over the next 200 years, the Masters took all of Emer, giving names to the regions which are still held today. The Titans showed favoritism to certain races, subjugating the Shay, while elevating the Laan to special status.

While demanding, the Masters maintained a benevolent rule over Emer. It was not until the beginning of the fourth millennium that some Masters became dissatisfied with their lot, and the group began to fracture. The Titans were eventually unable to hold the lands against determined advances by the forces of the Dark Gods, and bickering among themselves. Even the Laan turn against their former lords, seduced by promises of wealth and power by the evil manifestations of the Unlife. In the northeast, Silaar was besieged by armies and fleets, forces of the mysterious “Lord of Encla Turic”. In Uj a long campaign between one of the Masters, Kia Viax, and the god Andaras ended with the crumble of the Masters reign. The mighty Xiosians were driven back and the Masters of Emer retreated to Votania.

For almost three thousand years the continent continued a slow decline into anarchy and a dark age. While an occasional ruler with vision arose, he was cut down before he can bring peace to any significant portion of Emer. With the return of the comet Sa’kain in SE 6450, it appeared that the Shadow World was on the brink of total destruction. During the Wars of Dominion it is said even the Masters of Emer were stirred from their self-imposed exile and joined battle with the evil commanders.

THE EMERIAN EMPIRE

About 1000 years into the Third Era the lord Aldaron arrived. Aldaron was a fair-haired man, not unlike the Talath or Myri in appearance but more aggressive than that quiet people. Leading a force inland from the Bay of Izar, he settled in the northern shores of the Sea of Votania and declared himself the Emperor of all Emer. So began the campaign to unite the great continent again.

A century later, Aldaron was lord of Hæstra and dared to sail to the Isle of Votania. Dispersing the ancient legend, he was not struck dead upon landing. He claimed the isle, planning to place his Imperial palace at the foot of the mountain. The hold was built over the next twenty years. From Aldain Castle he solidified his hold on Emer. By 1300, Aldaron - still seemingly a young man - returned from campaigns across the continent. Emer was his.

To administrate his vast empire, Aldaron established four satellite capitals: Relas, Ardan, Leonas, and Corinn. He appointed trusted captains of his army to rule in his name. The four capitals grow and prosper over the next several decades as Emer enjoys a period of peace and prosperity. He also found 8 special orders. These elite groups served the Emperor directly, each having a different function in the empire, complementing the others. Among them were the Ahn sye Nokora (Order of the Silver Sword) which were the Emperors bodyguards, and the Ahn sye Woloka (Order of the Eye), which were advisors and Seers.

The Empire endured for a little over three centuries, but eventually fell. It is unknown what caused the decline, most rumors point to betrayal and sabotage. The next several decades the four states went to war and practically destroyed each other in vain efforts to re-unite the Empire again. Emer was thrown into chaos by TE 2000.

SEAPORT AND SKY CITY

Kaitaine and Sel-kai, at nearly opposite ends of the continent, rise to economic power in the vacuum of political influence. Around the year TE 4000, the merchants of the two cities meet and divide Emer like a rich pie. Just over two hundred years after Kaitaine and Sel-kai make their pact, the latter city launches the first sky-ship. Drunk with success and ambition, the Merchant-prince of Sel-kai begins an ambitious project: to build a flying merchant fleet. Over the next four hundred years the fame and wealth of Sel-kai grows. In 4650, the dreams of the most flamboyant lord of Sel-kai are realized: the city of Eidolon rises in the sky above Northern Emer, a jewel of unsurpassed beauty and triumph of Kulthean craftsmanship and wealth.

SHADOWS LENGTHEN

The last millennium has been another period of decline in most areas of Emer, with warfare increasing and natural disaster claiming many lives. Areas of Emer suffer droughts, floods, and devastating storms. Societies which previously interacted draw away from each other in fear of contamination. Nevertheless, plague reduce the overall population of the continent by almost a third by the year 6000.

REGIONS OF EMER

The four main regions of Emer are Hæstra, Tai-emer, Khûm-kaan,and Uj. Onar, Silaar, and Ræl are considered to be lesser regions. One of the most prominent features of Emer is the Spine of Emer. Seperating Hæstra and Tai-emer and extending even beyond Hæstra soutwards, the Spine is one of the most prominent features on the face of Kulthea. Beginning in the north, just south of the Choak Mountains, the ridge runs unbroken for over 1500 miles. Only at the famous Gap of Uj does the Spine pause before rising again to run south another thousand miles. With a sharp dogleg east, the chain makes a twisting path southeast before finally sinking into the sea 800 miles further.

HÆSTRA

Second largest of the four main regions, Hæstra is the most widely cultivated and the most densely populated of Emer’s varied regions. Its mild climate, fertile soil, and available resources make it an ideal region for habitation. Hæstra is bordered on the south by the bleak Morbek Highlands and the Forbidden Hills, an intimidating barrier. It is said that a pass lies between the two, but the way is hidden - and perilous. Beyond lies the desert of Uj.

Shielded on nearly every side, Hæstra is protected from all extremes of nature. The humid mid-latitude climate is ideal for agriculture; no wonder that Hæstra has been called the breadbasket of Emer. Precipitation is moderate, and heavy in the late spring. Summers are miled, the temperature rarely exceeding 90°F. While most of the winter it is below freezing, rarely does Hæstra experience truly bitter cold.

Hæstra is also home to Votania, the legendary home to the Emperor of Emer as well as the earlier Masters of Emer. The isle itself is rarely visible, clothed in a thick veil of mist. There are numerous tales of the Sea of Votania being home to many kraken-like monsters.

TAI-EMER

From the Spine of Emer to the Sea of Tears, the land of Tai-emer steps down in a series of great plateaus. These shelves of land are eroded by the patient destruction of wind and water, leaving a broken landscape of arid plains and semi-fertile savannah. To the north, Tai-emer ends at the Choak Gap, a windy plain 50 miles wide and guarded by the Changramai Citadel. To the south, the Peaks of Peligris and the Spine of Emer curl towards each other, froming the plateau of Arûl. South of this ridge, the land falls away into the lowlands of Khûm-kaan.

The cool, moist winds from the northwest are effectively stopped by the Spine, leaving Tai-emer with only the moisture generated by the Sea of Tears, not a generous watering. The eastern face of the Spine here is a much more gradual rise, allowing for considerable arable land along the foothills however. Nearly all of Tai-emer is hot, tropical, arid and semi-arid except fot eh T’voca river plain and the various isolated valleys hidden between the wind-swept plains.

The great savannah which makes up nearly all of Tai-emer is known as the Steppes. Semi-arid except along the waterways, the land is hot, supporting only scattered grassland broken occasionally by small strands of trees. Poor soil and little rainfall in the southeast of Tai-emer combine to make the flat region little more then a wasteland. While not a desert, it has little to offer settlers, so remains virtually uninhabited except for a variety of hardy desert creatures.

SILAAR, NÁMAR-TOL, and SEL-KAI

Cradled between protective mountain ranges, Silaar is a region known among its Anzeti inhabitants as Nuyan Khôm. South of Silaar lie the great Isles of Námar-Tol, a large and powerful Iylar realm. Four large islands and numberless islets make up this kingdom, rules by the Loari branch of the High-elves. Finally, to the north of Silaar hovers perhaps the most celebrated city on Kulthea: Eidolon, floating above the island-princedom of Sel-kai.

Silaar and the Isles of Námar-Tol have wildly different climes. In general, the southern plains area of Silaar ranges from Hot Arid and Semiarid. As one moves further north and into the foothills, the climate bcomes abruptly Humid Mid-latitude. All coastal area, as well as the Isle of Námar-Tol, are Temperate Marine.

It is said that the Prince of Sel-kai is the richest man on all Kulthea. Certainly he has one of the most grand homes: the floating city of Eidolon, capital of Sel-kai. Sel-kai is a large island north of Silaar which is an independent realm ruled by a man known as the Prince of Sel-kai. Sel-kai is a government based on trade and it has worked well for nearly two thousand years.

UJ

Though the largest region of Emer in sheer square mileage, Uj is largely desert or arid land, and the population is relatively low. However, the western third of the mainland is fertile, proteted from the desert winds by the Barrier Hills. Many islands and peninsulas around Uj contain thriving cultures as well. The legendary city of Kaitaine lies just west of Uj, and southwest are the Isles of Itanis, home to the Warlocks and their amazon guardians. Uj has been called a wasteland, but several other very divergent ecologies exist within it’s boundaries. There are wet tropical regions, desert, river valleys, and cool coastal regions.

ONAR

A long peninsula extending from Khûm-kaan to the east, Onar reaches out to the mystical star of Iyxia. But the Crystal cliffs, sheer mountains of volcanic glass along the eastern coast of Onar, effectively several all chance of contact with mere mortals. The Circular Sea to the north and the mountainous coasts of Onar contribute to its gentle weather. Few storms of significance batter the white sands of this tropical land.

KHÛM-KAAN

Beginning on the south bank of the torrential Lapinar River and sweeping east in a long, ridged and broken spur, Khûm-kaan combines an incredible variety of environments: tropical rainforest, snow-capped mountains, and temperate seacoasts. Embraced by the Spine of Emer and the Black Mountains, Khûm-kaan is a deep basin of ruitous growth.

RÆL

Far to the south and attached to Emer by only the most tenuous of links, Ræl is a land apart. Ræl is also properly in the southern hemisphere of Kulthea, where the seasons of reversed (potentially confusing where there are five seasons/months). The terrain of Ræl is mostly tortured, either mountainous or arid. Only the coasts and the islands of the Rælian Bay are very fertile.

TRADE

Different parts of Emer communicate through the extensive trade network, a result of the powerful city-states, Kaitaine in the southwest, and Sel-kai/Eidolon, to the northeast. Sel-kai is the richest and more famous of the two. The Prince of Sel-kai owes his wealth to his airborne merchant fleet, sailing vessels which ply not water but the air.

The sky merchants of Sel-kai trade mainly in rare merchandise from remote lands. Perfumes, fine fabrics, jewels, artwork, enchanted weapons, and rare herbs are among the priceless cargo of the skyships. Changramai warriors are not an unheard -of sight on board a skyship, and sometimes a Navigator is even retained to assure favorable conditions.

Larger skyships carry passengers; Eidolon is narturally a center for such departures and arrivals. Booking passage elsewhere is possible - mostly at other large seaports where skyships dock for trade. A skyship captain will not alter his normal trade route to suit a passenger, though chartered ships are available at Eidolon for a prohibitive fee.