Selenica
Selenica — The Known Continent
Selenica is the principal and most extensively chronicled continent of the world, regarded by many cultures as the known world and by others as the contested world. It is the cradle of post‑Kii’Rahn civilization, the stage upon which the Twelve Founding Lines rose, fractured, migrated, and reshaped history across fifteen centuries.
Though often spoken of as a single landmass, Selenica is better understood as a convergence zone: of climates, peoples, faiths, trade routes, and competing visions of order.
Etymology
The name Selenica is not native to any single culture.
Most scholars attribute its origin to early Tharosian and Arenid ritual language, derived from the proto‑root Selén / Selûn, meaning that which reflects divine order or that which makes the unseen visible. The suffix ‑ika denotes a bearer of quality or state of being.
Thus, Selenica is commonly translated as:
“The Land That Reflects Order”
or
“The Visible World.”
While widely adopted in cartography, trade, and theology, many cultures maintain their own native names for the continent. The Korvenid and Korvethi, in particular, regard the name as a western imposition and use alternative terms in their own chronicles.
Selenica is the principal and most extensively chronicled continent of the world, regarded by many cultures as the known world and by others as the contested world. It is the cradle of post‑Kii’Rahn civilization, the stage upon which the Twelve Founding Lines rose, fractured, migrated, and reshaped history across fifteen centuries.
Though often spoken of as a single landmass, Selenica is better understood as a convergence zone: of climates, peoples, faiths, trade routes, and competing visions of order.
Etymology
The name Selenica is not native to any single culture.
Most scholars attribute its origin to early Tharosian and Arenid ritual language, derived from the proto‑root Selén / Selûn, meaning that which reflects divine order or that which makes the unseen visible. The suffix ‑ika denotes a bearer of quality or state of being.
Thus, Selenica is commonly translated as:
“The Land That Reflects Order”
or
“The Visible World.”
While widely adopted in cartography, trade, and theology, many cultures maintain their own native names for the continent. The Korvenid and Korvethi, in particular, regard the name as a western imposition and use alternative terms in their own chronicles.
Geography
Location & Extent
Selenica occupies the central latitudes of the world’s eastern hemisphere, stretching from sub‑arctic northern coasts to temperate and Mediterranean southern shores.
It is bordered by:
The Northern Sea to the north
The Varunic Expanse to the west
The Eastern Ocean along its far eastern horn
The Southern Deeps beyond its southern coastlines
The continent’s eastern reach culminates in a long peninsula and horn, dominated in later eras by Korvenid and Korvethi powers.
Major Geographic Regions The Lareth Vale (Central‑West)
The Lareth Vale is the traditional landing region of eleven of the Twelve Ark‑Ships following the fall of Kii’Rahn. Fertile, temperate, and river‑rich, it became the earliest nexus of post‑arrival civilization.
From the Vale emerged the Arenid, Tharosian, Halvorid, Brynnic, Tiranic, Kaen’Myrri, and other foundational cultures.
Western and Southwestern Selenica
Characterized by rolling hills, river deltas, and sun‑warmed coasts, the southwest exhibits a Mediterranean‑like climate.
This region gave rise to:
Art‑driven cultures (notably the Tiranic peoples)
Early maritime trade networks
Dense city‑states and temple‑cities
Olive‑like crops, grains, stone, wine, and artistic exports dominate the region’s historical economy.
Northern Selenica
The northern reaches are colder, forested, and rugged, with fjord‑like coasts and long winters.
These lands fostered:
Brynnic spirit‑cultures
Clan‑based societies
Strong oral traditions and ancestor reverence
Northern peoples were historically resilient, insular, and deeply tied to land and spirit rather than empire.
The Central Mountain Spine
Running roughly north–south through eastern Selenica lies a massive mountain system, forming a natural barrier between western and eastern civilizations.
These mountains:
Limited early migration eastward
Created cultural divergence over centuries
Gave rise to isolated highland communities
Passes through the spine became strategic choke points and were often the sites of prolonged conflict.
Northeastern Selenica & the Eastern Horn
Beyond the mountain spine lies a vast and varied region of steppe, forest, high plains, and coastal expanses.
This area became the heartland of the Korvenid and Korvethi peoples, whose cultures mirror nomadic, khanate‑based, and later imperial traditions.
Climates range from cold northern coasts to temperate plains and rugged southern highlands. The region’s geography favored mobility, horsemanship, and later naval dominance along the eastern seas.
Seas, Rivers, and Trade
Selenica is defined as much by water as by land.
Major rivers flowing from the central mountains enabled early agriculture and trade.
Western and southern coasts fostered early maritime cultures.
Eastern sea lanes became fiercely contested between Korvenid and Varunid powers.
Over time, these waterways formed the maritime superhighways of the known world, shaping commerce, warfare, and cultural exchange.
Selenica occupies the central latitudes of the world’s eastern hemisphere, stretching from sub‑arctic northern coasts to temperate and Mediterranean southern shores.
It is bordered by:
The Northern Sea to the north
The Varunic Expanse to the west
The Eastern Ocean along its far eastern horn
The Southern Deeps beyond its southern coastlines
The continent’s eastern reach culminates in a long peninsula and horn, dominated in later eras by Korvenid and Korvethi powers.
Major Geographic Regions The Lareth Vale (Central‑West)
The Lareth Vale is the traditional landing region of eleven of the Twelve Ark‑Ships following the fall of Kii’Rahn. Fertile, temperate, and river‑rich, it became the earliest nexus of post‑arrival civilization.
From the Vale emerged the Arenid, Tharosian, Halvorid, Brynnic, Tiranic, Kaen’Myrri, and other foundational cultures.
Western and Southwestern Selenica
Characterized by rolling hills, river deltas, and sun‑warmed coasts, the southwest exhibits a Mediterranean‑like climate.
This region gave rise to:
Art‑driven cultures (notably the Tiranic peoples)
Early maritime trade networks
Dense city‑states and temple‑cities
Olive‑like crops, grains, stone, wine, and artistic exports dominate the region’s historical economy.
Northern Selenica
The northern reaches are colder, forested, and rugged, with fjord‑like coasts and long winters.
These lands fostered:
Brynnic spirit‑cultures
Clan‑based societies
Strong oral traditions and ancestor reverence
Northern peoples were historically resilient, insular, and deeply tied to land and spirit rather than empire.
The Central Mountain Spine
Running roughly north–south through eastern Selenica lies a massive mountain system, forming a natural barrier between western and eastern civilizations.
These mountains:
Limited early migration eastward
Created cultural divergence over centuries
Gave rise to isolated highland communities
Passes through the spine became strategic choke points and were often the sites of prolonged conflict.
Northeastern Selenica & the Eastern Horn
Beyond the mountain spine lies a vast and varied region of steppe, forest, high plains, and coastal expanses.
This area became the heartland of the Korvenid and Korvethi peoples, whose cultures mirror nomadic, khanate‑based, and later imperial traditions.
Climates range from cold northern coasts to temperate plains and rugged southern highlands. The region’s geography favored mobility, horsemanship, and later naval dominance along the eastern seas.
Seas, Rivers, and Trade
Selenica is defined as much by water as by land.
Major rivers flowing from the central mountains enabled early agriculture and trade.
Western and southern coasts fostered early maritime cultures.
Eastern sea lanes became fiercely contested between Korvenid and Varunid powers.
Over time, these waterways formed the maritime superhighways of the known world, shaping commerce, warfare, and cultural exchange.
History
Political Significance
Over the first 1500 years, Selenica witnessed:
The rise and collapse of multiple empires
The extinction of some Founding bloodlines
The transformation of others from kings to commoners
The emergence of republics, khanates, city‑states, and commonwealths
No single power ever ruled all of Selenica permanently.
The continent resists total unity.
Cultural Diversity
Selenica is home to radically different worldviews:
Arenid reverence of Oaa through local practice
Tharosian codified religion and institutional faith
Korvenid Breath‑based philosophies and martial traditions
Kaen’Myrri living‑vessel beliefs
Halvorid transactional ethics and mercantile law
Brynnic spirit‑veneration
Tiranic devotion to art, light, and form
These systems often coexist, sometimes clash, and frequently intermingle.
Scholarly Consensus
Most historians agree on one point:
Selenica is not a finished story.
It is a land continually reshaped by migration, memory, conflict, and reinterpretation. Its ruins often outnumber its living cities, and its myths are rarely separate from its history.
To know Selenica is to accept contradiction — and to understand that no single culture can fully claim it.
“The world is wide, but the maps end here.” — Inscription from a Halvorid chart, c. 912 AL
Over the first 1500 years, Selenica witnessed:
The rise and collapse of multiple empires
The extinction of some Founding bloodlines
The transformation of others from kings to commoners
The emergence of republics, khanates, city‑states, and commonwealths
No single power ever ruled all of Selenica permanently.
The continent resists total unity.
Cultural Diversity
Selenica is home to radically different worldviews:
Arenid reverence of Oaa through local practice
Tharosian codified religion and institutional faith
Korvenid Breath‑based philosophies and martial traditions
Kaen’Myrri living‑vessel beliefs
Halvorid transactional ethics and mercantile law
Brynnic spirit‑veneration
Tiranic devotion to art, light, and form
These systems often coexist, sometimes clash, and frequently intermingle.
Scholarly Consensus
Most historians agree on one point:
Selenica is not a finished story.
It is a land continually reshaped by migration, memory, conflict, and reinterpretation. Its ruins often outnumber its living cities, and its myths are rarely separate from its history.
To know Selenica is to accept contradiction — and to understand that no single culture can fully claim it.
“The world is wide, but the maps end here.” — Inscription from a Halvorid chart, c. 912 AL
Alternative Name(s)
Arenid: Oaelûn — “The Given World", Tharosian: Sel-Thûra — “The Forged Land”, Korvethi: Vael-Khaganat — “The Many Domains”, Varunid: The Ringed Shores, Halvorid: Calen Mare — “The Measured World”
Type
Continent
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