Akkad (Á-káad)

Though bigger than Astur, Akkad is not thought to be as populous, possibly due to some of the wilder natures of its landscape. The tropical zones are home to lush jungles, wide sweeping grasslands, and almost totally impassable bogs.  Where the climate gives way to more variety, one finds a few deserts that border dry scrub plains. The Petrovask Mountains from a border between the more arid southern climate and the more wet and humid norther one while the Altai Mountains are at the far western edge of the continent.  Some theorize that Akkad was once much larger, but some calamity caused a massive piece of the landmass to separate, crack, and sink into the sea; however, there is little to no evidence to bear this theory out, so most dismiss it as pure myth.

There are gateways to other planes scattered across the planet, but there is an uncommon number of places on Akkad where the vale is thin.  However, instead of opening up portals to the distant outer planes, these gates allow the elemental planes, and, in some cases, the Elemental Chaos, itself, to bleed through.  Thus, there are many phenomena that are fairly unique.  For example...

• The Weeping Rocks are a series of massive monoliths that seem to spontaneously spout rivulets of water.  Over time these stones formed a small lake that some say has curative powers.  Though the lake is not that big across, the pool is apparently fathoms deep with a possible portal to the plane of water at their base.   
• Bordering the jungles of the east are the Petrovask Mountains, which tremble periodically.  Local settlers even use the tremors to mark different times of day. The legends go that the elementals of the Earth Plane cause the mountain to grow when the locals please them good offerings.  the growth of the mountains provides shelter, minerals, and plentiful soil on which to plant.  When the spirits are not pleased, the mountains shrink, thus opening the locals up to the western winds and storms, their much needed deposits of metals disappear, and their soil dries up, lifeless.
• The Everflame, the all-consuming spirit of fire, is said to make its home in the caldera of a massive volcano that lies at the far edge of the Petrovask Mountains.
• The Gusts (not the most imaginative title, I know, but what can we do) are a series of terrible winds that sweep across the deserts and grasslands.  They can be little spurts of wind or hurricane force gales that can rip trees out of the ground.  Some scholars say that there is a predictable pattern, but if there is one, it is not known to anyone save those that make their homes in the Gusts' path.

The fringes of the forests and jungles present a wide variety of plants and animals.  The fringes also contain what many would expect from a jungle, but the deeper areas become every more harrowing.  There are stories of carnivorous plants so large they could swallow a man whole, and there are twisted creatures that prey on anything that moves.  A few explorers that claim they survived the deep jungle claim that some of these twisted entities come from other worlds.

This continent is a true land of plenty.  There are numerous forests where timber, herbs, and exotic fruits can be found.  in addition, under the swamps, marshes, and peat bogs, some enterprising people found a strange oil-like substance many have called "naphtha," which can be turned into a potent weapon in the hands of the right alchemist.  Some of those same alchemists have found another material called "saltpeter" that many theorize was once used in the arcane legends out of imperial folklore.

According to legend, when the Dawn War occurred and the gods warred across the cosmos, Akkad was a staging group for the primordials who sought to undue creation.  Stories tell of forests of impossibly tall trees, immortals conflagrations that scoured the sky, and chaotic maelstroms that ravaged anything that dared get close to its primeval shores.  The All-Dragon and his allies waged war that lasted an almost uncountable number of years.  During the Dawn War, the gods raised their own mortal allies to aid in the fight.  Moradin had his dwarves, the All-Dragon had their dragons, and Correllon had his elves.  The primordials, on the other hand brought forth armies of elemental spirits and beings.  In fact, there are tales of fantastical creatures that roam the land, searching for their masters' enemies. Many surmise that these creatures are the reason that most humanoid settlements are on the Akkadian coastlines.  In any case, when the dust settled from the war, the beautiful continent was all but destroyed.  Only the combined work of the mortals and spirits left behind did the continent even recover a shadow of its former glory.  Despite their best efforts, some of the scars are yet visible to the enterprising adventurer.     In actual recorded history, though long before the Imperial Era, The Akkadian kingdoms, though relegated to the coasts, were prominent, rich, and powerful.  A variety of cultures and races made their homes there, but as wealth increased, competition and enmity did as well.  Quasi-wars broke out all along the eastern shores, and while the fighting was not fierce, it was enough to catch the attention of the Yuan-ti in the interior.  The snake men sent their spies and infiltrators to stir up trouble and provoke further conflict.  For decades, the Yuan-ti fomented war and crisis until the kingdoms were so weak that the Yuan-ti forces were able to overwhelm them and create an empire for themselves.  The Ophidian Empire became powerful quickly, and they flexed their muscle by expanding deep into the continent of Astur where they ran into conflict with smaller human and elven states that they quickly subjugated. However, the real conflict began when the Ophidians encountered the Diabolical Empire.  The fiends, which had controlled the majority of continent since their war with Arkosia, were a battle hardened people who were ready for war.  As a matter of fact, this conflict gave the failing state new life, as they took to the conflict with a will.  Over the course of two decades, the Ophidians were pushed back into Akkad where they remained until the collapse of their empire a few centuries later.  Pockets of Yuan-ti remain in Astur, but legends say the bulk of their people are lying in wait in Akkad, itching for a moment of weakness where they can rise up once again.

Visits to Akkad tapered off when its northern kingdoms destabilized, but recently, adventuring visitors have seen fit to grace its shores.  In addition, some religious pilgrims have tried to visit some of the temples to the old gods that lay nestled in the jungles, while many erstwhile crusaders try earning their stripes by seeking battle with the Yuan-ti and lizardfolk clans that are rumored to live there.