Old World

"It's called the Old World because most people used to live there in the past. Then the War came, and those people had to move."

— Solomon Duskarow, a Taqairan navigator

  The Old World is a large continent south of the Equator. It is surrounded by two seas: Phadoya Sea in the east, and Kinjora Sea in the west. Unlike the other two continents, the Old World is a vast archipelago with no mainland. It used to be a whole continent, but the land was shattered during the Sentinel War and destroyed in the Ice Age.   The Old World is quite isolated from the rest of the world and is also internally isolated. Many nations do not trade with each other. In fact, some nations do not know that other nations exist, since the Sentinel War and the ensuing Ice Age destroyed many civilisations and forced the remainder to turn inwards. As a result of this isolation, most species do not intermix or have mixed-species children.  

Regions

The Old World is an archipelago split into 4 main regions and multiple smaller islands. The “main archipelago” is considered the southern part of the continent, where the Orcs and the Natuzans live. Each region has a name that was given to it by travellers (mainly) from the Known World, but the inhabitants themselves don’t use those names. They have their own names for their region, and these names are used widely across the Old World.  

Nazuteca (The Floating Isles)

  Nazuteca is known for its strong Elemental energy, which made it a good home for the Elemental Natuzans. This energy also powers the material underneath all the islands, which allows them to float as high as they do.   The Natuzans are the only humanoids on the islands. Many don’t even realise they exist because they prefer to stay in the sky, where they feel safer. In fact, no-one is allowed out of Nazuteca and very few are allowed in.  

Kupesh (The Shattered Lands)

Kupesh (or the Shattered Lands) is the group of islands below Nazuteca. They are inhabited by the Orcs and the Kanoshi and are most people’s first point of contact with the Old World. The region is further split in two parts, the Narulesh Islands and the Andalesh Islands.   The Narulesh Islands are small islands that surround the Andalesh Islands. The region is uninhabitable because the soil is very hard and dry. Animals that live there are aggressive because they fight each other for food. There are a few outposts in the area, but those are mainly from travellers trying to survive while mapping a route to the Andalesh Islands.   The Andalesh Islands are where the Orcs live. They covered in a thick rainforest called the Great Forest. In contrast to the Narulesh Islands, the Andalesh Islands are much bigger and contain all the large villages. The Andalesh Islands can get very hot and humid, and the air is often thick. There are also many Kanoshi in the region because of the strong Arcanic presence there.  

Yositan (The Sunlit Horizon)

  The northern islands are desert islands, and the southern islands are subtropical. In the middle, there is Bondisa, an island that is mostly savannah. Due to the climate, Yositan is home to a wide range of animals not found anywhere else.   The Kozoni and the Settlers are the only humanoids in Yositan. The Kozoni have many subcultures within them while the Settlers prefer to remain hidden. As Yositan is further away from the main archipelago, Kozoni prefer to trade within their ethnic groups. A few times a year, they will also trade with people outside their region, mainly the Natuzans.  

Maridago (The Underseas)

Maridago is a subterranean place deep underwater. The entire region spans across three oceans, Phadoya Sea, Kinjora Sea and Avidaya Sea. In terms of size, Maridago is the largest region in the Old World. Most people on the surface do not realise there are people living underwater.   Many of its inhabitants would consider themselves Phadoyan, especially the Marogo, who often come to the surface. But not everyone likes to be in the overworld. There are possibly hundreds of species underwater, many of which are semi-aquatic.   Maridago is also home to a large population of Hijuro. They are Water Fairies affiliated with the Hydro Dragon, the prime Hijuro himself. Because of the Hijuro, Maridago is often considered the domain of the Hydro Dragon.