Nhulokkarnum
in World AtlasThe Continent of Nhulokkarnum
Nhulokkarnum (NULL-lock-CAR-num) is the third continent of Raios for which we will provide details, with content similar to that released for the the first continent, Aorlan. We intend to release additional Nhulokkarnum content 6 months after initial release, in early August 2025.
Civilized Nhulokkarnum is limited to the Chuulonian Empire in the south, though the Empire is only a shadow of the nation that was one of four whose Great War precipitated The Great Cataclysm. In the crumbled, overgrown north of the continent are the Ansharri, the scattered tribal remnants of another mighty pre-cataclysm civilization. Culture and character information for Chuuli Human and Ansharri Human PCs are in the Raios Player's Handbook.
Chaos magics raged across Nhulokkarnum during and after the Cataclysm, creating aberrations of plants, animals and people. The aberrations still roam the continent, though the chaos magics have faded somewhat over the centuries. The continent's most feared danger is certainly the red dragon horde that burnt and still controls the former Ansharri homeland in the far northwest. Less well-known but scattered throughout the continent are numerous extraplanar beings that entered Raios during the Great War and never found their way home. The Terrasque is the most legendary of these, indestructible and immortal. She still dominates the wasteland that is left of Zxo’lun, blocking all Chuulonian Empire attempts to reclaim their former province.
Battered by the Great Cataclysm, the continent of Nhulokkarnum still bears the scars of this tragic event. During this great tragedy, the entire northern half of the continent sank under the sea in a matter of months, while large, significant areas of the southern coastline also sank.
Sharp rocky mountains run down the centers of Nhulokkarnum’s landmass, providing a haven for monstrous creatures and corrupted aberrations. These lawless areas, outside the control of any government, serve as dangerous barriers to travel and overland trade.
Climate and Ecosystems: Latitude exerts a very strong influence on the climate by affecting both temperature and rainfall. Nhulokkarnum possesses a climate that ranges from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south. The amount of annual precipitation also varies by latitude. In northern areas, the highest amount of rainfall occurs during the winter months and then decreases in the heat of summer. This produces savanna vegetation with small intermittently forested areas. The land gets progressively drier as you travel farther south until it becomes dominated by tropical scrub vegetation at its southernmost end.
Geographic Areas and Dominant Races: In the far northern territory of Ansharr, The Dragon Lands, little intelligent life exists due to the predations of a family of red dragons ruled by an ancient queen of unusually large size and cruelty. Her brood constantly scours the land with their fiery breath, leaving little alive but small plants hidden by fractured rocks.
Yxtan and Xul’tarnu have low humanoid populations that consist mainly of aberrations corrupted by chaos storms.
Daalor finds itself as an abandoned lost land whose three remaining cities each find themselves ruled by a powerful demon lord. Tekul contains barbaric warlike tribes of humans who live amongst the ruins of a once great kingdom.
Merrapi contains a significant human population that still struggles for stability.
History and The Great Cataclysm: The human kingdom of Zandaria shows much promise with recently rebuilt cities and a prospering economy built of sea trade. Once a part of the Chuulonian Empire, today it stands independent but struggles to maintain much influence beyond coastal areas.
The Chuulonian Empire, a formerly large and influential human empire, presents itself as a seemingly rich and grand land, but a close look behind the scenes reveals a land that exists as a mere shell of its former might.
The feared lands of Gral’tclon and Zxo’lun, filled with dangerous denizens, host few humanoids.
Magical and Mystical Sites: Now lost to history, fables tell of powerful magical sites in various parts of the continent.
Dangers and Threats: Anywhere outside of civilized areas presents great danger to travelers due to the presence of aberrations. In addition, dangerous outsiders, originally gated into Nhulokkarnum during The Great War, still survive in forgotten backwaters. The greatest dangers known on this continent consist of the red dragons of Ansharr and the mighty terrasque of Zxo’lun.
Unexplored Regions: At one time most of the continent had been explored and mapped. However, as civilization fell over most of the continent during The Great Cataclysm, this knowledge was lost. Today, few have much knowledge of what exists beyond civilized areas although some old maps still exist in archives.
Sharp rocky mountains run down the centers of Nhulokkarnum’s landmass, providing a haven for monstrous creatures and corrupted aberrations. These lawless areas, outside the control of any government, serve as dangerous barriers to travel and overland trade.
Climate and Ecosystems: Latitude exerts a very strong influence on the climate by affecting both temperature and rainfall. Nhulokkarnum possesses a climate that ranges from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south. The amount of annual precipitation also varies by latitude. In northern areas, the highest amount of rainfall occurs during the winter months and then decreases in the heat of summer. This produces savanna vegetation with small intermittently forested areas. The land gets progressively drier as you travel farther south until it becomes dominated by tropical scrub vegetation at its southernmost end.
Geographic Areas and Dominant Races: In the far northern territory of Ansharr, The Dragon Lands, little intelligent life exists due to the predations of a family of red dragons ruled by an ancient queen of unusually large size and cruelty. Her brood constantly scours the land with their fiery breath, leaving little alive but small plants hidden by fractured rocks.
Yxtan and Xul’tarnu have low humanoid populations that consist mainly of aberrations corrupted by chaos storms.
Daalor finds itself as an abandoned lost land whose three remaining cities each find themselves ruled by a powerful demon lord. Tekul contains barbaric warlike tribes of humans who live amongst the ruins of a once great kingdom.
Merrapi contains a significant human population that still struggles for stability.
History and The Great Cataclysm: The human kingdom of Zandaria shows much promise with recently rebuilt cities and a prospering economy built of sea trade. Once a part of the Chuulonian Empire, today it stands independent but struggles to maintain much influence beyond coastal areas.
The Chuulonian Empire, a formerly large and influential human empire, presents itself as a seemingly rich and grand land, but a close look behind the scenes reveals a land that exists as a mere shell of its former might.
The feared lands of Gral’tclon and Zxo’lun, filled with dangerous denizens, host few humanoids.
Magical and Mystical Sites: Now lost to history, fables tell of powerful magical sites in various parts of the continent.
Dangers and Threats: Anywhere outside of civilized areas presents great danger to travelers due to the presence of aberrations. In addition, dangerous outsiders, originally gated into Nhulokkarnum during The Great War, still survive in forgotten backwaters. The greatest dangers known on this continent consist of the red dragons of Ansharr and the mighty terrasque of Zxo’lun.
Unexplored Regions: At one time most of the continent had been explored and mapped. However, as civilization fell over most of the continent during The Great Cataclysm, this knowledge was lost. Today, few have much knowledge of what exists beyond civilized areas although some old maps still exist in archives.
You can open folders in the World Codex tree to see the locations by type within this continent. You can also navigate from the tree, of course:
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All artwork generated by Midjourney using prompts from R. Hayes