Beyan Archipelago

The Archipelago as a whole covers an area of several hundred kilometres west to east, and a slightly smaller amount north to south. Most of the islands in the Archipelago are rocky and mountainous with tall white cliffs, and can be difficult to approach. The larger islands in the chain are more arable and often easier to access, and it is on these islands that the majority of Avadians live, with the three most prominent islands being Isla Avadia in the northwest, Isla Pasilda in the northeast, and Isla Basada in the southeast.

That having been said, Avadians are scattered across virtually all of the islands, and while the larger islands are easier to access, the southernmost islands on the chain can be considerably more fertile and often have a vibrant enough range of crops for extensive farming.

Isla Avadia hosts the city of Port Avadia, arguably the capital of the Sovereignty and the nexus of all maritime Calinan trade. Other major cities and towns include Valetin (and the famous Selia's Lagoon) in Isla Pasilda and Entalles in Isla Basada.

While most of the seas around the Archipelago are calm, a clear anomaly exists in the form of the Backlash far to the west, near the southwestern Arikandan mainland. The remnants of a chaotic explosion two centuries prior to the present day, the Backlash sees near-constant tropical-strength storms and chaotic seas, along with a visibly different subtropical climate that is considerably wetter than the other islands.

Most of the Archipelago enjoys a classical Mediterranean climate, with hot summers, mild winters and generally dry weather. The southern islands are somewhat warmer due to the hot winds blowing from the Ayaran Savannah in northern Calina. The northwestern islands in proximity to the Backlash are somewhat wetter, adopting a subtropical climate due to the meteorological chaos caused by that phenomenon.

The Archipelago sees a broad range of flora in its reaches; in part due to its position between two continents, and also in part due to both the drier southern Arikandan climate and the meteorological anomalies in the Backlash region. In general the region is split in three in terms of its diversity;

• The northwestern islands near the Backlash share the swampy plants, peaches, oranges and sugarcane prominent in the mainland Avadian Colonies. Alligators are an occasional sighting, as are panthers, waterfowl and deer.
• The central and eastern islands of the Archipelago, along with the westernmost southern islands, see olive trees, fig and date trees, pomegranate trees, and similar plants. Wild goats, sheep and pigs are commonly raised on land here.
• The southeastern-most islands, near Maganti sees an increase in denser rainforest-style vegetation, although not quite as dense as the Arzai Jungle itself. A number of birds shared with the Arzai Jungle can also be found such as birds of paradise and flamingoes can be found, along with rare sightings of magmahawks. The terrestrial fauna is mixed, with Arzai reptiles and amphibians often mixing with the pigs and goats of the north.

A variety of marine creatures can be found throughout the archipelago. These are mostly the same variety as seen elsewhere around the Calinan Sea, with various types of fish, whales, dolphins and sharks seen as regular sightings. Merids, feral humanoids said to bear aquatic anatomy like scales and tails of fish, are rumoured to dwell in the seas around the Archipelago, but these have yet to be confirmed outside of folklore and sailors' stories, and are generally considered to be myth.

In the northwestern Archipelago, crops such as sugarcane, bananas, coconuts, pineapples and mangoes are farmed. In the central and southern islands fruits and nuts such as figs, apricots, hazelnuts and almonds are farmed. Wheat can also be found on the larger, flatter islands.

Fish of all kinds of varieties are ubiquitous among the Archipelago and feature prominently in the Avadian diet. On the more arable lands, cattle, sheep and pigs are commonly raised.

Limestone is widely available on the islands and used heavily in construction.

The Archipelago has been inhabited by the Avadian people for at least the last ten thousand years, and all indications suggest that the islanders are indigenous to the area. Civilisation on the Archipelago originally existed in the form of dispersed tribes across the islands during the late Stone Age. With the advent of the Bronze Age in the early third millennium, these tribes began to crystallise into small city-states, with a number of ports and towns being set up throughout the Archipelago.

At the beginning of the second millennium, the Avadian tribe emerged as the most dominant tribe on the Archipelago, with the formation of a large trade hub on the island of Isla Avadia attended by traders, explorers and fishermen. By the middle of the second millennium, the Avadians had spread through a mixture of diplomacy and commercial dominance across the Archipelago, subsuming most of the other tribes. This was formalised in 1279 DoM with the formation of the Avadian Sovereignty as the central government in the Archipelago.

In the centuries since, the Sovereignty has expanded beyond the Archipelago, establishing trade outposts and enclaves on both sides of the Calinan, and carving out a sizeable portion of southwestern Arikanda for themselves. In spite of this expansion, the Archipelago remains the core focus of the Sovereignty, with its capital centred on Port Avadia, most of its merchants and wayfarers hailing from the islands, and maritime domination, exploration and trade remaining its core focus. Even the colonies retain allegiance to the Home Islands, and their viceroys answer to the Archipelago, making the islands one of the true imperial powers in the Calinan.