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Description
This is the world map for my homebrew Dungeons and Dragons world, Orbis. Yes, it does only have one continent on it, a supercontinent in the same vein as how Earth once had Pangaea.

The world of Orbis came into being many hundreds of millions of years in the past. No one is exactly sure how the world was born, but many theories abound – the world was an experimentby the gods, the world just appeared from between the stars, it was formed around the corpse of a long dead god…..Debates go on to this day about how the world was made.

Orbis has one single supercontinent on it, the continent of Tariku. Separated into a number of countries, Tariku was once under the tyrannical rule of a colony of aboleths. At some point, this rule came to an end when powerful beings descended from the sky. According to the ancient peoples of Tariku, these sky beings were the first gods to come to the world. These gods, in fact, come from far beyond the stars.

Chief among these ancient “gods” was one the ancient people only referred to as “Th eCreator”. The Creator established many laws among the gods, with two that were enforced above all others: The gods shall not wage direct war with each other, and the gods shall have no direct influence on the humanoid races.

The many kingdoms of Tariku were, under the rule of the ancient kings, merged into the five countries that now make up the continent: Thaedos, the desert country directly in the cente rof the continent; the frozen tundra of Ransylva to the far north; Valara, a temperate country between Ransylva and Thaedos; Nippon, the tropical country south of Thaedos; and Patagon, a land of tropics that slowly gives way to barren wastelands and a frozen ice shelf at the far south, just beyond a nearly impassable labyrinth of mountains.

While human is the most abundant race, the other races have a prominent presence. Elves make up nearly half of the military force of each country. Dwarves toil away in the mines, and in days past were responsible for many of the architectural marvels that dot the continent. Halflings and gnomes share the role of artisan, and create many beautiful works of art (halflings) and constructs that aid in the building of cities (gnomes). Dragonborn are the most rare species of humanoid, even moreso than tieflings, though both races tend to be looked at with both curiosity and fear. Tieflings, as they tend to be born with innate arcane abilities, either become hermits or earn their way into magic guilds, while dragonborn, like elves, join the military o rbecome bounty hunters.

Each country is dotted with many villages, town, and cities, including a capital city. The capital city of Ransylva is Elsmere, located at the feet of the Hailfire Peaks, which separates the tundra from the frozen north. This city is home to king Sven Larian, the youngest king in the history of the country, having ascended to the throne at the tender age of 6. Unbeknownst to him, King Larian is under constant threat of treason by his closest advisor, Flint Goldheart, who covets the thrown for himself.

Valara is governed from the capital city of Angel Spires, which is also the largest port city on all of Tariku. This city is ruled by the benevolent king Arturo Dragonlance. King Dragonlance has ruled the city for nearly 700 years, leading to rumors that he is immortal – which indeed he is.

Barring its northern and southern borders, Thaedos is one large desert. The country is dotted by scattered oases, around which the towns and villages were built. The capital city, Medina, is ruled not by a king or queen, but by Princess Elora Sandstone. Princess Elora has yet to be named queen due to not finding a suitable candidate for king.

Just south of Thaedos is Nippon, which turns from arid grasslands to tropical rain forests. Most of the country is uninhabited, save for a few indigenous tribes in the jungles, and the capital city of Mitsurin. Mitsurin has no standing ruler; instead, every 10 years, the city holds a raffle among the elite families for who becomes ruler. On at least one occasion, the city has nearly been brought to ruin by the current ruler. Unlike the other capital cities, where the rulers reside in a palace or mansion, the ruler of Mitsurin resides in an ancient ziggurat built during the reign of the aboleths. The city is currently governed by Lord Auhizotl, named for the monster said to lurk in the deepest part of the jungle.

The southernmost country on Tariku, Patagon, continues with the jungles of Nippon for some number of miles, before giving way to grassland, followed by the Daedalus mountain range, a nearly impassable labyrinth of rocks that few can navigate. Patagon is controlled out of the capital city of Sombrun by the Talieri family, who have connections to Tariku’s criminal underground, the Red Hand criminal syndicate chief among them.

Religion across Tariku varies from country to country. While the concept of the gods was adopted by the ancient peoples’ viewings of the beings from the stars, the gods only exist as a concept in modern Tariku. Of all the countries, Valara is the most religious country on the continent, with at least five churches in every city. Thaedos continues to worship the ancient gods of the world, which has occasionally led to conflict with other countries due to this standpoint. Of all the countries, Patagon is the most strict when it comes to religion, in that the Talieri family has outlawed religion, with punishments based on the offense. First time offenders have their religious items confiscated and destroyed; second time offenders have their religious items confiscated and destroyed, and are imprisoned for anywhere from 10 days to 10 years; third time offenders are subject to execution. Because of this, religion is practiced in secret.

Despite civilization existing on Takiru for many hundreds of thousands of years, the other side of the world remains relatively unexplored. Few have dared to venture to the other side of the world to see what lives there, and even fewer have returned. Those that have returned came back with stories of unspeakable horrors that mortal eyes were never meant to look upon.

IMPORTANT PEOPLE

RANSYLVA
Sven Larian (human) – King of Elsmere. Ascended to the throne at the age of 6 after his father was killed in an assassination orchestrated by Flint Goldheart

Kristoff Larian (human) – the late King of Elsmere. He was killed in an assassination orchestrated by Flint Goldheart, who covets the throne for himself

Elsa Larian (human) – Princess of Elsmere and Sven’s older sister. Like Flint Goldheart, she covets the throne, but understands the line of succession and would rather wait for her time instead of take the throne by force and dishonor the memory of her late father

Freya Larian (human) – Queen of Elsmere. She survived the assassination orchestrated by Flint Goldheart, and is technically the ruler of the city, even though as queen she has less power than the king

Flint Goldheart (dwarf) – advisor to the throne of Elsmere. He has coveted the throne for years and orchestrated an assassination that resulted in the death of King Kristoff Larian. However, he failed to account for the fact that the king’s young son Sven would ascend to the throne, and is now plotting to remove this new king as well as any other obstacles in his quest of treason

VALARA
Arturo Dragonlance (human) – the immortal king of the country, ruling from the port city of Angel Spires. His immortality comes from a trek to one of the many uncharted islands in the Panthassa Ocean more than 700 years ago, where he discovered a fountain that would extend his life “until the stars fall from the heavens”

River Dancer (tabaxi) – a tabaxi whom Arturo met on a trip to the jungles of Nippon 20 years ago. River Dancer is fiercely loyal to Arturo, to the point where he will not hesitate to kill anyone he thinks is a threat to his king.

Alice Dragonlance (half-elf) – the current Queen of Angel Spires, and King Dragonlance’s current wife. She knows of the rumors that King Dragonlance is immortal, but doesn’t care and is honored to be the wife of a noble king and a living legend.

Dramorn Drakenhardt (dragonborn) – a blue dragonborn and captain of the Orca’s Heart, a Navy ship that occasionally docks at Angel Spires. Dramorn only cares about one thing: The crew of his ship, and keeping their spirits up.

THAEDOS
Princess Elora Sandstone (desert elf) – the princess and current ruler of Thaedos, based in the capital city of Medina. Elora has yet to be named queen due to not finding a suitable king. Part of this is because she has yet to find a suitor who doesn’t see her as more than a trophy to be won. But the true purpose of this is because she fears losing her independence.

Sid Yennel (desert elf) – the regent of Medina, his role is to attend to the needs of the ruler. In recent years, he’s found himself more of a sitter to Princess Elora, making sure that her independence doesn’t get her into trouble, as well as orchestrate the princess’s meetings with potential suitors. He loves Princess Elora like a daughter, but sometimes wishes he were the retainer to a patient king or queen.

Shadi (human) – a mysterious man from the desert, Shadi is a remnant from a time long ago. Whether he’s a ghost or an immortal being, no one knows for sure. What is known is that he comes and goes as he pleases, and has the ability to peer into a person’s mind. In truth, Shadi is the reincarnation of the wizard Hamib, who developed a magical item called the mind orb, allowing him to look into the thoughts of any person he desires.

Kazim (human) – a descendant of a line of tome keepers who guarded a tomb outside of the capital city of Medina, Kazim underwent a ritual to make him a senior tomb keeper. This is a life that Kazim didn’t want for himself, instead wanting to live in the outside world rather than a tomb, and the ritual left him scarred – both physically and mentally – and he has grown angry with the rest of the world. The only ones who can curb his anger are his older sister Shiza and his best friend Dion. In recent years, his anger has only grown, especially since he discovered an ancient artifact known as the staff of dark desires, a creation of an evil god that brings out and enhances a person’s inner evil.

Shiza (human) – Kazim’s older sister, Shiza was tasked in her younger days with keeping Kazim in the tomb and away from the outside world while the keepers waited the return of the Nameless King of the Desert, one of the many beings who came from the stars and defeated the aboleths. Shiza cares deeply for her brother, and on more than one occasion broke this rule, if only she could see Kazim be happy. After Kazim was put through the ritual to make him a senior tomb keeper, she’s done everything she can to curb his anger, though this has proven more difficult since Kazim came across the staff of dark desires just after the ritual was performed.
Dion (human) – Kazim’s best friend and one of the only two people, along with Shiza, who can curb Kazim’s anger with the world. Dion is intensely loyal to Kazim, even going along with Kazim’s previous rampage that resulted in the deaths of many of the tomb keepers, save for Shiza. While Dion would rather see his best friend turn good again, he won’t speak up for two reasons: His love of Kazim being the main reason, and the other reason is that Kazim scarred Dion’s face with a knife in a fit of rage the last time Dion suggested that Kazim give up the staff of dark desires.

NIPPON
Lord Auhizotl (human) – the current ruler of Mitsurin, the capital of Nippon, who has ruled since the last raffle three years ago. His true name is Kotal Eztli, a member of the elite Eztli family of Mitsurin. His ruling name comes from the monster of the same name who is said to lurk in the deepest part of the jungle. Unlike the monster, though, Lord Auhizotl is rather timid, though that is only a front for his true nature, which is that of a ruthless fighter.

Anaksu (jungle elf) – an archaeologist from Mitsurin. She’s been trying to explore the jungles of Nippon for most of her life, though has made little progress, due to how dense the jungle is, the indigenous tribes – many of whom are hostile to outsiders – and the monsters that she’s claimed to have encountered, such as creatures the indigenous tribes call “dinosaurs” and the legendary Auhizotl.

Koba Khan (human) -- a druid who once lived in the jungle, he was rescued at a young age by the last ruler of Mitsurin after his family was killed by dinosaurs. He's since found a home in the city and is sometimes called on as a guide for anyone who wants to explore the jungle.

Solek (half-orc) -- a member of one of the indigenous tribes who lives in the jungles of Nippon. He's the chief of his tribe, and is more open to meeting with outsiders, though he does make exceptions when he has to, such as anyone who wants to exploit his people or destroy their jungle home.

PATAGON

Salvatore Talieri (human) -- the current ruler of Sombrun, Salvatore is also the head of the Talieri crime family. The Talieri family has ruled the city for generations, using fear and protection rackets to keep the citizens in check. As the head of the family, Salvatore also has dealings with Hala Mas, a top member of the Red Hand crime syndicate, who have cells all across the supercontinent. Salvatore presents himself as friendly and amiable, but underneath is a dangerous crime lord who has no remorse for who he kills.

Paulina Talieri (human) -- Salvatore's wife and chief enforcer. Paulina is arguably even more dangerous than her husband. Known throughout the country of Patagon for her beauty and her ruthlessness, Paulina is usually seen working the protection rackets and has been known to seduce her husband's enemies, only to kill them in increasingly vicious ways. Given that she's rarely seen during the day and in one instance was seen with blood around her mouth, rumors have started to spread that she is actually a vampire.

Hala Mas (drow) -- a top member of the Red Hand crime syndicate, Hala Mas spends most of his time in the Underdark of Takiru. The Red Hand ("ulaan gar" in his native Undercommon -- based on real world Mongolian) has fewer standards than the Talieris, as their specialites lie in kidnapping, extortion, assassination, smuggling, and trafficking. Hala joined the Red Hand after escaping the matriarchy of drow society, and quickly rose through the ranks to become a top member of the group. He oversees all the crime within Patagon, though will occasionally travel to the other countries if need be.

Description
This is the world map for my homebrew Dungeons and Dragons world, Orbis. Yes, it does only have one continent on it, a supercontinent in the same vein as how Earth once had Pangaea.

The world of Orbis came into being many hundreds of millions of years in the past. No one is exactly sure how the world was born, but many theories abound – the world was an experimentby the gods, the world just appeared from between the stars, it was formed around the corpse of a long dead god…..Debates go on to this day about how the world was made.

Orbis has one single supercontinent on it, the continent of Tariku. Separated into a number of countries, Tariku was once under the tyrannical rule of a colony of aboleths. At some point, this rule came to an end when powerful beings descended from the sky. According to the ancient peoples of Tariku, these sky beings were the first gods to come to the world. These gods, in fact, come from far beyond the stars.

Chief among these ancient “gods” was one the ancient people only referred to as “Th eCreator”. The Creator established many laws among the gods, with two that were enforced above all others: The gods shall not wage direct war with each other, and the gods shall have no direct influence on the humanoid races.

The many kingdoms of Tariku were, under the rule of the ancient kings, merged into the five countries that now make up the continent: Thaedos, the desert country directly in the cente rof the continent; the frozen tundra of Ransylva to the far north; Valara, a temperate country between Ransylva and Thaedos; Nippon, the tropical country south of Thaedos; and Patagon, a land of tropics that slowly gives way to barren wastelands and a frozen ice shelf at the far south, just beyond a nearly impassable labyrinth of mountains.

While human is the most abundant race, the other races have a prominent presence. Elves make up nearly half of the military force of each country. Dwarves toil away in the mines, and in days past were responsible for many of the architectural marvels that dot the continent. Halflings and gnomes share the role of artisan, and create many beautiful works of art (halflings) and constructs that aid in the building of cities (gnomes). Dragonborn are the most rare species of humanoid, even moreso than tieflings, though both races tend to be looked at with both curiosity and fear. Tieflings, as they tend to be born with innate arcane abilities, either become hermits or earn their way into magic guilds, while dragonborn, like elves, join the military o rbecome bounty hunters.

Each country is dotted with many villages, town, and cities, including a capital city. The capital city of Ransylva is Elsmere, located at the feet of the Hailfire Peaks, which separates the tundra from the frozen north. This city is home to king Sven Larian, the youngest king in the history of the country, having ascended to the throne at the tender age of 6. Unbeknownst to him, King Larian is under constant threat of treason by his closest advisor, Flint Goldheart, who covets the thrown for himself.

Valara is governed from the capital city of Angel Spires, which is also the largest port city on all of Tariku. This city is ruled by the benevolent king Arturo Dragonlance. King Dragonlance has ruled the city for nearly 700 years, leading to rumors that he is immortal – which indeed he is.

Barring its northern and southern borders, Thaedos is one large desert. The country is dotted by scattered oases, around which the towns and villages were built. The capital city, Medina, is ruled not by a king or queen, but by Princess Elora Sandstone. Princess Elora has yet to be named queen due to not finding a suitable candidate for king.

Just south of Thaedos is Nippon, which turns from arid grasslands to tropical rain forests. Most of the country is uninhabited, save for a few indigenous tribes in the jungles, and the capital city of Mitsurin. Mitsurin has no standing ruler; instead, every 10 years, the city holds a raffle among the elite families for who becomes ruler. On at least one occasion, the city has nearly been brought to ruin by the current ruler. Unlike the other capital cities, where the rulers reside in a palace or mansion, the ruler of Mitsurin resides in an ancient ziggurat built during the reign of the aboleths. The city is currently governed by Lord Auhizotl, named for the monster said to lurk in the deepest part of the jungle.

The southernmost country on Tariku, Patagon, continues with the jungles of Nippon for some number of miles, before giving way to grassland, followed by the Daedalus mountain range, a nearly impassable labyrinth of rocks that few can navigate. Patagon is controlled out of the capital city of Sombrun by the Talieri family, who have connections to Tariku’s criminal underground, the Red Hand criminal syndicate chief among them.

Religion across Tariku varies from country to country. While the concept of the gods was adopted by the ancient peoples’ viewings of the beings from the stars, the gods only exist as a concept in modern Tariku. Of all the countries, Valara is the most religious country on the continent, with at least five churches in every city. Thaedos continues to worship the ancient gods of the world, which has occasionally led to conflict with other countries due to this standpoint. Of all the countries, Patagon is the most strict when it comes to religion, in that the Talieri family has outlawed religion, with punishments based on the offense. First time offenders have their religious items confiscated and destroyed; second time offenders have their religious items confiscated and destroyed, and are imprisoned for anywhere from 10 days to 10 years; third time offenders are subject to execution. Because of this, religion is practiced in secret.

Despite civilization existing on Takiru for many hundreds of thousands of years, the other side of the world remains relatively unexplored. Few have dared to venture to the other side of the world to see what lives there, and even fewer have returned. Those that have returned came back with stories of unspeakable horrors that mortal eyes were never meant to look upon.

IMPORTANT PEOPLE

RANSYLVA
Sven Larian (human) – King of Elsmere. Ascended to the throne at the age of 6 after his father was killed in an assassination orchestrated by Flint Goldheart

Kristoff Larian (human) – the late King of Elsmere. He was killed in an assassination orchestrated by Flint Goldheart, who covets the throne for himself

Elsa Larian (human) – Princess of Elsmere and Sven’s older sister. Like Flint Goldheart, she covets the throne, but understands the line of succession and would rather wait for her time instead of take the throne by force and dishonor the memory of her late father

Freya Larian (human) – Queen of Elsmere. She survived the assassination orchestrated by Flint Goldheart, and is technically the ruler of the city, even though as queen she has less power than the king

Flint Goldheart (dwarf) – advisor to the throne of Elsmere. He has coveted the throne for years and orchestrated an assassination that resulted in the death of King Kristoff Larian. However, he failed to account for the fact that the king’s young son Sven would ascend to the throne, and is now plotting to remove this new king as well as any other obstacles in his quest of treason

VALARA
Arturo Dragonlance (human) – the immortal king of the country, ruling from the port city of Angel Spires. His immortality comes from a trek to one of the many uncharted islands in the Panthassa Ocean more than 700 years ago, where he discovered a fountain that would extend his life “until the stars fall from the heavens”

River Dancer (tabaxi) – a tabaxi whom Arturo met on a trip to the jungles of Nippon 20 years ago. River Dancer is fiercely loyal to Arturo, to the point where he will not hesitate to kill anyone he thinks is a threat to his king.

Alice Dragonlance (half-elf) – the current Queen of Angel Spires, and King Dragonlance’s current wife. She knows of the rumors that King Dragonlance is immortal, but doesn’t care and is honored to be the wife of a noble king and a living legend.

Dramorn Drakenhardt (dragonborn) – a blue dragonborn and captain of the Orca’s Heart, a Navy ship that occasionally docks at Angel Spires. Dramorn only cares about one thing: The crew of his ship, and keeping their spirits up.

THAEDOS
Princess Elora Sandstone (desert elf) – the princess and current ruler of Thaedos, based in the capital city of Medina. Elora has yet to be named queen due to not finding a suitable king. Part of this is because she has yet to find a suitor who doesn’t see her as more than a trophy to be won. But the true purpose of this is because she fears losing her independence.

Sid Yennel (desert elf) – the regent of Medina, his role is to attend to the needs of the ruler. In recent years, he’s found himself more of a sitter to Princess Elora, making sure that her independence doesn’t get her into trouble, as well as orchestrate the princess’s meetings with potential suitors. He loves Princess Elora like a daughter, but sometimes wishes he were the retainer to a patient king or queen.

Shadi (human) – a mysterious man from the desert, Shadi is a remnant from a time long ago. Whether he’s a ghost or an immortal being, no one knows for sure. What is known is that he comes and goes as he pleases, and has the ability to peer into a person’s mind. In truth, Shadi is the reincarnation of the wizard Hamib, who developed a magical item called the mind orb, allowing him to look into the thoughts of any person he desires.

Kazim (human) – a descendant of a line of tome keepers who guarded a tomb outside of the capital city of Medina, Kazim underwent a ritual to make him a senior tomb keeper. This is a life that Kazim didn’t want for himself, instead wanting to live in the outside world rather than a tomb, and the ritual left him scarred – both physically and mentally – and he has grown angry with the rest of the world. The only ones who can curb his anger are his older sister Shiza and his best friend Dion. In recent years, his anger has only grown, especially since he discovered an ancient artifact known as the staff of dark desires, a creation of an evil god that brings out and enhances a person’s inner evil.

Shiza (human) – Kazim’s older sister, Shiza was tasked in her younger days with keeping Kazim in the tomb and away from the outside world while the keepers waited the return of the Nameless King of the Desert, one of the many beings who came from the stars and defeated the aboleths. Shiza cares deeply for her brother, and on more than one occasion broke this rule, if only she could see Kazim be happy. After Kazim was put through the ritual to make him a senior tomb keeper, she’s done everything she can to curb his anger, though this has proven more difficult since Kazim came across the staff of dark desires just after the ritual was performed.
Dion (human) – Kazim’s best friend and one of the only two people, along with Shiza, who can curb Kazim’s anger with the world. Dion is intensely loyal to Kazim, even going along with Kazim’s previous rampage that resulted in the deaths of many of the tomb keepers, save for Shiza. While Dion would rather see his best friend turn good again, he won’t speak up for two reasons: His love of Kazim being the main reason, and the other reason is that Kazim scarred Dion’s face with a knife in a fit of rage the last time Dion suggested that Kazim give up the staff of dark desires.

NIPPON
Lord Auhizotl (human) – the current ruler of Mitsurin, the capital of Nippon, who has ruled since the last raffle three years ago. His true name is Kotal Eztli, a member of the elite Eztli family of Mitsurin. His ruling name comes from the monster of the same name who is said to lurk in the deepest part of the jungle. Unlike the monster, though, Lord Auhizotl is rather timid, though that is only a front for his true nature, which is that of a ruthless fighter.

Anaksu (jungle elf) – an archaeologist from Mitsurin. She’s been trying to explore the jungles of Nippon for most of her life, though has made little progress, due to how dense the jungle is, the indigenous tribes – many of whom are hostile to outsiders – and the monsters that she’s claimed to have encountered, such as creatures the indigenous tribes call “dinosaurs” and the legendary Auhizotl.

Koba Khan (human) -- a druid who once lived in the jungle, he was rescued at a young age by the last ruler of Mitsurin after his family was killed by dinosaurs. He's since found a home in the city and is sometimes called on as a guide for anyone who wants to explore the jungle.

Solek (half-orc) -- a member of one of the indigenous tribes who lives in the jungles of Nippon. He's the chief of his tribe, and is more open to meeting with outsiders, though he does make exceptions when he has to, such as anyone who wants to exploit his people or destroy their jungle home.

PATAGON

Salvatore Talieri (human) -- the current ruler of Sombrun, Salvatore is also the head of the Talieri crime family. The Talieri family has ruled the city for generations, using fear and protection rackets to keep the citizens in check. As the head of the family, Salvatore also has dealings with Hala Mas, a top member of the Red Hand crime syndicate, who have cells all across the supercontinent. Salvatore presents himself as friendly and amiable, but underneath is a dangerous crime lord who has no remorse for who he kills.

Paulina Talieri (human) -- Salvatore's wife and chief enforcer. Paulina is arguably even more dangerous than her husband. Known throughout the country of Patagon for her beauty and her ruthlessness, Paulina is usually seen working the protection rackets and has been known to seduce her husband's enemies, only to kill them in increasingly vicious ways. Given that she's rarely seen during the day and in one instance was seen with blood around her mouth, rumors have started to spread that she is actually a vampire.

Hala Mas (drow) -- a top member of the Red Hand crime syndicate, Hala Mas spends most of his time in the Underdark of Takiru. The Red Hand ("ulaan gar" in his native Undercommon -- based on real world Mongolian) has fewer standards than the Talieris, as their specialites lie in kidnapping, extortion, assassination, smuggling, and trafficking. Hala joined the Red Hand after escaping the matriarchy of drow society, and quickly rose through the ranks to become a top member of the group. He oversees all the crime within Patagon, though will occasionally travel to the other countries if need be.