Naraxlos

The continent of Naraxlos straddles the central latitudes of Kanlaoise, giving it a tropical climate for the most part.

Races

See Races of Kanlaoise for details.

Geography

The continent can be divided into three areas, running west to east. The western half of the continent is the wetlands, the eastern half desert, and running north to south a massive range of mountains. The continent is large, running over two thousand miles from west to east and 1500 miles north to south. The continent sits on a plate of a ringworld of Kanlaoise.

The Steel Mountains

Known as the Kashhan by the elves, these vast range of mountains is unique in this otherwise relatively flat continent. The western edge is brutally steep, rising almost like an escarpment from the low foothills. The western edge is almost unnaturally sharp, with many speculating that a cataclyptic event caused the mountains to sheer, forming the foot hills below. Because of the sheerness of the mountains the westerly pushed clouds release most of their moisture along the face, making the lands almost 100 miles west into rain forest.

The eastern edge is much gentler, with many valleys which tranverse from the high pastures down to the fringe of the Janand. However the eastern side is much drier than the western side, with limited rainful coming from clouds high enough to pass over the western edge but low enough to catch the few central peaks. The central peaks are constantly ice and snow bound and in the spring melts supply water for a number of oasis on the edge of the desert.

Cleftdeep

Cleftdeep a large valley at the foot of Icechurch Mountain, known by the elves as Mount Kashian. This vast mountain towers above the rest of the Steel Mountains at over 24000 feet high. To the west are the twin peaks of the Insciors. The valley is dominated by the bottomless Cleftdeep lake. Out of this lake, along the Pipe gorge runs the River Surhan, which passes next to Sa'Surhan on its way to the south coast.

Within the last five years, starting about 460 CM, the dwarven clan of Jagged Axe has built their halls in the walls of the Pipe gorge at the head of the river Surhan. They are also build a high stone bridge across the gorge and rebuild the wooden bridge at the lake shore. The Pipe Gorge Pass, a notoriously difficult road beside the River Surhan, has also been improved, although a number of narrow pinch points remain, and a one horse width cart is still the widest vehicle that can traverse the passage.

Jagged Axe Dwarves

The Jagged Axe dwarves are the newest, and possibly strangest, dwarven clans in the Kashhan. They first appeared at the Cleffdeep meeting around 450 CM and then years later started building their halls there. Rumours suggest they may have been their much longer, secretly tunnelling out the Incisors for many years. Certainly nobody outside the closed community of dwarvenkind know their relationship to the existing clans, and probably on a few within the actually know for sure.

The are not friendly with anybody but will deal with most. They are willing to buy and sell everything, provided it isn't living, and never ask questions. They are however very mercentile in their dealings, and will never alter a price once set.

Stone Breaker Dwarves

Based in eastern finger of the Kashhan the Stone Breakers have considerable dealings with the various nomadic groups which travel between the mountains and the desert. They also form an important trade link between the desert and the empire, mostly trading with Long Meadow and the Wrought Iron dwarves. Inspite of their relative isolation the Stone Breaker clan has deep ties with the Kijaand Empire and have enclaves in most of the major cities. They are on reasonable terms with most other groups in the Steel Mountains, however recent attacks by orcs on the northern trading routes are causing increasing tension.

Longmeadow

At the northern end of the Steel Mountains the range divides. Sitting just below the treeline is the valley of Longmeadow, a wide and rich land populated by mostly hobbits, a few dwarven families and a smattering of the tall people.

Highvale

A valley in southern Steel Mountains, it is the lowest pass between the dessert and the Empire. At the head of the valley is the orcish fortified town, also called Highvale. While the town is rough and dirty it is general safe, and has a number of servicable places to stay.

Yazdjfa Island

This large island to the south of Naraxlos is home of the Tal'khvoy. On the surface the island is fair, with pleasantly rolling country and many copses and thickets of both evergreens and hard woods. Its southerly location gives it considerable seasonable variation, including the occasional snow in winter, which summers made mild by the ever present sea breezes.

The lands are well kept and tidy, with no hovels or fithly villages. It is particularly tidy and the serfs that work the land clean and well provided.

Its dark side are the vast and deep mines under the surface. Coal, iron, gems and precious metals are all mined in the deep caverns, with only the occasional chimney, hidden within trees, to give it away.

The Janand

To the east of the Steel Mountains is a vast desert known as the Janand. This is mostly a rock desert except for the Kerman basin, a area of constantly shifting sand and dust.

Prestige

Prestige is a small trading town on the eastern coast of Naraxlos. Originally thought to an output from the Gokumy Empire little remains of the original settlement. The original name of the town is thought to be Gasanisar but disintegration of the Gokumy empire left little in the way of a historical record.

The town is built around a large paved central piazza, located several hundred feet from the shoreline. Between shore and the piazza is what is thought the only original building left. Once it was a customs house it is now a trading center, with merchants buying and selling goods though contracts.

The stone wharf, along with the remains of the walls, predates the Customs House by a number of decades, if not centuries. Its length allows the largest known ocean going vessels to dock and unload without difficulty.

Wetlands

The whole of the wetlands, as the land west of the Steel Mountains, are part of the Kijaand Empire. While the rainfall isn't uniform across the wetlands it is generally plentiful and with as the continent sits on the central latitudes of the ring, hot and fertile.