Canaan

Canaan is a large north–south oriented continental landmass divided politically between three major nations and defined by a history of empire, collapse, and cautious reconstruction. Canaan sits primarily in the southern hemisphere, with the northernmost extent of the continent lying just below the equator and the southern coast exposed to cold ocean currents. The continent spans over 500 kilometres from north to south and is bordered by the Joale Ocean to the northwest and the Soual Ocean to the south and southeast.

The two most prominent geographical features of Canaan are Arakcadia Bay — a vast inland bay that penetrates the centre of the continent from the west — and the Itumue Mountains and connected mountain ranges that run along the eastern and northern portions of the continent. Together these two features divide Canaan into its distinct regional characters: the enclosed highland valley of the Upper Basin in the north, the broad open Mediata Savannah in the centre-west, and the rugged, isolated territories to the east and south.

Geography

Overview

Canaan is oriented along a roughly north–south axis, with the mountainous north giving way to the open savannahs and river systems of the central continent, and the central and southern regions transitioning through forests, arid zones, and coastal terrain toward the southern coast. Two island territories lie offshore: Droshdech, separated from the mainland's southwestern coast by the Iridium Channel, and the Islands of Spelora, an archipelago in the Soual Ocean to the far south. The uninhabited island of Terra Nullius lies in the far northwest beyond the Grotto Ocean Stream.

Regions

The continent is conventionally divided into several geographic regions. The Upper Basin, in the north, is a sheltered highland valley enclosed by the Zilaphelian Mountain Range and the Itumue Mountains; it is home to the Zilaphelian Kingdom and is the most climatically distinct region of the continent. The Mediata Savannah occupies the broad central and west-central landmass, encompassing the settled heartland of the Arakcadian Congress and the shores of Arakcadia Bay. The Enchanted Forests fill much of the western interior, with the smaller Shadowed Woods detached to the east around Arnelan Lake. The Iridescent Woods lie at the south mouth of Arakcadia Bay, extending toward Veurim territory. The Destitute Lands occupy the eastern coast, running from the base of the Itumue Mountains southward to the southeastern shore. The Northern Expanse is the largely uninhabited arid plateau north of the main Zilaphelian mountain range. The Veurim Empire occupies the south-central interior, characterised by extreme heat and aridity.

Major waterways

The most significant body of water within the continent is Arakcadia Bay, a vast inland bay described in Uinheit cosmology as the Cradle of Waters. Three major river systems feed into it: the Enchanted Rivers (also called the Zilaphela River in its northern reach), the largest visible river system, tracing from the mountains through the Upper Basin and the forest systems; the Zilaphela River, the northern arm of this system passing through the Zilaphelian capital; and the Ruotern Passageway, flowing south from the bay between Veurim and eastern territories before curving toward the Iridescent Woods. Named lakes include Arnelan Lake (the largest lake on the continent excluding bays, in the Shadowed Woods), the The Jade Oasis (east of Arakcadia in the savannah), and the Dassea Shallows (between the eastern Destitute Lands and Port Wolifer).

Mountains and peaks

The Zilaphelian Mountain Range forms the continent's northern wall, running from the northwest coast across the full breadth of the continent to meet the Itumue Mountains on the northeastern peninsula. The Itumue Mountains continue south along the eastern coast, forming the spine of the Destitute Lands. Together these ranges constitute the dominant topographic feature of the continent. Dalthos' Peak in the Itumue range is the highest point on the continent, at 18 kilometres — far above the breathable atmosphere. The Soulless Peaks form a separate smaller range near the southern coast of the Veurim Empire.

Nations and territories

As of 588 NA, Canaan is home to three major sovereign nations, one independent island territory, and several unaffiliated regions.

The Arakcadian Congress is the most powerful single political entity on the continent, with its member settlements concentrated in the Mediata Savannah and its influence extending through trade and the management of Arakcadia Bay. The Zilaphelian Kingdom, founded approximately 124 years ago, maintains a formal alliance with Arakcadia. The Veurim Empire is in active competition with the Arakcadian Congress, which has blocked the southern stretch of the Bronze Track against Veurim traffic.

History

Canaanese history is divided into four distinct eras.

The Era of Prosperity is the earliest recorded period, during which a single great empire unified the known world in a period of peace and abundance, populated by elves, dwarves, and humans who had come seeking fortune and new settlement. This era ended approximately around 1100 EP when a group of terrorists, wielding powerful spells, overthrew the ruling structure.

The Millenia of Darkness followed — a period of roughly a millennium during which the so-called Overlords enslaved the continent, enacted laws that concentrated power in their hands, and fed on the life-force of the population. The Millenia ended when a group of unlikely adventurers liberated the continent at 1 DN, ending the era.

The Age of Peace saw the rise of two competing empires — the Xeamian Empire in the south-centre and the Zawma Empire in the north — along with the founding of Arakcadia in 2 AP and the formal establishment of the Arakcadian Congress in 264 AP. The Age of Peace ended with the Xeamian-Zawma Conflict (459–463 AP), a war of mutual destruction that annihilated both empires.

The New Age began in 464 NA with the emergence of three successor states from the ruins of the conflict: the Arakcadian Congress, the Zilaphelian Kingdom, and the Veurim Empire. By the present year of 588 NA, these three nations have defined the political landscape for over a century, with underlying tensions around the Bronze Track blockade, Veurim's expansionist policies, and the independent status of Droshdech.

Climate

Canaan's climate varies substantially between regions, with the Itumue Mountains providing a partial shield against continental storms for much of the inhabited interior. The climate is broadly tropical-to-subtropical in the Mediata Savannah and northern savannah, cooling in the Upper Basin, and sharply arid in the Veurim Empire and Northern Expanse.

The defining climatic event is the Qxi Librąven, a global storm that circulates from southwest to northeast approximately every two years. It first makes landfall at Droshdech (which has been built to withstand it), then diminishes as it crosses the mainland, striking Goulcrest in the Veurim Empire before fading into weakened gusts by the time it reaches the Upper Basin, then regaining energy over the northern Joale Ocean.

Two solar bodies govern Canaan's astronomical conditions: Cavlil, a blue giant slowly ripping apart that drives significant surface radiation, and Drisks, a red dwarf in harmonically unstable orbit that appears in the night sky approximately every three weeks for a week at a time. The planet is protected from Cavlil's radiation by a high-altitude iridescent cloud layer visible from the surface at certain angles. Two moons, Empyrea and Gaia, and the periodic comet Aeris (356-year cycle) complete the notable astronomical features.

Magic

Magic in Canaan is broadly suppressed across the major nations, as a direct cultural legacy of the Millenia of Darkness and its association of powerful magic with enslavement and atrocity. The Zilaphelian Kingdom outlaws strong magic entirely. The Arakcadian Congress does not speak of it. The Veurim Empire has never set out a formal position of its own.

Several geographic locations retain strong magical presences independent of national prohibition: the Enchanted Forests, the Shadowed Woods, the Iridescent Woods, and specific locations within the Itumue Mountains are identified as places where magic remains prevalent. Magic in the forests has largely been left alone under long-standing historical agreements with the Elven communities that live there, though the nations ensure that it does not leave the forests' bounds and continue to work with the Elves towards a more suppressed magic in the future.

See also

• Arakcadian Congress
• Zilaphelian Kingdom
• Veurim Empire
• Droshdech
• Mediata Savannah
• Upper Basin
• Itumue Mountains
• Arakcadia Bay
• Canaanese Calendar
• Magic in Canaan
• Astronomy of Canaan