The Gods' Isles

**The Gods' Isles** or **Land of a Hundred Kings** or even **The King's Isles** are a series of fifteen major and many more minor islands within the Sunrise Sea off the coast of eastern Fayos, near the Scargosa's Isles and north of Dogu. Its inhabitants are many, about a million across all islands, with a multitude of ethnic groups. Each isle is governed by various kings, with a multitude of kingdoms encompassing the sometimes small islands.

## Topography

The God's Isles consist of fifteen major islands, each named after one of the gods worshiped by the islanders. These islands are Maraia and her four moons, Slough, Liana, Jainah, Kali, Nilad, Kalial, Oloa, Pidi, Nara, and Tye. Around these islands are small minor islands, mostly stone outcrops without the ability to sustain human life. However, some of these minor islands are large enough for small villages of two to four families to survive off of but are almost all under the dominion of their nearest king.

### Maraia

Maraia is the largest of all the islands, thusly it is named after their chief goddess of protection. It is split into four smaller kingdoms: --- --- --- and Tireph. Its geography is the most mild of the islands, mostly grassy plains of flowing wild grains, small patches of dense forests, rocky outcrops of black stone, and mountains to the northeast. It is a place of mild weather, though it does tend towards wetness in the winter months. No snow falls there, even on their mountain peaks. Warm currents coming up from Elugwu and Cadan make for crystalline and balmy waters.

Throughout the entirety of Maraia, strange black stones dot the landscapes. These formations range from the size of a small dog to as massive as a castle and are of exceptionally hard material. Revered by the locals, these rocks can often be found decorated or painted as landmarks for travelers. The coasts are either low sandy beaches that roll into hills or short cliffs. The stone here is entirely black as those formations that make up their strange monuments. Similarly made are the distant mountains, whose peaks are nowhere near as grand as those on Fayos. Each one is not even high enough to make snow, thus are entirely bare and easy climbing. Unique trees grow here, a certain type of aspen of exceptional quality, similar to the Acacius of Sikkud, which is fashioned into all sorts of elaborate products by the locals.

### Slough

The second largest island, Slough is mostly heavy forests and harsh rock formations. The people there are hardy, living in stone structures within the shelter of the larger formations to escape the winds that rack the place. Harsh winds coming off of the cliffs and mountains of north Maraia crash through the cliffs of eastern Slough leaving them bare of anything but grass and stone. On the western front there are a multitude of forests, primordial yet still small in size. Here, life is harsh, as most water is bitter, so certain streams are sought out. Their coasts are harsh and full of whirlpools and hidden currents.

### Liana

Liana is a small island off the coast of Slough and north of Maraia. Its coasts are low beaches into rolling hills. In all it takes a day to walk from north to south on Liana. Here, only a handful of tree grow, meaning the only thing breaking up the grassy fields are stone pillars of similar type to those on Maraia. The straight between Liana and Slough is quite dangerous, so it is little traveled, a blessing that has allowed Liana to stay independent from her neighbors. Her western coast is quite warm, surrounded by reef and tropical bounties.

### Jainah

Northwest of Liana and Slough, Jaina is slightly smaller than her neighbors. She is rocky cliffs on her eastern cost which curl about the southern tip, making a sort of half bowl around her central basin. Inside her basin is a warm forest, used to frequent precipitation. Her beaches are rocky and dangerous, broken by harsh cliffs on all sides. Jainah's mountainous cliffs are dangerous to traverse, full of monstrous birds.

### Kali and Nilad

Both of these tiny isles are low windswept hills rising from the sea. Their topography is similar to Liana's, though they get far more precipitation, making them susceptible to flooding and landslides. Their waters are bountiful in fish and a kind of small coconut tree peppers their shores.

### Kalial

The third largest island, Kalial is a volcanic mountain rising from the surrounding warm waters. It is full of hot springs, sharp rock formations, and rolling plains of yellow grass. One cannot walk half a mile without finding the remnants of ancient battlefields in Kalial. Some trees grow on the slopes of its central peak but no true forests pepper it. Kalial's waters are warm and filled with reefs.

### Oloa

A tiny island near Kalial, it is a massive rocky outcrop with one small forest at its base. The beach around the forest is inhabited by a small village and keep which subsists off fishing. Oloa is full of tunnels and caves, naturally formed into its black stone base. Here, originally grew the strange tuber root vegetables which the people of the Gods' Isles cook for all their meals.

### Pidi

A long low strip of beach, field, and small tree line. Pidi is whipped constantly by harsh winds. Its waters are cooler, its beaches black sand, and its trees short and fat. The people of Pidi build large earthen mounds beneath their palaces, the remnants of which dot the landscape.

### Nara

Barely an island, Nara is an atoll with a small island on its eastern face. The atoll surrounds a deep underground pit which produces a great deal of aquatic products, like pearls, fish, and whales. Only a handful of short palms grow here.

### Tye

A small land of two large hills, Tye is wind whipped and barren. Its ground is mostly stone, with small patches of grass. The sea is the only source of food. Nothing grows there but mushrooms and grass, which are eaten by its sparse inhabitants.