Thressos

**Thressos** is a continent surrounded by the End Ocean to the east, the landmasses of the Midsea Civilizations to the south and Auresia to the west. Its land expands far to the north reaching Drevskrejh.
The continent is under the influence of many mystical and mundane forces including The Four, Xi and The False Gods. It is the setting and name-holder for many of the events in the "Quest of Thressos" setting.

## **Geography**

### General Topography

The land of Thressos approximately covers 15 million square kilometres and is the biggest unified landmass in the known world. It has a population of around 80 million people, which is strongly centralized in certain regions of the continent as there are some that are inhospitable. Thressos has fertile lands and is rich in water resources - like numerous rivers, lakes and humid coastlines. Its climate, although different across the continent, is generally temperate, suitable for the harvest of crops.

The centre and southern parts of the continent are dominated by grasslands and rolling hills, with rivers also being a common occurrence. To the north are the desert regions of the Runelands and the Valley of Gales where droughts and low precipitation is the norm. East of them and even further north are woodland areas like the Erwald woodlands. The northern shores are icy and desolate, while the north-eastern shoreline is dominated by ash lands.

### Forests

#### Xi's Domain

There are large and hard to navigate forests in Thressos, believed to be created through Xi's influence. The greatest of them are the Rotlands and the woodlands around Blessdrav. These woodlands spread out through magical means and their borders can change over a very short period of time. The Rotlands' spread is mostly kept in check by the Crawler river's large basin, which prevents the forest's spread. Vegetation in the Rotlands can range from typical of a temperate forest to plants found in tropical jungles, with giant trees being found in the forest's inner parts and growing so close together that the forest floor is left in pitch darkness. The Rotlands are magical and travel through them is extremely dangerous, both due to the dangerous wildlife and the populations of orcs, beastmen and other monstrous races.

#### Southern Swamps

Swamps in the Southern parts of Thressos, surrounding the Weeping Mountain, are more hospitable to life and spread in a much more natural manner.

#### Erwald

The Erwald woodlands are scarcely explored and home to many powerful and dangerous creatures, both of mundane and mystical nature. A large portion of these woods is coniferous and the climate there is much harsher and, in Erwald's northern portions, colder than forests in the south.

### Rivers and Lakes

There are multiple large rivers in Thressos, with the longest being the Crawler which spreads from its source in the Dustshield mountains to a delta just north of Blister. The Trickler and subsequent Bleeding River are bifructations from the Crawler. They end in the largest estuary in Thressos at Bloodgate making them a very important trading, transportation and fishing location.
The rivers that flow from the Weeping mountain form a large swamp that is home to diverse wildlife.

The Widefluss river is the deepest river in Thressos, so much so that its depth has never been fully measured. It connects to the Black Pool, a lake with strangely colored water that is presumed to hold an ancient artifact linked with the Shadows of the Horizon. Along with Tear Lake and Deep Lake it is one of the largest lakes on the continent.

### Seas

Thressos is surrounded by the End Ocean to the east. It is believed that past the continent's eastern shore lies the end of the world and a line of endless storms and typhoons. To the south and west lies the Binding Ocean - it connects Thressos to the Midsea Civilizations and Auresia. It is regarded as generally less dangerous to sail than the End Ocean, but is still supposedly home to various sea monsters and violent storms in regions further away from land. Thressos connects to Drevskrejh via the Abandoned Sea, a cold sea said to be inhabited by creatures shunned by the gods.

There are many large bays in Thressos that have great impacts to both trading and city position. The largest of them is the Moonlit Bay which contains the Elven Pearls island chain. Its waters are calm and warm. Further south lies the Wound, a strategically important bay that connects to the estuary of the Bleeding River and being a main naval entry point into the continent.

The Bay of Solitude lies just north of Loneport and is a tranquil bay with little strategic importance, due to being surrounded by mostly unworkable land. Its calm waters are however considered optimal for naval warfare and fishing.

Connecting to the Bay of Rage is the small inland Sea of Tears. It was supposedly created after the enraged goddess Sai sought it fit to destroy an ancient city whose name has been lost to time by sinking it into the sea. As the city was located on top of a mountain a large flood ensued decimating the landscape. The city's remains lie at the bottom of the strait connecting the sea to the ocean and are what is now known as the Screaming City. Wrecked settlements are known to be a common occurrence on the Sea of Tears' seafloor.

### Notable landmarks

#### Nirfina Peak

Located in the Heiligvra mountain, this is the tallest peak in Thressos, and perhaps even the world.

## **Politics**

Politically it is divided into 5 separate parts. There are the states of the Empire of the Four, the Union, the Elven lands and the Dwarven lands. Lastly, there are unconquered regions to the west called the Rotlands and the north, across the Dustshield mountan chain.