Lands of Mystery: Places Outside of Talahm

Though Talahm is considered by most to be the "civilized world", and there are many who would never dream of leaving their homes to strike out to the strange places beyond, there are many lands that exist on Arius that are not located in Talahm. From the decadent empire of Cathay to the burning sands of Mala Na'Un, to the fungus-trees of Mithodril, there are many wonderful and mysterious places across the ocean.

Cathay, known by most simply by the exotic silks and strange foods sold by the Westgate docks, is an ancient land dominated by an equally-ancient empire. Cathay is ruled absolutely by an enigmatic figure known as the Dragon Emperor of the Immortal Empire.

According to legend, the Dragon Emperor made a contract with the draconic quasi-deities of Cathay, winning immortality and rulership of the Empire in exchange for some dark and secret favor.

The Empire is ruled via an incredibly complex feudal system headed by the shogun, a group of powerful warlords who answer directly to the Dragon Emperor. This system created a group of honor-bound knights similar to the chivalric knights of Avalon, known as the samurai. These soldier-nobles, with their strange weapons, wooden armor, and exotic combat techniques, are often viewed with a mix of awe and disbelief by western adventurers.

Cathay is plagued with a unique problem not found elsewhere in the world: the strange, dark land known as Jigoku. According to Cathayan legend, Jigoku is more accurately a Material Plane manifestation of the true Jigoku, the Cathayan realm of Hell. This evil place is guarded against by ever-vigilant Cathayan samurai. Creatures known to Cathay as oni attempt to invade from Jigoku in a way that has been likened to pus oozing from a festering wound.

Mala Na'Un has been likened to the mummified corpse of a long-dead world. Ancient legend states that Mala Na'Un was once a land of beauty and great natural bounty, but the Unian people's cruelty and decadence angered their god of life-giving sun, Tinaruun, and he turned the fertile, golden rays of the sun into an inferno that burned all life-giving soil in Mala Na'Un to dust.

The Mala Na'Un of today is a burning waste, dotted with the ruins of several once-great empires. However, despite appearances, the people of Mala Na'Un have a rich culture and generous nature. Their cities, though few and far between, are oases in the wastes; little islands of paradise afloat in the ocean of sand. Their people are varied, with each major city state being distinctly different, and with vastly different cultures, religions, and ways of life from one corner of the desert to the next.

Mala Na'Un is a land rife with adventuring opportunities, a fact that western adventurers are starting to catch on to. The port cities of Mala Na'Un are quickly adapting to this new industry, with outfitters and desert guides clambering to assist the newly-arrived explorers.

Mithrodril is a newly-discovered continent far to the west of Arius. Originally discovered by Avalonians on accident after a strange storm displaced a luxurious passenger ship hundreds of miles off-course, Mithodril has captured the imagination (and avarice) of many entrepreneurs from Talahm.

Mithodril consists mainly of steaming jungles of traditional plantlife as well as a form of incredibly large fungi similar in form to traditional mushrooms. The native humanoid culture, known as the Aadriin, are thin, lithe creatures similar in build to elves, but more akin to humans in stature and hardiness. Their legends tell of huge creatures of incredible magical power they refer to as "The Masters", who created the Aadriin as the perfect slave race. These legends are confirmed by the mammoth ruins hidden in the jungles, some of which still hum with magical energy.