Updated map of Teredahar

Writing new modules got me in the mood to make a new map. This is an update and colourization of the previous hand-drawn map. I've drawn colour maps of Teredahar before but this is by far the best-looking. Details are sparse in this version but it's drawn at very high resolution so I can zoom in for locality maps and add detail as necessary, keeping in mind the rule of Conservation of Detail.

The scale has dramatically changed from the previous map in order to put locations at more Earth-like latitudes for their given climate. At the new (and hopefully final) scale Teredahar is about 2/3 the area of North America. It's 2000 miles as the crow flies from Sylridian to Kivan Torrat and the continent is 3000 miles east to west at its widest. That's nearly triple what it was before but properly scaled for an Earth-sized planet. As always, this scale is purely for aesthetics.

Teredahar Complete Map

Merry Christmas, and if you're in Canada, Happy Boxing Day! In light of the holidays and the completion of the Teredahar Locales series, here's a fully-assembled composite of all the hand-drawn maps I've been uploading these past few months:

"Teredahar" - Click to enlarge (2637 × 3223, 3.1MB)

Next Time

I have declared that January is Dragon Month. The new year will begin on Friday, January 2nd with an article on the first wars fought between the Elvish interplanar settlers and their fledgling nation Tan'Rar against the ruling lords of Prime, the Dragons. Be sure to check it out!

Teredahar Locales - Koldar & The Shifting Desert

Location

The southern portion of Teredahar's interior houses the region known as Koldar. It's bordered by the Torran Spine and Northern Torran Spine mountains to the south and west, the Syldar-Koldar border just south of Ilama to the north, and the Koldar River and Balsan River to the east. It has a border with every major region on Teredahar except for Rime. Clockwise from the north its neighbouring nations/regions are Syldar, Ashdar, Din, Kurudar, and Tefalas.

Landscape & Climate

Most of Koldar is staggeringly flat with a few rolling hills. The weather is dry, becoming more arid the farther west you go as forests and plains give way to badlands and finally rocky desert in the shadow of the mountains. Koldar's end of the Shifting Desert is rockier and much less windy than the Syldarri end. The only prominent features of the terrain are the mountains to the south and west, and the broad, gentle Koldar River that flows through the region's northeast. A large plateau is perched at the intersection of the Torran Spine and Northern Torran Spine mountain ranges which features high-elevation scrub-land.

People & Commerce

Koldar is the continent's crossroads. Virtually all overland and river trade on north-south or east-west routes passes through cities in Koldar, with much of the goods bound for the great market-houses of Ardan Castle, a fortress-city in the region's east and its de-facto capital. The few large city-states that control Koldar are made wealthy and profitable by taxes on this trade. Koldar is inhabited primarily by Dwarves. At either end of the western plateau sit the great halls of the Mountan Dwarves at North Point and South Point, which provide passage under the mountains for traders willing to pay for it. The fortress-city Ardan Castle, its port, and many of the smaller settlements in the east have been built by Plains Dwarves during the second settlement. Heavy dependence on trade means that all of these cities are mixing-pots for races and cultures from all over Teredahar.

Voltac, in the heart of the desert, is a notable exception. It is the last bastion of the Drakoni race on Teredahar. Ruled by the Great Blue Wyrm Kezzadraz, its people are insular and untrusting of strangers but generally willing to take their gold at the betting tables. Voltac is home to the largest and most famous fighting arena on the continent. Twice a year the Drakoni invite outsiders into their city to take and lose fortunes at the betting tables or take and lose lives on the arena sand. Arena fighting is serious business to Kezzadraz's people. They deal fairly and punish thieves and cheaters extremely harshly.

Government

Koldar is a federation of city-states. Each of the major settlements: Ardan Castle (and its port-city), North Point, South Point, and Voltac have a pact to defend one-another from external threats and ensure the unimpeded flow of goods through the territory. Mostly this consists of hunting down bandits and protecting supply-lines against external conflicts and sabotage. In all other matters the federation's members do not interfere with one-another. That includes infighting between rival clans within the mountainhomes.

Next Time

This is the final Teredahar Locales article, which means next week I'll be revealing the entire map composite so you can see how it all fits together. Merry Christmas!

Teredahar Locales: The Kingdom of Rime

Location

Rime is the northernmost part of Teredahar. Its neighbours are Tannock (Syldar) to the west across the Tannock Shield Mountains Ashdar to the south. It is bounded by three large bodies of water: the Freezing Ocean in the north, the Dragon Ocean off its east coast, and the Sea of Rime in the southwest between Rime and Sydar proper. These borders are generally agreed upon tough occasionally one of the northern Broken Teeth clans will challenge Rime's control over territory on its border with Ashdar. These conflicts are short and borders haven't changed appreciably in generations.

Landscape

The terrain of Rime was shaped by massive glaciers eons ago and though they've mostly melted away their footprints can be seen everywhere. Rime is extremely mountainous, especially along its northeastern coast where a series of worn, jagged mountain rise thousands of feet high to plunge sharply into deep fjords. Inland, the area is dotted with small glacial lakes and rivers and several more mountain ranges carved by glaciers. These mountains are old, weathered rock quite unlike the sharp volcanic mountains further south.

Climate

Rime's northerly latitude has always brought it long, dark winters compared to the rest of Teredahar. It snows almost half of the year and all year round the cold winds of the Freezing Ocean make it a much colder place than anywhere else except Tannock's glacier. The effect of that magically-created glacier seeps over the Tannock Shield mountain-range and causes Rime's western territories to be grasped by wintery cold year-round. Long days in the summer and abundant melt-water make Rime's eastern valleys surprisingly suited for growing certain food-crops.

People & Commerce

Rime is primarily inhabited by Dwarves living in several mighty mountain-homes among the fjords and valleys of the nation's east. Around the Sea of Rime several trading posts exist, inhabited by a mix of Syldarri Elves, Humans, and Dwarves. In the summertime the mountainhomes trade by ship along Teredahar's east coast with Ashdar and Din, some even venturing to Kurudar far to the south. These ships carry mostly raw metals, hides, and gems. What farmland Rime has does not produce enough to feed all the mountainhomes so most of their food has to be imported. Each mountainhome stock-piles tremendous amounts of food every fall to last the winter. A significant amount of Rime's trade is also done via overland caravans taking goods to/from trading posts on the Sea of Rime where they trade with the elves from Syldar. In wintertime the ocean becomes too dangerous for sea trade and these caravans provide a crucial lifeline to the outside.

Government

Kurudar is governed by a traditional monarchy. Clan Doag are the hereditary rulers of the nation, joined by marriage with Clan MacPotlaugh and Clan Tain, who rule the second and third-largest (respectively) mountainhomes on Rimes' peninsulas. Trader villages on the Sea of Rime and other mountainhomes in the nation all pay homage to one of these three houses through taxes and a food levy that ensures the largest settlements have food for each winter.

Rime has a small centralized military and each township is legally required to have its own militia. By some estimates over a quarter of the adult population have combat training, though Rime hasn't fought a war since its unification. The kings of Clan Doag keep Rime out of the world stage and instead focus on trade and peaceful isolation from outside affairs.

Next Time

Next week's article will finish out the Locales series with the last major region, and it's right in the centre: Koldar and the Southern Shifting Desert.

Teredahar Locales: Kurudar, the Southern Plains

Location

The extreme South of Teredahar is a broad, sparsely populated region ruled entirely by the Kingdom of Kurudar. Kurudar is bordered by ocean on three sides, with the Torran Spine mountain range forming its northern border. Kurudar has a small border with Din to its east, marked by The Ashen Reach, an area of volcanic flow.

Landscape

Much of Kurudar is an expanse of broad, windswept plains filling the region's interior. These areas are quite dry, but not arid and do get occasional rainstorms. Kurudar's extensive coastline is dotted with fishing villages and small ports. Here the ocean breeze brings warm, tropical air and frequent rains. The Gold Sea in the region's north is much colder than the southern oceans. The highlands in the North are the only areas of Kurudar that get snow.


The lifeblood of Kurudar is the Kuraseld River, which flows through the interior from the mountains and the Gold Sea southwards emptying into the Bay of Kurudar. This river is wide, slow, and navigable in its entirety from ocean to sea. It provides the water and trade routes essential for the kingdom's capitol which sits along it.

People & Commerce

Two sects of Halflings call Kurudar their home. The Nokuri live in the hills and plains of the interior and follow a nomadic lifestyle rooted in the traditions of their race's Shard-hopping past. The Kurudari chose to emulate the Elves and settle in towns and large cities, eventually taking over governance of the entire realm as vassals of Tan'Rar. The Nokuri for the most part ignore Kurudari supremacy, but the Kurudari regard them as nuisances and thieves when they show up on the borders of their cities.

Dwarves are also commonly found in Kurudar, especially in the east where Dwarven trade ships are so common there is an area called the Bay of Dwarves. These traders bring much-needed raw materials from the mountainhomes and magical goods from the north. In exchange Kurudar exports more grain than anywhere else on the continent. 

Government

The entire realm of Kurudar is ruled by a powerful central government ruled from Kivan Torrat by King Goodbarrel. Kurudar's seat is a traditional hereditary monarchy that has been ruled by House Goodbarrel for nearly three centuries. Kurudar has the largest standing army of any nation on Teredahar.

Next Time

Next article will be on Humans in Teradahar.

Teredahar Locales: Syldar & Tannock

Location

A large region of Teredahar's interior is controlled by the Dominion of Syldar. At one point Syldar controlled all of the territory from the river border of Ashdar to the Torran Spine mountain ranges: thousands of square miles of grasslands, desert, and coastal forest. A schism between the elves living in the north and the Dwarves living in the south of the dominion caused it to be partitioned into two. The northern half remains Syldar, and the southern half was renamed to Koldar. Modern Syldar's borders are the North Torran Spine in the west, The Freezing Ocean in the north, The Sea of Rime and its river system to the east, and the border of Ashdar which runs east-west in a line just south of Syldar's former capitol at Ilama.

Landscape

Syldar is a large and diverse place with several distinct biomes within it. The eastern edge borders on the Sea of Rime and is home to large forests frequent rainstorms blowing in from the sea. This region has hundreds of streams and valleys all flowing down into the sea. The central area is vast grassland criss-crossed with numerous farming communities and miles upon miles of wheat. The farther from the sea you get, the more arid the land becomes. The Shifting Desert in the shadow of the mountains is a broad swath of sand running north-south along Syldar's western edge. The sands ebb and flow and slowly creep eastward into the grasslands.

Tannock is north of Syldar. Originally Tannock was a state of its own where the Elvish rulers of all of Teredahar made their seat. Then a glacier was summoned on top of it. During a bloody succession conflict, one side's powerful mages sought to destroy the other by causing another Shard to collide with Prime and overlay itself on their stronghold, burying it. A critical miscalculation caused all of Tannock to be buried instead.

The effects of the shard collision changed the weather in northern Teredahar, causing harsh winters in northern Syldar and flooding the region with glacial melt in the summer. Snowfall in winter is only common along the coast and usually light. Spring-summer flooding near the glacier and along the Sea of Rime is so severe that most large settlements have extensive storm-sewers to keep the streets dry.

People & Commerce

The inhabitants of Syldar are predominantly Elves (Syldarri) and some Humans. The countryside is dotted with numerous communities where these two races mix peacefully. The shifting desert is lawless and largely controlled by nomadic tribes of Humans.

Syldar's capitol, Sylridian, is the most populous city on the continent and also has the highest concentration of mages. The Ashram Academy, a large and powerful mage school and paramilitary organization has one of its two campuses in Sylridian itself and the other in the nearby mountains. The large number of mages make the city a place of marvels. Sylridian is a huge magnet for settlers from all over the world, and you can find members of just about any race or creed living within or around its walls. There are steep class divides between the ruling Elvish houses, the powerful mages, and the seemingly endless immigrants who call Sylridian their home.

Syldar is a major trading nation, doing most of its trade along a series of canals, locks, and rivers that make a navigable route from the Sea of Rime south to Koldar, Ashdar, Din, and the ocean beyond. Its exports are primarily grain, magical goods (potions, scrolls, powerstones, etc), and Academy-trained Warmages for other nations' armies. Syldar imports tremendous amounts of raw materials including metal and lumber from its Dwarven neighbours as well as exotic goods demanded by Sylridian's wealthy elite.

Government

Syldar is the last living remnant of the Empire of Tan'Rar. The power of its large centralized government can be traced directly back to ancient times. In modern times it is ruled by a house of representatives similar to a parliament called The Hall of Voices. Executive power is held by the Lords Magisters, an inner council of five who represent the bloodlines of ancient kings, or powerful organizations. Some positions are hereditary and some are chosen by the group they represent.

The Lords Magisters

• The King of Syldar; hereditary position of House Therassan. Syldar was a monarchy before the current system of government was created. Currently held by Alar Thereassan, an elderly male Grey Elf.
• The Regent-in-Exile of Tan'Rar; hereditary position of House Amastatica. Tan'Rar was the empire of the Elves that settled most of Teredahar and ruled it for centuries. Now Tan'Rar is gone but Syldar still recognizes this title. Currently held by Valasir Amastatica, a young and reserved male Grey Elf.
• The Prime Minister of Guilds; elected by guild leaders to represent their interests. Held for no longer than 10 years. Currently held by Hasan Al-Fadir, a middle-aged and outspoken male Syldarri Elf.
• The Headmaster of the Ashram Academy; elected by the Ashram faculty and paramilitary commanders. Held for life or until retirement. Currently held by Ashelia Valar, an iron-fisted elderly Grey Elf female. 
• The Supreme Commander of the Army; appointed by Syldar's military command for life or until retirement. Currently held by Soveliss Oaken, a middle-aged Half-Elf.

The rest of parliament is comprised of 233 seats for Knight Petitioners, elected representatives from towns and districts of large cities. Terms and methods of choosing vary based on local tradition as this role evolved from petitioners that used to be sent to the royal court. Their job now is to discuss issues and advise the Lords Magisters on matters of concern to their constituents.

Next Time

That was quite a long one, wasn't it? Because Syldar has so much international power it comes up a lot in adventures and thus by the principle of conservation of detail it's more detailed than less prominent places.
Next article will break the races/places cadence and provide more information about the Hebdomad who have shaped so much of this multiverse's history.

Teredahar Locales: Tefalas, the Western Woods

Location

Tefalas is a broad strip of land comprising much of Teredahar's west coast. It's an almost perfect natural fortress, bordered by mountains to the North, East, and South and with steep cliffs guarding much of its coastline. Its only true border is with Kurudar on the Southern side of the Walls of Tefalas mountains. Across the Northern Torran Spine is the vast, lawless Shifting Desert and further north the frozen, cursed former Kingdom of Tannock. The ocean to Teredahar's west is called the Soran Ocean by those who dare to cross it. Across it lie the Human's kingdoms of Nahydra, Drakuga, and Whitereach.

Landscape

The terrain of Tefalas is generally very rough: craggy foot-hills give way to boulder-strewn forests which in turn give way to the steep Iron Cliffs of the coastline. The coastal forests are rainy year-round and dominated by massive redwood trees that grow hundreds of feet tall. In the highlands it only rains in the wintertime, and snow is not unheard of. Here the thin soil makes the trees smaller but no less dense. Two large rivers course from the highlands to the ocean: the Lore River in the North, and Trell River in the middle.

People & Commerce

Tefalas is claimed in its entirety by a small population of Elves who call themselves Reddin. The Reddin broke off from Tan'Rar during the Age of Settlers and were drawn by the region's natural beauty to choose Tefalas as their homeland. They believe that living amongst nature brings them closer to their fey ancestry and live in small villages often high amongst the most massive of redwoods. Their 'cities' may house fewer than a thousand individuals and are built from living branches shaped over decades. The forests of the region are dotted with small villages so well-hidden they have eluded even the best cartographers.

The reddin are hostile to all outsiders and, while they normally don't gather in large numbers, are capable of amassing an army to defend their domain if necessary. When settlers from Nahydra landed on their shores, they were subject to repeated vicious attacks by Reddin raiding parties. Eventually the settlers were driven off or massacred by a combined force of Reddin and their allies from Kurudar. The remains of their settlements still stand on the coast as a reminder of Reddin ferocity.

Given their hostility to outsiders, trade with the Reddin is unheard of. They merely tolerate the presence of Sandrock Clan dwarven traders out of North Point permitted to pass through their lands in exchange for artifacts that would be otherwise unavailable.

Government

The Reddin villages all pay duty to local lords, who in turn support the capitol and high priestess seated at Greatwood. The small population and large area of Tefalas makes conflict between lords extremely rare. The pacifistic teachings of the Reddin faith further ensures that conflicts between Reddin are solved without arms most of the time.

Next Time

The next Races of Teredahar article will talk about the origin and subraces of Dwarves. 

Teredahar Locales: Ashdar & The Broken Teeth

Location

Ashdar is a region running along Teredahar's eastern coastline. It is bounded to the west and south by a succession of rivers and small inland seas that mark the borders of neighbouring realms. To the north is the Kingdom of Rime. South of Ashdar is the Republic of Din. Northwest is Syldar and southwest is Koldar. These borders are generally agreed upon by all of the states within despite the lack of a central governing body.

Landscape

Ashdar is primarily rugged, rocky, forested hills broken intermittently by a chain of mountains that have come to be called The Broken Teeth. These mountains are volcanic in nature, caused by a hotspot that drifted southward through the region for millennia and now fuels the Thunderperch volcano in Din. The volcanic nature of the mountains means the area around them is littered with hundreds of small, weathered cinder cones and lava-tube caverns. The oldest and most weathered peaks are at the region's northern end and the youngest are at the south.

People & Commerce

The region's extensive cavern systems have become home to several clans of Mountain Dwarves, who colonized them to exploit gemstone deposits forged in the hearts of volcanoes. The Dwarves have settled nearly every peak of any significance, building fortified mountain-homes of both grand and humble scale. The rough terrain above-ground has limited surface colonization to a few outposts along the rivers and coastline, which exist primarily to trade with the below-ground settlements.The mountain-homes export mostly gemstones (amethyst and quartz in greatest quantities), as well as processed metal where ore is found and lumber from the region's extensive forests. Imports are primarily food and finished goods. The region's volcanic soil is well-suited to cultivation, but the terrain makes access difficult and the Dwarves do not care for toiling under the sun.

Government

Ashdar was originally claimed by The Elvish Empire of Tan'Rar over 4000 years ago. They gave the region its name ("Stormland" in Ancient Elvish) but made little attempt to settle it. In present day there are a few Elvish settlements but neither they or the Dwarves who have colonized Ashdar's mountains recognize any central government. At various points in their history the mountain-home clans have forged alliances and federations but these tend to be short-lived treaties of convenience that simply last until parties are ready to fight over claims again. Nearly every clan is ruled by a patriarch who leads for life. Large families make succession an often-messy affair.

Constant strife between the Dwarven clans has taken a huge toll on the mountain-homes. Fortresses are built, armed, conquered and abandoned by successive generations giving the mountains their name The Broken Teeth. Many of the Mountain Dwarves found elsewhere in Teredahar are refugees or survivors from these generational clan wars. Disposessed, homeless, and bereft of clan or country they wander the bright surface world looking for a new place to call home.

Next Time

I'm going to take a break from history and mythology and start a series about the various races and sub-races that live on Teredahar. These will be a bit shorter than usual but will include stat blocks for Pathfinder character creation.

Teredahar Locales: The United Republic of Din

Location

Din is a nation located on the extreme eastern edge of Teredahar. It is bordered by the ocean on three sides and neighbours the nation of Kurudar to the southwest, the Ashdar domain to the northwest, and Koldar to the west. The broders are defined by the Pale River, Koldar River, and Balsan River respectively. A portion of the border with Kurudar crosses the Torran Spine mountains and is not clearly defined due to its remoteness.

Climate

Din has a temperate, wet, seasonal climate, minimally effected by the mountains that pass through it. The ocean breeze brings with it wet, stormy weather and the occasional hurricane. Most of Din occupies latitudes analogous to the northeastern Unites States and maritime Canada. It is known for its harsh, snowy winters and warm humid summer. Areas closer to the southeast coast experience more moderate weather but are subject to the occasional hurricane. For much of Din's history the large volcano Thunderperch has been erupting, occasionally sending clouds of ash and volcanic fog over the country for months at a time. Much of the southern reaches are abandoned because of frequent lava flows that have caused the region to be called The Ashen Reach.

Landscape

Much of Din is coastal lowland forest and marshes. The Torran Spine mountains are young, sharp ridges that rise prominently from the rolling hills in central areas of the country. There are several wet, rainy islands located off the coast called The Kraken's Toes that are sparsely inhabited but dotted with ruins from naval wars long past. Finally, the areas surrounding and south of Thunderperch are barren, volcanic moonscapes devoid of all but the hardiest of life. 

Government

The United Republic of Din is one of only a few examples of a large, centralized government on Teredahar. It is unique among the nations of Teredahar in being a representative democracy not limited by caste, race, or magical ability. Directly elected representatives from each township or county meet at parliament in Dolvan Keep where they discuss matters of national and regional importance. This novel system of government only arose in the past decade when commoners rose up and overthrew an ancient dictatorial oligarchy largely composed of vampires and other ageless undead. There is no centralized magic school in Din due to the peoples' distrust of wizards and wizarding orders. Many magical scholars must travel elsewhere in search of higher learning.

People & Commerce

Because of Din's progressive stance on race it has become a haven for peoples without a nation of their own, predominantly Humans from all over Teredahar and clanless Dwarves driven out by the constant strife in Ashdar. Many people move to Din to escape past hardship and start anew. Its location along major trade routes makes access to raw materials easy, and thriving textile and metalworking industries have arisen because of it. Much of the finest steel in Teredahar now comes out of the forges at Redport and Dolvan Keep.

Next Time

Next article will cover where the land of Teredahar itself comes from and how it has been shaped by millennia of magic use.