Ivalis Archipelago
A realm where the sea sings in gold and the wind whispers in treachery! No place is richer, no place more perilous—where merchant lords and pirate kings share drinks before stabbing each other in the back. A paradise for the bold, a graveyard for the careless!
The Ivalis Archipelago is a sprawling expanse of islands, stretching across three of the Seven Seas of Arceiron and covering a territory larger than most continents. Nestled at the heart of the known world, this vast maritime domain is a crucible of seafaring ambition, treacherous intrigue, and untold riches. Infamous for its ruthless pirates, domineering trading companies, and the secrets of lost civilizations, the archipelago stands as the ultimate battleground where freedom and authority, commerce and plunder, and surface and abyss collide.
A queen upon a throne of driftwood, a company with pockets deeper than the abyss, and an empire lurking where mortals dare not tread—what a glorious contest! I wager the fish-kin have the right of it; landfolk are invaders in waters that were never theirs.|Theodred van Eltinbruggen
The Ivalis Archipelago is ruled by the Queendom of Ivalis, a powerful maritime monarchy whose sovereignty is contested at every turn. The Ivalis Archipelago Trading Company (IATC) seeks to extend its monopolistic grip over all commerce in the region, while the Marine Corps serves as the naval arm of the Queendom, enforcing its laws upon the lawless. However, neither the Queen nor the merchants can truly claim dominion over the waves, for lurking beneath the surface is the Arthanis Empire, a formidable underwater kingdom of Triton, Merfolk, and abyssal beings who view the land-dwellers as invaders in their domain.
Meanwhile, in the darkened corners of Scum Island and the hidden coves of pirate strongholds, The Pirate Triumvirate plots and schemes, ensuring that no crown, no company, and no empire shall ever tame the wild freedom of the seas.
Geography
Ah yes, the ‘most contested region’ in the world. You’d think by now people would learn that you can’t actually own the ocean. But no, they keep trying, and the sea keeps laughing
The Ivalis Archipelago is more than just a collection of islands; it is the fulcrum upon which the world turns. Nestled at the center of the Seven Seas, it is the most strategically significant region in Arceiron, bordering six of the sixteen known continents: Aurunia, Altheim, Norheim, Rishamia, Niiringard, and Ysselhaim. These lands bring diverse cultures, trade, and conflicts to its shores, making the archipelago the most well-connected maritime hub in existence. Every kingdom, empire, and merchant prince dreams of controlling it, but none have ever truly tamed its tempestuous waters.
Yet the Ivalis Archipelago is not merely a stage for surface conflicts—it is a realm of unfathomable depths. Beneath its waves lurks the Arthanis Empire, an ancient civilization of Triton, Sahuagin, and deep-sea dwellers who see the surface world as trespassers in their domain. But even deeper still, past the trenches and the deeps plains, lies something even older: the Sunken Sea, a long-forgotten region of the Underdark where eldritch horrors and ancient secrets slumber.
At the very core of the archipelago is a force that shapes not only its waters but the fate of the entire world—the Great World Maelstrom.
The Ivalis Archipelago: The Maritime Crossroads
Why, it is the very heart of the world! The pulse of commerce, the breath of war, the song of adventure! Six continents gaze upon it, each coveting its riches, yet none can claim it. The Archipelago is a stage upon which history is written in cannon fire and whispered in moonlit coves.
The geographical position of the archipelago is what makes it one of the most contested regions in the world. As it is nestled at the confluence of three major seas, it serves as the primary maritime crossroads of Arceiron, linking civilizations, economies, and conflicts.
The archipelago is both a blessing and a curse for those who seek to rule it. Its central location makes it a lucrative trade hub, but also a battleground for naval supremacy, as nearly every great power in Arceiron has an interest in controlling its ports and sea lanes.
The Great World Maelstrom: The Abyssal Vortex
It is neither prison nor portal, but both. A wound upon the fabric of creation, where the forces of the Astral Sea bleed into our world. What slumbers there is not meant to wake, and yet, mortal folly always beckons the abyss.
The Great World Maelstrom, the second most feared and enigmatic of all Nine World Maelstroms, second only to Niiringard's, churns eternally at the center of the Ivalis Archipelago, a yawning vortex of impossible depth. No ship, no matter how sturdy, survives its pull if caught too close. It is an unrelenting force, a gate to the unknown, a place where the very fabric of magic flows into Arceiron from The Astral Sea.
Scholars, sorcerers, and seers claim that this particular maelstrom is the cradle of the ocean's magic, the source of The Tempest Queen’s power, and the reason why the archipelago is so saturated with arcane storms, unnatural tides, and otherworldly creatures. Many believe it to be the oldest of the Nine, a primeval scar on the world’s surface, where reality itself is frayed and wild magic runs rampant.
Legends and Fears
- The Abyssal Chains. According to elven prophecy, the maelstrom is a prison, binding one of the great world-ending evils that were cast into the abyss by the gods. Should its bonds ever weaken, the world itself could be undone.
- The Weave’s Wellspring. Some arcane scholars theorize that the maelstrom is not a prison, but a source of raw arcane energy, acting as a conduit between the Material Plane and The Astral Sea.
- The Maelstrom’s Call. Sailors whisper of a strange song emanating from the maelstrom’s depths, a haunting melody that draws ships toward destruction. Some say it is the wailing of souls lost to the abyss, others that it is a warning from beings beyond comprehension.
The Hidden Depths: The Two Underworlds Beneath the Archipelago
The Ivalis Archipelago is not just a collection of islands floating upon the waves—it is the gateway to two hidden realms below, each more dangerous than the last.The Arthanis Empire: Lords of the Deep
Beneath the waves, the Arthanis Empire rules over the seabed with cold and ancient authority. Their cities, built into trenches and illuminated by bioluminescent corals, stretch far beyond the archipelago’s borders, hidden from surface dwellers.
Ruled by the Empress of the Seven Seas, a mysterious sea-elf sovereign whose word is law. Home to Tritons, Sahuagin, Deep Elves, and monstrous beings that war against each other as much as they war against the surface. Locked in an unending conflict with the Queendom of Ivalis, seeing them as invaders who have no right to rule the waters above.
It is said that in their deepest vaults, the Arthanis Empire holds artifacts of a lost civilization, relics of an era when the deep ruled the world, long before land-dwellers built their kingdoms.
The Sunken Sea: The Abyss Below the Abyss
Nothing good ever comes from digging too deep, especially when the thing staring back has more teeth than should be legal. But hey, if someone wants to go poking ancient horrors with a stick, I won’t stop them—just don’t expect me to pull them back out.
Beneath even the Arthanis Empire, deep within the stone of the earth, lies a place darker than any ocean trench—the Sunken Sea, an abyssal domain within the Underdark.
Unlike traditional underground lakes, the Sunken Sea is a vast inland ocean, stretching endlessly beneath the seabed. Populated by horrors unseen on the surface—krakens with multiple minds, ancient predecessors of modern sea-dwellers, and beings that were forgotten for a reason.
The Black Spires of Zhar’vess, a ruined city built before the gods shaped the world, rests upon its shores, filled with whispers of an age before time. The Sunken Sea is inaccessible to all but the most daring explorers, and even those who return refuse to speak of what they saw.
Maps
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Ivalis Archipelago
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Archipelago
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