Ardath
A land of scorching deserts, tranquil rolling grasslands, and mountainous northern tundra. The continent of Ardath is separated into three main regions, to the south is the Amarak desert a sweeping desert and subsequent badlands that makes the southern coast of Ardath, the countries of Kdosh and Estafoer call these blazing sands their home. Amarak slowly transitions to a large wind swept plain that makes the center region of Ardath, this bountiful region is called the Jabari Plains, only one kingdom calls this encompassing grassland home, Stelar-Etoile, the last High Elven Empire within the world, and the self proclaimed protectors of the plains. Moving ever northward the rolling emerald green grasslands and plains grow duller in their hew and begin to sport spots of white as the snow patches of the far north begin take root, the Fenris Tundra begins upon the foothills of the Frost Tip Mountains, the northern most mountain range of Ardath, that acts as a barrier between the frigid northern tundra and wastes, and the lush, fertile grasslands of the south. The Fenris Tundra is the largest of the three major regions, so large in fact that it is often split into two regions on maps, one being the original Fenris Tundra and the other being the western forest of the region called the Jotun Forest, it is the largest forest on Ardath and provides a much needed home for the coastal Toraland Empire, and the further northern kingdom of Frostmarken. The tundra herself has allowed to great civilizations to thrive within her boons, to the far west is the Abendroth Empire, and within the lands beyond the Frost Tip Mountains are the heart lands of Vertstein, the northmost dwarven kingdom in the world.
Geography
The coastline of Ardath forms something akin to that of an anvil, with the top half stretching eastward toward Sorrowel and the Sunless Nexus. The top of this "anvil" concaves southward, due to the ever encroaching Frozen Sea. The coast tapers down along the eastern side until it extends once again out to the east and comes to a point, which itself curves slightly southward this point is called The Southern Watch. The west coastline remains fairly straight as it tapers down to join the eastern coast forming the southern coast of Ardath, which itself is mostly flat like that of an anvil. Beyond the southern coast is the Serpent Sea, upon which is littered a small island chain called the Arial isles. The western coast of continent shifts back and forth stretching westward and eastward in varying degrees of severity, forming a snaking channel with the neighboring westernmost continent of Duntaine, forming was is called The Narrow Sea, the western coast comes to a final head just a few dozen miles south of the Vaipuna Islands in the North Western fringes of the world map, the northwestern tip of Ardath comes to ahead rubbing directly against the western curve of the Frozen Sea.
Ecosystem Cycles
Ardath is probably the most temperate and reasonable of the four continents, due to its location in the center of the world, it is not as susceptible to the effects of the Sunless and Sunmost Nexus' , however its close proximity to the Northern Nexus does make its northern regions far colder than anywhere else on the planet. Despite these parameters the continent maintains a fairly stable seasonal cycle, with the central region of the Jabari Plains getting all four seasons, though the Fenris Tundra and Amarak Desert are only privied to three or two seasons respectfully. The Fenris Tundra's seasonal cycle is hinged upon its snowfall pattern, in the months where the snows are light and the sun can appear for weeks at a time, that is considered spring, its summer months are defined by the frequent freezing rain storms and long periods of sun and warmer climates, it's winter is by far the longest season within the cycle lasting nearly six months out of the twleve month year.
Localized Phenomena
Ardath is home to a wide and strange variety of phenomena, both natural and arcane in origin. The southern dunes of the Amarak desert host a range of strange and magical phenomena, the most present of which is the seasonal sand and lightning storms that sweep across the barren sands, and coastal dunes of the desert. The strangest of these phenomena occurs on the southern coast of the desert, an event that occurs with the coming of the winter tide, called the Glowing Tide, it is when deep sea algae and special minerals from the cold waters of Sailor's Run sweep upward into the Serpent Sea, creating a glowing tide that washes up upon the southern shores of Ardath, giving the shallow water a bioluminescent blue glow during the night, and a vibrant green tint during the day. The northern reaches of the Fenris Tundra and the Jotun Forest bare witness to their own score of strange and unexplained phenomena, the first of these is a seasonal snowfall that marks the start of winter within the region, this storm is called the Frostverachtung, a violent, region spanning storm that lashes out from across the Frozen Sea, and ushers in the brutal and long winters of the northern realms of the Far Lands. The next of these phenomena permeates throughout the year in the far northern reaches of the north, typically the regions that border with the Frozen Sea, at that is the aurora, massive spectral arrays of ever shifting multicolored lights that surround the Northern Nexus and stretch out as far as the coast of the Frozen Sea. The final phenomena of the northern realms is specific to the western fringes of the Fenris Tundra, specifically the Heartland of the Abendroth Empire, once a year during the height of the winter, the moon turns blood red and casts this red hue across the lands of the empire, this phenomena marks the winter solstice within the empire, outside of the empire lands this moon appears paler than any other throughout the year, and shines brighter like that of the sun, it also marks the middle of winter and the end of the Deep Snow, a period within the northern realms of near constant snowfall.
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