Outremeer (ootreh-mere)
Outremeer is a region in the northern latitudes of the continent of Notios in the extreme south of the world. It is roughly 1,200 miles of coast and more than 50 large, inhabited islands. It is one of only a very few regions in Notios that is controlled by Humans and is vaguely known to scholars and sailors of the northern latitudes. First contact with the region for the peoples of eastern Thrae was made by Arian explorers more than 80 years ago. When the discovery was made, most of the areas and islands that the explorers found were given Arian names, purely out of convenience. In subsequent encounters, Gnomes have made extensive efforts to document and catalog native names, phrases, terms and descriptions to more accurately map and study the region, but many of the older Arian names and terms have stuck. The name outremeer literally means "overseas" in Arian.
The native Human population that was discovered nearly a century ago are a relatively primitive culture that refer to themselves as Harakaar, which is their word for "human beings". The Harakaar are a comparatively short people when compared to the Arian and Caldarian sailors that discovered them, and they were in a collective bronze-age level of advancement. Iron was known to them, but its production was very limited and quite expensive (locally speaking) when compared to the production of softer metals such as copper and bronze. In the intervening years since that first discovery, the Harakaar have seen a leap in technological ability beyond anything they had known for centuries earlier.
Currently, the region is divided into as many as 25 separate and independent states with remarkably vague and ill-defined borders. The Harakaar people's common language and religion help maintain a regional peace that has lasted for at least two generations, with only very small and localized conflicts occurring between these city-states. Trade is regular and effective as the Harakaar have a very advanced maritime technology and a well-designed and well-maintained coastal road system. Each of these separate states centers on an area of traditional control (some would call it "rule") by one or more of the Annukaar beings worshiped and venerated by the Harakaar locals. It is thought by non-natives that, because there is no known conflict within or amongst the Annukaar themselves, there is very little conflict between the regions associated with the Annukaar, and thus the explanation for the unprecedented level of peace and cooperation between the states.
Geography
Roughly 120,000 square miles of mainland and more than 50 large islands constitute the region of Outremeer and is roughly the same size as the State of New Mexico. The largest of the many inhabited islands off the Outremeer coast is Grande Ile, or Great Island in Arian. The bulk of the Human population of Outremeer live within less than 60 miles of the coast, but Harakaar settlements can be found as far inland as 160 miles.
The region is dominated by three large river basins. The eastern-most of these is the Eau d'Cindre, or Ashwater. This area is roughly five hundred miles of coast with a relatively flat and marshy interior. The central basin is the drainage of the Grand Rivier which empties into the large Grand Bay. The eastern side of the Grande Rivier is mostly flat coastal plain with large areas of hardwood forest and subtropical swamps, while the western side of the river rises into the steep hills and low mountains of the Ekarti and Tashti Hills. The last large river basin is associated with the Rivier Bleu which drains the mountainous interior regions and the towering Montes Bleu (Blue Mountains) that constitute the western extent of the accepted definition of the Outremeer.
Off the coast are dozens of inhabited islands ranging in size from 100 miles in length to less than two miles in length. Hundreds more are little more than dry rocks in the water with no fresh water available at all.
Ecosystem
Most of the region is subtropical coastline, with higher and dryer elevations in the west and lower, wetter areas to the east.
Climate
Warm and humid subtropical coastline with millions of square miles of uncharted land to its south and thousands of miles of open sea to the north.
Fauna & Flora
Outremeer has many unique species of large animals (as does the entire continent of Notios), most famous of which are the giant Southern Pachyderm, the great Southern Sirens, several breeds of huge bovines, and two massive predatory species of cats. The region is also home to several seemingly unique species of Draconidae, both winged and worm varieties.
Natural Resources
Outremeer is a bountiful and prosperous region with abundant mineral resources and a wide variety of environments for the production and harvesting of food and materials. Since learning of the means by which iron ore can be extracted and smelted into iron and steel, the wealth and prosperity of the people of Outremeer has increased exponentially. The Montes Bleu area still has copper deposits that produce many hundreds of tons of the metal every year, and both copper and bronze are still important resources for the region.
Another resource that has increased the wealth and prosperity of the area is the ubiquitous cotton shrub. Known to have been domesticated for as long as Humans have lived in Outremeer, the local species of cotton shrub produces a fiber of exceptional delicacy and remarkable durability known as muslin (thought to be named after a town where the trade in textiles was of primary importance).
History
It is not known when or from where the first Humans arrived at Outremeer, but scholars have made sound estimates that they have lived in the region for more than 800 years, and some think that number is closer to 1,200 years. Since settling the region, the Harakaar have had numerous forms of government. Twice in their pre-contact history the population was united under one single ruler, but in both instances, those governments did not live beyond a single ruler's lifetime. For the majority of their history, the Harakaar of Outremeer have lived in numerous city states and small kingdoms, occasionally waring with each other over political disputes but generally living as a peaceful and functional society of many various communities.
Outremeer was first discovered by outside Humans in 152 AF. This first contact was made by a pair of pirate-trader ships crewed almost entirely by Arian sailors. Initially met with much trepidation by the Harakaar, the sailors gradually became wildly popular with the people they met and interacted with.
