Amfris Geographic Location in Ulskandar | World Anvil

Amfris

Located far across the waves of the Ocean of Memaran from the central continent of Turoza, Amfris is a continental area that is dominated by high mountain ranges and thick jungle, which has heavily restricted the easy movement of the peoples that live there, and has meant that many peoples, especially those that do not live on the coasts of one of the continents landmasses, live in almost complete isolation from one another. Nevertheless, this is not a major issue, as the continental area is abundant in resources, allowing most of the peoples and groups that reside there to be entirely self-sufficient if they want to. The few people that have travelled from Turoza to Amfris and have returned, have come back with tales of cities draped in gold and silks, where children are given precious gems to play with and people live lives of permanent luxury. It must be stressed, however, that these reports rarely match up with each other, and those that tell them are not the most sound of mind.   There has been reasonably regular contact between those that reside on the west coast of Turoza and at least one of the peoples that live in Amfris, the Shaebu Albahr. However, this contact has not been peaceful in nature, as the Shaebu Albahr sail to Turoza to raid and to take slaves who are then transported back across the Ocean of Memaran. Indeed, the Shaebu Albahr were even able to take control of the south of the Republic of Castar between 458-470S.E., with the intension of using it as a base in Turoza from which to increase their raiding activities. Since they were driven out of the Republic, they have yet to return to the shores of Turoza in great numbers, but their ships are still spotted on the horizon up and down the west coast of Turoza, and coastal villages and towns are still vulnerable to being raided.

Geography

As a whole, the continental area of Amfris sits around the equatorial area and below in the southern hemisphere of Ulskandar’s Material Plane. This means that the overall climate of the continent is one that is tropical, characterised by hot, humid weather and regular rains that often fall in large volumes.   There are three main parts to the continental area of Amfris, which are outlined below:   Myriad Isles Archipelago- Located in the north-west of the continental area, the Myriad Isles Archipelago stretches from the north-west to the south-east, effectively acting as a shield for the rest of the continent and separating it from the open span of the Ocean of Memaran. Because of the Archipelago’s situation, it is frequently lashed by violent storms that roll off from the ocean to the east, and the areas is also the first part of Amfris that travellers from the east will reach first. The Archipelago is a network of islands, of various sizes, interspersed with reefs and areas of shoals and sand bars, all of which are separated by channels of water, some so small that they could be traversed by a humanoid jump. Navigating the Myriad Isles Archipelago is extremely difficult if one does not have a local guide, or great experience traversing the area, as there are many hazards in the water that can scupper a ship and render it immobile.   Greater Amfris- To the south west of the Myriad Isles Archipelago is the largest landmass in the continental area of Amfris, Greater Amfris. This area is dominated by a large central mountain range that effectively cuts Greater Amfris into two halves, and makes travel by sea the safest, and often quickest way to travel between areas on opposite sides of the landmass. The difficult terrain that the central mountain range provides is compounded by the enormous expanse of jungle that carpets its slopes and stretches in an almost unbroken swathe from the foothills of the mountains to the coast, on all sides of Greater Amfris. There are numerous large rivers that run from the mountains and cut through the jungle to the sea, but they only offer limited areas of free movement in an area that is otherwise dominated by trees.   Lesser Amfris- To the south-east of Greater Amfris, is the much smaller landmass known as Lesser Amfris. Unlike its larger neighbour, Lesser Amfris is not split by mountain ranges, nor indeed is it a single span of dry land. Instead, Lesser Amfris is a vast network of jungle and mangrove swamp, with areas of dry land being hidden and obscured by the permeable barrier of the mangroves, that form an enormous and complicated network of streams and rivers, that become expanses of cloying mud whenever the tide goes out. This combination of jungle and mangrove makes Lesser Amfris notoriously difficult to navigate, but those that live there are accustomed to traversing its challenging environment, and to picking off those that are clearly out of their depth there….
Type
Continent
Included Organizations


Cover image: by Chris Pyrah

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