Maps and Locations
R Y N M E R EK I N G D O M
Legend: F (foot) M (mount) C (caravan) B (boat) A (air)Andaris - Venora: F 6 days, M 3 days, C 6 days, A 1 day.
Andaris - Warrick: F 14 days, M 7 days, C 14 days, A 3.5 days.
Andaris - Krome: F 8 days, M 4 days, C 8 days, A 2 days.
Andaris - Burhan: F 28 days, M 14 days, C 28 days, A 2.5 days, B 5 days.
Andaris - Gawyne: F 12 days, M 6 days, C 12 days, A 3 days.
Andaris - Endor: F 28 days, M 14 days, C 28 days, A 4 days, B 9 days.
Andaris: Named after Ser Verne Andaris, Knight Lord Commander of The First Shields, Andaris region is the home of King Renault and his soon to be Queen Freya Renault (nee Krome), who live in Andar Castle at the centre of Andaris City. The Capital is famed for its deep water port in Cyrene Bay, which is able to host a large fleet of naval, passenger, and trade ships. It has been said that the city of Andaris is one of the trade capitals of Idalos, and as such, the waters surrounding Rynmere are closely protected.
Venora: As a knight and famed wife of Lord Commander, Ser Verne Andaris, Lady Cyrene Venora was the first woman to ever receive a knighthood in Rynmere. The soil in Venora is very fertile and every Ashan the people of Venora are blessed with a wealth of crops, including but not limited to, sweet corn, potatoes, beans, barley, broccoli, wheat, carrots, peanuts, asparagus, and pumpkin. They also gather harvests from a variety of vines and trees, including grape, passion fruit, black pepper, walnut, cherry, elderberry, lingonberry, and plum.
Warrick: Henry Warrick was a famous War General that settled the southwest of Rynmere from the Burning Mountains to the end of the River Kyo. He slayed the a fearsome giant called Hunter, who had ruled the land before him and forged a pass through the Burning Mountains named after the beast. Today Warrick is a peaceful region famed for its flat, grassy plain and the well known Sunset Isle off the west coast. The best horses in all of Rynmere are bred here and are considered lucky mounts to ride into battle, and Garado, Warrick’s first stallion was said to have sprung from a rib bone that he pulled away from the defeated giant, Hunter.
Burhan: The people of Burhan are the best shipwrights in all of Idalos, their skill made all the more impressive due to the region being landlocked. It does, however, provide the realm with some of the finest timber in the north, being the most densely populated woodlands in all of Rynmere. Rahiko Burhan designed and built the ship that first sailed to Rynmere carrying Verne Andaris and his knights to the eastern shore. The shipwrights use the rivers to transport logs and partially constructed ships to Krome Lake, and later out into the sea.
Endor: Famed weaponsmith, Oron Endor settled on the far northwest part of Rynmere at the northernmost point of The Burning Mountains, which are rich with iron and other precious metals. From Norr Bay, the people of Endor send trade ships to the city of Andaris that supply king's army them with weapons, metals, and tools.
Gawyne: The North was once considered a frozen wasteland before Warren Gawyne set down his flag and claimed the region of Gawyne for himself. He showed his followers how to tame even the harshest environments, and to this day, the outpost in Gawyne still thrives. Gawyne mysteriously went missing after a routine visit to the underground pass through Warren’s Peak to Nora’s Rest. Some believe he became lost in the labyrinth, leaving his life’s work, The Creed of Silence ,to be discovered in his absence.
Krome: Gerrard Krome was a treasure hunter before joining The First Shields under the command of Ser Verne Andaris. He retired as a wealthy man said to have married three wives who bore him many sons. He commissioned a large ship to be built on the lake that he lived on right up into old age, filling the hull with his treasures and keepsakes until one night the boat sank unexpectedly. Some say the vessel was so weighed down with gold that its belly blew out and spewed treasure down into the depths of the lake before going down with Gerrard and his three wives aboard. Krome is a small fishing community, making use of both the lake and the sea. The people of Krome are said to be sharp of mind and tight of purse, known for its artists and philosophers. Most of the teachers working for Andaris university originate from the settlement in Krome.
L A N D M A R K S
Cyrene Bay: Named after Lady Cyrene Venora, the bay is the biggest deep water cove in Rynmere and sees a lot of boat traffic, especially during the warmer seasons. Though the bay was named after Verne’s wife, the bay is located closer to Andaris City than it is to Venora’s outpost. Many people work on the ports within the bay and the fishing is always good. As Cynere Bay is one of the busiest ports in all of Rynmere, it is heavily patrolled and sees very few smugglers, bandits, crooks, thieves, or pirates, who tend to sail further north to Krome in order to seek their fortunes. Hunter’s Pass: Legend says that Henry Warrick, the first true man to be called Hunter, slayed a giant and with one strike of his mighty ax lobbed the beast’s head clean off, creating Hunter’s Pass where the giant’s body fell between two mountain and paved the way for a road to be set down. This, however, is merely a legend. In truth, the Pass was created by the efforts of many Nehren throughout many years, as directed by the first Hunter. Nowadays, the crooks and bandits of Rynmere gather in this dark place to plot and plan their wicked deeds. Caution to any innocent intending to go near.
Iron Mines: The Iron Mines in Endor produce over seventy percent of Rynmere’s precious metals, stones, and gems. They provide jobs for the majority of the population in the region and make the kingdom a lot of money in exports. Most of the iron is processed into blocks that fit together for easy storage on ships and it often sent to Andaris where it is turned into tools, weapons, and other assorted items before being shipped overseas for sale. Prisoners and slaves make up almost half of the workforce in the Iron Mines, sent to the region from all across Rynmere for various punishments and lengths of service. Slaves earn only half the wage that a miner makes in a season and are still expected to pay tax to the king. It's hard, backbreaking work, but someone has to do it.
Kyo River: Water flows down from The Burning Mountains through underground pathways and gushes from a cliff face in the heart of the Warrick region, forming a deep pool that has helped carve the Kyo River which runs south through Warrick all the way to the ocean. Every year salmon swim up the Kyo River for spawning, which attracts bears from all across the countryside. Seals also make use of the pool, swimming up river with their young, treating the pool like a nursery while they go out on long trips to sea in search of fish. Farmers draw the fresh water away from the river for their crops, and livestock often line the banks to drink from the sweet, clear spring water.
Widow's Point: Legend has it that Widow’s Point is haunted by the ghost of a woman from Venora, the wife of an U’frek Sailor who went to war. She waited for him at the top of what is now known as Widow’s Point, watching for the masts of his ship to return. It’s said that when they didn’t return, the women threw herself off of Widow’s Point and fell to the jagged rocks below. Now, if you listen closely, you’ll hear the widow’s wail over the wind that billows over the waves of Widow’s Point. And on clear nights, when the moon is full, you might even see her, still watching for her lost love.
The sound of wailing comes from the wind and surf blowing through the dozens of little caves and rock formations at the bottom of the cliff. There have been numerous suicides off of Widow’s Point, but the one that inspired this myth and the cliff’s name occurred some time during the winter in the year 460, although it is not known if the unnamed woman who leapt to her death was the bride of an U’frek sailor.
Avari River: A waterway that has been used to transport logs down into Krome Lake from Burhan for as long as the people of Rynmere can remember. As Rynmere’s biggest supplier of timber, Burhan has laid claim to the river with little dispute from any of the surrounding regions. During the winter the river runs a lot higher and faster than normal with all the rain and snow over the Burning Mountains being channeled down into the River Avari, causing it to break its banks from time to time. Some say that the river is a good place to pan for gold they believe washes down from the mountains, lining Krome’s lakebed with flakes of gold dust.
Zor River: A river shared by Krome and Andaris, its water is used to keep a lot of the region's crops alive during the hot season, when the ground tends to dry out and even crack in some extreme cases. The river was named after Gerrard Krome’s first son, Zor, and has kept the name ever since. Every year salmon swim up the river from the sea into Lake Krome to spawn which attracts local fishermen and wildlife from all across the two neighbouring regions.
Nora’s Rest: Nora was the one and only child of Verne Andaris and Cyrene Venora. On the morning of her death , at the young age of twenty-two, the people of Andaris chose to build a shrine at the foot of the tallest mountain in Rynmere which later came to be known as Nora’s Rest. It is considered a holy place and each year on Nora’s birthday, Ashan 33, the people of Rynmere gather at the foot of the mountain to partake in an age old ritual. They say the caves leading into Nora’s Rest tunnel all the way to Warren’s Peak and that somewhere beneath the realms of Burhan, Endor, and Gawyne is a lost labyrinth that was built by a race of men that have long since passed. Explorers have gone looking for the labyrinth countless times but say the caves are too deep and dangerous to explore further. Not everyone shares the same belief, however, as some believe the labyrinth is really the belly of the giant Jacadon Rynmere, brought down by The First Shields.
Nora’s Ritual is an excuse for most to take a day off work once a year in favour of climbing up into the high set vineyards on the south side of the mountain, which people climb in droves following a decorated black bull that is painted with white markings and sacrificed so that the next growing season may be blessed. This is not the only ritual that takes place, as in recent years it has come to light that an underground group of sorcerers called ‘The Seers’ partake in their own dark ritual, sacrificing a young woman Nora’s age that a necromancer then brings back to life for a few short moments, believing Nora’s ghost inhabits the host and shares a vision regarding further events with the group.
The Lost Labyrinth: When a Jacadon dies it turns to stone, which has led people to believe that the labyrinth is really the ‘Guts of Rynmere’, the stony innards of the mighty beast defeated by the Sacred Seven. It was found by a lone explorer who wrote about his discovery over several books, documenting what he saw and found during his time exploring the twists and turns of the Labyrinth, which he believed to be located somewhere beneath the region of Burhan. Many have gone looking for the tunnels leading to the Labyrinth via Nora’s Rest and Warren’s Peak, but there have been no successful discoveries since, leading most to believe that the myth of The Lost Labyrinth is little more than a fairytale.
Sunset Isle: The Sunset Isle is the only known Jacadon breeding site in all of Idalos. Each year a mating pair will protect one egg, taking turns to keep the nest warm until their young hatch. Each egg contains two Jacadon twins, one male and one female that fight to the death upon hatching. The victor is raised by both parents, who fish in the sea in order to gather enough food for the young Jacadon to grow strong enough to learn to fly before the winter.
The isle is tall with sharp, jagged cliffs that deter most other predators from climbing up to the nesting grounds, though every year hopeful generals from across Rynmere scale the walls in order to try and form a bond with a young Jacadon in the hope of becoming a Blazer, the highest honour bestowed to Rynmere’s Xiur Sky Riders. Jagged rocks make the climb almost impossible for most, but the flat, soft sands of the nesting grounds are a welcome relief to any that do, thought they might not feel so welcome standing face to face with an adult Jacadon or breeding pair, who are said to be some of the most protective parents in the animal kingdom.
The Burning Mountains: The legends say that a giant Jacadon who once ruled the sky crashed into the sea and fell into a deep sleep, later becoming the body of land the people now called Rynmere. The Jacadon was so hot that even during the coldest parts of Vhalar and Zi'da, no snow is able to settle upon the scorching earth of The Burning Mountains, or as the people know it, Rynmere’s Backbone.
Norr Bay: The trading base for Endor, a large outpost built of blood, sweat, and iron. The men and women of Endor have constructed a large stone wall they call the Gate to the South, which stretches from the outpost near the bay, all the way to the northernmost point of The Burning Mountains. As Endor is rich with natural resources, it is often targeted by pirates, crooks, and thieves, willing to risk life and limb to fetch what they desire, and so the wall has helped to counter their invasions and is patrolled at all times by the men and women of the Moseke Knights.
Warren’s Peak: The air is slightly thinner up here and the wind blows cold off the northern sea, chilling a man to the bones. Only the hardest of people take on the lifelong challenge of taming a patch of earth for themselves in Gawyne. Warren’s Peak is well known for its deep, winding caves and hot spring pools, nestled within the mountain which is more often than not dressed with snow all year round. It is said that Warren disappeared after a routine trip to the caves, and even hundreds of years later, no body, bones, or items have been found that might give some insight as to his bizarre disappearance.
Pathos Bay: The sea is rough and unpredictable along the northern coast of Rynmere, and many a ship has washed ashore over the years, claiming countless lives. Here there is a dangerous sandbar that only seafaring experts have ever been able to navigate safely, but it is the rocks closer to shore, hidden beneath the waves that see most pirates, sailors, and explorers steer clear of the area. Every now and then the people of Krome have reported seeing Mer people playing in the shallow mer-pools during the warmer summer seasons, but other than the odd fishmen, Pathos Bay has very little to offer.
Lake Krome: The biggest body of water in the kingdom, Lake Krome has been dubbed ‘The Eye of The Jacadon’ and is said to be the final resting place of Gerrard Krome who lived on a ship in the middle of the lake. It is rumoured that when the ship sank, it took all of Krome’s fortune to the bottom of the lake with it.