Geography of Opus

The World of Opus is massive, and contains many biomes, continents, mountain ranges, and seas. While one would see clearly definable continental shapes when looking at the map of Opus, the inhabitants of Opus do not have the technology to view their world in a similar way, so many of the continents are only named in their separate regions, rather than as a single landmass. For example, Gon-Dimr, Daydrith, and Auroria may seem like one unified land from above, but to the people living there, they are distant and different regions. As for terminology, Earth will be used to describe the planet itself, while Opus is used for the universe at large.



Gon-dimr
Gon-Dimr is mainly plains and forests, with foothills leading up to the mountains. With frequent rain and balmy weather, it is ideal for farming and rural life. Farther north, the mountains are filled with metal ores, especially gold and mercury. Throughout history, it has seen empires rise and fall, both internal wars and external. Now most of the region is dominated by the Republic of Wizardry and the Eximietas Kingdom, who, despite using the rich land to advance science and technology, also remain at almost constant war, which has begun to scar the landscape and drain its resources.

Daydrith
Daydrith is a small province, nestled in an intersection of the Risitor Mountains, which the inhabitants call the Khoroin Range. It is filled with hills and cliffs and deep gorges that lead to narrow rivers. Most of the terrain is dense alpine forest, making domestic farming difficult. Originally uninhabited, various human tribes from Auroria have migrated down to Daydrith, establishing the kingdom that is there now.

Auroria
North of all these lands is Auroria, a cold, arid snowscape. There are forests and rivers, but as one travels farther and farther north, the freezing desert becomes too uninhabitable to settle. For most of history, its residents were small tribal communities. However, from the far north sprouted the Parmenos, a rich culture that has spread across the known world.

Ionia
Ionia lies east of Gon-Dimr and Daydrith, with the Belvae Sea to the south and the Gate of Moons to the north. It smoothly transitions into Barsa to the southeast. Ionia itself is split into three smaller regions: Ionia, Aiolia, and Doria. They are named after the first colonies established by mages on Earth. Ionia and Doria are largely grassland, with farms as far as the eye can see. Aiolia to the east resides in the Aeolus mountains, with cliff-side cities and mountaintop towers. For most of history, these three counties were part of the Archmagedom of Ionia, which descended from the mage colonists. Now Aiolia is an independent country, while the others reside under the New Ionian Magedom.

Ptolema
South of Ionia is the Belvae Sea, a calm and warm water. South of this is Ptolema, a kingdom of mages, colonized by Ionia centuries ago. It served as the fourth Basiliate of the Archmagedom of Ionia, and remains under mage control under the New Ionian Magedom.

Saqqara
South of Ptolema is Saqqara, a vast continent that remains largely uninhabited to this day. Most of the land is desert, with a fertile region to the north by the only major river, the Kafisi. Here is Saqqara, the empire. It was the first civilization to develop on Earth, and remained in a relatively unchanged state to this day with a very isolationist attitude to the rest of the world.

Zenaj
Zenaj is an easily missed part of the world. A small landmass west of the Jacter Islands, Zenaj grew very separately at first. One of the few places in the known world without indigenous horses, Zenaj instead is the homeland of elephants, creatures utilized by the militaries of the various empires that have risen and fallen. Southern Zenaj is largely hills and plains, while the north is dominated by rainforest with floodplains on the eastern coasts. These floodplains is where Jennt, the famous narcotic, is grown. Besides Jennt, Zenaj is home to most species of spices and has the largest known supply of jade. These valuable resources have made its kingdoms rich from trade.

Jacter Islands
East of Zenaj is the Jacter islands, countless islands of dense jungle and constant rain. Though not a very rich region in its own right, most trade routes run through these islands, a profitable venture for the many city-states that thrive there. It is also home to the largest religion in the world, Nabiism. At present, the region is politically fractured, with all but one of the nations united under the Jacter Alliance, Dengi being the exception.

Shin-Ah
Now for the land to the farthest east, Shin-Ah. With a high mountain range on its western border, Shin-Ah is filled with forests, hills, and plains. Its climate is mostly tropical. Here there has been relative political stability under the Shin-Ah Empire, which is the main exporter of fruits, especially pineapples.

Barsa
North of Shin-Ah is a vast plain. Very little moves in the wide expanse that stretches from Shin-Ah to Ionia except the wild horses and raiding nomads. It was once the seat of a vast Khanate, but now its cities sit in ruins, destroyed by the mages, and lawlessness grips the land. There is little that one can grow, as much of the plain is arid, and winds blow most rain clouds away from the steppes.

Asiosia
Across the sea from Barsa is a mysterious continent. Thinly populated, not much about Asiosia is known by outsiders, other than the vastness of its empire. They are strange men, with strange language and strange magic. The climate across the continent varies from mild and rainy to arid snowscape, and the countless islands that surround it are just as diverse.