Aervi

From Stormravengaming

Aervi is a game world invented by Stormraven for use in his campaign, the Pathway of Myrlem. It is a world of High Fantasy, and many of the world's elements are borrowed directly from the Dungeons & Dragons core rulebooks. Aervi was also used in GrecoRoman's campaign, the Battle at the Galenvale Dells.

Neither Stormraven nor GrecoRoman ever named the world in their campaigns, but after both were concluded, Stormraven solicited for suggestions for a world name, and GrecoRoman proposed "Aervi."

Geology

Aervi is an earth-like world in most respects. However, it is much more seismically active than earth. Earthquakes and volcanos are commonplace events in most regions, and cataclysmic disasters have occurred within the span of recorded history, dramatically reshaping not only local landforms but also entire continents. For example, the ocean is known to have once covered Danloc and all the plains and foothills under the Whitefang Mountains, as evidenced by the ruins of a port city discovered high in the mountains near the headwaters of the Danloc River.

Shatterhold (see below) is more stable than much of the rest of the world. Other regions are far more dangerous or even impossible to inhabit, being racked with geological disasters with much greater frequency.

Geography

Aervi
Map of Aervi
Creator	Stormraven

Only a small portion of Aervi has been mapped, a region of about 400,000 square miles (roughly comparable to the area of California). Within this area is a large variety of land and water forms, including mountains, plains, forests, deserts, swamps, rivers, lakes and oceans. (See map at right.)

The most prominent geographical feature is the pair of mountain chains that join in the north, forming an inverted V. The western mountain chain, the Whitefang Mountains, dies out near Falhaven Forest and the ocean shore. The eastern mountain chain, the Karokus Mountains, reaches further south and drops away in the Barrens. Considering that the mountains continue to the north for untold miles, the Whitefangs might be considered just a spur of the greater Karokus range. Between these mountains is a lush valley populated with coniferous and deciduous woods and fertile plains.

The greatest desert in the mapped region is the Barrens, in the southeast. This desert is expanding. At one time, the highway from Kingsport passed through this area. Now it simply dies in the wasteland.

To the west of the Whitefang Mountains lies a lonely, fearsome mountain: the Grimspire. It is a towering peak surrounded by miles of low, rocky wasteland where, despite the otherwise favorable climate, nothing will grow.

See also: Category:Regions in Aervi

Nations and Cultures

The largest nation in the mapped portion of Aervi is Shatterhold, which claims most of the area from the Karokus Mountains to the Sea, north of the Barrens and south of the Grimspire. The capital city of this nation is Kingsport, where the High King resides. In truth, however, the High King exercises little control any distance from the major cities and highways, and there are many smaller nations and kingdoms that lie within the claimed territory and suffer nothing for their temerity. Many folk in distant or wild areas of Shatterhold's lands may know nothing of the kingdom.

See also: Category:Nations in Aervi

Population Centers

See also: Category:Cities in Aervi

Cosmology

Aervi is a Material Plane, possibly one of many, at the heart of the Great Wheel of planes (as described in Dungeon Master's Guide, p151+). Just as the Plane of Shadow coexists with Aervi, so too does its counterpart, the Plane of Radiance. The Plane of Shadow is associated with (but distinct from) the Negative Energy Plane, and the Plane of Radiance is associated with (but distinct from) the Positive Energy Plane.

Mythology

Aervi was once worshipped as a deity, and this is still the case in many parts of the world where seismic events are more fearsome and more feared. Like the rumbling land, Aervi is considered to be growling and shuddering with barely controlled rage. However, Aervi seldom takes without also giving, for volcanos and earthquakes leave in their wake a wealth of minerals and rich soil.