📜 The Isles of Thalen 📜
Far Western Islands ~ the Archipelago of Many Crowns
The western coast of Velgard rises in high cliffs and hidden coves, where the
Thalen Sea roars without end. Beyond lies the mist-shrouded archipelago of the
Five Isles of Thalen, scattered lands ruled by sea-kings and monasteries. Traders, pirates, smugglers, and chroniclers sail from its harbors, bearing salt, spices, and secrets, while fisher-monks, privateers, and exiled nobles make their homes among the rocks. Salt, fish, and amber from Thalen are exchanged for wine, grain, and glass from
Val Rheonnen’s southern coast. The western sea road connects the kingdoms faster than any land route… but pirates and storms make it a gamble.
The Five Isles
~ each with a brief description to integrate them into Vanumauri’s world:
Avarnia ~
The Trading Heart of the Archipelago
Avarnia rises from the
Thalen Sea with steep cliffs, sheltered coves, and fertile lowlands that support bustling ports and towns. The island itself is a maze of winding streets, merchant quarters, and hidden alleys where trade, intrigue, and occasional lawlessness intermingle. Its winds carry the scents of salted fish, exotic spices, and timber from distant lands. Though wealth flows freely, so too does danger: storms, rival crews, and cutthroat traders make every day a gamble. Avarnia is the beating heart of commerce in the archipelago, where fortunes are made, deals whispered, and the pulse of Vanumauri’s western trade is most clearly felt.
Avarn ~ The Merchant Port -:-- The busiest harbor of the archipelago, a melting pot of traders, smugglers, and sea-faring adventurers. Velgard’s main harbor in the far east; an uneasy home to the royal fleet, shipwrights, and smugglers alike. Famous for its labyrinthine docks and bustling markets.
Lirandel ~ The Mist-shrouded Isle
A fog-bound isle of dense pine forests and hidden coves, often avoided by sailors for fear of rocks and pirates.
Legends claim spirits of the old gods linger in its glens.
Kethar ~ The Monastic Isle
A monastic isle turned corsair haven, ruled by the self-styled
Abbot of Knives. Once a holy retreat of scholar-monks, now partially a haven for exiled nobles and secretive scholars. Known for its cliffside abbeys and hidden libraries.
Thyros ~ The Corsair Haven
A rugged island with natural harbors, home to privateers, rogue captains, and clandestine shipwrights.
Known for daring raids and secret pacts with mainland lords.
Eryndor ~ The Lantern of a Drowned Abbey -:- Site of an ancient abbey partially submerged by tides and storms; now a vast lighthouse built atop a drowned abbey, marking the straits between Velgard and Val Rheonnen, marks its peak. Rumored to be haunted, its lantern warns ships and conceals pirate coves.
Isle of Bastards ~ The Rogue Haven
A jagged, windswept isle where exiles, outlaws, and lost souls make their homes among craggy cliffs and hidden coves. Law is dictated not by crown or canon, but by cunning, strength, and allegiance to one’s own crew. Smugglers, mercenaries, and adventurers find refuge here, while legends whisper of secret coves where treasure, betrayal, and old grudges are traded as easily as fish or salt. Though feared and maligned by outsiders, the isle’s inhabitants thrive in their own brutal order, carving a home where the rest of Vanumauri’s laws do not reach.
