Elanas Gazetteer
The Elanas Gazetteer covers the second quarter of Hepekeria. In character, this region couldn't be more varied.
Let me list two names. Arlanto. Xerium.
If those names sound vaguely familiar to you, they should. Check out your copy of Harnmaster Gold: Shek-Pvar, and look up the list of Lythian Chantries. They're both there. A Lyahvi Chantry in Arlanto, Thonia, and the Savorya Chantry in Xerium, Hepekeria. There is also the Peleahn Chantry in Thubeliz, Falana, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
This module turns those names into places. And it also places them in opposition.
Arlanto and Xerium are two completely different nation-states. Arlanto is owned by the Herei, who pay tribute to the priest-king in Arlanto proper. It's in Thonia, not on Hepekeria - but it is on the regional map.
And so is Xerium, ruled by a king and a Synod of Wisdom, with graceful and elegant buildings.
These two nations have been divided by bitterly-opposing ideologies, and also by the strait between them, and the eponymous Elanas islands. The waters between Arlanto and Xerium are a veritable maritime meat grinder, and a pilot who can navigate these treacherous waters is a skilled seaman indeed.
And probably a pirate.
The Elanas Gazetteer carries on from the Menema Gazetteer, presenting the region of Hepekeria due south of the previous module. Once again, it brings this turbulent region to life, with tables, listings of natural features such as volcanoes, and of course the Kingdoms in the region - and there are more nations in this module which have not been mentioned, with their own completely different societies and ideologies.
There will be two more modules and associated regional maps for Hepekeria, and these will be well worth waiting for, because there are still more locations on that subcontinent yet to be revealed. Meanwhile, enjoy the Elanas Gazetteer and maps (both multi-layered and single-layer), and explore the troubled waters and troubled politics of this turbulent region.
I like that part of the world
I like that part of the world. My game just turned there.
A question: What exactly makes the Elanas so treacherous? Is it the strong current, shallow water, reefs, sandbanks - a combination of all these?
Navigating the Elanas
Strong tidal currents leading to whirlpools, mostly, by the looks of it, though potentially lots of hidden subsurface reefs.
The multilayer map has a layer showing where the Treacherous Waters are. The whole of the Arsjana Gulf, Gaiyan Gulf, and three sides of Djagra Island (NW, NE, SE) are affected; the Kajerid Islands are completely surrounded by the churning waters; and it looks like the worst part is where the Elanas Strait is narrowest, in grids K6 and K7, and the narrows in grids L6 and M6, and then up the coast to Randenae. You're pretty much over the worst of it by the time you get to Kuzma.