Greater Sembara

• A region in Taelgar

Greater Sembara is an ancient land blessed with mild weather, ample rain, and rich fertile soil. Largely unchanged by the upheavals of the Great War, farmers plant winter wheat and summer millet and soybeans largely as they have for thousands of years. The rolling hills and fertile river valleys are dotted with small cities and prosperous market towns, and halflings traders ply the roads and waterways. This is a land defined by its rivers: the Kem, Volta, Teft, Semb, Wisford, and Enst in particular.

Map

Topography and Major Features

See more: Mostreve Hills, Western Gulf, Wistel, Enst, Volta, Semb, Kem, Zimkova Highlands, ~North Vostok Mountains~, ~Vostok Plateau~

Five major river systems, fed by the summer rains, and melting snowpack and glaciers from the mountains, define the region:
* in the northeast, the Kem and Niva rivers spill down from the ~North Vostok Mountains~ and the ~Vostok Plateau~ to the Green Sea
* further west, the mighty Volta, wide and cold, flows past Tollen into the ~Gulf of Tollen~
* south of the Volta the swift flowing Teft, the placid Semb and the mighty Wistel flow past fertile farmland
* and finally in the south, the Enst defines the borders of the rich farmlands, as it flows from the Sentinels and the Mostreve Hills to merge with Wistel before the great marshy delta of the Ozabal Swamp.

The rise and fall of the land further defines the region:
* in the west, the towering Sentinel Range rises thousands of feet into the air. Few travelers cross these high peaks, save on the guarded underground roads of the dwarves.
* east of the mountains lies the Zimkova Highlands, a rough land that slowly descends to a line of hills in western and northern Sembara: the Aveil Ridge, the Aine Hills, the Braebein, and the ~Volta Hills~, and which rises in the east to form the ~North Vostok Mountains~
* east of the ~North Vostok Mountains~, the high ~Vostok Plateau~ is dry and cold and is home to the high altitude ~Lake Vostok~
* east of the ~Vostok Plateau~, the Svinjo Mountains form a rarely passed boundary with the forests to the north and east
* south of the Svinjo Mountains, the ~Coastal Vostok Hills~ are rugged and isolated from the rest of Vostok
* along the Green Sea coast, the ~South Vostok Hills~ stretch north towards the ~Volta Hills~ to form a hilly and difficult terrain to the east of Tollen, separating the forests of Vostok from the rest of the region
* in the far south, beyond the Western Gulf, lie the Mostreve Hills, a hilly and forested land that separates the region from the dangerous Plaguelands to the south

Between these high points are three distinct lowland regions:
* the fertile riverlands of Sembara lie between the Mostreve Hills in the south, the Zimkova Highlands in the west, and the Volta in the north
* the plains and scrublands of Maseau lie north of the Maseau Gap, between the Sentinels to the west, the Maseau Gap to the south, and the Mostreve Hills to the east
* the coastal plains where the Kem spills into the Green Sea, and which gradually rise through forests and steppe to the Zimkova Highlands, the ~North Vostok Mountains~, and the ~Vostok Plateau~

Finally, the relatively sheltered and calm Western Gulf, separated from the wider Green Sea by the narrow Straits of Cymea is crowded with Tollish traders and Sembaran fisherfolk, and halflings from far and wide.

Civilizations and Cultures

See more: Sembara, Tyrwingha, Addermarch, Tollen, Vostok, Zimkova, Duchy of Maseau

This is a heavily peopled land. In the north, amongst the foothills of the Sentinels, the Zimka people live a traditional life in the highlands of Zimkova, and have formed two realms: Breva and Ardlas. South and east of the Zimkovan realms is Sembara, a rich and powerful monarchy with a long history. Sembara is bordered to its south by the ancient fey-protected realm of Tyrwingha, as well as the independent earldom of Addermarch and the Duchy of Maseau, once under the suzeranity of Sembara, but now an independent land populated by refugees from the Isingue and the Plaguelands. To the east is the famous Free City of Tollen and past Tollen, the lightly populated coasts and forests of Vostok.

There are two large and ancient lizardfolk settlements: Ozabal, in the delta of the Wistel, and Latazaro, on the eastern borders of Tyrwingha. Beyond these settlements, lizardfolk are common along the river valleys. There are three major dwarven realms on the western borders, and dwarves are common in the human cities of Sembara, although there are no large, independent dwarven realms within Greater Sembara. Halflings are commonly seen plying their trade along the roads and rivers of the region, as well sailing across the Western Gulf and into the wider Green Sea. Although stoneborn are never common, they too are seen in the cities of Greater Sembara, although, like dwarves, there are no large stoneborn communities within the region.

Climate

In general, the region’s climate is temperate, with four distinct seasons, dry winters, and wet summers. During the summer months, a monsoon wind blows from the Green Sea, bringing ample rainfall. In winter, high pressure builds over the northern steppe, and the west winds that blow over the mountains are dry and cold. 

The climate of the region is shaped by several major factors:

• In the summer, warm winds blow from the Green Sea, bringing heavy rain and muggy air
• In the winter, a high pressure system develops over the northern plateau, and the winds come from the west over the Sentinel Range. This is a cold and dry season.
• The Green Sea, in the east, provides a moderating influence, especially on the coastal plains.

Major Historical Eras

See more: Humanity in Greater Sembara and Timeline of Sembaran History

When humans first came to this region it was already a thriving land, with the ancient elven forest of Alcarinque to the south, and the ~Ancient Lizardfolk Swamp~ filling what would become the Enst and Wistel river valleys. Halflings sailed the Green Sea to the east, and dwarves delved deep in Sentinels to the west. In the years before the Downfall to cultures of humans met and mixed: the ~Northerner~, traveling east from the high passes over the Sentinels, and the ~Mariners~, sailing west from the far reaches of the Green Sea. From this melting pot, two distinct cultures emerged: the Zimka, clinging to tradition in the north and the Tollish culture, growing around the city of Tollen and the Sembaran coast.