Drowning Atlas

This is a draft

World Beyond

Andsvarr and Thulestaad

The "old kingdoms". Empire's ruling families trace their bloodlines to the old noble families of those lands, whose armies conquered Andsland and Noewyddland centuries ago.

Old Sea

A scattering of numerous small islands and island chains, conquered and/or settled by Andsvarr and Thulestaad armies on their way to Morejgaard Isles.

Noewyddland

A large kingdom in the northern part of Morejgaard Isles. Empire's heartland. Capital city of the kingdom, Gammelset, was also the then forming Empire's capital until 1376.

Andsland

A large kingdom in the southern part of Morejgaard Isles. Empire's heartland. Crownwall, the largest city in the kingdom(and possibly in the known world) is the current capital of the Empire.

Kehding

A kingdom on the continent, to the east from Morejgaard Isles, across the Narrow Sea. Conquered in 1491-1499, and split into nineteen counties.

Hispera

A kingdom on the continent, south of Kehding. Most sources agree that the "old empire", that covered most of the known lands(and possibly more), originated here. Conquered in 1563-1570 and split into twenty two counties.

Moorland

A relatively small kingdom on the continent, south-east of Thulestaad. Joined willingly in 1522. Internally split into twelve counties.

Thousand Cities

The collective name for the entire rest of the known continent, filled with city-states, small kingdoms, guild lands, remnant states of the old empire and the like.

Oar's Rest

A major harbor town in the Thousand Cities, close to the south-eastern border of Hispera. Resisted peaceful annexation until 1762.

Languages

• Andstale - archaic form of Gildentale, used to be spoken in Andsvarr, Thulestaad and the Old Sea
• Gildentale("Crownspeak", Common) - the official language of the Empire
• Morejivre - a group of closely related languages that were spoken by the peoples of Morejgaard Isles prior to the conquest by the northerners. Largely assimilated into Gildentale, only the most backwater communities in the heartlands still use a relatively preserved form.
• Kehdingish - language of the land of Kehding, still spoken there
• Hisperante - language of the land of Hispera, still spoken there
• Austere - language of the old empire, though shares similarities with modern Hisperian. Frequently used in scientific and arcane literature.
• New Austere("Wheelword") - a somewhat modernized form of Austere, used by the clerics of the Waywheel in church documentation and rituals.
• Drenthewod - language of the Moorland, still spoken there. Shares many similarities with Andstale
• Naidhil'taal - language of the Stonebridge drow.
• Portcant - a forming pidgin of Gildentale and Naidhil'taal.
• Mae'ense'taal - language of the Mae'ense tribe.
• Aalmal'taal - theorized common language of Igor'tpka natives, which evidently splintered into many sub-languages over an extended period of time.
• Voice of the Mountain - a cryptic(and mostly silent) language of the goliaths.

Learning a language

Learning a new language is an extended ability(Intelligence) test. Learning a language during play differs from dedicating oneself to study during downtime. A character must accumulate 30 successes to learn a language. A character has advantage on ability test rolls if they already know a similar or parent language. A character must have access to a trainer who already knows the language, proper instructive literature or otherwise actively interact with native speakers. Consult the table below for details:

• During play

Test is made: at the end of each week
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1                 - no progress is made, a character makes the next roll with disadvantage
2-11              - no progress is made
12-18             - a success
19-20             - counts as two successes

• During downtime

Test is made: at the end of each day spent actively studying
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1-8               - no progress is made
9-16              - a success
17-20             - counts as two successes 

• Having access to written sources(history, folklore, fanciful reading etc.), attending theater plays and musical performances(which involve singing) written in the desired language or swapping tales with native speakers gives a character a +2 bonus on their next roll.

Gaining access to a trainer is subject to roleplay, but on average one can expect to find a tutor at the cost of 5 gp per lesson. As a downtime activity, studying a language does not include lifestyle costs.