The Flanaess
The Flanaess.
The northeast corner of Oerik, named the Flanaess after its indigenous Flannae people, is the most detailed and familiar region of Oerth. This area spans some three thousand miles from east to west—about 6.5 million square miles of land in total. It excludes areas like the Amedio Jungle, Hepmonaland, and the Sea of Dust but remains central to the lore and campaigns of the realm.
The Flanaess is exceptionally blessed in regard to its weather. Outside of the northern latitudes, the winter temperatures seldom fall below freezing, except during the two winter months, and at night during early spring and late autumn. In the depths of winter come a few days when the temperature reaches the freezing point, then gradual warming begins. The northeast and north-central regions tend to be considerably colder, for the seas of those regions cause winter to linger about twice as long as it does in the heartland of the Flanaess. An important exception to this is the Dramidj Ocean, whose strange, warm currents moderate the climate of the lands that border it.
Autumn, winter, and spring are rather short seasons, but summer in the central Flanaess lasts five or more months. Prevailing winds are from the northeast in the winter and autumn, and the east and southeast at other times. Most areas of the Flanaess have sufficient rainfall to assure abundant crops.
A Catalogue of the Land Flanaess
A detailed overview of the last thousand years of Flanaess history is beyond the scope of this overview. Some discussion is necessary, however, to understand the world at large. The commonly understood history of the Flanaess begins just over one thousand years ago, when the great conflict between the ancient Suloise and Baklunish empires forced massive migrations eastward across, around, and even under the western mountain ranges. This resulted in the mixture of races and cultures that defines the modern Flanaess.
Crowded with nations and groups of every stamp, and threaded through with roads and waterways, the Flanaess is an object of supreme interest to its inhabitants, who see it as the center of enlightened humanity. It offers immense variety, and, while there is some interest in what lies beyond its borders, most adventuresome types find ample opportunities for exploration within its many lands.
The Flanaess can be divided into nine broadly defined geopolitical territories, most of which coincide with old national identities that once dominated those regions. The exception here is the southern region of isolated lands, some of which are not part of the Flanaess proper (for example, Hepmonaland).
It must be stated that the material above cannot be considered wholly complete or accurate. Rumors, legends, and third-hand accounts are often all the knowledge that even the Circle of Eight has to work with regarding some realms, as a result of the extreme hostility of those areas. Even direct information is often fragmentary and based on the words of untrustworthy spies, smugglers, diviners, and adventurers.
In short, the traveler must beware of anything said about the rest of the world. If you cannot predict what waits for you in an alley a block from where you sit, you will know even less about a land that is many days’ journey away.