Mearth | The Hellgrün Sea

The clear emerald waves of the Hellgrün Sea lap upon the shores of the great archipelago, Kerrin. These islands of paradise stretch thousands of miles with straits, rivers, and channels snaking their way between them weaving a complex network of water ways. The different cays, atolls, and aits make for a breeding ground of pirate activity, a constant threat to the outskirts of the human-ruled Tükhafen empire. The isles both free and conquered by the Tükhafen are home to a great myriad of different races and cultures. Not all the land under the empire's control is human, a large portion of the inner kingdoms contain dwarven strongholds, elven enclaves, hills of gnomes, and grasslands of halflings. The thick and dense jungles, also team with life, containing many communities of tabaxi, kenku, rianden, and other native exotic peoples. Since the dawn of the Age of Exploration, adventurers have begun to travel to islands whose sands have never been tread, and waters teaming with life that have never been navigated. The intricate and expansive network of waterways cannot all be patrolled by the empire and thus are often filled with ne'er-do-well and marauders. The shores within the Hellgrün sea are also filled with their own hazards and perils such as cannibalistic natives and pirate hideouts. Though ancient creatures like krakens and dragons have also been rumored to dwell within or around islands. Derelict towers, ancient ruins, and the deep cavernous dungeons beneath them reveal elements of the forgotten history of Kerrin. These ancient structures contain within them treasures of both the living and the dead awaiting discovery by brave adventurers.   Kerrin is filled with dark mysteries and fantastical myths. Bards of the empire sing stories of brave larger-than-life heroes exploring the unknown and defeating epic monsters. Pirate captains often gather in taverns and recount their tales of raids, conquest, and treasure. Natives often whisper the histories of their people and the ancient horrors and terrifying creatures that inhabit these lands in their legends. All of these stories do well to inspire adventurers and explorers to seek out fame, and the Reach relies on this to fuel its small economies. While the areas closer to the empire rely heavily on fishing and farming and trading their surplus with the core of the empire. In exchange the core islands of the empire trade in well-crafted goods of their artisans and recruiting and outfitting new adventurers to be sent to the Reach. Natives in conquered areas have assimilated to the empire and work often as artisans and fishers, though some of the well-traveled natives are highly sought after by the empire as navigators on board their vessels. Of course the pirates also make their living off the hard work and misfortune of others, and often try to recruit natives that resent the empire into their ranks.   While the Reach is the stomping grounds of adventurers and much of the area works to support them, there are those who resent adventurers and their feelings of self-importance. Adventurers in the core of the empire are often those either looking to explore and expand their view of the world, or those that simply couldn’t find their place in imperial life. Because of this the core civilians of the empire adventurers are supported when they can prove themselves as useful but often treated as misguided dreamers and people with dangerous ideals. Adventuring is a bit more natural to native races, and it is not uncommon to see young kenku or rianden adventuring in uncharted waters.   The common imperial folk of Kerrin are continent with their little slice of life and do not concern themselves with learning about the world beyond their small neighborhood of islands. Natives on the other hand have better knowledge of the general area, and what they may not know from first hand knowledge, they could know through second hand information like fables, legends, or gossip. Imperial navigators and scholars make it their life's goal to learn as much about the archipelago as they can, and often buy and trade knowledge with the adventuring guilds to that end.   Due to the Age of Conquest, the Empire is a large multi-cultural entity. It is not uncommon to find a myriad of races in larger metropolitan cities and towns, though they still seem to live and congregate with those that look like them. Seeing any person as someone with information that could further their exploration, adventurers are usually more tolerant and accepting of wayward creatures and folks seeking redemption that come from the Reach and beyond.