Oedland

This vast continent has been named Oedland by the settlers of the Kyrie Emprenacht, Nuestra by those from Avaria, Rechaa by the Serech Val Korta, Dowar by the Eswa - in short, it bears names from hundreds of peoples, both newcomer and native. It holds the histories of countless civilizations, whose signs can be found etched into the land: in eroded cities dwelling deep within the mountains; in ancient migratory paths that crisscross the continent; in the burial mounds dotting the southern coasts. Wherever you go, you can be sure that your steps disturb dusty memories, and less sure that those memories are yet dead. Wise are the ones that listen carefully to what the land has to say.   It is a place of awesome spectacle and intimate beauty. Towering sauropods trundle below the shadows of sky whales in the central and northwestern plains, both following the seasonal flow of water. Sequoia trees crowd the southern rainforests, while their counterparts the Sumaumeira, with trunks 40 feet in diameter and crowns that rise to 500 feet, stand proud in the northeast jungles, dotted by orchids larger than humans. Indigenous peoples make their homes amongst the flowing canyons of the northern foothills, the turbulent waterways of the southeast straits, or on the igneous slopes of the volcano Kuzorik. Would you explore these lands, encounter the multitudinous cultures, and perhaps unearth some long-bured history?   Or perhaps you will find yourself amongst the settlers of the Old World, newcomers to this land who are rapidly adapting to their new home. Some are fleeing their homelands, escaping war, poverty, or obligations. Some come looking for opportunity and see endless possibilities in this vast continent. Some see a land rich with resources ripe for the taking, if only they are clever enough (and fast enough). Tension arises from these clashing desires, and the rules of the game are constantly re-written. Would you navigate these currents, find a new path, and sail your vessel to victory?   Myths abound in this land. New ones are coming into being, as settlers expand further inland, their ways of life clashing, intermixing, and fusing with native cultures. Old ones still linger, stories of victory and loss that ask, "Can the mistakes of yesterday be overcome?" From this maelstrom of history, this swirl of mortal lives, some few may rise whose actions will be spoken of in song and story for years to come. You may be one of them. You may wish to be one of them. And if so, what course will you take?     Header art by Alexander Forssberg