Ornassus

The "continent" of Ornassus lay to the south across the clear blue Lazurias from Talingarde, and is perhaps the closest of all the other lands of Uskara to our story, though Algoboa is not much farther. More a collection of many archipelagos and larger islands, Ornassus is even more geographically isolated from the world than Talingarde, having no natural neighbors and surrounded by wide ranges of ocean on all side. This kept them isolated from the conflicts of the Second and Third Worlds, but during the Fourth World they were overwhelmed by the Flood of Demons, and were where the Stellar Rosades first landed and began to turn the tide back. During the Fifth World, Ornassus became the center of the world as the city-state of Herapetra founded an empire of trade and colonialism called the Thalassocracy, and every continent has been at one point colonized by the Ornassi. Their time has long ended, however, eclipsed by the Commonwealth that is built very much on what they left behind.

Geography

The largest island of Ornassus is called Palladia, and is the heartland of the Commonwealth, where the elves first landed after their return from the Great Sojourn. It is a semi-tropical land which like the rest of Ornassus has a Mediterranean climate and a high level of volcanism, but is also one of the most densely populated places on Uskara. Two other major island chains include the Massene, which forms a kind of barrier between Ornassis and the typhoons of the Verdurias, constantly expanding with new islands as volcanoes break the surface of the sea. On the opposite end of the spectrum, reaching out towards the Nacurias is Tetrathia, shrouded perpetually in fog and clouds and noteworthy for the many Sky Citadels left behind by the giants, now utilized by the Commonwealth. The isolated and tranquil island of Aitne is closest to Talingarde and is a pilgrimage destination due to its role as the refuge of St. Idrian after he escaped enslavement within the Grand Old Dominion. The mysterious isle of Hyklos, well known for its extensive caverns and connection to Chur was the capital of a Fourth World empire and has many ruins rich in treasure, and is the basis of many corsair fleets and pirate havens.