ATLAS OF THE SEA OF DAWN

To the east of the Old World, where the sun rises every morning, lies the Sea of Dawn. It is a place rumoured to be mystical in nature by many tavern tales, and perhaps it is. Three exotic cultures can be found in this area, notably the Thothians, the Ochaleans, and the Pearl Islanders.

The rest of the nations, however, are either Thyatian or Alphatian in origin, and many bear the numerous scars of war between the two empires. For the Sea of Dawn is the border between the Old World and the Alphatian Sea, and it is where the two cultures clash, more often violently than not.

The Isle of Dawn, a continent-size island in the north of the Sea of Dawn, is a militaristic land where armies march constantly and battles take place almost daily. Such constant warfare has spread to the nearby Alatian Islands as well, and glory can easily be found by brilliant tacticians and expert mercenaries. The battles between the empires have died down since the signing of the Treaty of Dawn (or Isle of Dawn Treaty), yet it only takes a spark to start the war all over again.

Still, another threat seems to be looming over the area, and many of the nations are fearful of an attack by strange spiders found on the Thothian Plateau. The nature of these araneas is unknown, and whether there will be a war or not is also unclear. But if there is, the people of the Isle of Dawn will be used to it.

The southern islands, however, are peaceful in nature, and no trip is more relaxing that one to Ochalea or the Pearl Islands. It is from these nations that the Sea of Dawn receives a mystical description when talked about, for surely no one talks with pride about the constant wars on the Isle of Dawn.

The people of the Sea of Dawn are educated, and except for the Pearl Islanders, a majority can actually read and write. Both the Thyatian and Alphatian tongues are well known, and it is rare to find someone who cannot speak both languages.

The Sea of Dawn is officially the sea along the eastern coast of the Old World, ending upon reaching the continents of Bellissaria and Alphatia. Since the sinking of Alphatia, the former Eastern Sea of Dawn has now become part of the New Alphatian Sea. The Sea of Dawn ends northward when it reaches the coast of Norwold, and its southern end borders the Jungle Coast on Davania. West of the southern Sea of Dawn is the Sea of Dread, while to the east is the Bellissarian Sea.

Correspondents for the Sea of Dawn

This year we announce the participation of two new reporters for the Alphatian region, and three others for the Thyatian region, plus some you already know from last year. Early in the year it came to our attention that Allstrick, a son of Alphatia, was embarking upon visiting the lands of the NACE. Accompanying him is his longtime consort Thalia "Red Sheaf" Torres di Lopez of the Belcadiz.

Allstrick

For those not privy to the man that is Allstrick, he is a half-breed. Born to a Shiye mother and Alphatian father, Allstrick has lived a long life as an adventurer both inside and outside of the Alphatian Empire. He outlived the dangers and retired from the profession, ironically enough taking up residence in Glantri. During the war, Allstrick sent his son back to mainland Alphatia where he hoped he would be safe. He himself moved the rest of his household to a residence in Mirros to wait out the war.

With Alphatia's sinking Allstrick naturally assumed his son had perished. With the divulgence of Alphatia's survival in Hollow World, he began planning a venture to visit the NACE lands. Rumours persist that he wishes to reassert his prestige upon his countrymen to gain access to the Hollow World. We took advantage of this trip and approached Allstrick on reporting what he saw during his travels; he readily agreed and we look forward to his reports.

Demetius Vannopolus

A career officer in the Thyatian Army, General Vannopolus has been stationed on the Isle of Dawn off and on for over a decade, first fighting against the Alphatian invasion and later as military administrator in the central highlands of Dunadale. His interests go beyond the military, and he has a reputation for showing concern for the welfare of the common people of Dunadale. His insights into the land and people of Dunadale proved to be extremely helpful during this past year. For Thyatis, we are proud to have several close-to-power correspondents, including Stefania Torion herself!

Kalitoru Nuar

Kalitoru is a wandering priest of Asterius from the Pearl Islands, specifically the island of Nuar. He views the entire world as an interesting place to visit and desires to see the whole world before he dies. He views the study of different cultures as enlightening and the one true way to understand human nature. He also loves collecting items from each nation, and claims to have at least one of every coin of the entire known world.

Kalitoru shares his experiences on various nations of the Isle of Dawn with the readers. We unfortunately had to edit his sections on the cultures and people since he submitted enough to write an entire book on each of them. Hopefully we've managed to keep the important information.

Shaun the Elfin

Shaun of clan Grunalf is one of the most renowned artists and adventurers of the Old World. A well-travelled and knowledgeable elf, she has long retired from her adventuring career and now lives in Ierendi acting as kia'i (guardian) of the crown and member the Adventurers' Club. She is a formidable storyteller and has a deep passion for heroic tales. After hearing of our editorial pursue, she has volunteered to tell us what she knows about the most exotic lands she visited in her life.

Stefania Torion

The second child of Emperor Thincol, Stefania is known not only for her strong will but her keen intellect. She killed her first husband on their wedding night, and even ran away from home, causing much gossip in Thyatis City. During the Great War she fought alongside her husband Anaxibius Torion, a former Thyatian gladiator and general, and with him she rules as Countess of Redstone. She is currently working on a history of her father's life, but took time out of her writing to provide us with a description of Redstone and some of the surrounding communities, for which we are extremely grateful.

Thalia "Red Sheaf" Torres di Lopez

Accompanying Allstrick is Thalia "Red Sheaf" Torres di Lopez. Thalia is a half-breed from the Belcadiz Principality in Glantri. Allstrick and her had been adventuring companions for years; rumours persist she was a primary influence in his settling in Glantri before the Great War. She is not the mother of Allstrick's son, however the two have become romantically involved since his birth and his real mother's departure. So close are they that Thalia left Glantri to stay with Allstrick in Mirros.

Titia Solenius

It is with deepest regrets and apologies that we must inform our readers that we had to let Titia go. She will no longer be reporting for this almanac. As editor, I give my corespondents a lot of freedom in their reports. They are allowed to describe things as they see them, with their own opinions. I generally let this pass, even at times against my better judgment. However, the Mystaran Almanac draws the line at permitting our reporters to accept money from others in exchange for including information into the descriptions. We recently discovered that Titia Solenius had accepted gratuities from several interests within the NACE and from the Grand Duke of Westrourke in exchange for altering her reports to serve their interests. What troubles me most is that some of these insertions were not even accurate. The Mystaran Almanac strives for accuracy, if not always objectivity.

Furthermore, the only opinions we find acceptable are those of the reporters themselves clearly named so you can see what their biases may be. We do not permit unnamed persons to insert their propaganda into the almanac secretly by bribing our correspondents. We apologize to our readers for this episode, and promise that we will heighten our awareness of this type of corruption so that it does not happen again.

Because we only recently learned of this, we have had to scramble to find suitable replacements.

Vivianna Romanones

An advisor and supporter of Eusebius, Lady Romanones is one of the empire's special envoys. Her duties demand a considerable amount of travel throughout the region under Thyatian influence, and she has been kind enough to provide us with some unclassified reports of these areas. A strikingly beautiful but headstrong woman, Lady Romanones is a skilled negotiator known for her dedication to Thyatis and its interests. She is a strong proponent of reform in Thyatis, and of doing the right thing. Some of her detractors claim she is willing to use any means to achieve what she believes is right, but we can only say she deserves praise for the insightful reports she has graciously sent us. We know our readers will find her unique insight into the Thyatian mindset interesting.

Atlas

> AEGOS (Province of)
> AERIA (Kingdom of)
> DUNADALE (Duchy of)
> EAST PORTAGE (City-state of)
> EKTO (City-State of)
> FURMENGLAIVE (Province of)
> GAITY (Baronies of)
> HELSKIR (Kingdom of)
> KENDACH (County of)
> MERIDIONA (Provincia)
> NE'ER-DO-WELL (Kingdom of)
> OCHALEA (Kingdom of)
> PEARL ISLANDS (Kingdom of the)
> REDSTONE (County of)
> SEPTENTRIONA (Province of)
> THOTHIA (Kingdom of)
> TRIKELIOS (City-State of)
> WEST PORTAGE (Barony of)
> WESTROURKE (Grand Duchy of)