The Central Continent
| The Central Continent | |
|---|---|
| Basic Information | |
| Type | Continent |
| Nation | Tilrestan · Krossen · Tragon · Yalta |
| Geography | |
| Area | 9,800,000 km² |
| Notable
| |
Overview
The Central Continent is the largest landmass in the known world and the primary stage of human civilisation. It is home to the three great powers — Tilrestan, Krossen, and Tragon — and to the ruins of the Yalta Empire, the unified human nation that once stood at its heart. More than any other region of Mirtess, the Central Continent has shaped the political, cultural, and historical character of the present age.
Geography
The Central Continent spans approximately 9,800,000 km², making it the largest landmass in the known world.
Mountain Ranges
The continent's terrain is defined above all else by two great mountain ranges. The Hammalaya runs east to west across the northern reaches of the continent, while the Hammeval extends southward from it, running north to south along the continent's eastern side. The two ranges form a single connected mountain system, though each is known by its own name.
The Hammalaya is a vast wall of stone that seals off the northern continent. The highest peaks in the known world are concentrated here, foremost among them the three great summits known as the Three Brothers. The range and its surroundings are regarded as the domain of the regional deity Vermilion, and the area remains an unclaimed wilderness beyond the borders of Krossen. The Hammalaya is also the primary cause of the cold climate that prevails across Krossen's northern territories.
The Hammeval extends from the Hammalaya southward, dividing the eastern edge of the continent from its interior. It forms the western border of Tragon and continues to the southern tip of Tilrestan. The Hammeval is more than a geographical boundary — it is a climatic one. To its west lies an expanse of desert; to its eastern foothills, the mountain range shelters a pocket of entirely different climate, giving rise to fertile land where the desert cannot reach.
Desert
Approximately seventy percent of Tilrestan's territory is desert. Stretching across the western and central reaches of the nation, this vast arid expanse defines the character of the land and is the primary reason for the warm climate that prevails across the southern continent.
Fertile Highlands
Along the eastern foothills of the Hammeval's southern end, in the southeastern corner of Tilrestan, lies a belt of fertile highland. Sheltered from the desert climate by the mountain range to its west, this region accounts for the great majority of Tilrestan's agricultural output. In a nation where desert dominates the landscape, the strategic value of this highland is difficult to overstate.
Plains
Broad plains stretch across the continent's interior and along the border between Krossen and Tilrestan. The border plains were ceded by Krossen to Tilrestan under the terms of the Three-Power Summit — a concession that displaced the communities living there and left a legacy of resentment that has never fully faded. The plains surrounding the Yalta Ruins retain remnants of imperial infrastructure, but the devastation of the Mana Cataclysm has reduced most of the area to wasteland.
Forest
Dense forest covers much of the western reaches of Krossen, particularly the domain of Caelmoor. Detailed geography of the forested regions will be charted in conjunction with future mapping work.
The Yalta Ruins
At the heart of the continent lie the Yalta Ruins — the former seat of the Yalta Empire, now a vast uninhabited expanse. The Empire's ancient walls, originally raised to fortify the imperial capital rather than to mark a national border, still stand and form the boundary of the ruins today. A zone of approximately 3 km radius around the original blast site remains permanently uninhabitable due to ongoing mana disturbance.
Climate
All four seasons occur across the continent, though conditions vary sharply by region. In Krossen, the southwest is temperate while the north grows progressively colder — a consequence of the Hammalaya blocking the northern air currents. Tilrestan is dominated by its desert interior and is warm and arid across most of its territory, a condition that gives the southern continent its generally mild climate.
History
Age of Mystery
Long before human records began, the Central Continent was the domain of the ancient gods. In the age that followed the Primordial War, humanity petitioned the ancient gods for the right to settle, and was granted dominion over the central plains. From that foundation, the first human civilisation on the continent took root.
The Yalta Empire
The Yalta Empire, founded in IY 1, was the first unified human nation on the Central Continent and the dominant force in its history for over seven centuries. The Empire was governed through a symbolic imperial bloodline, a feudal order of regional lords, and a meritocratic system of appointment open to all regardless of birth — a framework that would later serve as the template for each of the three successor states. Its calendar, Imperial Yalta, became the standard of reckoning across the known world.
The Empire's end came in IY 722, when the Mana Cataclysm — a catastrophic event centred on the Mana Monolith at the heart of the imperial capital — destroyed the city and its surrounding region. The imperial bloodline perished. The age of the Yalta Empire was over.
The Age of Fragmentation
In the decades that followed, the continent fell into prolonged upheaval. The ancient gods, responding to circumstances of unusual gravity, granted new territories with uncommon swiftness. New powers emerged from the Empire's scattered peoples and the factions that had long lived at its margins. Three of these grew into nations of lasting consequence — Tilrestan in the south, Tragon in the east, and Krossen in the west, born from the constitutional union of six distinct peoples.
The Three-Power Summit
The representatives of the three powers first convened for the Central Continent Three-Power Summit over ten days in the final days of Imperial Yalta, hosted in a city of Tragon, reaching a series of foundational agreements: a mutual non-aggression treaty, the adoption of Anno Yalta as the common calendar, a framework for the collective governance of the Yalta ruins, and the settlement of outstanding border disputes. A second summit, held in Tilrestan in AY 10, addressed matters of longer-term governance, and a third, held in Krossen in AY 20, brought the original three-power framework to its conclusion — each host rotating among the three powers in turn. In the years that followed, the summit's role was carried forward by the Mirtess Summit, which opened participation to nations across the known world. The order first established at that inaugural gathering remains the foundation of continental politics to this day.
Nations
Tilrestan occupies the southern reaches of the continent. The oldest of the three powers, it regards itself as the legitimate heir to the Yalta Empire.
Krossen occupies the western, northwestern, and northern reaches. A constitutional federal monarchy of six constituent domains, it is home to the largest internal market in the known world.
Tragon occupies the eastern coastal strip, sheltered behind the Hammeval mountain range. Its founding is rooted in a covenant with the ancient sea god, and its territory runs long and narrow along the eastern coastline.
Yalta occupies the former heartland of the continent. Designated under the Three-Power Summit as sovereign territory belonging to no nation, the region is administered collectively by the three powers. Entry is unrestricted; exit is subject to stringent inspection.