Othard
“Othard, also known as the Far East, is the easternmost and smallest of Hydaelyn's Three Great Continents. It is presently part of the Garlean Empire, which is seated on the middle content of Ilsabard.
— In-game description
Othard is a landmass in Hydaelyn.
One of the Three Great Continents, Othard is longitudinally situated farther south than Ilsabard. The towering spires which line the region's northern border are covered in snow year-round, and the land beyond them is permanently frozen. From these mountain waters form the One River, the longest and widest watercourse in all of the three continents. The river passes through the great grasslands in which the Auri Xaela clans live before winding through Yanxia—a fertile land that, until the recent invasion by the Garlean Empire, was controlled by the nation of Doma.[1]
Regions
Othard
- Main article: Othard (region)
Hingashi
- Main article: Hingashi
Lore
Far Eastern Geography
In the strictest sense of the definition, the “Far East” encompasses the continent of Othard and its surrounding islands. For a more complete picture of the region’s geography, however, one should not neglect the study of Thavnair, and the lands of the Near East.
Greylic's Bend
Greylic's Bend is situated on the southernmost edge of Othard, and is known for its extraordinarily jagged shoreline. Large ships with deep draws routinely give the area a wide berth to avoid the many reefs that pepper its coastal waters.
Dalmasca
A land dominated by the arid expanse of the Dalmasca Desert. In contrast to the unrelenting lifelessness of the Burn just north of the Skatay Range, the harshness of this region is softened by the presence of numerous oases. These pockets of plenty allow overland caravans to rest and resupply on their way from northern to eastern provinces, bringing wealth and trade to Dalmascan settlements. The Royal City of Rabanastre—the Desert Sapphire—was once the most prominent example of such prosperity.
Skatay Range
This range of precipitous mountains begins in the east of Othard, and extends west into Ilsabard. Had this natural barrier not shielded the region of Dalmasca from the barren wastes of the Burn to the north, the latter’s devastation may have spread even further southward.
The Burn
This land of ashen death is the result of rituals performed in the ancient past—a prolonged succession of primal summonings that leeched the area of all vitality. Its waterways were drained and corrupted beyond recovery, leaving the green foliage of plant life all but a distant memory. Owing its name to the seared appearance of the endlessly stark landscape, the Burn’s inhabitants are restricted to those creatures hardy enough to endure the impossibly dry conditions.
Nagxia
Found to the east on Othard’s eastern coast, the land of Nagxia is known for the heat and humidity of its subtropical climate. Coastal winds pick up moisture heated over the Glass Ocean, and collide with the eastern reaches of the Skatay Range. This forms billowing clouds, which then lash the ground below with an almost constant deluge of rain. The region’s dense jungle and swampy ground make for poor farming—a fact which has likely contributed to Nagxia’s failure to produce an historically significant nation.
Yanxia
Yanxia is situated in the center of Othard’s eastern reaches, its lands made fertile by the waters of the One River. The region has long been hailed as Othard’s granary, and even now the pillar-like rock formations which dominate the landscape are threaded through with cultivated fields. As well as sustaining the largest population on the continent for centuries, this bountiful territory has also been the catalyst of innumerable bloody battles fought over its control.
The Fanged Crescent
The Fanged Crescent is the area of Yanxia found on the west bank of the One River. If one imagines the mountain range coiled around Othard as a great serpent, then its head would hold this territory in its distended jaws.
The Bay Of Yanxia
This enormous bay is bounded by Yanxia to the south, the Azim Steppe to the west, and Ryakgyr Peninsula to the east.
The Azim Steppe
The Azim Steppe is the ancestral home of the Au Ra. This region of chill winds and savage beasts shares a name with the Dawn Father—the patriarchal deity who features prominently in the Auri myth of creation.
The Nhaama
Stretching south of the Azim Steppe, this desert region is named after the Dusk Mother—a goddess who plays a principal role in the creation myth of the Au Ra. Bleak and inhospitable, the Nhaama is nonetheless home to several tribes of Xaela whose people have successfully adapted their ways to survive the harsh environment.
The Tail Mountains
Originating in the north of the Azim Steppe and sprawling away to the west, the Tail Mountains comprise the hind end of Othard’s winding, serpent of stone peaks. Their heights also serve as the source of the One River—multiple streams flow down their slopes to gather in the grasslands, and emerge as a single, mighty current to split the land of Yanxia in twain.
Ryakgyr Peninsula
This great hook of land protrudes from the northeastern corner of Othard, and boasts temperatures so cold that ice floes from the Blindfrost reach its northern shores intact. The peninsula is sparsely populated, with small clans of hunters being the only known inhabitants.
The Arras
On the northern edge of Ryakgyr Peninsula, the Arras is an unbroken line of sheer cliffs. Efforts to construct a major port in the area have been discouraged by the ocean’s seasonal freezing, as well as the presence of megaptera—sea monsters said to dwarf even the largest gyuki.
Blindfrost
The sea that greets Othard’s northern shoreline. Perpetually choked with drifting ice floes and hammered by violent storms, the Blindfrost has no known safe route for trade or travel.
The Dalvalan Grath
In the northwestern extremities of Othard’s tundra and the Cordillera Mountains, the land transforms into a blinding white tundra. A tribe of hunters, relatives of the Xaela, abandoned the plentiful Azim Steppe in ages past, and their descendants yet eke out a tenuous existence in this frozen wasteland.
The Knowing Sea
Bound by Ilsabard on one side and Othard on the other, this inland sea is so named for its place at what northern-province natives consider the edge of the known world. The Knowing Sea is notorious for its tempestuous weather—cold currents flowing in from the Blindfrost combine with ferocious gales from the Burn to birth endless roiling storms.
The Unpromised
This island once served as a stronghold from which Chaghagan Khan , a Xaela of legendary renown , launched a conquest into Ilsabard . His forces swept across the continent's northern nations , reaping and pillaging with savage abandon . When they returned to divide the spoils , however , the victory feast devolved into an ugly quarrel , culminating in the death of the king . The island is tainted by the tale to this day : the story of a monarch's greed , and his attempt to deny his warriors their promised share . [2]
