Major Rivers:
Melachean River
Formed by the confluence of the Couronne and Sceptre Rivers, this most peaceful river meanders its way across the Hurvan heartland from the city of Geston all the way some 1,824 miles till it empties into the Stavanger Sound on whose shores is built the city of Palk. There is more traffic along it than any other river in the realm as its channel is both wide and deep enough to allow for easy navigation, its current is never overly swift and finally because there are just more settlements along its path than any other river. It was named after Meleus Achea, first King of Hurva.Le Coeur (farmland)
The fertile plains and rolling hills that lie along the Melachean's path are the kingdom's heartland. More humans live within 200 miles of the great river than near any other single feature within the kingdom. Many small settlements dot this region. As with all farmland — copses of trees, bogs, and other small scale features break up the terrain. Some of the area is keep safe by local dukes, where as other places areas are still somewhat uncivilized and have dangerous creatures such as ankhegs, spider eaters and wild dogs. This area is thousands of sq. miles in size and has numerous settlements. It has a number of regional geographic and political subdivisions each with local names to itself.Couronne River
Flowing generally southwest for almost 625 miles, the stone-bottomed Couronne flows the length of the Durois Forest before it makes its way into Geston to meet the Sceptre River.Sceptre River
The Sceptre, along with the Couronne and Melachean Rivers were renamed in or around HY 557 when the capital was moved to Geston. That means they have older names that have been lost to the ages - probably elven, though the early Hurvans & barbarian nomads around Palk probably had their own name for the Melachean. Only the last 120 miles of this mud-bottomed river is within the borders of the Barony of Gessel.Mead River
A multitude of tiny streams formed by the runoff of numerous springs on the slopes of Mt. Moriah form this bubbly, swift, warm-watered, deep but narrow river. Minerals from those same volcanic springs give this river its ale-like color.Offal River
The headwaters of the Offal are somewhere deep within the impenetrable thickets of the Whisperwood. Only in its last 20 miles before emptying into the Melachean does it clear that godsforsaken forest. The occasional eviscerated creature that comes floating downstream has been enough to discourage most from exploring it much.Flint River
The ______ Hills are known for their rich mineral deposits. Coal and flint give this river a dark gray color but gold, silver and gemstone dust give it a beautiful sparkle. Unfortunately, most of that sparkle is lost whenever its waters are diluted by the mighty Melachean.Abedi's Braid
Named after Jvelto's beloved daughter, the minor goddess of rivers, this river certainly lives up to its namesake. With spirited whitewaters and numerous twists & turns, this is one river that relishes every inch of its journey to the sea.
Mount Moriah
Standing 12,833 ft. over the city of Geston, this volcanic mountain still has
quite a number of active steam vents. Hot springs, rumored to possess divine
healing powers near its base and on the
surrounding plain have given rise to a number of spas where Geston's nobles and
those with wealth may go for relaxation. However, the slopes of the mountain
are no vacation spot. A number of dire
animals and oversized vermin exist on its elevations. (furthering the 'magical
powers' theory concerning the water.) Among those known creatures are colonies
of giant ants, giant crayfish in the
heated highland streams and pools that dot the mountain, giant snakes and dire
wolverines.
_________ Mountains
In NE Gessel
_________ Hills
I'd like to name several of the foothills. Perhaps each after a mineral of gem that's found there - although
too much of that might feel corny.
Whisperwood (aka The Whisperwoods)
A dense monster-filled woods of central Gessel whose thicket of underbrush makes
it very uninviting.
Ehlonna's Grove
The very small, light forest that is in the area southeast of Geston and west
of the Meed River.
It is considered a holy place by the Wajéans druidian sect.
Satyrglade
The horseshoe-shaped, light forest that runs along the banks of the Meed, Melachean
and Offal rivers. It's named after it's most famous denizens, the playful
and mischievous satyrs. Another known
group is a small tribe of centaurs.
___________
Running near the east coast from the southern reaches of the Abedi Valley to the outer limits of Palkan farm country,
the ___________ is known for its Myrtle, Pitch Pine and Eucalyptus trees.
___________
Bordered by Abedi's Braid to the south and the _______ River to the north,
this stretch of woodlands resembles the ________ to the south, but also is famous for its periwinkle shrubberies.
The Pitch Pines are taller and more numerous here and the Eucalyptus disappear just north of the Abedi Valley.
Durois Forest (aka The King's Woods)
The lightly wood areas on either side of the Couronne River are some of the best
hunting lands in Gessel. Stag and bear, as well as numerous small game animals
abound. Predators such as Red Fox and Puma as
well as exotic beasts such as Displacer Beasts can be found as well.
Nightshade
Fens
A large swath of southwestern Gessel is lower than sea level. With no rivers
feeding or draining the area, the waters are stagnant. The same can't be said
of the life. Huge banyan and cypress trees have adapted to the high salinity
caused by underground seepage. The swamp moss that drapes them doesn't deters
them either. Valuable teak and mahogany trees grow in the scattered drier
patches. Large salt water crocodiles are common as are an incredible variety
of colorful waterfowl. At least one small tribe of bullywugs is known to dwell
somewhere in the bogs. They feed on the oversized insects and leeches of the
region. Even worse things such as shambling mounds and varies oozes dwell
there also. There's old wives tales of such things as blood-sucking trees,
but surely the story tellers are getting their details confused.
The
area near the coast, encompassing the entirety of the Boar's Snout Peninsula
and extending across much of the entirety of the southern Gesh coast, is
chaparral. Parts of it resemble
the southern parts of California - but without the technology of irrigation,
much of this land is uninhabitable. A few fishing villages scratch out a
survival in this area, but they are all
quite small and are few & far between.
There are a few sandy beaches here and there, but even they have many grassy dunes.
The best of these can be found between (unnamed point with islands S of Nightshade Fens) extending eastwards to the limits
of The Masted Reef.
The area east and southeast of Pylum can be quite dry and the southeast coast is quite rocky,
even clifflike at times. Its climate resembles that of Greece. Several unnamed islands lie off the shore there.
Near the coast,
harpies are known to dwell. Other monstrosities that can be found in these
regions include hydrae, giant crabs, ogres, giant sand wasps and cyclops.
Although they're mundane animals, the wild boar of the region have a reputation
for being quite fierce as well.
The Masted Reef
Named for all of the masts of shipwrecks visible at various heights along the
reef, The Masted Reef is a string of coral reefs and shifting sandbars off the
southeastern Gesh coast.
At any given point, there may be two or three masts visible above the water's
surface since it takes years for the sunken vessels that support them to rot
out completely.
Whenever the seas are calm, masts that have fallen are sometimes visible
through the relatively clear waters, as are the hulls of numerous shipwrecks.
Treasure seekers have been known to attempt recovering some of the lost goods
that lay at the more shallow points. Many coral atolls dot its length. Some
of these are large enough to be called islands and even have above ground
caverns which shelter animals and occasional monsters. Rumors are that at
least one of these complexes extends deep below the sea level.
_________________
The rolling hills of central Gessel
north of the fens and south of Melachean's fertile plains
should have name. Much like the area to the west in Suress, some of it may be wine country;
other areas are used as pasture lands but much of it still could be uninhabited wildlands.
As with all rolling hills, there could also be pockets of uninhabited grasslands,
forests and wetlands.
Two other small unnamed areas of rolling hills are in Gessel, one NE of Mt.
Moriah and another smaller one to
the SE.
_____________
There's an interesting looking penisula that protects
Stavanger Sound and the city of Palk.
The Sentries
A chain of islands off of the _______ (peninsula) that protects Stavanger Sound
and the city of Palk. The numerous seabirds that roost on the rocky cliffs
of these islands are revered by the Palkan
people. The birds are easily stirred by passing ships. So when a large cluster
of
ships sails though them — such as a Harati raiding fleet — tens of
thousands of birds will take flight. Enough of them make it the 100 or so miles
through
the sheltered
Stavanger Sound to the city so as to give its residents forewarning of the pending
attack.
_____________
A point or peninsula to the south of the Nightshade Fens. Also, a number
of islands near there.
_____________
A large island just off the Boar's Snout Peninsula to the southwest of the
Nightshade Fens. Also, a number of
islands near there.
Assana Falls
Near the westernmost reaches of the Abedi Valley, Assana Falls is a spectacular
sight. The narrow rapids of the headwaters from Abedi's Braid crash out of
the mountains and into the valley over the edge of an almost perpendicular
slope with an almost 1,800 foot plunge that occurs in three leaps. The greatest
of these is an uninterrupted drop of over 950 feet.