Southlands

The Southlands is the name of the continent and surrounding islands making up the south western part of the region of Umarald.

Description
The Southlands is considered the home of human civilization in Umarald and lacks any strong presence from the other mortal races. The region is commonly divided into nine regions. Ankh, also known as the Imperial Province, Khamlira, Leupthia, Menokh, Ossaria, Pantoria and Sarinia are historical provinces of the Empire and make up the western half of the region. Ten Makao, a massive desert, spans the northern and central parts of the eastern half while Zhengdi is a jungle region covering the south.

Geography
The Southlands is dominated by a large landmass surrounding the interlocking mountain ranges known as the Fozoma Mountains in the south-west, the El-Tor Mountains in the north-east and the Omad Mountains in the south-east. In the south-central parts of this continent lies the Emhan Sea which provides a waterway connection for the lowland floodplains to the Men-Alan Sea. To the south lies the island of Leupthia and to the north the islands of Corlu and Panaka. To the east lies an archipelago known as the Lost Islands. The land is bordered in the west by the Endless Sea and in the east by the South Sea.

The Southlands are tropical with the southern and northern parts covered in jungles and the central parts being arid plains or desert. Water from the mountains congregate into two major rivers: the Ankh river and the Pantor river.

History
While the region has been inhabited by trollkin since ancient times, humans from the south east started to settle 2,500 years before the Age of Steel. These first humans where hunter-gatherers of waipuku decent and spread across all the fertile areas of the land.

About 2,000 years before the Age of Steel humans of nokh decent arrived from the east and settled in the central parts of the land, gradually pushing the waipuku peoples back into the jungles. About the same time avarai settlers arrived from the north east and colonized the northern parts, continuing down the eastern coast and eventually settling in Zhengdi and among the Lost Islands.

The hara people arrived from the east about 500 years before the Age of Steel. They quickly conquered the regions of Ankh and Pantoria, laying the foundation for what was to become the Empire. For some time human civilization blossomed as the Empire and the Kingdom of Zhengdi where at the peak of their power, sharing wealth and knowledge through a road constructed between them through the Ten Makao desert. However, civil strife came to ravage the Empire and the Kingdom of Zhengdi mystically vanished overnight as its population was turned into an undead host which marched on the Empire and almost destroyed it before they where defeated.

Age of Steel
In the Age of Steel the Southlands is dominated by the Empire as the only standing nation. However, it's grip over the other provinces is weak and internal politics threaten to tear the country apart.

Age of Knowledge
In the Age of Knowledge the Empire has finally lost its grip on the land with the rise of the Miramasa Empire, the Kingdom of Mao and the Kingdom of Ossaria. The province of Khamlira has also been transformed into a colony by the goths, called West Gothia. In the south east, settlers originally from Damasa has created the Republic of Javasia.

Age of Information
In the Age of Information the Southlands has been entirely integrated into the Union. This followed as a result of a series of invasions from the continent of Thessia to the north-west. As the three major powers of the Age of Knowledge, the Damasa Empire, the Kingdom of Gothia and the Commonwealth formed an alliance against this new foe the nations of the Southlands where caught between these two power blocks. As the thessian invaders where more bent on conquering the lands for themselves the nations of the Southlands sought to join the union. With time this partnership came to evolve into a new state.

Source
The Southlands is meant to resemble Egypt and the Middle East, while culturally it also incorporates the Roman Empire and elements of Polynesian civilizations.