Taur-Dji-Oum [Tower-shjee-ohm], known as Torthien in much of the Civilised Worldplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigCivilised World

The Civilised World refers to the known regions of human civilisation, notably the continent of Anásthias, the Natorn Archipelago and surrounding islands.

Gastrinimer's 3rd century BME Map of the World, showing Anásthias and the Natorn Isles. Note: old maps place north to the right.AnásthiasAnásthiasAnásthiasAnásthias, also called the Vale of Tortanis in Ororrplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigOrorr

Ororr [o-ROARR, ɒ̝rɔ'ɾ], also called the Holy Motherland of Ororr, is a theocratic nation in Anásthias, one of the world's great powers. It the largest nation in the world, perhaps the largest empire in history, occupying the entire northwest of the continent between the mountains and the sea. Ororrlanguagelanguagelanguage, is an upland area of southeastern Anásthiasplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigAnásthias

Anásthias [a-NAS-thee-ass / ænæsθiːæs], or [an-ass-THEE-as] is an equatorial island continent, heart of the Civilised World. The north straddles the equator and is hot and humid, while most of the equatorial centre is an upland plateau with fertile river valleys, and stretches of arid plains and desert in the shadow of the mountains. The south is temperate but more wild, separated from the civilisations of the north by the almost impassable Harthera. It is a politically complex and unstable region, consisting of twenty-three major ethnic nations, territorially sub-divided into smaller kingdoms, chiefdoms, fiefdoms and clan holdings, with a shifting pattern of allegiances and alliances.

The region is historically noted for its inter-tribal warfare. States commonly form alliances or conquer neighbouring states to form wider kingdoms and empires, but these rarely last beyond the lifetime of any particular leader. Only once in history has the region been united under a single leadership, but this lasted less than forty years.

In the 11th century, the Great Powersplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigGreat Powers

Great Powers are the most powerful nations in the world, the greatest modern powers being Ororr and Harthera. of Ororrplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigOrorr

Ororr [o-ROARR, ɒ̝rɔ'ɾ], also called the Holy Motherland of Ororr, is a theocratic nation in Anásthias, one of the world's great powers. It the largest nation in the world, perhaps the largest empire in history, occupying the entire northwest of the continent between the mountains and the sea. Ororrlanguagelanguagelanguage and Hartheraplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigHarthera

The Hartheran Union, commonly named Harthera, is an imperialist maritime nation state dominating the northeast of Anásthias. It is one of the two great powers of the modern epoch, arguably the most technologically and militarily powerful nation in the world, only matched by the vast size and wealth of its neighbour, viridOrorrMEOrorrOrorrOrorrOrorr fought a proxy war for leverage in the strategically important region, provoking the Torthien Crisisplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigTorthien Crisis

The Torthien Crisis (1018-1026 ME) was an international conflict which brought the world closest to total war than at any time in history. It began as a proxy war between the great powers of Ororr and Harthera, who funded and encouraged rebel groups as well as smaller nations to fight on their behalf. The crisis focussed on the mountainous region of HartheraOrorrOrorrHarthera.

Geographically the region is a rift valley and the source of the River Roulplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigRiver Roul

The River Roul or Ruldin, is a great river in southeastern Anásthias, flowing southeast from the mountains through Taur-Dji-Oum to its mouth in Tiernas Bay. The river is the formal boundary between Munatan and Otekahré.

At its mouth the river is the widest in the Civilised World and regularly floods, creating an inhospitable landscape of swamps and mudflats., which flows through the valley to the sea. According to Plate Theoryplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigPlate Theory

Plate Theory is a modern theory of geology, proposing that continental land masses are composed of mobile “plates” floating on a sea of liquid rock. The theory was divised by geologists at the Harlon University in Harthera. It explains the formation of the OrorrHarthera, it was formed by the Occidentalplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigThe Occident

The Occident is the area of the continent of Anásthias west of the Dun Jaen mountains. Historically this meant the old Empire of Dor-en-Sann, as well as the many other nations west of the mountains before the founding of modern Ororr. Contemporary Ensanni writers occasionally used the term to refer to the relatively wild and less inhabited west coast of AnásthiasOrorrOrorr Plate colliding with Thalsic Plate, forming the Dun Jaenplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigDun Jaën

The Dun Jaën [doon jay-ENN] is a mountain range in eastern Anásthias, the northern section of the great arc of mountains which, together with the southerly Dun Trisan, separates Ororr from the remainder of the continent.

The Dun Jaen consists of rugged mountains, including the tallest peaks in the and Dun Trisanplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigDun Trisan

The Dun Trisan is a range of mountainous uplands in Anásthias, which divide Ororr to the north from the region of Munatan to the south. The Dun Trisan is the southerly extension of the great arc of mountains which divides Anásthias in two, the northerly section being the mountains and splitting the plates in two. In millions of years time it will tear open the rift entirely, turning the Roul valley into a sea gulf.

Most of the region is rough and mountainous with few reliable roads, transport often being by water. The main areas of relatively flat land for habitation and cultivation are around the three largest lakes. Lake Beikidplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigLake Beikid

Lake Beikid (Hartraan) or Békiplaum (local) is a lake in the region of Torthien in Anásthias, the largest body of fresh water in the Civilised World. It is 350 km from north to south, an average of 80 km wide.

The lake has little human habitation since its shores are surrounded by virid to the southeast is the largest but also the lowest-lying, being surrounded by viridplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigVirid

Referring to the Virid Kingdom of flora and fauna, toxic to human life. swamps and jungles. The next largest is Lake Lusukiamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigLake Lusukiam

Lusukiam [loo-soo-KYAM] is a large freshwater lake in western Taur-dji-oum. It is 205 km long and 80 km across at its widest point, at an elevation of 3600m, and up to 100m deep.

Taur-Dji-Oum

torthien

This is in a series of articles about the mountainous upland region of in the highlands to the west. Lake Mamoluimplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigLake Mamoluim

Lake Mamoluim [ma-mo-LOO-im] is the smallest but most important of the Great Lakes of Taur-dji-oum.

Taur-Dji-Oum

torthien

This is in a series of articles about the mountainous upland region of Taur-dji-oum, also called Torthien.

The River Roul flows into and out of the lake, making it an important link for trade and communication between upland and lowland Taur-dji-oum. is the smallest of the three but the most important, since all the important rivers of the region flow through it, including the Roul. It is surrounded by the flattest and most important arable land in the entire area, making it both a hub for economic and political activity, as well as a prize constantly fought over by warring factions.

The exact boundaries of Torthien were drawn by the Great Powersplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigGreat Powers

Great Powers are the most powerful nations in the world, the greatest modern powers being Ororr and Harthera. during the Torthien Crisisplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigTorthien Crisis

The Torthien Crisis (1018-1026 ME) was an international conflict which brought the world closest to total war than at any time in history. It began as a proxy war between the great powers of Ororr and Harthera, who funded and encouraged rebel groups as well as smaller nations to fight on their behalf. The crisis focussed on the mountainous region of HartheraOrorrOrorrHarthera.

Torthien is home to hundreds of tribal Li-bamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigLi-bam

The Li-bam [Lee-Bam] are a major ethnic group of southern Anásthias, the indigenous peoples of the upland regions of Munatan and Taur-dji-oum. They are one of the three distinct branches of the human family, along with the Gyeil and the Thalsic.

Ethnicity

ethnicity

This is in a series of articles about anthropology, ethnicity and race.

Li-bam are referred to pejoratively as clans, existing in state of constant conflict over the scant resources of the region. These “wars”, or clan rivalries, were traditionally conducted according to formal codes of conduct, until interference by Ororran missionariesplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigMother Church of Ororr (Therism)

The Mother Church is the state religion of Ororr, which combines both religion and government in one institution. It is based on the teachings of the Great Prophet Therion, who in the early decades of the modern era raised an army that conquered much of northwestern OrorrOrorrOrorrOrorrOrorrMEMEOrorrMEMEOrorrOrorrHerHerHerHerHerHerHerHerHerher and various other foreign interests push traditional hostility into an all-out, bloody war, called the Torthien Crisisplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigTorthien Crisis

The Torthien Crisis (1018-1026 ME) was an international conflict which brought the world closest to total war than at any time in history. It began as a proxy war between the great powers of Ororr and Harthera, who funded and encouraged rebel groups as well as smaller nations to fight on their behalf. The crisis focussed on the mountainous region of HartheraOrorrOrorrHarthera.

The Torthien Crisis eventually involved virtually all the powers on the continent, and though they never actually came to head-on conflict, it was only careful diplomacy that averted what could have been a world-wide military mobilisation.

The outcome of the Crisis was to firmly agree border boundaries, establish formal embassies and provide frameworks for agreeing trade quotas and negotiate protectionist economic policies.

The region has been inhabited since ancient times by the Li-Bam people.