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Geography

The land of Ourissa is relatively small compared to the rest of the realm of Nimrodel, but has an ancient history in regards to the development of civilized life on its soil. It is a temperate and somewhat cold land of a moderate size, its width walkable in one turn of Nimrodels triple moons. The geographical borders of Ourissa are well defined by natural boundaries. It is seperated by the great and imposing Talil mountain range in the north, and the Great Ocean in the south, and to the East it is stopped by the wide Garga River. Ourissa's western border is often of some debate, but as one travels west from the protected lands of the Ayotyan government they come increasingly across high stepped, hilly areas governed only by maurading Centaur tribes. It is commonly believed that once an adventurer enters lands that are unquestionably in the grasp of the Pegassus Kings, Ourissa has come and gone. While each location page linked from the map contains specifics on the geography and terrain of Ourissa, this page will give more general details, such as climate and weather. Lunar Cycles Nimrodels days and nights are of the normal length, with twenty four hour days and approximately twelve hours of both day and night. The planets gravity is slightly less than normal, and it is normal for a strong warrior to be able to jump their own body height into the air, or higher with sufficient training or magical assistance. Where Nimrodel differs strikingly from what one would expect is in its moons. The planet has three moons, all on the exact same orbital path, which lies incredibly close to the planet, close enough that the moons and the planets atmosphere shave off parts of each other. Though the three moons are incredibly small, they are close enough to the planet to appear quite large, and quite close together, forming something like a necklace with three great pearls that circle the planet. Between and around the three moons is a small sea of asteroids, which hang between the three celestial bodies in their orbit, creating a look of a sparkling cloud of stars surrounding the moons from above. This constellation is very bright, and Nimrodels nights are somewhat brighter than you would expect. There is a lunar cycle, but the three moons are never all full or all dark, at most two of three are dark, half of the third remaining to light up the night. Climate & Weather Ourissa is a temperate and cold land, and though it snows everywhere but the great desert in the winter, in the fall and spring it will only snow very close to the mountains and in the Chilled Steppe. Seasonal rains wash in from the shores of the great sea, whose storms constantly buffet the land, and the area around Varans has been known to fog from time to time in the spring. It is currently early spring in this land, some time in late January, and the cold of the winter snows is receding, spring quietly starting to pick itself up again. However, it is still snowing from time to time in the north, in Harakka and the Tribelands, and the snows are still buffeting the cold Talil mountain range. It does not freeze often far from the mountains, but it is never horribly hot, nor humid in this land. The great desert is an exception to all of the above, for some magic alters the weather here, and makes it consistent all year round. It is always hot here, always dry, and a gale wind can blow at any time, coming not from the oceans like a wind should, but from some terrible magical plane, howling and circling around the desert like a plague. Dust storms can blow here, horrible storms that will rake the very flesh from a mans bones if he is not properly protected. Ether Winds The plane of Ether lies congruent with that of the natural world, all living and unliving things generating ether constantly. For the Mages with training to see it with their minds eye, this land is a swirling constant of energy, a cloud in which elementals and demons dance the night away. Ether tends to coalesce and form pockets where it is stronger in places, and a mage is keen to pick up on this. Where the ether wind has thickened in a given land, a wizard will find casting spells easier and their effects stronger. The Ghat, Harakka and the great Desert are the norms for this sort of ether storm, but a storm of magical power can form in other places throughout the land as well.