© Daniel S. Wall, 4/1/2026

– Written by Goad (with sundry commentaries attached)

It is true that the world was once thought to be round. This is an error likely born in the reckoning of dwarves, some of whom still preach this nonsense. Those dwelling overlong in the darkness of caverns cannot be much blamed for losing their sense of geography, and many a bearded braggart has come to the surface with stories of digging his way from the kingdom of Riefelen to the courts of the Wisdom Isles. Round-earthers have all manner of convenient stories to tell. It is all foolishness, of course. The world is flat, and all stories to the contrary may be put back in the honey pot where they belong.

This round-earth mythology is hardly the only bit of foolishness one may encounter in the course of serious studies. One must of course take great care when learning about the world in which one is to live because a great many voices have a great many foolish things to say about it. This world is a mystery. To understand it properly is to transform one’s mind into something greater and far more beautiful than ordinary souls could possibly imagine. It is a transformation no less challenging than that sought by the alchemists, a challenge made more difficult by the errors of every guide who offer assistance upon the matter. Every source has its bias. If one is to grasp the nature of the Stone Philosophic, she will have to read someone of proper wisdom.

It is for this reason that I take up my pen.

***

We shall begin this text with an account of the major regions of the world, then move on to discussion the climate, and finally, we shall conclude with channels of movement.

Major Regions

With a few exceptions, the major regions of the world are defined in terms of the archipelagos contained within them. A single continent does in fact exist and a few islands are isolated. Apart from these exceptions, the major regions of the world itself may be identified with the clusters of islands contained within them.

The Sylvan Isle: The elves always seem to think they are the center of the world, and unfortunately, they may be right about this, damn their little pointy ears anyhow! The elven kindred was born on the Sylvan Isle, and it does indeed occupy the center of the known world. Most of the elves I know seem to think this entitles them to act as a morale compass for the rest of us. They have advice for every kindred, and for every known kingdom of men, and that advice always sounds like wisdom to some gullible git foolish enough to listen to them. I always found listening to the advice of elves to be a good way to purge a bad meal, but that’s just me. Some people have stronger stomachs.

…and weaker minds.

They tell us that standing atop Seer’s Point in the Sylvan Isle, one can actually see all the lands of the world.[1] This too sounds like nonsense, if you ask me, but nobody has enough sense to ask me, and so the elves continue to spout their nonsense at all those who will listen. The elves claim this fluke of the local landscape gives their mystics unique insight into the affairs of the world at large, but there is only so much one can learn from climbing up on top of a rock. Yes, the elves do seem to have the best magic outside of a gnome warren, but only the dimmest flame in the campfire would think it was because of Seer’s point, let alone any great wisdom on the part of elves. If an elf is telling you how to magic up a sword or warning you of a storm coming to your shores, you should probably listen, but if she is telling you how to handle a matter of diplomacy, you’d best submit her proposal to the consideration of your hungriest pigs.

Just throw the note right in with the rest of their slop!

Okay, so if elves are so smart, why are there no centaurs on the Sylvan Isle? Next time, you meet an elf, ask they why?

Seriously, ask them!

Creepy-little tree-loving freaks aren’t above genocide, I can tell you that much, but who in the Hell hates centaurs? I mean, I do, but not like that, not like the elves once did on the Sylvan Isle![2] [3]

The Sunrise Islands: looking to the east of the Sylvan Isle, the sunrise will reveal the islands bearing its name. This archipelago stretches for thousands of miles toward the frozen edges of the Stone Philosophic. It bears the greatest variation in all the known regions of the world, both as to its physical environment and as to its known inhabitants. Some of the sunrise islands are comprised of desert; others are full of dense jungle, and of course these islands possess all manner of climates in between. So, it should come as no surprise that the people and creatures found on these islands vary considerably among themselves.

Within these isles, one finds many creatures of legend. The manticore originates from these islands, as does the rakshasa, the naga, and the djinni, along with a host of other creatures, each hailing from different parts of the archipelago. The Sunrise Islands are full of strange oddities and great mysteries, a few of which, I must admit, are worth seeing with one’s own eyes. The region is also home to some of the strangest deities known to the world. Honestly, there is no reckoning the pantheon of this region. It is best to steer clear of priests when traveling anyway.

…or at home, for that matter!

The Sunrise Islands are the source of spices and silks enjoyed in other lands (often to excess, if you ask me). The music and the poetry from these lands are among the finest of all the world, or so I am told, but frankly, I think that says more about the sad state of these arts in our own aesthetic wastelands than anything else. Anyway, the arts from this region seem to impress others, and there doesn’t seem to be much I can do about it.

With all the great riches and mysteries contained in the Sunrise Isles, it is no wonder that explorers from other regions often seek to enter these waters and explore the wonders within them. Those that make it home alive always come back with great stories, and those stories always inspire more explorers.

Nobody ever learns better from those who do not return home.

The Coral Islands: Just to the south of the Sunrise Islands, one will find the Cradle Islands. These are full of odd people, most of whom have little to say for themselves. Their tools and weapons are made of wood and stone, and they employ only the crudest of primitive canoes in travel. I am told they worship the Shark King, at least when they are not singing songs about fiery volcanoes. There is little else to be said about the people or any other the creatures of these isles.[4] [5]

We shall move on to more interesting topics!

The Island Down Under: I have nothing to say about this place.

The Wretched Isles: To the south and east of the Sunrise Islands, one will find the Wretched Islands. This is the largest archipelago known to science. It is said to be the birthplace of all the wretched creatures of the world; orcs, goblins, kobalds, and myriad other filthy kindreds all seem to have begun in these islands. Inflicted as they were by their gods upon these cursed islands, the wretched kindreds have since spread about the rest of the world, bringing pain and misery with them wherever they go. Whatever terrors have been carried along with the wretched diaspora into other lands, it surely must pale in comparison to the horrors to be found within their own homeland.

We really don’t know much about these islands or the creatures living in them, because few have returned from travel to even the most accessible of the Wretched Islands, and none from those at the farthest reaches of the archipelago.[6] [7] Anyway, who would want to know anything about orcs or goblins, or the lands upon which they live? So, we really just don’t know much about this place. Only a fool would trust the word of the wretched creatures themselves, but one must assume that places home to cruelest and filthiest of kindreds would provide a world of great violence and greater suffering.[8] 

Cradle Islands: Due east from the Wretched Isles, one may find the Cradle Islands. The entire archipelago is known for its warm climate. With few exceptions one does not encounter snow in these lands, and I am told that ice has been banished once and for all. What one does find in this land is dense jungle and great rolling grasslands. One also finds a great variety of animals, many of them terrible, and many quite beautiful. It is of course no great surprise that some of the animals found upon these islands are both beautiful and terrible. (I do wonder how many fools have been too busy marveling at the beauty to appreciate the danger, but a fool is a delicacy best consumed raw and screaming, so I am told.)

It is said that the Goddess Mirona is most at home in the Cradle Isles; the perpetual warmth of this region being a direct reflection of her own pleasant moods whenever resting here or even thinking about these lands. It was here in the Cradle Islands that She first made men, and it was here that She first placed them. Some would say it was here that men should have stayed. Be that as it may, the Cradle Islands are home to a great variety of peoples and creatures; men who transform themselves into leopards, dwarves that may swallow a man whole, and smaller people still who ride ants as one might otherwise ride horses. A great many strange beasts can be found in the cradle islands. Whether or not that is a reason to explore the place or to avoid it altogether is a test of taste and temperament.

…and wisdom, or the lack thereof.

Isle of the Goddess: Due east from the Cradle Islands is the Isle of the Goddess, so named because it is where the Goddess, Feliah, has been imprisoned. She has little influence over the rest of this world, so long as she remains here, but the island and all who find themselves upon it are hers to do with as she pleases. Other gods will not interfere with matters unfolding on the islands, as they cannot do so without weakening the bonds that keep Feliah confined to the island itself. By all accounts, it is best for all if she never leaves the shores of this gods-forsaken place.

It is said that Feliah sends emissaries about the world at large to capture prisoners for her own amusement. How these emissaries leave or return to the Isle of the Goddess remains a mystery, for no ships travel to or from the island, nor do her minions seem to fly, and of course none whom they have carried off have ever been known to return home.

I would advise the reader against attempting to set foot upon the shores of this terrible island, but honestly the world is well rid of anyone foolish enough to attempt the trip.

Isle of Powers: Due east from the Isle of the Goddess is a land of great magical powers. Little is known of the creatures that live there, and by most accounts, this great body of land is mostly empty. The greatest challenges associated with travel to its shores seem to lie in natural dangers. The winds and currents off its shores are exceptionally trecherous. The land itself is said to be quite volatile, and even the air upon this island is said to regard the living as a predator might think of its prey. Then of course, there is the danger of managing whatever magical powers one might acquire in this land. To carry that power home safely is an ambition likely to earn one a place in the graveyard.

…if, that is, one is lucky enough to die in the company of anyone in possession of a shovel.

Sunset Islands: As the sun completes its journey it sets briefly over an archipelago due west of the Sylvan Isle. It is in these lands that one may find knights in shining armor, the sailing barbarians of the far west, and even the scholars and artists in the city-states residing in its warmest waters. In the Sunset Islands, one may encounter a unicorn, a pegasus, a siren, or even a leprechaun. These islands serve as the origin of the minotaur and the satyr, and even the occasional red bull. This is also the land of faeries, dryads, nymphs, and many other creatures dwelling in pristine forests and meadows.

The Sunset Isles are home to a great many gods most of whom spend a good deal of their time at war with one another. These isles are also home to the Library Philosophic, the Great Weir, and the Torturers Guild, both of which carry authority rivaling the greatest of the elven sages ever to stand atop Seer’s Point. The peoples of the Sunset Isles have launched ships sailing to the furthest reaches of the known world and established colonies on the shores of many far lands.[9] These explorers have brought many principalities from distant lands to their knees. Truly, the Sunset Isles are the greatest islands containing the greatest peoples on the surface of the Stone Philosophic.

There are no powers in the world greater than those seen under the sunset at the close of day.

The Land of Giants: School children often wonder why they must learn the word “continent?” It seems a pointless term to most, because there is but one continent in all the world. That continent is the Land of Giants, a great stretch of land due north of the Sunset Islands.

Few go there.

None should.

Men of the far west have been known to do battle with the inhabitants of this great land; it is true. These fellows in their horned hats seem to take great pride in being slain by the giants. Some have even returned telling tales of great battles against great foes, but honestly, most of these braggarts would be lucky to leave a bruise upon a giant toe or kick on it in the shins before outrunning their companions all the way back to the boat. Honestly, I will never understand such fools!

Sea Giants have also been known to travel back and forth between the Land of the Giants and the Sunset Isles, but Sea Giants have little to say about the Land of the Giants, and horn-helmed fools with broken axes have little to offer but tales of blood and sacrifice. So, we don’t know much about the place. It is not that there are any great mysteries in this land; what is known is obvious. Its inhabitants are powerful and warlike. There is little else to know about the place and little hope that one could survive the process of acquiring first-hand knowledge of it.

Turtle Islands: The Turtle Islands are nestled in between the Land of Giants, and the Dragon Islands. They are surrounded by some of the most dangerous waters in all the world, a fact which has kept them relatively free of outside interference for most of their history. That these islands have giants and dragons for neighbors would seem to provide yet another reason for the relative lack of visitors to their shores. 

Somewhere in this archipelago lies an island completely flooded by fresh water. (How that works, I do not know.) These Islands also contain great mountainous regions as well as deserts, forests, and large rolling grasslands.

The Turtle islands are home to a few great empires, at least one of which uses ropes for books. Another is known to write their histories in stone. The rest of the peoples living in these lands are a mystery to me. Most are said to dwell in smaller villages, though it is quite possible that the explorers reporting on the region have missed a kingdom or two. Rumors of great golden cities have yet to be confirmed.

It is said that these islands are home to a great many strange creatures and even stranger peoples. Men with mouths in their stomachs have been known to consume visitors to the Turtle Islands. Those fortunate enough to escape such a fate have told tales of great thunderous birds, feathered serpents, and great panthers who dwell under water. By far the strangest of the creatures said to live in these lands would be a kind of wild cattle, shaggy in appearance, found in such great numbers as to rival the blades of grass upon which they feed. I have seen blankets said to be made from the hides of such beasts. Stories of their great numbers, I cannot confirm, and I do not myself believe a word of it. One would do well to take anything one reads about these islands with a grain of salt and a dose of pepper.

A feathered serpent makes as much sense as a water panther, but the men with mouths in their stomachs have been verified by trust-worthy sources.

The Dragon Islands: To the north and east of the Turtle Islands, and due north of the Sylvan Isle, one may find the Dragon Isles. The name says it all. Nobody goes there, not ever, and nobody who ever did ever came back.

Don’t be a nobody!

The Wisdom Isles: Just to the east of the Dragon Isles and northeast of the Sunrise Islands, one may find a new cluster of islands known for the wisdom of its people. It is from these islands that the compass originates. In the Wisdom Isles, it is said one may find the greatest and wisest of dragons, celestial creatures with powers to rival the gods themselves. In some parts of the wisdom isles, one may also encounter foo dogs, fox women, great magic wielding ogres, along with a variety of other strange creatures.

 I am told there is even a kind of river demon that carries water about on the top his head. I often wonder whether or not such creatures can be made to carry anything more tasty in their skulls. A wiser demon would surely prefer to a flagon of ale for a head.

I am told there are great civilizations in these lands. In fact, I am sure of it. Why these kingdoms do not issue forth from their own shores to claim a share of lands from neighboring peoples, I do not know.[10][11] With the exception of their horse lords, the people of this region seem to be content to remain in their own part of the world.

Strange!

The Ice Islands: All of the outermost islands of the known world are known as the “ice islands”, which is appropriate, because ice is all that one will find upon them. It is said that people live upon some of these islands. I am told they hunt sea mammals for their food, their clothing, and a good deal of their tools. I am also told that they herd reindeer to meet the bulk of their needs. That this is a contradiction is plain to see.

 …and I wish people would stop telling me things.

The Island Impossible: I am told that a single island lies out beyond the Ice Islands far to the southeast of the known world. This island can even be found upon the best maps of the world that I have found, which of course serves to illustrate the prevalence of superstition, even amongst the most learned scholars of the Library Philosophic.

Hell is the impossibility of reasoning with anyone foolish enough to put an impossible place on a map!

Climate and Currents

The greatest minds at the Library Philosophic have tried to determine the logic of weather to be found in the world at large along with the movement of its waters, but they have met with little success in the matter. Weather can be quite cruel, and there isn’t much that mere mortals can do about it.

As a general rule, the regions of the world nearest the center seem to have the warmest climates whereas those nearest the edge of the known world appear to be the coldest. This principle does have exceptions, not the least of them being the Sylvan Isle itself which is mild, but nowhere near so mild as those islands nearest to it in each of the major regions of the world. How it is that the center-most land mass in the world could possess a climate without the characteristics of that centrality is an interesting question!

I blame the elves, of course!

The waters between each cluster of islands (as well as the Land of Giants) can be rather problematic, a fact which renders travel from one region of the world quite dangerous. As a general rule, the waters on the rightward side of an archipelago will travel from the center of the world out toward its edges whereas the waters on the leftward side generally flow toward the center.[12] Being more filled with eddies and cross-currents, the left side of the island are usually more unpredictable. Within any given cluster of islands, the waters typically flow from the leftward side of the island toward the rightward side, but this depends a lot on the placement of specific islands and other variables. As a general rule, Sailing between any two archipelagos will be more dangerous than travel between islands within the same region.

It should also be said that the warmth of the world appears to travel in much the same direction, albeit taking the space of a year to complete its journey. The Sunrise Islands are getting their summer at precisely the same time of year that the Sunset islands are getting their winter. The dragon isles get their summer at precisely the time that the Cradle Islands are getting their own winter (or whatever passes for winter in that archipelago). It seems that whatever warmth a given region of the Stone Philosophic is to have, it will get that warmth when said warmth makes its way about the circuit of its own seasons. Why weather works this way is a question for astrologers and alchemists.[13]

Intra-Archipelago Travel

It should be said that winds and currents between the Sunrise and the Sunset Isles have been mapped out with reasonable accuracy for some generations now, allowing the greatest degree of safety known for travel between the different regions of the known world. To a somewhat lesser degree, travel between the Sunset Islands and the Wisdom Islands appears to be reasonably well established, at least in some circles of the known world. Together with the Sylvan Isle, the Sunrise, Sunset, and Wisdom Isles are commonly thought to form the whole of the known world whereas everything else is a little bit more mysterious. These islands and the trade routes between them are collectively known as the “Common Civilization” of this world.

Airships: A few regions of the world are known to produce airships, and these do sometimes travel across great distances, but that is rare as the winds between the great regions of the world can be as dangerous as the waters. Ships Captains of both the sea and the air know it is best to stay near the major islands, and only the most reckless venture out into the open spaces and wild currents.

The Dwarven Rail: It is said that the dwarves of the western-most islands in the Sunset Archipelago have engineered a machine that travels between islands atop a skeletal road of sorts. This is a great accomplishment, if something of a hazard to local shipping, but the dwarven rail connects only a few of the Sunset Isles, and it has been known to fail, spilling its short-crews and their foolish passengers out into the sea. I should not be found upon it for price of a thousand dragon eggs! In any event, the rail does not extend to lands beyond that Sunset Archipelago.[14]

The Great Dungeon: It is a well-known fact that a single system of tunnels connects most of the regions of the known world.[15] Indeed, we cannot rule out the possibility that all of the major archipelagos have been connected by means of this great dungeon. Whether or not any leg of the dungeon might have surfaced in the Isle of the Goddess or the Isle of Powers is an interesting question, but it does seem that the great tunnels do reach into all of the more accessible lands of the world. It would of course take quite awhile to travel by these passages from one cluster of islands to another, and doing so would likely take one through a great many strange and powerful subterranean kingdoms. The dangers of such travel surely outweigh the expected benefits.

How air remains worthy of the lungs in some of the deeper tunnels remains something of a mystery. Suffice to say that it does.

Sea Elves: There is but one kindred that sails the waters between archipelagos with confidence, and that is the Sea Elves, or the Kiamsti. Many of these elves spend their entire lives (long as they may be) aboard a ship of one form or another, never setting foot on land. In fact, I am told that these elves often experience great hardship on solid ground, having great difficulty keeping their upon it, or even holding their lunch down without some hint of motion in the surface upon which they rest their feet.

Sea Elves are difficult to understand. They are excellent sailors, that much is clear, but nobody ever knows how they will treat others. On a good day, an encounter with sea elves leads to trade, and many sailors could tell you about the time they have been saved from disaster through the aid of the sea elves. On a bad day, an encounter with sea elves is an encounter with pirates. Either way, nobody spends much time with sea elves. Guests will always be invited to leave in short order, and prisoners will be sold or disposed of in whatever way these creatures think best.[16]

---

[1] It is at this point a settled matter that one can in fact see all the world from the top of Seer’s Point, or at least those with the proper powers may do so from this vantage point, but scholars are uncertain as to the reason for this clarity. The height of the point would not explain the full ability to see to such great distance as clouds and dust would seem likely to render  such visions unclear at a distance. What is seen from Seer’s Point is known to be intelligible and meaningful to those that see it. This cannot be fully explained by the height of the great rock.

The elves are no help in explaining this matter, because they will allow no outsiders access to the point, and their own explanations for the visions gained at the top of the point lack corroboration from any credible sources. It is safe to assume some supernatural power is at work at Seer’s Point, but its exact nature remains a mystery to the world at large.

• Entimious Munti, keeper of Geo-Scripts, Library Philosophic

[2] It hurts my heart to see an important work of literature repeat this terrible lie. Our kindred has no great hatred for centaurs.

• Cliestielle Freneslier, Elven Seer

[3] So, why, Clistelle, are there no centaurs on the Sylvan Isle? Can you tell me that?

• Anonymous

[4] On this matter of the technology in the Coral islands, I thought it worth raising a question I have been unable to answer myself. I and others have often seen the ships of the Cradle Isles in the waters just off the Turtle Islands. The waters in and around that region are far from easy to navigate, and yet the Cradle Islanders handle them with relative ease, a fact which suggest that the present author may well have under-estimated the people of the Coral Isles, at least with respect to their seamanship.

      – Kestensia, Elven Mage of the High Seas

[5] Methinks, this Kestensia praises Goad with faint damn here. By most accounts Goad was a terrible sailor in his day and an even more terrible Sea Captain. He sailed all around the world at one point, but most credit that to the combined wisdom of his first mate and his navigator, the latter of which is known to have carried with her a star chart from the Coral Islands. Most of Goad’s crew would tell you that he never saw anything anywhere he went but gold or the lack of it. I have heard this directly from the mouths of people who survived his unworthy leadership. According to his own sailors, this Goad-fellow didn’t know his “starboard” from his “port.” He was known to have sailors punished for using sailing jargon. One poor fellow barely survived correction for using the word “jib.” I will never understand why the writings of his tiny purple troll have come to be the gold standard in Geo-scholarship. Surely, we can do better than this!

• Pushgallen Tarrywine, Captain, of The Very Small Rock

[6] The comments above must be weighed against the tale of Abaxi Carnache, the leader of an expedition to the Wretched Islands. By most accounts, he and all seven of his ships left the Isle of Mogendrid in the Sunset Islands, never to be seen or heard from again. The wizards of the Library Philosophic tell a different tale, however, a fact owing to their possession of a personal item from Carnache. Three times since his disappearance, the wizards of the Library Philosophic claim to have successfully watched Abaxi through a Seer’s Stone. Each of the wizards report the man living at peace along with members of his crew amongst a village of orcs and goblins. Each of these accounts has been attested by several witnesses sworn before their own gods. The third of these viewings was even subjected to special scrutiny under my own supervision. His story did not waver. Even under great duress, the man held fast to his claims. It may well be that humans dwell in peace somewhere on the Wretched Islands to this very day.

• Tornonin, Arch Torturer

[7] The tale of Abaxi Carnache is of course utter nonsense!

• Anonymous

[8] It must be noted that the Wretched Islands are not merely home to the unruly creatures of the world, the islands themselves are known to violate the natural order of the world. It is sometimes said that water would flow uphill in some of these lands. Sounds have been known to assault the eyes of those visiting the outermost islands in this region, and colors have been said to dance upon the skin, always in the most unpleasant way possible. One cannot even rely upon winter to follow the Autumn over the course of a year in the Wretched Isles. The eastern-most of the Cradle Islands, it is said, silently scream in response to the presence of the Wretched Isles in nearby waters. The world itself objects to the presence of these islands in much the same way that the better creatures of the world object to the presence of the wretched kindreds.

 – Garsling, Mekaharen, Geo-Mage of Mogendrid

[9] It should be said that the ships of the sunset islands reach far lands by virtue of science and technology acquired from the Wisdom Islands, and a good many weapons wielded by colonists from the Sunset Islands appear to have origins in other parts of the world as well. Whether or not their conquests are anything to brag about depends on who you ask. In any event, it is hard to believe those sailing from these shores would wield anywhere near the same power on distant shores were it not for aid from the dragons of the Gret Weir. Whether or not the author of this text is aware of such matters, I cannot say.

In any event, good fortune can be as fleeting as bad. Some folks ought to bear that in mind.

• Anonymous.

[10] It may well be that the gods in their collective wisdom have advised leaders of the Wisdom Isles to stay within their own waters, thus clearing a path for the conquests of the Sunset Islanders.

• Hithti Maevoris, Regent of the Library Philosophic

[11] No, it may not.

• Anonymous.

[12] It is believed that the movement of the waters reflects the moment of creation wherein the claw of the great dragon, Hetht, first spun the world in a rightward manner, thus setting the pattern of creation, of healing, and of building anything of value. The world is spinning in a rightward manner, thus each archipelago pushes waters out to the periphery along its leading edge even as water rushes back in on the trailing edge behind each set of islands. To turn in the opposition direction is to engage in destruction, in witchcraft, and to work against the will of life itself. The world itself spins rightward; that which spins to the left takes everything to ruin.

• Niarren Tsiret, High Counselor, Library Philosophic

[13] Some clever folks have taken to inquiring as to changes in the length of the day over the course of the year. As the sun simply travels from east to west on a given day, it seems strange that people in different regions of the world would see the length of the day change over the course of a year. The highest councils of the Library Philosophic have discussed this matter at great length and arrived at the conclusion that such questions may in fact be traced to the work of devils. As such, the matter has been referred to the Torturer’s Guild for any further inquiries.

• Maxie Hortuqie, Secretary to the High Council of the Library Philosophic

[14] Goad is correct to suggest that the surface rail for the engines does not extend beyond the Sunset Islands. What seems to have escaped Goad is the possibility that a leg of the rail may dive beneath the surface of the earth and into the Great Dungeon. In principle, this would give the dwarves access to all the world. As of yet, we have no reason to believe the rail has come up in any distant land, but we cannot rule out the possibility that this has already happened or that work toward such a goal is already in progress.

• Adisa, Herbal Healer

[15] It should probably be noted that this is the means by which a dwarf might have tunneled from Riefelen to the Wisdom Isles, a story which Goad makes fun of in the opening passages of this text. The prospect of a round earth has little to do with it.

• Tael, Arch-Mage

[16] This passage on sea elves is the key to understanding the isolation of the rest of the world. Goad makes a big deal about dangerous currents and other natural hazards, but there is little reason to believe a good ship cannot travel from one archipelago to another without fear of wreckage. It is the threat of elven piracy that keeps the regions of the world separated from one another.

We have no way of knowing how many ships have been sent to the bottom of the sea by Kiamsti, but it is a safe assumption that Goad is underselling the problem. Whether or not that is due to his own past history of business with this terrible kindred is an interesting question.

• Jaspar Kalisit, Navigator of the Golden Leaf