Article Written: 20 April 1451
Dominating the Southern Hemsiphere and extending from the tropical belt South of the Equator through the South Pole, Ancondria is divided into seven regions: the Great Ancondrian Peninsula, the Great Basin of Edom, the Mountains of the West, the Great Northern Escarpments, the Great Ancondrian River Basin, the Great Southern Escarpments, and the Great Ancondrian Arctic Plateau.
The Great Ancondrian Peninsula
Starting in the Northeasternmost region of the great landmass of Ancondria and extending far South into the temperate zone of the Southern hemisphere, the average elevation of the Great Ancondrian Peninsula is about 3600 feet above sea level. Spanning the center of the Peninsula stands the Northeast Ridges, which reach heights of around 15'000 feet. The feet of these summits, surrounding the edges of the Peninsula, are occupied by lush rainforests and jungles. The belt of land surrounding the Ridges between the rainforests and the highlands is occupied by open grasslands known for incredibly fertile soil. The ancient Ancondrian city of Silba is located in the Great Round Plateau in the South of the Peninsula and experiences four regular seasons.
The Great Basin of Edom
With the exception of the Five Noble Mountains in the center, a region boasting of lush forests, grasslands, and a natural spring circulation-filtering system, as well as being home to the ruins of the great ancient city of Edom, the Great Basin of Edom is a desert almost completely lacking of vegetation. The climate here is warm in the winter months and scalding in the summer months, while there is almost no rain. Countless research studies and examinations suggest that the Basin was once a lush grassland boasting of countless species of flora, fauna, and trees, including the yew tree. The yew tree was believed to have been used by the ancient Great Society of Edom in order to help propel it into a global society, which appears to have been the society responsible for sending the first humans to the Circlarian Realm. However, genetic over-engineering and soil depletion resulted in the downgrade of the yield of the yew tree, the desertification of the Basin, and the collapse of ancient Edomian society as a whole.
The Mountains of the West
Variable climate regions envelop the Mountains of the West, which boast some of the world's tallest peaks, which extend up to heights of 35'000 feet. The area is covered in forests and grasslands, and lakes. However, there are also rainforest regions in the lower sections, and glaciers in the higher regions. The area is home to most of the settled clans and is known for clan rivalries, some of which have seen the involvement of the Kingdom of Gyrosak and the Congress of Circlaria in recent decades.
The Great Northern Escarpment
These cliffs tower over the beginnings of the Great Ancondrian River Basin below by about 3000 feet, and are dotted in countless places by entrances to caves hollowed out by now-extinct lothars (ancient reptilian birds). Accompanied by wide ledges jutting out over the cliff, these places have since been converted into dwellings occupied by Ancondrian clans.
The Great Ancondrian River Basin
Dozens of tributaries fed by snow-melts from the West Circlarian Ridges lining the Circlarian Coast of Ancondria to the West feed into the Great Ancondrian River, which flows through the center of the Basin from West-to-East along the boundary between the tropical and temperate belts. The floor of the Basin, itself meets the West Circlarian Ridges at about 3000 feet above sea level and runs in a gradual slope down to about 600 feet above sea level on the Circlarian side, where the River pours out over the well-known Magnificant Drapes. This region has some of the most fertile soil in the world and is home to thousands of Ancondrian clans, both migratory and settled.
The Great Southern Escarpment
Unlike the North, the Great Southern Escarpment has no ledges or caves, but is instead, effectively, a smooth and impenetrable "wall," making it a seemingly impossible feat for those who have dared to explore. Furthermore, the top of this cliff stands 6000 feet above sea level, and marks the beginning of the Great Antarctic Plateau. One interesting feature, however, is that during the Spring and Summer Months, snowmelt rains over the wall in the form of an ever-changing network of waterfalls which feed into the tributaries.
The Great Antarctic Plateau
Proving even more hostile than the Great Basin of Edom to the North, the Great Antarctic Plateau, presenting a cold and wintry desert wasteland year-round, is the only part of Ancondria left untouched by its native population. In fact, there is almost no life here, save for several species of bird and beast. Recently, scientific expeditions from Circlarian establishments have built encampments in various locations throughout the region, but doing so has required preparations for harsh conditions.
Early History
The human species of Juno Minor originated in the Great River Basin and migrated over the Northern Escarpment into the Mountains of the West and the Great Basin of Edom, which was lush and green at the time. Around 22'000 years ago, traveling clans discovered the Five Noble Mountains and its natural water filtration system, and established a permanent settlement. This settlement eventually became the ancient city of Edom and would govern all of Ancondria through a hierarchy of Elder Councils consisting of elders from the thousands of clans. Edom became a center of culture, philosophy, politics (which lay the original groundwork for the balance of power), medicine, spellfire study, and science. Governing by Councils and Mandates, the Great Society of Edom began harnessing the power of the yew tree and the lothar species, the latter of which provided a useful mode of transportation and also a tool for war. Over the next six thousand years, the Society prospered and began to expand its influence beyond Ancondria, exploring and settling first the thousands of tiny islands surrounding the landmass with this island group known today as the Grand Archipelago. The Great Society of Edom would then expand its influence to every landmass in the Circlarian Realm in the Northern Hemisphere.
Such advancements came with the genetic engineering of yew trees to produce greater seed yields in order to meet exploding demand. However, such early forms of genetic engineering came at a cost, depleting the soil of the Great Basin of Edom and leading to its desertification. With yew-tree-based technologies supporting the domestication of lothars and critical infrastructures, the collapse of the yew tree population eventually led to the collapse of the Great Society of Edom, itself, around 16'000 years ago. The clans would continue to govern themselves, surviving in their environments across the land, but the population experienced a gradual decline in the millennia that followed.
Recent History
An airship carrying a crew of scientists from the Early Republic of Retun, which as attempting to map the Grand Archipelago Southwest of the Mid-Westerlies, was temporarily blown off-course in a storm in 1263, which led the airship to drift within sight of the ancient landmass of Ancondria. A photographer by the name of Jason Witts captured the towering Northeast Ridges of the Peninsula of Ancondria, but mistook their snowy peaks for clouds. The photograph did not become the subject of wide speculation until it was cross-examined by Professor William Tarp from Cabotton University, who realized these "clouds" were mountains and began a string of investigations which discovered that there was some significant landmass not yet charted in modern maps. In the summer of 1268, a team of explorers in five grand airships flew in the direction that the photograph was taken, and came upon the landmass of Ancondria. News of the existence of the large continent in the Southern Hemisphere spread quickly throughout the Circlarian Realm, and before long, all the standing maritime powers send countless expeditions to explore, map, and establish permanent settlements in Ancondria.
The Federal Estates of Retun established two settlements in the region surrounding Silba in 1281, and then established a permanent embassy in 1299. In 1304, an international deal was signed, granting the area surrounding Silba from the Northeastward Silba River to the Silba South Meridian as territory for the Federal Estates, and the remaining surrounding territory to the International Cooperation of the Congress of Circlaria. The land belonging to the Federal Estates was officially named the Retunian Domain of Ancondria. After the 1309 Revolution, the territory occupied by the Federal Estates was, henceforth, territory of the Independent Commonwealth State of Retun.
The Independent Commonwealth State of Retun had control over the Retunian Domain of Ancondria with its boundaries set by the deal until 1370. In 1370, after having signed deals and compromises after the Esurchian War, the section of land extending from the Silba River to the East Silba Parallel was handed over to the Esurchians as an act of consolation toward them. In the remaining Retunian territories, local clans and businesses turned against the Commonwealth after decades of corrupt business practices and began boycotting them. In December 1375, the remaining territories was ceded by the Commonwealth to the sphere of International Cooperation. In 1380, in order to gain leverage in Ancondrian diplomacy, the Esurchians seceded their territories to the International Cooperation, so that all territory surrounding Silba was now under International Cooperation jurisdiction.
Clans and Congress of Circlaria entities continue to trade and function mutually throughout Ancondria, although there has been recent abrasion between the Congress and local Ancondrian entities in the Mountains of the West while Commonwealth influence has all but diminished. However, numerous educational institutions continue to conduct field studies of the ancient past while Ancondrians continue to visit and trade with Circlarians to this day.