Ravenor - Home of the Sea Giants

(Background | Geography | Inhabitants )

1. Background: Ravenor is the home of the reclusive Sea Giants (based on the Giants from the Thomas Covenant books by Steven R. Donaldson). Until recently (2134 AG) no one outside its inhabitants and a few Taydarin elves had ever set foot on the island.

    

2. Geography: Located approximately 300 miles west-north-west of Telperion, Ravenor is the homeland of the Shota r'Thellarin (Sea Giant for People of the Sea). The island resembles a squashed crescent, with the end points nearly coming together. Some scholars say that the islands shape resembles that of a great beast. The island is largely covered by a series of mountain ranges and there are several volcanoes, helping make what open land there is, highly fertile. There are a number of valleys scattered across the island and these hold a number of interesting features.
   
   Ravenor has a large natural port, the Gulf of Criannon (named for a past king), entrance to the bay is made by passing between the end points of the crescent, and is guarded by a maze of large rocks both above and below the surface. While not as difficult to navigate as the coral reef maze of Telperion, any but the most experienced captains are doomed to run aground. Dominating the gulf is a large, dormant volcano, Kranith r'Felliroth (The Sleeping Giant). The shores of the gulf are ringed by hills or mountains except for part of the southern coast of rocky wastelands and the extreme western shore where lies the city of Ravenor. The western shore is also the mouth of the largest valley on the island, where the sea giants have homes and raise livestock and various crops.
   
   There are six other volcanoes located across the island, four are active, two are dormant.

   1. Active Volcanoes

      1. Zûl Asier (Hell's Maw) - Located at the head of a large valley on the northwest portion of the island

      2. Zûl Gruath (Hell's Cauldron) - Located near the western coast

      3. Tek r'Noitar (Mountain of Fire) - Located south-south-east of the city of Ravenor

      4. Asier r'Varn (Mouth of Doom) - Located on the southeastern portion of the island
          

   2. Dormant Volcanoes

      1. Tek-drosta r'Noitar (Peak of the Fire Lizards) - Located on the northern coast, home to a mated pair of red dragons (Inferno and Firestar).

      2. Zûl Yarnosta (Hell's Furnace) - Located at the northern rim of the great valley

   Just west of Hell's Furnace is a large Krazileyu r'Rednammoc (Krazileyu's Lair), a 1000' wide and 100' deep "sinkhole" that the Sea Giants use to dispose of garbage, waste, dead bodies, etc. At the bottom of this "sinkhole" lives the creature known as Krazileyu. The creature resembles a huge, upside-down jellyfish, and can digest nearly any substance. Krazileyu is an intelligent, yet mild-tempered creature who is content to eat and sleep. It is unknown when or from which plane of existence the creature came to be on Ravenor, but it is definitely not a native of Ghoraja Juun. Some scholars believe that Krazileyu was saved from destruction by Khurne and brought to Ravenor.
   
   Due south of the 'Sleeping Giant' is the Volok r'Mendiira (Valley of Darkness), a steep sided, rock filled valley dominated by a deep chasm, Asier r'Mendiira (Mouth of Darkness). Several hundred feet down into the chasm is a large opening, the only entrance to the Under-Realm on Ravenor. Further down into the chasm is the lair of Aidemitlum, a large, very old, Deep Dragon. Aidemitlum or 'Heart of Darkness' as he likes to call himself, rules this area of the Under-Realm. On rare occasions he will leave his lair and make short forays to the surface, but the presence of Firestar and Inferno keep these visits to a minimum.
    

   The great valley runs from the western shore of the Gulf of Criannon to within a few miles of the islands western coast. It is in this valley that the Sea Giants have their homes, raise crops and livestock, and build their great stone ships. The eastern end of the valley is dominated by the settlement of Ravenor, a majority of the Sea Giants make their homes here, others live in the hills and mountains nearby. A great portion of the valley is covered with rolling grasslands, used primarily for livestock. The western end of the valley is primarily farmland, the soil is nutrient-rich due to ever present volcanic activity. In the central valley is a small forest that the giants harvest and maintain with a ambitious replanting schedule.
   
   The seas around Ravenor are somewhat rough, storms are frequent and often violent. Due to the large number of volcanoes in the area, the water around the island is an almost constant 70 degrees. Aquatic life is abundant and supplies the Sea Giants with vast quantities of food and other resources.
    

3. Inhabitants:
    
   1. Sea Giants - The Sea Giants of Ravenor are a good-natured people. they spend much of their time sailing the seas of Ghoraja Juun in their great ships. Though preferring not to deal with humans or demi-humans, they will on rare occasions visit the cities of other races.
      
      Sea Giants are a happy people, taking great joy in their simple but fulfilling lives. It takes much to alter their mood, and even more to anger them, and an angry Sea Giant is a terrible sight to behold.
      
      They dress in simple, but sturdy clothing dyed in a wide variety of colors. They are little jewelry or ornamentation, other than those which mark or signify their status as an elder, chief, ship's captain or war chief. They are masters of stone craft, rivaling and perhaps even surpassing the Stone Dwarves. They take great pride in their craftwork and utilize the natural shape of the rock they are working as much as possible. Sea Giant sculpture is highly sought after by other races. They are fond of poetry, especially adventurous epics. These literary pieces are of considerable length, and often take hours to recite. Sea Giant music is generally upbeat and typically played with horns and drums, though flutes or guitars/lutes are sometimes used. Most artwork has a sea-faring motif with sea creatures, ships, and various islands being most prevalent.
      
      Sea Giants venerate several members of the Ithrak-Nyn. Droghaan has the greatest following, with Tomival and Zamora worshipped to a lesser degree. Their religious ceremonies are much the same as day-to-day life, simple and full of joy.
      
      Sea Giants have a strength roughly equivalent to that of a Cloud Giant, and they are immune to fire (both mundane and magical). Adult Sea Giants have the ability to cast Stone Shape (1x/day), and Transmute Rock to Mud [or reverse] (1x/week).
      
      They are generally on friendly terms with Reef Giants and Eridarin (Aquatic) Elves as well as other good-aligned aquatic races.
       
   2. Reef Giants - A small clan/group of Reef Giants live among the rocks and reefs at the entrance to the Gulf of Criannon. They are on good terms with the Sea Giants and often accompany them on long sea voyages in order to visit other locales across Ghoraja Juun.
       
   3. Aquatic (Eridarin) Elves - Approximately 15 miles off of the northeast coast of Ravenor lies the Eridarin city of Chaceldowyn. The population of this city is unknown, though from what little contact there has been, it seem to be considerable.
       
   4. Red Dragons - Layerhu (Inferno) and TekNokta (Firestar), a mated pair, dwell in one of the dormant volcanoes. They are both large, adults and came to Ravenor approximately 250 years ago. They rarely bother the giants as they have little the dragons value and they know the giants, if angered, are quite capable of destroying them.
       

 

(Background | Geography | Inhabitants)