Ija

Ija is a newly discovered island on the planet of Toril, located south of Zakhara. It is bounded by the Great Sea to the south and east, and the Crowded Sea to the north and west.

Large and varied in geography, Ija mysteriously sprang from the ocean barely a decade ago. It quickly became known as the Crucible of the Gods, since both deities and mortals alike rushed to stake their claims, eager to discover the island's origin and harness its resources. Waves of settlers founded various city states, the largest of which are locked in a fraught and constant battle for supremacy.

Geography & Environment
Ija measures some 1,000 miles east to west, and 500 miles north to south, and is noticeably warmer than most of Faerûn, thanks to its equatorial climate. Boasting swamps, marshes, rivers, lakes, forests, woods, jungles, hills, plains, mesas, and wastelands, Ija is home to the tallest mountains in all of Toril, including a supervolcano.

City States & Territories

 * Flotsam
 * The Maesim Delta
 * Singadale
 * Halami Summit
 * The Blessed Plains
 * The Boneyard
 * Elhambra
 * The Elhambran Wastes
 * Kruha
 * The Rezik Foothills
 * Aruniko
 * Galea
 * Lake Dorsumere
 * The Rymlyanyn Expanse
 * Udens
 * The Embrace
 * Talonnar
 * The Fjordan Peaks
 * Tanglewood
 * Houba

Wild Areas

 * The Forest of Velun
 * Myri's Swamp
 * The Buluzi Wilds
 * Demongrove
 * The Asperan Coast
 * The Dungnham Range
 * Mount Dungnham


 * The Bay of Sighs

Demographics
Out of the 68,000,000 people living in Faerûn, just shy of 2,000,000 have migrated to Ija in the decade since its discovery. Though most intelligent species are represented, the island doesn't seem to have any physical connection to the Underdark, limiting access for Drow, Duergar, Deep Gnomes, and Illithids.

Politics
Ija is dominated by six main city states: Flotsam, Singadale, Kruha, Galea, Elhambra, and The Boneyard. The relationships between these protonations are complex and unstable, ranging from tentative trade between Singadale and Flotsam to all out war between Elhambra and The Boneyard. Smaller settlements, such as Tanglewood, Aruniko, and Talonnar, mostly keep to themselves, relying on their geographical seclusion to discourage outsiders, and refuse to engage in the messy interactions that characterise the rest of the island.

Discovery, & The Founding Of Flotsam
No one knows where Ija came from, not even the gods. The giant landmass emerged from the water some time after the Second Sundering, when Abeir and Toril were split once more, causing the seas to settle and recede. Ija was first discovered by the Genasi elementalist Ninyo, a corsair shipwrecked during an intense battle south of Zakhara. After favourable tides carried him to a new land, seemingly untouched and uninhabited, Ninyo, ever the opportunist, called on the spirits of the water to return him home, where he recruited many of his fellow pirates to sail with him, and claim the mysterious island as their own. Thus, Flotsam was born.

For a time, the settlers revelled in their freedom, living off the island's abundance, raiding and trading as their fancy or need dictated. But pirates, even ex-pirates, are loose lipped, especially when happy and drunk. Soon, word of the island and its bounty began to spread, and other pioneers arrived, keen to carve out their own piece of the pie. Wary of losing his influence, Ninyo began to impose a semblance of order on Flotsam, guarding against hostile takeovers by the various delegations, colonizers, and missionaries that came through the burgeoning port. In the face of such organised chaos, and with the rest of the island barely explored, waves of immigrants moved on to establish themselves elsewhere, with varying degrees of success.

Galea
First came the Primarchs, intellectuals and warriors seeking to escape the influence of the gods, to deduce the island's origin, and to establish an unrivalled bastion of knowledge, far from the prying eyes of zealots and fools. For a time, uneasy though it was, they considered Flotsam their new home, but were eventually driven to distraction by the debauchery, disorder, and anti-intellectualism of its denizens. Forging a path further inland, the Primarchs laid claim to the verdant pastures and thriving waterways to the south of the great lake at the centre of the island. They ruled these lands, named the Rymlyanyn Expanse, from the marble edifice of Galea, an elegant city cradled between two mighty rivers, overlooking a towering waterfall.

Singadale
Next came the Tabaxi. Seeking escape from the crowded lands of Faerûn, the catfolk braved the seas in huge numbers, but found no refuge in the teeming port of Flotsam. Even once they had decided to move on, the Tabaxi could not agree on a destination. Devotees of Nobanion, drawn by tales of a giant winged lion they believed to be his avatar, settled the arable lands on the western arm of the Embrace, aptly dubbed the Blessed Plains. But many of the catfolk could not resist the call of the Buluzi Wilds, thick, humid jungles reminiscent of their native Maztica. Nobanion's faithful founded the fledgling kingdom of Singadale, Ija's second biggest city, and an important, if reluctant, trade partner of Flotsam, providing much of the city's food. The latter group scattered amongst the rainforests in the shadow of Mount Dungnham, soon cutting off all contact with the outside world.

The Boneyard
A second, doubly doomed expedition was led by a breakaway faction of the Red Wizards of Thay. Disgusted by the mercantile bent their brotherhood had taken, and determined to return the organisation to its former glory, a cabal of unscrupulous mages were drawn to Ija, and Flotsam, by tales of a chaotic and untamed land, ripe for the picking. Ninyo, however, was no fool. Foreseeing the threat, he riled up his compatriots, appealing to their sense of freedom, the founding principle of Flotsam. Thanks to his efforts, the Red Wizards' attempts to infiltrate the city and claim it as their own were met with staunch resistance. The carnage was so widespread that the waters ran red with blood for miles, as remembered every year on Crimsontide. Ninyo was elected Merchant Prince, while the Red Wizards, chastened and shattered, retreated to the opposite end of Ija, settling on a small island that choked the entrance to a bay mirroring the Embrace. Their losses had been so great, however, that an ambitious young necromancer called Nave took advantage of the weakness and dissent amongst the failed leadership to seize power. Disavowing the Red Wizards, she named herself Queen of Corpses, ruling over the Boneyard, a dark and twisted land where the living are outnumbered by the dead.

Elhambra
The last great migration was spearheaded by the followers of Tempus. Wary of the newly-elected Merchant Prince, and respectful of his prowess as a warrior and leader, they resolved not to test his mettle, instead using Flotsam as a staging ground for their pilgrimage. For months, believers gathered in their thousands, preparing for the arduous journey across the island. Though all the most fertile lands had been claimed, the faithful were not discouraged. The Crusaders, as they came to be known, believed that the glory of Tempus was with them, and that he would reward them with the gift of strength for emerging victorious against both the dangers of the journey, and against the land itself. First sailing across the Embrace to Singadale, then traversing the rest of Ija on foot, they finally reached the unforgiving wastes of the north west, where their faith was vindicated. Beneath the harsh terrain, the hills were rich with metals and minerals, a glorious bounty for those with the strength to take it. In Tempus' name, the Crusaders founded Elhambra, mining his blessings to mass produce constructs. These they needed to keep the neighbouring armies of the dead at bay, a war they considered their sacred duty, and the greatest of his gifts.

Hidden Waves
Plenty of other creatures and races found their way to Ija without passing through Flotsam, or any other known port. At some point, no one knows when, orcs invaded the Rezik foothills, establishing the city of Kruha. The provenance of Talonnar and Tanglewood is also unknown, whereas Udens seems to predate Flotsam altogether. Besides intelligent species, all manner of savage and unusual beasts stalk the island. Where they came from, who can say, but they make Ija a dangerous place to live, work, and travel, especially for the unobservant.