Gate III

Gate III is the only natively inhabited world in the Gate Dimension. The land in Gate is divided into five continents, and boasts four oceans.

Map of Gate III

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/5728/newgatedt4.jpg

Continents

Medina

The name of this large, roughly kidney-shaped landmass refers to its position in the "center of the world." Medina is home to the Republic of Medina. Major cities on the continent include Medina City, Coast Town, Zealingrad, Mount Heckran and Aringail. Medina's population is a mixture of Mystics and Humans.

Guardia Proper

Northwest of Medina, this is the continent on which the Kingdom of Guardia has its capital, the city of Truce. Other cities on the continent include Bangor, Arris, Trann and Proto. The islands of Taban's Island and Keeper's Island lie to the Southeast and are considered part of Guardia Proper. Guardia Proper is connected to the Zenan Continent by way of Zenan Bridge.

Zenan

The planet's largest continent lies directly south of Guardia Proper, connected to the north by one of the architectural wonders of the Web, Zenan Bridge. Major cities include New Dorino, Denadoro, Porre and Port Banteau.

The El Nido islands are also considered part of the Zenan continent. They lie to the Southeast of Porre.

Geno

The continent of Geno is comprised of two large islands -- Sunland and Geno Proper -- directly East of Medina's Northeasternmost province. Minor settlements dot the islands, and the only major city is the city of Geno itself.

Chorras

Chorras lies directly South of Geno Proper. It is comprised of the Chorran Mainland and the island called the Giant's Claw. Major cities on the Chorran Mainland include Cyrus Keep, Port Toma, North Chorras and South Chorras. Chorras' population is mixed between Reptites and Humans.

Oceans

It should be noted that none of Gate III's oceans are actually called "oceans." Early mapmakers found that none of the names they came up with sounded as nice with "ocean" attached to it; so into modern times the four oceans are called "seas." (purely for the sake of euphony)

Sea of Zenan

Separates the West coast of Zenan from the East coast of Chorras. The Sea of Zenan is very cold and rough, and was difficult for early mariners to traverse safely. The Sea of Zenan boasts a single oceanic gate; it is beneath the water's surface, and opens on the other side just south of Tasnicaport.

Chusekai Sea

A much calmer, warmer ocean than the Zenan, the first explorers to discover Chorras did so by making the long voyage across the Chusekai. Chusekai produces most of Gate III's more hostile weather patterns, churning up hurricanes and tropical storms in the late summer months. Most of these storms never make landfall due to favorable wind patterns, but on occassion Port Toma, Port Banteau, El Nido or the southern Medinan islands will be buffeted by a particularly nasty storm system.

Sea of Lavos

The smallest of Gate III's oceans, this body of water was formerly known as the Guardian Sea. It was renamed in 1999 AD following the Day of Lavos, as great earthquakes created tidal waves from the center of this ocean that slammed into Eastern Guardia and Western Medina. At the close of the Cleansing Wars, Defiler-modified U-missiles were detonated beneath the surface of the Sea of Lavos, causing unprecedented devastation to the underwater ecosystem. The death and damage caused by the release of such potent defiling magic left a stain: a patch of brown-tinged water called simply the Blight. The Blight does not appear to be spreading, but it has harmed local fishing industry in Proto and Western Medina. The Blight seems to resist all efforts to reverse its damage, and even today the full extent of how the Blight has harmed Gate III's biosphere is not fully known.

Medinan Sea

This ocean stretches from Eastern Medina to Western Guardia Proper, with Geno in between and Chorras touching its southern edge. After the formation of the Blight, Medina refocused its fishing harvests in the Medinan Sea to offset the loss of substantial food sources in the Sea of Lavos. This put a strain on Genoan fisheries, which had previously not had to suffer such intense competition from the Medinans. Rivalries between Medinan and Genoan fishermen out on the open sea have recently become violent.

Smaller Bodies of Water

Cyrus Bay

A bay formed by the Toman peninsula, separated from the larger Medinan Sea by the Giant's Claw island.

Sea of El Nido

A small region of the Chusekai that contains the Porrean Islands and the El Nido islands.