Othard
“Othard, also known as the Far East, is the easternmost and smallest of Hydaelyn's Three Great Continents. It is presently part of the Garlean Empire, which is seated on the middle content of Ilsabard.
— In-game description
Othard is a landmass in Hydaelyn.
Othard is the easternmost continent, which has garnered it the name the Far East. It is the smallest of the continents, and like Aldenard is made up of several smaller islands surrounding the main land mass. The northern spires of this land are constantly covered in snow all year round. From these frozen peaks comes rivers of fresh water. These rivers come together to form the One River, a massive river flowing through the continent and the largest watercourse in all the Three Great Continents. The river passes through the Azim Steppe, the homeland of the Xaela Au Ra and winds through to Yanxia, a land controlled by Doma before the invasion of the Garlean Empire.
There exists a natural land bridge between Othard and Ilsabard, between it being covered in a mountain range and a deadly wasteland, Othard has remained fairly isolated, allowing for the cultures there to evolve with little to no input from other regions. Slowly they are catching up to other nations in terms of technological advancements, like Airships. However, this also invited the attention of the Garlean Empire, who viewed the nation of Othard as a group of underdeveloped, weak civilizations. For over two decades, Dalmasca and Doma were under Garlean rule.[1]
Geography
Greylic's Bend
Greylic's Bend is situated on the southernmost edge of Othard, and is known for its extraordinarily jagged shoreline. Large ships with deep draws routinely give the area a wide berth to avoid the many reefs that pepper its coastal waters.
Skatay Range
This range of precipitous mountains begins in the east of Othard, and extends west into Ilsabard. Had this natural barrier not shielded the region of Dalmasca from the barren wastes of the Burn to the north, the latter’s devastation may have spread even further southward.
The Burn
This land of ashen death is the result of rituals performed in the ancient past—a prolonged succession of primal summonings that leeched the area of all vitality. Its waterways were drained and corrupted beyond recovery, leaving the green foliage of plant life all but a distant memory. Owing its name to the seared appearance of the endlessly stark landscape, the Burn’s inhabitants are restricted to those creatures hardy enough to endure the impossibly dry conditions.
The Fanged Crescent
The Fanged Crescent is the area of Yanxia found on the west bank of the One River. If one imagines the mountain range coiled around Othard as a great serpent, then its head would hold this territory in its distended jaws.
The Bay Of Yanxia
This enormous bay is bounded by Yanxia to the south, the Azim Steppe to the west, and Ryakgyr Peninsula to the east.[2]
Zones
The Ruby Sea
Yanxia
The Azim Steppe
Other Regions
Dalmasca
Bozja
Nagxia
History
Lore
Othard, or the Far East, as it is commonly referred to by those living in the west, is the smallest of the Three Great Continents, yet much like Aldenard in that it is comprised of a main landmass and countless islands off its coasts. While Othard is longitudinally situated farther south than Ilsabard, the towering spires which line the region’s northern border are covered in snow year-round, and the land beyond them is permanently frozen. From these mountains trickles down the water which gives Othard life, eventually forming the One River—the longest and widest watercourse in all the Three Continents. This river passes through the great swath of grasslands in which the Auri Xaela clans live before winding through Yanxia—a fertile land that, until the recent invasion by the Garlean Empire, was controlled by the nation of Doma.
Though connected geographically, for thousands of years little interaction has taken place between Ilsabard and Othard, the main reason being combination of near-impassible mountain ranges and deadly wastelands which severely restrict all land routes. While coastal cities have experienced limited contact with the outside via trade, the overall isolation of Othard has allowed local cultures to evolve with little to no influence from the west. Only in the past two decades have things begun to change—the advent of airship technology thrusting open the once-closed doors of the Far East. However, this new exposure also served to alert the power-hungry Garleans of new territory ripe for the plucking and it was not long before the Empire had set their sights on Doma and Dalmasca—two nations which have since been brought under the imperial standard. [3]