The Gaea Projects

This post is about the geographical archipelago. For the unified nation under the same name, see Kinsman Kingdoms.

Situated north of Aquitaneve’s Frostvik coast, the Kinsman Isles form an archipelago that includes the main islands of Grantholm, Thistleford, Frjordvik, Birkeney, and Frostgard, along with hundreds of smaller, mostly uninhabited and unnamed islets. The archipelago is considered the border between the North Atlan Ocean to its west and the Nidavann Sea to its east. As well the stretch of land is believed to be how the Human-Dwarve common ancestor traveled northward to Nida during prehistoric forever-winters. As seen in the Fifth Era the Northend Ice Sheet can reach North Rhea during even the mildest of winters during a forever-winter, as such it is likely that the many fjords found on the islands were carved out by a similar event in Gaea’s long history.

Grantholm is the largest of the islands and is home to the majority of Human settlements. The center of the island is the Lochland mountain range home to several active volcanos including the range’s highest peak: Kilda’s Cry, which sits at a height of 944 m. Surrounding the volcanic range is a bevy of fertile lands created by millennia of eruptions.

The climate across the Kinsman Isles is cold and temperate, varying by region. The northern islands experience near-constant snowfall, while the southern islands face frequent freezing rains. The southern peninsula, however, has a milder climate, making it more suitable for habitation by Humans and Atlan, though Dwarven ruins dot the island of Frostgard.

The islands’ sub-Northend conditions create challenging ecosystems. Vegetation consists of tough grasses and hardy trees, adapted to the harsh environment, while wildlife includes predators like wolves and prey such as deer and hares. In prehistory, dense forests covered much of the islands, and native Humans preserved these for firewood and hunting, avoiding large-scale clearing. The arrival of the Atlan in 178 of the First Era introduced limited deforestation on the southern peninsula to establish settlements. The Atlan settlers faced an aggressively stubborn ecosystem compared to their homelands, even forcing them to change their farming techniques to compete with the invasive native grasses that tend to quickly take over farmland if it is left unattended.

Over time, large predators like drakes, wyverns, bears, and wyrms were hunted to extinction, with few records remaining. Smaller wyvern species persist in remote areas, and animals like rabbits, foxes, hares, hedgehogs, and stoats remain common. The Downfall Event, marking the transition from the Fourth to the Fifth Era, led to the appearance of new species, including Faeries and Pixies, which now inhabit the islands.