Irrla

(EAR-la)

• A large island in the Green Sea
  Located in the Eastern Green Sea

Irrla, as it is called by its human inhabitants, is a large mountainous island in the middle of the Green Sea. It is a temperate island with an oceanic climate, with cool, rainy summers broken by the occasional week of hot dry weather, and cool, damp winters with little snow, except in the interior mountains. Despite its climate and central position, it is lightly settled. The northern and western coasts of Irrla are dangerous and difficult for ships, with shifting shoals and unpredictable currents extending far into the Green Sea. The interior of Irrla is a land of rocky highlands, steep mountains, deep valleys, and the occasional volcano, making travel difficult in the best of conditions.

The Republic of Svolhas occupies the southeastern coast of Irrla, mostly along the fertile strip of agricultural land in the coastal lowlands. These fertile lowlands are bordered to the north and west by the rough, rolling hills of the interior, filled with deep valleys and cascading rivers. The northeastern border of the Republic of Svolhas is heavily fortified by a line of castles, because the eastern point of Irrla is occupied by hobgoblins. These hobgoblins are largely organized into competing pirate clans, who make a living raiding the shipping of the Green Sea.

In the DR 1740s, the Skullcleaver Clan clan has achieved some degree of lasting dominance over the other hobgoblins, and has increasingly turned its attention to coastal raids. In response, the Republic of Svolhas, not historically a major naval power, has begun to rapidly build up its maritime forces.