Otaria

Small continent west of Taminagazin and south-east of Shiv.

Otaria is a continent in Dominarias southern hemisphere that did not figure into any tales
until after the Phyrexian Invasion. It survived that war relatively unscathed and was one of
the first areas to recover and grow powerful once more. As a result, many of the survivors
from other regions of Dominaria sought refuge on the continent. Despite all of this, many of
Otaria's cultures were warlike and barbaric, ruling by terror and arena combat. A century
after the Invasion the Mirari appeared there, initiating a destructive war that again
devastated much of the world. It is the primary location for the Odyssey and Onslaught
blocks.

Inhabitants and Wildlife

At least four groups of humans called Otaria home, including the nomads of the Daru
Plains, the Pardic barbarians, the Krosan druids, and the people of the Cabal. Besides
humans, Otaria was also home to many races, including dwarves, goblins, centaurs,
giants, ogres, and gorgons, as well as several found nowhere else, such as nantuko,
cephalids, and the various species of aven. After the Invasion, numerous other races
migrated to the continent in search of new homes, among them elves and minotaurs.
Many of Otaria's people were mutated into bizarre forms by the Mirari's influence. It's
unknown if all of these mutations bred true, though crookclaws at least survived into the
Time Spiral era. The continent also had an incredibly diverse (and spectacularly
dangerous) range of wildlife. Dragons, wurms, firecats, anurids, griffins, lhurgoyfs, orggs,
and a vast array of other beasts menaced Otaria's people. Zombies, vampires, specters,
and other undead were disturbingly common thanks to the Cabal. Later in Otaria's history
a plague of slivers was unleashed on the continent thanks to the Riptide Project. In
addition to these monstrous creatures, normal animals (squirrels, bears, elephants,
etcetera) were also common.

Cabal Holdings

The Cabal held most of the continent's eastern region. Most of Otaria's large cities were
under its influence.

Cabal City

Cabal City was a city located in Otaria that was controlled by the Cabal, and was the
capital of the organization. It was notable for its pit fighting. The Cabal Patriarch lived in a
huge mansion in Cabal City, from which he ran the city. The pit fights were used to
entertain the citizens, earn money for the city and the Cabal, and sometimes replaced
trials as a justice system in which claimants battled to resolve their cases. However, the
city was nearly destroyed when it was attacked by a Krosan dragon; later, it was
completely overrun by dementia creatures when Chainer usurped rulership of the Cabal
and exiled the Patriarch to Aphetto.
Chainer later lost control of the immense power granted to him by the Mirari in a pit fight
against Kamahl and the Order. Cabal power in the area had been greatly weakened, and
the city itself had suffered massive damage, so the city was abandoned and the Cabal
relocated to Aphetto.

Aphetto

Aphetto was a city on Otaria. Aphetto and its nearby swamps were home to members of
the Raven Guild, the Cabal, wizards, and zombies. It became the seat of power for the
Cabal Patriarch shortly before being destroyed by Karona.

The Cabal

The Cabal was an influential black-aligned organization on Otaria that was founded by
Virot Maglan in 4050 AR. It worshipped money and profit, with its "god" in reality being the
numena Kuberr.The Cabal performed a variety of functions in Otaria, the most famous and
profitable being its pit fights and other gladiatorial displays that Otarians could watch and
gamble on as a means of entertainment. The competitors in the pits included wild animals
taken from Krosa and the Pardic Mountains, slaves, horrors created by the Cabal's
specialist spellcasters the dementia summoners, professional gladiators earning a living
(such as Kamahl and Ixidor), and even ordinary people looking to settle disputes in a
violent but organized manner. Following the Phyrexian Invasion, the popularity of such
displays grew due to the breakdown of society and the subsequent harshness of life on
Otaria, resulting in a major expansion in the wealth and influence of the Cabal. The
structure of the Cabal was similar to an extended family, with members referring to each
other as brother and sister. At the head of the family was Maglan, who was referred to as
patriarch or pater. One key concept in the Cabal's hierarchy was that of secret names.
Every member of the Cabal was given a new cabalist name when they joined, while their
original name was kept as a secret that when spoken gave the speaker control over them.
The patriarch alone knew everyone's secret name and could therefore use it to control his
subjects. The Cabal had two major cities on Otaria. The first and foremost was the aptly
named Cabal City, which served as the capital of the organisation and the residence of the
Cabal Patriarch. The Cabal's second major city was Aphetto in the south. Although the city
was significantly smaller, less profitable, and more disordered than the capital, following
the Patriarch's exile to Aphetto and Cabal City's subsequent destruction by Chainer
Aphetto became the new center of Cabal activities. The Cabal also later built a third city
based around the Grand Coliseum which served as their new main base of operations.
They also created a presence in many other towns by building coliseums and running pit
fights in them. The Cabal's most persistent enemies were the Order, who found the
Cabal's exploitative nature, decadence, amorality, and profiteering morally despicable. In
return, the Cabal saw the Order as sanctimonious, self-righteous, uptight, intolerant
zealots. The two organizations frequently clashed, although neither had the strength to
eradicate the other. The reincarnated Kuberr took over the Cabal after the Patriarch's
death. It is unknown if the Cabal survived his death, however it is known that as of around
4500 AR, the Cabal is no more.
Daru Plains

The Daru Plains sprawl across the northern edge of the continent, and they are home to a
culture of nomadic humans. The Order is made up of many of these tribesfolk, and it is an
important force throughout the continent it rules the plains as the de facto government.
Though they are wanderers, the Daru nomads have built a fortification in the area as a
power center where the highest officer resides.

The Order

The Order was a White-aligned military/religious group based across Otaria during the
Odyssey and Onslaught cycles. Its primary member races were human nomads and aven
warriors. The Order was comprised of two seperate, although linked, branches: one
centered in the Northern plains of Otaria and one around the Southern Daru Plains. Their
belief system was based around a mysterious entity known as the Ancestor and around
the danger posed by magical artifacts, resulting from the damage caused by artifacts in the
Phyrexian Invasion. As a result, the Order's members sought out potentially dangerous
artifacts such as the Mirari and destroyed them. For this reason the Order repeatedly
came into conflict with Kamahl. The Order had a complex relationship with the Cabal.
Generally, the Order looked down upon them, but their actual approach towards dealing
with the Cabal varied depending on the leadership. Whilst some of the Order's members,
such as Teroh, regarded the Cabal as abhorrent and tried to launch crusades against it,
others were more pragmatic. Eesha entered into an alliance with the Cabal in order to
destroy the Mirari, whilst Kirtar regularly participated in pit-fights, if only to demonstrate the
superiority of the Order's training. Overall, neither the Order or the Cabal had sufficent
forces to destroy the other, so they were forced to tolerate each other. Following the
destruction of the Northern Order's citadel by Lieutenant Kirtar and the deaths of much of
its leadership, including Captain Pianna and Major Teroh, and the failure of Teroh's
crusade against the Cabal, the Northern Order largely fell apart. It still existed at the time
of Karona under the leadership of Commander Eesha, but its military presence was
heavily diminished. However, the Southern Order remained a significant power in Otaria at
least until the coming of Karona and possibly beyond.

Krosa

Krosa is a forest region on the continent Otaria. It is home to various species of large
animals, as well as to centaur, nantuko and human druids. Krosa is unusual for a
Dominarian forest, as it does not seem to feature any elves, which only live in the southern
forests of the continent. Notable natives of Krosa included Seton, Stonebrow and Thriss;
Kamahl eventually took residence in it too. Krosa was a frequent target of Cabal poachers,
who would capture fierce animals from the forest and bring them back to the pits to fight as
entertainment for the crowds. During the storyline, its foundations were corrupted by the
Cabal Patriarch. Later on, the barbarian turned druid, Kamahl, resided there, and it was he
who planted the Mirari there thinking that without a wielder the artifact would be harmless.
However its power was soaked into the entire continent and mutated the inhabitants,
especially those within the forest, transforming many of the beasts into enormous
monsters. This caused the animals of the forest to go mad, wildly attacking anyone that
entered the forest and even leaving the forest to attack surrounding farmsteads and
villages. Following Karona's apocalypse and the subsequent weakening of mana
throughout Dominaria, Krosa's trees decayed, leaving the forest a shadow of its former
grandeur. The druids remained, however, dedicating themselves to the memory of Kamahl
and restoring the forest's greatness. These druids included Zyd and Baru.

Nantuko

The Nantuko are a sentient race of mostly benevolent man-sized insects, who lived a life
of strong respect for nature and protected the Krosan Forest. Nantuko are most commonly
found in Krosa on Otaria, but have appeared on Urborg as well. The current fate of the
Nantuko race is unknown, as Krosa has been all but destroyed after the machinations of
Karona, the Mirari, and the time rifts. In the Time Spiral, there are mentions of Nantukos
still living in Urborg, and serving Lord Windgrace.

Otarian Centaurs

The forest of Krosa in Otaria was home to Dominaria's largest concentration of centaurs.
The Krosan centaurs were mighty warriors and contemplative druids who lived in harmony
with the forest's humans and nantuko. They sometimes participated in the Cabal-
sponsored pit fights that played an important part of the continent's society. Otarian
centaurs were huge creatures with muscular upper bodies and lower bodies like those of
heavy warhorses. They usually had doppled hindquarters. Many Otarian centaurs wore
their hair in such a way that gave them a leonine appearance. A second race of centaurs
also dwelt in Otaria. These centaurs were slight and wiry with the heads and lower bodies
of antelopes. They were more peaceful than the equine centaurs but lived peacefully
alongside them.

Mer Empire

A huge undersea power, the Mer Empire was a dominant force in Otaria. It was more
sophisticated than the land-bound cultures, with considerable magic forces held by its
primary occupants, the cephalids, and an advanced governing body of aristocrats holding
power under the imperial office. Cephalids were also skilled merchants, and the Mer
Empire held a wealth of treasures and fine craftsmanship, giving them considerable clout
among inland cultures. The Empire ran along the eastern coasts of the continent.

Balshan Bay

Toward the northeastern reaches of Otaria lay the wide inlet of Balshan Bay. A breed of
griffins is native to the area, as well as some aven and human communities noted for their
wizards.
Southern Cephalid Palace

The capital of the Mer Empire and its throne were at the Southern Cephalid Palace, off of
the continent's southeastern coast. Empress Llawan ruled here, her authority contested by
Emperor Aboshan in the North.

Cephalids

Cephalids are beings that live in the depths of the oceans surrounding the continent of
Otaria. They are anthropomorphic octopus-like creatures, having tentacles and a highly
flexible body whilst also having a more developed skeletal structure than normal octopi
possess. Cephalids are able to live outside water for a brief period, but they have difficulty
breathing air and dry out if they stay emerged for too long without magical aid. Originally,
they were a minor race below the merfolk within the Mer Empire, until a ploy by Laquatus
and Aboshan enabled them to access more powerful magic. Cephalids have a monarchic
system of government ruled over by an emperor and with a strong aristocratic hierarchy.
They were once ruled by Emperor Aboshan, though after his demise, his estranged wife
Llawan became the empress. In general they are greedy creatures that want nothing more
than power and control. Cephalids tend to be extremely cunning and manipulative, often
plotting behind people's backs in an effort to climb up the social ladder. As a result, high-
ranking cephalids tend to be either extremely paranoid or fall victim to assassins.
Cephalids dislike most other races, with particular hatred being reserved for air-breathers,
including both surface dwellers and sea mammals such as whales and seals. They also
have great contempt for the sea creatures living near the bottom of the ocean. One race of
creatures that does sometimes agree with them are the merfolk, though they see
themselves at a higher standing after having overthrown the merfolk imperial family in the
past.

Pardic Mountains

The Pardic Mountains are a large mountain range on Otaria. They stretch across the
center of the continent from the edge of Krosa in the north to Wirewood Forest and the
Daru Plains in the south. They were home to a variety of species, including dwarves,
several tribes of human barbarians, firecats and other wild beasts, plus a number of
goblins that were largely restricted to the Skirk Ridge. Notable people from the mountains
include Kamahl, Jeska and Balthor. By the time of the Time Spiral crisis, the human
barbarians of the northern Pardic range had become extinct, but the Skirk goblins
continued to eke out a meager existence. The fate of the dwarves is unknown.

Wirewood Forest

Wirewood is a forest in the Dominarian continent of Otaria. Located in the continent's

southern reaches, Wirewood borders on the Skirk Ridge of the Pardic Mountains. Unlike
tangled Krosa to the north, Wirewood Forest is open and airy, its boughs primarily of birch
and other thin-trunked trees. Wirewood is home to Otaria's only elves, many of whom
migrated there from other parts of the world after their homes were destroyed in the
Phyrexian Invasion of Dominaria. Due to the influence of the Mirari, many of the elves
mutated into green-skinned plant creatures, some of them of immense size.