Daventry continent

Daventry is the name of the continent that which the Kingdom of Daventry is located. (though the continent is also known as Serenia at times). The continent has changed shape and size depending over the years often through the influence of magic. Primarily it refers to the continent during the years when the northern half of the continent along with most of Serenia had gone missing. Daventry is one of the main continents in the world of Daventry.

Background
According to Derek Karlavaegen's "crude" and heavily stylized maps, Daventry is the name of the entire eastern continent where the major nations of Serenia and Daventry are located, along with many lesser nations. However in his notes he refers to the continent as the continent of "Serenia". Though Alexander refers to the continent as "Daventry", in his interview with Derek. Derek also refers to the continent of Daventry in his earliest notes as well (these were written during a period when all or most of the kingdom of Serenia was missing).

The land of Serenia lies in the north beyond the 'great mountains' to the north and Westering Mountains. The Endless Desert lies to the northwest. While Daventry is located in the south of the continent. Not so many years ago, it is said the great Wizard Harlin used his powerful magic to move the Great Mountains north and east of the woods of Serenia and created a vast ocean in between and dividing the continent in two. Most of continent was missing. He surrounded the small village of Serenia he had created vast deserts (he had shifted the Endless Desert around the village itself). He put a chasm between the desert and the woods. These were created to be obstacles to prevent his enemies from reaching him. He had moved much of the continent of Serenia to a place referred to as the North. At the time what was left of kingdom of Serenia itself consisted of unnatural desert he created, and some woods to the north. What was left was a very small location on the northern edge of the continent then known as Daventry. At this time there were only four great countries of the world.

Over the years, the continent saw more disasters as a Three-headed Dragon tore across the continent, and settled in Daventry and great earthquakes ripped it apart, creating the Great Tear in the kingdom of Daventry itself.

Some time later, Gwydion landed at the foot of the mountain range that had been exposed to the seas on the northern coast of the small continent, the northern half of the continent and most of Serenia was still missing (it is said the shape of the world is always changing do to magic, and Harlin's magic was great). The shore he had landed on lay close to the edge of the kingdom of Daventry, which was located in a valley between two mountain ranges at the time (a river flowing through the valley). Derek's maps sent around the time of early (KQ4 era) show that most of Serenia was still missing. His map shows the kingdom of Daventry taking up most of the entire continent (and the notes correspond as well ). He doesn't mention any other lesser lands or kingdoms that shared the continent, though there is evidence and referencers to at least a few others that existed during the period. In later revisions of his correspondence, he mentions other western or southern kingdoms around Daventry, and that these come and go as if by magic.

Sometime later in the same year, as great magics were released across the continent to heal the damage created by both the earthquakes that had rent the land, as well as the land destroyed by the dragon, the northern half of the continent was restored to its original location (in time for Graham to visit the kingdom).

The Land of Serenia disappeared again, along with most of the world, during the time of the cataclysm leaving only a small flat disk centered on the Kingdom of Daventry and the surrounding lands. During this period waters from the swamp and lava from the Barren region poured off the edge of the world. As was explained at this time, the Frozen Reaches lay to the northern edge of the world, and naught lay beyond.

Interestingly enough, the fish off the coast of Llewdor distinguish between the Kingdom of Daventry and the continent of Daventry. One of the fish mentions it would be impossible to swim across the ocean to reach Daventry, and once there he'd still have to cross the mountains to get back to the kingdom. In addition the magic map version of the chart, also makes reference to the continent; "Route to Daventry".

Lands

 * Kingdom of Daventry
 * Sovereignty of Serenia (kingdom of Serenia)
 * Vale of Willows
 * Plains of Jed
 * Zakizga
 * Old Wood (Old Woods)
 * Lycathia
 * Cumberland
 * Chouen
 * Sideria
 * Vale of Obscurity
 * Dale of Solitude
 * Cumberford
 * Duchy of the Solicitous Boar (cursed desert)
 * Kingdom of Sorrow
 * Land of the Leprechauns
 * Underground Realm of the Gnomes
 * Barren Region
 * Sirenia
 * Monticore
 * Greys
 * Herenna
 * The Swamp
 * Morton
 * Mertili
 * Herenna

Landmarks

 * Twin Pillars of the Moon
 * Pit of the Laburnum

Seas

 * Western Sea
 * Northern Sea
 * Southern Sea
 * Great Sea Ocean

Mountains

 * Spasky Hills
 * Great Mountains
 * Glass Mountains
 * Hibestian Range
 * Westering Mountains
 * Frozen Reaches
 * Paradise Lost
 * Door into Mountain and Land of the Clouds

Geography
Daventry's position on the continent has appeared to shifted at various times throughout Daventry's history. At times it made up most of the continent, with most surrounding lands apparently vanished (around the time Harlin uses his spells to rip half of Serenia to the North). Daventry Castle at this time was shown to be to the southwest side of the continent, although with the magical law of "containment" this may have been misleading or illusion, though this seems to be confirmed in his later second set of maps. "Containment" or magical shifting geography at least explains how the castle appears west of Door into Mountain in Derek's early map and later lies northwest of the door (directly south of Great Mountains) during Alexander's journey. There are of course scale issues to take into consideration, as most of the landmarks shown on the early map, or any later maps, are probably portrayed on the map much larger than the locations they really represent. Also of note for scale the Western Sea between Daventry and Llewdor only appears to lie a day apart from each other, and Castle Daventry lies less than a day from the northern shore and mountains to the castle (during the events of KQ3).

Although it is unclear how long Harlin's magic had divided the continent in two, and when it first began (though Derek's first map of the kingdom of Daventry may suggest it occured before KQ1), it is known that some lesser lands and kingdoms were still in place between the time Graham became king, and the great-three headed dragon started its rampage. At least a portion of Serenia and the Endless Desert, must have remained on the northern edge of the continent, though the other half was ripped to the north. Sections of Great Mountains were taken to the north, but other sections remained (which Graham had to climb to reach the Land of the Clouds, and which Alexander had to cross to get into Daventry). The Spasky Hills and Westering Mountains may have made up parts of this range. Derek's first map portrays Daventry as taking up least 90% of the continent, with exception of a beach-like (or small desert-like) area on northwest shore and mountain ranges to the north and northeast (likely to represent the beach Alexander landed at, and the mountains he had to cross) years later.

In the period between KQ2 and KQ3, before the dragon came, Daventry itself is described as being four hundred eighty-seven heptans square in size during this period. There were mentions of other smaller lands and kingdoms (Daventry itself appears to be surrounded by lesser lands on all sides), some lieing to the north, and other to the south of the kingdom. The KQ3 manual even mentions the dragon traveling through some northern kingdoms on its path of destruction toward's Daventry (and Derek makes reference to some putting up walls between the shrinking kingdom and their own kingdoms to keep the Dragon's damage contained as best as possible). Some of the other lands include the Plains of Jed and Zakizga to the south, the plains lie about four weeks from Daventry. Or Westering Mountains, Spasky Hills, Vale of Willows to the north, and the Twin Pillars of the Moon to the west of Daventry. Even the land of Serenia is hinted at during this period (although its unclear if in context its talking about the old complete pre-Harlin Serenia, or the remnants of Serenia within the desert somewhere on the northern coast), Daventry is at least in context considered a 'surrounding land'. Though it is unclear if any of the maps of the continent have enough scale to include these lands or landmarks (particurarly Derek's first map used to represent the period between KQ1 and KQ4), or if they 'vanished' at times as well.

Also during this period are lands described to the east of Daventry beyond the eastern Old Woods leading up into the Glass Mountains, and the Kingdom of Sorrow (a small valley up in the eastern mountain ranges). Somewhere among these eastern ranges is also the Hibestian Range (and the Vale of Obscurity). The eastern mountain range is described as lieing, 'west of the sea'. The mountain ranges (including the Glass Mountains and Hibestian Range) and the valley where the Kingdom of Sorrow was located, lies a little over a week's travel from Daventry proper on foot. There is four miles between the castle and the eastern portion of the Old Woods. There are some clues that suggest that travel from Daventry to the Glass Mountains is less than 100 miles (on first day of his trip for example between the castle and leaving the Old Woods he travelled a little over 14 miles total, also it mentions it would take nearly a hundred miles to make a detour south from ferry crossing to find the main crossing, and make it around back to the mountains), and the sea not far beyond that. This could suggest that the Great Mountain range seen in Derek's early map, and Glass Mountains, and other ranges roughly correspond to the same area.

In addition there is reference to "Sea of Barnacles" lieing three thousand miles west of the Hibestian Range and Vale of Obscurity. This would either suggest that the continent was three thousand miles across (did parts of western continent vanish during the time of KQ3/4?), or that Ice Faeries completely left the continent and settled elsewhere in the world. However, See No Weevil does make a reference to the 'western sea' and does at least suggest that Daventry is close enough to it for wind to blow in from the sea into the kingdom of Daventry during the spring. As noted Derek places castle Daventry roughly southwest of the continent in his early map (opposite end from the eastern mountain range). The scale issue being a problem since it is only about 11 days between the castle and the mountain range (in Kingdom of Sorrow), and less than a day between the northwest ocean and the castle (in KQ3). However, Castle Daventry's location is never all that consistent when comparing all the sources (as mentioned above).

Although coming in from a northerneastern trajectory in KQ3, Alexander was still considered traveling over the 'Western Sea' during his landing, rather than the Northern Sea. So technically the sea seen in Wizard and the Princess could also be the Western Sea (although its inclusion did inspire the Northern Sea as seen in KQ5).

Shortly before the time of KQ5, during the time that the Kingdom of Daventry was being restored after the destruction of the great three-headed dragon, much of the northern part of continent and the kingdom of Serenia was restored. Derek Karlavaegen's map at the time was crude and probably not to scale, shows the Castle Daventry to still lie near athe southwestern edge of the continent, southwest of Daventry's many lakes (much as it had in Derek's previous map when Daventry took up most of the continent). The map was simple, and does not record most of the mountains that have existed or do exist at later times. Instead it shows a single chain traveling roughly north-south direction dividing the continent in half from east to west. With the kingdom of Serenia and the kingdom of Daventry taking up the western side of the continent. A river flowing into Daventry's lakes divides the Serenia from Daventry. The mountains Alexander crossed are not shown, and are suspiciously absent (be that Derek simply forgot to record the mountains, or if the mountains had somehow disappared at that time). Though Derek does seem to note that Alexander at one point crossed into those mountains apparently traveling west to reach the western sea and defeat the pirates. In KQ5 at least there are hints of hills or mountains lieing behind the valley where the castle was located (though they look to be miles away), and Graham is show to flies over some granite outcroppings and a random mountain divided by a great river on his way to Serenia (with other mountains shown in the distance), though none of these look that particuarly grand or noteable (however, by the time he reaches that point, he may already be beyond Daventry's boarders, and may have passed any larger mountain ranges). When he actually reaches Serenia, one can also see plenty of granite outcrops as well from above, likely the edge of the Great Mountains (though these are obscured from the ground by the forests). Back to Derek's map, the eastern half of the continent beyond the mountains shows a large penninsula in the southeast of the continent, and a somewhat thinner beach area to the north of it, near where Ancient Mariner's hut would be located if it was shown on the map.

Between this time and Derek's next map, there is mention of the land Lycathia lieing somewhere near Daventry (although there is little known as to what direction or position, although its likely just beyond the Old Woods).

Around the time of KQ6, Derek updated his maps again, this time showing more mountain ranges on the continent. A river (similar in appearance to the river on his previous map) runs east-west parallel to one of the mountain ranges (was this the mountain range that Alexander crossed, and/or 'Westering Mountains'?), but now north-west of the kingdom of Daventry rather tha directly north. Castle Daventry's position is shown to have shifted south east, and is shown to be located closer to the southern-eastern edge of the continent near a mountain range that boarders its eastern side (note that in two of Derek's three maps of Daventry, also seem to show part of the Great Mountains bordering Daventry's eastern side, magical law of 'containment' not withstanding). A few smaller mountains, or north-south range of mountains is shown to lie to the west of the castle and its lakes. Serenia appears to have shifted roughly northwest of the kingdom of Daventry. With Castle Daventry and most of the kingdom appearing to have shifted towards the east, or at least new land appeared west of the castle. The north-west mountains appear to have shirted to a more northwest-southeast angle (but for simplicity still roughly north-south) along the eastern edge of the continent. Most of the southeast penninsula appears to have vanished, leaving more of a thin beach-like area from north to south.

At the time of the cataclysm the world most of the world had vanished leaving only a small disk of land centered around portions of continent of Daventry. Castle Daventry was located on top of a small mountain top, again located near the western edge of the continent near the western sea. Streams and lava flowed offs the edge of the world. The Frozen Reaches were the end of the world, there was naught beyond. The only way down is the passage back down into the Barren Regions.

At least between the various issues of scale, the term 'continent' may be used rather loosely. As quite a few of the references suggest that continents are roughly a few hundred miles across at the most. These would probably better described as 'micro-continents'.