Over a thousand years ago, Kilmaresh formed a contiguous land mass with Krailos and Oramond. It was inhabited by a human civilization that had established a thriving empire. They had built large cities, engaged in advanced seafaring and stood at a high scientific, arcane and cultural level.
The people of this old empire worshipped the two sun gods, Suon and Fafnar. They attached great importance to the fact that the worship of both deities was always in balance. Alas, there came a time when a group of Fafnar's adherers became more and more influential and aggressive until they postulated the sole worship of Fafnar. This resulted in a civil war between the Fafnar followers and those who fought for the duality of the two sun gods. Ultimately, the war was ended by Suon himself. He split off the eastern peninsula from the western part of the landmass by a strait, destroying the former capital Nuur. This event has been known as Suon's Wrath ever since.
The Anuma then took control of Kilmaresh to prevent humans from foolishly causing a disaster again and thus, a new empire arose. Before Suon's Wrath, they had barely maintained contact with the ancient empire. The Anuma established several laws for the new empire that all humans had to comply with. A wise Sphinx, Lamassu or Gryphon has been taking on the role of empress or emperor ever since. These days, a Sphinx empress rules over Kilmaresh wisely and benevolently.
Like Krailos, Kilmaresh has a warm, dry climate. The temperatures are very high, especially in summer, and it does not rain much. However, the island is not plagued by the lack of water that crusts the lakes and rivers of Krailos with salt. There is the big river Nykri, which rises in the mountains and its shores are very fertile. Therefore the capital Issavi was built in its fork. In addition, there are always oases in the steppe, which house smaller settlements or stations for travellers.