Ventoran exploration

Ventoran exploration refers to the travels of Ventorans by land and sea to find new places and routes for purposes of expanding knowledge, discovering resources, and developing trade. It includes those activities by explorers from areas now considered part of modern-day Ventora even if pre-dating the Kingdom of Ventora. Consisting of numerous independent efforts, the period of Ventoran exploration generally began as early as the 5th century BCE and lasted into the 19th century CE.

Land exploration
Initial land explorations have their basis in early human migratory patterns and the trade routes that appeared through the Alutran Steppe.

Southwest Alutra
Froitos Vatos Brevara was a 5th century BCE adventurer from known for his travels in southwestern Alutra. He is the first known intentional Ventoran explorer in that the purpose of his travels was to map the lands surrounding his birthplace. There is some speculation the name of Watan (Watanese: Vatão) derives from Vatos' name since he is known to have traveled extensively in the area but that is not the likely etymology. While much of Vatos' travels have been lost to history, his legacy includes some fairly accurate descriptions of a good portion of the Tilargi Mountains in Ventora, Watan, and into Chararuz.

Cefrian Tiolo Mupitua, a 1st century BCE, is recognized for journeying up the Lávar River to what is now Kleolaion. After reaching the headwaters of the Lávar, he ventured by land into what is now south-central Velorenkya. Tiolo is credited with spreading Sortisist beliefs in areas he visited. He was known to be concerned about mortality and his focus on Kleio may have played a role in the etymology of Kleolaion, though not all scholars agree.

In the 8th century CE, n Mofaros Firio Epren made extensive journeys into Tagaraš and into present-day southern Velorenkya. Scholars believe his writings provided the foundation for the Montañan Confederation's endeavor to seize parts of eastern Esharat, resulting in the East Tagaraš War (955-1041). The effort led to the confederation overextending its resources and was a key factor that led to the formation of the Kingdom of Ventora in 959.

The Lávar River was, and continues to be, a major transport route in southwest Alutra. The river borders Esharat and Ventora and has its headwaters in Kleolaion. Its depth and width make it a major navigable waterway in the region. Countless explorers of all regional nationalities have used this route to access other lands. The importance of the waterway led to the development of the Lávar Authority, one of the first chartered to facilitate navigation and trade on a river system.

Steppe routes
Migratory routes through the steppe region easily became pathways used by s of the Kanakan Steppe. These early nomads tended to be herders, but some began to offer their skills or perform tasks in a form of early trade. Over time, the routes through the steppe became more important for trade between western, central, and eastern Alutra.

Echu Zothynq was a 1st century CE Kanakan explorer from who is known to have visited parts of modern-day southern Kleolaion and northern Ventora using the nomadic trails in the steppes. Contemporary writings suggest he reached as far south and east as northern Threazari.

Dozens of other Ventoran explorers traversed the steppes and its trade routes. Drawing from the nomadic lifestyle of the Kanakans, much of their learnings were passed down orally, so many of their names and discoveries evade accurate attribution. Collectively, their travels reinforced the economic benefits of trade routes through the steppes while the dearth of records of their journeys has served to preserve the lifestyles of those who call the steppes home.

Maritime exploration
Located on the north shore of the Abayadi Sea, the peoples of coastal Ventora have a long tradition of seaborne activities including fishing, trade, and exploration.

Abayadi Sea
From pre-historic times, coastal Ventorans have been known as mariners. Over the centuries, countless Ventorans have explored the Abayadi Sea. Early explorers set out along the coast lines. This led to the development of fairly extensive knowledge of the western Abayadi coasts and ports, ranging as far as Haksarad. The development of the concept of the led to increased importance in trade and, subsequently, various Ventoran s becoming Haksar tributaries, beginning in the 50s BCE, to advance trade, which also served to introduce H'Ejrad into southwest Alutra.

As navigational techniques improved, later mariners ventured across the Abayadi, abandoning the need to stay within sight of land. While Ventoran explorers may have been the first Alutrans to set foot on the Covales in the 1st century BCE, they were likely discovered at least a century earlier by Manuaks.

Tercero Padilla Ortiz (851-917) was one of the first Ventoran adventurers to extensively document his travels. His book, Tercero Padilla travels, has been translated into several languages, including Interspeech. In it, Padilla documents his visits along the north coast of Skephon, including Shemia and Duomo in southeastern Alutra. His exploits were somewhat sensationalized in the Renesian animated adventure TV series Geschichte Chronicles: the Saga of Tercero Padilla. Because he is well-known, Padilla serves as an excellent example of how Ventoran explorers funded their adventures by offering ship and crew for hire.

Arturo Parros Zarco was an 18th century mariner from in the duchy of. Although the coasts, ports, and islands of the Abayadi had been well mapped by then, Parros was intrigued by the currents. Over the course of more than 20 years, he developed records on the currents of the Abayadi. His charts and tables, which were novel for the 1700s, could significantly improve sailing times between destinations when used in conjunction with prevailing winds.

Locufaric Ocean
Although many Ventoran explorers journeyed into the Locufaric Ocean from at least Tercero Padilla's time, Vincenç Sania Resa is the most well-known. Born in 1235 to a merchant family, he was the second son of the of  in coastal. As a young adult, Vincenç set out to find new and exquisite goods by sailing eastward from Ventora. After rounding the southeastern Alutran peninsula, he sailed north along the Locufaric coast. After his initial voyages, he began recording his routes which he compiled into nautical charts between ports in the Abayadi and along Alutra's eastern coast as far north as Lathadu.

Other Ventoran explorers are known to have reached the Vidinan continent, including present-day Onaway, Transarged, and Huenarno during the 18th century. Most of their exploits are not well known since they did not result in substantial trade nor add significantly to the geographic knowledge of the time. Nonetheless, their exploits merit recognition simply on the basis of the distances involved, with sea voyages exceeding 17000 km, a distance that represented more than three months of travel at the time.

Osamian Ocean
Tercero Padilla is the first Ventoran known to have purposely traveled to the Osamian Ocean. Even so, Ria Rangel Pedregon (1833-1907), is the best known Ventoran Osamian Ocean explorer. She spent over a quarter century sailing around the Osamian in the mid- to late-19th century. While she was not a trader, her sailings facilitated opening trade with Gemurtrak following the Fury War of 1872-1876. She is also credited with presenting Mitruhmoer as a viable trade partner, a much different view than Padilla's experience. She also visited Tákjaana and Dayan, representing the furthest extent of Ventoran exploration into the Osamian Ocean before the modern era.

Continental belt
Although he did not set out to do so, 16th century n mariner Elacro Soxi Pano was the first Ventoran to Vanatas. His journey, which lasted nearly four years, led him to visit all seven habited during the voyage, the first mariner known to have accomplished such a feat. He set out on January 16, 1527 with his ship, Brillante, to deliver oranges to Haksarad in Harad. From there he picked up an unknown cargo destined for Shemia in Skephon. In Asidama, he picked up a cargo of rice which he ferried the horn of Skephon, through the Ornyenka-Sthulista Strait to Mitruhmoer. From there, Soxi and crew took barrels of wine to Tákjaana in Osamia.

Continuing westward, the Brillante reached what is now Okandani in southeastern Kasare. Travel around the continent of Kasare was difficult due to a lack of cargos and occasionally outright hostility of the native populations. Some of the crew mutinied off the coast of present-day Nzandi when Soxi was forced to turn around after finding no western outlet to the Banubian Sea. Realizing their prospects on land were marginal at best, the crew agreed to stay aboard the Brillante. Soxi believed the route west to represented a shorter voyage home and convinced the crew of this. Soxi also hoped to find a friendlier port with cargo needing haulage in order to be able to pay the men and replenish supplies rather than foraging. He was finally able to properly refit the ship in Poroma but the small country had nothing to ship in trade. Soxi was only able to refit his ship in exchange for providing passage to a wealthy landowner en route to Naou Coili in southern Vidina. To the ship and crew's benefit, the landowner hired a navigator to guide the voyage. In Naou Coili, they secured a cargo of zinc and bauxite for the Tiridinian kingdom of Higher Tar-dinuu, completing the continental belt. There they bought spices they knew would fetch good prices back in Alutra for which they were rewarded in Duomo. Back in the home waters of the Abayadi, Soxi and the Brillante picked up a cargo of mixed goods to transport back to Nauigio in Ventora, arriving there on November 24, 1530.