Ansalon is a continent on Krynn

Krynn

Krynn is the fictional world of the Dragonlance novels, co-written by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. It has also been used in many other books, set in the Dragonlance universe. It is also used as the main setting in the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing...

, the fictional world of the Dragonlance

Dragonlance

Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...

 campaign setting

Campaign setting

A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...

 for the Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...

fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 role-playing game

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

.

Ansalon is the primary setting for the Dragonlance Saga, and is the location in which most of the Dragonlance novels are set. As such, much more is known about Ansalon than is known about the other major continent of Krynn, Taladas

Taladas

Taladas is a continent in the northern hemisphere of Krynn, the fictional world for the Dragonlance setting of the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role playing game.-Introduction:...

. In fact, few Ansalonians in the game world know of the existence of Taladas.

Ansalon was used as the main setting of the popular DL series

Dragonlance modules (DL series)

The DL Dragonlance modules are a series of adventures and some supplementary material for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role playing game. These modules along with the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy of novels, which follow one possible adventure series through the modules, were the first...

 of modules

Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, an adventure or module is a pre-packaged book or box set that helps the Dungeon Master manage the plot or story of a game...

.

Fictional history

The continent of Ansalon is approximately 1,300 miles from east to west, and 900 north to south. It is in the southern hemisphere of Krynn.

Before the Cataclysm

Cataclysm (Dragonlance)

In the Dragonlance books, the Cataclysm was a catastrophic event that occurred when the Kingpriest of Istar demanded to be given godlike powers in order to eliminate evil from the world.-Background:...

, an event precipitated by the Kingpriest of Istar, Ansalon was a solid land mass. Great plains ran from Silvanesti and Balifor in the east to Ergoth in the west. In addition, the Blood Sea used to be fertile lands, which were farmed and which made the now decimated city of Istar prosperous.

The Cataclysm changed everything. When the fiery mountain struck Krynn, it created the Blood Sea, separating the Minotaur Isles from the rest of the continent and plunging the plains of Istar far beneath the waves. The northern peninsula, near Kalaman, was forced up from the bottom of the ocean. Ergoth split into two separate isles, and the southern Ergothian and Solamnic plains became the New Sea.

The Chaos War

Chaos War

The Chaos War, also known as the Second Cataclysm, is a fictional war in the Dragonlance setting. The war was massive, drawing in nearly all the people of Ansalon, as well as the gods themselves...

 scarred the land even further, and left thousands dead.

Ansalon is home to many races, including elves

Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...

, humans

Human (Dungeons & Dragons)

Humans are a race available for player characters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. Although short-lived by comparison, humans are the most populous of all Dungeons & Dragons races. They are renowned for their diversity and ambition, and although they lack specializations like...

, ogres

Ogre (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, ogres are a lesser race of giants, rather being simply large brutes with clubs. An aquatic subrace of ogres is known as "merrow." D&D ogres are also closely related to the race of ogre magi, a smarter race with blue skin and great magical abilities...

, dragons

Dragon (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game , dragons are an iconic type of monstrous creature used as adversaries or, less commonly, allies of player characters...

, draconians, dwarves

Dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, dwarves are a humanoid race, one of the primary races available for play as player characters...

, and many others. For more information go to List of Dragonlance creatures.

Ansalon is an oddity in that it lies in the southern hemisphere, whereas most areas where the events of fantasy novels (such as Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...

's or Edding's) take place are in the northern hemisphere (specifically, the north-west portion), and south is reserved for hostile and/or strange lands.