To
the west of the massive Gorean continent lies Thassa, a vast
ocean. No one knows where Thassa ends or what might lie beyond
it. The "World's End"
is a term used to describe the area of Thassa that lies beyond
the islands of Cos and Tyros.
There
are only a few small, close islands west of Cos and Tyros.
It is a legendary place as no one has ever sailed there and
returned. Some say that Thassa is endless. Others claim that
it is protected by clashing rocks, monsters, and by mountains
that can pull the nails from ships. Others say the end of
the world is sheer and a ship might plunge over the edge,
falling for days through emptiness, until fierce winds break
it apart. In the maelstroms southwest of Tyros, shattered
ship planking is sometimes found which adds to the mystery.
All of the islands of Gor are located on Thassa. There are
about a dozen named islands and numerous small, unnamed islands
as well. Most of the named islands are exchange islands, or
free islands, whose ports are administered by the Merchant
Caste.
These exchange islands include Anango, Asperiche, Farnacium,
Hulneth, Hunjer, Ianda, Scagnar, Skjern, Tabor and Teletus.
Few of these islands are described in any detail. Other ports
and islands are not managed by the Merchants but by magistrates
appointed by the city council.
Thassa...
Simply means, the sea.
"And
then the dawn came and, over the buildings of Port Kar, beyond
them, and beyond the shallow, muddy Tamber, where the Vosk
empties, we saw, I for the first time, gleaming Thassa, the
sea."
---Raiders of Gor, page 124