The Weald

What can I say about the Weald? It's easy to dismiss as nothing but miles and miles of frozen wasteland. Very little thrives there except orcs, which seem to be able to survive in nearly any environment. However, it is unique in that the parts that should warm in the summer do not. It is eternally frozen. Some say this is because of the Wanderer's influence. I'm unsure of that, but there is definitely some kind of supernatural effect at work.

— Malvrari's Manual of the Wilds, Volume 2, Chapter 1 - The Weald

Located in the south eastern most point of Austros, The Weald is a wasteland filled with little else but ice and snow. The main landmark and the reason people travel through the Weald is to reach The Wanderer, which is supposedly a shrine to one of the forgotten gods. There are a few rivers, and a few mountains, but the real strange thing is that there are no seasons here. Further north, though still cold, still has a summer and winter season in the tundra. The Weald stands forever frozen in midwinter.

Fauna & Flora

There is very little plant and animal life as most of the area is frozen plains. There are penguins, and a few kinds of seal that manage to prosper along the coast, but if you go very far inland there is almost no animal life left.
The few plants that grow here are limited to lichens and mosses that are hardy enough to survive on the rocks and through the sunlight alone. If you run out of food, while traveling the Weald, it is likely you won't make it back out.

Natural Resources

There are rare lichens and mosses as well as furs from the seals if you hunt them. But it the price of an expedition to get the resources is generally more than the value of the resources being obtained.
Very few travelers risk the Weald unless they are fanatic pilgrims going to see The Wanderer

Type

Tundra

Location under

Austros

Included Locations

• The Wanderer

Seals

Huge monstrous beasts hunted for their fur and their meat. However, they don't go very far inland into the Weald.

Penguins

These cute little fisherman are hardly worth hunting as they are so small. They spend most of their time fishing and eating and reproducing in the depths of "winter"

Fever Fungus

This is a certain type of fungus that glows at night. It also, if broken, provides temporary heat and light before it loses its "charge". This is not edible however.

Net Moss

This is a certain kind of moss that grows in areas of frozen wilderness that makes ideal netting for fishing when threaded together. It thrives in the Weald due to the constant frozen conditions. In other areas it dies during the long exposure to the sun during the summer months.

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Further Reading