The Harrowland
The Harrowlands by Mutterwolf
Geography
Situated at the distant Northwest corner of the Inner Sea region, at the far end of The Sound of The Teeth, with it's back to the Western Ocean is the Harrowland. The island is approximately 640 miles across and 800 miles long and predominantly taiga, marsh, moor, wetlands and muskeg dotted with low hills, fumaroles, ravines and fissures where blue lava oozes, and the pools of hot springs, gysers or boiling mud. In the Southeast are the Jravik Mountains, volcanoes and the Jravik glacier.
The land is wet and difficult in the summer and during the long winters turns to ice and snow with steaming fumarole ice towers, bare hills heated from below and the smoking pools. But even in the summer cold is in the bones of the land, and digging down a body length comes to frozen ground in most places. The cities and surrounding lands are walled and at least partially domed with great crystalline or glass geodesics to keep out the undead and protect crops and livestock, human and animal.
The major navigable rivers are The Naoauhtut, Chiapaunaca, Zalacoallan, Zamotlalcol, Chiaca, Cuernacazal, and the Nacatomoc. Only parts of the southern Huhillocote river is navigable, it is too steep, wild and rocky as it drops from the Jravik through the hills and to the Sea.
The land is wet and difficult in the summer and during the long winters turns to ice and snow with steaming fumarole ice towers, bare hills heated from below and the smoking pools. But even in the summer cold is in the bones of the land, and digging down a body length comes to frozen ground in most places. The cities and surrounding lands are walled and at least partially domed with great crystalline or glass geodesics to keep out the undead and protect crops and livestock, human and animal.
The major navigable rivers are The Naoauhtut, Chiapaunaca, Zalacoallan, Zamotlalcol, Chiaca, Cuernacazal, and the Nacatomoc. Only parts of the southern Huhillocote river is navigable, it is too steep, wild and rocky as it drops from the Jravik through the hills and to the Sea.
Fauna & Flora
The Harrowlands outside of the cities are not well known to the living, as the land is roamed by Risen - the unique zombie undead of the Harrowlands, feral vampires, necromancers and blood mages as well as other horrors. Risen bites are infectious and toxic.
It is not generally known if Wendigo, Spiderbears, Titans or other larger creatures of the continent existed or still live in the Harrowland or if they have all been consumed and supplanted by undead. Bugbear and Ghenid are unknown. Beaver and small wildlife that are able to sequester themselves are seen. The Dhampir have been reported to have walled preserves with elk and moose, but it is unknown if they still exist in the wild. Wolves are absent but the nights sometimes still ring with more monstrous howls and even Necromancers tend to lock themselves away at night behind walls and in towers.
It is not generally known if Wendigo, Spiderbears, Titans or other larger creatures of the continent existed or still live in the Harrowland or if they have all been consumed and supplanted by undead. Bugbear and Ghenid are unknown. Beaver and small wildlife that are able to sequester themselves are seen. The Dhampir have been reported to have walled preserves with elk and moose, but it is unknown if they still exist in the wild. Wolves are absent but the nights sometimes still ring with more monstrous howls and even Necromancers tend to lock themselves away at night behind walls and in towers.
Natural Resources
Volcanic vents provide heat for the cities and are mined for minerals like sulfur and hematite. Much of the land is wild and moderately forested. What trade occurs is mostly at the port city Naihiltepec.
Undead labor harvests timber and performs the basic mining of ores, gems, semiprecious stones and Arcane Crystals, while the living humans sort, refine and craft finished goods.
Undead labor harvests timber and performs the basic mining of ores, gems, semiprecious stones and Arcane Crystals, while the living humans sort, refine and craft finished goods.
History
In the Demon Age the island of the Harrowlands was part of the continent. In the Tumult the land was broken and shattered as a part of the heavens fell crashing to the ground to create the Inner Sea and throwing ripples and waves that reshaped the land into towering sequences of mountains and deep valleys and broke the island away along with the Teeth of the Sound. Ruins and crypts of the Demon Age may still be found in the Harrowland, but the Harrower itself doesn't seem interested in them for either treasures or forgotten monsters and horrors buried within them.
Once the home of a tribal people now long forgotten the Harrowland became the home of a thing of the underworld nearly 3000 years ago. It is unknown if it was somehow summoned or found a way to escape the underworld in a Warp rift or a locus. The Harrower is the undead God and ruler of the island - a creature neverborn in the world with a hunger for blood and life energy. With the Harrower's arrival came the Risen - zombie undead with a bite that is both toxic and contagious and causes the wounded to die and arise in the night to hunt living flesh. No animal Risen are known but Beastmen forms and even Fae occur. The Harrower's influence caused other undead to be drawn to the island - vampires, Draugr, ghouls, wraiths and worse. It also brought forth more minions of it's own. The place became a domain of fear, terror and death.
Before all the living were consumed the Harrower judged them a needed part of it's domain, gathering the tribes and assigned Vampires as Governors of domains. Walled villages were given protection from the roaming undead while the living made the skilled craft items and tribal chiefs continued as rulers of humans in daylight hours. Immigration comes in the form of Necromancers, Black Magic practitioners and Blood Mages fleeing the Empire and the periodic prisoners captured by the undead crewed pirate fleet. The population changed to become the Sangir Clans designating original tribes, cities and Vampire Clan and taking on a sallowed, yellow skin tone. Eye colors of grey, or dark brown or even black. Hair is black or dark brown. Unique to the Harrowlands are the Dhampir, half vampires, that serve as petty nobles and overseers of the human herds for their Vampire kin. Dhampir and Necromancers command the lesser undead zombies and Risen to perform basic labor such as cutting timber and mining, while the living humans sort, refine, process and craft the comforts and products needed. Dhampir and Neromancers also over see travel and roads that allow trade and movement between cities keeping caravans safe from roaming packs of ghouls and Risen or worse. They also will be found commanding the dead pirate fleets.
Once the home of a tribal people now long forgotten the Harrowland became the home of a thing of the underworld nearly 3000 years ago. It is unknown if it was somehow summoned or found a way to escape the underworld in a Warp rift or a locus. The Harrower is the undead God and ruler of the island - a creature neverborn in the world with a hunger for blood and life energy. With the Harrower's arrival came the Risen - zombie undead with a bite that is both toxic and contagious and causes the wounded to die and arise in the night to hunt living flesh. No animal Risen are known but Beastmen forms and even Fae occur. The Harrower's influence caused other undead to be drawn to the island - vampires, Draugr, ghouls, wraiths and worse. It also brought forth more minions of it's own. The place became a domain of fear, terror and death.
Before all the living were consumed the Harrower judged them a needed part of it's domain, gathering the tribes and assigned Vampires as Governors of domains. Walled villages were given protection from the roaming undead while the living made the skilled craft items and tribal chiefs continued as rulers of humans in daylight hours. Immigration comes in the form of Necromancers, Black Magic practitioners and Blood Mages fleeing the Empire and the periodic prisoners captured by the undead crewed pirate fleet. The population changed to become the Sangir Clans designating original tribes, cities and Vampire Clan and taking on a sallowed, yellow skin tone. Eye colors of grey, or dark brown or even black. Hair is black or dark brown. Unique to the Harrowlands are the Dhampir, half vampires, that serve as petty nobles and overseers of the human herds for their Vampire kin. Dhampir and Necromancers command the lesser undead zombies and Risen to perform basic labor such as cutting timber and mining, while the living humans sort, refine, process and craft the comforts and products needed. Dhampir and Neromancers also over see travel and roads that allow trade and movement between cities keeping caravans safe from roaming packs of ghouls and Risen or worse. They also will be found commanding the dead pirate fleets.
by Ben Macri
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Tulou Yuquinglou - Picture of Yuqinglou Hostel, Yongding Count by Quanito, Nogent-sur-marne, FR
Earth building-chengqi2.jpg by Bolobolo - Own work Bolobolo - Own work CC BY-SA 3.0
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