Geography
To the north of the
Titan Wall lies a land of rolling hills interspersed with low-lying wetlands, traversed by enormous leathery-hided creatures called
Hornbeasts (Bor'akk in the
Orc tongue) moving in an eternal circle of migration. Between the stern cliffs of the western coast and the towering
Northwall Mountains to the east lie a few sparse forests, usually lying along the larger north-south hill ranges. Closer to the coast, the land remains flatter, and dryer, but to the east rainwater tends to drain into the lowlands. This doesn't create marshes, but still gives the land a squishy, soft texture that makes it difficult for foot-bound travelers.
To the south, closest to the wall, the Savage Lands dry out from general warmer weather. Here the terrain is covered in grassland, and a number of smaller wild species range back and forth a short distance from the Wall. In the far northern reaches, the land grows cold, and even the thick-furred Hornbeasts spend as little time there as possible. The vegetation grows thinner as one travels further north, and eventually gives way to the glaciers of the
extreme north.
Ironwood Forest
The
Ironwood Forest, located in the southern half of the Savage Lands, has a number of pre-
Dragonscourge ruins. These have been mostly picked over throughout the nearly thousand years since, but a few are populated by ghosts and other spirits which have kept the orcs and even the
Harpies away.
Sentient Populations
The Savage Lands are so named because they are populated by a handful of races considered to be primitive by the
Humans south of the Wall. The most prominent are the
Orcs and
Ratlings , and the frequent fighting between the two largely contributes to the reputation of the region as a dangerous one.
Orcs/Hur'uk
[
Main Article ] The orcs are mostly centered along the western half of the Savage Lands, settling into a series of villages. They sustain themselves with a very small bit of farming along the edges of the forests that run up and down the region, but the bulk of their lives revolves around following and hunting the large migrating herds of
bor'akk . The hunt of the creature defines their life cycle (a young orc comes of age when he kills his first, and an old orc is considered to be “departed” when he can no longer take part in the hunt), their years (they count their years by the bor'akk's route around the Savage Lands), even their villages (their dwellings and clothes are made from the leather of the creature and the villages are laid out in a way to allow for efficient processing of all of the animal's parts). Many an orc hut is decorated with the occupant's most prized kill. The tusks are commonly carved upon, displaying pictographic histories of the hunter's ancestors and family history.
The orcs' culture revolves around an honor code that defines an orc's place in his village and his expected duties towards his people. An orc is expected to serve the good of the village above all else, even at the cost of their own lives. The religion of the orcs teaches them that they follow a cycle of life, including a rebirth if they died with honor (this cycle is likewise influenced by the circular path of the bor'akk). Many an orc hut is decorated with the occupant's most prized kill. The tusks are commonly carved upon, displaying pictographic histories of the hunter's ancestors and family history.
Ratlings/Tch'nuk
[
Main Article ] Thieving, mischievous, sometimes malicious, the ratfolk of the north are the orcs' longtime foes. Where the orcs are nomadic, the ratlings burrow into the hills, creating sprawling permanent settlements. As a whole, they tend to be slightly mechanically inclined, but lack the attention span to truly create anything functional in the long-term.
This same lack of attention is what leads to their conflict with the orcs. Rather than producing their own raw materials, the ratlings much prefer to steal what has been harvested. Many an orc camp has found their supplies raided and stolen in the night, and even the smaller human towns near the intersection of the Wall and the Plateau will have their stockpiles of materiel stolen. The reaction to these acts of pilfering range from a shrug to the formation of a hunting party, depending upon the value of what was stolen.
Rules Information
Ratlings can easily be represented in D&D using the various Goblin entries in the Monster Manual. If running a 3.5E-compatible or Pathfinder game, the Nezumi from Legend of the Five Rings were the direct inspiration for these ratlings, and statblocks for them can be found in the Oriental Adventures d20 books.
Harpies
[
Main Article] The forests within the region host small populations of harpies which reside in clustered nests near the tops of the trees. They generally prey on smaller wildlife (e.g. younger
Hornbeasts ) while occasionally attacking lone humanoids as well. They are particularly territorial regarding the skies above their forests - skirmishes between family units are common. They rarely venture far enough to the South to be seen from the
Titan Wall but when they do,
Mercenary Guild archers keep a keen eye upon them.
Relations With Human Lands
By the terms of a treaty signed soon after the signing of the
Lasair Compact, the
Titan Wall is considered a hard border between the Savage Lands and the
City-States. Residents of the North (primarily the Orcs) are expected to stay on their side of the Wall; humans must stay to the south. While unofficial trading does occur thanks to smugglers' routes through
the mountains , the law of the City-States and the traditions of the orcs maintain that trespassers may be executed (though in practice they are generally detained and taken to the Wall).
The ratlings generally ignore the treaty (or any sort of law created by other peoples their tunnels snake under
The Great Plateau and provide an easy method of crossing the border. Their generally malicious behavior towards humans means they are generally killed when captured south of the wall.
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