Mordrekain

Above all else, Mordrekain is a mountainous region, dominated by a gargantuan range of tall, snow-capped, frequently-volcanic peaks. From the smoking gullet of Vulkram to the sheer size of Mount Hold’s Bane, roughly a third of the surface area of the continent is taken up by some form of infertile stone. Despite this, numerous races have managed to carve out their place in and around the seemingly impossible terrain and thrive through ingenuity and strength of will. And a significant helping of literal strength, of course.

A common observation - particularly from children - is that Mordrekain, when viewed from above, looks something like the head of an eagle, with two curving peninsulas in the south forming the shape of its ‘beak’ around the Bay of Storms. Here, weather systems surge up from Malephesh’s Tear in the south to crash against the mountains along its shores, swirling violently in their impotent attempts to cross the craggy landscape. Immediately to the west, the same effects have formed a massive swath of swamplands where countless efforts to form a stable settlement have been sunk into the mire. The major Dwarven city that stands there today, Moortop, does so only on a solid foundation of some dozen prior attempts from nearly every other race that calls Mordrekain home.

The southeastern corner of the continent is home to the grand forests of Mórcrann, where trees grow thicker and taller than anywhere else in the world. This forest blankets the northwestern edge of a tight ring of mountains that protects the port city of Anchorhal. Created when a mining team emerged into open air during an attempt to ‘core’ the mountain (a common Dwarven practice for creating new holds and extracting maximum resources from a peak), the town has since become a convenient place for visitors from all races to arrive on Mordrekain’s shores. From this multicultural melting pot of a city, nestled in a dry valley at the eastern edge of Mordrekain, the joint forces of the Dwarves, Gnomes, and Humans have begun sending expeditions across Malephesh’s Tear to the mysterious land of Sur’Dhanza.

In the west, Mount Hold’s Bane towers over its lesser brethren. A single gargantuan, monumental peak, it once drew Dwarves like moths to a flame, each seeking to carve out a new hold within its grandeur, but whether it be by inclement weather, particularly aggressive Reekin populations, or more mysterious circumstances, none have managed to do more than carve out an entrance hall before slinking home with their tails between their legs. Assuming they survived the effort, of course. Making the trip up to the foot of the mountain is made all the more difficult by the presence of the Drakkenpoll. These fiery badlands are an odd side effect of the extreme volcanic activity present in Mordrekain’s major mountain range. Along with molten rock steadily flowing down the side of the mountains (exacerbated in recent centuries by Gnomish efforts to clear out more living space in the nearby holds), great gashes mar the earth in the area. Pits and ravines in this region glow with an internal heat, their precise locations and shapes constantly in flux as they bubble over, cool themselves shut, and then break open once more with the next seismic event. For ages this place stymied explorers who would trek through with maps made on previous visits only to have their plans halted by an entirely new landscape. Even in modern times, it takes a team of dedicated surveyors to create up-to-date maps for all travelers, and even they can’t predict when the next shift might occur.

Beyond the Drakkenpoll to the north is a comparatively peaceful region peppered with sprawling forests, gentle rivers, and great expanses of fertile land. Once home to a number of Gnomish settlements, it has since been partially signed over to colonists from the human lands of Stirge and Duwallen. With many Dwarven and Gnomish staples being perfectly sustainable without the likes of fertile farmland and lumber, these lands held comparatively little value to them.

Finally, in the central and eastern regions of the land north of the mountainous dividing line is the Desert of Òr. Technically, these are of even less use to the Dwarves, as they are filled with Drakenath and the sand makes for a terrible foundation for settlements. However, the great city of Ifreannbéal, colloquially known as ‘The Pit’, has become an incredibly wealthy place for trade of all sorts; illegal dealings most of all. Another instance of a coring venture gone wrong, the city is seemingly little more than a ring of mighty walls from the desert’s surface, but behind them, a sinkhole of epic proportions has been steadily reformed into a latticework of suspended stone streets, airship landing platforms, and more than a few complex pulley systems designed for rapidly transporting items about. Its great distance from the joint capital of Vulkenesburgh, as well as from more or less anything else of great worth to its rulers, has made the inverted metropolis a safe haven for anyone seeking refuge from the eyes of the government.

Fauna & Flora

Though the residents of the Underkingdom are not particularly well-known for riding them, the horses galloping across the plains, deserts, and forests of Mordrekain are powerful, majestic beasts. From the jet-black Óran that roam the sands of the desert that lends them their name to the stag-like Cranncine of the south, these creatures are remarkably well adapted to the regions in which they live, but their uses as mounts and beasts of burden have seen them spread across the Eastern hemisphere. Horses also provide excellent hides - a relative rarity among Mordrekain’s wildlife - and a reasonable amount of meat, but few natives are particularly partial to the flavor of it, and the humans of Stirge find the practice of eating horsemeat distasteful in an altogether different way. Apparently they have come to see horses more as companion animals in their culture.

Natural Resources

Ask anyone from the Underkingdom: Mordrekain means metal. No country on the planet pulls as much ore from the earth as they do, whether it be in one of their plentiful mines or as the inadvertent side-effect of excavating a new hold. This includes precious metals, which for most countries would be utterly disastrous for the economy, devastating the value of currency across the globe. The Mordrekainen flair for productivity, however - not to mention the stranglehold the ternary government keeps on their excess resources - keeps things in line for the time being.

Mordrekain is also one of the world’s leading sources of gemstones. Their only significant competition for the top slot is Tirpazk, but the southern nation’s relative obscurity and insular native population means that few people are even aware of the would-be rivalry.

Type

Continent

Included Locations

• Ifreannbéal, The Pit
• Mount Hold's Bane

Related Ethnicities

• Inhabitants of the Underkingdom
• Topsiders