The Broken Foothills
The northern region of the Iron Empire, bound by the Blood Plains to the west and the Iron Spines to the east. Much of its northern hills and forests are still uncharted and unsettled. Valleys, ravines, deep woods and thunderous rivers are all part of this wild landscape that move through the tall rolling hills. Outside of the Imperial roads, navigating the Highlands is difficult and the people who dwell in the region usually follow trails and passages used by animals or follow natural features. The Broken Foothills get their name for the deep canyons and sheer cliffs that occur, seemingly at random, among the foothills. While most of the region is heavily forested, other areas are rocky and sparsely covered.
Fauna & Flora
The Broken Foothills are covered with evergreens and conifers, though there are places where they are mixed and overlap with deciduous trees such as oak, chestnut, and maple trees. The most common lotus that grows in these areas is the Mistletoe Lotus, a parasitic plant that grows on the branches of taller trees. It is known to be a powerful curative agent in concoctions. Mushrooms are also abundant in the wet foothills, thanks to the frequent rain caught by the Iron Spines. Wild berries are common throughout the region, which is used to create Imperial berry wines that are enjoyed throughout the Shimmering Sea. There are farms in the Broken Foothills, where they harvest both wild and domestic wheat as well as cabbages and turnips. They tend to forage for wild varieties of onions, leeks, and other produce during the autumn before winter, when the temperatures get colder and snow and frost is common.
There is a good amount of prey animals, like deer and elk, which grow much larger here in the north than their southern counterparts, but also smaller prey like marmots, pika, rabbits, and other smallish mammals. The northern wolves tend to have thicker and longer coats, and have grown larger to match the size of their preferred prey. They will also feast on the goats that the Imperials herd. Other large predators in the forest include black bears, though they tend to be solitary and will often avoid humans, not seeking to pick a fight unless provoked. Razorwings are common in the less wooded, rockier areas, feasting on goats and deer. Eagles and hawks will hunt those rocks for snakes and small mammals. Griffins will often come down from the tall hills near the base of the Iron Spine to hunt for prey as well, though they are somewhat rare. In the rivers, there are otters and a dark scaly, oily fish that can grow up to three meters long if they find a large enough lake or river, though most rarely grow larger than a meter.
Type
Highlands
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