Sallow Hills
The Sallow Hills are a labyrinth of up-and-down hillslopes, valleys, and crevices. The range of hills were present before the Collapse but, like many areas of the Approach, were more verdant and green. The devastation wrought by the cataclysmic earthquakes and force unleashed during the final days of the Collapse created such a miasma in the skies and on the ground that only scrubland remains in this region. Even where greenery does exist, in pocket canyons and sinkholes, it is permeated by the filth that settled in the region and grew beneath the soil.
The Sallow Hills was believed to a part of the kingdom of Lost Laurus although the claimed descendant of that royal line, King Erelar alri Auredain, has little interest in the lands. There is not much known of the region other than it was largely defenseless by the time the hordes fueling the Taking pushed through the area. What accounts are available are mainly second-hand for, despite its relative proximity to Auredain, the fief was completely wiped out during the Taking. There are those who claim descent from the domain but even their family histories are scoured clean before the flight of their ancestors.
While historical accounts may vary, the general accepted truth is that the domain of Kirenos fell easily and without struggle. Depending on which drunken belligerent spouting histories in the tavern one believes, this was either due to the yellow-bellied residents fleeing for their lives or the fact that all of their forces had already been wiped out to the north and west or still fought alongside the Aendorians until the very end. The truth is likely somewhere in between.
Since the Taking, the Sallow Hills have become known as a dangerous and haunting place. Windswept hills and scrub fall quickly into rocky ravines, crumbling cliffs and perilous travel. The region quickly gained a name for danger and death in the few explorations that have gone north since the Taking. It is rumored to be a haven for cast-offs from the Taking, whole tribes of beastfolk taking up residence within it.
Unfortunately, there are also rumors, readily believed by those seeking riches, that one of the reasons the domain fell so quickly was because it was an idyllic landscape inhabited by the wealthy and indolent of the Over-Kingdom
Since the Taking, the Sallow Hills have become known as a dangerous and violence-filled place. The hills riddled with the remnants of the hordes. Every major assault on Auredain's northern borders has originated from there. Prior to the retaking of Dyramar Keep, the only folks who professed to have traveled there were “sole survivors” or tavern storytellers with far more words than actual experiences.
The Sallow Hills was believed to a part of the kingdom of Lost Laurus although the claimed descendant of that royal line, King Erelar alri Auredain, has little interest in the lands. There is not much known of the region other than it was largely defenseless by the time the hordes fueling the Taking pushed through the area. What accounts are available are mainly second-hand for, despite its relative proximity to Auredain, the fief was completely wiped out during the Taking. There are those who claim descent from the domain but even their family histories are scoured clean before the flight of their ancestors.
While historical accounts may vary, the general accepted truth is that the domain of Kirenos fell easily and without struggle. Depending on which drunken belligerent spouting histories in the tavern one believes, this was either due to the yellow-bellied residents fleeing for their lives or the fact that all of their forces had already been wiped out to the north and west or still fought alongside the Aendorians until the very end. The truth is likely somewhere in between.
Since the Taking, the Sallow Hills have become known as a dangerous and haunting place. Windswept hills and scrub fall quickly into rocky ravines, crumbling cliffs and perilous travel. The region quickly gained a name for danger and death in the few explorations that have gone north since the Taking. It is rumored to be a haven for cast-offs from the Taking, whole tribes of beastfolk taking up residence within it.
Unfortunately, there are also rumors, readily believed by those seeking riches, that one of the reasons the domain fell so quickly was because it was an idyllic landscape inhabited by the wealthy and indolent of the Over-Kingdom
Since the Taking, the Sallow Hills have become known as a dangerous and violence-filled place. The hills riddled with the remnants of the hordes. Every major assault on Auredain's northern borders has originated from there. Prior to the retaking of Dyramar Keep, the only folks who professed to have traveled there were “sole survivors” or tavern storytellers with far more words than actual experiences.
Additional Information
The area of the Sallow Hills was once known as a hill range that held a small domain bequeathed to Aendor, the Keronos Hills. The resident communities were small and nestled within the folds of the various valleys and dips formed by the hill range. With the Taking and the Collapse, what was not overrun by hordes was smashed and rolled over by the undulations of the earth as brought on by the magical might of Aendor.
The Kirenos Hills domain was the fiefdom of a Shaelovanni family that settled the region prior to Aendor’s eclipse of the surrounding region. It was a peaceful location and the domain had few struggles with their neighbors. With the rise of power in Aendor, the Kirenos scion, Fiewynn Elsinon sought education and companionship. Upon his return, it was not long before the Kirenos domain was brought into the Aendor fold. In the process, the domain experienced significant changes as, over the centuries, an opening of the area brought new inhabitants and construction. As a prominent location along the (Hyena Road) trade route attracted wealthy residents and these individuals built and burrowed their residences throughout the hill range.
The Kirenos region had only one dark secret: an on-going problem with a dark cult. There were no less than three ‘purges’ of the cult during the time of Aendor. Twice, it was done by the ruling family at the behest of Aendor and the last time it was done by Aendor itself. The last purge was done more than one hundred and forty (140+) years before the beginning of the Taking.
From then until the Taking, the region was placed under the hand of the renowned Eraion Kaiere, a Shaelovanni warrior (paladin?), Lord Eraion Kaiere was the lord of Kirenos when the Taking began. He mustered with the Aendorian hosts several times to hold back the hordes. In the end, he was slain and his body never returned to his home where he desired to be buried.
Geography
The Collapse twisted and spun the earth that Kirenos rested upon and wrenched it this way and that; causing the many structures, residences and other edifices in the domain to be swallowed up partially or wholly. The very hills themselves grew higher as the structures of the open-air fell beneath the undulations of the earth. This caused a deep underground of open structures, edifices and opened caverns to form beneath the hills. This has been aided by the loose poor soil of the region in general. A dearth of true vegetation beyond ground cover, spindly trees or the occasional greenery found lurking around a lush ravine; the Sallow Hills are mostly barren to look upon and treacherous to walk upon.
Alternative Name(s)
Pale Mounds
Type
Highlands
Location under
Included Locations
Included Organizations
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