The Kolcari Wilds

Few places in Esseas are as beautiful — or as perilous — as the Kolcari Wilds. It's rugged slopes teem with wild beasts, roaring waterfalls, snowy peaks, crumbling ruins and breathtaking views. A vast network of caverns winds through the mountain's heart, while high mountain plateaus and snowy peaks dominate the skyline for hundreds of miles. It is a land that evokes the majesty of nature, and the old magics of the world, both natural and mystical. - Cartographer Edwin Tonalson, Explorers League

Where the Wild Things Are

Nestled in the continental southwest, lies an enormous expanse of wilderness filled with jagged mountain peaks, high cold plateaus, alpine forests, fertile forest valleys, and unspoiled wilderness for as far as the eye can see in every direction. Largely untouched by modern civilization, it is a realm of Dragons, Griffons, Pegasus, Giants, and more still living wild and free. That wilderness is the Kolcari Wilds. The low hinterlands are composed of deciduous forests, primarily oaks and maples, that give way to alpine forests of pines, Yronwood, and other coniferous forests. With little in the way of civilization, the forests of the Wilds are ancient beyond reckoning, and in some places trees grow so high, and the branches to thick, that they block out the sun to create a world of perpetual twilight among the snowy mountain peaks. The peaks are also among the tallest on the continent, rivaled only by the Crown of the World mountains in Northern Esseas and Kybar's Teeth. Some say that these mountains continue to hold legendary treasures and secrets from Othlorias's distant and traumatic past. The deep forests also hold a strong connection to the Feywild, and a great number of forest spirits call these ancient forest valleys home.
But what lies in the heart of those mountains remains an open question. Orcish Warhordes, Throngs of Goliath and Minotaurs, or other "barbarian" war parties have become more common over the passing years, with some claiming that they now push outward from the mountains not in a bit to conquer, but out of necessity to flee from another entity squeezing them out of their homelands.

Of Snow and Summer

The Kolcari Wilds remain one of the few area's of the world still not well mapped by modern cartography. The exact size and shape are actually more estimates than well defined boundaries. But a rough understanding of the region exists. The Wilds experience extremely long, and bitter winters, with almost all the wilds covered in a thick blanket of snow and ice for nearly 6 months of the year. During the spring time, the snow in passes and valleys melt, which then flows outwards to virtually every region on the continent. The peaks and high passes themselves never truly thaw, and remain snowcapped, and snowbound all year round.
The northeastern portion is especially idyllic, with mild, pleasant weather and many natural splendors. To the Northeast the wilds border the Blighted Lands, and the land becomes a bit misty and forlorn, the effects of the creeping blight visible in the plant life and local fauna. The Southeast is considered especially pristine, and among the most remote, and least explored. The southwest is somewhat misty and eerie, dominated by the tree of the Sethekk Hills which stand hundreds of feet tall. The Northwest, is an idyllic expanse, and is the best explored region of the wilds.

Wild But Not Empty

While large scale civilization has yet to come to the wilds, it is far from un-inhabited; boasting a wide array of tribes, clans, and nomadic groups who live off what the mountains and wilds provide. But, the ruins of once small kingdoms dot the landscape. Lone, crumbling fortresses, ancient bridges, large monumental carvings, and low stone walls left to decay with time. Few can say who once lived in these places, but they do not any longer. But, even today, some small kingdoms linger; a Goblin tribe asserting dominance over a mountain range, Minotaur claiming a fertile river valley, or tribes of Goliaths and Orcs vying for control over a hunting ground. Through it all, adventurers, explorers, prospectors, and hunters carefully navigate what is left of a small road system or walking paths made the animals which live here.
Among the forests and peaks, Orcs, Kobolds, Bugbears, Goblins, Minotaurs, and Goliaths are the most common races to be seen. Other races, such as Wood Elves, Deep Gnomes, Firbolgs, Satyrs, Giants, Aarakocra, and Tabaxi, which tend to prefer the far wilds to the hustle of civilization are also have strong populations. The presence of large mountains, and untapped wealth has also of course always had an allure to the Dwarves who have established their presence in the area, attempting to harness the mineral wealth the land holds.
The primary launching points into the Wilds for those wishing to seek adventure tend to be the Aarakocra city of High Perch, the city of Londoras in Mithlonde (for the few they allow into their borders), Camp Westfall, or the long boat ride to the Old Elven colonial outpost of Farwater Post on the eastern side. Once within the mountains wilds, many will make their way to one of a handful of known towns or cities friendly to outsiders that make up what passes for civilization, such as the dwarven city of Grom Peak, famously known for its Griffon Riders; Fort Wildvar, Amberpine Lodge, Torok's Rise, or The Grizzleweald.