The Wasteland

The Wasteland is a windswept and barren country, largely inhospitable to settlement and offering little shelter from the biting winds that blow from the Sea of Claws. It owes its independence to the importance of Marienburg - largest port in the Old World - whose canny Burgomeisters have gradually wrung a series of privileges and concessions from The Empire over many years.

Geography

The Wasteland lies around the bay where the Reik flows into the sea, stretching as far as the edge of the Reikwald Forest in the south and east and to the foothills of The Pale Sisters in the west. A few sheltered spots offer refuge for scattered farms and villages, but most of the Wasteland's population live in the city port of Marienburg.

Politics

Away from the forests of the interior, the Wastelanders see few of the perils of Chaos and are far more lax with regard to its dangers than the superstitious people of The Empire - some would say far too lax. Those who live near the forest are a little more cautious, more suspicious of strangers, and less trusting, even of each other. In and around Marienburg, however, the people are friendly and open, as befits a cosmopolitan port, where traders come from all over the Old World and beyond. At one point in its history, the Wasteland was actually a part of The Empire, but the country's inhabitants have always been an independent folk and have used the fact that they control much of The Empire's overseas trade to force successive Emperors to allow them greater autonomy. Supported in these goals by Bretonnia to the west, the Burgomeisters of Marienburg are now in a position to play these two great powers against each other.

The People

Wastelanders share many physical traits with the Reiklanders of the southern Empire. They are tall and robust, hard-working and strong-minded.

Language

The people of the Wasteland speak Old Worlder with a similar dialect to that of the citizens of The Empire.

Cities

The only settlement of any size in the Wasteland is the great city-port of Marienburg. If you wish to generate maps showing other Wasteland settlements by following the guidelines given in Settlement Patterns in the Old World, you should note that there are no other towns, only villages and farmsteads.

Type

Region