These long broad hills form a barrier between Sunndi and the Aerdi Sea, and have long been ideal for refugees from the depredations of the Great Kingdom.
These long broad hills form a barrier between eastern Sunndi and the Aerdi Sea. The remoteness and ruggedness of these hills made them an ideal refuge for the disaffected from surrounding states for centuries, particularly during the depredations of the Ivid overkings. This isolation has increased since the fall of Medegia, as expeditions south of the Thelly river have become too costly for the Aerdi to mount. East of these hills, along the coastline, lies the independent port of Dullstrand, which has an informal alliance with the men and dwarves of the hills and also sends goods to Sunndi.
Most correctly, the Glorioles would be termed mountains, while the Hestmark Highlands are hilly plateau land, but the two blend into each other almost imperceptibly. The forces of Sunndi now lay claim to all these hills, and with a population of some 10,000 dwarves and mountain dwarves in the Glorioles alone, no one is disputing this by force of arms. Since Sunndi’s brief conquest by the Great Kingdom during the Wars, and the Scarlet Brotherhood’s swift conquest of much of the Iron League, the dwarves have been more ready to ally with the humans and elves of Sunndi and work closely with them. Further, the town of Dullstrand, once part of Aerdy, always looked to Sunndi in a friendly way. Perhaps half of its original population of 5,500 has fled into the Hestmarks, fearful of the Lords of the Isles and the tales of madness and slaughter within the anarchic Aerdy states to the north. They are being trained by the dwarves, who are exceptional veteran troops after decades of skirmishing with Medegian and South Province troops which culminated in Sunndi’s invasion. The Highlands themselves are very barren, with a thick, brackenlike plant choking all other fauna in many places, and polluting drinking water in the bargain. The traveler here is well advised to bring many waterskins and a tarpaulin for collecting dew and rainfall.
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