Hinterlands

Features

• Dense forests nestled against rugged terrain
• Hunter camps and remote settlements
• Birdsong interspersed with sudden, unsettling stillness
• Ironlanders, foraging and hunting game
• Hungry beasts, stalking
• Varou bands, howling their war song

This high terrain consists of a long string of forested hills.

Isolated Ironlander settlements in this region serve primarily as bases for hunters and trappers. A few farmers do the best they can with the rocky soil, but the people depend mostly on meat, mushrooms, berries, and other bounties from the forest to sustain them during the long winters.

Those winters are bitter and harsh. Snow gathers as deep as an Ironlander is tall, or more. Hunters, cloaked in heavy furs, wear snowshoes to navigate across the rough terrain. At night, they make camp. They drink and tell stories. They try to ward away the encroaching darkness with a blazing fire. They cast nervous glances at sounds just beyond the light.

In the spring and summer, the melting snow feeds tumultuous rivers. The forests burst with rich life. But, always there is a chill in the air. Always there is a reminder of the coming winter.

Quest Starter: A group of Ironlanders have been forced out of their Hinterland settlement. What caused them to leave? With winter coming, and food in short supply, will you attempt to reclaim their settlement or convince someone to take them in?