Shattered Lands

The Shattered Lands are the wasteland of northern Lannentweld comprised mainly of icy tundra which thaws only partially during the summer months. The Lands stretch east and west from the Mist Sea to the Nordthrun Sea. Everything north of the Iylvar Range is considered part of the Lands.

The terrain is frozen tundra. The ground is broken and tilted by heaves of underground ice, virtually impassable by wagon, and treacherous on horseback or foot. Occasional flumes of noxious steam burst from underground, poisoning what little life can be found. Earthquakes are frequent. Volcanic activity is not uncommon. Springs and pools of unfrozen water can be found, ranging from tepid to boiling, heated from underground and invariably toxic.

Some small villages and hamlets can be found at the edges of the Shattered Lands, along the coasts and scattered throughout the Iylvar Range. The vast majority of these settlements were founded as temporary mining camps, hunting lodges, trading posts, etc.

Much of The Shattered Lands are subject to rumor and legend, which is supported by limited evidence. The rumor that the Shattered Lands used to be home to a greater empire of Lannentweld may well be true based on the existence of the Shattered Highway, an ancient and largely decayed highway that leads from northern Angland and the Nordthrun Sea across to northern Dragabin and the Mist Sea. Along the highway there are several ruins which suggest a much larger civilization throughout the region. However the ruins have not yet been properly studied by trained archaeologists, making most legends about the ruins simply that.

As for tales of the monstrous creatures of the north they also remain unfounded. While the few residents of the Shattered Lands are in most cases hunter/trappers who make their living off the exotic pelts they sell to nobility, their tales of Garnols, Ctakin, and Trolls can hardly be believed. Someone would surely have returned with some remains of one of these beasts rather than a story of how they barely escaped with their lives.

One of the more popular Shattered Lands myths is that of Valanay Waning. Valanay was supposedly one of the major cities of this ancient Lannentweld empire.