The Dwindling Coast

The Dwindling Coast

  The regions bordering the Dwindling Seas and the Coral Wastes, characterized by rugged coastlines, rocky shores, and treacherous waters make up The Dwindling Coast. It is a challenging area to navigate, with hidden dangers and secrets lurking beneath the waves, such as coral reefs that could beach watercraft, or sandbars that ships might run aground on. Some shallow areas have mangrove biomes that are host to the Karkinos peoples. Other areas may be host to lurking monstrosities beneath the surface.  

Features

  The Ghosts of Hanguk   Eerie mist-covered structures line the Northern coast, overgrown with vines and trees. What was once a bustling coastal megacity is now a husk of what it once was. The towering skyscrapers are called 'The Ghosts of Hanguk', as the wind howls like ghosts through broken windows at high altitudes, masking the sounds of stalking predators that lurk above and below. Those that did remain in the former Hanguk city of Bukhan formed survivor clades.   Leirlendi   Leirlendi, or the Mudflats in the Vettir's native language was once a rich, shallow fishing area prior to the Cataclysm. It is now quite a strange land.   Muck-catchers go out into the flats to forage for clams, crabs, and other invertebrates. Upturned wrecks of abandoned ships litter the landscape and it is generally quite dreary and misty.   It is home to wild Earth Elementals and the Drulluormur, a burrowing muddy Behir subspecies that is capable of swallowing a person whole. Flitter-crabs roam the flats looking for detritus and corpses to pick apart, with biophosphorous mutations to confuse predators where they will 'flitter' in and out of existence briefly (or at least appear to do so). A Drulluormur's burrow entrance sometimes has a congregation of Flitter-crabs that surround it, kind of like a Fae circle. They congregate to pick up scraps that get left behind, so using them as a telltale sign to avoid the area is something experienced travellers will pick up on.   Nahr-Ghariq   Nahr-Ghariq is one of the largest remaining wetland zones on Mudirah-Karrah. Giant amphibious beasts inhabit a massive slow-moving river, once lined with a river port that transported goods inland and vice versa.   The Road to Kutib   A cold and desolate remnant of the shallow portion of the Southern ocean, 'The Road' is a landbridge that leads to Kutib, though few have reason to venture there. It is barren, muddy, and generally host to some strange, ever-shifting landscapes obscured by a roiling fog and low-lying clouds. Some come back from the precipice of 'The Road' and claim there have been green lights that dance in the shadows, but nobody since the Cataclysm happened has ventured there and returned.  

Major Settlements

  Akhir-Minah   Akhir-Minah is one of the few ports that has direct transit to Jazirah. It is nestled among cliffs on the edge of the Atlasiu ocean. As it was on the cliff faces on the edge of the continent, the initial shockwave from the Cataclysm did not affect it nearly as much as other cities.   Awal-Minah   Awal-Minah is the sister port of Akhir-Minah, where the most direct route between Jazirah and Mudira-Karrah by ocean travel is connected. Awal-Minah remains the single largest and most active port on Jazirah.   Erimipoli   Erimipoli is the last surviving pre-cataclysm port on the Dwindling coastline, which translates from Paraktian to "Deserted City" - as after the Cataclysm occurred, a lot of the trade and fishing industry literally dried up. It is situated in a crater bay East of The Coral Wastes landbridge and West of the Southern Glades of Mudira Karrah. People left in droves to find other, more stable locations. A project to restore Erimipoli to its former glory was handled by a coalition of volunteer engineers who dug out trade canals back to the city, which in turn brought some measure of trade back to the city, though over the course of a couple generations, Erimipoli has changed substantially from what it once was. Its canals are now lined with a somewhat haphazard mess of structures that were hastily built to accommodate a recovering populace and various shops, stalls, and food vendors were built along its waters. This district of Erimipoli is referred to as The Wash.   The old town portion of Erimipoli gives a window into its history, but new town, established closer to the coastline has become a very attractive rest stop for various seafarers and pirates. Some stalwarts tried to preserve Erimipoli's old town but a lot of people have since abandoned it. Underneath is a network of various tunnels that have been there since long before the cataclysm which serve as routes for the Night Market, or Mavri Agora in Paraktian. Erimipoli's denizens have largely adopted an anarchist collective school of thought to sustain itself after the collapse of normal structured trade and government. As a result, the city's motto is: "Contributions from each according to their own ability, and to each goes according to their own needs." which is antithetical to the Agora's faction ideals. The Mavri Agora merchants try to extract as much material wealth from travelers as possible. There's no laws in place to say they can't, but merchants are frowned upon by the general populace, looked upon as parasites. Similarly, the Mavri Agora's merchants have a strong dislike for the general populace of the city, though staying in their good graces is needed to import goods. It's a strange and uneasy alliance of sorts.   Erimipoli has repelled would-be invaders on several separate occasions. The old coalition of engineers had built and configured large coastal defenses on the outer walls of Erimipoli facing inland and facing towards the sea. Huge concrete bunkers with cannons scavenged from battleships that were grounded after the Cataclysm were arranged in such a way that invasion is extremely difficult. It is sometimes referred to as The Wall or The Colossus, depending on who you ask.   It is lined with pillboxes, bunkers, and repurposed naval guns, each placed tactically to cover the next station over. Approaching from The Dust, it can be an imposing sight, with its guns peering out from the otherwise brutalist structure.   A group of engineers and volunteers built it to prevent Erimipoli from falling apart at the hands of Ferals, Raiders, and various Bandit groups.   They dismantled a lot of the now-useless battleships and dragged their guns and turrets inland with motorized vehicles, then situated them in such a way that they were elevated but also the shockwaves from firing wouldn’t break windows each time. The back walls of the gun emplacements have vibration dampening baffles.   The wall itself was constructed from leftover processed concrete and recycled metals.   Another layer of defense is the tunnel network that both the Old Town residents and the Mavri Agora have used in guerilla warfare and ambushes. Various clocktowers were appropriated and used as sniper nests as well. The only invaders that were even remotely successful at breaking through all of these defenses were a small band of Chiral sky pirates who instead of approaching from the land or the sea, opted the aerial approach at night. They didn't try to occupy Erimipoli but instead were looking to resupply on their way to raid another location. They only managed to steal a few crates of food and some boxes of ammunition. They lost half their crew in the process to sniper fire. Erimipoli added three AA guns afterwards.   Plotochorios   Plotochorios is sort of a generic name given to the Karkinos settlements as they often set up sort of floating fishing villages on the coastlines. Plotochorios is Paraktian for Floating Villages. These act as trade hubs and safe mooring locations for various seafaring people. They are nestled amongst the giant mangroves adjacent to the Last Strands on Mudira-Karrah, and some can be found on the islands near Mudira-Karrah.  

Inhabitants

  Karkinos   Tieflings   Humans   Orcs   Elves   Chirals   Kamoa   Kuo-Toa   Jinseuri   Seirenes   Taekataen  

Monsters