Nevermore Expanse
North of the Krovian Empire and Sundermist Tips, the Tonarian continent reaches out into the Great Divide. This merciless region is known to most as the Nevermore Expanse, where few outsiders seldom pass through the thick layer of protective fog, which conceals the terrors within. It is here the people of Nevermore are at the mercy of its Sanguis lords, who use political force to ensure that blood continues to flow without remorse. For in the Kingdom of Nephistrad, blood is everything.
This dark and twisted expanse is home to the Kingdom of Nephistrad and is the birthplace of the Sanguis species. A joyless land ruled by Harlock Von Lishken, the Nevermore Expanse is a ruthless place where social structure is just as dangerous as the blood drinking monsters that roam its lands at night.
Hematurgy blood magic is not only responsible for turning the once human Von Lishken lineage and their community into Sanguis, it also shapes the land in macabre ways. Thanks to the Crimson Order, a church that worships the life essence found in blood and the demigoddess Evenneth, the Scarlet Walker, the region is shrouded in a dense fog known as the blister. Passing through this heavy fog has lasting effects for non-undead and low constitution creatures, infecting them with blood decay, a disease that slowly and painfully erodes the lungs.
The people of Nevermore live out their lives under the watchful eye of the Crimson Order and their Sanguis lords. If citizens residing in the safety of a city’s walls pay their blood tax and provide an uninterrupted supply of fresh blood, they are free to live their life in whatever meager or modest way they see fit.
Geography
A startlingly beautiful yet cold and lonely landscape, the Nevermore Expanse is made up of a variety of seductive but dark scenic locations. Throughout the fog-covered expanse, the view is dotted by small villages, tolling bell towers, crumbling ruins, and gothic manors.
Brimeye Timbers
Those who get lost in the Brimeye Timbers seldom return. The strange druids who dwell here will do anything to protect their way of life, including sacrificing what humanity they have left to unleash that which lies at the heart of the forest. As you journey deeper into the timbers, the trees appear to grow closer together, forming a seemingly endless labyrinth that refuses to let you escape its branches.
Howling Highlands
North of the Shadewall mountains, the Howling Highlands stretch from the coastal city Lammas to Thickets Grin. Travelers from the Northlands often come ashore along the Howling Highlands, leading to a community of Caelian camps and outcasts along its coast. As ocean winds blow through the highlands, obelisks from a time before guide travelers to ruined fortifications, forgotten by Nephistrad.
Raven’s Roost
Raven’s Roost mountains and the adjacent woodlands act as a mist covered barricade, shielding the Nevermore Expanse from the rest of the continent. Believed to have once been home to the Olothine, a prosperous Elf kingdom from before the Great Sacrifice, Raven’s Roost now looms as the center of rebellion against Nephistrad’s noble houses.
Shadewall Mountains
Extending from the coast of the Frigid North for almost the entirety of the region, the Shadewall Mountains serve as a natural border between the northern and southern expanse. A vast tunnel system weaves throughout the enormous mountain range, connecting the cities of Avacyn, Breylet and Falkovnia with the capital city Razmiran. These pathways support normal means of transportation, but for those lucky enough to purchase an expensive ticket, the Last Rest, a blood powered locomotive, follows a railway maintained by the Last Rest Brigade.
Thicket's Grin
One of the many wooded areas of the Nevermore Expanse, Thicket’s Grin is known for the ivy that clings to rocks and hangs from branches to form plantlike curtains. This strange greenish purple ivy connects to everything and resembles capillaries rushing across the undergrowth. Many from the neighboring city Falkovnia consider the ivy repulsive and actively burn and cut back the forest from their city walls. Whatever its origin, slight traces of necromantic magic pulses from the ivy the further north you travel.
Maps
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Northern Tonarian
Alternative Name(s)
Lamented Lands
Type
Region
Included Organizations
Owning Organization
Contested By
Inhabiting Species
by Dean Spencer
Adventure Ideas
Adventures in the Nevermore Expanse could involve defeating grim threats or simply surviving the harsh environment.
A member of the Hereafter, a prominent thieves guild in the area, is recovering from injuries in the basement of a roadside inn. Bounty hunter’s hired by the Crimson Order search the region in hopes of learning more about the thieves guild’s whereabouts.
Deep in the Brimeye Timbers, a circle of druids seek to unleash a forgotten presence entombed within the trunk of an engorged carnivorous tree.
A clan of Caelian have landed on the shores of the howling highlands in search of treasures lost before the great sacrifice. Unbeknownst to their chieftain, one of the Caelian has pledged loyalty to a Sanguis lord and guides the clan to become food for slaughter.
A small village on the outskirts of Mor’zi has been under assault by a gang of werebats. Unable to afford the cost of changing from human to Sanguis, they opted to instead become cursed with lycanthropy but were misguided in their ability to control the curse.
Falkovnia Outskirts
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