Kjardan Coast

"No. No. I wouldn't set foot there for all the gold in the Empire."

— Fournan, Caravan Master

Along the northern coast of Durrsk there is a stretch of coastline where the land drops away sharply, in some places meeting the water at a near-vertical angle. This is the Kjardan Coast, known in other lands as "the Teeth of the North". Locals call it "the Bite", with a common phrase being that "they lost their way and were bitten" to describe deaths in the region due to accidents. Of all the regions in their country, Durrsians treat the Bite with a respectful wariness, politely suggesting all others should stay clear of it. Yet they dwell there, small close-knit communities continuing to dwell there as a testament to their stubbornness. In turn, there are a few unique resources which find their way south to the rest of Erisdaire.

The Kjardan Coast is the northernmost part of Erisdaire, and as such the temperatures are considerably colder than elsewhere. There are creatures which have adapted to the cold, and the terrain, which cannot be found anywhere else. Hunting is a large part of living in this region, either for survival or for profit. There are bears with much thicker pelts adapted to the cold, lesser drakes known to hide among snowdrifts and ambush others, burrowing worms whose bodies burn food to keep warm. Alongside this are a few seemingly-familiar plants which have unique behaviors due to the weather and climate.

The most troublesome thing is the seasonal changes and how they affect life here. During half of the year, most water will freeze in minutes and powdery snow will blow around to keep visibility poor. It takes specialized gear to handle these challenges, but there are worse perils. The snowdrifts which also hide frost drakes may hide slopes or openings which a person can fall through, not to be found alive until the summer thaw. There are only a few roads kept clear, but they do not intrude very far into the Bite. Rather they only allow access to one of the few permanent settlements here, Frosted Hearth. Caravans rarely make the trip to this town, where small amounts of the unique offerings can be picked up. Once past this settlement, there are only local guides and settlers in the wilderness who have temporary settlements to ride out the winter.

During the summer, the weather warms enough to release flowing water which had been frozen solid as well as allowing most of the snow to melt as well. While there are a few known courses the melting snow will overwhelm them or cause new rivers to spring into existence for that season. Because of this, settlements will pack up and relocate away from whatever place they had chosen to shelter through the winter. Because of this, for the first week guides are unable to be completely accurate with safe routes. Creatures which thrived in the deep cold become scarce, waiting out the warm season in the higher peaks which remain cold. Even during this period, most caravans stay away as there is very little of interest at this time which cannot be found elsewhere in Durrsk.

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