03 The Deadlands

 

Geography and Circumstance:

  The Deadlands cover the easternmost expanse of the northeastern section of the continent, with the Shattered Steppes to its northwest, the Ashlands to its west, and the Pillared Realm to its south. It also abuts a small section of the Great Escarpment, to the southwest. To the north and east lies the ocean which, whilst cleaner than the waters of the swamps, is still polluted to some distance by the Styxian waters that flow from the Deadlands. Regardless of said pollution, the oceans still provide the primary means of survival for the peoples who survived the Calamity - the waters themselves are cleaner, allowing for more edible varieties of aquatic life to survive. Sand from the beaches and ocean floor is used to filter the swamp waters into something more potable, though not necessarily much better-tasting.   Native life in the Deadland swamps consists of varieties of muck-dwelling terrestrial, aquatic and amphibious creatures, including no small variety of carnivorous plants and parasitic creatures. The lands to the west and northwest steadily transform from swamps to rocky wastelands and crags, and share some of the traits of the lands that border the nations there: acidic waters closer to the Ashlands, and untamed wilderness closer to the Shattered Steppes.  

Races of the Deadlands:

The conditions of the Deadlands have encouraged the survival of a variety of races, from the more versatile and hardy races, or those suited to swampy terrain, to the more agile races. As such the species found in the Deadlands include:

• Humans
• Elves
• Gnomes
• Halflings
• Goblins
• Grippli
• Hobgoblins
• Kobolds
• Lizardfolk
• Ysoki

The most populous of these races are the Humans, Halflings and Goblins (20% each), followed by Elves (10%), with the remaining 30% being split between the other races.  

Deadlands Society:

The Deadlanders are a disparate bunch, brought together by the needs of survival. The main commonality between them is living off the waterways and a willingness to adapt to their circumstances. Braving, and dying to, the dangers of the swamps has bred a somewhat dour community who accept death for being the thing that it is: unfortunate, but unavoidable, though swamp-related deaths have decreased slowly over time as the population has adapted and grown.   Though suitable shipbuilding wood is in low supply, the Deadlanders have taken what they have and done the best they can to develop a good-sized fishing fleet sturdy enough to take into deeper coastal waters, where edible aquatic life is significantly more common. Whilst not truly ocean-faring vessels, they are fit to task outside of storms or extreme weather events.   Outside of fish, a number of edible plant and root species can be found in the swamps closer to the coast and toward the base of some of the crags, allowing for scavengers and foragers to collect supplemental food supplies - a task well-suited to the smaller, more nimble races of the Deadlands. Thus bringing about the current order, such that it is: the smallfolk are predominately the foragers, and the tallfolk the fishermen.  

Stronghold (Neverharbour):