04 The Endless Plains

 

Geography and Circumstance:

The Endless Plains is, as the name somewhat suggests, a large expanse of plains interspersed by sprawling, majestic forests. It occupies roughly one-quarter of the northern coast of Iolex, occupying the region between Ghostwind to the west and the Shattered Steppes to the east. To the south and southeast lies the main bulk of the Great Escarpment, providing crystal clear waters.   Though largely-reduced since the height of the Calamity, the Planestorms in this region are still dangerous due to the strong winds which howl across the plains - only in the depths of the forests or tucked into mountain valleys are they reduced enough to be truly considered safe for open travel.   Native life in the plains tends toward large sizes and docility or pacifism, with large herds of aurochs, horses, elk and similar species being common. More uncommon but still present can be found the occasional small herd or pack of the various megafauna species - elephant and rhinoceros varieties, etc. Deeper in the forests, smaller but more aggressive creatures can be found. Notably, pegasi have occasionally been glimpsed in the forests abutting the Great Escarpment.  

Races of the Endless Plains:

The howling, freezing winds of the Endless Plain Planestorms were not friendly to the smaller races that had attempted to shelter there during the Calamity - many perished, even in the relative shelter of Heartpeak. Conversely, a large number of centaur flourished in the region. The current notable races of the Plains are as follows:

• Centaur*
• Humans
• Dwarves
• Elves
• Catfolk
• Kitsune
• Vanara
• Tengu
• Minotaur*

Heartpeak’s Minotaur population are the last remnant of a once-deep-subterranean civilisation of their kind, pushed out from the depths by the incursions of various species over hundreds of years. The tunnels from the surface that originally led toward the Deep Dark of Ioris were utterly destroyed during the catastrophic upheavals within the Great Escarpment during the Calamity.   *Centaur and Minotaur Ancestries are considered Uncommon in the Endless Plains.  

Endless Plains Society:

Brought together by the need to work together to survive the Calamity, the society of the Endless Plains is one born of thankfulness and cooperation. Thankfulness toward the centaurs who had opened the gates of Heartpeak for the other races to shelter from the Planestorms, who hunted the plains even during the height of the storms. And an even deeper thankfulness toward the minotaurs who had allowed the centaurs to settle in the valley outside their deep-mountain village in the first place, hundreds of years earlier.   Whilst nominally a society of equals, the centaur and minotaur population remain, perhaps, a little more equal than any of the other races. For their part, the minotaurs appreciated the stone-and-metalworks of their dwarven refugees, allowing them to mine and cohabitate the mountain halls, so long as the dwarves agreed to follow their convoluted designs for the village. The centaurs, on the other hand, could best have been said to be ‘tolerant’ toward their new neighbours, given their past histories.   These past misgivings have, mostly, been long-forgotten by the current citizens of Heartpeak.  

Stronghold (Heartpeak):