07 Ghostwind

 

Geography and Circumstance:

Ghostwind occupies the northwesternmost stretches of the continent, bordering the Endless Plains to the east, and Everwyld to the south. The Great Escarpment blocks the southeastern border, forcing travellers to route around the mountain range if they wish to head south. A land of wide plains, Ghostwind is frequently beset by mist and fog generated by cold air from the Great Escarpment meeting warmer air from the ocean. Dense forests intersperse the plains on occasion, which tend to be less foggy than their surrounds, but carry their own dangers. Plateaus and jagged pillars of stone also rise from the plains throughout the land, their peaks rising above the nearly permanent mist and fog.   The Planestorms of Ghostwind differ from those of the other Lands to a notable extent, in that their effects occur on both the Material and Ethereal planes simultaneously. These storms can deliver objects or creatures from one plane to the other if suitable precautions aren’t taken, and there are certain regions of Ghostwind which are more likely to generate these effects during the Planestorms.  

Races of Ghostwind:

Conditions in Ghostwind have favoured the survival of races with either innate magical/psychic abilities or aptitude, or species more suited to the foggy and misty weather. As such, the population of Ghostwind is predominately made up of the following:  

• Duskwalkers*
• Elves
• Fetchlings
• Gnomes
• Humans
• Kashrishi*
• Kitsune
• Lizardfolk
• Shisk
• Tengu
• Vishkanya

Of particular note, individuals seem to rarely spontaneously reincarnate as Duskwalkers within the borders of Ghostwind, outside of the influence of Pharasma or the Psychopomps. The conditions for their reincarnation do still seem to match the requirements set for the creation of the original Duskwalkers, however. *Kashrishi are only Uncommon in Ghostwind.    

Ghostwind Society:

The culture of Ghostwind is more loose than that of many of the other lands - rather than tight-knit communities or factionalised separation, the various species tend to intermingle loosely whilst still maintaining a sense of community - a community reinforced by the need to occasionally rescue individuals stranded on the verge of the Ethereal/Material plane border. The peoples of Ghostwind govern themselves through a form of republic wherein the peoples of each district elect representatives to meet in council with the other district leaders, and these representatives elect a leader from amongst themselves to be the overall voice of the community. Given that this lead representative must themselves be elected by their own communities, this system works fairly well to prevent undesirables from maintaining an undue level of influence for long - though on one occasion, the peoples of the other districts have dislodged an unpopular lead representative. Literally.   Despite the dangers of the lowlands under the plateaus, the base of the plateaus themselves do provide excellent opportunities for mining, allowing for horizontal mineshafts. The upthrust terrain has revealed reasonable surface veins of certain metals and materials.  

Stronghold: