Barrenstride Plains

The Barrenstride Plains are among the harshest and most unyielding regions in Elysoria’s open lands. Spanning a vast plateau north of the Cinderflow/Silvertide River, this untamed stretch is defined by wind-scoured grasslands, dry gullies, and shallow basins where rain is rare and fleeting. No permanent settlements exist here. Even the hardiest of frontier camps rarely last a season.   Yet the land is far from empty. The Barrenstride Bison, massive and broad-shouldered, roam in herds that shake the very ground. Their migratory paths carve natural corridors through the landscape, followed loosely by birds of prey such as the Barrenstride Falcon, whose cry echoes over the plains like a hunting horn.   Life here clings to motion and memory. Small game—burrowing hares, rust-furred rodents—disappear at the first tremor of hoofbeats. Wildflowers bloom after rare storms, only to vanish in days. Even the grasses have learned to bow low under the wind, conserving moisture and heat.   Few humans venture into the plains’ interior. However, it's along the fertile edges of the Cinderflow/Silvertide that human life thrives. A scattering of settlements nestle close to its banks, living in a harmonious blend of hunting and agriculture. The river's waters, rich with fish, sustain the communities, while its shores offer fertile ground for farming. South of it, the land softens; north, it grows harsher and colder. Only experienced hunters or desperate outlanders brave the deep plains, and even they move with caution. The elusive Barren Bobcat, a pale and solitary predator, is the prize of such journeys—not for its hide, but for the story of having seen it at all.   Barrenstride is not a land for conquest. It is a land of endurance and quiet challenge, where the earth yields little, but everything it gives is unforgettable.