The Hinterlands
"Gotum!" A shivering figure wrapped in beastly furs shouts. "What do you mean this ain't the cold north?"
"It ain't." Your typical stoic dwarf - at first glance anyways - stated very matter-of-fact.
"Fek, if this ain't cold me mum wa'nt a tayvern wench." Grumbled Esrek, Gotum's travel weary companion.
"Hnn." Was the taciturn dwarf's only response.
The two trudged ahead through knee-deep snow down a small ravine. Tightly packed between two mountain ridges, the trail was littered with broken boulders and seemingly frozen trees. The biting cold blew against the two travelers, slowing their progress towards Gotum's home. Coming from Centerpoint, the dwarven stronghold that spans the Acheron, the two sought to avoid the lower Hinterlands and see if they could discover the source of goblin raids plaguing the Midlands. From the shoreline of the wide Acheron, to the foothills of the Hinterland Mountains, the Midlands are rugged and hearty in their own right.
Into the mountains, however, the terrain changes into the realm of awe and inspiration. Mountainous landscapes topped by snowy and jagged peaks. Tall, broad pines and other evergreens blanket the sides of the mountains and the shadowy depths between, interrupted by countless streams, creeks, or small rivers. Nothing in comparison to the Acheron, though. This time of year, the trees and mountains received a light coating of fresh snow almost daily. On the days snow did not fall, an eerie quiet fell across the uneven terrain, broken only by the hardy creatures that dare to call the Hinterlands home.
Where the snow didn't completely cover the ground, caught by the trees above, a lush carpet of fallen pine needles softened their steps, deepening the quiet of this crisp morning. Easy to become lost between each ridge. The forests were thicker within each ravine or small valley. Miles of forests and mountains, mountains and forests. How in the Many Hells could Gotum and Esrek find goblins within these mountains? Clever creatures like goblins didn't stay in such lands. Too clean for their tastes. Better to find a needle in a haystack. As the two trekked slowly up and out of the ravine, Esrek, too focused on his surroundings, smacked suddenly into the stalwart dwarf's back.
"Got! What the fek, give me a..." His voice trailed off, realizing why his shorter companion had stopped. The beauty of the Hinterlands is not that each mountain ridge, valley, or river is the same vast wilderness one might expect. No, it was that travelers never knew when or where the rugged terrain might change. For better or worse, Reforged is a volatile and diverse world. Full of fiery and volcanic lands, islands floating in the skies or open seas, mountain ranges that reach the Heavens, and magical biomes befitting this world leave its peoples guessing. Always guessing. Who is over that ridge? How is this stream able to flow up? What wants to eat me today?
While the Hinterlands might retain its cold and inhospitality across its entirety, hidden amongst its vast mountain ranges are countless valleys full of unique flora and fauna or with weather that didn't quite fit. Like the narrow valley before the two travelers, now crouched and keenly aware of the abrupt change in environment. Behind them, a light snow continued to fall. The quiet at their back was hardly comforting, though. In front of them, the conifers had been replaced by their deciduous counterparts. Wide oaks, colorful maples, beechwood, and other leafy trees created a more vibrant forest. Instead of snow, a light rain - mistlike - permeated the air in front of them.
Birds chirped happily...no, wait. Angry chirping? Squinting, Gotum recognized what they were seeing first. "There's rot and decay in there." He stated gruffly.
"I think we found where the local goblins might be coming from."
"Aye."
The color in the maples was a ruddy brown, with spots of yellow. Sickly. Frogs croaked in the distance while a bubbling, as if a large cauldron was boiling an unsavory lunch, could be heard nearby. The cold crisp air continued from behind them but took on sulfuric and putrid aromas within the valley ahead. Thankfully, the light rain batted down some of the worst smells. Nestled between the nearby snowy mountains and evergreen forests was a Hinterlands bogland. Not quite rare within the Hinterlands but they were few and far between the Hinterlands' thousand and one kingdoms. The initial wall of deciduous trees gave way to swampland features, including fields of peat moss, heath, and other evergreen shrubs.
A perfect place for goblins to make their home. And other creatures that might find the dwarf and his human friend good additions to a bubbling cauldron...
Geography
The Hinterlands is a mostly mountainous region, full of hidden valleys and countless waterways that feed north into the Sea of Ice or south into the Acheron River. From the Vastless Ocean to the west, to the Fallen Mountains to the east, the Hinterlands is one of the more diverse regions in Midgard. The Hinterlands includes the Midlands, a narrow stretch between the Acheron and the Hinterlands Mountains as well as the vast steppes in the northeastern corner of the Hinterlands. The northern side of the Hinterlands Mountains ends almost abruptly at the Sea of Ice, where flords and narrow bays provide safehavens for the northern tribes.
Ecosystem
Throughout the moutain ranges, however, are hidden valleys too numerous to count. Many of the valleys boast kingdoms... or fiefdoms due to the seemingly unnatural breaks in the Hinterlands rugged terrain. Molten valleys or boglands, temperate alcoves, and magical biomes can be stumbled upon without a moments notice. The Hinterlands is full of natural beauty, dangerous to the ignorant traveler but home to many.
As strange as abrupt terrain changes are, they seamlessly blend into the ancient environment of the Hinterlands. Echos, they're called by the inhabitants of the Hinterlands. A few echos of the Planes of Fire can be found. From one ridge to the next, thick canopies of evergreen trees become forests of stalagmites from which billowy smoke escapes. Hissing sprays of hot steam cloud the air while bubbling pools of lava pop and crackle. Sulfuric aromas choke out the crisp clean air that surrounds these almost hidden echos.
As quickly as they are found, they are lost. Passing these fiery echos by, tall and straight pines or cedars give way to gnarled trees. Twisted by unknown forces. Color loses its pall. The vibrant life that was seen just a minute ago appears sapped of its vitality and strength. A stream of fresh water, once restorative, is now tasteless and bland, failing to provide the refreshing energy of mere moments ago. An echo of the Shadowfell, now interwoven throughout the world of Reforged.
Where there is dark and gray, where life is stagnate and depressing, the next echo is its polar opposite. Vibrant, colorful, loud, energetic can only describe the magical biomes of the Feywild. Trees seemingly sway to faint musical notes as laughter follows travelers, their mouthes agape at the almost cartoonish feel. Real but unrealist. How can the Hinterlands boast such diversity? How can so much fit into so little?
These echos are many, particularly within the Hinterlands, giving life to the thousand and one kingdoms.
Ecosystem Cycles
The Hinterlands remain cold throughout the year, due in large part to the long seasons. Winter, winter, fall, and more winter seem to be the general consensus. The rare summer is a harbinger of bad things to come. Or good, depending on one's perspective. Springs are nice but short, giving way to winter or fall. Hard to tell sometimes. It snows a lot. Rains some more. Today's weather? Cloudy, with a chance of rain and snow. Same as yesterday. Same as tomorrow.
Localized Phenomena
One of the greatest mystories of the Hinterlands is how an echo from the Plane of Fire can be so cold. During especially cold and long winters, snow blankets these fiery echos, unmelting. No one knows how or why but everyone knows to avoid these echos. The snow that doesn't melt provides no barrier to the molten lava beneath such wintery carpets of fine powder.
Almost stranger than cedar trees that suddenly start dancing or the boglands void of all color. Almost.
Fauna & Flora
Trees, trees, and more trees. A bush here and there but the trees don't like competition. Coniferous trees in the Hinterlands are as stubborn as the dwarves. Well, more so since dwarves are known to be emotional. At least as far as pine trees are concerned. Trees in the Hinterlands grow fast, tall, and wide. They are numerous, like grains of sand on a beach. Poor bushes, they never stood a chance.
Natural Resources
The dwarves had the right of it, until the elves came along, that is. The Hinterlands Mountains boast minerals and gems atop and beneath the mountains. Gold nuggets are not quite rare in the waters of the Hinterlands but dying as you pan for gold makes making a fortune rarer still. We've already talked about trees and their cousins: trees. The Midlands are rich in arable land, but they're also rich in dangerous animals. Whoever thought carnivorous sheep that walked on two legs could be so dangerous? Me either but their wool is thick and provides warmth during the worst of the Hinterlands long winters. Where towns and communities can till the rich soil, richer than some of the silver mines of the elves, bellies remain full. Winter or no winter.
History
During Reforged's transformation, the Hinterlands took on a very unique diversity. At the top of the great continent of Midgard, the Hinterlands reformation was one of the last to settle and stabilize. Many claim the Hinterlands is still changing, still being reforged. It is that newness, that incompleteness, that draws travelers to the Hinterlands. In the beginning...hehehe... in the beginning, the Hinterlands only began to take shape after the rest of Midgard had been formed. An upstart child or unruly teenager, the Hinterlands' temperament provides its reputation as a volatile and violent place.
Type
Mountain Range
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