'Hollow Lands' ((English: UK) [ˈhɒləʊ])

"Everything we ever had, everything we've ever known... Its lost. They took it, twisted it until you could scarcely recognize your own shadow among it, and now they march from it. Is there no evil they will not stoop to...?"

Created by Tybris (Me)

Faded, twisted, hollow. Drained of their vibrancy, their wealth scoured, their denizens twisted; these lands know no love to those who once dwelled among them. Lost behind 'The Shroud', these 'Hollow Lands' are a harrowing expression of this calamity, and what 'The Spurned' will bring upon all if they are not stopped. No land is truly safe from this fate, not whilst 'The Spurned' and their hordes still roam the world. From gnarled woods overcast by brooding, stagnant skies, to mountains that grow to be as jagged as the fangs of a dragon, the lands lost to 'The Black March' will be twisted and tainted until they are but a sullen, contorted echo of what they once were. Strewn with the sundered remnants of former civilizations, these 'Hollow Lands' will play host to 'The Black March' as they contort the territories claimed by their grim advance. Here they will bolster their numbers from those left behind, erect great and terrible structures, and dedicate themselves to the malevolent machinations of their masters. All the while, that which is lost behind 'The Shroud' is sapped of its vitality, its essence gorged upon by 'The Spurned' and their baleful constructs. Then, when they have supped full of the land's blood, and its bled dry from their wicked deeds, they will turn their gaze upon the next land to fall. 'The Shroud' will advance, and behind it the hordes of 'The Spurned'. In time, their armies will muster until a breaking point... and then 'The Shroud' will be breached, and anew land will be smothered by its choking embrace, drowned beneath a tide of malice, doomed to be hollowed until it is but a husk, fit only for those who scoured it. But there is still a fading ember of possibility in spite of this sorry fate: If 'The Black March' can be ousted from a 'Hollow Land', and their wicked influence is undone through the efforts of 'The Forsaken', life and vibrancy may return to these barren places, given time. But indeed, time is the only true salve to this affliction. Time, dedication, and rigorous effort on the part of mortals to undo what has been wrought. Alas the chances that such opportunities would arise, and be maintained in the aftermath of conflict, are slim. But whilst that chance remains, so too does hope...

Geography

The geography of any given 'Hollow Land' depends on what the region held prior to its fall beyond 'The Shroud'. The subsequent results naturally vary, but there are some relative 'constants' that can be observed across all regions that are lost to advance of 'The Black March'. They are as follows: -Bodies of water will darken and grow more obscure until it is more akin to ink than water. This is also true for rains that fall in these regions. Many consider this sight to be among the most demoralizing effects on the lands taken by 'The Black March'. This tainted water will do little good for those who imbibe it. At its worst, it will merely aid in the twisting of those who drink it. -Flora will lose its vibrancy and color until it is almost entirely hued in shades of grey. What little color remains will be dull and dreary in comparison to what it once was. In addition, the same flora will wilt and wither until it is either dead or malformed by malevolent machinations. That which seemed familiar will appear unnervingly foreign by the time 'The Black March' has fully tainted a 'Hollow Land'. Trees will grow gnarled, flowers barbed, ivy ever more choking, and so on. -Stone grows more jagged, aggressive, and difficult to traverse. Mountains have been compared to talons or teeth more so than the great spires they were once known as. Their caverns grow darker, more decrepit, and all the more difficult to traverse. What dwells within them will be all the more vicious. -Shards of 'obsidian-like' material will sometimes emerge from the earth. Some theorize it to be a corruption of the mineral wealth of a region lost behind 'The Shroud'. They are correct. -Most places of natural beauty in these regions will be considered ruined by the influence of 'The Black March'. These welcome sights will prove as demoralizing as the blackened rains. There are many more changes that can be observed in the geography of 'Hollow Lands' but they are largely dependent on the nature of a region prior to its fall. None of them are welcoming. More information will be found in articles pertaining to specific regions in the world.

Ecosystem

Naturally, the specific structures that define the ecosystem of a 'Hollow Land' will depend vastly upon what and where the region was before it became one. Just as with the geography of these places, however, there are some constants that can be observed in the majority, if not all, cases. They are as follows: -That which is lost behind 'The Shroud' is doomed to shift, twist and malform into an echo of its former self. Without alternatives to their present situation, or external intervention, the ecosystems of these regions are all but damned to this harrowing change. -By virtue of the twisting of lands lost behind 'The Shroud', natural resources will gradually deplete. This is either through death, decline, or being warped into a state where they are no longer usable. -With the depletion of natural resources, the denizens of these places will grow more desperate. Prey becomes all the more skittish in order to avoid ever more ravenous and desperate predators. These predators see bigger marks as fitting prey. This results in more dangerous environs for all parties. -As time passes, the creatures that survive the deteriorating ecosystem will become tainted, warping into twisted versions of their former selves. These creatures become increasingly docile towards the minions of 'The Spurned', and increasingly aggressive towards things that do not share in their corruption. Eventually, much of what remained untainted will be either brought low or driven out of 'The Hollow Land'. This process appears to intensify as 'The Black March' draw near to the completion of their citadel in the region. -Eventually, that which remains will learn to live in a profaned 'harmony' with 'The Black March'. Their twisted forms will feast upon the hollow remnants of the land, and any who venture forth into their domain unprepared. When 'The Black March' strides forth through a 'Breach', they will often join them; either as mounts or further fodder against mortal-kind. In this way, 'Hollow Lands' appear to have their own form of the functional ecosystem, but it is anathema to the realms of mortals. What might become of such things should 'The Spurned' find victory remains unknown, but conjecture suggests nothing good. Some would suggest the world would simply 'be'. Existing in a hollow, ruined state. Others suggest that these ecosystems would be consumed when 'The Spurned' strike the final, mortal blow against the world; thus ushering in an end to all things.

Ecosystem Cycles

Over the course of a location's fall into becoming a 'Hollow Land', the cycles of nature will slow, stagnate, and finally stop. In the end, all of these environs will be overtaken by the grim nature of 'The Black March'. They will appear almost 'locked in time', with grey skies, black rains, warped flora, and murderous fauna. Initially, the fauna inhabiting these territories will struggle with this change. Many will perish, but those who survive (and are subsequently tainted) will come to embrace it. Whilst the remaining denizens of these places may imitate their own 'cycles', the products of such things will be just as tainted as their sires. In that sense, a 'functional' cycle among this ecosystem remains, even if the world around it does not shift to meet it. The creatures of this place will hunt each other should it become necessary, but they will always hold a preference towards untainted entities as prey. Perhaps this is because they remind them of their former selves, though it is more likely that this preference stems from an instinct cultured by both 'The Black March' and the corruption caused by prolonged existence within 'Hollow Lands'. As far as migration is concerned; the only time the denizens of a 'Hollow Land' will leave it en masse, is during a 'Breach'. In these times, they will pour forth astride 'The Black March', intent on drowning fresh territory beneath 'The Shroud'. Whether or not this can rightly be considered migration is up for debate, however. Many would consider this nothing short of invasion.

Localized Phenomena

As mentioned above; the cycle of seasons in 'Hollow Lands' will stagnate over the course of their development. Eventually, they will cease, leaving the region in a grim, grey, unchanging state. Whilst this is by no means a true stop in time, it would be more accurate to suggest that 'Hollow Lands' cease to obey its march, opting to slowly decay regardless of the season, rhyme, or reason. Rains and bodies of water will blacken until they are closer to ink in coloration than anything else. Once claimed by this effect, this water will be ill-suited for drinking by any who are not taken by twisting influence of 'The Spurned'. Great shards of obsidian-like substance will sometimes emerge in 'Hollow Lands'. These are the corrupted remains of the region's mineral wealth. 'The Spurned' appears to 'feed' off of the essence of these lands. Prolonged dwelling in these domains will permit them to heal, and even enhance their strength. Every mile lost is all the more costly for this fact.

Fauna & Flora

Though indeed both the flora and fauna of any given 'Hollow Land' will be twisted and malformed by the machinations of 'The Black March' the precise species that dwell in them will depend on what lived in the region prior to its fall. From rabbits to wolves, to drakes. It matters not, in the end. They will all suffer the same hideous fate.

Natural Resources

As the hollowing of a region continues, its mineral wealth will be twisted and corrupted into an obsidian-like material. This will begin to jut from the earth in jagged spikes. Though brittle and considered unusable by many of the mortal races; the minions of 'The Black March' have developed techniques to harvest, treat, and craft with this material; turning its otherwise brittle composition into something nigh unbreakable; with an edge thrice as sharp as steel. This tempered material, often referred to as 'Widow's Glass' by the mortal races, is commonly used in the armaments of 'The Black March'. It garnered its name-sake both from the irony of its formerly brittle nature and by 'virtue' of the horrendous casualty rates it inflicts upon the field of battle, and the subsequent trail of widows and widowers it leaves in its user's wake. Some among 'The Black March' wield armaments forged from 'Widow's Glass' that are coated in poisons such as 'Widow's Tears', another unpleasant tool devised by 'The Black March'. As it stands, the techniques required to craft with this material are unknown to the mortal races of the world. The rest of the natural resources that remain will depend on where and what the land was prior to its hollowing. Some may remain usable, though the ordeals one would have to endure simply to harvest them would dissuade even the bravest from the attempt. All too many dangers, for all too little gain.

History

Though all 'Hollow Lands' share a common inception, in that they are formed from lands lost to 'The Shroud', their histories are entirely individual. From the greatest of nations to the tallest of mountains, to the most humble of meadows... each will have their tale of tragedy once 'The Black March' has them in their grasp.

Tourism

Tourism is not a thing when regarding 'Hollow Lands'. The only folk to venture into them are the desperate, the mad, those seeking to reclaim that which was lost (and often failing), and of course, 'The Forsaken'. There is little in these places any would be eager to seek out, but duty, fate, or circumstance will compel them all the same. Perhaps they seek 'The Spurned' to find their deliverance, or perhaps they would see them brought low and put to rest for the good of all. Their reasons matter not, they will find their way here... one way or another.

Alternative Name(s)

'Spurned Territories', 'The Lands Now Lost', 'Shroud-land', 'Bleaklands'.

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Region

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