the Jagged Crown

This region is also known as the Worldsteeth in Theissiesc'lein. These "mountains" are formed from massive, jagged spikes of stone and metal of a seemingly alien type that jut out of the ground. When stone is dug away it is revealed that these massive jagged monoliths extend into the ground for some way and end in a tapered point of like to that which sticks out above ground. They are concentrated in a "range" like mountains, but it is clear that these are no ordinary mountains. Some lie thrust into the ground many miles outside the range in various areas, in the swamplands of Wierscyeir, in the plains of the Westermourn, and cast down into the labyrinthine.
The people of the Jagged Crown build on the sides of their mountains, but also build towns and cities upon the ground at the base of their mountains. Towns and cities of wood cling to the "teeth", with long wooden bridges or rope walkways connect towns and buildings together, especially in areas where the teeth are closer together, while stairways and walkways of wood fastened by rope and peg to the mountains support their towns. The people of the Jagged Crown have to be ready for war, to fend off Westerlander invasions and raiders. Their warriors greatly utilize harpoons with grappling and stone piercing ends to give them even more tactical manoeuvrability in their lands. Unlike their Highlander counterparts, which use meteorite chains, these are made of simple rope, though like their highlander cousins they do use line hooks to speed down the zip line towards their enemies. The line hooks that they use are not at all like the old gnomish design used by the people of the Highlands and Highspire's, whose descending speeds can be adjusted and even stopped to allow for ranged assailment before closing in and attach to the upper back, but is a simple hook and rope. A regiment of Theissiesc "ziplining" directly into combat easily has the force of a cavalry charge and can be countered similarily.
They use a kind of zip line for regular transportation, as well. They are quite simplistic, a number of heavy iron ballistae fire heavy iron bolts with ropes attached, which they use simple hooks to travel down towards their destination, or towards their enemies, at flying speeds. In many places, there are permanent "ziplines" fixed into the grounds from the heights in large numbers. These are normally made of enchanted chain, very very hard to break. This is for both defensive purposes and for simple convenience in times of peace, people can always be going down to the base level from their mountainside villages when they need to in a matter of seconds, or minutes, rather than a very long and exhausting trek down rope ladders. Many villages are built specifically for upwards motion of ladders, and downwards with zip lines. In times of defence this comes in handy, enemy armies must pass among many of these clusters of chains, and even camp near to them, never knowing as they do if there is a watching host of warriors ready to pour down among them from above or not. In many cases, there are, and often attacks are synchronized to trap enemies within a few stretches of ashen pathways and clearings between the jagged spikes of their mountains. This region does not support a very large population, and unlike the highlands, they are not shipped mass amounts of food from both the Salt Shores and the Rhyossyd. Grain from the Rhyossyd does go towards supporting the Jagged Crown's population, but even still this region does not support a massive population. As such, mass Westerlander invasions can pass through, with attrition, but not any adequate army-stopping resistance. In cases like these, the Jagged Crown Theissiesc are more than content to sit perched on their spikes of rock and harry enemies with ballista bolts, javelin, thrown stones (quite lethal at that height) and rolled boulders. It is one thing to pass through their land with an army, and quite another to assault any half decently sized Jagged Crown village, perched high up and with every natural and man-made defence. Artillery either cannot aim upwards at a sufficient angle or is merely inneffectual, if one has need to capture a village one must rely on brute strength and determination to force a host up rope ladders, and a proliferation of firearms and even then will generally find that once at the top either most or all peoples and goods of importance are already carried away over swinging rope bridges and zip lines to other villages; and if capturing a village from below is hard enough one should only attempt to fight them in the upper levels of their homeland.
The Theissiesc here equip themselves with dark iron armour and weapons. Like most Theissiesc, they equip themselves with heavy armour and weapons of war when possible, but it often happens that they have need to fight with whatever is on hand. As such, they fashion their tools and apparel to be suitable for a fight, like their Flint Hills brethren. When they are given ample warning they equip themselves in heavier medium armour, with dark iron half plate and dark iron scale mail or leather clothing. They are feared for forging deadly "Svered", which are gauntlets with a puncturing sword blade attached. They vary from the Ja'jirat "Rajput Blade" in that the svered blade is set further towards the knuckles and finger armour is left separate, allowing one to wield another weapon, whereas the Rajput Blade is worked into the whole gauntlet, which encloses the hand, and is used as a primary weapon. Depending on the region and on the individual, sometimes full heavy armour is used or much lighter configurations. They fight with deadly poleaxes, short and long mining picks, long knives, hackglaives, bladed spears, their infamous hookswords, and javelins. Experienced warriors or merely wealthier individuals will have enough to equip themselves with better armours, firearms, and many choose a kind of halberd unique to them known colloquially as a Wastelander's Hook.
The Jagged Crown is largely dominated by Clan Brokk'gard, though in the south the Naet'hograh have taken over some parts of the range. The region extends into the Labyrinthine in many places, but there are many rocky steppe lands and ashen wastelands in yet more areas here, between the Crown itself and the Labyrinthine. In these less mountainous regions the Naet'hograh rule for the largest part, but small remnants of the ancient Clan Wrykwaith remain in many small pockets between the mountains, from which the Naet'hograh are at least in part descended. This region functions much like the Flint Hills, and at one time was considered to be one and the same province. After the Times of Tribulation, however, two provinces were made. That of the Flint Hills, and that of the new province of the Jagged Crown Dictate, whose borders were loosely set as "to the east and south of the Labyrinthine".

Type

Geopolitical, County / March

Alternative Names

the Worldsteeth, the Jagged Range, the Eastern Palisade

Demonym

Cragslander, Jagged Crown Theissiesc, Jagged Teeth Theissiesc, Worldsteeth Clansmen