Equus Highlands

Equus Highlands

Situated in the highest point of Rhyderia the Equus Highlands is the original area the original humans, the Ozari, began to build from. The capital city of Norvasul is home to the King of Rhyderia as well as the greatest horse breeders in the known world. The lands of the Highlands are forested and rocky with a larger amount of conifer trees compared to other regions of Rhyderia. The Rhyderian Friesian makes the highlands their home, one of the more coveted warhorses in the world due to their size and temperament making them easy to make into combat-trained horses. These horses are very spirited and loyal to select people, they tend to be very fussy about who their rider is but once they bond with a rider they will always be there when it matters. Rhyderian Friesians can be any color though black is a common one, there are rare reports of unicorn mixed Friesians with silver fur that would be the most fitting mount for one of the Shining Knights.
Asper Forest
The forested approach to Norvasul that begins a steady slope near Fort Arvala until it reaches the top of the Equus Highlands only a few miles before the gates of Norvasul. On either side of the road, the forest is growing lush and shows signs of life everywhere you look with only very few reports of larger beasts coming to the roads. The locals attribute this to a good relationship with the fey spirits and the druid circle of the forest. There are parts of the Asper forest that are calm and inviting providing many gorgeous places to camp, hike, or just relax in there is no doubt that it is still a wild forest at its heart, while nowhere near as hostile as the Deepwoods of Ursand the further you stray from civilization the more you put yourself into the rules of the wild world.
The forest is made up mostly of oak trees, with a mix of pine and other trees that are planted either by the druids or those visiting. The outskirts of the forest have wide gaps between the trees making it easy to travel there is a section which most refers to as the barrier trees that are spaced only a couple of feet apart almost making a fence. Most believe that the druids did this to keep people out of the deeper sections of the forest and to keep the more dangerous creatures on that side away from people. The normal woodland predators and monsters make their home in the forest with plant creatures, fey, and ogres having been seen in the deeper parts of the forest. Bandits have been known to make their hideouts in these places too due to the difficulty of finding them and removing them.
Friesian Forest
The forest north of Norvasul is the original home of the Rhyderian Friesian, many find it strange that such a large and powerful breed of horse is naturally found in a forest. This only adds to the value the Rhyderians place on such horses as they are both strong and agile enough to remain at speed while navigating the twisting paths of a forest. This trait is prized among some regiments of knights that train to be able to complete a full cavalry charge coming from the woods near a battlefield to bring a devastating charge from what most would consider an impossible terrain for heavy cavalry.
The forest itself is made up largely of pine trees with other trees being mixed in seemingly at random. Small lakes dot the forest with smaller streams running between them and down into the main waterways. As for the hazards of the forest, the normal woodland predators and monsters make the forest their home, with Wyverns being one of the apex predators of the forest, though they prefer to nest there and hunt further south.

Adventure hooks

Tier 1: Increased bandit activity:
For some reason, the bandits who normally only take what they need are showing up in greater numbers and taking all, they can carry and torching the rest. This is causing a large amount of turmoil in the highlands as winter months approach. Find out why these bandits are acting so strangely.
Tier 2: Dark Forests
The forests of the highlands have become ‘darker’ with a certain malevolence hiding in the boughs and shadows of the deeper forests. Those who live near the forest say they have seen strange creatures they can only guess are malevolent fey spirits stalking the forests as a hunter would. The druids of the forest have gone to every town and city in the highlands with a statement. ‘The elder spirit of the woods has been offended by the theft of his property. Also, if it isn’t returned the forests will no longer be a safe place as the spirits that hate non-fey will be allowed to inhabit the forest again.’ When asked about the property the druids mention that it is a special acorn that was stolen and sold to a man described only as ‘The Black Fox’ as he wore a cloak of black fox pelt.
Tier 3: Troll town troubles:
A town bordering the mountains has been overrun by trolls, but rather than the inhabitants all being killed and eaten they are slaves to the trolls. A troll of massive size rules the others with an iron hand and seems to be highly intelligent. As notable individuals in the Highlands, you are sent to save the townsfolk and if possible, eliminate this troll and find out what exactly it is. Some rumors suggest this troll leader is a Blackhide troll, a dangerous half-fiend troll.