The Lechian Peninsula
As The Stormbreakers shelter and nourish the riverlands, so to does our faith in Our Lady The Defender nourish the souls of the Lechian people
The Lechian Peninsula is a land of extremes, the eastern coast wracked by such constant storms that little can live there, but the storms fill the high lakes which feed and nourish the fertile westerlands.
Geography and Climate
From the storm battered eastern coast to the high steppes of the westerlands, the unique geography of the Lechian Peninsula has deeply shaped the people who occupy it.
Stormside
Another of the strange microclimates caused by the chaotic magics of the cataclysm and the spellstorm, the eastern coast of The Lechian Peninsula is battered by nearly nonstop storms. From just beyond the northern tip of Tavelia to the edge of the Lechian/Galacian Strait, storms form just off the coast before slamming into the eastern shore, the next storm beginning to form almost as soon as the first departs. The result of being battered by these storms for the last two millenia is a bare, rocky landscape, all of the topsoil and all but the most hardy vegetation stripped away leaving smooth eroded stone behind.
The Stormbreakers
A relatively small mountain chain which runs down the east coast of The Lechian Peninsula, the stormbreakers are so named because they absorb the fury of the constant storms of Stormside, protecting The Westerlands from their driving rains and scouring winds. The eastern face of the Stormbreakers is bare stone, worn smooth by the constant rain and winds, but the western face is lush with life, heavily forested and teeming with game. Lakes have formed all along the tops of the mountain chain, and the rivers which flow from them break up the high steppes of The Westerlands with the forests which have formed around them.
The Westerlands
High steppes are the dominant feature of the westerlands, flat land and low rainfall resulting in broad grasslands which cover most of this side of the peninsula. Breaking up the grasslands are rivers which flow from lakes high in the stormbreakers, forests forming around them and providing plenty of water for the irrigation of crops and to power waterwheels for industry. While there are roaming nomadic tribes who make the steppes their homes, the majority of the population lives around the rivers, and nearly all of the permanent settlements in Lechia are build on them.
The Rivers
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The Piotyn - Seperating the windblown Northern Plateau from The Midland Steppe, three main tributaries flow from a set of conjoined mountain lakes to form a broad, slow moving riverwhich makes it's way down to a broad delta on the shores of the Palsas Sea.
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The Zalec - Flowing from Lake Zalec, an immense lake which is fed from one enormous mountain lake and several smaller ones, the Zalec is fast moving and relatively narrow, it's raw power excellent for turning waterwheels and powering industry. It terminates in a sheltered bay towards the southern end of the Palsas Sea
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The Renowiec - Curving southward from a single moderately sized lake, the Renowiec lacks the raw power of it's brothers, but still provides enough water for forests to have sprung up around its length. It ends in a natural harbor on the shores of the Tavelian Gulf.
The Steppes
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The Northern Plateau - Windswept and high in elevation, the Northern Plateau meets the sea as a series of high cliffs, actually sloping upwards at the edges rather than gradually going down to meet it like the other steppes. The clans of Zaporozan Horsemen who reside here are somewhat more settled than their southern bretheren, raising hardy sheep on the coastal grasslands and building multiple small but permanent settlements which they move their herds between as the seasons change.
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The Midland Steppe - Home to large herds of wild aurochs, The Midland Steppe is broad and flat for most of it's length, only sloping downwards towards the sea in its last twenty or so miles. Sandwiched between the two most powerful river states, the clans of Zaporozan Horsemen who live in the midlands live a fully nomadic lifestyle, following the herds as they move with the seasons and transporting all of their belongings, homes included, as they go. These clans are fiercely competitive, and when they meet there are often violent clashes over their claims to particular herds, the best locations to set up camp, or old grudges.
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The Windblown Expanse- The southernmost steppe, only the northern end is behind the protective shield of the stormbreakers, and the remnants of the mighty storms which wrack Stormside curl around the southern end of the mountain chain and blast across this grassy expanse, mostly devoid of moisture but having lost only part of their fury. The most southerly of these storms do still carry rain or snow with them, and the southern border of this steppe marks the beginning of the dense forests that characterize the Eastern Marches. The clans which live here tend to spend their summers in the south and then retreat north along with their herds when the winds turn cold and biting, able to freeze a man solid in minutes if they are foolish enough to stay on the open plains.
The Republic of Lechia
Dominating the entire peninsula and spilling over into the eastern marches, The Republic of Lechia occupies every inch of the peninsula outside of Stormside. Consisting of both the "civilised" people of the river states and the wild Zaporozan Horsemen, The Republic is united by shared history and love for Sigune, The Defender, who rose to her ascension and gave her life defending the peninsula.
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