The Basin

The Iethea project is located within a large basin surrounded by mountains on all sides that form a barrier to the outside world. The mountains form a singular extensive mountain range that would take weeks to cross with peaks that are so tall, even The Missing with their extensive powers and hardened bodies couldn't survive. No one knows as to what lies beyond the unyieldingly harsh environment and few have tried to find out.

The basin itself is relatively large, taking around 3 months to walk from one side to another. It is more popular to ride on horseback, though many horses are instead utilized for pulling carriages and caravans. Efficient caravan groups, no matter the total number can cut the journey down by a month and are often safer, with hired guards.

Geography

The terrain is a varying landscape, untamed and wild. Grassy plains and soft rolling hills are a frequent sight around the basin and are common focus points for settlements. The soil is rich and fertile as well as easy to till in preparation for fresh crops. During the spring and summer months, the fields are awash with colour. Various grasses and wildflower compete in a loud array of vibrancy, accompanied with various pollinating insects, birds and mammals. Deer and wild horses graze alongside sheep and cattle, while herders keep a lazy watch nearby. As autumn washes away the summer pallet, the grass moves like waves in the cooling winds, a hypnotic view that leads into the frigid grasp of winter.

Forests make up a good majority of the basin. It is unknown how long it has been since the last occupying species and the arrival of The Missing was, but the years have certainly proved in their favour. Unobstructed by nothing but the elements, the trees have dug deep into the fertile ground, nourished by unpolluted air and water. They grew tall and vast, and even the smallest forests can take days if not weeks to pass through depending on your direction. These dense spaces take on a life of their own, the atmosphere changing in an instant. Magic has heavily imbued itself here, and it makes itself known.

You can find respite in the littering of groves and copses, providing safe spaces for fire lit camps. Grottos line the floor and in rocky outcrops. With lush vegetation, many have fallen trap to the sudden drop that surely wasn't there before. Few who travel are surprised by the skeletons that lay forgotten at the bottom, slowly engulfed by the life that brought them such fate. The entrances formed in the outcrops lead down to small caves and naturally formed pockets of water. It's a game of Russian roulette though for those who step down into the darkness. Many are occupied, none of them friendly. Despite the dangers, the forests are the best bet of survival during the winter if you can't find a settlement to belong to. The deeper into the depths you go, the more fresh meat and editable plants to be found all year round. Little snow can break through the thick canopy above, leaving the forest floor immune to the ice that covers the landscape outside.

Despite how barren the mountains are, many have been trying to make a home on the edge of the mountain range for hundreds of years. For some, the mountains are their home, for others, it is an escape from the brutality that is human nature. Yet very little grows there, and only the hardiest of animals scrape by day to day. There are, however, small valleys rarely found in the nooks and crannies of the grey stone landscape. If you can find them, with the right supplies then habitation can prevail. If the isolation doesn't drive you crazy anyway.

During the winter, the mountains become impassable from snow. When spring breaks, so do the temperatures keeping the snow in check and so begins the melts. Ice cold yet purified water makes its way to the basin below, urging life into action once more. Despite the vast amount of snow, there is minimal flooding. Though no one has found any evidence of it, it's believed that an exceedingly high volume of water ends up underground before reaching the base of the mountains. It begs the question of how vast the underground is. You know when you're reaching the edge of the basin and the start of the range thanks to the stone runs formed by the ice year after year.

The basin wouldn't be complete without the network of water that snakes its way across the landscape. From soothing brooks to rivers and even thunderous waterfalls, without any of it life would be hard to find. Shallow lagoons are perfect for grazing animals, ponds make way for small amphibians and mammals and full on lakes provide a wealth of fish. In fact, Lakewell castle is named as such thanks to the largest lake in the basin in which it backs onto. It has formed as one of the biggest opportunities to make a living there and with the right people, has formed big business in the Northern Market.

Very little is known about the underground, other than a great potential for natural resources. The only available means of reaching down below within the basin is through the Northern Mine, however the abandoned halls from a time long gone are highly dangerous and not much beyond the first few levels have been explored.

Type

Planet

Included Locations

• The Tower