Mészbanya

Description

At the southern edge of the world, below even the continents of Sabara and Qinhei lies the arctic region known as Mészbanya among the natives. Foreigners also call it 'The Tail-End' or 'Frostside' sometimes. It is the coldest, driest and windiest continent on the planet and a near-pristine wilderness if it weren't for the people inhabiting it and the winter Fae that have overrun the region after the rift opened by Emée Szélanya, first of the Bheur Hags has given them permanent passage into these lands, even after she was cast out herself.

There are a number of lakes and rivers sprouting from the many mountain ranges, and it is home to several of the largest sub-glacial lakes in the world. Roughly half of the continent is covered in sheets of ice, while the rest is snow-covered tundra. The region also contains a large amount of minerals, especially iron, and has many deep limestone caverns filled with mineral veins just waiting to be mined...if they were more accessible.
Only few people have made a living here, and until only a couple decades ago they lived as fishermen and gatherers. They would spend spring and summer fishing camps, and join up at the villages in winter. Nowadays some among them have started to industrialize and make use of these vast iron reserves to live in more permanent residences of worked iron, but most of the iron deposits out there are unexplored and unused.

Kingdom of Alchemy

Aside from the currently occupied and used villages and camps, there are also many strange ruins that dot the landscape. Little is known about them, but many alchemical tools and texts have been found within the collapsed buildings and for this reason the seemingly extinct people who built this have been called the 'Kingdom of Alchemy'. Some say that they must have found the secret to metaphysical alchemy, allowing them to affect not only matter but also the soul. And that they have used this to move on to a higher plane of existence. Others claim that they must have wandered too deep into their research and brought ruin upon themselves, while others still believe that they simply grew too big and collapsed from a lack of resources like so many societies do. Whatever the case, their former buildings are now broken ruins inhabited only the the golems and alchemical homunculi that still guard them. Some of these ruins run several levels deep.

Unique Landmarks

To be expanded.

Godless Spiral

South of Brémeny, the Godless winter Fae known as Emée Szélanya raised immense monoliths of blackened ice from the ground. These act as a catalyst to open a rift through which her legions of winter Fae could enter the Prime. Nowadays the rift is weakened, but Fae still wander through with startling regularity.

Geographical Features

Interspersed between the giant, black ice structures are a multitude of life-like ice statues from brave warriors who ventured forth to close the rift and failed miserably. The region surrounding the rift is also home to a malevolent blizzard that brings a swathe of icy terror to any foolish enough to close in on this place.

Flora and Fauna

Unsurprisingly, the place is infested with winter Fae, and mostly of the malevolent Godless variety. Examples are Bheur Hags, Näkks (also called Nekkers), Mègatjá, Fear Gorta or Banshees. There are also a variety of ice and snow elementals that are naturally draw to the eternally raging blizzard here, as well as the restless undead who died a brutal death in the cold.

Durvaszan Mountains

This mountain range east of Brémeny is marked by geothermal activity and numerous mountain holds of the jégorian Giants. They have been able to exploit the elemental phenomena to set up a decent living in these forbidding lands.

Geographical Features

These mountains are marked by frequent streaks of blue glacial ice formed from the glacial geysers at the top that are linked to Elemental Water. These waters are said to have healing qualities, and the Frost Giants fiercely guard them. Only their honored weremammoth fighters are allowed to enter them, as it is said that it will allow them greater control over their transformation.

Flora and Fauna

As mentioned, these mountains are home to the jégorian Giants, and they have fought fiercely to keep out the sarkidéli people, particularly the dwarves who tried to settle here. They do keep a variety of beasts and monsters as pets, guard beasts or expendable minions. These include polar bears, remorhazes, ice trolls, crag cats and more. They also appear as wild animals here and are tolerated by the Giants (although they are occasionally hunted for food).

Alternative Name(s)

The Tail-End, The Frostside

Type

Continent

Included Organizations

• Brémeny
• Jégorian Mountain Holds

Inhabiting Species

• Giants
• Mègatjá
• Winter Sprite