The Midway
The Midway is an expansive and fertile grassland which stretches from the The Great Lake to the South Sea. Its western border is formed by The Lonely Ones; its eastern border is the Midspine Mountains leading to Paxia.
It can take an experienced rider on horseback anywhere from ten to thirty days to cross the grasslands in the east-west direction, with the distance growing wider the farther south one begins. Traveling to the ends at the north and south can take six months to year, depending on where one begins and the method of travel.
Geology and Resources
The Yucrit is one massive river which flows the entire length of the Midway, beginning out of the Great Lake and ending at the South Sea.
This river flows deep and close to the western border, alongside the foothills of the Lonely Ones, and is the most dangerous and uncertain part of crossing the Midway. The farther south from the Great Lake, the faster and wider the Yucrit becomes as it gathers rainfall and snowmelt from tributaries flowing out of the mountains both from the west and the east.
In the southern half of the grasslands lies one of the widest areas, commonly called Three Rivers. Here a large stretch of the Yucrit is joined in quick succession by the Dirnya River from the west and the Girgin River from the east. While dangerous to cross and prone to flooding through the seasons, the abundance of fish and edible or medicinal plants draws and easily supports larger gatherings of sentients.
Overall, the Midway is resplendent with natural resources, from immense diversity of plants and animals which thrive together in the damp topsoil to fresh water and ever-present fish and crustaceans. Copses of trees do exist in patches but do not grow tall enough to be useful lumber, and every time a river charges course, marshes will appear in new places to draw migrating birds.
The Midway is also routinely exposed to extremes in weather and related boons and busts of its creatures: hot and humid in the summer with violent thunderstorms and the occasional tornado, followed by windy winters cold to freeze the surface of most rivers except the Yucrit and bury the gentle hills in snow, especially as one travels closer to the Great Lake.
Civil Landmarks
The grasslands are sparsely populated compared to Paxia and the shores of The Great Lake. The lack of easily accessible lumber and stone coupled with the immensely wide and frequent rivers has prevented large cities or bridges from being built. The only two permanent settlements using these resources lie on the borders of the Midway: Port Fortnight and Troshin's Bend.
Any semi-permanent roads tend to be formed by caravan wagons but can be flooded out during a particularly wet year. Rafts, small boats, and the well-maintained cable ferries are the only ways to ford the rivers regularly without getting wet.
Due to volatile weather patterns, sudden changes in the flow of a river or stream, and a very high water table, most civil landmarks are small and known mostly by the locals and those who travel frequently between them.
History & Culture
The Midway is viewed by most of the sentient peoples of the eastern continent as the “gateway” to the true wilderness hidden within the massive mountain range of the Lonely Ones. Only traders and travelers with a deep need to explore regularly cross the grasslands to climb into the jagged peaks with even fewer settlements to welcome them.
Semi-nomadic Human communities from nearly every region dot the grasslands but most are apt to move around with the seasons. The most well-known permanent settlements belong to the River Dwarves that fish, weave, and raft from Three Rivers down to the South Sea.
Clans Sharindum and Drindum at Three Rivers are related families of Tundar Dwarves who communicate most often and will readily come to each other’s aid. These stalwart residents have set up pony routes, trading rafts, and ferry crossings along the southern half of the Yucrit and maintain connections with the Frengidum Clan near the Yucrit’s end on the South Sea coast.
Life upon this vast landscape is no easy existence and thick with smaller journeys beneath the bigger weather. Historically, the Midway has served as a buffer challenging the younger races to dare approach the Lonely Ones beyond.
