The Ruins of Ishtar

Named after the Ishtar Gate, a massive blue gate past the Balck Iron mountains which lie past the Great Dale Woods, the Ruins of Ishtar were once the home of a mighty empire that was said to span the world. However, for reasons lost to time, the empire fell, and it is said many races of today actually migrated out from the Ruins of Ishtar. Legends tell of strange lizard like people living inside the swampy and vegetation drowned ruins of the cities, and talks of criminals seeking to escape the law by making the perilous journey through the Black Iron Mountains and cutting past these ruins. None have survived the journey, but to determine weather they died or actually made it is next to impossible. All attempts to propperly map the region have been met with confusion and setback, so for the most part most kingdoms ignore it, as it is so far away that snything living there wont become a problem.