The Borderlands

The Borderlands lies northeast of the Free Kingdoms, beyond the Giantshield Mountains, where the goblins were pushed by the elves of Alphos and the men of Ironwall. It is as dangerous and inhospitable as the depths of the Gray Mire or the reaches of the Desert Wastes of Stygia.
Lay of the Land

• A Forbidden Realm: Foul goblins have inhabited the Borderlands since the Times of Strife, and their evil presence has taken a toll on the land.

• A Desert of Stone: Save a few black, twisted trees, most plants are dead, and animals are both rare and hostile. It is always cloudy, but never rains. It is almost entirely composed of cracked, gray bedrock.

• Uncovered Secrets: Before the goblins were born of fallen men, they must have raised a civilization here. Evidence is fleeting, but the Borderlands may hold the promise of ancient history, and the treasures of a forgotten land.

Dangers to Dare

• The Goblin-Men: It simply stands to reason! Goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears; they roam in war-bands and kill or enslave everything they can.

• Dire Beasts: Animals here grow larger and more fierce than animals elsewhere, with bony spines sprouting from their flesh.

• Roaming Undead: Those slain in the Borderlands do not rest easily, burning with a hatred reserved for the goblin-men.

Details to Discover

• The site of a small battle between hobgoblins and dwarfs, in the shadow of a crumbling tower of unfamiliar design.

• A great chasm, cut into the rocky bluffs – but a cave mouth can be seen nearly a thousand feet below…

• A makeshift graveyard for a number of would-be halfling pioneers. The graves have been dug up and raided.

• Far away, a ring of vultures swirl in the air, touching down occasionally to pick at something’s discarded carcass.

Folk & Friendship

• Adakmi: This is the human settlement nearest the Borderlands, nestled in the Giantshield Mountains, home to brave souls who would dare brave this harsh land. They are loyal to Varig of Ironwall.

Alternative Name(s)

The Goblin-Lands

Type

Badlands

Legends & Lore: Spawning Pits of the Goblin-Men: Goblins do not reproduce. They burst, fully developed, from literal pits in the earth filled with inky ooze of unknown origin. They walk clumsily at first, but within hours, are adult specimens of their kind, as cunning and cruel as any goblin. Few have bore witness to this foul ritual, as the goblins guard their spawning pits like greedy dragons, but it is clear that their kind are not of this earth. They are the missing link between men and the demons of the Lower Planes.