Luingern - The Eastern Descent

The Chonaic Ridge mountain range thrusts up from the land presenting what seems to be an impassable wall of rock, some say it protects the coast of the Province of Luingern, while others claim it keeps them safe from the terrors that would come over the Ollmhor Sea. Perspective aside, Luingern Province is a unique corner of Uclandia. It has lush, rolling hills, a dynamic coast, unforgiving mountain slopes, beautiful flower-filled meadows, and even a pocket of desert. But our focus here today is what lies east of the Chonaic Ridge - the Eastern Descent. 
From the mountains flow many streams, and as the foothills tumble away from their parent slopes, the streams all collect in the Ruhaa River. The Ruhaa, as the people call it, flows ever down toward the Great Valley, found in the center of Uclandia. The Ruhaa is fed by mountain streams, which are fueled by melting snow high in the mountains, so you can imagine the temperature of the water. This is no lazy, peaceful river! The Ruhaa once flowed where it liked, but 400 years ago, a stone wall was built to divert its water into the Great Valley and the Carswell Basin. The wall stood, crumbled under the assault of the river, was rebuilt, reinforced, and has stood ever since, needing only minimal maintenance over the ages.
Ruhaa’s smaller cousins, the rivers Peura and Antaa flow further south, and into Glasgern Province. As they flow to the southern end of Luisgern, they slow, widen, and warm as they bring liquid life across the plains.

Climate

Warm winds blow off the Ollmhor Sea, climb the mountains, and bring a variety of precipitation and temperatures to Luingern. As has already been mentioned, snow covers the peaks of the Chonaic Ridge. At those higher elevations, the air has dried out and is ice-cold. Up there, despite the sun, the glaciers, ice-walls, and snow rule. There are no villages that high up, and only the most hardy and adaptable creatures survive. At lower elevations, temperatures are more friendly to all sorts of life forms. There are more animals found in the forests that butt up against the coast, but even in the Eastern Descent, a wide range of fauna can be seen. The foothills are home to many animals such as mountain lions, bears, the Tapleeka Owl, and the Jyrsia Squirrel, among others.

by Sergio Souza

As mentioned previously, Luingern does have a small desert tucked into the foothills of the northern end of the Chonaic Ridge. It is considered a “pocket desert”, because of its diminishing size. History records the Vahan Desert as being larger than it is in current times, but some Scholars theorize that The Great Calamity changed the flow of rivers, which then changed the availability of underground springs nearby. While this may explain the shrinking desert, none of the Scholars can agree on how long the Vahan Desert might yet exist.
This pocket desert is the only known home of the Hiekka Lizard.

Summer slips gradually from the intense and humid heat at the peak of the season to chilly nights that bleed into cooler days. It is a short time before autumn takes hold. While not as frigid as the upper slopes, Luingern’s Eastern Descent still experiences cold weather that limits what plants can be grown. Still, winter is not as harsh in Luingern as it gets in northern Banern Province!

Natural Resources

Luingern can boast of many natural resources. Most sheep are raised on private holdings and moved from pasture to pasture within the Steppes in the Chonaic Ridge and its foothills. From these sheep, exports such as lambswool, sheepskin, horn, and mutton are traded across Uclandia. Copper is mined in the foothills and traded to craftsmen who create fine jewelry with it, or Master Builders who hammer it into thin sheets and use it to decorate the homes of Uclandian Nobility. Vanasoom leaves are grown in the shady lowlands for tea, and exported across the continent. These unique leaves grow nowhere else in Uclandia.
Another rare material only found in Luingern Province is Tumaan Ore.
Centuries ago, only a handful of blacksmiths knew the secret of making metal from a combination of Tumaan Ore and Teras raw steel. When the Backsmith’s Guild was formed, the founders passed their knowledge of how to create this remarkable material to only the most skilled up-and-coming blacksmiths. Even in current times, only a few blacksmiths know the secret. Only these craftsmen are allowed to make swords and daggers from this metal, called Keros.
Because these blades are made one at a time, by hand, and usually completed with equally distinctive scabbards, sheaths, and grips, they can command prices far above what most Uclandians can afford.
While Luingern Province may seem to be a Province of contradictions, it stands out as a unique corner of Uclandia that brings originality to the realm.