In the Northern expanse of Volkyr, little life grows and less roams. The Barren Lands are a little travelled and little understood region north of the great volcano at the center of the continent. The most sparsely populated region on Volkyr by far, only a few small villages exist, mostly populated by dwarves, half orcs, and rock gnomes from the foothills of the Omukade. On the southeastern edges, the wandering tribes sometimes float in to forage or fight off mystical or undead invaders, but otherwise, the Barren Lands remain mostly unpopulated.
Little Known
Throughout history, various empires, kingdoms, and petty fiefdoms have risen and fallen in the Barren Lands. The Raven King of Stale' built a large kingdom on the backs of undead labour and armies of ghouls and devils, but was eventially overcome, and if the stories are true, eaten alive by his own undead hordes. The Fountain Dominion has tried on numerous occasions to found settlements in the region, each of which met an end crueler than the next. With each failed attempt, knowledge of the Barren Lands was lost, and to this day, little is known of the region.
Because of the unsuccessful attempts to colonize the region, the scholars of the civilized world have few, if any, reliable maps of the Barren Lands. Though many exist in print, most are unreliable at best, and dangerous to follow at worst. The discerning adventurer may be able to get a reliable map from a scholar, but it would come at considerable cost.
Dark Legends
Only the small villages in the footholls of the Northern Omukade Mountains know the true nature of the Barren Lands, but they are a notoriously quiet, prickly, and isolated lot, each keeping their secrets from curious outsiders venturing into the region. Some say some, if not all, of these villages are beholden to the various demons, dragons, undead, and other monsters that call the Barren Lands home, though there is little evidence to support these assertions.
Each of these vllagers have a, "Keeper of the Legends," a title granted to a sage or wiseman from within the town. They travel from village to village, sharing knowledge between each other, while to the villagers they give sermons and tell stories of the dangers of wandering into the Barren Lands. These, "Dark Legends," have been recorded to number in the thousands, and while many are a bit too fanciful to be fully believed, there can be no doubt that the Barren Lands have lived up to many of these legends, for many an adventurer has disappeared in this dark and little understood lands.
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