Basic Geography
Hauther is an island-continent approximately 900 miles long latitudinally and 1,300 miles long longitudinally. It lies just south of Panjir, a continent across the treacherous Straits of Artan. According to some geographers, Hauther isn’t a continent of its own, but the southern half of Panjir. However, geographers in Hauther have always greatly contested this view.
Hauther’s climate transitions from temperate in the north to subtropical in the south. In the past, the dominant terrain was thick forests in the north, grassy plains in the midlands, and marshlands and swamplands in the south. However, the existence of the plague lands has changed much of what Hauther used to be.
Major Regions
The Hirols
The Hirol mountain chain roughy bisects Hauther longitudinally. Emerging from the sea on the northeastern end of Hauther, the Hirols run inland in a southwesterly direction. They recede into the low lands before reaching the swamplands on the southwestern tail of Hauther. The Hirols separate Thyrell, the former seat of the Thyrellan empire and now the heart of the plague lands, on the western side of Hauther from the city-state of Casperia on the eastern side. In order to reach Casperia from Thyrell, one would have to travel approximately 900 miles southward along the western side of the Hirols, sweep around their southern end, and then head northward for nearly 800 miles. Alternatively, one could try to travel through the mountains to get from one city to the other, but the mountainous terrain is unforgiving, not to mention that the seven clans of Nokh dwarves who reside along the length of the Hirols are staunch defenders of their territory. As a result of such fortune, Casperia was the last major city to be conquered by the Thyrellan empire and later the only major city to avoid invasion by the Revenarum.
The Northern Woodlands
Capping the northern end of Hauther is the vast and thick Northern Woodlands. It was once home to the Krendiri elves before they were forced out by the Thyrellans, who coveted its vast lumber resources. Since the Plague War, no one is sure of the fate of the woodlands or the town of Rhoendir, a prominent human fishing town that existed north of the woodlands along the Straits of Artan. Some believe that the woodlands succumbed to the same fate as most of the lands on the western side of the Hirols and became part of the plague lands. Others choose to believe that the Krendiri elves have returned from their temporary shelter in Panjir to prevent the Revenarum from pushing northward. Whatever the case, the woodlands are blocked off by the Hirols to the east and the plague lands to the south, making it difficult for humans to reach.
The Plague Lands
Just south of the Northern Woodlands lie the foothills where Thyrell once stood. What was once the capital of the Thyrellan empire is now deep within the plague lands, the zone in which the Revenarum have complete control. It is presumed that Thyrell is the very heart of the plague lands, yet no one really knows because no one has ever lived to travel there and return, not even the Silver Knights. Generally speaking, the plague lands run from the Northern Woodlands southward along the western side of the Hirols. They cross over the Great Tamerian Fjord and wrap around the tail of the Hirols through the low lands between the Hirols to the north and the swamplands to the south. Then, they begin to sweep northward along the eastern side of the Hirols toward Casperia, but by this point, the plague lands begin to give way to the outlands, a vast void of lawlessness between various human settlements.
The Revenarum’s influence within the plague lands has disrupted the usual land features, leaving the landscape blighted, twisted, and noticeably ominous. Both the flora and fauna are diseased and twisted versions of their true forms, and natural resources, such as lakes and springs, are tainted. The entire landscape seems washed over in red and black ichor, and even the sky seems perpetually overcast and dark. No one besides the Silver Knights travel into the plague lands, and as a result, no one but the Silver Knights know of the true horrors it encompasses.
The Outlands
On the eastern side of the Hirols, the plague lands quickly give way to the outlands, a no-mans-land that exists between isolated human settlements. The outlands run along the entire eastern side of the Hirols, all the way to the northeastern end of Hauther where the Hirols plunge into the sea. Although most of the outlands is habitable, the presence of roving bands of plague zombies and other blood-plagued creatures makes the outlands quite dangerous. In addition, the outlands are inhabited by roving bands of people who prefer to live a nomadic life in this harsh region rather than find shelter in an overcrowded settlement. There are also a few isolated pockets of plague lands within the outlands, but for the most part, those pockets are contained by the patrols of the Silver Guard.
The Southern Swamplands
The southern end of Hauther is a vast area of wetlands and swamplands. Like the Northern Woodlands, the fate of the Southern Swamplands after the Plague War is uncertain. The few coastal expeditions made to the area decades ago never returned, so no one knows if it is still inhabited or overrun by the Revenarum. However, since the endless network of waterways and morasses made it difficult for the Thyrellan armies to invade and conquer so long ago, it is plausible that the swamplands remain largely intact from the blood plague. Even without the Revenarum, the swamplands have always been dangerous and mysterious to all except the Hudu, the human tribe who once called it home.
The Coastlines
The Eastern Coast
The eastern coast of Hauther is fairly navigable and bountiful until just north of Casperia. As one travels northward from Casperia, the coast breaks into dangerous surfs, rocky shores, and cliffs known as the Avery Coast. An old legend says a buccaneer captain named Avery Finnegan was said to have charted the dangerous coast and used it to evade capture on countless occasions, hence the moniker. Regardless of the veracity of the legend, the hard truth is the northeastern coastline is dangerous because the Hirols plunge into the ocean in this area and run for many miles out to sea, causing ships to run aground on their underwater peaks and break apart in seemingly open water. As a result, sailors stay well clear of the region.
The Western Coast
The western coast of Hauther is a bit of an enigma and the cause of much debate. Like the eastern coast, waters in the south are navigable and bountiful, but as one travels northward, sheer cliffs suddenly appear and run for hundreds of miles until just north of Thyrell where the port of Iridan once existed. The cliffs run for so long without a break that once a ship encounters them, it would have to spend days traveling the coast before it could find a place to land.
As striking a sight the western cliffs are in person, they are just as curious when seen on a map. The straightness of the coastline has the look of a piece of paper that has been torn at a fold. This observation has led many sages to theorize that the continent of Hauther once existed further west of where the cliffs now lie. How such a land mass could have broken away or disappeared is a mystery, but some sages believe it could have been a catastrophic event triggered by the Ancients. This theory is far-fetched and controversial, but ardent believers argue it is supported by the location of the Isle of Marr sitting a few miles west of the mouth of the Great Tamerian Fjord. They believe that this isle, which a handful of accounts say has ruins ascribed to the Ancients on it, was once part of the mainland and was probably the epicenter of some cataclysmic event that fractured the continent. Indeed, when seen on a map, the Isle of Marr is positioned in what could be considered at the epicenter of a cross of destruction upon the land, northward and southward along the coast and eastward along the great fjord all the way to the Hirols, but no one has ever been able to produce any evidence to support such a claim.