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The Dèigh Siste Området

The Dèigh Området. No man who gazes on them leaves unchanged. To the extreme north, once the mountains lay down and stop heaving, once the last trees realize there is nothing else to grasp onto, once the last wild beast finds no food or shelter from the stinging snow falls and the biting cold winds, once man has given up all hope of seeing anything different but a flat barren land covered in snow and ice, only then will he reach the Dèigh Området.

The ice moves in ways no man would imagine, for only the Laughing Gods can survive here indeterminately with no aid. In this seemingly uninhabitable and fantastic land, the pure gods, the Tricksters and Clowns and Jesters, the Laughing Gods, patrons of merriment and mischief, only they can live in this land. It is their last bastion against the horrors humanity, and all of nature, does to itself. Leaving only briefly to interrupt the otherwise despairing lives of mortals, the Laughing Gods do not take kindly to visitors, and will pursue them with extreme prejudice, guarding the one merry and chaotic land left on this waste of a rock. The Dèigh Siste Området, the last frozen area, and the last land of the free.

Reserving
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And this spot. Expect something to be edited in here. Likely later tonight.

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The væske are traditional tents used by the travelers of the wilderness' of Wintreath. The people that live in them are as warm and inviting as their homes. When they arrive they bring news and stories from the distant reaches of the land. Colorfully painted both inside and out it is an honor and a treat to be invited inside. In the wilds life can be hard and short and the væske's inhabitants (Also known as the reisende) do their best to live life to its fullest. A philosophy that has gotten them into trouble in many times. Still, they are an important part of Wintreath's culture.

The Great Port of Androx

Androx is a large city with a population of mostly sailors and fishermen. It harbors one of the Wintreath's greatest ports and is currently acting as a military port for the numerous naval vessels. Despite having great prestige, the city casts a foreboding sense among many visitors. It's people claim because they live so close to the see. At night, people see strange lights in the water and hear thunder when there are no clouds.

Some citizens, those that are new to the city, dismiss it as nothing but the crash of waves amongst the boats at night. Those that have lived there longer disagree. They believe there is something in the water...something big... slumbering... and the thunder is the snoring of a sleeping leviathan. This is often laughed at by visitors as no more than an effort to scare visitors away. There are those that truly believe it though. They claim that people go missing in the night and that it's because the Church of Circumference, the local religion, sacrifices people to the one they call the Drowned God. Although this too is laughed at, the evidence does show that people have "disappeared" more in Androx than any other city.

Regardless of local superstition, Androx remains a place both respected and prestigious... but most recommend you do your business and get out... The people are often mean and cruel to new comers. They like being alienated and you will rarely find a citizen of Androx straying to far from home. They keep to their boats and fishing nets.

There is however, a rare gem in Androx. Although most of their export include fish, shrimp, and many delicacies of the sea. The wine of Androx is what kings and queens will pay for. They make the sweetest wine that taste great and gets the job done. A lot of brewing is done in Androx. This makes the place smell heavenly, which is ironic considering it looks like shit.


Be sure to try it the next time you are in Androx and when you gaze out into the sea... be sure you can hold your liquor or have had your fair share, for who knows, you might just wake up slipping under the waves into the deep abyss of the Drowned God's mouth.     

Workshop of the Royal Mechanist

The center of industry in all of Wintreath, the workshop is a world renowned marvel of engineering and science that is responsible for the mass smelting, refining and production of most metal machinery and stone buildings throughout the region. originally discovered in a frozen Sepulcre, worn yet operational under the ice, the forge was originally, for around one hundred years, a military forge for the Spiritans.

The constant thrum of activity within and the radiation of warmth from the great furnaces has drawn great crowds to form a city around the structure. The various bazaars and markets, inns and temples surrounding the workshop form a spiraling maze in the rock and various towering mansions reach (and sometimes breach) the roof of the grand caverns formed by great drills from the workshop.

The city is fortunately in some of the tamest lands in all of Wintreath, and therefore attracts many foreign tourists and workers who bring their own cultures with them, as a result the architecture ranges between the uniform, pod-like, homes and businesses of the Rossadans, suspended from the roof in streets 200 meters above the cave floor, to the grand granite structures of the Galdemerians.

Algorah Prison

   Algorah Prison is the worst most inhospitable places to find yourself in the region of Wintreath. Locked within the Snow and Stone of the northern mountains, it is, by far known as one of the most well defended prisons in Wintreath. Its tall towers and small segregated areas makes living and operating within its depths, a terror the best man couldn't endure. The segregation unit being the worst of it.
        A tower separated from the rest of the prison, with a thousand foot drop surrounding its terrible innards. Though some who enter do leave, its rumored within the walls, that leaving, is impossible. That thought is also perpetuated through the vicious interactions with the faculty of this fine establishment. Some prisoners have been talking of the "raging bull." A brass bull that is hollow with a fire placed underneath it. While a prisoner burns to death within its brazen stomach. Some prisoners even rumor that the guards of segregation worship the brass bull as some kind of deity of punishment toward the wicked.
   Though Algorah was adopted by the Wintrean's, it was not always so. The structure's age is undefinable, its towers not ready to reveal any of its long hidden secrets. There was a man found in the upper most room of the largest tower in the prison, quite obviously mad. Pacing around the room screaming in a language none could understand "VOCANT DIABOLUM, SANGIUS ENIM SANGIUS!" or some such nonsensical madness. As the Wintrean men got closer he ran and threw himself from the window. The only things found in the room were Quill and ink, A small ebony gripped knife, and scrolls of parchment. On the paper, the only discernible thing was the header, Tephrain Maleaous Algorah. Though there were much more written, none of it in a language anyone in the expedition could read or understand. Assuming that was his name, the prison was later named after him due to a lack of a more creative group of adventurers.
   Some prisoners rumor they can still hear him screaming at night, his terror everlasting within the walls of this colossal terror. They say they can almost make it out. "Ye ur haur tae kill mi!."
   

 

Skydda av Djävulen - The Devil's Shield

Affectionately dubbed The Gate to Icy Hell by the few locals (locals, meaning those within 50 kilometers of the Shield) that live there, the tunnel through Skydda av Djävulen is the most common entrance to the bases of the Huggtänder. Despite the Shield's impressive height, at 8,612 meters, it's actually one of the shortest peaks in the Huggtänder, which are home to the highest mountains in the world. The highest peaks scrape just over 12,000 meters, or 40,000 feet, and are nearly inaccessible by any means of travel. The mountains are situated in the northwest of the region, some 400 kilometers south of Gråskygge with 220 kilometers to the nearest coast. The Huggtänder also are the home of Algorah Prison, and the Shield serves as its sole access point. They make a common destination for extreme mountaineers, who try to scale the peaks each summer when the weather is nice(r).

The Shield got its name from the massive, 2,000 meter and completely vertical drop on the south face of the mountain. Carved into the rock, and 15 meters in diameter, is an ancient human face. No one is remotely aware of who--or what--carved it. Geologists have estimated the carving to be well over 6,000 years old, long before the first Spiritan explorers first set eyes upon what they would call Skydda av Djävulen. The carved bridge and tunnel that enters into the heart of the Huggtänder, too, was likely constructed at the same time. It's 14 kilometers long, directly through the base of the Shield, and emerges onto a large glacier that several other mountains are situated on. Even with today's most advanced technology, not to mention the super-extreme setting of the tunnel, it would take a high speed tunnel-boring machine over a year to dig a tunnel of that length. Calculations estimate that digging the tunnel by hand, into solid rock, would take well over 300 years. Theories include the assistance of time-travellers, to ancient aliens responsible for the tunnel.

Due to the sheer cliff on the south face and the extremely difficult terrain on the western side of the mountain, climbing up the north face is the only feasible way to ascend. It's an incredibly dangerous route, not because of its remoteness but simply because of how inaccessible the mountains are. The only close way in or out is through the south of the Shield, which is too small for everything but snowmobile and man. The Huggtänder are far too high for helicopters and propeller planes, and landing a jet on one of the glaciers is incredibly hazardous. Despite the danger, many try each year in earnest to climb the Shield. There's only a 2 in 3 chance of surviving the climb.

South Vangaziland National Forest

Large, snow covered trees dominate the landscape. This conifer forest is home to a diverse, wintry ecosystem. Branches from the taller trees often blot out the sun. The Vannish River dissects the forest in half, running northwest to southeast. Several creeks branch off from the wide river, sending streams of crystal clear, icy freshwater throughout the forest.

Many citizens come here to hunt or to simply admire the wildlife that call this array of evergreen trees and snaky, semi-frozen waterways home. The apex predator is a large wildcat with a spotted, white-tawny coat and a distinctive roar. The cats are hunted for their fur and as a status symbol by Vannish nobles. Several birds of prey also call the woods home and feed on the variety of game in the area. The predators subsist mainly on a small species of white deer. These deer have become overpopulated due to human hunting of the apex predators. There are also many scavenging species, such as the grey-tailed fox or the chicken vulture.

A small army camp has been established in the Northwestern sector of the woods, a few miles away from the mouth of the river. Survival and Evasion training is taught in the vast wilderness surrounding it. Units rotate soldiers in and out of the camp about once a year for qualifications. In some units, it is seen as a punishment to be sent here. Others relish and specialize in the challenge. A garrison of about 150 soldiers is stationed here full time. They spend as many hours chasing poachers as they do training other units.

Norloch Spires
What little information about the builders of the Norloch Spires that remains indicates a race of men reaching back into the mists of time far further than had previously been suspected. Rising from the waters of the Krall Peninsula and standing a mere half-mile from the main Helmgrad shipping lanes, only the uppermost sections of this once colossal building remain above the level of the straight.

Seemingly resisting exploration non-passively, the Norloch Spires are all that survives of a chain of Spire posts. From here-in, what is known is mere guesswork, but the theory with the widest support base suggests that the Spires were originally part of the Eastern Defence Chain.

Records from Familial Archives describe the Eastern Defence Chain as:

"A fearsome series of mechanisms designed to hurl sheet lightning at the forces that lurk across the Eastern Seas. Designed and constructed hundreds of years prior to Spiritean expansions into Wintreath, the Chain kept the shores of the region safe through sheer aggressive capability. Whilst some remain in near-working order, most fell foul of the weathering of time."

Several vessel-captains a year report sightings of mysterious lights moving around the top floors of the Norloch Spires, but investigation always fails to substantiate these claims. Several crack-pot theorists argue that the Spires have self-repair mechanisms built in, and that eventually the Norloch Spires will reactivate, decimating the Eastern board trading routes.

Indurain Causeways

Constructed after Galdémere was rediscovered, the Indurain Causeways carry water-traffic from the South Rides as far as Frostlake, the West Rides and Lysshard. The brain-child of a scion of House Avestrii, the Causeway network allows for efficient, if somewhat sedate, transport off the otherwise dangerous wild territories of the South and Central South Wintreath.

Wide enough for two Junks to pass abreast, the Indurain Causeways have opened up many previously uninhabitable areas of the South to colonisation. Through clever gear-work and understanding of liquid physics, the designer was able to allow offloading of vessels almost anywhere along the Causeways they could be needed. Ships carry with them the necessary equipment, and so long as there is water below the Causeway, a ship can leave and rejoin the network at will.

The course of the Indurain Causeways was carefully plotted in advance, traversing some of the largest lake networks in Wintreath. All are now home to fast-growing colonisation efforts as those seeking to get away from the heavily industrialised central cities make use of this marvel of engineering.

Also of interest:
Falvosa's Folly branch of the network.

Arnocen Academy
The Academy is one of the foremost centres of learning in all Wintreath. Led by the High Academe, and run efficiently by the Council of Scholars, the Arnocen Academy is a throwback to pre-Wintreath styles of existence. The hierarchies of the outside world aren't recognised here - all who enter are treated as equal in the pursuit of knowledge.

It is from Arnocen that some of the greatest technological leaps forward have come: the development of the steam engine, the weather-vane network that allows for basic weather mapping, the principles on which the manufactories of Hammerfell smelt purer iron and steel.

Located on the picturesque Lake Narn, Arnocen is defended both naturally and by its inhabitants. Despite appearances to the contrary, the Academy houses some of the largest automated defences that gearwork is able to produce. Due to its strategic position in the Central Approaches, controlling the main land-route in to Frostlake itself, the Academy has a permanent garrison of soldiers who are neither seen nor heard until they are required.

Details:
Population: Up to 1000 at any one time.
Size: Roughly half a mile in area.
Location: Central Approaches [Centre of Learning|Military Garrison]

Lenth City

A remnant of the Kingdoms of the Ride, Lenth is a masterpiece of architectural engineering. Hidden gearwork within each pinnace helps centre the weight of each aspect of the city, preventing otherwise calamitous over-balancing. Stormforge engines set at the centre of the city pipe heat to every room and corridor, bath and pool.

Previously fallen to disrepair, engineers from the Workshop of the Mechanist were able to revitalise the silent machinery and restart the precious flow of heat and power around Lenth. Ever since, the city has literally thrummed with life. Administrated by the Mednoch line, it is now famous for the incredibly crafted sky vessels that ply their trade through the skies of Wintreath.

A garrison of Hvitt Riddarel elite man the auto-cannon batteries that defend Lenth from attack both from the air and from below. The city, however, remains primarily a civilian post of Wintreath, and due to the influence of House Mednoch, its citizens are very rationally minded, usually occupying posts as scientists, gearworkers and engineers for the rest of the region.

Details:
Population: 30,000 civilians, 2000 Hvitt Riddaral.
Location: West Rides.
Size: Roughly 2 miles in area, although it is almost impossible to accurately determine.

Palar

Once the southernmost extent of the Edilian Republic, Palar now serves Wintreath as the Peninsula East Outpost. As access by road into the region is across one of two peninsulas that reach from Spiritus to the south western extent of Wintreath, steps were taken to secure both crossing points: Stranglor on the westernmost and Palar on the east.

Whilst its primary function is a military outpost, Palar's use to Wintreath does not end there. Surrounded by dense forests and backing onto the hills seen in the painting, it has become a place of spiritual refuge for many citizens of the region, far away from the intense cold of the central and northern reaches that consume much of the land-mass. It is here that the Order of Ainsath, a warrior-monk group, has its base of operations, and many flock to learn from them.

Palar is also served by the Indurain Causeways, allowing cross-border trade to flourish - into Wintreath by bridge, then on to the central Wintreath proper via the network of raised waterways. The bastion at the centre of Palar has one of the most technologically advanced gearwork defences not only in the region but of the world, second only to Lenth and the Workshop itself.

Details:
Population: 15,000 + 2000 Hvitt Riddaral.
Location: Utori Territory.
Size: 4 miles in area, roughly.

Sørhavn

As the name suggests, Sørhavn is a natural harbour to the south of Wintreath. Lying at the end of one river that passes through Galdémere, it is a central hub of trade and of maritime development. The harbour is rarely seen without its attendant flotilla of misleading tall-ships; despite their venerable appearance, each is outfitted with capable gearwork assault batteries that can reduce opposing vessels to scrap in minutes of sustained fire.

The city of Sørhavn itself is a hotpot of various schools of architecture - the harbourside features strong Spiritian influences, whilst the inner city lends itself more to the architectural style that can be found in Galdémere and Dénik. The people who reside within the walls that mark the extent of the city are hardy and gruff, survivors of a few too many pirate raids for anyone's liking. Despite the lack of a friendly atmosphere, a driven individual can easily succeed... with the right contacts.

Of note is His Majesties Vessel Indomitable, often seen docked in the Eastern Quay. Standing foredeck and guncastle above all other ships in the harbour, it is a physical demonstration of Wintrean mastery of both naval construction and gearwork integration.

Details:
Population: 48,000 civilians, 2000 Hvitt Riddaral & 3000 Navy.
Location: South Rides.

Østtrevale

Østtrevale is a city of murky, hidden things. Located deep in the East Wood, it is one of the few settlements at all to brave the oppressively close forest of trunks that it is composed of. However, in spite of the lack of light and outside contact, Østtrevale has become a successful retreat for many of Wintreath's upper classes, mainly due to these qualities that have so prevented other East Wood settlements from growing to similar sizes.

The stålwood trees that make up much of the canopy have trunks that can be measured in tens of metres in diametre. Instead of attempting to cut these monstrosities down, Østtrevale citizens instead decided to work with the natural inclinations of the trees, building in, on and around the stålwood trunks from mere feet off the ground to hundreds of metres above, right amongst the huge span of each tree's canopy.

As a city, Østtrevale thrives on tourism and one other thing: exports of stålwood. Harder than conventional steel, the wood of this particular tree can withstand almost anything gearwork weaponry can throw at it. Østtrevale's primary trading partner is the port-cities of Sørhavn and Androx, whilst Frostlake itself requires some of the colossal tonnage for its building projects.

Details:
Population: 22,500 + 300 Hvitt Riddaral.
Location: Janth Territory.