Broken Lands

Overview

The Broken Lands territory is bordered by the Pristine Northwest to the north, the Central Fire to the east, the Land of Prosperity to the south, and the Primordic Sea to the west. It derives its etymology from its diverse landforms and the Jagtooth Mountains, which stretch the length of the Broken Land’s southern border and divide the territory in the northeast.

Features

Western Lowlands

The Western Lowlands comprises most of the southwestern half of the Broken Lands. It is an alluvial plain with little relief other than small, rolling hills and is dominated by rich grasslands and forests.

Lake Arcadia in the northeast is fed by waters from the Blackmoor Basin, and its many rivers and tributaries that drain into the Western Lowlands account for the area’s fertile biomes. So, too, does the Pongo River, which cuts through the Jaggedtooth Mountains in the Southeast and empties into the Primordic Sea in the west.

Other prominent lakes include Lake Saber and Lake Paradiso, which support a wide variety of aquatic and amphibious species.

Ardentioch Wastes

The Ardentioch Wastes is characterized by its deep drainage channels separated by short, steep ridges of rock, creating a stark landscape of hills, gullies, and ravines. Some of its many buttes and hoodoos, also known as fairy chimneys or mushroom rocks, rise over 30 meters in height.

The Scythen River carves a deep, meandering canyon through the area before emptying into the Primordic Sea.

Blackmoor Basin

Blackmoor Basin is primarily wetlands and dominated by emergent soft-stem vegetation and leafy plants. It is fed by Lake Black, which earns its name from the black rock and soil that comprise its shore and bed.

Darkness Falls, Praetoria’s largest waterfall, empties into Lake Black.

Northwest Lowlands

The Northwest Lowlands comprises the northeastern third of the Broken Lands. Dominated by grasslands and forests, it is mostly flat and of low elevation.

The Jagtooth Mountains separate the area from the rest of the Broken Lands. Mount Redwyrm, the range’s tallest peak, reaches an impressive 7,500 meters in height, while several peaks of the Sky Spire Mountains in the northeast rise over 7,000 meters in height.

Lake Cael Kuva stands in the south, while Abyssal Lake in the north is so named for its unfathomable depths.

Population

The Kingdom of Lyveria has laid claim to much of the Western Lowlands. Named in honor of its late king, its capital of Wilhelmdale is located on the west coast at the mouth of the Pongo River.

The Gobson Family's city-state of New Gobson lies farther inland along the Pongo River, while the nomadic tribes of the Thunderhoof Nation are found in the plains and forests of the Western Lowlands.

Of the native Praetorian settlements, the Kingdom of Thanaloria is the largest. A kingdom of high elves, it is located deep within the Blackmoor Basin’s ancient forests. The Broken Lands also contains a high population of fey, while various indigenous tribes and smaller settlements call the territory home, as well.