Thoughts on Ardeth
by Geoff GanderArdeth is another fringe region of Selhomarr, which is "claimed" more than actually "controlled". When the empire began to expand, the Lhomarrians would have wanted to use natural boundaries wherever possible. Fortunately, there is a *massive* escarpment running along the foothills of the Lhomarrian Range. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of miles of primal forests and swamps lying between said escarpment and the heartland of Selhomarr. The actual line of real control runs from the Belcarith ("White River") to Anrandios, then down the Ferennis (named after a person - a ranger-type who explored a lot of Ardeth and mapped it for the emperor) River to Garith, then northeast (because this is the Hollow World) along the southern edge of the Windy Plains.
Thorfinn encouraged me to go wild, so I did. Ardeth is a land of breathtaking natural beauty - the majestic Haldassos Falls, the incredibly lush Rethelnisandur ("Rainy Forest", basically), the headwaters of the Barancarith ("Sundered Earth River") with its hundreds of islands, and the odd flora and fauna of the Bogs of Disania. Ardeth also has fungal forests - I loved that hex introduced in GAZ13: The Shadow Elves, and I wanted it here, too. This is not a Minecraft Fungal Biome, however.
There is very little in the way of civilisation here, and I think the map shows it expertly. This is the sort of region another culture from the surface might be transported to, should the Immortals deem it necessary - and the complications that would create would make for excellent roleplaying opportunities.
Other things to note on this map:
The Bogs of Disania are slowly expanding. You can see where some forests have slowly drowned, and there are a few of the aforementioned fungal forest hexes down there as well. In the coming years, the giant mushrooms will spread upstream along the Tamcarith (Black River), as well as south towards the Indalcarith (Unclean River). The hilly forests will be safe, but swamp hexes will extend "east" towards the Disarna River (also named after a person - the sister of Disania; it's an unfortunate story that will be told someday). The village of Xerathnis may have a rough go of it, and may be abandoned.
The Rethelnis Forest is another primal forest of the Hollow World, and the further south you go, the more likely you may encounter dinosaurs or other "lost world" animals. There may also be varieties of fey and elemental creatures.
The Lhomarrian Range is extremely tall, and while there are a few passes that go through it, they are hard to find an prone to rockfalls and other perils. Plus, just about anything you want might be living there - you could even put a fierce and highly reclusive alpine culture there.
Also, the Lhomarrian legends are true: There are isolated valleys - some rather large - nestled deep within the peaks. It's up to the GM to decide whether they are inhabited or not, but they would have small lakes fed by mountain streams and could support small communities rather comfortably. This could be a great place for a Shangri-La type setting. Naturally, there are probably caverns leading deep underground...possibly to the surface world itself....