The Unknown World Trail map

This article follows the first installment detailing the south east of the Known World in Threshold issue #13 and the Broken Lands and Shadowlands in issue #14. See the introduction of the first article of this serie for a full explanation of the population maps and the purpose of these articles.

[Image: Known World Populations]

Known World Populations

Yellow: “Civilized” lands, high human (or halfling) density, average 75 humans (or halflings) per square mile.
Orange: Borderlands, low human or halfling population, average 25 people per square mile. May also contain other races, average 2.5 people per square mile.
Purple: Humanoids, giants and others, average 25 per square mile. May also contain small numbers of humans, average 1.2 per square miles.
Green: Elves, average 20 per square mile. May also contain small numbers of fairies, average 2.5 per square mile.
Dark green: Elven borderlands, average 10 elves per square miles. Should also contain fairies, average 10 per square mile.
Brown: Dwarves and/or gnomes, average 70 per square miles. Each hex should be inhabited by 4,000-5,000 dwarves with very low numbers of other creatures, if any.
Dark Brown: Dwarven borderlands, average 15 per square miles. Should also contain humanoids and other races, average 15 per square mile.
Blue: Lupins or Rakasta, average 40 per square mile.

Darokin

Populations and density

[Image: Darokin Populations]
http://pandius.com/Darokin_people.png

In Darokin I have depicted as yellow hexes all the central land of the country, which should be extensively farmed and settled. Monster incursions in those regions should be quite rare, and great predators almost completely absent, yet werewolves, undead, brigands and underground ruins could be present as well. The total populations of these more than 430 hexes should amount to more than 2 million people, mostly humans with minorities of elves, halflings, dwarves, gnomes, lupins and humanoids.
There are also more than 400 orange hexes of borderlands with a human population of about 640,000 humans with some elves and 80,000 humanoids and other intelligent inhabitants.
There are more than 450 purple hexes of wilderlands which should support a population of 770,000 humanoids and other intelligent beings and 40,000 humans and elves.
The territory of Darokin should be able to support more than 850 dragons in the wilderlands and the borderlands, and probably some also living in disguise in the civilized lands.
Therefore my final estimation of Darokin’s population would be of 2,700,000 humans and demihumans, normally living as citizens, and 850,000 other intelligent races, generally not recognized as citizens of the Republic. My estimation is higher than the number given in the Poor Wizard’s Almanac of 1,260,000 people plus unknown humanoids and higher than the figure of about 2,000,000 people including humanoids given by Simone Neri in his demography work^¹. The minorities should include at least 25,000 elves, 15,000 dwarves, 15,000 lupins, 10,000 halflings and 5,000 gnomes, and possibly also some half orcs and half elves if the DM allows them in his or her campaign^². Among the unrecognized populations, probably 550,000 are humanoids, 100,000 are lizardmen of the Malpheggi swamp and about 150,000 are fairies, centaurs, brutemen, giants, harpies, troglodytes, faenare and other minor races.

The Wilderlands of Darokin

[Image: Wilderlands of Darokin]

http://pandius.com/Darokin_wilderlands.png

1 - Amsorak mountains / Southern Silver Sierras

“Orcs, ogres, giants, dragons, rocs, harpies... there are rumours about many creatures dwelling in this region, but we are rarely attacked. Still, the mountains are unmapped territory, so dwell there at your own risk”
- Caeris, soldier at Fort Lakeside, speaking to travellers.

Area: 220 x 25 miles, or 5,500 square miles.
Days to cross^³: 55 days east-west or 7 days north-south, normally it is possible to cover only 4 miles per day due to the difficult terrain.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 145,000 (giants, bugbears, gnolls, orcs, ogres, faenare, harpies, werecreatures and at least 80 dragons), with extensive underground areas.

[Image: View of Bronsdale]
Caption: View of Bronsdale on the northern shore of Lake Amsorak

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 11 The Republic of Darokin the region is briefly described on page 7 and 8 of the DM’s guide, while Fort Lakeside is described on page 41. The medium height is given at 12,000 feet (3,658 meters) but in the Trail Map 1 Adruzzo Peak is indicated as the tallest mountain at 18,820 feet (5,736 meters).
- A Master level adventure on page 58 deals with the demon Razrog who now occupies the abandoned Itheldown island in Lake Amsorak. The other two islands are described on pages 45 and 50 of the DM guide. A detailed view of the islands is also included in the map, replicated by Thorfinn Tait http://pandius.com/m_msorak.html
- Part of the adventure The Immortals’ Fury takes places in Corran keep, built on the mountains of this region and pillaged by monsters long ago. The PCs encounter intelligent Lightning zombies and retrieve the Shield of Benekander. After the adventure, it is suggested that Jeddarin Corran will rebuild the keep, while the zombies may be helped by Nyx to establish a home elsewhere.
- The adventure in Dungeon magazine #51, The Witch of Windcrag, against an harpy, could be set here or near one of the other mountain chains of region 3 and 4.
- According to the Dragonlord Chronicles by Thorarrin Gunnarsson, the renegade black dragon Murodhir had a kingdom in the mountains north of Lake Amsorak before he was killed by the Dragonlord around 500 AC, see also the detailed summary of the trilogy by David Keyser: http://pandius.com/dlrdchrn.html.

2 - The Malpheggi Swamp

“People who mount expeditions into the swamp have serious mental problems. Everyone knows that in Athenos. Tenobarians, on the other hand, are known to be crazy people”.
Keilyn, ship captain in Athenos.

Area: 80 x 88 miles, or 7,000 square miles.
Days to cross: 25 or more days east-west or north-south, normally it is possible to cover only 3 miles per day due to the difficult terrain.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 200,000 (lizard men, trolls, ogres, orcs, hobgoblins, goblins, kobolds, nuckalavee, frogfolk, sprites, nixies, skitterlings and at least 100 dragons), with extensive underground areas.

[Image: Flamingoes in the swamp]
Caption: Flamingoes in the swamp

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 11 the region is briefly described on page 7 of the DM’s guide. The description of Tenobar on page 44 is also relevant and the swamp is further described on page 45 and 47, where it is described as inhabited by lizard men, ogres, orcs, hobgoblins, goblins, kobolds, trolls, human bandits and cultists, and many monsters, and considered an extremely dangerous place.
- The adventure Action on the Athenos on page 55 of the DM’s guide is set in this region.
- In the article Who’s Who Among Dragons, written by Bruce Heard in Dragon magazine #171 and available also here http://pandius.com/whoswho.html, the swamp was revealed to be the domain of Thalkor, a powerful black dragon. About these powerful dragons, see also my article Who’s Who in the Wyrmsteeth part 2 in Threshold issue #9.

“It is a borderland with its share of dangers. Some of the inhabitants are surprisingly friendly, some just mind their own business if you leave them alone, some are hungry, and will eat you”.
Jillin, halfling guide and adventurer.

Area: 430 x 10-40 miles, or 9,000 square miles.
Days to cross: 100 days east-west or 7 days north-south, normally it is possible to cover only 4 miles per day due to the difficult terrain.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 235,000 (giants, bugbears, gnolls, orcs, ogres, faenare, harpies, werecreatures and at least 130 dragons), with extensive underground areas.

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 11 the region is briefly described on page 7 of the DM’s guide.
- According to Karameikos Kingdom of Adventure and the Trail Map 1, the tallest mountain on the Darokinian side should be Mount Dread at 5,400 feet (1,646 meters) while the slightly taller Mount Pavel is on the Karameikan side, northwest of Threshold. Adrian’s Peak is instead on the Shires side, and slightly shorter.
- The adventure The Wanderer’s Grave on page 55 of the DM’s guide is set in this region, against goblins (the adventure was greatly expanded by Geoff Gander and is published on the Vault of Pandius: http://pandius.com/The_Wanderer.pdf)
- The adventure The Eagle’s Talons on page 57 of the DM’s guide is set in this region.
- The adventure B8 Journey to the Rock should be set in this region on the border with Karameikos. The modules B1 and B5 could also be easily set here, or in region 1.
- CM9 Legacy of Blood and PC1 Tall Tales of the Wee Folk deal with Fenhold and the woods south of the Canolbarth forest.
- The adventure in Dungeon magazine #5, The trouble with Mylvin Wimbly, could be set on the border with the Five Shires.
- The adventure in Dungeon magazine #15, In Pursuit of the Slayer, could be set near this region.
- The adventure in Dungeon magazine #26, Caravan guards, takes places on the road to Selenica, against bhuts.
- The Kingdom of Azemur the Gold in the Five Shires, described in the article Who’s Who Among Dragons by Bruce Heard, see above, reaches up to the mountains on the border with Darokin.

In Fan productions:
- Tuma by Matthew Levy http://pandius.com/tuma.html is relevant for this region. More on Tuma was also written by me and Giampaolo Agosta in Threshold issue #12, and see also Thoughts on Tuma as City of Followers of Earth by Joaquin Menchaca http://pandius.com/tumacity.html
- Darokin Locations by Simone Neri http://pandius.com/darolocn.html are relevant for this region and the others, and his Central Altan Tepes Mini Gazetteer http://pandius.com/altantps.html is relevant for wilderlands 3 and 4.
- See also Armstead suggestions by Jesper Andersen http://pandius.com/armstead.html

[Image: Forested hills near Fort Hobarth]
Caption: Forested hills near Fort Hobarth

4 - Broken Lands border and the Orclands

“Orcs, goblins, and all the other humanoids. This is not Darokin, the Republic claims this land just to pretend we will eventually civilize it in front of the other nations. The Ethengarians, the Elves and the Dwarves do not want it. Well, the Dwarves would like to have it, probably, but the humanoids are unwilling to give their lands to them, or to us. They also do not welcome human travellers. Savages you say? Did you ever see what happens to an orc travelling the Streel plains? The same that will happen to you if you are caught in the Orclands”
Delwyn Machos, sage in Selenica

Area: 330 x 25-120 miles, or 30,000 square miles.
Days to cross: 80 days east-west or 15 days north-south, normally it is possible to cover only 4 miles per day due to the difficult terrain.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 750,000 (giants, bugbears, gnolls, orcs, ogres, faenare, harpies, werecreatures and at least 400 dragons), with extensive underground areas.

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 11 the region is briefly described on page 7 of the DM’s guide. The ruins of Ardelphia are described on page 33. The Orclands and the humanoid fortresses are described on the following pages.
- The altitudes of these mountains are not indicated in canon sources, but as Mount Tarsus in Thyatis is 11,380 feet (3,469 meters) and the Makkres in Rockhome are up to 15,000 feet (4,572 meters), probably the tallest mountains here would reach up to 10,000 feet (3,048 meters).
- The adventure Orclands on page 56 of the DM’s guide is set in this region.
- The adventure The Hand of Thar on page 57 of the DM’s guide is set in this region.
- The adventure DA1 Adventures in Blackmoor starts along the border to continue in the Broken Lands and to ancient Blackmoor.
- The adventure in Dungeon magazine #46, Dovedale, could be set in a borderlands north of Selenica, or in the previous region 3.
- The AD&D adventure Janx’s Jinx in Dungeon magazine #56 is meant to be set in the same area as the above.
- The Tower of Doom videogame begins in this region and continues in the Broken Lands, and the sequel Shadow over Mystara is partially set in the Orclands.

In Fan productions:
- The Voyage of the Discovery by Robin takes place in this region: http://pandius.com/discvoyg.html and she also made a 1mph map of Ardelphia to Corunglain http://pandius.com/rdlpcrng.html and obviously her ongoing 1mph map of the Upper Broken Lands, already mentioned in Threshold issue #14, touches and details this region as well.
- Geoff Gander wrote an adventure titled The Secret of the Callair Hills available for sale on DriveThru RPG, which can be easily set in this region as he explains in the Vaults: http://pandius.com/callairh.html
- A geographic entry for the Orclands was included in the 1015 fan almanac and all those following, and is published at the Vaults of Pandius http://pandius.com/orcland2.html
- Possible new developments for the Orclands humanoids were imagined by Gordon McCormick in The Vision of Truth and Light http://pandius.com/vistruth.html and by me in The Tale Bringer (A Kingdom of Humanoids) http://pandius.com/talebrik.html
- Sean Meaney developed the City State of Xorg http://pandius.com/City_State_of_Xorg.doc

Alfheim

Populations and density

[Image: Alfheim Populations]
http://pandius.com/Alfheim_people.png

In Alfheim the green hexes are those inhabited by elves with a density of 20 per square miles, along with some fairies. The dark green hexes are instead borderlands, inhabited by 10 elves per square miles or less, and the same number of fairy folk. The purple hexes are true wilderlands inhabited only by monsters or other races. The area of Alfheim town has a yellow border meaning it is a region more similar to the human ones, with a sizable population of humans, halflings, gnomes, dwarves and even some peaceful humanoids.
The population of Alfheim town in Gazetteer 5 is given at 15,000 people, and the total population approximated at 75,000 inhabitants. Simone Neri in his Demografia estimates about 205,000 inhabitants. My calculation as usual is higher. The region around Alfheim town should have a higher population, with a density of more than 75 people per square mile and about 25,000 inhabitants, of which are 15,000 humans, 5,000 elves, 1,000 halfling, 1,000 dwarves, 1,000 humanoids, 500 gnomes, 500 lupins, and 1,000 fairy folk most of which are centaurs.
There are 215 green hexes that should contain a population of 275,000 elves and 35,000 other creatures including brownies, centaurs, chevalls, dryads, faenare, hsiao, leprechauns, metamorphs, nixies, pixies, pookas, satyrs, sidhes, sprites, treants, wood drakes, and wood imps.
There are 197 dark hexes that should contain a population of 125,000 elves and 125,000 others, mostly the creatures listed above but with additional minorities of aranea, gremlins, harpies, humanoids, nuckalavee, werecreatures and undead.
Finally the 13 purple hexes contain a population of 20,000 inhabitants, probably aranea, gremlins, harpies, humanoids, lizardmen, nuckalavee, troglodytes, werecreatures and undead.
The Canolbarth forest should be able to support at least 400 dragons.
The total population of Alfheim should therefore be 405,000 elves, 15,000 humans, 1,000 civilized humanoids, 1,000 halflings, 1,000 dwarves, 500 gnomes, 1,000 lupins, 130,000 fairy folk of various races and about 30,000 other intelligent creatures not integrated in the elven society (i.e. reclusive or hostile).

The Wilderlands of Alfheim

[Image: Wilderlands of Alfheim]
http://pandius.com/Alfheim_wilderlands.png

1 - North Eastern Alfheim

“The only problem with this region is that humanoids and many other monsters live nearby, and when they visit the forest they do not always have harmless intentions. Sometimes we also get dwarves. It is a fun place, all thing considered”
- Selivyn, Mealidor sentinel.

Area: 30 x 300 miles, or 9,000 square miles.
Days to cross^⁴: About 7 days east-west or 60 days following the border, normally it is possible to cover only 5 miles per day due to the difficult terrain.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 200,000 (elves, fairy folk, faenare, humanoids, aranea, gremlins, harpies, werecreatures and at least 120 dragons), possibly with underground areas.

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 5 The Elves of Alfheim the good magic points of Misthaven, Shadowdown and Algorn’s Last Stand are described, as the nearby clanholds. According to Bruce Heard’s answer in Dragon magazine #189, the good magic points will go dormant after the Shadowelf conquest of Alfheim (described in the Wrath of the Immortals boxed set), while the bad magic points will remain active.
- The adventure The Grand Tour on page 80 of the DM’s guide starts near Shadowdown, then moves to all the clanholds of Alfheim.
- The adventure The Nithian Lich on page 91 takes places in the town of Shadowtree near the lakes of Selinar in the east of Alfheim.
- The Expert adventure Rough Play on page 95 of the DM’s guide deals with the Dwarven organization The Thorns active on this border of Alfheim.
- In the module O2 Blade of Vengeance the Emerlas, the northern region of Alfheim, is described in detail with a family of red dragons as the main antagonist.
- The module CM7 The Tree of Life starts in the forest of Selinar in Eastern Alfheim.
- The module B7 Rahasia could easily be set in this region of Alfheim.
- In the Dragonlord Trilogy by Thorarinn Gunnarsson, near Shadowdown there is the monastic community of Silvermist, apparently inhabited by elven priests of Terra, but in reality also a meeting point for dragons and followers of the Great One.
- The Dungeon Magazine #1 adventure The Elven Home, featuring a treant and stirges, could be set in this region or in other borderlands of Alfheim.

In Fan productions:
- The replica map of Alfheim by Thorfinn Tait http://pandius.com/m_lfheim.html gathers all the available canon geographical information on the Realm, and the same for Aengmor http://pandius.com/m_engmor.html.
- Aengmor is described in the fan almanacs starting in 1015 AC http://pandius.com/aengmor.html#almanac with events set in the nation. See also area 1 of Darokin above and 1019 AC events, including the Ceremony of Reconciliation http://pandius.com/1019fla.html#fla12e
- The Codex Immortalis by Marco Dalmonte, Book Two http://pandius.com/Codex2e.pdf, deals with the Alfheim pantheon on page 82.
- For a list of monsters, check Sheldon Morris’ Monstrous Atlas http://pandius.com/ma_alfm.html
- Threshold issue #10 was dedicated to elves and contains articles on the Elven Calendar and Elven Migrations, by me, Elven Class Variants, by Craig Antoun, and the Fall and Rise of Canolbarth, by Robin, detailing the fate of the forest after the Shadowelves’ conquest.
- The Demise of the Great Canolbarth forest by Robin http://pandius.com/m_cbrth.html is also published on the Vaults of Pandius, as her detailed 1 mile per hex map of Alfheim http://pandius.com/m_cbrth1.html which has a lot of locations and ideas about the Elven Kingdom.
- More discussions and contributions to the future of Alfheim and Aengmor can also be found in this section http://pandius.com/aengmor.html#campaign of the Vaults of Pandius.
- See also Elven Language by Jonathan Nolan http://pandius.com/elflang.html, Trees of Life in Mystara http://pandius.com/treelife.html and the article The Lost Origins of the Elves in Threshold issue #12 by LoZompatore.

[Image: Deer in the forest]

“Thornbush has to be guarded constantly because a lot of interesting creatures always come out of it, and some also end up in the river, hence its name. This is the place to be if you want to have a reputation in Alfheim”
- Endoric, Grunalf forester.

Area: 25 x 80 miles, or 2,000 square miles.
Days to cross: About 14 days east-west or 4 days north-south, normally it is possible to cover only 6 miles per day due to the difficult terrain.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 35,000 (elves, fairy folk, faenare, humanoids, aranea, gremlins, harpies, werecreatures and at least 30 dragons), with possibly underground areas.

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 5 The Elves of Alfheim, the good magic point of Dewdrop is described, as is the bad magic point of Thornbush, which constantly produces monsters. The Sump, a mile wide and thousand feet deep depression that drains water, is described on page 23, as is the Weir, a two mile long fence to keep inhabitants of the River of Monsters out of the Sump.
- The adventure The Great Hunt on page 77 of the DM’s guide is related to Thornbush.
- The Basic scenario Defend the Weir and the Master adventure Into the Bad Magic Point on page 95 of the DM’s guide take place in this region.
- In the module X10 Red Arrow, Black Shield, the Alfheim mission, which liberated the tomb of King Alevar from a red dragon, is located in the “denser part of the forest”, which could be this area or one of the other wilderlands.

“This region is not really wild but is lightly inhabited because it is a favorite place for battle magic and army training, due to historical and magical reasons. Therefore foreigners are kindly asked to stay away, unless they have permission to go there”
- Cyrivil, cleric in Elleromyr

Area: 16 x 32 miles, or 400 square miles.
Days to cross: About 8 days east-west or 4 days north-south, normally it is possible to cover only 4 miles per day due to the difficult terrain. The region also has traps.
Intelligent inhabitants: Less than 8,000 (mostly elves, fairy folk, faenare and at least 10 dragons in the service of the army), with possibly underground areas.

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 5 The Elves of Alfheim the good magic point of Ironbark is described as the site of an elven victory against Darokinians and a site favourable to reversal and defensive magic.

“The border with Darokin is normally peaceful, at worst we could have some bandits or small humanoid bands. But travellers in this region should be wary because there are quite some number of fairy folk, dragons and werecreatures here, and not all are peaceful. Also dinosaurs, hydras and wyverns are common in Dragontree”
- Temilyn, guide from Alfheim town to Shieldtree.

Area: 10 x 240 miles, or 2,900 square miles.
Days to cross: About 2 days north-south or 50 days following the border, normally it is possible to cover only 5 miles per day due to the difficult terrain.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 60,000 (elves, fairy folk, faenare, humanoids, aranea, gremlins, harpies, werecreatures, beastmen and at least 45 dragons), with possibly underground areas.

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 5 The Elves of Alfheim the good magic points of Dream Land, Glowtree and Turnclaw are described, as is the bad magic point of Dragontree. The beast men invasion of the wizard Illodius of 550 AC started in Turnclaw. Beastmen and werecreatures could still be present in the region. According to a Bruce Heard’s answer in Dragon magazine #189, the Dream Land will be removed from Mystara after the Shadowelves conquest of Alfheim.
- The module CM9 Legacy of Blood takes place in Fenhold, near Alfheim’s southern border.
- The supplement PC1 Tall Tales of the Wee Folk, describes in detail the region of Dream Land
- The Dungeon Magazine #26 adventure Caravan Guards, featuring bhuts, is set in the Darokian road near the southern border of Alfheim.

“Stalkbrow is considered very dangerous by elven wizards, and Goblin Park too, even if it is not a bad magic point, sometimes has hostile humanoids nearby. Travellers are advised not to dwell in this region, unless they have some good reason to do so, or love danger”
- Sillyra, merchant in Pinitel.

Area: 16 x 80 miles, or 1,500 square miles.
Days to cross: About 4 days north-south or 20 days east-west, normally it is possible to cover only 4 miles per day due to the difficult terrain.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 30,000 (elves, fairy folk, faenare, humanoids, goblins, aranea, gremlins, harpies, werecreatures and at least 20 dragons), with possibly underground areas.

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 5 The Elves of Alfheim the good magic point of Goblin Park is described, as is the bad magic point of Stalkbrow. The alien goblins which invaded in 700 AC could still be present or reappear in the area. Undead, nightmare creatures or fiends could be appropriate for Stalkbrow.
- See area 1 about the module CM7 and the Gazetteer adventure The Nithian Lich, set near this region.

In Fan productions:
- See area 1, also in Threshold issue #10, DesertNomad wrote the article “The Stalkbrow Bad Magic Node”, describing the area and proposing to place there the module CM5 Mystery of the Snow Pearls. Gyerians are present in the module, so a population of them could live in Alfheim.

Ethengar

Populations and density

[Image: Ethengar Populations]
http://pandius.com/Ethengar_people.png

I have depicted most of Ethengar as borderlands, 840 orange hexes, an enormous territory claimed and inhabited by the nomadic Ethengarians, but shared with other intelligent creatures and wild animals, monsters and spirits. I have considered civilized areas in yellow to only be the trade road that goes to the Heldann territories, Vestland, Rockhome and Darokin, for a total of 75 hexes. The Ethengarians patrol it in force, making it one of the safest routes of the Known World. There are five big wilderlands for a total of 330 hexes, depicted in purple. Estimations of the Ethengar population in the Poor Wizard’s Almanac and in the Demografia Mystariana of Simone Neri give a figure of slightly more or slightly less than 300,000, with a very low density. I disagree because Ethengar is one of the most ancient nations of the Known World, so even if the Ethengarians have maintained a traditional nomadic lifestyle, I expect them to be highly organized in their environment, and therefore with quite advanced magic, defensive systems, and medicine, making it unlikely they would have a very sparse population.
My estimation therefore is a relative high density along the trade roads, with about 200,000 people, almost all humans except for some dwarven or elvish visitors. The density of this area is still quite lower than the other civilized areas of the Known World, at about 40 people per square mile. The borderlands should have a density quite lower than other similar regions with substantial populations, but still with only 15 people per square mile they should be able to support at least 800,000 inhabitants, mostly humans with about 50,000 other intelligent creatures, mostly humanoids, centaurs, fairy folk, faenare and/or gyerians, werecreatures and undead.
The wilderlands should have a similar density, but humans should be almost absent and the 400,000 inhabitants should be composed entirely of humanoids, centaurs, fairy folk, faenare, werecreatures and the Spirits of the Ethengarian traditions. These spirits could be pookas or fairy folk, as the DM prefers. In total the steppes should be able to support 1,000,000 Ethengarians or slightly less, and 450,000 other intelligent inhabitants, with about 1,200 dragons.

The Wilderlands of Ethengar

[Image: Wilderlands of Ethengar]
http://pandius.com/Ethengar_wilderlands.png

“We cannot guarantee safety of travellers outside the road. Orcs live to the west, hidden below the ground, even if we do our best to keep them at bay, and we’ve had no raids nor attacks for years. The Yakkas instead seem unable to defend their yaks.”
- Makbai, Taijits warrior.

Area: 32 x 80 miles, or 2,500 square miles.
Days to cross: About 4 days north-south or 10 days east-west, normally it is possible to cover 8 miles per day on foot, with high chances of getting lost.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 50,000 (orcs, trolls and other humanoids, centaurs, fairy folk, faenare and/or harpies or gyerians, werecreatures and at least 20 dragons), with extensive underground areas.

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 12 The Golden Khan of Ethengar the Tanguts are said to inhabit a tunnel system, and are allied to Moghul Khan of Yellow Orkia. Taijits pay Moghul Khan to attack the Yakkas. Their number as given is only 240, but I would raise it considerably.
- On page 43 of the DM’s guide the animals common in the steppes are bear, camel, wild cat, chameleon lizard, dog, eagle, falcon, giant boar, gerbil, wild goat, hawk, horse, lion, monkey, owl, sheep, snake, swan, tiger, wolf, and yak. Spirits or pookas in the humanoid shapes of these animals are therefore appropriate for the wilderlands.
- The adventure Welcome to the Lands of the Ethengars on page 51 could begin near this region.
- The module BSOLO Ghost of Lion Castle, is set in Ethengar and could be appropriate for this region.
- Dragon Magazine #237 does not mention any specific lupin breed in Ethengar, but as there are several in Glantri, Heldann and Norwold it is likely some also live in the steppes. A lupin similar to the Tibetan Mastiff https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_Mastiff would be appropriate. Rakasta could also be present in the steppes.

2 - Gostai goblins territory

“We have won great victories against the Gostai, who enslaved us and tormented us in the past. Now they are losing against our might, and the Yugatais attacks and if it was not for the necessity to fight also the Glantrian and Heldannic dogs, we could already have destroyed them”
- Kogotal, Kaeruts hakomon.

Area: 64 x 64 miles, or 4,000 square miles.
Days to cross: About 8 days north-south or east-west, normally it is possible to cover 8 miles per day on foot, but it is very easy to get lost.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 80,000 (hobgoblins and other goblinoids, centaurs, fairy folk, faenare and/or harpies or gyerians, werecreatures and at least 60 dragons), with possibly underground areas.

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 12 The Golden Khan of Ethengar, on page 35 of the DM’s guide, the Gostai are depicted on the verge of extinction, numbering about 600. I prefer them much stronger and more numerous.
- The mini campaign In the Service of the Golden Khan from page 58 of the DM’s guide features Gostai goblins and other humanoids.

“The Hooplak somehow have survived despite the rise of the Great Khan, and the combined attacks of Murkits, Kiyats and us Yakkas, and the help we have received also from the dwarves. We are certain an evil Spirit is aiding them from a ruined city in the dwarven mountains”
- Arika, Yakkas shaman.

Area: 175 x 30 miles, or 5,000 square miles.
Days to cross: About 4 days north-south or 22 days east-west, normally it is possible to cover 8 miles per day on foot, but it is very easy to get lost.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 100,000 (goblins and other goblinoids, centaurs, fairy folk, faenare and/or harpies or gyerians, werecreatures and at least 75 dragons), with possibly underground areas.

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 12 The Golden Khan of Ethengar, on page 35 of the DM’s guide, the Hooplak are depicted on the verge of extinction, numbering only 300, and willing to ally with the Ethengarians. If the latter is true, I prefer their numbers to be much higher. As their territory borders Amburyr, the domain of the red dragon Ambur which rules from the ruins of Jhyrrad (see Who’s Who Among Dragons, written by Bruce Heard in Dragon magazine #171 and available also in the Vaults http://pandius.com/whoswho.html), I suppose they could be under his control.

“We have won a great battle against them and now they are not a menace anymore. Soon we will completely destroy them. Or we will drive them into the Land of the Black Sand, and the spirits will devour them all ”
- Barka, Uighur dagam commander.

Area: 88 x 104 miles, or 9,000 square miles.
Days to cross: About 11 days north-south or 13 east-west, normally it is possible to cover 8 miles per day on foot, but it is very easy to get lost.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 185,000 (orcs and other humaoids, spirits, centaurs, fairy folk, faenare and/or harpies or gyerians, werecreatures, undead and at least 140 dragons), with underground areas.

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 12 The Golden Khan of Ethengar, on page 36 of the DM’s guide, the Sliktor are described as having suffered a big defeat, and almost starving. The evil spirit Jaku the Render would soon push them to attack.
- The Land of the Black Sand is described on page 7 of the DM’s guide and later in the Adventures section. In Who’s Who Among Dragons, written by Bruce Heard in Dragon magazine #171 and available also in the Vaults http://pandius.com/whoswho.html, it is also the domain of Khanistar, a powerful blue dragon.
- In the Dragonlord trilogy by Thorarrin Gunnarsson the World Mountain is inhabited by spirits and they appear in the form of yakmen. The three Yak brothers are also described on page 39 and 40 of the DM’s guide of Gazetteer 12.
- The adventure Box of Rain on page 51 of the DM’s guide features the Land of Black Sand and undead.

“Trolls and gnolls come often from the Makkres mountains. It is good training for Kiyats warriors and occasionally even the Bortaks find the guts to fight them.”
- Orkajin, Kiyats warrior.

Area: 15 x 240 miles, or 3,500 square miles.
Days to cross: About 2 days east-west or 30 days following the border, normally it is possible to cover 8 miles per day on foot, but it is very easy to get lost.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 70,000 (trolls, gnolls, centaurs, fairy folk, faenare and/or harpies or gyerians, werecreatures, and at least 50 dragons), with underground areas.

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 12 this region is not described in detail, but on page 11 of the DM’s guide is written that the Bortaks Khan is paying gnoll raiders to go against the Kiyats.
- The module X3 The Curse of Xanathon deals with an Ethengarian cult of Cretia in Rhoona, Vestland, near this region.

Glantri

Populations and density

[Image: Glantri Populations]
http://pandius.com/Glantri_people.png

In Glantri I have depicted as yellow hexes only the central regions and the areas around the main cities and town. There are in total 300 yellow hexes that should have an average density of 70 inhabitants per square mile, for a total of 1,350,000 people, mostly humans with some elves and lupins.
There are about 400 orange hexes of borderlands that should support about 640,000 humans and 65,000 other intelligent beings. The purple hexes of wilderlands number about 960 and can be easily inhabited by 1,000,000 intelligent non human inhabitants and about 75,000 humans.
The hexes in green are settled by elves with an average density of 40 per square mile, meaning a population of about 50,000 Belcadiz and Erewan, plus 110,000 more in the lightly settled dark green areas, which should contain also 20,000 humans and about 20,000 fairy folk of various races. The hexes in blue are inhabited by lupins, and should have about 150,000 inhabitants (130,000 lupins and 20,000 other intelligent beings).
The total population of Glantri should therefore amount to more than 2 million humans, 210,000 elves, 140,000 lupins and 1,100,000 other intelligent inhabitants that should include werecreatures, orcs, trolls, ogres, other humanoids, rocs, sasquatches, snow apes, frost giants (all mentioned in Gazetteer 3), aranea, beholders, brownies, bugbears, centaurs, chevalls, dryads, faenares, gargoyles, giants of all kinds, deep glaurants, goblins, gnolls, gremlins, harpies, kobolds, leprechauns, nixies, pookas, rakastas, shapeshifters, sidhes, skitterlings, sphinxes, sprites, thouls, troglodytes, undead, woodrakes (mentioned in Sheldon Morris’ Monstrous Atlas, see below) and about 1,500 dragons. Indeed the wilderlands of Glantri are so vast and unexplored that virtually any creature could live there, including small groups of dwarves, gnomes and halflings which have stayed hidden, despite the past persecutions. Probably the Principalities have about 2,500,000 official inhabitants, and 1,500,000 unofficial inhabitants in the wilderlands. My figure is obviously much higher than the 780,000 pre-plague inhabitants mentioned in the Poor Wizard’s Almanacs, and the 836,000 inhabitants calculated by Simone Neri in his Demografia, for the reasons already explained in the previous nations.

The Wilderlands of Glantri

[Image: Wilderlands of Glantri]
http://pandius.com/Glantri_wilderlands.png

1 - Kurish Massif and Glantrian Alps

“The Alps are dominions of giants and faenare, while the Massif has also ogres, cat men and volcanoes. And obviously dragons. Tales of ancient ruins and treasures have lured many adventurers, like me. The mountains are a fascinating place, but I have lost some rash companions in them”
- Giovanni Marolo, adventurer in Sirecchia.

Area: 125 x 120 miles, or 15,000 square miles.
Days to cross: About 30 days north-south or east-west, normally it is possible to cover only 4 miles per day on foot, with high chances of getting lost.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 300,000 (ogres and other humanoids, giants, fairy folk, harpies, rakasta and at least 200 dragons), with extensive underground areas.

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 3 the mountain are described on page 7. The Alps are said to have glaciers with mysterious crystal “snowtrees” and 3,000 feet high cliffs towering over the Arnus river. The Kurish is said to have many dyeing and medicinal plants. Common trees in all mountain chains are pines, yews and larches at higher heights. Vampire roses, archer bushes and grab grass are common in the hills. Common animals are wild dogs, foxes, bats, wolves, bears, mountain lions, wild horses, goats, wild cats, yaks, condors, rocs, griffons, and hippogriffs. The Kurish also has relevant populations of ogres, trolls, humanoids, dragons, chimeras and manticores. The Alps and other higher mountains are also said to be inhabited by snow apes, sasquatches, frost giants, frost salamanders, white bears, ice toads and the ice horrow worm, a local variation of the purple worm.
- Principalities are also described on page 10 of Gazetteer 3 and in the boxed set Glantri Kingdom of Magic, but with little details about the wilderlands.
- In the Trail Map 1 Mount De Glace and Mount Stoneface in the Glantrian Alps are given heights of 25,100 and 24,350 feets (7,650 and 7,422 meters), making them the highest mountains of the Known World. Mount Lea and Mount Giancarlo II of the Kurish are instead 16,550 and 13,560 feet (5,044 and 4,133 meters).
- Glantrian lupins are described in Dragon Magazine #237, in the article Lupins of Mystara by Bruce Heard. The Glantrian Mountaineer inhabits the Alps. The Hairless lupins are said to live north west of the Broken Lands, see areas 4 and 5 about the other breeds indicated in fan works by Giampaolo Agosta and Átila Pires dos Santos.
- Mountain rakasta are mentioned in the Kurish in Dragon Magazine #247, in the article Rakasta of Mystara by Bruce Heard.
- See also Glantri map geographic references http://pandius.com/glangeor.html by Simone Neri for a list of canon adventures and resources set in Glantri.

“The Sierras are fascinating for their richness in plants and minerals. And they also have ancient elven ruins, and more. But they are dangerous, as humanoids trespass often from the Broken Lands and the native inhabitants should not be taken lightly either”
- Serivil, Erewan warrior in Nathrat.

Area: 24 x 160 miles, or 4,000 square miles.
Days to cross: About 6 days north-south or 40 days east-west, normally it is possible to cover 4 miles per day on foot, with high chances of getting lost.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 80,000 (orcs, ogres, trolls and other humanoids, giants, fairy folk, faenare and/or harpies and at least 70 dragons), with extensive underground areas.

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 3 the mountains are described on page 7. The Sierras are said to be reddish despite their name, and the newest mountains (1,700 BC), with frequent earthquakes and floods, and mines of silver, sulphur, coal and gems. There are forests of rhododendrons and bizarre mushrooms in the deepest canyons where the sun doesn’t shine. The most common trees are cedars, aspens, plus some myrtles and balsam in the more secluded areas. Some stonewood can also be found, and oak forests in the lower elven lands.
- The adventure Quest for the Lizard Tail on page 82 and the adventure Dirty Half-Dozen on page 86 are set in the Silver Sierras.
- The adventure in Dungeon Magazine #22 Rank Amateurs is meant for humanoid PCs trespassing in Glantri, and the adventure Manden’s Meathooks in Dungeon Magazine #28 is set likewise on the border with the Broken Lands.
- The adventure in Dungeon Magazine #39 The Fountain of Health could be set here or in the other wilderlands.

In Fan productions:
- See area 1 of Glantri and area 1 of Darokin above for more on this region.

3 - The Colossus Mounts

“We can deal with mountain lions, mountain tigers, even griffons and manticores, but when it comes to rocs, dragons and giants the situation can become very dangerous quite fast. So we try not to anger the big ones”
- Allen Breac, Guide of the Monster Hunters’ Union.

Area: 60 x 120 miles, or 5,000 square miles.
Days to cross: About 30 days north-south or 16 days east-west, normally it is possible to cover 4 miles per day on foot, with high chances of getting lost.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 100,000 (humanoids, giants, lupins, fairy folk, faenare and/or harpies and at least at least 80 dragons), with extensive underground areas.

[Image: The monastery of Lhamsa]
Caption: The monastery of Lhamsa

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 3 the mountains are described on page 7 as among the highest, and the glaciers should also have the mysterious “snowtrees”. The adventure To the Peak of Wisdom on page 81 is set in the Colossus.
- In the Trail Map 2 Mount Skullhorn height is given as 18,530 feet (5,648 meters).
- The Hound of Klantyre is a lupin breed described in Dragon Magazine #237.

“Werecreatures of all kinds dwell in the mountains, and worse. Still getting merchandise to Aalban through the pass is far quicker and cheaper than taking the long road around the Noires. Yet it is also far more dangerous”
- Albin Plourde merchant in Malinbois.

Area: 16 x 88 miles, or 1,500 square miles.
Days to cross: About 20 days north-south or 4 days east-west, normally it is possible to cover 4 miles per day on foot, with high chances of getting lost.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 30,000 (werecreatures, lupins, brutemen, humanoids, fairy folk, faenare and/or harpies and at least at least 25 dragons), with extensive underground areas.

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 3 this area is not described, but in PC4 Night Howlers, the region is detailed. The mountains and hills are said to be inhabited by undead, humanoids, neanderthals (brutemen) and sasquatches, and to reach an height of 16,000 feet (4,877 meters). Some small swamps (marais) are inhabited by lizardmen.
- The adventure The Silver Quarrel on page 84 of Gazetteer 3 is set in Morlay.

In Fan productions:
- Thorfinn Tait made a replica map of the Valley of the Wolves from PC4 http://pandius.com/m_vlywlf.html now stored in the Vaults of Pandius.
- Some Blue Bandit lupins should live in this region according to the work on the topic by Giampaolo Agosta and Átila Pires dos Santos (see links below). See also Saimpt Clébard by Giampaolo Agosta http://pandius.com/clebard.html. Átila also supposes the Bloodhound breed exists in this region too. As it is likely that Renardy in the Savage Coast has a cultural link to Glantrian lupins, other Renardois breeds are appropriate here, as the Bouchon, Neo-Papillon and Renardois Folk.
- See also Free Province of The Black Mountains http://pandius.com/fpblkmnt.html by micky.

5 - The Wendarian Ranges

“People think Glantri has no King or Queen but they could not be more wrong. The High Queen rules in the northern mountain and pulls her strings, and woe to anyone who crosses her.”
- Marc, adventurer and warrior of Uigmur, the night before his disappearance.

Area: 85 x 400 miles, or 35,000 square miles.
Days to cross: About 20 days north-south or 100 days east-west, normally it is possible to cover 4 miles per day on foot, with high chances of getting lost.
Intelligent inhabitants: probably up to 700,000 (humanoids, giants, fairy folk, faenare and harpies, troglodytes, werecreatures and at least at least 500 dragons), with extensive underground areas.

In Canon products:
- In Gazetteer 3 the mountains are described on page 7, the range is said to be ancient and eroded. The range is also known for its blue pines.
- In Trail Map 1 Mount Amador height is 14,550 feet (4,435 meters). In the article Who’s Who Among Dragons, written by Bruce Heard in Dragon magazine #171 and available also here http://pandius.com/whoswho.html, the mountain is the seat of Amanth, a powerful and ancient red dragon who dominates the range.
- The adventure Some Old Vampire’s Story on page 82 is set in the mountains of Boldavia. The adventure Apocalypse Then on page 88 could be also set in the range.
- The first book of the Dragonlord trilogy by Thorarrin Gunnarsson is partially set in Torkyn Fall, a gnome city in the Wendarian Ranges later abandoned due to attacks of renegade dragons.
- The module CM8 The Endless Stair could be set in the Wendarian ranges or in other mountain chains.
- The adventure At the Spottle Parlor in Dungeon Magazine #12 is set in the Wendarian ranges.

1Available here: http://www.kofn.net/download/ambientazioni/demografiaMystariana.pdf in Italian only, but part of it was updated and translated in English in Threshold issue #1 and #3.

2Half breeds were not originally included in BECMI or the Mystara Gazetteers, but later some appeared in canon products.

3By foot with light encumbrance. However as this refers to difficult wilderlands, often without trails, the movement rate on horses should not be much different. Note also that the chance of getting lost in these areas, unless the PCs have a good map or a good guide, should be very high, so the actual travel time could easily double.

4By foot with light encumbrance. However as this refers to difficult wilderlands, often without trails, the movement rate on horses should not be much different. Note also that the chance of getting lost in these areas, unless the PCs have a good map or a good guide, should be very high, so the actual travel time could easily double.

	[Image: Ancient map] Part of Tabula Peutingeriana, konrad miller´s facsimile from 1887, via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: Known World Populations] Original work by author	https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4FkxRFtCZ22alVTYUNxZUhlLXM
	[Image: Map key Populations] Original work by author	https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4FkxRFtCZ22ZFMwX2pMZEhuaEk
	[Image: Darokin Populations] Original work by author	https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4FkxRFtCZ22Y1ZHN0ttcnU4bzQ
	[Image: Wilderlands of Darokin] Original work by author	https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4FkxRFtCZ22cTJJY0Eta3BuXzg
	[Image: View of Bronsdale] Lake of Garda (Italy), painting by Carl Hummel via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: Flamingoes in the swamp] Parc ornithologique de Pont de Gau, photo by Stivan Poletti via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: Forested hills near Fort Hobarth] Le Mercantour National Park in South East France, photo by Abubakr Hussain via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: Alfheim populations] Original work by author	https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4FkxRFtCZ22YlZ5eHRoaFJGYVE
	[Image: Alfheim wilderlands] Original work by author	https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4FkxRFtCZ22cEpSclVWbHFPbmM
	[Image: Deer in the forest] Red Deer, Bardu, Norway, photo by Jörg Hempel via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: Deep of the woods] Białowieski Park Narodowy, Poland, photo by Ralf Lotys (Sicherlich) via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: Ethengar Populations] Original work by author	https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4FkxRFtCZ22N2J1RmU2TFNVdWc
	[Image:Ethengar wilderlands] Original work by author	https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4FkxRFtCZ22WXpZeWZ1MWtrMUU
	[Image: Ethengar grassland] The Mongolian-Manchurian grassland, photo by Damiano Luchetti via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: Ethengar horse] A Takhi at Hustai National Park, photo by Chinneeb via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: Glantri Populations] Original work by author	https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4FkxRFtCZ22SmR0bTlxNDVSSDQ
	[Image: Glantri wilderlands] Original work by author	https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4FkxRFtCZ22RzVNdXZvdkRPX2c
	[Image: Mount De Glace] A view of Mont Blanc from the Tour du Mont Blanc, photo by Ldh98 via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: The monastery of Lhamsa] The Potala palace in Tibet, photo by Antoine Taveneaux via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: View of Mount Amador] Schlern-Sciliar mountain, Italy, via Wikimedia commons.	Source

Nation	Humans	Elves	Dwarves Gnomes	Hin	Lupins	Humanoids	Giants	Others	Total
Darokin	2,630,000	25,000	20,000	10,000	15.000	550,000	50,000	250,000	3,550,000
Alfheim	15,000	405,000	1,500	1,000	1,000	5,000	0	155,000	583,500
Ethengar	1,000,000	1,000	5,000	1,000	5,000	300,000	0	150,000	1,462,000
Glantri	2,000,000	210,000	0	0	140,000	500,000	100,000	500,000	3,450,000
Total	5,645,000	641,000	26,500	12,000	161,000	1,355,000	150,000	1,055,000	9,045,500