Map of Northern Returned Abeir (Laerakond)
The Grimwings:
These are strange creatures resembling flying goblins or even Imps, except they have wings in lieu of arms. The Grimwings live in caves in the massive cliff-face that encircles all of the northern coast, and were fond of lairing in an ancient tower before the Dawn Titan cult took it over (hence the name "Grimroost").
Grimroost: This ancient tower does not appear on any records from Abeir; it's as if it just appeared out of nowhere. However, the apparent great age of the place indicates that it is at least as old as the Time of the Primordials. The only mortals aware of it's existance are members of the Order of the Dawn, and even then only to the elite membership. The Tower seems to have some sort of magical field enveloping it that prevents all forms of scrying. This protection also extends outward from the Tower for quite a distance, and also causes anyone looking away from the tower for only an instant to forget what they saw. This aura of Forgetfulness is so powerful that it is simply impossible to place the site on any map - it blocks a person's ability to make any written record of it! Since the location is completely surrounded by towering Mountain peaks and the entire region is impossible for anything to fly in, the magical protection has proven 100% effective thus far.
The Grimwings that used to make their lairs within the Tower are mildly telepathic, and several members of the group always remained within, so that others were able to find their way home. Since the Cult has chased off the creatures, none have been able to find their way back (although packs occasionally come across it quite by accident). The Dragonborn Cultmember who first discovered the tower also found a secret cache of amulets in a locked chest hidden in one of the many Underhalls - these amulets are able to allow the wielder to overcome the Forgetfulness that effects everyone who comes across the tower, and most of the upper echelon of the Cult wears one. The amulet itself is a rather plain Platinum Octagon a finger's width in length bearing a rune on one side, apparently belonging to some unknown Primordial.
Though no furnishings exist from the original occupants, most of Grimroost seems to be constructed for creatures of humanoid size and build. The one exception to this are the stone benches built-in to the walls along the outer parapet, several of which were apparently designed to accommodate tailed creatures. Cultmaster Rowan Babar spends much of his time between the tower and Skullkeep, crafting ever greater plans to further the Cult's goals.
The Lost Land:
This your typical 'Lost World' region existing on Returned Abeir primarily as a sanctuary and private hunting grounds for Dragons. The area is filled with all manner of prehistoric monstrosities, Dire Animals, and Shambling Behemoths. The only sentient creatures that live here other then the masive beasts are a race of small, hairy man-like beings who refer to themselves as 'the Chaukûni'. They are extremely primitive, barely understanding the rudiments of tool-use, and their language is little more then grunts containing less then 200 words. These creatures are about the size of (4e) Halflings, and some scholars speculate that these might be the ancient ancestors of that race.
The Windswept Plain:
This area is a bit of an anomaly - although Laerakond exists close to Toril's equater and is very hot, these plains are quite cool during the day and downright chilly at night. This is caused by the massive amount of ice-water running off from the northern mountains into Relmaur Bay (many in astoundingly beautiful waterfalls and cascades of ice-filled water sparkling in the sunlight). The frigid water along the coast cools the winds that travel up through the Dragon Sea, which becomes very strong as it is funneled into the narrow Bay. Much of the Wind is blocked by the mountains and is forced NW across the plains, causing the occasional gale-force storm to blow across the region. Most living creatures avoid the area because of these sudden, violent wind-storms, but rumour has it that the Eminence of Araunt has a base of operations here.
Maybe I can convince my DM to put Abeir on our homebrew world now.
I only pushed Laerakond to the forefront of my projects because I suspect Ed's coming up with some new material for the place for the DDi soon, and I think people could really use a decent map of the place.
I had done a pretty basic one when I first got my hands on the Returned Abeir Map, but I am now revisiting it and adding in lots of little details the original was lacking, like small forests, lakes, and swamplands.
Newer Version of Northern Abeir
The north is pretty-much finalized except for a little more mountain detail, and that's most of Skelkor now. I'll probably add some more to Skelkor so that country isn't quite finished.
The Wetlands
Sounds like the locale of the same name in WoW, and guess what? It is! Pretty much marshy jungle with lots of swamps, bogs, and quicksand (all of which I still need to add to Melabrauth), with all sorts of 'jungles nasties' running about. This place gives the song Crocodile Rock a whole new meaning. :D
This area is like the worst parts of the Amazon and the Florida Evergaldes combined, with packs of 'Gatordogs' tearing apart just about anything they come across, amongst other things.
Crescent Lake
Okay, not the most original name... this lake was only recently discovered, even though it's been taking up a huge part of central Skelkor for thousands of years. People have just been walking around it not noticing it until just last week, when one small child pointed it out and said "Hey! Is that a lake?"
What? This is 4e! Thats quality stuff there. :P
Just kidding - This is a Dragon-created lake that was first constructed (using both magic and brute-force) back in the days of Gorloun's Empire and filled with pleisaurus' and other aquatic creatures, along with a variety of flora conducive to maintaining a stable ecosphere (Dragons are very clever that way). Dragons consider the dinosaurs - simply called 'lake Monsters' by most inhabitants - a delicacy, and they have managed not to over-fish the lake in the centuries since. Hunting the creatures is against the law by any non-Dragons, much to the consternation of the folk living along it's shores (who wind-up being an occassional meal for the beasts).
Bellakh
This fortress-city gaurds one of only two passes through the mountains from Skelkor to Eskorn. Unlike many such fortresses in Laerakond and elsewhere, its main goal is to keep people IN, not out. After the revolution to the south, Empress Gauwervyndhal was forced to build many such fortifications to keep her citizens from fleeing en masse.
Arangyn
Being the only port in the country of Skelkor one with think it a place of bustling mercantile activity... but it's not. It is a dreary and dismal place and all traffic into and out of the port town is monitored by the Maldrake Overseers - beings roughly the size of a large carriage with an evil disposition. Created from stock of the normaly peaceful Woodrakes living in the Abeirran Forests, these fell creatures keep a tight lid on the population. Because of the dangers involved in trading in the city, most foreign merchants avoid the place, but this has driven prices for outside goods sky-high in Skelkor, and Greedy ship-captains do occasionally dock here and make their fortunes... or die trying.
Thats Cha-ka of the Pakuni - I love crappy 70's Kid's shows. :D
Ok. That hairy!
They get +4 wisdom and have epic druids right? :P
Look at that forehead! ><
Epic-level foreheads... LOL
I've never done a map before that generated so little interest.
There must be even less interest in Returned Abeir then even I thought...
I mispelled Thunderfangs and no one even caught it - just goes to show how many people are even bothering to look at it.
Ah well, I should have finished K-T first.
Wow, was this a mistake.
I've never done a map before that generated so little interest.
There must be even less interest in Returned Abeir then even I thought...
I mispelled Thunderfangs and no one even caught it - just goes to show how many people are even bothering to look at it.
Ah well, I should have finished K-T first.
I'm interested in Abeir, but wasn't overwhelmed by the ideas you wrote up. As a rule I don't like to use other people's homebrew content and prefer to create my own. So I thought I'd just keep quiet ;)
Also shouldn't homebrew stuff go in the Running the Realms forum?
That explains it. ;)
Eskorn is done.
I had to shift the Firetress around - it was kinda crowded in that one area so I spread things a bit, and I also didn't feel the locale made sense inside the forested area (considering it is a burnt-out forest). I may do some other texture in the region where the trees were burnt down though, because 'clear' terrain doesn't seem approriate either. The rivers, Moor, and Bregendûth area were all my adds. Don't ask me what lives in Bregendûth (both the name for the region and the forest), but I know it's nasty (Ed mentioned wanting more undeveloped areas for monsters, so this is one of them). As for the Moor -
Dimee Moor:
In the distant past of Eskorn there lived a Lord by the name of Sir Brusche of Wallace - a Realm long since vanished into the swamps. Simply called 'The Brusche' by his adoring subjects, he was a kind and noble Lord who took care of his people and treated his neighbors with respect - something you do not see so much anymore. He fell in love with a handsome Noblewomen from the Swordlands, and the two married. For several years all was well, but the Brusche found himself having to stay away from his castle more and more as both hostile creatures and humans began to encroach upon his lands, and his young bride grew lonely. He arrived home unexpectedly one day from a campaign and caught her in the arms of his young page, and so terrible was his wrath that he nearly killed them both on the spot. Instead he had a tower constructed far outside his own lands on a lonely Moor on Laerakond's coast, and had them imprisoned together therein, with no other company but each other.
Gaurds were posted around the outer wall of the tower, and supplies were brought in from time to time, but no-one was allowed to have any contact with the traitorous duo. They both grew old and bitter together, locked away in their tower, and the young man even grew to hate the women that caused his fate. When she finally died he buried her in the tower courtyard, but he was soon to find out his torment was not at it's end. She arose on the night of the next full moon as a Banshee, and so terrible were the Harrigan's cries to the man's ears that he threw himself from the top of the tower, managing to clear the outer wall and at last escape his captivity in death. It is said that the tower still stands, lonely and ungaurded, and the Noblewomen can still be heard weeping and screaming within. The ghost of the young man is also trapped upon the moor, and he has taken to playing mean pranks upon travellers through the area.
As for The Brusche - he became an old and bitter man, ignoring his subjects and his lands, and after his death his tiny Realm disappeared into obscurity as all such realms do.
-It looks good.
18DELTA (The Chosen of The God that Returned Abeir to Toril. Cyric)
The Thunder Peaks is keeping me quite busy enough at the moment!
BOTH locales have the same name ON PURPOSE! The Cult of the Dawn Titans helped to finance the construction of the Keep on the crater, and maintain a small 'chapel' within, ostensibly to help the soldiers with the types of magics priest are so good at. This shoe-horns in perfectly with the nearby ruins and the Queen's interest in them (in other words, she WOULD work with that group). Why the same name? Simple - if anyone overhears members of the cult talking about 'Rimlost', they would just assume the chapel at the frontier fortress was being discussed, thus 'covering their tracks' with a little subterfuge.
And in the few minutes it took me to type this post, I have received this back from Ed -
"Great! Fine with me! Superbly done! Consider it official!"
That through The Hooded One at Candlekeep.
On my revised map, I spelled the Gontal one with two 'I's (Riimlost), which looks more Realmish and also gives the two places a least a written distinction, if not an audible one.