Hauth had once been a controversial and war-torn kingdom, nestled in the harsh, northern reaches of the Wildlands. A land of cold winds and harsher people, it was a nation-state plagued by endless violence, inhabited by savage clans of Nordisa humans. These clans, hardy and untamed, constantly waged war against each other, as well as the surrounding factions. The region itself had long been a breeding ground for moral decay, lawlessness, and chaos. Its institutions and trade routes crumbled under the weight of strife, barely held together by thin threads of authority.
The Hauth Dynasty
For a brief time, the Hauth dynasty, under the iron hand of King Vullmar Hauth VI, had sought to reclaim control of the fractured kingdom. Vullmar, a fearsome warlord, led his armies into the heart of the torn land, securing portions of Hauth that had fallen into disarray. Yet, large swaths of the realm remained lost to anarchy, dominated by whoever could rally the barbarian Fleshtribes and other savage factions beneath their banner. The king’s power, though formidable, was a fragile beacon in the maelstrom of chaos.
Violence, Death and Pestilence
The Civil War Among the Wildlands, none could rival Hauth in terms of danger. The kingdom had been gripped by an unrelenting civil war, a conflict soaked in blood and steeped in hatred. In the year 1399 MA, King Vullmar Hauth VI found himself on the verge of defeat, his forces nearly overrun by the ultra-violent Fleshtribes—cannibalistic barbarians following the brutal Path of Chaos. Their ferocity was unmatched, and Vullmar’s army barely managed to repel their invasion, carving out a narrow victory. But from that moment onward, Hauth became a land scarred by ceaseless battle, where peace was a distant memory, and carnage ruled the day.
The region of Hauth, long consumed by unrelenting violence and brutal warfare, bore the deep scars of its savage history. Death lingered like a shadow over the bloodstained lands, its grim toll visible in the countless ruins of once-thriving villages and desolate battlefields. Social structures had crumbled under the weight of endless conflict, leaving fragmented communities to fend for themselves amidst the chaos.
nation
plains, mountains
"Land of Chaos"
humans, broodkin, birchal
dry
420,000
Balyock
pagan, druidic
livestock, wheatius, wine, textiles, lumber
mead, weapons, armor, horses
The economy, once bolstered by trade and fertile lands, had withered into near nonexistence, replaced by a desperate barter system that offered little hope of recovery. Law and civil order were distant memories, replaced by the iron grip of warlords, mercenaries, and roving bands of marauders. Hauth, a region that had once held potential for greatness, now stood as a haunting testament to the price of unchecked strife and discord.
The Fleshtribes of Malrunê
The Fleshtribes, a barbaric horde from the Malrunê region, were a terror unlike any other. Primal and savage, they embraced violence and cannibalism, living by the dark tenets of Chaos. These warriors adorned themselves with tribal tattoos, marking their bodies and faces with fearsome designs. Under the command of the warlord Uthor, they held dominion over the Hoard Plains, a vast expanse of wilderness within Hauth. They despised outsiders, derisively referring to those from the Twilight Sect and the Council of Nations as “nokeps,” which, in their tongue, meant “soon to be eaten.”
The Fleshtribes were unparalleled in mounted combat, ruling the Hoard Plains with brutal efficiency. Even King Vullmar Hauth VI and his mighty armies trembled at the sight of their warriors on horseback. Tales told of their enslavement of the mighty minotaurs and the towering Wasteland Giants, using them as beasts of war to crush any who dared stand in their way.
Morgrun’s Mantle
In the southern reaches of Hauth loomed Morgrun’s Mantle, the largest of the two active volcanoes on the continent. The mountain breathed fire, slowly releasing rivers of molten rock that scorched the land for miles. Yet the true wonder of Morgrun’s Mantle lay beneath its surface. Below the mountain’s fiery crown lay the vast tunnels of the Everdeep, where an ancient subterranean city called Seerathest had been carved into the very heart of the earth.
Seerathest
Seerathest had a dark and storied past. Built in the year 111 MA by the mysterious fyreburhl, the city thrived in its volcanic cavern, where streams of lava flowed like rivers. But in 666 MA, the city fell to the cruel Inganar lords, who slaughtered the fyreburhl and claimed the burning depths for themselves. For centuries, Seerathest lay abandoned, a haunted relic of the past. It wasn’t until 894 MA that the Inganar returned, joined by fire-wielding creatures from the deep, and restored the city to its former glory.
Seerathest was now a place of fear and legend, an infernal labyrinth where few dared to tread. The city, surrounded by magma and suffused with unbearable heat, was home to fire-breathing beasts and twisted creatures born from the molten core of the earth. Its depths remained largely unexplored, a treacherous domain only the most foolhardy or desperate adventurers would attempt to reach.
The Primal Warmasters
Hauth had birthed many fierce warriors, but none were more feared than the Primal Warmasters. This elite class of fighters, forged in the crucible of endless war, possessed an uncanny connection to the wild beasts of the land. Over time, they learned to harness the ferocity of apex predators, channeling their primal energy in combat. These warriors could summon and command deadly creatures, turning them into living weapons.
Primal Warmasters were masters of both blade and whip, traveling alongside fearsome beasts trained to kill. Their strength lay not only in their martial prowess but in their ability to wield the savagery of nature itself.
Notable Locations Scattered across the unforgiving landscape of Hauth were a few notable places of dread and mystery: Naaks, Balyock, and the infamous Hoard Plains, where death was ever-present, and hope a distant, fading memory.
Notable Locations
Naaks
Naaks was a crumbling fortress city on the northern border of Hauth, perched atop jagged cliffs that overlooked the Fire Tongue River. Once a thriving hub of trade and culture, Naaks had long since fallen into disrepair. The streets were filled with broken cobblestones and abandoned homes, their windows shattered by centuries of war and neglect. Bandits and exiled warlords now claimed the city’s ruins, using the high walls as a refuge from the chaos that reigned in the plains below. Few dared venture there, for Naaks had a reputation as a place of death and betrayal, where trust was as fleeting as a shadow in the moonlight.
Balyock
Balyock lay deep within the twisted forests of southern Hauth, a dark and brooding settlement nestled beneath towering black pines. The town was known for its eerie atmosphere, as the mist that rolled off the nearby swamps often cloaked it in perpetual twilight. The people of Balyock were a superstitious folk, whispering of the ancient spirits that haunted the forest and the strange creatures that roamed its depths. The town’s architecture was a strange blend of Nordisa and ancient Inganar styles, with homes built from dark wood and stone, often adorned with crude carvings meant to ward off evil. It was a place where the line between the living and the dead seemed thin, and even the bravest travelers hurried through its streets with a shiver on their spine.
Hoard Plains
The Hoard Plains were an expanse of barren, wind-swept grasslands that stretched across central Hauth, a land as wild and untamed as the Fleshtribes who ruled it. The plains were named for the countless battlefields littered with the bones of fallen warriors, their armor and weapons left to rust and decay. Here, the Fleshtribes of Malrunê reigned supreme, their mounted warriors sweeping across the plains in terrifying raids, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake. The land itself seemed cursed, the sky often heavy with dark clouds and the air thick with the scent of blood. Travelers who ventured into the Hoard Plains rarely returned, and those who did came back changed, haunted by the horrors they had witnessed in that desolate and deadly land.