Mhirdrun | The Thradhel | Linothor | Sundering Isles | Sea of Calingwai |Gwathia | Sulgate | The Blasted Wastes
Of Bleakland
When still it bore the name Zab, the Bleak Land was once a vibrant and shining beacon of civilization, and much prized by the Ssianid Empire which claimed dominion over it, ere its fall. But of all lands it was most tormented by the battles which were waged in Sulgate, and its cities were rent to ash beneath pyres wrought by many dragons, and its peoples fled to Aer Arnad and Belerat, or to the other lands of Sulgate. Only ruins of its once-mighty civilization remain, as towers consumed from without by flame, and as small bands of survivors consumed from within by loss.
It is the survivors of Zab who form the greatest danger to travelers passing now through the land, though the undead armies of Bethar Garmak and the dragons have retreated, for they prey on those travelers who brave the wastelands or seek to unearth treasures from the ruins, and oppose all gains of Aer Arnad into what they claim for their territory. And so we here arrive at the heart of the matter of contention, and upon the reason for the difficulty of Aer Arnad's aims, for though naught remains of Ssianid, in death the empire tries one renewed.
On the Peoples of Bleakland
Men
Nassouin are called the survivors of Bleakland, and they are grown harsh and desperate, as tragedy has driven love from their hearts, and so they travel as marauders laying waste to caravans, and by these acts sustain themselves. The Nassouin are almost all of them Men, and swaddled thickly in red, gray, or brown cloaks, which being hooded, preserve them from the sun of Bleakland, which is without remorse, and would slay any it beholds ere they tarry long. The women are alike to the men, being swarthy and unkempt, and at any distance one can not be distinguished from the other, as they are all of them taken to banditry, and weigh heavily under many belts rung round with knives, swords, and bullets for their slings. It is said that when the Nassouin waylay a caravan, and plunder its spoils, they leave the survivors unharmed to wander in the sight of At'ar, whom they worship, and by these offerings sate his desire for sacrifice.
On the Country of Bleakland
Bleakland has few features of note which still stand, and they are all of them roads, as the land is dry, and that furrow which is burnt forms anew with each foot or wheel that graces it.
Concerning the Linothor—Gwathia Road
One of these roads is as a vein through the land, and connects the blood of one continent to another, being the thoroughfare from Linothor to Gwathia, and also the reverse, for there is no longer any passage through the mountains of Gwathia, nor any mariner who would brave a journey around the Thradhel, and still none know of any pass around the Blasted Wastes, and thus all wares between these continents must pass most directly overland.
Concerning the Aer Arnad—Sulgate Road
The second of these roads is lesser, though still great, for it alone connects the trade from Aer Arnad to the greater cities of Sulgate overland, and it is for these two together that the Elven Empire asserts its presence, and erects many fortifications. While a port there is in Caeor for the trading of goods, and it is oft-visited, its breadth matches not its deepness, and the host which it entertains must at all times be small. And so the road to Aer Arnad, which may admit berth of any size, remains still a purveyor of much trade. It is for this Bleakland is much looked toward by many eyes from Linothor and Sulgate alike, despite its ruin.
Concerning Bleakland Road
The third road bears little mentioning, except that it alone deigns to convey wares from other lands of Sulgate to Bleakland's own peoples, though they who remain number few, but in present times their need is great, as there is little to subsist on, aside from by laying claim to the goods which pass along the greater roads.