Locations > Polar Thalij

North of every other continent, a mysterious landmass shrouded in arctic fog rends the north seas. It is deemed too dangerous by most races for even shallow exploration. With its violent frigid winds, its utterly hostile fauna and its demon-infested valleys, the continent of Thalij is considered outright uninhabitable by some; though a few notable settlements exist.

Being intolerably cold, the entire continent is subject to the same weather rules as Whitebarrier Mountain and Death Tundra. All points of Thalij save for cities cause hourly frostbite. In freezing weather, creatures do not regenerate health while resting, unless protected from the cold by magic or in the safety of a cave lit by a fire. At the start of every hour not wearing heat-insulating padding or magical protection against Frost, non-Undead creatures must roll 15 DC CON or suffer frostbite, which causes a stacking -1 to DEX and AGI penalty as well as half their racial hit die in damage. When heated, DEX and AGI return gradually over one hour. Depending on the time of the year, the day-night cycle can be twisted to 24 hours of sunlight in the month or 24 hours of total dark night all winter.

Nation - Alin: Above the arctic skies of the frozen continent, a conglomeration of the most powerful human wizards in the history of Dunia have decided to join forces to build an apolitical haven for themselves. Several kilometers of arcane-woven crystalline skyscrapers cover a flying chunk of ground that levitates effortlessly above the snow-white landscape. Its streets are forbidden to all but the most practiced and well-known of magi and their apprentices and entourage. It is the dream of every practicing wizard to one day peruse the Kingdom of Alin's vast libraries and see its gem-encrusted pillars lift its decorated ceilings into the sky- although the council of mages that rule it are aggressively exclusionary with whom they invite.

Nation - Ingizishol: Known as "the roof of the world" in Dwarven, this city was once a minuscule trade post built by the Iklistzefon dwarves. After a few campaigns to drive back the forces of chaos during which they reluctantly allied with the wizards of Alin, their outpost ballooned into a nation of its own right with several underground divisions, a fully functional military force, their own industry and navy and their own cultural identity. Several generations have passed on, with the original founders of Ingizishol being long dead, their descendants evolved to have much paler skin and hair than other Dwarves. For those without a bent for the arcane, this might be the only place resembling a safe haven whatsoever on the continent.

Region - Chillspine Mountains: Perhaps named ironically after the Stonespine in the south, this relatively smaller range of mountain peaks cuts Thalij in half. To the south, the lush taiga of Prismaborea and the White Fjord face the rest of the world. To the north, the barren arctic desert of the Lichlands signals the end of nature and the beginning of artificial unlife.

Region - Coldscar Wastes: Within the valleys of the Chillspine, a certain stretch of land is known for being the site of an ancient wizard war that nearly tore the continent in half. The plateau now referred to as Coldscar is characterized by gigantic cuts of ground, as if dug by the claws of a planet-sized being. Within these scars, unnatural arcane beings and demonic portals flow and bubble futilely into existence. Depending on how the wind flows in the area, the flow of magic is altered. Every 4 hours, all magic users must roll a d6. On an odd number, all magic costs 1 higher tier than original to cast. On an even number, all magic is cast as if it was 1 spell tier stronger. On a 1, magic ceases to function entirely.

Despite the danger inherent to such an unstable place, it is dotted with an innumerable amount of abandoned wizards' towers and strongholds, many of which still hold powerful artifacts from the time they were used in war, as well as the guardians that once protected them.

Region - Lichlands: The wizard war that segregated the population of Alin led to the barren north being overrun by different clans of Necromancers across the centuries. Beyond just hostile weather, this area of the world is closed off by the wizards and is a banishment pit for dark mages and abyssals of all kinds. The very earth itself pulsates with tumor-like growths that blacken its surface, and the few wooded areas that remain have turned sickly and diseased. Black spikes protrude from the ground signaling the territories of Necromancers who jealously loom from the tops of their dark towers, each ruling an area of the Lichlands, largely trapped within by their own rancorous envy of one another as much as they are by the mystical barriers erected by the wizards of Alin. Holy magic does not function within the Lichlands.

Region - North Seas: The frigid waters surrounding the arctic continent are seldom traversed by explorers or even pirates. Besides the absolutely freezing weather, constant fog and rimy winds, the waters are infested with some of the worst sea life second only to the Shadow Sea of the West. Many glaciers jut out of the water in natural barriers that could easily spell the end for any sailor not skilled enough to weave their vessel around the forest of icebergs.

Region - Prismaborea: Contrasting the murderous cold of the rest of the continent, the taiga hills surrounding White Fjord to the southwest of Thalij are relatively quaint. Still, they are inhabited by the typical wildlife of northern regions; territorial yetis, hungry sabertooth tigers and polar bears, as well as murderous mammoths await those foolish enough to rest on their laurels. The Dwarves of Ingizishol run a largely stable number of lumber mills in the area that supply them with their needs in resources, though fending off the occasional creatures that crawl out of the nearby Coldscar Wastes is an unenviable and regular task.

Region - White Fjord: To the southwest of the continent, the arctic waters carve in a deep and narrow inlet surrounded by the wilderness of Prismaborea. Known as White Fjord, this place was the site of several failed attempts at colonizing Thalij. Now haunted by the spirits of countless deceased sailors and explorers driven mad by the influence of the Lichlands.