This coastal desert region boasts the highest-swelling sand dunes in all of Hyperborea, some rising as high as 1,000 feet. The desert teems with horrifying beasts, such as the giant scorpion, the sting of which is amongst the deadliest in the entire realm. Every attempt at establishing a settlement in Diamond Desert has failed, due to the blasting sand and aggressive monsters. Here purple worms congregate; in fact, sages posit this desert serves as the mating ground for these massive creatures. Diamond Desert is aptly named, for it contains the most abundant diamond deposits in the realm, but mining operations almost always come to unfortunate ends (particularly when greed overcomes good sense). The region is also believed to be haunted by spirits of the damned, for its coastline is a graveyard of shipwrecks recent and archaic alike. Ancient shipwrecks are reputed to exist in the desert depths, reason to believe that much of this desert was once part of the Hyperborean Sea, or perhaps an inland lake that evaporated.
This coastal region is inhabited by the Esquimaux, who were amongst the first people to arrive in the realm after the great ice mantle spawned by the Ashen Worm began to thaw. At Esquimaux Bay they fish, dig clams, and embark on grand whaling expeditions; too, they venture inland to hunt deer, elk, and mammoth. Esquimaux engage in vigorous trade with other cultures, selling fish, whale oil, and their distinctive sculptures of yellow ivory; in recent years, men of the Zangerios Islands have hired Esquimaux carvers to fashion elaborate masks. Ostensibly, the Esquimaux of Hyperborea present as quaint hardworking people, but in sooth they reserve a dark secret. They are the descendants of certain Kthulhu cultists of Old Earth’s Greenland, and still they abide their old ways: performing unspeakable rites, cavorting about massive pyres, and offering bloody sacrifices to their dreaming deity. Some Esquimaux of this region also supplicate Xathoqqua.
These grassy plains teem with wildlife, including aurochs, boar, deer, and wild horses; too, monsters of terrible sort are here. It is not unusual for a herd of woolly mammoths to traipse across the region, and in the boggier locations, thew wagons are also observed. The Fields of Vol are roamed by tribes of Kimmeri-Kelts, half-blood barbarian nomads. These tribes, which can number from 250 to 1,000 individuals, are known to engage in generations-long blood feuds; this internecine warfare is fortunate for civilized men, for should these savages ever come together, they could pose a significant threat to Khromarium and its holdings. The Lug Wasteland forms a natural barrier against the Fields of Vol, as travel through the bogs is treacherous, particularly from the spring to summer years. Discord with the full-blooded Kimmerian tribes to the north sufficiently constrains the half-bloods from rising against civilization; likewise, the ape-men beyond the River Vol pose a constant threat to these barbarians. Regardless, Kimmeri-Keltic prophecies speak of a savage fighting man who will one day unite the tribes under a single banner; for these reasons and more, borderland patrols north of Swampgate must remain ever vigilant.
This ancient city is located beyond the River Vol, at the shore of Trog Inlet. It was originally inhabited by the Hyperboreans, who abandoned it in days of yore when the Ashen Worm mantled the realm in ice. Kor remained a dead, haunted city for countless centuries, even during the more prosperous age preceding the Green Death, but at some indistinct point during the Dark Age, as mankind struggled to emerge from the plague, savage ape-men wandered into the ghost city, and with workmanlike purpose they rebuilt and repaired, exercising skills and technologies deemed beyond their ken. Presently some 5,000 ape-men dwell within the limits of Kor, and it is believed they retain nearly half that number in human slaves. The ape-men are believed to answer to a mysterious overlord sequestered below the city; though speculation varies, most sages agree that the overlord is not an ape-man. Regardless, Kor is not friendly with any human kingdoms, except perhaps Scythium, as trade ships from Fazzuum have been espied leaving its port.
This large island floats in the Black Gulf just beyond the Rim of the World and is visible from Thaumagorga’s Teeth. The Floating Island of Paradoxon shares the uncanny physical geography of Hyperborea: a flat plane, the topside supporting breathable air, with lush, boreal rain forests and grasslands of curious colouration. The periphery of the Floating Island of Paradoxon is met by the Black Gulf, which is essentially airless, but as the North Wind lashes betwixt the island and Hyperborea proper, streams of breathable air form to open temporary connexions. Long was the Floating Island of Paradoxon the dominion of Amazons, whose sorcerer-scientists built sky ships, laser weapons, and other technologies largely considered Atlantean innovation. How came the Amazons into possession of such intelligence is a matter of conjecture. Regardless, the Green Death was ruinous to Paradoxon; its entire population was eliminated by the plague. Some suggest the Amazons of the Floating Island judged themselves untouchable, and as a consequence they paid the ultimate price. Centuries later, during the latter part of the Dark Age, a barbaric faction of Amazons laid claim to Paradoxon and soon declared themselves an autonomous state. Eventually they unearthed surviving texts, and over time they knew enlightenment; at length they adopted the ways of Old Paradoxon, rejecting barbarism and reaccepting Law as their canon. The Floating Island of Paradoxon at present is resourceful and fully self-sufficient; its timbering, mining, and crop harvesting are successful. No doubt this culture is amongst the more isolated of the realm, but it does engage in trade, for its unique spices, herbs, nuts, and silks are coveted in Khromarium and elsewhere.
On a flat-topped mountain in the centre of Paradoxon lies the City in the Clouds, a metropolis of marble and glass. Here flourishes a matriarchal society, ruled by an iron-fisted queen who refuses to bow to the queen of New Amazonia. The City in the Clouds once housed over 30,000 Amazons; now some 4,000 dwell within its limits. The wilderness below the City teems with savage beasts and loathsome monsters. Some of these arrive via the Black Gulf from elder worlds and exterior dimensions. Recent rumours speak of sky ships restored in the City in the Clouds; sages of Khromarium reckon this to be the product of otherworldly support, if true. In the queen’s castle is also said to be a looking glass that allows her to observe all of Hyperborea, its two moons, Saturn, and countless other marvels housed within the vault of the heavens.
These fertile hills and grasslands bloom with heather, sedge, and poppies. Many Keltic towns and villages are spread about the Gal Hills, though none number more than 1,800 inhabitants. Each settlement has its own blood king (chieftain), some of whom claim (through dubious lineages) to be the rightful Over-King. The druids are the spiritual leaders of the Gal Hills Kelts, but to many outsiders their religion is held in low esteem. Standing stones (menhirs), henges, and ancient barrows are spaced throughout the Gal Hills, and these are regarded with uniform reverence, clan conflicts notwithstanding. The people of the Gal Hills raise sheep for food and clothing. To this end they manufacture and export a large amount of clothing to other towns and cities, such as Khromarium. This industry goes through the Keltic city of Gal, though the roads betwixt the Gal Hills and Gal can be treacherous: The more successful their clothing industry, the more sheep they raise. The more sheep they raise, the more predators are lured, including all manner of lion, tiger, bear, and wolf; too, giant wolf spiders are thoroughly reviled.
This small frontier village is perhaps the most remote settlement of the Gal Hills. In the foothills of the Spiral Mountain Array, the Kelts of Dunwich are an industrious people, herding sheep, hunting musk oxen, and mining the hills for precious metals and gems.
This is amongst the smaller cities of the realm, with a population of some 5,000 individuals (mostly Kelts). Gal arose in the aftermath of the Green Death and its ensuing Dark Age. The city holds no true authority over the many villages of the Gal Hills (i.e., Gal City is not the capital of the Gal Hills), but it does tax those individuals who utilize the city as a funnel for business. Indeed, the city’s prosperity is almost entirely predicated on its cloth exports; too, candles, glue, and soap are manufactured in the city. The Kelts of Gal City accept outsiders as permanent or semi-permanent denizens, and with the exception of rulership, they are afforded nearly all the same opportunities and privileges as any Kelt. The city is walled and well equipped with siege weapons, for in times past Viking raiders invaded, burned, and eventually conquered Gal—but in a stunning turnaround, the Keltic hillmen united and took back the city. After dozens of subsequent Viking–Kelt conflicts, the Kelts of Gal City and the Vikings of Vikland presently observe a truce.
These grasslands are renowned for their poppy and lotus fields, steam vents, and violent geysers. The Gibbering Fields are grazed by aurochs and woolly mammoth herds; accordingly, these attract fearsome beasts, including giant hyænas, sabre-tooths, and dire wolves. Too, hyæna-man tribes roam these grasslands; their hysterical, gibbering laughter is cause for fear and madness.....