9A. UNIQUE GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES

HYPERBOREAN SEA

Esquimaux and half-blood Pictish oral legends speak of an age when the Hyperborean Sea was almost entirely mantled in ice; too, the mainland of Hyperborea was covered by massive ice sheets. The Esquimaux, Lapps, Tlingit, and Yakuts are reckoned amongst the first peoples to mystically migrate from Old Earth, resilient men clinging to survival in those few coastal regions where the ice did not flow. Over the ages the ice melted, and the other races began to emerge, but by then the Esquimaux had nearly wiped out the Lapps and the Yakuts and were at war with the Tlingit. The Hyperborean Sea is moderately windy. Prevailing air currents tend to circulate betwixt the 18th and 36th parallels, an effect referred to on the Hyperborean Sea as River Okeanos. Here the winds flow in opposing belts, looping and crisscrossing at certain junctures, depending on seasons and other conditions. These wuthering airstreams are cause for a navigational nightmare, though veteran navigators (viz. Amazons, Ixians, Vikings, and Zangeriosans) understand the River Okeanos and use it to their advantage. In Tempest (Hare, Year 4), River Okeanos is plagued by deadly whirlpools. The Hyperborean Sea teems with life. Seals and whales ply these waters rich with plankton, cod, and haddock. Also, halibut and crabs lurk in the shallows. Amongst the feared sea creatures are the giant crab, giant crocodile, giant octopus, sea serpent, great white shark, giant squid, and killer whale. Sea ice forms from Coda (Fox, Year 12) to Genesis (Bear, Year 1), and icebergs are a constant threat. Much has been postulated regarding man’s position in the hierarchy of intelligent life on Hyperborea. Although it is generally agreed that man maintains authority on the surface world, the depths of the sea are an entirely different matter. It is understood that fish-men (deep ones) once populated vast underwater metropolises, and likewise the elder things; whether these races have persevered over the æons, and at what level of success, is largely a speculative exercise. Evidence suggests that the artificial species known as shoggoths turned against their otherworldly masters, the elder things, and may have effected their ruin. Certainly the crab-men who dwell in the depths near Crab Archipelago are more actively involved in the affairs of man, overseeing the activities of those Picts and Esquimaux over whom they exercise control (the so-called “crab-kin”).

POLAR ICE CAP

The polar ice cap of Hyperborea is a glacial region that surrounds the north pole of the realm, from the treble-peaked Mount Vhuurmithadon outwards. The ice cap generally follows the extending spines of the Spiral Mountain Array, with icebergs breaking off where the glaciers touch the sea. The polar cap flexes with the seasons, expanding during the winter years, stagnating during the spring and fall years, and shrinking during the summer years. Hyperborean history asserts that the polar cap was spawned by the coming of the Ashen Worm in that bygone age when the continent was part of Old Earth. The cap was once far more extensive, mantling the land and extending out over the sea.

RIVERS and LAKES

Many rivers and lakes populate Hyperborea, almost all the result of expanding and receding glaciers. Many lakes present as cloudy, mineral-rich bodies. Rivers oft freeze during the winter years and begin to thaw by early, middle, or late spring. Most Hyperborean rivers and lakes are plenty with salmon and crayfish, attracting an abundance of predators.

Abbicca’s Mere:

This broad, shallow lake is enclosed by hills, fens, and ancient woodlands. Steam wisps from its tepid waters, and sometimes the water boils; too, geysers are said to erupt most unexpectedly and spectacularly. Abbicca’s Mere is named after the immortal witch, Abbicca, who is said to protect the lake and the beasts that inhabit it. Some say Abbicca is not human, but of some forgotten antediluvian race of reptilian humanoids, whilst others suggest she is of otherworldly origin. Regardless, Abbicca is reputed to dwell on a small tropical island hidden in the mists, her whims unpredictable. Indeed, local Esquimaux routinely avoid Abbicca’s Mere, ever fearful of the witch’s caprice.

Black River Yleil:

This dark watercourse, fed by the Barrier Mountains, cuts across the Black Waste and ultimately feeds the River Leng. Numerous beasts and monsters frequent the Black River Yleil, but where it cuts through the Leng Plateau, the river is regarded as haunted. The ancient Hyperborean King Yleil is said to roam the banks of the river, a lich of uncertain power, yet ever lost in the bottomless depths of his own black thoughts; notwithstanding, he has galvanized other restless beings: ghasts, ghosts, ghouls, skeletons, zombies, and other liches, all of whom await King Yleil’s bidding. Soothsayers presage a time when King Yleil will emerge from his preoccupations to gather his undead horde and lay waste to mankind.

Ice Lake:

The area surrounding this frozen lake is populated by five semi-nomadic Esquimaux tribes, who many generations ago abandoned the precepts of their Kthulhu-worshipping, cultish ancestors. Here they adopted a simpler life, where Ice Lake (and other local lochs) is a primary resource for survival. However, they were never able to escape their occult roots; eventually they began to make offerings to the extra-dimensional being known as Kraken. In recent years, the tribes have expanded to include some people of half-blood Pictish ancestry, which is cause for further racial admixture. Ice Lake thaws for two years of the 13-year cycle (High Summer Waxing and Waning, Years 6–7), but is always bountiful with fish; when frozen, the natives bore into the ice to fish the lake’s depths.

Lake Nova:

The surface of this bountiful lake thaws from Deluge (Year 5) to Drought (Year 8), though is frozen throughout the remaining years. Lake Nova is fed by Nod’s Chain and drains into Brigand’s Bay of the Hyperborean Sea. The lake supports several boggy, wooded islands. Lake Nova is rich with enormous lake trout and catfish, but attempts to ply its waters typically result in disaster, for the lake is inhabited by a colony of aquatic hydras of extremely aggressive temperament. A legend regarding Lake Nova dates back to the centuries-long Dark Age that followed the Green Death. It speaks of a saucer-shaped sky ship that burned down from the firmament and here crashed. A group of intrepid adventurers from Khromarium is rumoured recently to have located the crash site on one of the islands. It is told they unearthed terrible weapons that unleash death rays of fire.

Nod’s Chain:

From the hoary heights of the Spiral Mountain Array, to the glaciated foothills below, Nod’s Chain is a winding waterway, each bend likened to the links of a chain. From Deluge (Year 5) to Drought (Year 8) of the 13-year cycle, the river flows freely, feeding Lake Nova, from which massive trout (up to 200 lbs.) migrate to spawn. During the intervening years, the surface of Nod’s Chain remains frozen. Kimmerian hunters and trappers sometimes prowl the frozen hills through which Nod’s Chain runs, but eerie lights, uncanny footprints, windborne whispers, and weird piping are cause for even the doughtiest barbarians to avoid the cold banks of Nod’s Chain.

River Leng:

This is the longest river in the realm, beginning in the reaches of the Spiral Mountain Array, with Ice Lake and Black River Yleil serving as major tributaries. The northern half of River Leng, where it cuts across the Plain of Leng, is ever frozen except from Deluge (Year 5) to Drought (Year 8). Ultimately the River Leng empties into the Striped Gulf.

River Omo:

Viking legends speak of Old King Omo, a warrior-king who settled mainland Hyperborea in olden times. The enemy of skrælings (presumed to be Esquimaux, Lapps, Tlingit, or Yakuts), Old King Omo was renowned as a bloody crusader who annihilated local tribes. He was heralded as a champion by fellow Vikings and denounced as a brutal murderer by others. By his axe Old King Omo repelled Keltic raids for untold decades. Several sagas attest that he reigned over 100 years; even Keltic verses speak of his astonishing longevity. When Old King Omo finally fell (in battle, of course), legends say the tears of his people formed the River Omo, which feeds the Black Forest Inlet.

River Vol:

This river forms a boundary betwixt the barbaric Kimmeri-Kelts who roam the Fields of Vol and the ape-men who rule the City-State of Kor. The river is named after a bloody Kimmerian chieftain who once conquered his rivals and for a time ruled the surface-dwelling Kimmerians.

River Yys:

This cold, mineral-rich river is fed by the Spiral Mountain Array, cuts through the valley region known as Larchmere Yys, and ultimately feeds Dagon Bay.

TIDES IN HYPERBOREA:

The rise and fall of sea levels in Hyperborea are stimulated by the gravitational effects of the sun (Helios), the moons (Phobos and Selene), and the planet Saturn (Kyranos). Further more, some sages aver that the inscrutable Great Obelisks, which rise from the six corners of the world, also may regulate the tides. Selene appears to exert the most tidal influence, for when that cold blue orb is full (every 45½ days), the tides shew increased magnitude. On most Hyperborean shores, the sea level ebbs and floods from low to high tide in cycles of approximately eight hours, resulting in a pattern that repeats every 48 hours as follows:

Low tide = 1am High tide = 9am Low tide = 5pm High tide = 1am Low tide = 9am High tide = 5pm

Most coasts will see 3- to 5-foot swells at high tide, but narrow inlets and bays oft see up to 10-foot swells. When Selene is full, most coasts will see 4- to 8-foot swells, whilst some bays and inlets will see up to 15-foot swells. When both Selene and Phobos are full (every 91 days), up to 10-foot coastal and 25-foot inlet swells oft result in damaging and often tragic floods when joined by prodigious storm activity.