Wastes of Xhorhas

In the eastern region of Wynandir, there lies a valley that bears the remnants of the final battles of the Calamity. The landscape is characterized by shattered earth and muddy paths, encircling the murky swamps and corrupted forests that harbor creatures warped by the shadows of the Betrayer Gods. The skies are often dominated by fierce storms, while dangerous predators roam the barren plains.

The region is home to a diverse range of inhabitants, including beastfolk, goblinkin, and nomadic outlanders, who have adapted to the harsh conditions by developing their survival skills and engaging in warfare with one another. Amidst this tumultuous setting, the dark elves of Rosohna have emerged as a beacon of civilization in Xhorhas, seeking to unite the scattered tribes and offering them enlightenment under the Kryn Dynasty.

Rosohna, the epicenter of the Kryn society, is a symbol of reclamation from its dark history. The city's tall, shadowy spires and stunning structures rise from the ruins of the Calamity. The streets teem with life, inhabited by the wastefolk - city-dwelling Luxon-worshipping drow, as well as a few other beings from the Underdark, such as the duergar. As the Xhorhasian community expands, local businesses flourish, and even goblinoid merchants have found comfort and profit within this dark elven civilization.

Located at the center of northern Xhorhas, Asarius sprawls across a massive and fractured hillside, enveloped by a bustling array of homesteads, mud huts, and military fortifications. This thriving city is home to a diverse blend of people from the Kryn Dynasty, including the wilder folk of the surrounding wastelands and nomadic communities who have joined the dynasty. Asarius serves as a cultural nexus established by the Kryn to bring together these disparate groups of people.

Nestled in the southern region of the Vermaloc Wildwood, the hobgoblin stronghold of Dumaran is built into the western slope of the Penumbra Range. The imposing fortress is equipped with dozens of impregnable portholes and arrow slits that oversee the intricate pathways that meander across its surface, while twisting trails lead upwards into the mountains. Inside, numerous chambers, halls, and tunnels are chiseled through the solid rock.

Rather than a unified and centralized metropolis, Jigow is a cluster of seaside villages linked together. The settlement is composed of a series of communities clustered amongst the trees that line the shoreline. The primary docks are located along the western coast, where the fishing industry flourishes due to the thriving marine ecosystem. The central villages are situated slightly further from the coast, among the towering mangrove trees and roving homesteads of horizonback tortoises. Towards the eastern fringes, huts, and shacks perched on stilts dot the low-lying wetland areas where grains are cultivated in paddies amidst the reeds.

Urzin, a one-of-a-kind settlement, is situated on the backs of numerous horizonback tortoises, rendering it mobile. Home to adept swamp hunters, scouts, and trappers who possess unparalleled knowledge of the Brokenveil Marsh, Urzin is the newest society to fall under the wing of the Kryn Dynasty. Functioning as a formidable and mobile fortress, Urzin provides crucial support to the Kryn military in their endeavors throughout the treacherous terrain of the Brokenveil Marsh.

The Explorer's Guide to Wildemount starter adventure for this region kicks off in the settlement of Urzin. One of Urzin's elder warlocks, a goblin named Bol'bara has been kidnapped and the village's acting leader, Orgre Lord Buhfal II hires the party to trek across Brokenveil Marsh to locate a Dwendalian Empire fort where he believes the Bol'bara has been taken.

This introduces the vast and dangerous terrain of Brokenveil marsh and introduces a unique cast of NPCs that, in most Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, would be seen as monsters and enemies.