Sunday, 10 August 2014

Eastern Alyeska

Located on the continent's eastern edge is the Territory of Eastern Alyeska, though most local folk just call it Alyeska which tends to confuse outsiders. The Territory's capital and main settlement of Gravenburgh is wedged in between the eastern arm of the Dragonspine Mountains and the Jagged Coast, though it sits at the head of a large bay formed by the Dragonspine arcing from the south-west through to the chain of islands and rocks in the east called the Needles.

Most of the other settlements here are clustered round Wicked Antler Lake located tens of miles north-east of Gravenburgh and is ice free for much of the year. Aside from mining or logging camps the only real other settlement of note is Prospector's Reach which sits on the northern coast next to the eastern boundary of the Chillwynd Marches.

The Chillwynd Marches

 

The Chillwynd Marches is a large, completely flat circular plain that is located in the north-west corner of Eastern Alyeska and cuts into the Alyeskan Highlands. It is believed that it was carved long ago for some obscure reason, certainly great chunks of mountains have simply been cut away to form the almost perfect disc.

All along the boundary of the Marches are giant standing stones, all equal distance apart and positioned similarly to the marks on a clock used to denote seconds. At the dead center of the vast circular plain is a towering spire called the Monolith, it is effectively a ruined city carved out of a tall, thin mountain and is only partially explored. Strange glyphs have been found all over the walls of the interior, yet nobody has been able to translate them. One person has claimed to have reached the top of the Monolith, said that the spire contained a throne room filled with ancient treasure but then vanished after making this claim.

The Marches are also known for the eerily wind that blows almost ceaseless across the frost coated, stone plains and gave rise to the Chillwynd name. Many say that whispers can be heard upon the winds, usually that of lost loved ones or temptations. A great many have been driven and by these cursed winds, many others have simply vanished in the Marches and left behind their abandoned campsite.

Gravenburgh

 

Compared to Morrdun in New Gwentia, Eastern Alyeska's main settlement has alot more of a frontier feel to it. You'd struggle to find any building thats higher than a couple of stories, save perhaps for the Territory's seat of governance; Commonwealth House with it's clock tower.

The eastern leg of the Trans-Alyeskan Railway cuts through the northern district of Gravenburgh, containing on to the Needles with a line that runs north and across the Dragonspine Mountains to reach Tay River on the southern shore of Wicked Antler Lake.

The Needles

 

Forming the eastern most part of theentire Continent of Alyeska is the chain of towering rocks and small islands known as the Needles.

The Needles are largely inhospitable, the few settlements here are exposed to the fury of the northern seas and only the hardly seem to live here. In recent years the Commonwealth has started taking a keen interest in the Needles, plans have been proposed to use the Needles and a series of bridges to create a joint road-rail link between Alyeska and the home isles of the Commonwealth. Thus far only surveys and test drillings have been made, though if the project goes ahead then it could transform Eastern Alyeska.

The Lost Sodkan Mine

 

Prior to the last major conflict, the Great Darmonican War, there was a major nation known as the Holy Sodkan Empire and it had a mining colony somewhere on the northern coast of Eastern Alyeska. It it widely known that the mine used penal labour and was heavily guarded, but with the Empire's shock defeat and resultant collapse in the War the colony was effectively abandoned with its "residents" disappearing into Alyeskan society. The mining colony location has been forgotten, though a few have claimed to have found it over the years.

Recently the Iron Collective, argued to be the Empire's successor (other than the Union of Sodkan Republics), has developed a rather keen interest in locating the lost mine and chiefly finding out what was actually mined there. The Commonwealth and the rest of the Darmonican powers, such as the Artian Confederacy and the Tyland Free State, have also taken an interest as it is believed that the mine might be linked to the moment that ended the War and is also one of the War's greatest mysteries.

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