如果有人认为艾奥巴瑞亚只是一个由冰冻的森林、破碎的山脉和随机的废墟组成的野蛮荒原，那他就是个傻瓜。冰原，凯莫林，塞尔泽米安高地，诺门山脉———所有这些都是神秘，怪物，神话和魔法的家园，这些所有都已经被遗忘在温暖的气候中。艾奥巴瑞亚的人类王国可能是有史以来在冰川边缘徘徊的力量中最弱小的，但它的名字，唯一一个对这片土地和权力的宣传，仍留在那里。透过冰冷的薄雾和杳无踪迹的荒野，你会发现这片土地的传奇们拒绝被历史和遗忘的阴霾所笼罩。在这个地方，神话和历史模糊成一个单一的永恒的传统，编织着一种遗产，不同的土著人民认为这种遗产像任何宗教一样神圣，而到达这个地区的陌生者会忽略他们自己的危险。
Iobaria, to many across Avistan and Garund, exists only as a name for the northern Windswept Wastes and the uninhabited (or at least uncontrolled) lands between their own nations and the eastern powers of Casmaron. In truth, Iobaria is a vast region, unclaimed by any single power for millennia. The rough region has been home to many different factions over the centuries, and even the powerful kingdom of Old Iobaria only conquered roughly two-thirds of this wilderness at its height (though it claimed to outsiders to be master of everything from the glaciers to the Castrovin Sea).
Roughly eight out of 10 of Iobaria’s current inhabitants live outside the cities in settlements smaller than most Avistani hamlets (primarily in the forests, around Okor’s Basin, or in isolated caves near Mavradia, Lenusya, or Orost). For the human population, this tendency toward isolation may result from a fear of returning plagues, a spirit of independence and self-reliance, a need for anonymity, or a desire to not swear fealty to unworthy city-bound nobles. Others races, such as centaurs, cyclopes, and more savage humanoids, dwell in nomadic tribes with a wide range of campsites and rarely congregate in numbers larger than the average village. In any case, Iobaria on a map seems far more civilized and organized than it is in reality, and those mapped locations may be the most civilized spots therein.
What follows is a brief look into the vast realm of Iobaria. Those who wish to delve into the history of this land in greater detail can find a supplemental timeline of the region available on paizo.com.
Regional Geography
Iobaria’s relentlessly cold lands stretch from its northwest corner, between the glacial Icewall and the Lake of Mists and Veils, down to its southeastern corner, bordering the Castrovin Sea. The northern boundaries contain the Ice Steppes, whose rocky conditions fool many into dismissing them as a lifeless barrens leading to the glaciers and the Crown of the World. The most populous area for humans has always been Okor’s Basin, the sloping depression between the Lake of Mists and Veils, the Icerime Peaks, and the Syrzemyan Highlands considered by many to be the breadbasket of the north, with its varieties of hardy plant and animal crops. In fact, topographically, Iobaria resembles a crude pyramid, with its peak around Kirya and the lands sloping away from that peak in all directions, save where the Icerime Peaks meet the land.
The Syrzemyan Highlands encompass the majority of central Iobaria and are rife with caverns, hills, and mountains filled with riches and dangers aplenty (be they natural, supernatural, or monstrous in nature). This area contains the fewest human settlements of any size, though the chance of meeting lone prospectors, bounty hunters, or trappers of all races is still moderate. Many of Iobaria’s powerful waterways start from these uplands, with two exceptions: the Myrfrus River (or “Deeprun”) in the east and the Okorrus River (“Okor’s Flow”) in the northwest. Settlers and villages are few and far between, and local populations give their own unique names to the hills and territories of the highlands.
The Caemorin surprises many who come to Iobaria expecting naught but icy rocks and glaciers. These fertile lands are in some places even more productive than Okor’s Basin, though the plants and animals are still unfamiliar and unsettling foods to many whose roots stretch westward.
In general, Iobaria’s climate is near-arctic and quite hostile, but it supports a surprisingly robust ecosystem that keeps people strong, if isolated and hard. This still isn’t enough to make it more than a limited target for those after wealth and resources. Few who don’t already love Iobaria’s stark harshness ever stick around to see its beauty bloom in summer, and fewer still brave its threats to explore its ancient mysteries and ruins.
History of Iobaria
Little is known, even among the most learned scholars, about the first major powers to claim the northern steppes of Casmaron. Before the Age of Darkness and the formation of the Pit of Gormuz, cyclopes dominated northern and central Casmaron for more than an age. The ancient histories of Iblydos, one of the oldest known human nations of Casmaron, call the cyclopes’ empire Koloran, though whether this was the creatures’ name for their own land or simply the appellation of their human enemies remains uncertain.
The first human realm to lay claim to what all now consider Iobaria rose from humble beginnings in 752 ar. Twenty Ulfen survivors (out of an initial force of 60) staggered out of the Crown of the World and hunkered down in a small longhouse just as winter closed in. That mere longhouse eventually grew into Okormirr, the first of nine Ulfen cities or settlements of Njalgard, each city a stronghold for one of nine koffars. Njalgard is almost totally forgotten and has since been subsumed by the realm it spawned—Iobaria. The nation was named after Iobar the Potent, the heir to Orlov’s throne who cajoled or tricked each koffar into a trial by combat, besting them all to take control of all Njalgard’s city-states and unite the lands as one state. After the Choking Plague fractured the populace and induced local rebellions, the three powers within the remaining cities of Kridorn, Orlov, and Mavradia held on to power for a few centuries, but never restored the full glory of Old Iobaria.
Plagues, for one reason or another, seem to crop up more regularly in Iobaria than in other lands. Since the second millennium of the Age of Enthronement, plagues have struck with limited to widespread effects no less than 55 times. Despite these eruptions of illness and the mystery of their source, most Iobarians stay due to their love of their land or innate sense that surviving its challenges makes them stronger and more worthy to inherit such a noble land.
Nearly 500 years after the Choking Death fractured the original nation, three warlords, their followers, and their dragon allies restored the rule of New Iobaria. With the inner highlands now easily reached by dragonriders, the three armies quickly conquered the realm anew by 3309 ar. Treachery among the human rulers led to strife and eventually left only one clan in control of Iobaria after 3870 ar (many allies and enemies fled west to what is now Brevoy). The second realm of Iobaria lasted another 8 centuries, until its power dwindled due to infighting and the Drakeplague of 4519 ar. Now, only the covetous factions controlling Kridorn, Mirnbay, and Orlov believe Iobaria still exists in any meaningful way, and their claims to power are only as strong as the mercenary armies they hire.
Iobaria in the present has pockets of civilization all tightly tied to trade, money, and what little control or influence some warlords or former nobles can cobble together through gold or might. Overall, Iobaria has become the wilderness the outside world has long believed it to be, though its people keep their balance and stay alive by knowing what the harsh land and its varied races can do to and for them. Those who respect each other’s claims hold détente among themselves and survive; those that ignore the balances of power or reach beyond their grasp find themselves as lifeless as the frozen stone pinnacles of Hvorsuli.
People of Iobaria
In Iobaria, unlike the lands of the Inner Sea, no single ethnic group or race controls the majority of power. In the eyes of Avistani or Garundi natives, “Iobarian” seems to mean “any human from the northeast who is not obviously Keleshite or Casmar.” To natives of this land, the few folk who claim to be “true Iobarians” are those humans and others who yet believe in the leaders that claim the realm still exists. Many simply live here without the benefit of any social denomination or ethnic group beyond their associated family, clan, tribe, or faith. Of the primary sentient races found in Iobaria, the most populous are centaurs, followed by humans, dwarves, and a smattering of other races both civilized and savage. Of the typical monstrous races, ogres, random hill and frost giants, trolls (including at least one enclave of rare rock trolls), and all the various goblinoids are the most common.
While most countries or travelers encounter only one tribe or type of centaur, Iobaria’s steppes, hills, and forests are home to members of three recognized groups, similar to human ethnicities: the Azorva, the Rashalka, and the Tsolniva (though others exist east across Casmaron). The Azorva are mountain and highland centaurs, stockier and stronger than the norm, and of darker skin and coat hues in general; they dominate the mountains and highlands of Iobaria. The Rashalka are familiar centaurs in look and stature and are the most numerous of Iobarian centaurs in the west and all across the south, ranging from Okor’s Basin to the Caemorin. Tsolniva centaurs are the most hirsute of centaurs—the hair on their torsos is nearly as thick and long as the coats covering the rest of their bodies. The centaur tribes lack any central authority or government between clans, though elder clans maintain long-standing claims on widespread territories (recognized by other centaurs and most races).
Numerous other bestial races also make their homes across Iobaria, most notably several tribes of werecreatures. Two regional words found nowhere else on Golarion, “kodlak” and “kodlok,” are used by native humans to classify beings who become baser animals or assume animal traits. Lycanthropes are kodlak—humanoids who shapeshift to assume animal forms. Centaurs or boggards or harpies are kodlok— human-like creatures with discrete and stable animal traits (rather than shapeshifters). Depending on one’s location and religion, being kodlak or kodlok can be a death sentence or a quick way to power. Only Iobarian humans make these distinctions;kodlak and kodlok races see humanity as just another enemy or rival against whom they fight for the resources of the cold lands.
Iobaria at a Glance
Iobaria is a collection of sites, geographic features, and mysteries. Many of these locations have both traditional local names (cited first in the following list) and names by which they are known to the land’s human population and traders from beyond (noted in quotation marks).
Antoll: The most comfortable city in all of Iobaria, Antoll stays insulated from the worst of the cold by the open and heated waters of the Nyvyrd. Waters piped beneath the city (installed at New Iobaria’s height, when it was the capital from 3312 to 3679 ar) keep many homes and businesses warm year-round. This is one of very few cities not founded upon or near the ruins of a cyclops city, and its primary draws today are its pearl and fishing trades and its libraries of magical, religious, herbal, and medicinal lore, founded long before the Pathfinder Society ever breached its walls. A battalion of troops sent from Veka “help keep the peace” (but actually monitor the citizenry to prevent revolts against the koffar Rjul, whose control of trade and military forces around the Nyvyrd make him a de facto despot). There is a growing faction in Antoll opposed to Rjul’s excesses, but his spies keep its numbers under control by frequently arresting members and executing them on trumped-up charges.
Ardshrod River: “The Icy Way.” This icy river traces the chill northern tundras of Iobaria, separating the semisettled lands of the south from the more savage north. Few dare travel the river except in the summer months, as it is often choked with iceflows.
Artrosa: “The Three Who Watch.” These three massive stone mesas are visible from many Iobarian cliffs despite the distance. Crudely carved into the cliffs are three nude female humanoid figures of uncanny scale, their bodies at least a half-mile long. While their race is unclear, the figures show a long-haired maiden, a pregnant matron, and a hunchbacked crone, each holding up a hand and warning the viewers away (though from what is unclear).
The Caemorin: Both natural resources and dangers hide among the small copses of conifers scattered throughout these scrub grasslands, making travel into the tall seas of grasses worthwhile to those seeking fortune. A variety of animals wander the undulating slopes of the Caemorin; the centaur tribes and other hunters regularly trap them for their tradeable pelts.
Castrovin Sea: The central sea of Casmaron influences the climate of southern Iobaria with its open waters, changing the tundra to semi-arable lands. The waters of the Castrovin are notoriously harsh and unforgiving to all but the most skilled pilots or craft, limiting much sea traffic to fishing boats huddling in coastal waters rather than providing a means to invade bordering states.
Caverns of Pirthous: A gnarled tangle of tunnels and moderate caves, the Caverns of Pirthous are one of the best-kept secrets on the Syrzemyan Highlands. While many know these are the winter homes of the Azorva and their refuge in times of war, no non-centaur has ever discovered an entrance to the caverns beneath the highland hills without immediately meeting its death. If other centaur clans have similar subterranean or subarboreal hideaways, they are even better at keeping those secrets, for these remain unnamed as well as unmarked on any map.
Coreth Wood: This wood is a notorious haunt for ogres and hobgoblins who live in cavern complexes beneath their roots. For humans, Coreth Wood is the sole source of the fine frostfir wood from which artisans carve beautiful works of art valued in many affluent Brevic homes.
Daruthrost: “The Loss Bridge.” This cyclopean bridge arcs over the Deeprun Crevasse and might have once spanned it entirely. However, its central span and sides fell away long ago, leaving a quarter-mile gap at the bridge’s apex. High winds (enhanced by magic) render the gap treacherous at best for flying, and few try after seeing the skeletal remains smashed against the craggy, broken edges of Daruthrost’s span.
Dirrinir: “The Deathly Mountain.” Many myths and legends surround this tall peak of naked, barren rock, its many craggy steps (carved long before even the cyclopes came to power) leading up its slopes to 20 or more cavern maws. Some claim this mountain spawned the first cyclops, giant, or member of some other race (the specifics depend on whom one asks). Most know that many treasures (and many more deaths) lie within its labyrinthine caverns. The most powerful and famous artifacts ever to come from its halls include the Diadem of Thyrv, the Crown of Mirim, the Perobov Maul, and Kridor’s Shininglaive.
Duroth Wood: This gnarled and hardscrabble old forest is home to a few gnome settlements, as well as to other civilized races seeking safety and shelter. The wood itself may contain treants or other creatures that torment and torture those beings they deem unwelcome here. As within Fangard, a group of werecreatures defends this forest’s borders and interior without explaining themselves or what they guard.
Evaren: This has been the primary trade town between humans and non-humans at the threshold of the Syrzemyan Highlands for long centuries. Evaren is much reduced in population after the last two plagues, though people tired of the isolated life within the forests or out on the tundra often come here to avoid having to pay allegiance to any but the Council of Three who rule the town by means of money, might, and magic. The kind but aged Councilor Pavla Trynar is generally regarded as the most powerful magicuser in all of Iobaria, though her score of apprentices help to keep the peace more than she does directly.
Fangard: The largest single forest in Iobaria, Fangard is home to many factions and forces, only some of whom are known to the humans of Iobaria. Without using the ancient roads, no human has ever crossed through Fangard alive (though some were allowed to exit from whence they came). Rumors tell of such hidden wonders as an elven court, the homes of Erastil and other gods sacred to trees and nature, and a surviving remnant of the Koloran Empire watching to see how they can best use their ancient powers in a world of mortals-turnedgods. The only truth widely held is the presence of werebeast hunters and rangers (primarily werebears and werepanthers) who patrol the forest borders against intruders and despoilers.
Finadar Forest: What separates this forest from other Iobarian woods is its unique scarlet-needled pines, known as bruorsivi (“bloodpines”) to the local human populace. Bloodpine sap is deep red and is both very flammable and slow burning once dried; the wood itself is a deep burgundy color that brightens after carving and polishing. (The wood’s primary use is as fuel, its slow burning hardwood being an efficient source of heat for many.) Many folk make wind-resistant torches from seedcones soaked in bruorsivi sap atop a twig. While other tree species exist here, the Ulfen explorer Finadar gave his name to the forest by bringing back knowledge of the bruorsivi.
Fralros: “The Charred Watchtower.” This watchtower of the Koloran Empire has seen use in both old and new Iobaria, the massively scaled stone structure having been partially adapted for human use with smaller steps carved up its 100-foot height and smaller ramps and floors built within its massive chambers. Once called Orostros (“Watching Star”), it has been known as Fralros ever since the Great Horde trapped many within and choked them to death by burning fires all around its base for months. Streaks of char still mar the length of the tower, and uneasy ghosts and other threats have occupied the partially ruined tower for a thousand years. If travelers need to pass Fralros, they always do so swiftly and in daylight.
Franax: This pleasant, human-built port once excelled at ship repair and building thanks to its protected bays and its three islands, onto which the port expanded. Now, its buildings lurch in half-repair since the town lost 80% of them to fire in a misguided attempt to eradicate a plague of boils and bone-aches in 4651 ar. Today, the shipbuilding and repair happens in Orlov, and the few who remain in Franax live amid a frenzied struggle for control between Niath Koyra, a fisherman of some repute and coin, and the druids of the Glacircle, who wish to convert all to the worship of an elemental power embedded within the tundra and the Icewall.
Grenalthrost: “The Great Bridge of Grenalf.” This massive stone bridge spans an immense crevasse within the mountains and makes it possible for folks to enter the plateau known as Grenalf. However, even after centuries of use, the Great Bridge still takes its toll in lives the mechanical traps that defend it spring to life and grind unlucky travelers to paste between its massive stones or fall away on hinges for a time, dropping folk to their deaths.
Hask-Ultharan: “Cairn of Many Torments.” Like Fralros to its south, Hask-Ultharan appears to have once been a massive watchtower for the Koloran Empire. This is a modern guess, as the cairn’s peak rises above Fangard’s trees, and few natives tempt fate enough to approach its dark, rune-covered stones. By accident or design, there have always been giants of some form here, and the longer they remain, the more savage they become toward any they deem to be approaching too close. According to the most recent reports, a mixed group of hill giants and their even more brutish kin has made camp there and begun loud rites with massive bonfires on nights of the new moon. (For more details, see Iobaria’s entry in the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting.)
Hills of Nomen: Named by a fearful Taldan wanderer, the Hills of Nomen contain the primary territories of a large number of centaur tribes, as well as other nonhuman races. The stretch of Koloran road from Lenusya past Katrivish has long been considered the most dangerous to any who fail to respect other races and their sovereignties. Bones from more than a few armies and their arrogant human commanders litter these hills after vain attempts to “stem the inhuman tides.”
Hoofwood: This coniferous forest is home solely to centaurs and native animals—no other sentients walk or clamber among its trees. As such, it is peaceful save when the northern tribes make war against the local centaur tribes, thundering out of the Ice Steppes to upset the centaur camps in Hoofwood. Throughout the forest lie many pit and spring traps (effective against centaurs, hoarpanthers, and others), which make it dangerous to invade the forest.
Hroran: Once a vibrant logging camp that used the fast waters of the Noyrus to send timber down to the growing Kridorn, Hroran is now a ghost town, its buildings and roads all overgrown by the forest and its animals, which were quick to reclaim it. Few know what happened to Hroran’s people, save that all disappeared without leaving a single body behind during the snow-heavy winter of 4388 ar.
Hvorsuli: “The Snow Spires.” This majestic ruined city (created by unknown powers at a giant scale) of thin spindle-towers and massive gates and walls is a tantalizing mystery for treasure and mystery hunters. Only its foremost gatehouse lies outside the glacier that entombs it, though this allows access inside the frozen city (as do a few broken domes exposed atop the glacier, which allow one to drop into Hvorsuli). A few accounts mention a great power that glows on rare nights deep within the city, held within by the ice and the glacier god Rheth (worshiped by some depraved druid circles).
Ice Steppes: The harsh tundra that dominates northern Iobaria thunders with the hooves of centaurs, the crack of glaciers, the roars of ice wolves and hoarpanthers, and the skittering of hundreds of creatures unseen in other lands. While dangerous and dire, the Ice Steppes have more life (and death) than most expect of an ice-frosted desert.
Kask-Kirrulthar: A slightly more expanded site than the other two 100-foot-tall watchtowers (Fralros and HaskUltharan), Kask-Kirrulthar has an active population of wraith-like beings among its shadowed ruins. While the sun or moon shines, these wispy figures (which faintly resemble anything from children to dragons) remain tied to the stones of this town/watchtower. If any living beings approach within 2 miles when there is no light in the sky beyond starlight, however, these wraiths swarm toward them and flay the warmth and life from their victims’ bodies before the light drives them back to their stony prison.
Katrivish: This small town has few inhabitants beyond its mad druids, who all carve out one of their own eyes to honor their cyclops god, Prathos (“the Howling Eye”), and gain gifts of wisdom and knowledge for their sacrifices. Whether mad or not, they have unseen powers that help them find and trap any who dare enter the woods around Katrivish.
Kirrosuli: “The Hauntspires.” A perfect triple circle of 90 spindle-towers 20 feet in diameter and 60 to 90 feet tall, the Hauntspires’ purpose is a mystery since there are no apparent openings into these slim white-stone towers, each of which is topped by a massive crystal cone or pyramid. On nights of the full moon, mournful songs seem to come from the towers, though no figures are ever seen there.
Kirya: This city high above the Syrzemyan Highlands lies nestled among a ring of peaks breachable only by wing or by the Koloran road across Grenalthrost onto the Grenalf Plateau. The Ulfen explorer Grenalf followed the road up into the mountains and survived the bridge’s traps to discover a cyclops ruin dominated by temple structures at the edge of a crystal-clear mountain lake (named OrostKar, the Lake of Stars). He named the settlement Kirya after his wife, and as the faithful rededicated the temples to their own gods, the area became the focal point for pilgrimages from all across Iobaria. Kirya grew to be one of the larger Iobarian cities, its newer structures built from the wood of Orostgard to the east. However, 7 centuries of logging the Orostgard unleashed something long hidden in the mountains around the plateau, resulting in the deaths of all humans in Kirya by 1574 ar. In the past three millennia, many powers have taken control of the plateau for a time. Cyclopes and hill giants built grisly sites like the Temples of Blood and Bone out of their human victims. Hobgoblins reclaimed the plague-cleared city for a time. Since 3212 ar and the rise of New Iobaria, Kirya has been under human control, though it currently stands neutral and unaffiliated with any of those claiming control from Kridorn, Mirnbay, or Orlov. Its leader is the great druid Fedor Vasylk, whose circle embraces 36 local nature gods as children of Erastil.
Kridorn: “Kridor’s Cliff.” The second great power of Iobaria, Kridorn rises on a sloping cliff at the edge of the Castrovin, its proud towers and lighthouse shining bright for any sailors on the sea. The second most populous city in the region, Kridorn is a city spoiling for a fight with any who point out its shortcomings. Koffar Buran Evyas is the fourth Evyas to hold power here. In his greed, he sees himself as the future overlord of Iobaria, as do his manipulative advisers, all of whom easily outwit Buran. The koffar’s constant focus on drumming up his own (and the city’s) reputation leaves many municipal decisions and services to others, and thus the large city has unreliable services unless one meets the price demanded. Still, this remains the safest city in southern Iobaria, even with its troubles.
Kridorthrost: “Great Bridge of Kridor.” One of the great bridges left from the ages of cyclops dominance, Kridorthrost, which spans the Noyrus, has a small cyclops ruin on its western end, while the human populace has built many wooden and stone structures up along the bridge’s length and on its eastern end. This town, controlled by Kridorn and its so-called “noble houses,” does not officially limit trade or travel to Mirnbay, but those allied with that rival city suffer more than the usual number of accidents and problems while passing through.
Lenusya: Empty of human inhabitants for more than 100 years since a plague took half its children, Lenusya has become a temporary haven and safehold for many brigands from time to time.
Mavradia: A silent and barren ruin of both cyclops and human construction, Mavradia was once a gem of Iobarian civilization, but the Drakeplague left much of it engulfed in wild magics—great powers of flame, ice, and acid—and over one-third of the city crumbled in less than a day because of battles among dragons seeking a rumored cure within the city’s walls. Later attacks by giants and their allies out of the depths of Fangard again made the city a longtime battleground for control. A second plague spelled the end of Mavradia when an unknown disease turned many inhabitants into mindless gelatinous creatures that preyed on all others. Both dragons (undead or otherwise) and the oozing deaths of Mavradia keep this once-great city a dangerous place to visit.
Maw of Karth: This massive fanged maw vaults high over the two small mountains that frame it, creating a carved cyclops’ head as the gate. Karth’s tongue forms the stairs to it, and his fangs and teeth the siderails leading to an ancient stone roadway. The danger of this gateway is simple—many brutish monsters and creatures see this as a holy site and worship Karth as a god, making it a choice ambush site for goblins, kobolds, and the like.
Mirnbay: Stone and wood palisades shelter this city, and a peaceful lagoon provides a safe and easy port. Mirnbay is the most vibrant and prosperous of the cities of Iobaria and its most populous. Its most recent influx of Galtan nobles upset the social and mercantile order for a time, though matters now seem resolved (the Galtans presently control more than a third of the trade guilds). The nobles of Mirnbay hold power carefully through alliances and strategies that seem arcane even to those used to labyrinthine politics. House Rhukov (the surviving splinter of royal House Arjal) holds the most power and controls the city through its wizards and their arcane colleges. House Xsagi, a longtime ally growing restless, holds power over the military. Their combined might keeps in check the other 17 noble houses and the five Galtan “newcomer” houses. Still, deals and treaties flow fast and furious as Koffar Ivad Rhukov plans to wrest power from Kridorn and Orlov and rule Iobaria himself, and he promises rewards undreamed to his fellow nobles… though few know if his word can be trusted.
Mishkar: A fully human-built town of wood and stone (not scavenged from cyclops ruins but plowed up from the surrounding hills), Mishkar rests on a hill surrounded by long-built defenses. Unallied with any of the other power factions, Mishkar’s people (a mix of Varisians and Taldans with a random assortment from elsewhere) value their independence and make this city-state relatively selfsustained. Its former purpose as a guard-garrison against threats from the Grenalf Plateau is long in the past. Today, Mishkar is made up of good folk building a strong agricultural and trade base that can help them purchase mercenaries or train soldiers to resist the inevitable armies to come. Alliances with some local centaur tribes have long been discussed, but none have occurred other than those forged of necessity, when resisting goblin hordes out of the upper highlands.
Myrfrus River: “The Deeprun.” The Myrfrus protects the eastern frontier from invasion. It’s unsafe for travel or trade, and not just because of the large carnivorous creatures that swim its waters and lair in riverside caves. The river cascades down innumerable waterfalls and rapids during its course, 50 of which lie between Daruthrost and the Castrovin Sea alone.
Myrnorosk: The sole recognized non-human community in Iobaria, Myrnorosk is a relatively recent town that has risen up around a series of artesian springs. The halflings and dwarves who established the town in 4661 ar allowed a few human families to settle here, but the original population has a secret way to determine rulers—this community holds kodlak and kodlok races in high regard, and in fact reveres them. To be a lycanthrope is a sign of specialness here (and even the problematic werewolf is welcome if in control of its changes). The komar (“mayor”) of Myrnorosk is the dwarf Harsk Vladaxe, a werebear and head of a dwarven clan with more than a few lycanthropic members. Even their religious members revere Erastil and those subordinate gods with a mix of animal power to them. This is not actively discussed, nor is it hidden; any travelers are treated as kindly as they act themselves. Those who take offense at or hunt lycanthropes should not expect to leave Myrnorosk easily—or alive.
Nirrus River: “The Cliff-flow.” The headwaters of the Nirrus give it its name—springs and a series of small lakes feed into the riverbed from the Icerime Peaks and their foothills, often flowing or falling off cliffs into the five main tributaries that become the Nirrus. More human settlements cluster near this waterway for its fishing (or to pan for precious metals) than elsewhere in Okor’s Basin until one goes north of Storith Wood.
Norinor: Despite its borders on the Hills of Nomen and the upper highlands, the Norinor is actually a relatively sheltered and peaceful forest with more human settlements and “hideholds” within its borders than any other Iobarian forest of note. However, the people living there are hundreds of individuals seeking their own paths and goals, not a singular community. Thus, they do not come together easily to defend each other, save to share information on or warn each other of outsiders in the Norinor (like marauders from Kridorn press-ganging folk into their ranks to increase Koffar Buran Evyas’s power base). In fact, while knowledge of the forest, its resources, and its dangers is common, folks herein often know only their immediate neighbors within a couple of miles and few others, unless their trades involve travel beyond a 5-mile radius.
Noyrus River: “The Runningflow.” The Noyrus provides much fish as well as one of the few avenues into the heart of the Norinor and to its tiny settlements. In fact, the only way most who live in the Norinor reach the outside world is by taking a barge down to Kridorn (or a smaller village before it) to trade their goods for those unavailable among the trees (like steel axes or anvils).
The Nyvyrd: “The Warmth Water.” This massive freshwater lake improbably hugs the Icewall glaciers and remains a steaming warmth unexpected in the north. Its waters teem with fish and sea life of both amazing and monstrous proportions and variety. The only safe waters onto which boats venture lie very close to shore, as sailors fear being capsized by the flippers or jaws of the enormous predators out on the open waters. Nearer to shore are massive beds of shellfish (a major staple) and pearl beds yielding peals of colors and varieties unseen anywhere else (including ice pearls, striped pearls, and some shells nearly as hard as tempered steel). Hundreds of small settlements and cabins (and sometimes Taldaninspired villas or mansions) lie abandoned (or inhabited by brigands or worse) all around the warm shores here, either due to plagues or forced evictions by nobles seeking to control access to the Nyvyrd.
Okor’s Basin: This depression slopes from the Syrzemyan Highlands and western Coreth Wood all the way to the Lake of Mists and Veils. Somewhat sheltered from the worst arctic winds, Okor’s Basin holds a good stretch of farmland, its inclined fields producing dwarf strains of barley, wheat, rye, and other grains. Domesticated and wild cattle herds roam all across this area, thanks to the scattered settlements of westerners over the centuries.
Okormirr: “The Rest of Okor.” All but abandoned save for a small population of druids and their families, Okormirr is nonetheless the most obvious example of an Ulfen settlement, with its log lodges, dragon poles at its wooden palisades, and the like. This city has seen resettlement many times, and its present residents increasingly grow weary of Prince Tzakiv Korya’s empty promises of Orlov’s return to greatness. The Druid-King Aalgin expects all who live in Okormirr to swear fealty to his circle and their giant god, Perbov (“the Father of the North”), whose sweat forms the Lake of Mists and Veils.
Okorrus River: “Okor’s Flow.” While the Okorrus is a relatively small river now, there is some evidence that it was once much deeper and stronger in its flow. Aside from its steep banks and some dry lake beds along its path, the primary bridge across it seems built to span a river of greater height, depth, and width. The Okorrost, or “Bridge of Okor,” is one of the first cyclops structures most folks encounter as they travel into Iobaria from the west.
Orlendas: This town has risen from the ashes more than a dozen times, whether destroyed by fire, plague, human war, or centaur marauders. Its importance to Franax and Orlov as the logging source for shipbuilding has waned, but lumber remains one of the town’s primary goods, along with small game pelts. Its other recent claim to fame is its komar, Kasrel Unilich, an exiled Galtan noble and ranger whose abilities and coin have made Orlendas far more defensible and prosperous than ever.
Orlov: The oldest “city” of Iobaria and long the capital of that first realm, Orlov is a crumbling ruin in all quarters, whether built by cyclopes or by humans, millennia later. Occupied by fewer than half its former inhabitants, the port city simply ignores or walls off places too ruined to fix or inhabit (and its stonesmiths are a far cry from their forebears that carved up the cyclopean stones for their own use). Prince Tzakiv Korya is among the last of his line, descended from one of the factions that restored Iobaria in 3304 ar. He assumes this makes him the legitimate heir to power, though he lacks the money, allies, and will to forge the country anew. For now, he bides his time, luring monied allies from Cheliax or the River Kingdoms to his cause to bolster his plans for reconquering the whole of the region.
Oroskirr: “The Ever-Watching Eye.” Also called the Opal Island, Oroskirr is an enduring mystery. Its opalescent dome glows every night and crackles with energy, drawing lightning to it during storms. None have ever broached its shell to tell of the mysteries beneath it, though many assume it is the source of the warming waters of the Nyvyrd in which it rests.
Orosknir: “The Eye Mount” This lone mountain peak stabs higher than its neighbors by a good height, though its name comes from the massive eye carved into its eastern face. This eye never gets covered by the snowpack, and it flashes with energies every few decades, though to what effect none can prove. Many guess this magic may have something to do with the frequent plagues.
Orost: “Star.” The only safe stop on the roads between Orlov and Mirnbay, Orost has become a site of growing importance and strife among the factions fighting to control Iobaria. In the center of town is a massive building of wood and stone that houses the central ruling komar; inside it becomes obvious humans constructed the building over and around an ancient two-ringed stone circle of massive proportions. The town’s name comes from the star mosaics in the floor of this former temple, though its growth and defenses have given it a crude star shape as well. Numerous envoys and proxies of the powerful from Orlov, Mirnbay, Kridorn, and Veka frequent this trade town, and the local law enforcers merely try to protect the citizens from the battles and intrigues among those scrabbling for power among the host of visitors seeking trade goods.
Pharrus River: “The Swiftflow.” The Pharrus yields much wealth in fishing, gems, and metals. There are more edible varieties of fish in this river than any other within Iobaria. It also boasts many sites and shallows wherein folk pan for nuggets of precious metals or random gems (very few brave the dangers of the mountains to mine directly for these resources, preferring to stick to the riverbeds and their many hardscrabble camps).
Sjohvornor: Sjohvor is a great white wyrm who claims the northeastern Ice Steppes and the northern Deeprun Crevasse as his domain. An uncounted number of shattered dragon skeletons litter the cliffs and steppes around his glacial mountain lair, warnings to any foolhardy enough to approach. He is the eldest and strongest dragon to survive the Drakeplague of 4519 ar.
StorithWood: When the ruins that became Orlov were first discovered, Storith Wood encompassed all of Okor’s Basin, but over the centuries human logging has greatly reduced its size. Korred, satyrs, and fanatical circles of druids now defend its trees from loggers (though they do allow removal of deadfall by local humans, delivering it to the forest edges in exchange for other goods, like cattle or knowledge).
Syrzemyan Highlands: The vast central portion of Iobaria is a land of rough hills, jagged cliffs, and high mountains. Few humans live in this harsh region; the few rugged highlanders who do huddle in well-defended “huntholds” among the far more numerous centaur tribes and rampaging ogre and cyclops bands.
Thraxnorni: “The Bone Caverns.” Unwitting travelers fall prey to the Thraxnorni when they pitch camp at the crossroads at Fangard’s edge. A nearby stone cairn, long hidden beneath thick deadfall and underbrush, marks the entrance to the Bone Caverns. The cairn lies but a short distance from the roads, and the undead and other menaces that exit the caverns at night feast heartily on the unwary. The Bone Caverns get their name from the tales of many tunnels beneath the forests and roads, all lined from floor to ceiling with bones. Whether the tales are true or not is unknown, as few who get dragged beneath the cairn (or other hidden sinkholes) return to report.
Veka: The easternmost hold for Iobaria in the Ice Steppes, Veka has stood as a garrisoned fort town since its founding. This is the power base for Koffar Rjul, a shrewd and ruthless man whose family’s control of Veka’s smithies (where all metal weapons and materials in the area are forged) led to his control of the local military, making him the most powerful man around the Nyvyrd. He hopes to increase his control over Antoll and ally with Prince Tzakiv Korya of Orlov—or if the latter fails, isolate the Nyvyrd from the prince and preserve his own power.
Vladmirr: Only its relative isolation and proximity to the Icerime Peaks have kept Vladmirr from becoming a major city and a player in Iobarian politics. The Pharrus River’s delta, which surrounds it on all sides, provides many arable patches for crops, and the river also yields large amounts of precious metals panned in many places along its length. Still, the lack of a protected port and the high waves of the Castrovin Sea make Vladmirr only a temporary stop for loading or unloading goods in good weather before most make sail for Kridorn to the north. Consequently, the town’s population hasn’t managed to grow much over the years, and in the end Vladmirr has ended up as more of a support operation for Kridorn (providing grains, cattle, and gold) than the hub of power it has long hoped to become.
Volod: One of the newer settlements in Iobaria, Volod came into being in 4400 ar to replace the lost logging camps of Hroran. This town has been tied to the logging and wood trades for much of its history, and these professions still dominate Volod’s mercantile aspects. Despite its traditional past, Volod has become a strange place of late, with druids talking of new gods walking the highlands and the Norinor, demanding worship.
Vurnirn: “The Centaur’s Cliff.” The sole cyclops ruin in Hoofwood and the largest single centaur settlement in Iobaria, Vurnirn plays host to many conclaves of clan leaders every summer. It is the shared seat of power for the Rashalka clans Kraask, Tsurvom, and Voaldyn, with the city split among them into three zones of control. These three clans (and Clan Phelor, which dwells in the southern forest) all share the Hoofwood as territory and maintain a provisional alliance against the more ruthless Tsolniva centaurs to their north. Vurnirn also marks the northernmost reach of Rashalka centaurs in Iobaria.
Zradnirras: Once a powerful city for cyclopes and then later for Iobarians, Zradnirras is now a deadly shambles of stone, magic, and danger. At least one family clutch of dragons lives in the toppled tower ruins, watching the city and the crevasse to the east for prey. Still, tales of the Zradnirri Arcolleges and their fabled magics draw many to its dangers (and its dragonworshiping goblin and kobold legions).
