The Kingdom of Tarsh
Tarsh is a land of broad valleys, wide plains, scattered hills and steep highlands. From the heavily wooded Hydra Mountains and hills in the west to the Stinking Forest and steep imposing Rockwood Mountains in the east. It is blessed with abundant harvests and good resources including copper and silver. There are growing towns and cities in the valleys but life in the highlands is still a challenge. Tarsh is crisscrossed by roads and tracks ranging from paved imperial roads with milestones and even signposts, to simple dirt tracks and wagon paths. The land has a long history going back many generations and is littered with old ruins, derelict temples, weathered standing stones and even traces of the elder races. The broad Oslir River runs through the Kingdom and is a major avenue of trade flowing north through the heart of the Lunar Empire till it eventually enters the Thunder Delta and White Sea in the far, far north. Tarsh is the southernmost province of the Lunar Empire and is bordered by the Queendom of Holay to the north, the Grazelanders to the south west and the conquered Kingdom of Sartar to the south.
Beanntan Iydra (Hydra Mountains)
In the far west is the Beanntan Iydra (Hydra Mountains) which is a fearsome region where hydras have lived and spawned since Time began. The highest peak, Beinn Lyran (Mount Lyran), is over 7,500 feet tall and sacred to the Storm God Orlanth. The Abhainn Quintus (Quintus River) flows from the Hydra Mountains down through the hills past Copper Town till it joins the Oslira River. The colossal Hydra after which the mountains and hills are named is rarely seen, though it can be enticed out by feeding it huge amounts of live food. It lays up to a half-dozen eggs each year that hatch Lesser Hydras to plague the surrounding lands. The Lunar College of Magic have reprotedly sent several expeditions to observe and study the monster, perhaps in the hope of one day controlling it. They are escroted by the Expedtionaries and have had little success of late but keep trying for a breakthrough.
Apart from the Hyrda and its offspring, it is well known that bandits and creatures of chaos also live amongst the broken hills and foreboding woods. There are actually two groups of humans that live amongst the hills. The Cardenuci (pictured right) in the past fled to the hills from Tarsh when the King converted to the Lunar Way. They were worshippers of Orlanth the storm god and have developed a nomadic lifestyle hunting and herding sheep. They worship Varanorlanth, Orlanth in his Wild aspect, and Odayla, the goddess of hunting. The Cardenuci are isolationist and avoid meeting outsiders. The Deliveranti dwell in depths of the woods and are said to be a short, coarse and inbred people. Their shamans will come to the edge of the woods each season to trade their charcoal for metal and beads. Despite all the potential dangers the Hydra Hills are the home to the best mines which give Copper Town, the Barastoros and the King their wealth.
There are a baker’s dozen of copper mines and a single silver mine in operation and the richest are in the Hydra Hills. Each mine has a slave camp, guards and engineers present. Given the dangers faced the slaves are well treated with decent food and care. They even have access to drink and carnal pleasure as rewards for good levels of production or the development of a profitable vein of ore.