Windbourne Hills
The Cataclysm Prior to the Fourth Cataclysm, this area was some of the richest farmland found anywhere in the Wold. When the invasion came, it was not strategically important, separated as it was from the rest of the peninsula by Culverwood and Shadow Mountain. Some farmers sold land to invading groups, and others took up arms against the invaders and the "soiled" farmers. They prayed to the Three Sisters for vengeance.
When the cataclysm hit, Donyra answered their prayers, causing hurricane strength winds to sweep the hills. And wherever the winds blew, Mittiri caused the earth to "bubble" with geysers, and lava pools. And whenever a geyser spouted, a farmer who had "souled" out died a horrible death. And whenever a farmer died, Teresalia caused the land itself to be given a song to sing each morning at sunrise and a dirge to sing at sunset to remind both invaders and loyal Elennians who would forever rule these lands. The geothermal activity caused the Windbourne Hills to be even richer for farming than before. All creeks and rivers were purified and became safe to drink. Donyra became celebrated as never before along with her sisters, The Serenbeth Maidens. Even the invaders had to respect these "hands on" gods and converted by the hundreds.
A coral reef rose during the cataclysm. Investigation found the reef acted as a barrier to prevent the wrath of the Creusa Sea at Bay. Fishing was now limited to fishing the reef. Those adventurous ones who made it beyond the reef never returned. Stories were told of sentient whirlpools that attacked approaching ships. These whirlpools were rumored to have huge maws at their bottoms that acted as a gate to the Elemental Planes.
As the invaders and the Hill People sorted themselves out, a series of city-states were created. Each town ruled itself and made alliances with its neighbors. Quickly Osto, the city of criminals, and Geysertown rose to the forefront. Ambassadors from New Elenna came and tried to reabsorb the area city-state by city-state. The Hillites refused because of Elenna's failure to send forces to protect their lands during the invasion. The invader states also refused because of the distance and a lack of trust.
The Free Staters A generation later, when the Aisildurians became expansionistic for the first time, the Hill People realized that they would have to form a mutual defense against aggressors. This organization of city-states should defend each other in case of outside attack. However, an attack from a fellow city-state would not be covered under this alliance. This did not preclude city-states from assisting each other, but the current wisdom was that to try and legislate peace between so many city-states in such a crowded location would be useless. This organization became known as the Free-stater's league. It was such a success that many governments outside the Windbourne hills applied for membership.
The Free-staters are a conglomerate of cultures. The primary cultures consist of the Hmanas, the Hill People and The Contested Kingdoms. The most prevalent group of settlers are "Hmanas from the Home Hland of Hnandur" in the Forbidden country. Hmanas use no "article" parts of speech viewing such designations as pompous and vain-glorious. Many words and Title "inHmanic dialect" begin with the letter "H", due to the belief that it is an ugly letter and nomenclature should be self-effacing. Many times "H" is followed by a smooth letter such as "M or N" These people are all extremely religious and live in a theocracy. Their ruler governs both secular and religious parts of their lives, but refuses to "Hlord" if over his subjects calling them "fellow sojourners on this hWold." The leader's title is "Hmost honorable Hnand. " Before the Year of Ascension, their god's name was Hnakra, who was an incarnation of Kerracles. Because of their acceptance of everyone, they are well known as negotiators of peace and compromise.
The second culture of people in the Windbourne Hills are The Hill People. These folk are the Elennian farmers who refused to leave during the Cataclysm. For the most part they are were followers of Donyra -- now they often honor Alemi or the forces of Nature. Due to their strong beliefs, Donyra gave rewards to loyal families and clans in the form of special gifts or powers. Many women have the gift of controlling winds. Some few, at least one per village, can send messages on the wind to inform other villages of danger, news, etc. Some men have the ability to withstand the heat of lava, so they can move it to their fields to increase the richness of their soil. To fishermen, she gave divining abilities concerning where to fish, weather foretelling, and the ability to use their breath to sail against the wind. The Hill People are gossips and usually believe the last or best version of a story they hear if it is a relatively harmless one. If it is of import, they don't necessarily believe it, but will definitely pass along the story with their interpretation of its import. These people are healthy. A large portion of them are halflings. They tend to breed short.
The third culture of people who occupy the Windbourne Hills are the Contested Kingdoms. These consist of retired adventurers who build a castle and offer protection to the local inhabitants (whether they want it or not), evil conquerors (who do the same thing), and remnants of old pre-cataclysm civilizations trying to preserve the remnants of their culture. The only constant of these contested kingdoms is change and war. The ultimate example of this is an area just west of the Scab with a landmark known as Castle Surrender. Names thus by the common people, it has been conquered over 100 times, including the Seven Days War, when it was conquered every day for a week in a bloodbath killing all of two people (the two who would rule).
One of the smaller Contested Kingdoms includes people from all three sources: The Cinnamon Valley, in the south on the border with the Culverwood, consists of a harmonious mix of races and a group of druids living in one of the more fair and fertile places in the Wold.
The Windbourne Hills is a land full of adventure and opportunity for whatever one desires. Full of chaos and diversity, excitement is just around the corner
