Forgotten Hills

The Forgotten Hills are the steep and rugged southern foothills of the Mountains of Misery. Their southern limit was the southern frontier of the land of Arak. They appeared on the northern frontier of Barovia in 575 BC and were explored at that time by the outlander wizard Azalan. All life across the face of Arak was eradicated thirteen years later by a sandstorm of unprecedented ferocity that scoured the land clean in an event recorded as the Scourge of Arak. By 682 BC, if not earlier, contact with Barovia was lost, its northern frontier replaced by that of newly formed Nova Vaasa. In 683 BC the Nightmare Lands replaced the Misty Border to the east. Whereupon Prince Ingemar Bolshnik offered the following admirably pithy description of Nova Vaasa's frontiers: “howling fear to the west, stone death to the north, shapeless nightmares to the east, and nothing but ominous swirling to the south”. It is clear that Prince Ingemar associated Arak with death. And although the heart of Arak, at the very least, remains to this day a blasted, rocky wasteland, he seems to be referring instead to Arak being an active agent of death. The Scourage of Arak a century before had left life far beneath the surface of the land unscathed. The shadow fey emerged from their kingdom to find, however, that the mortals who had been an excellent diversion from the ennui of eternity were no more. Fortunately, new mortals came. There were dwarves and gnome seeking their lost kin. There were looters and treasure seekers too. Those who failed to quit the land before dark risked being carried away, to become play things of the shadow fey. As the number of visitor fell, a travel's risk of being buried alive under mile of stone rose. Until it became accepted truth that anyone who dared spend the night within the frontiers of Arak would be entombed beneath its stone before the dawn.

The Nova Vaasan version of the accepted truth concerning Arak might then be this: anyone who dares spend a night there will have vanished beneath its stone by dawn. Although the scouraging left unharmed the Arak living beneath the surface, it wiped out to the last the mortal Arakians surface dwellers who were a favoured source of diversion. New mortals came however. There were dwarves and gnome seeking their lost kin. There were looters and treasure seekers too. Those who did not quit the land before dark risked being carried away, to become play things of the shadow fey, buried alive under miles of stone. As the number of visitor fell, their risk of never being heard from again rose. Until it became accepted truth that anyone who dared spend the night within the frontiers of Arak would be carried off before dawn.

As the flow of visitors diminished, the proportion who were never heard from again grew. Until it became accepted truth that anyone who dared spend the night within the frontiers of Arak would be carried off before dawn.

becoming the new plaOf those who did not, a part never left, becoming the new playthings of the Arak.

No a few of those who Those who tarried long never left.

n and gnomish kin of

The kin of the lost came to investigate however, as did looters and treasure seekers. Those who tarried long never left. As the flow of visitors shrank, the proportion who were never heard from again rose. Until it became accepted truth that anyone who dared spend the night within the frontiers of Arak would be carried off before dawn.

When the surface was scoured clean Niurin Scaa was untouched, but the sneeuane feallagh lost the surface dwellers who had long been a favoured source of diversion. The kin of the lost came to investigate however, as did looters and treasure seekers. Those who tarried long never left. As the flow of visitors shrank, the proportion who were never heard from again rose. Until it became accepted truth that anyone who dared spend the night within the frontiers of Arak would be carried off before dawn.

anyone who dared spend the night within the land hadwithin it the hours of the night would not live to see the dawn.

t is, for example, universally held that anyone who dared spend the night in the land was carried off before dawn, presumablly by the shadow fey.

A century and a half later Mount Nirka and its environs remained a blasted, rocky wasteland. Even today the only trees to be found on the mountain are on its northern flank. At lower elevations tenacious grasses, spike plants, and low shrubs have made some inroads. As for fauna mundane and monstrous, it consists cheifly of vast swarms of bats, spiders of all sizes, and ettercaps.

Their southern limit constitutes, in effect, the northern frontier of northwestern Nova Vaasa. Nova Vaasa

Scourged? Recovered? Dust off the plains.

In 740 BC as part of the Great Upheaval this frontier, which had been shared with Arak, became one shared with Darkon. The Arak and Azalin Rex were perhaps the only ones immediately aware of the change. The Forgotten Hills were themselves unaltered in their position and geology. But there were changes of import that would become slowly apparent. Evidence began to accumulate that there was no longer truth in the belief that anyone who dared the hours of night in the hills and mountains to the north would not live to see the dawn. Individuals who indeed dared the night returned and told tales of having been beset by things less exotic than fey creatures. The incursions of the Arak into the countryside surrounding their former land naturally ceased, which did the Tepestani no good at all for the chief fracture leading out of the Shadow Rift proved to be in Tepest. The reputation of the Mountains of Misery for being haunted by the dead gradually eclipsed their reputation for being haunted by fey creatures. Darkon began work on the Strigos Road which, when complete, will join the [[East Timori Road[[ at Liara in Nova Vaasa to the Argenteus Road and the Tempe Road just east of Tempe Falls. And the Forgotten Hills became a hideout for intrepid or desperate bandits, arguably making the northern frontier of Nova Vaasa a more dangerous place, especially along the East Timori Road and the Vaughn Dnar River from the Tepestani frontier to the Trished River and even beyond.

Incursions by fey into Nova Vaasa were both greatly diminished and shifted west to the vicinity of the Tepestani border and the Shadow Rift itself.

heard from again. Individuals who dared the night and returned told tales of having been beset by things other than dark elves, gossamer folk or fey. The incursions of the Arak int

to spend the night in the hills and mountains north of Nova Vassa was to

never be heard from again. Individuals who dared the night and returned told tales of having been beset

was no longer truth in the belief that anyone who dared the hours of night in (former) Arak would never be heard from again.

Evidence slowly began to accumulate that were was no was no longer truth in the the universally accepted belief that anyone who dared spend the night within the frontiers of Arak would be carried off before dawn by the Dark Elves. Individuals who di dare the night in what was formerly Arak were beset by things other than fey. Incursions by fey into Nova Vaasa were both greatly diminished and shifted west to the vicinity of the Tepestani border and the Shadow Rift itself. The reputation of the foothills and of the mountains beyond them for being fey haunted diminished with the passing years. Darkon was able to undertake the construction of the Strigos Road which, when complete, will join the East Timori Road at Liara in Nova Vaasa to the Argentus Road and the Tempe Road just east of Tempe Falls. And the Forgotten Hills became home to intrepid or desperate bandits, arguably making the northern frontier of Nova Vaasa a more dangerous place, especially along the East Timori Road and the Vaughn Dnar River from the Tepestani frontier to the Trished River and even beyond.

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Gaz v map 12