THE ASHEN VEIL: Regional Geography

CONTINENTAL LAYOUT

The setting occupies a continent roughly the size of pre-Unveiling Western Europe (approximately 1,000 miles east-west, 800 miles north-south). Think broken, isolated kingdoms separated by hostile wilderness.

THE FOUR MAJOR DOMAINS (Power Centers)

DATHMOR - The Cathedral City (Northwest Interior)

Location: Northern interior, built around what was once a major pre-Unveiling metropolis
Size: Approximately 30 miles of controlled territory radiating from the city proper
Natural Features:
- Built in a river valley (the river still flows, though it's sluggish and occasionally runs red)
- Surrounded by rolling hills (now ash-covered, vegetation sparse)
- Climate: Cool, perpetually overcast, frequent rain (copper-scented)

Strategic Position:
- Controls the Old Northern Road (pre-Unveiling highway network)
- River provides water and limited trade route
- Defensible terrain
- Far enough inland to be insulated from coastal disasters

LIRATH VALE - The Metal Forest (Northeast)

Location: Northeast region, occupying what was once fertile agricultural land
Size: Approximately 50 square miles of metallic forest, with settlements in the canopy
Natural Features:
- The "forest" is dense—metallic trees block out much of the sky
- Underground root systems connect the trees (possibly sentient network)
- Terrain is relatively flat beneath the canopy
- Climate: Humid, warm (heat generated by the trees' energy), perpetual twilight under the canopy

Strategic Position:
- Most concentrated source of functional pre-Unveiling technology
- Difficult to invade (forest itself acts as defense)
- Borders the northern Outlands
- Limited contact with other Domains (by choice)

THE HOLLOW COAST - The Dry Ocean (Southwest Coast)

Location: The entire southwestern coastline where the ocean receded
Size: Massive—approximately 200 miles of former seabed stretching inland 50-100 miles
Natural Features:
- Flat, cracked seabed (some areas covered in salt deposits)
- Exposed reefs creating maze-like terrain
- Massive shipwrecks and leviathan skeletons as landmarks
- The Sunken Gate visible as a pillar of light at the center
- Climate: Extremely arid, temperature extremes (scorching days, freezing nights)

Strategic Position:
- No strategic value (hence lawless)
- Resource-poor except for salvage from ships
- Acts as natural barrier—nobody crosses it casually
- Pilgrims pass through, sustaining small predatory economy

THE GLASS MARCHES - The Mirror Plains (Southeast)

Location: Southeast plains region
Size: Approximately 80 miles across of glass-smooth terrain
Natural Features:
- Perfectly flat glass surface (solidified sand/earth)
- Obsidian towers rising at unpredictable intervals
- The Fracture (Shattered King's moving fortress) appears and disappears
- The Still Lake at the eastern edge
- Climate: Clear skies (unusual for the setting), intense sunlight reflected off glass, hot

Strategic Position:
- Extremely difficult to traverse (exposed, disorienting)
- No natural resources
- Reality instability makes occupation impossible
- Acts as barrier between eastern and western regions

LESSER DOMAINS & SETTLEMENTS

The Ironworks (Central-West)

Type: Industrial settlement built in pre-Unveiling foundry ruins
Population: ~3,000
Specialization: Metalworking, weapon forging, salvage processing
Ruler: The Forgemaster's Guild (oligarchy of master smiths)
Proximity: 3 weeks from Dathmor, 2 weeks from Greywatch
Notes: Neutral trading hub. Too valuable to conquer, too well-defended to raid casually.

Vault Collective 7 (Central-North)

Type: Cluster of three interconnected vault communities that emerged 50 years ago
Population: ~5,000 (Pure-Strain majority)
Specialization: Agriculture (hydroponics), education, medical knowledge
Ruler: The Overseer Council
Proximity: 4 weeks from Dathmor, 5 weeks from Lirath Vale
Notes: Insular but willing to trade knowledge and food for protection. Viewed with suspicion (they "hid" during the worst times).

Ashfall (Central)

Type: Warlord-controlled settlement built around a functional Echo-Engine
Population: ~2,000
Specialization: Mercenary recruitment, raiding, protection rackets
Ruler: Warlord Kess the Breaker (changes frequently)
Proximity: 2 weeks from Greywatch, 3 weeks from Ironworks
Notes: Dangerous but necessary—controls key trade routes. Most caravans pay tribute rather than fight.

The Scholar's Retreat (Far North)

Type: Fortified monastery dedicated to preserving knowledge
Population: ~800 (mostly scholars, scribes, guards)
Specialization: Libraries, archives, cartography
Ruler: The Archivists (council of elder scholars)
Proximity: 6 weeks from Dathmor, isolated
Notes: Holds the most complete records of pre-Unveiling history. Neutral in all conflicts. Rarely visited due to remoteness.

Redstone Crossing (Southwest Interior, edge of Hollow Coast)

Type: Fortified waystation for pilgrims heading to the Hollow Coast
Population: ~1,500 (fluctuates with pilgrim traffic)
Specialization: Supplies, guides, last-stop services
Ruler: Elder Council (elected by permanent residents)
Proximity: 1 week from edge of Hollow Coast, 4 weeks from Ironworks
Notes: Grim place. Everyone here is either dying slowly or has given up on living anywhere else.

The Mist Corridor Network (Scattered)

Type: Not settlements but dimensional shortcuts
Description: Patches of permanent fog where reality is thin. Some connect distant locations; others lead nowhere or to places that shouldn't exist.
Known Stable Corridors:
- Ironworks to Greywatch (reduces travel from 2 weeks to 3 days, but 10% don't emerge)
- Dathmor to Scholar's Retreat (reduces 6 weeks to 1 week, heavily used by traders)
- Several unstable corridors appear and disappear

Greywatch Station (Southeast Outlands)

Type: Fortified waystation and mercenary company headquarters built in pre-Unveiling ruins
Population: ~300 permanent residents, 50-100 transients
Specialization: Mercenary services, neutral trade hub, water supply
Ruler: Dual governance—The Grey Council (Elder Morrwen Ashfeld, Elder Carrick Toren, Elder Sienna Vale) partnered with Commander Erasmus Kaine of the Grey Wardens mercenary company
Proximity: 2 weeks from Ironworks (west), 2 weeks from Ashfall (east), 3 weeks from Dathmor (northwest), 3 weeks from Vault Collective 7 (north)
Notes: Survives through symbiosis between settlement and mercenary company. The Grey Wardens provide military protection and take contracts region-wide; settlers provide food, supplies, and civilian services. Built around a functional pre-Unveiling water treatment facility (the Cistern)—the settlement's most valuable asset. Strategic position on Old Imperial Road crossroads makes it essential for inter-Domain trade despite being deep in hostile Outlands. Too isolated for major powers to control easily, too useful to destroy. Maintains precarious neutrality by serving all sides. Erasmus Kaine has led the Wardens for 30+ years without visibly aging—locals notice but don't speak of it.

THE OUTLANDS (The Wastes)

Coverage: Everything not controlled by a Domain—roughly 80% of the continent

Characteristics:
- Hostile wilderness: ash storms, Veil phenomena, predators
- Scattered ruins of pre-Unveiling cities (hundreds of them)
- Nomadic bands, bandits, scavengers
- Aberrations more common than people
- No law except strength

Major Features:
- The Old Imperial Road: Pre-Unveiling highway network, partially intact. Dangerous but navigable.
- The Scar: A massive Veil breach running north-south through the center of the continent. Reality distorts near it. Avoided by everyone.
- The Black Woods: Forest that died during the Unveiling but never rotted. Trees are petrified, silent, wrong. Nothing lives there.
- The Singing Wastes: Region where the wind creates haunting sounds through exposed metal ruins. Drives people mad.