The eastern parts of the Freelands is one of the most dangerous, only rivaled by the northern frontier.
Riverflow
Situated on the eastern side of the Barren Hills (see below), Riverflow is made up of a cluster of tents surrounded by a ditch and rampart for protection.
It is struggling to establish itself in the harsh wilderness of the eastern Freelands, but has enough natural resources nearby to make it successful – assuming it can overcome the harsh realities of the wilderness.
Recently, the people of Riverflow have sworn in a new ruler by the name of Tevil, who has made a deal with a local Lord – Lord Krell (who has a significant holding to the north) for taxes being paid in exchange for protection.
The former ruler – an ex-labourer by the name of Cen – was forced out of the settlement.
Whispering Fields
So named for the wind spirits that dwell within that whisper to those who can speak their language, this field of 10-foot high grassland sways in the wind that whips across the plains.
The grassland expands each year as the wind carries the seeds to the east.
The Barren Hills
The Barren Hills is a dangerous hill range that is often seen as the border between civilisation in the west and the untamed wilderness that makes up most of the Eastern Freelands.
The hills themselves, despite what the name suggests, are still full of wildlife, and the monsters that feed upon them.
Western Barren Hills
The eastern border of the Central Freelands sits along the western edge of the Barren Hills.
Seen by many in the Central Freelands as a dangerous and unruly place, the Barren Hills marks a territory best left to the evils that lay within and those crazy enough to venture there.
The western section of the Barren Hills is marked by many failed mines, old settlements, and some ancient structures.
Ruins of Clearview
Clearview was a prosperous village that was overcoming many of the hardships and mishaps that the harsh eastern wilderness threw at it.
Despite this, it failed.
Most of the people of Clearview perished along with the village, and those that survived had little understanding of what brought it all undone.
Infact, it remains a mystery to this day, as little to no information is known as to the situation or events that led up to the destruction of the settlement.
Clearview is awash with reusable building materials and would be a good place for harvesting materials of this sort for any new settlement.
The problem however, is getting past a clan of Gnolls that have taken up residence there.
Tree of Askgal
This very old, magically petrified, tree sits in the Barren Hills and is not known to many outside some sage circles.
It was home to a distant Kenku tribe that once existed around the time of the reptiles, some 7,000 years ago.
(The Kenku are an old race and have long memories that drift back many thousands of years in their oral stories).
Askgal was a great leader of the tribe and was informed by a group known as the Wise Tiding. They flourished up until the time they discovered a small piece of one of the Star Stones that rained down upon Aythia.
The discovery and retrieval of the stone was cause of great discussion and consternation among the Wise Tiding and Askgal himself.
Eventually, the Kenku decided to use the stone to protect themselves further from the dangers that was then a lush and verdant forest.
They opened a portal to one of the Fey realms and brought Faeriestuff into the material realm to reinforce and conceal their tree-home.
In their folly, the Kenku misused the stone’s raw magic and it ended up petrifying the tree and every being in it, ending the Kenku civilisation in these parts.
Only a few survived and they went on to tell the tale as a cautionary one.
All Kenku know the story of Askgal and the folly of using magic beyond your knowledge and control. To this day, Kenku are weary of magic in general, and terrified of magical relics and artifacts that they deem as too powerful.
Eastling Forest
Also known as Shadewood, sitting east of Riverflow and nestled against the western side of the Southern Spire Mountains is the Eastling Forest.
It’s a mixed forest consisting of oak, ash, and maple (more towards the south) trees. There is also a clump of yew trees in the northern section, towards the centre; which will be useful for any bowyers.
Like most parts of this wilderness region, this forest is deadly for those who travel in or near it.
It also has a great deal of natural resources for harvesting however, which makes it worth investigating.