The Border Princes Background

To the South of the Empire lies a rugged wilderness region known as the Border Princes. Surrounded by the Vaults, the Worlds Edge Mountains, the Badlands, the Blood River, and the Black Gulf, the land of the Border Princes hosts scores of petty fiefs and minor principalities.

Most Old Worlders think of the Border Princes as a lawless territory of brigands and cutthroats that is, thankfully, isolated from the civilized lands of the Empire and the Great Kingdom. Although in some areas of the Border Princes, centralized governments do exist, lawlessness and violence are common. The area has seen countless small wars and border skirmishes at times when the raiders attack the small kingdoms or when the Princes seek to expand their lands. These conflicts - coupled with the constant presence of Orcs, Goblins, Gnolls, Trolls, Chaos cultists, and rapacious tax collectors employed by ambitious feudal lords - have left the population of the area largely mistrustful and suspicious, particularly of foreigners.

Given all of these dangers, travelers journeying to the Border Princes are well advised to keep both their swords and their purses close at hand.

Over the millennium-long history of the Border Princes, much of the landscape has remained wild and rugged. Large plains of small thorny trees dominate, and the hilly regions, which are the homes of nomads, herdsmen, and the occasional wandering band of Chaos mutants, are wisely avoided by most travelers. Although there are many rivers and a good amount of rainfall, the region is not especially fertile.

The largest fertile areas are located around the river areas. A few other areas of good farm country can be found around the various fortresses established in the area and in the valleys near the Vaults, a high mountainous region where the Black, Grey, and Crystalmist mountain ranges meet. These regions are often wartime targets for raiders and would-be conquerors.

Some areas of these lands were settled during humanity’s earliest northward migration (some 3,000 years ago), and the nomadic Quellan tribes that inhabit this area are said to be the direct descendants from these early peoples. The region’s name originated from just over 1,500 years ago, when a number of adventurers (including many who were disenchanted with the fast-disintegrating Empire) struck out with many of their followers to colonize the area and drive out the Goblinoids. The leaders dubbed themselves Princes, although most had been stripped of all titles and many had never been more than independent adventurers.
Life in the land of the Border Princes remains much as it has for a millennium. The descendants of early adventurers still rule many of the fiefs that make up the region. Goblinoids, Gnolls, and the occasional Chaos warband continue to harass the human settlers there, and border skirmishes between neighboring principalities, which are fiercely protective of their independence, break out frequently. As much of the land is not ideal for agriculture, many local lords cast covetous eyes toward any other prince or settlement that has access to rich farmland of any sort.

In the foothills of the Black Mountains, the nomadic tribesmen known as the Quellan still tend to a hardy breed of cattle known as aurochs, a rough species that is unique to the region. The Quellan will sometimes come down from the hills to raid the farmlands below when the thorny vegetation on which the aurochs feed grows thin, but the barbarians are invariably driven off by the doughty defenders of the fiefs. Of course, the lawless reputation of the Border Princes is not completely undeserved. Renegades and fugitives still flee south to escape the long arm of Old World law, and brigand camps punctuate the landscape.

Barak Varr is a dwarf fortress and the only dwarf seaport in the Old World, located at the easternmost point of the Black Gulf where it merges with the mouth of Blood River, which runs through the Border Princes. Sturdy lighthouses lead ships towards the Sea Gate of the stronghold which is built into the Cliffs of Gamrud lining the coast of the gulf. A vast water filled cavern known as the Great Cove has been carved into the Cliffside to provide a safe harbor for the dwarf fleet and the merchant vessels which come from ports across the Old World to trade for fine dwarf craftsmanship. It is here that the great ironclads are built and maintained, floating steel fortresses propelled by steam driven paddles.

The Dragon Crag (called Karak Azgul by the dwarfs, rises in the south-eastern part of the Border Princes. At its foot, lies the sprawling city of Deadgate, the largest settlement in the Border Princes. The dungeons under the Dragon Crag draw many adventurers to this area, who hope to gain fortune and glory be exploring the labyrinthine tunnels under the mountain.

The Old Silk Road has long been a trade route for the Tileans, the Dwarfs of the Worlds Edge Mountains, and exotic people of the eastern empire of Cathay. A few minor lords of the Border Principalities have attempted to levy taxes and tolls on those who would cross their lands, but these attempts to garner additional revenues have met with only limited success. As such, the Border Princes remain a crossroads of sorts for all types of travelers.

Communication in the Border Princes can be difficult, as it is a polyglot land. While most of the population speaks or can at least understand at least a few words in the Common tongue, many other languages are common as well: Reikspiel, Bretonnian, Tilean, Arabayan, Cathayan, and of course the languages of the Dwarfs, Elves, and the other races who travel through the region. Linguists and translators can often make a handsome living in the Border Princes from the merchants and statesmen who require their services.

Today, a new age of colonization has dawned in the Border Princes. Hundreds of displaced families and adventurers have been moving into the region from the Empire, leaving behind the desolation caused by the Storm of Chaos, intending to take advantage of what is often perceived to be virgin land.