#staglands

All of these photos were taken when I went to Staglands in New Zealand. I HAD BABY KUNE KUNE PIGS CRAWL ON ME!!

Wistgrad

Picture source: The Witcher 3 

The city of Wistgrad began as a collection of scattered trading posts at the intersection of a major road and a popular game trail. Travelers, pilgrims, and mercenaries walking along the path would find themselves stopping to trade for supplies and furs, eventually building inns and homes as individuals and families decided to plant their roots along the path. As the independent city-states of what would eventually become Faraam began to unify through trade and a shared desire for allies, travel and trade along the then small town of Wistgrad caused a swell in population and wealth. When the disorganized cities of Faraam needed a neutral zone to host diplomatic gatherings, Wistgrad was chosen thanks to it’s geographic isolation from other cities and position along a major trade route.  The later discovery of a notable adamant (a strong but brittle component in adamantine creation) deposit and several salt deposits within the city’s territory grew the city’s wealth further, and drew in an even greater influx of eventual citizens. This influx of cultures in the city introduced foreign arts like Kinoéan silk ribbon dancing and Drachman satire plays. Though isolation from the other city states allowed for Wistgrad to flourish in its own independence, the limited representation in multi-city negotiations would stymie the Wistgrad’s chances at even greater expansion. Rumors indicate that Wistgrad intends to make a power grab in the near future, but through what means as of yet remains unclear. Still, Wistgrad remains a notable exporter of adamant, salt rare furs, and lumber to it’s neighbors. 

The Stormford

Crowns of Iron takes place on the continent of Arenden. More specifically, it takes place in a small territory known as the Stormford, a rain-soaked river valley region within the Southwestern quarter of the Staglands.

Numerous kingdoms have risen and fallen in this region (so often that a common saying of the Stormford goes, “every hill a king”), with even the most ambitious would-be ruler finding the monsters, bandits, and fey beyond anything their small nation could have ever hoped to manage. This fact has had little impact on the number of attempts made by the bold and the foolhardy. Attempts to tame this wilderness for personal gain are made regularly, often funded by lords seeking to stymie bandit activity in their domain or merchant groups hoping to fund the building of trading posts along major trade routes.

The geography of the Stormford varies greatly, with the highlands of the Kelish Plateau overlooking the rain-soaked Blue Basin and Fela Hills below. The Grey Widow’s River, a major tributary of the larger Selim River, divides the region along its midline and nurtures the sizable temperate Whisperwoods enclosed around its banks. The snow-capped Wital Mountain Range towers over the region’s southern border, draped in evergreen forests and pockmarked with deep caverns and caves ripe for exploration.

The climate is the Stormford is miserable to say the least. Torrential rain drowns the valley 4 months of the year before high snowfall freezes them for another three. Yet as fleeting as they may be, the late summer months are a perfect time for farming in the valley, and yield bountiful harvest when tended.

The weather, as in the rest of southern Arenden, is relatively predictable, with temperatures rarely exceeding 95º F at its hottest, and dropping to around 20º F in the deep winter. Clouds usually dominate the sky, with periodic drizzles not uncommon throughout the average day. Long stretches of sunshine in the Stormford are rare, and most who live there appreciate them while they last.