The Stormwastes
The story of this place is well known in the annals of Rharne’s history. The Stormwastes were once a beautiful green place, bursting with life and dotted with Rharnian farms and vineyards.
Following Rharne’s founding, Faldrun and his people launched a terrifying campaign against Ilaren and her followers. The Aukari and their patron Immortal approached from what were then the Southern Stormlands and made their way north toward the capitol. Along the way Faldrun turned all his might toward burning the land and destroying everything in his path. Such was his power that very little has grown there since, leaving the land as a amber hued wasteland.
Faldrun’s invasion was not ended until he was virtually a few trials' march from Rharne itself and Ilaren came down to face him at a place now known as Ilaren’s Stand. There she stood against the enemy with her Lightning Knights and Thunder Priestesses at her side. The battle lasted for many trials until finally the Immortal of Lightning struck the battlefield with the full might of her power and forced Faldrun and his forces to retreat.
Arcs have passed and little has changed in this place. Life struggles to cling here and only the smallest of plants dare to grow under small overhangs and in dry streambeds. There are however some creatures, plants and even people that attempt to scrounge up a living in this terrible place. Terrifying fauna have been known to dwell in the darkest reaches of the Stormwastes, hiding in caverns and crouching in ravines for something to blindly pass by. Such predators and creatures are a rarity but they do indeed exist. The only people that dare live in this unforgiving environment are a well-known and especially despised group of bandits that roam the vast reaches of the wastes while launching raids on the villages and towns that lie on the northern side of the River Zynyx. The fortress of Storm’s Edge serves as a bastion against these attacks but the Lightning Knights cannot be everywhere at once, so from time to time raiding forces do manage to make it through the defenses.
Dust storms and flash flooding are incredibly common across the Stormwastes, so many Rharnians avoid the area for fear of being trapped or killed simply by the weather. It is an incredibly dangerous place but it is also an area that is full of mystery and hidden secrets. The Stormwastes were once a thriving slice of Rharne, so buried beneath the soil, one can find any manner of treasures or forgotten relics. Ruins lie beneath the surface of the earth containing long dead settlements snuffed out by Faldrun like mere candle flames. Stories suggest that whisps and haunts still linger there to this very trial, waiting for an unwary visitor to stumble by.
Credit: Oracle
