Baltic Hills

The Baltic Hills are a series of mountains to the west of Avo. The area is known to provide the capital with some much needed protection from any western invaders and as a bloody history with all sorts of battles in the past.

## Background

The small mountains of the Baltic Hills are a prominent landmark in the center of Avalot. Between the mountains are fertile farmlands and the hills themselves serve as valuable defense points for the country. More than one major battle has been fought here and fortresses have come and gone, laying in wastes along the rocky slopes of the mountains. The hills were first settled by various travelers when Avalot was being found way back around 2000 before even Avo was founded. Many of the people who ventured here settled on the outskirts of Ferywyn Forest or in the fertile valley between the two mountains. The Hills are largely left untouched until around the Great Schism when the Pale Reach and Avalot began fighting. During this time, Avalot began its first steps in building fortresses along the hills. The first of which was Fort Havoc, which protected the watchtower known as Jaxson's Watch.

As the years went by, the Hills were left to grow as they remained largely untouched outside of the occasional war with the Pale Reach. Even in the barbarian invasion, the Westwardens never passed the mountains into Avalot. This is because the mountains are so rich with cover that archers can hide within them and pick off any army that dare try to approach them. In addition, the valley between the hills can be complicated to navigate through.

The mountains also played a part in the Treeblood War, where the Pale Reach used them to defend their borders against the united front of Avalot and the Pinelands. The resulting battles left a few scars along the mountainside due to the siege weapons used. With the victory to Avalot, however, they made efforts into restoring the hills and allowing the local farmers to settle there and rebuild villages in the area. They were only allowed around a hundred years of peace time to rebuild, as in 625 AU the Berman War began. After the Berman army marched through Farqual, they turned east and went straight through the hills. The Avalotian army met them in the fields and managed to push back their forces with their superior numbers. The result was a bloody stalemate within the Baltic Hills themselves. By the end of the War, the Hills were left completely unusable for farmers as the once fertile valley had been trampled from the battles.

The final site of the war for the Hills was during the Ninth Barbarian Invasion in which General Gunter Newgate led troops to camp along the western mountains to hold off the Westwarden invaders. During this time, Newgate constructed the new fortress known as Fort Alric to fend off the horde. The tactic worked for a few months until the overlord of the horde, Hysaph Jaric, managed to outmaneuver the Avalotian army. Following the end of the war, Fort Alric was used as a base to protect the local farmers from bandit attacks and is currently a place of focus for regrowth in the area. The fate of the Baltic Hills is still up in the air.

## Cities

* Last Wood- The last village before venturing into Ferywyn Forest.
* Halz- The oldest village in the valley. Broken down due to the Berman War.
* Fort Alric- The most recent fortress to be assembled in the Hills. Built by Gunter Newgate to halt the barbarian invasion.