The Marches

Many believe that the Marches received their name because of the military's habit of sending troops through its vast canyons for training exercises. The truth is that The Marches were given that name by the Free Peoples during the Final Battle of the Powers, when the armies of the united Fee Peoples: Men, Udun, Pizkie, Kalzov, and Daridun marched with the Four Gods to wage the last, pitched battle against A'Ibys and his forces.

The Marches today are mostly rugged canyons and ravines, a place filled with wild and unpredictable turbulent magic.

## Topography

The Most prominent topographical feature of The Marches is the mighty Dagorlath mountains, which run the length of the coastline all the way through the the middle coast of Dunland, over 300 miles. The Dagorlath is a chain that splits off into chains, ranges, and ridges, and contains a few prominent volcanoes such as Alas-Latham, currently active.

The northernmost region of The Marches is the Frigid Heath. It is a land of never ending winter, crafted that way by The Great Enemy when he erected his terrible fortress of Dar-Niggurath in the Icelandic Mountains there in the First Age. Even today those mountains still resound with evil things: orcs, gigantic ice trolls, sinister gnolls, and evil Men make their homes in the mountains. The rest of the land is a shuddering of pines wherein the Northmen and a few Woodmen dwell, surviving through temperatures that rarely rise above twenty degrees and can drop to a life-threatening -40 below at night.

Fifteen miles out of the tundra the land becomes wet and moist, featuring dangerous bogs and quagmires fed by underground streams and rivers. Eventually this area bursts out into the legendary Swamp of Nar. Named for a mad magician that disappeared into its depths early in the Second Age, the Swamp of Nar's thickly cloistered trees and dark, cool interior is legendary throughout the entire Kinship for it's whispered tales, epic songs, and myths of ancient ruins and temples overflowing with gold, priceless artifacts from the time when Gods walked with men, and the epic Kingdom of The Scale, the empire of dragon-kinf located in the very heart of the swamp and lorded over by Anacalagon the Obsidian. Such tales are further boosted by the curious behavior of the resident Kalzov, whom refuse to go deeper than ten miles into the swamp for any reason whatsoever.

Traveling southward the swamp thins out and dries up, transforming into the lush, humid, and wet Trafalgar Rainforest, home of the happy Udun. The Rainforest, teeming with flora and fauna many of which have not yet been discovered by modern scientists, sees plenty of visitors annually. Most tourists come for the heartfelt hospitality--and fine cuisine--of the Uduan, whom are always happy to receive tourists. The Traflagar Rainforest is also the only location in the Kinship that grows the plant Fodel. This beautiful cluster of white flowering plants are used in the manufacture of the drug of the same name. Fodel is a great painkiller and euphoric, but also highly addictive. Poaching for the plant has become a problem in the past decade, and the Udun have begun to put on their warrior faces to stop it.

The majority of The Marches territory consists of vast canyon networks with patches of desert. Cave systems and old abandoned towns and ancient ruins long forgotten pepper the canyons walls and sparse places. These largely isolated areas are known to be the hunting grounds of highwaymen, trolls and minotaur, so most travelers move in caravans for the protection provided by safety in numbers.

The median temperatures of The Marches are fairly consistent. Spring and summer see the highest temperatures, with an average of 90 degrees and high humidity for Nar and Trafalgar, while the deserts can soar to as hot as 115 degrees. In fall and winter the temperatures begin to come down; with 70 degree days and 50 degree nights being the norm.

## Flora and Fauna

In addition to the expected flora and fauna one will encounter in the desert, Rainforest, and Nar The Marches do have several unique species found nowhere else in the Kinship. Though common in The Marches these animals are considered exotic by the rest of the Kinship and are hunted or kept as pets as displays of wealth and bragging rights.

**The Nekus Cat** is a large feline predator found normally in the sparse grasslands near the Rainforest. The beast is about six feet long from nose to tail and sports an a tawny fur. Two large upper tusks emerge from the animal's upper jaw, which it uses to rend or knock fleeing prey off balance. It normally subsists on buffalo and cattle, but they have been known to attack Men and Udun. A sub-species, the Black Sabre, is a rare animal found exclusively in the Rainforest and have pitch coats. They are sometimes used as mounts by the Udun, and because of their rarity demand exorbitant prices elsewhere in the Kinship.

**Great Spiders** are found in the Swamp. Unlike their arachnid cousins thees spider are huge, about the size of a pony. Their eight eyes give them remarkable 3D and color vision, and most are capable of speech. Great Spiders are often used as mounts by the orcs of the Dagorlath, and considered allies by the nefarious Cult of The Web,

**The March Krait** dwells in the desert areas and is the largest lizard in the Kinship, measuring 10 feet long and weighing 150 pounds. They are viscious animals, always hungry, and prone to attacking anything as a potential food. They are normally hunted for sport.

**The Ich** is a sub-species of the March Krait. It is a desert dwelling docile reptile with traits similar to the Krait, but without the voracous appetite.

As far as monster races go, the Dagorlath is home to numerous clans and tribes of orcs. The largest of the orc cities is Yurum-Amar, located in the Pellanor Ridge in the souther Dagorlath. Here the orcs rule with fear and force over their lesser goblin cousins and hobgoblins. The Dagorlath is also home to trolls, gryphons, troglodytes, chimera, harpies, and a few scattered communities of Urudun. The Swamp is refuge for swamp trolls, reptilian monsters, giant frogs and slugs, a viscous and brutal race of anthropomorphic frogs called bullywugs, a large predatory cephalapod called the Kypher Squid, and undead. The desert regions are home to minotaur, ettin, gnolls, and giant scorpions.

## Economy

For general commerce purposes, The Marches follow the same economic rules as the rest of The Kinship.
The Dagorlath and its various ridges and chains carry an abundance of ore and mineral wealth. Tin, copper, bronze, and iron are mind for, as are the precious metals silver and gold. Of anywhere in the Kinship gold is most abundant in the Marches though it is almost exclusively reserved for the nobility and Royal Family.
The Dagorlath also produces copious amounts of gemstones including sapphire, amethyst, garnet, emerald, topaz, and the all glorifying diamond.
The Kalzov in the Swamp of Nar export a wide variety of medical herbs and plants including pain relievers, blood and circulatory herbs, nausea combatives, herbs that treat dyspepsia and headache, and herbs that help battle congestive diseases, allergy relievers, and muscle relaxants.

The Udun export a number of exotic and sough after fruits such as papayas, mangoes, bananas, coconuts, and the bright red sweet-tart round fruit called the Marches Pineapple. Most of their wealth, though, comes from the cultivation and distribution of bamboo, papyrus, vegetable dyes for use in clothing, and the drug Fodel.

The Fisherfolk of the marches produce large amounts of seafood including edible sea grasses which aren't generally exported out of Province but instead shipped to desert communities where fresh fish and shellfish are otherwise impossible to come by.

## People of Note

**Perimi Meadowflower**--One of the living legends of The Kinship, The Grand Moff of The Marches arrived twenty years ago and was soon recognized as one of the members of a team called The Blades, whom were instrumental in bringing down an empire in her native continent of Paradigm and the tyrannical dictator whom threatened total continental control. Once her identity was verified, she was snapped up as a 'long lost cousin' by the Udun and soon after appointed to the position of Grand Moff by the Royal Family.

As Grand Moff, it's Perimi's duty to ensure the safety and welfare of her region and its citizens. She closely monitor the collection and distribution of the Marches' most precious commodity: fresh water. She is expected to ensure that quotas to every city are met and there are no problems with the supply line. She protects the Free People from monster incursions, appoints magistrates for each city whom assist her in making sure Kinship laws are abided by and law enforcement standards are adhered to.

In her own country she is a Mattimeo, a species of small folk known for their breathtaking aesthetics. To most people whom meet her for the first time they are struck by how beautiful she is, never mind that she's only three feet tall. In human terms she appears to be a woman of about 30, though in fact she is 95 years old. She has flawless dark skin with a perfect body symmetry that hints at fae or elvish blood. Her hair is a platinum blonde, her eyes large, expressive, and a deep burnished amber hue. When she appears she is always dressed in the latest expensive, high Mannish or elvish fashions. She is a Novelist by Vocation, having written 13 fictional novels at home, a popular guidebook to all the nations and cultures of Zoka, a travelogue written during her time as a Blade, and a cook book. During her time in the Marches she has produced two more fiction novels and a popular cook book called *The Udun Table*, a collection of cooking techniques, ingredients, and recipes collected from the Udun.

## Places of Note

Despite its fearsome and sometimes wicked reputation, the Marches province does have places that are of interest to the tourist and scientist alike.

**Greenhaven** is the capitol of The Marches, containing a thriving population of 235,897 people. Nestled in the semi-circles of mountains called the Dimrell Dell, Greenhaven sees fresh water supplies coming off of the mountains enough to allow for irrigation, turnign the area around the city green with flowers and crops. The Last Happy House, the mansion where Grand Moff Peremi Meadowflower lives, is located here. Most people coming to The Marches for the first time make their preparations here.

**The Arkadus** is one of the oldest Mannish structures in existence. Crafted by unknown hands some time in the middle First Age, this massive temple complex features nearly 100 rooms, statues of all eight Ulvatar, and painted frescoes and mosaics that tell the tale of Creation and the events leading up to A'Ibys declaring himself Grand King of Earth. Historians and scientists agree that the architecture is definately Mannish, but no types of Men were known to live in the region during the First Age. The Arkadus is, and will likely remain, a great mysery.

**January** is the largest city of Udun in the Trafalgar Rainforest. With a population of well over 50,000 Udun the city has been called huge in scope and stunning in its beauty. January boasts many tourist attractions: bars and nightclubs, gourmet restaurants, hot springs and mineral springs, almost everything the vacationer could hope for. After miles of treking through the Marches to get to January, most visitors expect top notch service and they almost always get it.