Badlands

## Notable Settlements

* Prosperity
* Green Corner
* The Rim

The **Badlands** was a region of Dragonhollow that rose to prominence for a short time at the end of the Fourth Era.

# Geography

The Badlands were just one square kilometer in surface area bordered by a mysterious shimmering blue wall that could be seen through but not breached, above ground or below, within the overworld or in the depths of the fiery Nether.

A desolate place of dry desert and craggy windswept mountains, the Badlands were one of the harshest environments on the planet. Old veterans of the Northham Wars were reminded of the bleak landscapes that characterized the Northlands.

There existed no swamps, plains, mesas, forests, jungle, or ocean. The only sources of timber were several copses of acacia trees in Green Corner and the alpine groves of spruce of the Rim and atop the western mountain range.

# History

After the Summerlands were devastated in the aftermath of the Black Claim Crisis and the Fall of Summer, a number of people were lured to the Badlands by the whispers of Eris in the last days of the Fourth Era.

Some sought adventure and the excitement of starting freshly anew. Some came for the promise of new lands to conquer and wars to wage. Others hoped to emerge victorious in the Badlands Survivor competition that promised rewards for the coming Fifth Era. But most simply had nowhere else to go after their homes were annihilated.

Airships unloaded travellers in Bad Landing on 4E:417 and then left, stranding them in the Badlands until further notice with nothing but their Starter Kit.

Residents were surprised to find that many of the protections and powers graciously granted by Eris earlier in the Fourth Era were no longer in effect: teleport scrolls could not be crafted, there was no Elite control panel, residents could be slain on their own property, and outsiders could manipulate any button, switch, door, or plate they encountered regardless of where it was. Older veterans who remembered a time prior to the unusual safety of Summerlands were better equiped to handle such difficulties.

The architecture of the Badlands reflected the lack of resources and hazardous surroundings, resulting in a hodgepodge of sandstone boxes, gigantic stone walls, and hastily erected hovels.

The border restricted the movements of residents and forced them into close proximity with each other. Inevitably, along with the dearth of natural resources, the cramped population density led to rising tensions. These hardships combined with others to cultivate an atmosphere of paranoia and fear, straining relations with neighbors and creating opportunities for those willing to pursue them. Banditry and murder drove many deep underground and small-scale warfare broke out in minor flashpoints around the Badlands. The culture that arose existed in stark contrast with the unprecedented peace and tranquility that existed in the Summerlands. Tensions were raised to the breaking point.

On 4E:418, HyperSilence formed Hyperion. They quickly emerged as a powerful faction, becoming the first to establish a brewery and acquire a beacon. Because it was the only place in the Badlands to provide regenerative health, Hyperion's massive walled fortress of Stony Sands became the center of a community called the Rim.

As a direct challenge to their explosive growth, the Merry Men attacked Hyperion on 4E:419 and laid seige to Stony Stands, marking the genesis of a war that would rage deep into the Fifth Era.

With assistance from Eris, Jack Firebane discovered the Skeleton Den on 4E:423, leading Tox, Nut, and Rocco on a hunt for Dragonhollow's first elytra.

Despite being caught using illegal sorcery to cheat the standings, HyperSilence was announced as the winner of the Badlands Survivor competition.

On 4E:425, the floating island of Sanctuary appeared above Bad Landing and began evacuating residents to the far more appealing expanse of Pandora. Afterwards, the Badlands were abandoned forever.

# Gallery

A detailed map of the BadlandsAlong the eastern border with Stony Sands visible in the distanceEndless desertRetro on a mountaintop outpostSandstone keyholeTerry's Cozy CottageAcey and Jack Firebane in the RimRetro in the RimSprankles, Jrod, and Retro in Bad Landing

# Behind the Scenes

*The following is out-of-universe information about the real world Dragonhollow.*

The Badlands was a temporary map provided by Acey in between the Summerlands and Pandora as an optional transition to both new Minecraft features and changes to Dragonhollow mechanics coming to the next map. It introduced players to Minecraft 1.9 and as such was the first to include the new PvP attack cooldowns, shields, skeleton horses and their riders, and the elytra.

Players could access the Nether but not the End because there were no strongholds inside the 1 kilometer world border.

The Badlands also served as an introduction to new mechanics implemented for the next map, which allowed PvP in claims and changed Grief Prevention permissions so that untrusted individuals could use fence gates, trapdoors, buttons, and doors.