Forlorn (for-LORN) is a blasted highland domain, a forsaken land from which humanity has long been driven. Nestled just south of the Balinok Mountains, Forlorn is a land of thickly forested uplands with sparse heather and mosses clinging to the exposed rocky hillsides. The woods are dark, twisted places full of grasping branches and ominous shadows. In some areas, the land's goblyn inhabitants have actively destroyed the forest, reducing it to a wasteland of broken stumps and sucking mud. The Maw of Arawn, rising from the center of Forlorn, is a jagged peak that perpetually belches noxious vapors. The only notable body of water is the Lake of Red Tears, whose deep, dark waters appear crimson when the sun reflects off the nearby red granite cliffs.

Major Settlements

None

People

Population: Unknown; thousands of goblyns

Langyages: Unknown

Religions: Unknown

Forlorn isn't a settled land. The primary inhabitants are goblyns, horrid humanoid creatures that value little but strength and slaughter. Although generally lawless, the goblyns do pursue some organized goals, particularly the systematic destruction of the land's forests. They otherwise occupy themselves with petty power struggles, distracted only by the occasional captive outsider, whom they gleefully torture and devour. Rumors persist of a tiny contingent of humans remaining in Forlorn, descendants of an ancient order of druids. If such humans exist, then they have concealed their presence quite well, perhaps out of fear of the goblyn clans.

The Law

There is no formal government. There exists a loose clan system among the goblyns. Each clan has a distinctive tartan pattern, which they display on tattered kilts and standards. An outsider would be hard pressed to tell one clan apart from the others, however. The strongest goblyn in a clan dominates its weaker kin until toppled by a challenger. Clans battle among themselves for resources, prestige, and pure sport. The goblyns' tenacious destruction of Forlorn's forests leads some outsiders to speculate that they serve a hidden master. Rumors abound that creatures far more terrifying than the goblyns haunt the crumbling castle above the Lake of Red Tears.

Trade and Diplomacy

Resources (not exploited): Timber, iron, clay, salt

Coinage: None

Forlorn is an untamed land, a dark and mysterious corner of The Core to its neighbors. The goblyns have no interest in communication or trade with the surrounding realms. Indeed, lumberjacks and miners have made occasional forays into Forlorn in search of its unclaimed resources; none have ever returned.

Magic

Forlorn generally has few to no magic users though it's not impossible to encounter druids there.

Characters

No civilized races call Forlorn home.