Hrimroul

The Gold Shore

This strip of coastline doesn't take its name from any local metal deposits, but the dominant colouration of the land. This hot, scrubby shore is the major jumping off point for warmth-adapted species to cross over to Morou, without having to brave the subpolar land bridge between the two continents. Despite the dry, barren environment, this is a surprisingly diverse area, both from the influx of travellers and the nearby Shurush Mountains. If the kiarrcats built cities, this would be a major port. Essentially it still is, but the infrastructure is well hidden. The locals always make sure there is plenty of shelter, food, and water (most "ports" are situated on river mouths) for tired travellers.

The actual crossings are made in small boats propelled by Waters. Despite the fact that kiarrcats aren't the most advanced boat-builders, journeys are generally safe thanks to the Waters' innate ability to manipulate the seas. There's less to be said about comfort. The boat-builders try their best, but none of the vessels are very large, so a rather cramped voyage is inevitable.

Shurush Mountains

The Shurushes are a long, narrow range running roughly north to south down Hrimroul's south-west. The range spans Ryll's tropics, but its height means that the Shurushs cumulate in cool alpine meadow, and a few peaks even see year round snow. Along the range's flanks, habitats from all across the face of Ryll can be found. One might call the Shurush Mountains Ryll in miniature. The locals certainly do. The rich habitat density in such a small area - rivalled only by the Nrass range on far away Hashun - means that the range counts all ten kiarrcat species amongst its residents. Even a few Polars, who would never be able to survive long term in the tropical heat, make their home on the highest peaks.

It would be wrong to call the Shurush Mountains a city or a nation, but it might be the closest Ryll has. It's certainly a centre of population. Here, different species are able to coexist that would otherwise never meet. This diversity encourages a constant exchange of trade and ideas, creating one of the most sophisticated places on Ryll.

Lake Torou

Also known as the Torou Sea thanks to its size, this is the largest body of freshwater on Ryll. In many ways it acts as a small sea despite its unsalinated waters, and the local rivers drain into it rather than the nearest ocean. Surprisingly for such a large water body, it lies in Ryll's northern drybelt, bordered by deserts to the south and grasslands to the north. However the water has a way of moderating the climate, and Torou's shores are a hotspot of activity for the kiarrcats of this region. Deserts, Savannahs, and Grasslands settle in mixed-species towns all around the coasts, while Waters offer fishing and transport services.

Technically Lake Torou should not exist, or at least have partially evaporated and become saline in the dry climate. The fact that neither of these is the case has caused many of the more scholarly-minded kiarrs of Ryll to postulate that it is an unnatural or even magical feature, and many legends tell of how it was created by warring spirits long, long ago. Most of these stories are of little consequence to the kiarrs who live around the lake's shores, who are merely grateful for such a bounty of fresh water in the dry lands, but it is not uncommon to see isolated shrines to various water spirits dotted around the area.

Despite its relatively high population, not much is known about Torou's depths. Even with their impressive lung capacity, few Waters are capable of holding their breath long enough to reach the bottom, and much of the lakebed remains unmapped to this day. Like any good lake, Torou has plenty of stories surrounding it. Magnificent ruins and deadly aquatic beasts are just some of the things rumoured to be lurking down there. True enough, most shipments make it across safely, and those that don't are usually blown away by storms... but nobody ever let that get in the way of a good story.

Heshroun Mountains

Hrimroul is full of "biggests" and this mountain range is no exception. Not only is it the largest mountain range on Ryll, dominating Hrimroul's north-east, it also contains Ryll's tallest peaks. These are found at the Heshroun's southern end, although the rest of the range is nearly as impressive and still dwarfs much of Ryll's other mountains. Being so far north, the Heshroun's peaks are also some of the coldest places on Ryll, hit with a double blow of altitude and latitude.

The Heshrouns can be a lonely place. They lack the habitat diversity of the Shurush Mountains, and so don't share their sister range's reputation as a melting pot. The populations are much lower and consist mostly of Mountains, Polars, Airs and Forests, though a few dry-adapted species roam the Heshroun Basin. This tiny bowl of low land is rainshadowed by the peaks surrounding it, leaving a cool, dry, but isolated land, even by Heshroun standards.

All said, the Heshrouns aren't exactly Ryll's best party spot, but they're a good place for anyone wanting to simply get away from it all, and find a bit of peace and quiet. Just make sure to wrap up well, if you don't already have a thick coat.

Heshroun Basin

Deep in the Heshroun Mountains, a large bowl-shaped depression gouges through the peaks. Bordered by mountains on all sides, the only easy to traverse pass into the Basin is by the south-east, over lower peaks blanketed with pine wood. The Basin is rainshadowed, leaving a dry, cool climate inside. A few snowmelt-fed rivers meander into the depths, but none reaches the sea, instead drying up in the Basin's depths. Nonetheless, these trickles provide valuable water to the locals.

Who lives here? A mixture of dry adapted species, mainly Grasslands and Deserts with a scattering of Savannahs. The latter two species, being more heat adapted, find the Basin a little cold to their liking so many live in the relatively well watered regions, in large underground dens with plenty of furs and blankets to keep warm. Being so cut off from their cousins elsewhere on Ryll, the population has a reputation for being somewhat insular and distrusting of outsiders. This can range from tolerance, provided they don't stay long, to full blown xenophobia.