'The Great Histories and Houses of Eraesel: courtesy of the Elders of Torinth'

The Nightlands, by Elder Gorvinn

'I find myself sucked into the earth by marshes and muds as deep as oceans, and all around me lay nothing but flat rivers and the ribbiting of hordes of frogs. Daylight here lasts little longer than six hours. Beautiful as The Nightlands be, men should never have built upon them.' (Elder Lomas, Studies in the Wildlife of Eraesel, Part IV: The Nightlands).

Elder Lomas is not the only person to complain of The Nightlands. Residing in the north-easternmost corner of Eraesel, a trip to The Nightlands is not one for those who care about their appearance. In fact, many are surprised by quite how tough the Tadpole Pass can be once they've left Dinasmena. What often strikes people most about The Nightlands is quite how open the swamp plains are: there are cottonwoods and tupelos scattered across the principality, but only in a handful of small areas can one find anything resembling a woodland. The majority of the foliage in The Nightlands consists of high reed beds and water-weeds, lining the many rivers and streams that run abundantly across the land.

Yet, contrary to popular belief, The Nightlands are not the 'barren waste land' described as by the likes of Elder Lomas. Elders such as Portys and Rhyce give us much more positive viewpoints, highlighting that the lively rivers and marshes are home to the most diverse range of fish species in all of Eraesel, resulting in some rather affluent fishing communities. Indeed, wildlife is very different in The Nightlands to other provinces: species include catfish, barracudas and golden toads. Some of the more remote areas of the swamps are even home to ogres, though it is advised that one is careful to make his presence known to an ogre if he plans on approaching them, as they can get angry when startled. The Bay of Salt is even said to be home to some rare species of seals in the narrow straight between the mainland and Thorinn Island.

Of course, The Nightlands earns it's name from the fact that, of all the provinces of Eraesel, daylight hours are always shortest in these lands. Even on a good summers day, there will scarce be more than eight hours of daylight, falling to as little as four in the winter. The Nightlands have, therefore, often relied on fire as their saving grace, acting as a natural light to guide their way in the dark. Some believe that the reason for this mysterious lack of daylight was due to a curse placed on the land by Tokov, the God of Fire, when some of his most trusted men tried to have him assassinated for bringing fire magic to the world. By doing so, Tokov had forced them to use fire for the rest of eternity.

(Above) The marshes near Dellmere, with the mountains of The Crags in the background.

Ostryn:

Standing as the second largest city in all of Eraesel behind Torinth, Ostryn is an impressive city with a horrific background. The city walls and Eagle Castle were built out of travertine that had to be carried manually by workers, dragging the stone across from the cliffs of the northern coast of The Coves, just beyond Astcaster. Not only was the slog long enough, Elder Horrick tells us of how the conditions of the site that was decided as being Ostryn was a marshland that not only made building difficult, but also caused rampant outbreaks of dysentery that killed thousands of the men that worked on founding the castle. Despite their sacrifice, however, the Eagle Castle (recently renamed from the Waterfort) is impressive for it's sheer size, probably around twice the numbers of which can be held at Coldhaven. Equally impressive is the huge 'Kyrk of the Lowlands', perhaps the largest Kyrk to the Gods that has ever been built. A significant portion of the castle itself is taken up by the building, and the shrine is one of the few buildings within Eraeselian castles that are open to the public. The castle itself is a rock castle, sitting high on a natural incline to ensure the building does not sink under the marshes over time. This is a particularly unique feature to Ostryn: many of the important buildings, including the Blue Crystal Armoury and the Autumn Square, have been placed on man-made, raised rock platforms to ensure their survival in the long-term. Most dwellings in suburban areas are made of wood, cob or wattle and daub due to the temporary nature of most settlements, unlikely to survive over 50 years. Perhaps the most impressive feature of the city, identified by Elder Lewys and Merin amongst others, is the 'Moon Tower' - a monumental tower that rises to be the highest in all of Eraesel.

(Above) A street in Ostryn, presumably the Heather Market.

Houses:

The seat of The Nightlands has not changed hands as often when compared with the cities of other provinces, and has stood as the ancestral home of House Hesterling for the past 500 years, now the current Kings of Eraesel. Elder Horrick explains that, as is often the case in Hesterling tradition, the eldest male sibling of a Hesterling King is charged with ruling Ostryn as Lord of the Nightlands.

At present, Lord Mahlon and Lady Eura are the current occupiers of the ancestral seat of House Hesterling, Mahlon being King Edwic's younger by six years. They too possess the black hair and brown eyes trait of House Hesterling, though are overall slightly darker due to Lady Eura also having dark hair.

Notable Areas of Interest in The Nightlands:

-The Fountain of Etribia: one of the most delightful pieces of architecture in the province is the 'Fountain of Etribia', that depicts the creation of Ostryn as it sits atop the globe of Etribia. The fountain itself is within the exquisite old market shops of the Autumn Square.

-The Drawings of Thorinn Island: these peculiar depictions reside either side of a rock face between which a path lies on Thorinn Island, now dubbed 'The Path of Eldrill'. The drawings depict an ancient moment in history, and are thought to be roughly 1300 years old. None are too sure what they depict, but the best guess is of the Great Betrayal.

-The Fourways Lake: this body of water, sitting north of Mudcrag, is a strange place. Some talk of mud that pulls men into the ground if they step too close to the lake, and there have been many sightings of giant crabs. If you are lucky enough, you may catch the water when it turns purple, which it often does once a fortnight. The reasons for it are unknown.

(Above) The peculiar purple waters of the Fourways Lake.