General description
Geography and Environment
Between the countries of Raleigh and Blacklehn, there is a long canyon that serves as a pass through the Great Boundary mountains. It is miles long, and splinters off into myriad other passages, but the central, largest path is called the Sentinel Pass.
Within that path, the ecology of the place is somewhat barren. There are trees and shrubs here and there, but nothing that could sustain a great deal of life. The offshoots of the Sentinel Pass lead to more lush offerings. There have been expeditions into the pass, but because of wars, the exploration has been mostly speculative. Rumors say that deep within the pass, there is a cordus tree grove. They haven’t been substantiated thus far, however.
History
Early Encounters
In the earliest days of travel through the Sentinel Pass, explorers sometimes happened upon each other frequently. Orcs, dwarves, kobolds and humans all vied for control of the resources within the canyon.
At some points, these races skirmished with each other, testing their resolve. As time went on, more races seemed to crawl from the shadows within the place. Rockbiters and goblins felt they deserved their own portion of the valuables.
Some say that within the deeper veins of the canyon, battles still rage on. Most people are too concerned with the main stretch to care, however. Blacklehn has managed to move into several of the secondary passages, where they employ slave labor to work the mountains.
It is also said that dragons tend to frequent the pass, yet they give very little attention to whoever travels, fights or squabbles below.
Contestation between Raleigh and Blacklehn
Since the fall of Roark in Blacklehn, Galen Fowler’s foothold in the northern country has been impressive. His taste for expansion has grown ravenous over the years, however, and he began setting his sights on Raleigh.
Sentinel Pass was the primary point of entry into the southern country, but his initial attacks may have proved too aggressive. The people of Raleigh were able to press the Blacklehnians into the canyon once more, and developed a solid defense against any reinforcements.
The town of Sentinel was built in the south, while Fort Brandish was erected just north of Blacklehn’s entrance. Since the first battles, Sentinel Pass has been a heavily contested territory, but neither nation has been able to press far enough on either side to make a solid difference.
Michael DeAngelo
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