The world
This campaign takes place on a peninsula known to its Southern half as ‘Breheima’ and to its Northern half as ‘The Hammerhead Coast’, or simply ‘The Hammer’. An imposing and difficult to cross mountain - the Crooked Spine - separates the two to such a degree that most commoners, save for the particularly well-learned or -travelled, have little to no knowledge of their neighbours to the south to this day.
Communication and trade between the two is achieved mostly via sea routes, in which the northern half – with its plentiful forests, rivers and coastal settlements – is by far the more dominant party. There are also some mines and underground passageways through the spine, although the territorial nature of the underdark-dwelling species that call the mountains their home means these are uncommon and rarely used. Because of this disconnect, the two halves have developed very different cultures living more or less in isolation of each other.
Breheima
The southern part of The Hammer, known for its large desert – the Sand Sea, its treacherous craggy badlands, and its dry, arid forests. It is a harsh environment to live in but is rich in mineral resources and in culture – in thanks due to frequent exchange between once nomadic tribes. Breheima was annexed thousands of years ago by the southern kingdom of Thalmiria. Thalm Sashari and Thalm Samut now form twin cities overlooking the Trader’s Gate, an important strait for commerce between continents - making them the most powerful trading hubs in the region.
There are but a few scattered permanent settlements in the Sand Sea, tight knit communities that arise around a natural oasis or other resource – often with the support of a local wizard or druid. In many of these, exile is the most common form of punishment for those that bring harm to their community, as lone travellers tend not to survive a trek through the desert and will meet their fate before long. If they are lucky, these stragglers are picked up by one of the many bandit groups that hide in the sands and stalk the overland trade routes along the coast - where they may even join the ranks. Most, however, get sold off in Thalm Sashari to the highest bidder, or meet a darker fate…
Some sort of oasis in the northern part of the Sand Sea holds a city: Koh'Shar. It's the biggest city in the Sand Sea.
Rosaria (The Hammer)
The larger, northern part of The Hammer has a much cooler climate and is known for its rolling hills and plains, its sun-soaked valleys encircled by dark, sprawling woodland, and its many meandering rivers. It is part of the kingdom of Rosaria, presided over by its king from the city of Royal Rosaria at the foot of Mt. Coronet, overlooking the Breheiman sea.
The hammer has seen many (attempted) invasions throughout its history due to its status as the breadbasket of the region, although the kingdom of Rosaria has endured for almost three generations now. It has become a powerful nation with villages, towns and cities of all sizes thriving under the leadership of a firm but fair monarchy. They have a plethora of natural resources and maintain healthy trade relationships with surrounding continents – even those that at some point attempted to conquer them. Whereas the coastal regions of the hammer are known for their cultural diversity, the heartland tends to be a bit more sheltered and traditional, with some settlements still bearing deep grudges against former invaders and the magic they once wielded against them.