Khaldea

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Khaldea is a region in southern Arad, and home to the Khaldeans. It is bordered by Ivial to the east, Tol Rhun to the southeast, Nuum to the north, and Karnath (on the far side of the Quarantine Wall) to the southwest. Its west/northwest border runs along the central Spine Mountains of Arad. Its southern border consists mostly of coastline.

The land consists primarily of the following sub-regions:

• The Seven Cities sub-region is in the east, built in the most hospitable area of Khaldea with adequate water and soil conditions to support larger population centers, though still relying significantly on imports (mostly from bordering Ivial) for some essentials like food and timber. While the land itself is considered somewhat bleak and barren, the Cities built upon it are widely regarded as wondrous centers of considerable beauty and affluence, and home to the foremost libraries and universities in the known world. Thus the Seven Cities are a popular destination for scholars, merchants, and travelers in general.

• The Border Country is in the west, along the eastern face of the Spine Mountains and the Quarantine Wall. This region is mostly inhabited by the descendants of workers who were given land in exchange for agreeing to work on and maintain the Quarantine Wall, a task which has been passed down from generation to generation. The people of the Border Country are an independent lot and have done much to improve the land they were given as their own. Despite maintaining the Quarantine Wall that keeps the Hillfolk of Karnath stuck on the opposite side of the massive barrier, the Khaldeans of the Border Country have good relations with their quarantined neighbors for helping keep foreigners out of Karnath and from meddling in Hillfolk affairs.

• The Brownlands are the constantly-disputed border lands between Nuum and Khaldea. This land is in a constant state of conflict, and the ruins of more than one settlement dot the Brownlands as a result of the ceaseless fighting between the Khaldeans and the Nuum. The most hotly-contested site of all is Sanammanet, the ruins of the first city settled by immigrants and escapees from Nuum who would go on to become modern-day Khaldeans. Massive eyeless serpentine creatures known as Brown Wyrms can be found in the Brownlands and are a danger to all, adding to the already-nasty reputation of the region.

• The rest of the Khaldea region is largely dry and desolate, inhabited only by wandering nomadic tribes that know when to move on to the next water source and how to subsist on hunting the few wary creatures that roam that forsaken land. Many legends tell of hidden cities within tall rocky hills or canyon walls, but if any are real, their secrets are certainly well-kept.