Southern Shield

Overview

Southern Shield
Country Name	Primary Race	Government Type	Current Leader	Capital	Alliance
Alima	Horde	Council of Rule	Council of Rule	Alima City	HORDE
Ganit	Horde	Council of Rule	Council of Rule	Ganit City	HORDE
Alike	Horde	Council of Rule	Council of Rule	Alike City	HORDE
Istas	Horde	Council of Rule	Council of Rule	Istas City	HORDE

Topography:
The entire landmass of the southern shield is enveloped in ice. Travelers to this desolate realm will discover the towering features of the realm are serrated mountains comprised of ice penetrates the glassy surface of frost.

Location:
The Southern Shield is located at the southern most point of the planet.

Wildlife:
The barren landmass is home to several creatures including several types of flight capable and flightless birds that include the Royal penguin and the tundra lark. The waters around the Southern Shield are filled with tundra tuna and mammals that prey on such games. The shores of the Southern Shield are populated by seals during the short summer. The inhabitances of the Southern Shield hunt the wildlife for food and materials.

Plant Life:
Ice mushrooms and mosses have been found in caverns and in crevasse. The inhabitances cultivate and harvest these plants for food and materials.

The Inhabitances of the Southern Shield: Several Goblinoid races inhabit the Southern Shield. Their resistance to extreme cold weather makes them idea to survive in this land of ice and more ice.

Population of the Southern Shield:
Total Ogre population:	150,000
Total Goblin population:	3 million
Total Orc population:	1.6 million
Total Kobolds population:	800,000

Providences of the Southern Shield:
The Southern Shield is comprised of several large, medium and small items it has been divided up into four provinces named for their provincial capital. The Provinces are:

Alima (ah-LEE-mah):
The City of Alima which translates to either Skilled in Music and Dance or Sea Maiden is located on the largest natural harbor on the island. The waters just off the island allow the inhabitance to make a profitable living during the summer and survive during the winter with its abundance of life.

The city of Alima has a garrison of 1000 warriors comprised of Great Orcs that are from the Clan of the Obsidian Shark. The Kobolds have begun a project to link Alima and its nearest neighbor Ganit by means of a tunnel that will run underneath the sea floor. This tunnel would increase trade between the provinces of the Southern Shield as well as allow the more rapid movement of troops and military supplies from one province to another.

The City of Lusa which translates to Dedicated to the Goddess is the home of the Alima University. Horde universities are very different then that of other races. The primary purpose of a horde university is the storage of knowledge and artifacts. There are 20 such horde universities known to exist.

Ganit (Gah-neet):
The city of Ganit which translates to Garden is in the center of the largest island of the Southern Shield. They city and thus the provinces name may seam to be unusual for an ice encased land, however the Ogres have created a place of greenery in the heart of the whiteness. Over several hundred years Ogre master mages manipulated coal into a translucent material that they constructed a dome with. This dome measures several hundred feet high, by more than a 1000 feet in length. Once the dome was constructed the Ogres created dozens of magical towers with a sphere of energy that lives up top the towers. These towers draw energy from the sun during the summer and then emit the energy in the form of light during the long darkness of the Southern Shield winters. These towers allow for the inhabitance of Ganit to grow herbs, small amount of food crops and other plant materials.

It is said that the caverns beneath the dome there are great mushroom and moss farms. When asked one of the horde inhabitances stated that there is only so many ways you can eat moss with out spices. It is reliably reported that the primary crops grown are for components for magical materials.

The Dark Storm Clan use Ganit as a secondary home during military campaigns. To this end the Dark Storm Clan has constructed a complete underground garrison structure that has the ability to house their entire clan. The stronghold is less then a days travel from the city of Ganit.

Alike (ah-LEE-keh):
The city of Alike which translates to either The Child Sends Away or Lovely child was a present from the Goddess to the horde race. The horde has spent a great deal of time and money changing and altering several of the many natural harbors into the southern home of the Horde Grand Fleet. There are rumors that a ship can be plucked from the water with a device and placed into a barn for refit and repair. In addition several horde mages of the fire and water disciplines are employed during the winter months to keep at least two of the ports open. The assault and occupation of the continent of Mednadda in the winter of TK 1038 was launched from Alike.

Istas (EE-stahs):
The city of Istas which translates to snow was actually named by a human. The records indicate that a traveler that can through a gateway entrance came upon the horde constructing their first settlement over 1,500 years ago. When the snow began to fall the traveler called Istas trying to communicate with the members of the horde. The name stuck. The province is used to train members of the Dark Stone clan in the art of siege and fortification warfare. They have built several hundred stone fortified structures to practice this art. There are rumors that Istas is used as a horde prison for political and military prisoners.

Settlements:
The Goblins and the Ogres create their settlements by first excavating and tunneling into the ground; then using their magical forces they transform the dirt into stone. Once this is accomplished they will create a defensive border around the settlement constructed of Ice obstacles and traps.

Transportation:
The Southern Shield is Ice bound for 7 parts of the year. The only affective form of transport to the continent is a gate portal. Recent discoveries have proven that there are at least a minimum of six gate portals one at each of the four provincial capitals and two additional that the locations are not known. The only other means of transportation available at the Southern Shield are ships and most of the ships that are located at or near the Southern Shield are ships of war and the occasional merchantman during the summer months.