o the northeast of the Drakwald Deeps, the Drakwald forest grows cold as the land rises into the Draken Downs, birches giving way to pines as the forest crosses into the Grand Duchy of Middenland. The soil here has always been poor, and the climate harsh. The people of Middenland are by necessity tough and rugged, for theirs is a hard existence, a constant struggle against hunger, cold and the dangers of the trackless forests.

To the northeast of Middenland are the untamed peaks of the Middle Mountains. These are home not only to Orcs and other natural foes of men, but also to the largest populations of monstrous beasts in the Old World. Some fanciful tales have it that even such bizarre and rare creatures as manticores and jabberwocks nest there and that, in the cold depths of winter, they prowl from their mountain dens to prey upon the lands of Men. Perhaps it is no great surprise that the notorious Black Orc Warlord Grimgor Ironhide has made his current base in the Middle Mountains, seeking to slay or enslave such beasts for his own sadistic amusement.

It is little wonder that such a land has a deity as harsh as Ulric for its patron. The Wolf God is venerated by the Middenlanders simply because he is as unforgiving as the country he watches over, and demands of his followers the strength they need to survive there. Though Ulric has no time or sympathy for the weak, those who show strength of body and character will gain both his favour and his respect and thus, perhaps, his blessing in their continued fight for survival.

As with so much of the Great Forest, the Draken Downs are afflicted with ever-increasing numbers of Beastmen living and breeding beneath the dark forest canopy and in its hidden, thicketed valleys. Boris Todbringer, the Elector Count and Grand Duke of Middenland, is particularly robust in his persecution of such creatures and sends out his troops every year to sweep the woods of these monsters. He knows only too well that to allow their numbers to swell is to invite destruction. Should they ever combine their efforts with those of the followers of Chaos to the far north, the alliance could bring down disaster upon the entire Empire.

Regions of the Great Forest

For information on the locations within this region, see the Warroom when it open on June 25, 2007.

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