The Land of Hith

Land of Hith

Overview

The Land of Hith is at the heart of an evil empire whose entire bent is the destruction of good and law and whose master, Hith, covets the throne of Herophet as his own. To this end, Hith, one of the Aslah who has made his home upon Arrasia, desires no less than the destruction of Karnish and all the free nations and the defeat of Zykerathox.

Ever since Hith rose from the darkness of the bowels of the Great Barrier Mountains, he has been at war with Karnish and in latter years, also with many of his evil Aslah brethren. The Land of Hith is a barren wasteland, surrounded on all sides by the constantly erupting volcanoes that have scorched and burnt much of the land. The ground often shakes violently, with cracks and fissures opening and giving access to the depths below. One such fissure, a great rupture over one hundred miles long and thirty miles wide, is said to have opened up a gateway that allows the dead to freely pass into this world. Indeed, the dead are said to walk the Land of Hith as humans walk Karnish. The air is filled with dust that is swept up by the dry wind and unnatural heat is heavy, oppressive, and ever constant. Even the wind scorches the flesh.

Populated with evil humanoids, humans and large tribes of ogres and giants, the Land of Hith is a deadly and difficult land to traverse. The mountains are home to many evil and ancient dragons, which find the fire of the mountains to their liking. The desolate lands are scattered with pockets of shantytowns, semi-permanent settlements where everything is fought over and where life has little value. The orcs are spread across the Lands of Hith, from the settlements to large underground caves in the mountains.

Hith himself resides in Obersî, one of three great black fortresses that are home to the most powerful and loyal of his subjects. Urajex is home to the Black Acolytes, the priests and fanatic followers of Hith, while the terrible fortress of Ornach houses the vilest of his servants. The Tower of Souls and Tower of the Dead, which guard the most accessible entrance into the Land of Hith, are rumored to be populated by powerful lich lords, ancient and terrible, and that their dark towers are terrifying and deadly. Akkenmon Fortress guards access to the Land of Hith itself.

Unable to penetrate the well-placed and heavily manned defenses put in place by Karnish and pushed back by the forces of Zykerathox, Hith has set about enlarging his empire by consuming the nearby lands and populating them with his own evil followers. These lands have gone under the name of Hithanon, which is made up of three major areas: North Hithanon, which defends the gateway to what was once Vidor, but which is now at the very heart of his conflcit with Zykerathox, a largely unpopulated area, but which is the most fertile of the lands and supplies the produce which sustains the Land of Hith and Hithanon; and Hithanon, a large rocky land, dotted with volcanoes. Jerad and Nizhst, violent tribal nations, have also been consumed into the greater Hith Empire, though are largely left to their own devices.

With these extra lands and the growing populations that they help support, Hith has a constant and ready source for his armies and which allowed him to quickly recover from the treachery of Zykerathox and force him into battle in the very heart of Arrasia. Much of Hith's incoherent thoughts are now bent on Zykerathox and the throne of Herophet and he is slowly amassing a vast army of goblins and foul creatures with which he intends to sweep his enemies aside.

Brief History

The Snake Lord, Hith, is said to have once been a great wizard who traveled the cosmos in search of the Fountain of the Immortals and with it the promise of immortality and a place amongst the Aslah. After a great journey, he finally stood before the fountain and took a sip of the water, so cool amongst the scorching fires of Tuska, and felt the liquid of the gods imbue him with its essence. However, unlike those who had gone before him, who had either found immortality or madness or death, Hith was both blessed and cursed, for he received his greatest desire, to join the ranks of the immortals, but was also driven insane and a great evil passed into him.

Hith hid in the bowels of the Great Barrier Mountains. At first he wandered alone, his mind consumed with pain and anguish, but slowly he built a legion of followers, which grew until he thought himself powerful enough to challenge the might of Xagraxsus. There was a great war between them, but Hith had miscalculated the power of Xagraxsus, as indeed many had done before him, and was defeated and driven from the darkness of the world below the surface, with his still vast army in tow.

With nowhere to go, his army poured out of the darkness and onto the Great Barrier Mountains, where Hith immediately switched his attention to the land of Ghent and his black army swept down and wreaked their havoc. Hith pushed on relentlessly, sweeping aside Eastdale and then into the northern Karnish satellite states of Yeod and Badathur. It was on the battlefields outside of Northport, after Karnish had mustered the strength of its army from all the corners of its empire, that saw this black tide turned.

After a great siege of the city of Northport, which was on the verge of falling to the black army that was encamped outside their walls, ranks of Karnish soldiers appeared and the Battle of Northport saw the invading forces routed and forced the first retreat of the Hith army. Hith made a final stand on the fields of Mayvern, where his forces had occupied the keep there. A great battle which lasted for two days, but which saw Hith comprehensively defeated, forced his army to retreat in disarray.

Forced ever northwards and with Karnish consuming the lands that they liberated, Hith eventually retreated through Echopass. Despite a desperate last ditch attempt by Karnish to stop them, the pass allowed Hith a defensive position that not even the greatest army in Arrasia could overcome. So it was that Hith claimed that land as his own, built the three black fortresses and began to rebuild his army until he could once again march against Karnish and see the lands burn.

Despite attempts to force the Karnish army to retreat, his army was no longer the force it once had been and he was instead forced to spread his empire into the wild lands which became known as Hithanon, with the tribal nations of Jerad and Nizhst also soon falling under his sway. As the vile population of these regions grew, however, so did the power and might of Hith. His raids and attacks on Karnish grew until they were almost constant. But in his madness, Hith did not see the betrayal of Zykerathox coming and was entirely outmaneuvered when he declared his hand for the throne of Herophet, with Zykerathox using the very forces of Karnish against him. Outmaneuvered, Hith was forced to retreat and bide his time, allowing Zykerathox ascend the throne of Herophet, which he had himself so long coveted. He quickly rebuilt his forces and launched them against the tide of Zykerathox's armies, who had consumed much of the Karnish empire, and a new chaos fell upon Arrasia. But Hith is yet to declare his hand, as he has been mustering his forces en masse and is preparing a massive invasion though Echo Pass against the new master of Herophet.

The Major Towns and Cities

Obersî: (pop: unknown) A large, permanent shantytown has grown up around the dark fortress where Hith has made his home. It is unknown how many actually dwell there, though there are for certain many thousands. Primarily human, but with large numbers of humanoids, the shantytown is a ramshackle and violent place, the scorched air and earth making life harsh and uncomfortable. It is no place for the unwary or unprepared, for life has no meaning here and chaos reigns. The tower itself is a vast, seemingly chaotic structure that watches over everything with a brooding menace.

Organizations

The Black Acolytes
Those who belong to this secret organization are ferociously loyal to their Lord and it is they that administer his decrees and interpret his ramblings. It is through The Black Acolytes that Hith has seen his power grow once again.

Important Personages

Hith: A great evil swept through the world when Hith emerged from the Great Barrier Mountains after his failed war with Xagraxsus and he has since made his home here. He is said to have been driven insane by drinking the water from the Fountain of the Immortals and that his thoughts are as chaotic as the land over which he is now master.


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