'THE FRIGID WASTELAND' (2860)
Once upon a time, the ancient Minotaur city of Mahn-Tor prospered
in the mountains in the southlands, allowing a brief glimpse of an
advanced civilization to flourish which other cultures envied.
Mahn-tor grew too strong too fast, and attracted many enemies bent
upon possessing its riches and knowledge. Legend says that armies
marched upon Mahn-Tor, led by other-planar beasts such as Daemons,
attracted to battle for the chance to gain a permanent foothold in
Thera.
The Minotaurs of Mahn-tor fought ruthlessly in their defense, but
the opposition was too great, nearly wiping them all out. In the
final battle, a single Minotaur paladin sacrificed himself in the
process of impaling the Daemon Lord before he could finish casting
a spell of obliteration upon the city. The spell itself, although
not complete, caused the city to sink into the mountains and shards
of ice to rain down upon the surrounding areas.
The minotaur race was scattered and nearly decimated after Mahn-tor's
fall, but the areas surrounding the old city were caught in a winter
that seemingly would never end.
Hundreds of years later, the Frigid Wasteland has endured. Scholars
and Druids have struggled to end the curse that plagues the lands.
In the mean time, a number of competing forces are once again
attracted to the area for the promise of wealth and power. Humans
have staked out a claim on the western edges of the wastes,
constructing a city-fortress to offer protection to the silver and
gem mines in the mountains. A fugitive felar slave population has
stood firm against the city expansion, and taken to defending the
wastes as if it is their home. Frost Giants have also moved into
the area, intent on making it a permanent settlement to capitalize
on raiding the northern cities and caravans.
Those who wish to travel through the wastes are advised to dress
warmly, conceal their coins well, and keep their sword arm ready.
One is almost certainly going to have to fight to survive in such
a harsh place.