Upheavology: The Northern Barrier Land · 8:30am Sep 2nd, 2019
The Northern Barrier Land
Terrain: Low, sloping hills cover the southern and southwestern borders of the Northern Barrier Land slowly rising until they meet with the mountains that separate the Barrier Lands from the Heartland or the ones that characterize the Western Barrier Land. The Barrier Mountains slowly turn to hills then give way to a vast grasslands for the southern half of the Northern Barrier Land then flattening our to a vast, frigid tundra farther north. Hills appear again by the farthest northern reaches of Equestria, transforming into the treacherous, jagged, Sky Fang Mountain Range that marks the territory of Wolvengard.
The Barrier Mountains are heavily forested, and are known for their evergreens. Farther north are the farms and major cities, usually built to take advantage of the large lakes that dot the southern portion. Foliage is quite rare farther north.
Population: Of the three Barrier Lands, the North is the least populated. Vast tracts of its territory are frozen wastelands perpetually battered by Fenrir’s blizzards. The scarcity of food and difficulty in acquiring water makes sustaining large populations difficult. Powerful, frigid, and frequent winds combined with vast, flat terrain makes the North particularly inhospitable to pegasi and unicorns who prefer better flying conditions and tall areas respectively. As such, all major northern settlements and most minor ones are predominantly earth pony. Still, there are enough hardy unicorns and pegasi to maintain some variety. Those born in the north tend to exhibit fierce loyalty to their homeland despite racial preferences and often stay on.
Resources: Food is comparatively scarce in the Northern Barrier Land, and limited to a variety of mosses, lichens, and other small hardy plants. It is an open secret that many legionnaires, especially pegasi on long-range patrols, have little trouble consuming the preserved rations carried by wolven knowing that wolven always eat pony meat fresh as a show of respect for their defiant foes.
The North trades wolven fur, known for its excellent insulation, lumber, and ores with the rest of the Barrier Lands. A and B Grade Wintermoss is also a prized delicacy in the West and South.
Dangers: The North enjoys very short, fleeting summers and long, bitter winters. The climate kills more ponies in the North than anywhere else. Starvation is also a frequent killer when failed harvests occur.
Wolvengard is a constantly present danger to the Northern Barrier Land, from which raiders and the rare army often come streaming out of the Sky Fang Mountains. The wolven are rapacious and love battle so much that they will ignore plunder to go after ponies. Unlike ursans, who pose very little threat to Equestria outside of an Extermination Campaign, wolven reproduce quickly and attack constantly. Being killed in battle is the best way to die for a wolven while dying in one’s sleep is the worst. Because of this, wolven will raid more and more frequently as they get older. They are merciless and often hold a special hatred for those who actually surrender to them. Wolven-pony hybrids occasionally occur in the settlements very close to the northern borders, most fall to their wolven instincts and are often executed for murder and other violent crimes.
The vast wastes are also home to other dangerous creatures such as ice worms, frost spiders, and remorhazes, and these creatures often learn that roads are good sources of prey.
Prominent Settlements - due to the harsh conditions of the North, Equestria has few prominent settlements. Far more common are smaller villages scattered across the land, typically close to some patch of resources that allow them to exist. Most settlements lie along the southern portion of the North, with only a very few stubborn ones close to Wolvengard, and these are ponies who see it as a duty to live there as a buffer for the rest of Equestria.
SummerSteel City - the largest and most populated city in the Northern Barrier Land, and considered its capital. SummerSteel is nestled beneath a ring of mountains along the Barrier Mountains, enjoying relatively warm weather, an abundance of trees, and strong natural protections. SummerSteel is well known for its foundries and supplies weapons and armor to the rest of the Northern Barrier Land.
Bastion City - the largest settlement among those close to the border between Equestria and Wolvengard. Life in Bastion City is harsh and pitiless and marked by constant news of wolven attacks. It is the primary source of legionnaires for Fangbreaker Fortress, which is the front line of defense against the wolven. The ponies here know that should any major wolven invasion come, they will be among the first to deal with it.
Glacierfall - a large town that straddles the border between the Northern and Western Barrier Land. Disputes often arise over if they are part the North or West, especially when it comes to Legion recruitment. For the most part, Glacierfall residents side with the North, though a few do take their chances with the West.
Interesting...very interesting...
This clarifies a few things. I was under the assumption that Bastion city was the capital of the North.
I'm absolutely invested in this universe. It's fascinating. I've read all the stories, and these world-building posts make a great addition to the lore of the story.
You are constructing a great universe, I am a bit sad it is not more popular. How many other good stories I am not aware of, just because only a hundred or so people had read them.