The South Wind blows up the Great River, crossing varied Squat lands, rippling across the Onto and continuing through the enemy realms of Rhanto and Hattan, but little is known of this part of the world. Past Vimary, the Great River widens and deepens, briefly becoming turbulent as it sweeps past the mouth of the Otter. The hills recede, and the many streams running through the lowlands to join the Great River create wide marshes. Past the west bank are the hilly lands of the Horse Squats, while the plains of the east eventually give way to dense forests.
The Great River Marshes
South of Vimary, at the northern border of the marshes, a Squat tribe called the Carilon live on the island of Cortu. They have survived for many years by raiding barges, the Lock Keepers, and (when desperate) the River Squats. The Carilon are so good at raiding and vanishing that many suspect they have assistance from elsewhere.
The Great River Lake, the High Mountains, and Surrounds
The marshes become less prevalent near the Great River Lake, giving way to grassy plains with rich soil. The lake is massive, and badly polluted, clean only in comparison to the Black Lake or the lakes of Tiskagin. The animals that live in the waters of the Great River Lake are sparse and sickly, and the lake's water should not be drunk except out of desperation. Various Squats (specifically the Novohuron and the Oneida), and two bands of Keepers, live in and around the lake.
The Thousand Isles are just beyond the mouth of the Great River. Aside from a few Novohuron villages, they are notable for the town of Wolf, on the island of the same name. Similar to Adawe in the west, Wolf is neutral territory for trade between peoples, overseen by the Novohuron. Along the northern shore, near Wolf, is the entrance to the Gana River, whose waters run red from Lake Harls on down. Both red and white clay is available in the Harls, and a band of Derelict Keepers make their home here.
Southeast of the Great River Lake are the Great Falls, where the lake empties into the Gullet River far below. The Falls are holy both to the Novohuron and the Oneida, and both people have altars and shrines nearby.
On both shores of the Falls are the intact World Before buildings that house Keepers that the Tribes and Squats call Arc Priests. They live in brightly-lit and heavily-fortified homes, defended from Oneida and Novohuron alike.
East of the Great River Lake and south of the lowlands, beyond the plains and forests, stretch the High Mountains. They are a place of powerful spirits, although rumours speak of an exiled Z'bri lord there.
Rhanto
Upon the Onto's western shore rest the ruins of a World Before city larger even than Vimary. Much of the city is flooded and overgrown, its ancient towers reaching up above the waters and mounds of rubble forming small islands. A single great tower at the city's centre watches over the entire ruin, a metal spire rising from the water and twinkling with mysterious lights. Though clearly under Z'bri control, it lacks the grotesque architecture that normally marks their homes.
The one exception is the wall of smoke and flame that encircles the city. The smoke is thick, black and oily, and hangs in the air over the city heedless of wind or storm. It billows forth from the neck-high flames that spew from cracks in the ground. The flames run around the city, from coast to coast. Near the lake, the water steams and boils when it comes too close to the flame, which is the manifestation of the Curtain of Hate encircling the city in the River of Dream, fuelled by the spirits of the dead.
The Oneida Lands
The exact boundaries of Oneida territory are unknown to the people of Vimary, but it is known that they are boxed in by the Novohuron, Leox and Boarhead's Confederacy closer to the lands of the Tribes.
Further south, most Oneida villages are located along the Hud and Hawk Rivers. They become more common closer to Hattan, where their Mistresses live. The Hud runs south through a wide, fertile valley from near Lac-Ampan to Hattan. The Hawk flows east from a lake near Onondaga, runs between the Gheny Plateau and the High Mountains, and eventually joins the Hud.
The main Oneida settlement near the Great River Lake is Owaygo, built among half-flooded ruins of the World Before near the mouth of the Owaygo River, to the east of the Great Falls. Down the Owaygo River is a much larger Oneida settlement named Onondaga, once called Syr by its now-enslaved Squat residents. Onondaga is marked by the architectural features typical of larger Oneida settlements, including an enormous ziggurat built from rubble and human skin.
Hattan and Beyond
A massive city built on an island of the same name in the Hud, Hattan is a place of towering pyramids, lavish displays of bronze and gold, red tattoos, robes and blood, and structures of flesh even the Z'bri of the H'l Kar might envy. From here, the Mistresses of Hattan work their dark magic, enjoy their debaucheries and rule their people. How far south their influence stretches, none can say.