Ursk

• A secretive magocracy in the Northern Green Sea

Ursk is a secretive civilization on the north coast of the Green Sea. Rumors are that it is a land of wizards and magic, of ice and snow, of monsters and secret treasure. While outsiders are allowed to trade at a handful of port cities, including Zakat and Praznitsky, the warehouses and docks of these cities are kept isolated from the city proper, and foreigners are not allowed to pass the borders. Trade with Ursk, however, is worth the hassle, for the valuable hides, furs, and other monster parts, especially the most prized of all, dragonhide from the northern wastes.

Ursk itself lies largely on the lowland coastal plains, south of the highlands and plateaus that extend all the way west to northern Vostok and the Sembara Highlands. The winters are long and cold, and the westerly winds off the Green Sea bring snow from October to May. But the short summers are pleasant and the long days of June and July make some agriculture possible. Much like the central plateaus of Vostok, this is a land of many small, cold rivers, and with the maritime influence wetlands are common, especially along the coast. To the north, the vast taiga of the northern wastes extends are far as one can travel, until it is replaced by tundra in the higher elevations and the far north.

The people of Ursk speak their own tongue. Common is rarely spoken, although the trade tongue of the far east, Eastros, is more common. None speak Sembaran or any tongue of the western isles.

Rumors

The northern coasts between Skaegenland and Ursk are inhospitable, with few or no safe harbors, generally sheer cliffs and rocky coasts, and no ports. Who or what lives there is anyone’s guess, and no one has ventured into the interior and returned. But many rumors fly:
- The Last Kingdom of the Giants
- Fierce snow elves
- Shapeshifters and changelings
- A hidden kingdom of wizards who fled the destruction of Drankor
- A kingdom of wild folk led by a queen who can turn into a massive winter wolf at will
- The kingdom of giant eagles
- A dense cold forest of talking trees who attack and kill any wooden ship that attempts to anchor
- The secret kingdom of a vampire who snacks on unwary sailors