Editing Setting:Hail and Kill (section)

===The Wastelands===
{{Topquote|Playing for the high one, dancing with the devil<br />You win some, lose some, it's all the same to me<br />The pleasure is to play, makes no difference what you say<br />I don't share your greed, the only card I need is the Ace of Spades|''Ace of Spades'', Motörhead}}

To the east of the grassy plains, hills and forests of Tyrnoth lies the dreaded Wastelands. Not a unified land by any means, the Wastelands are home to over a half-a-hundred petty kings ever-feuding with one another for useless land and the little resources to be had. The terrain is covered with hard, infertile dirt, sand, and rock, the landscape varying from dunes of shifting sand to great sun-scorched mountains and canyons, to plains of flat infertile land. Arkdam is notorious for dumping its industrial waste here, causing the Wastelands to be dotted with lakes of toxic sludge and women living near them to give birth to mutants. Villages often wall themselves off to defend themselves from bands of raiders that roam the Wastelands on motorcycle, horseback and larger vehicles. To think a millennium ago, the region was once green, fertile, and home to the center of Ferrumgardic civilization. There are many old ruins here and the Lost City of Metallicus, the capital of the Old Empire, is fabled to be buried somewhere in the sands of the Wastelands, waiting to be uncovered by a sandstorm. Tension is high and duels are common, be it by sword, spell, or song. Travel is difficult, for the ever-present dangers of raider and beast. The gristled citizens of the wasteland tend to follow the White God, if any at all, or less commonly, the Old Gods. The de facto capital of the Wastelands is Tartarus, an urban trade city. Don't go out here on foot, you won't make it long on foot.

====Tartarus====
Unquestioningly the center of wealth in the Wastelands, Tartarus is a veritable oasis of safety from the marauding raider bands. However, inside the impenetrable walls of Tartarus, travelers are at the mercy of the thieves, gangsters, slavers, and other unsavory characters beyond count. As the Rail runs through the city, Tartarus also acts as a waypoint for trade goods. In fact, it is said that for the right price, almost anything can be found and bought in Tartarus. From his keep within the city reigns the Lord Protector Anhast, who plots to unite the Wastelands and bring stability to the troubled region- even if it means having the raider lords bend the knee, but continue their oppressive reigns as his vassals.

====The Cult of Kainus, Crystal Mountain====
[[image:Kvltofkainus.jpg|right|thumb|The Cult of Kainus]]
In the rocky, sandblasted region of the Wastelands lies the ominous Crystal Mountain. This gigantic, copper-colored landmark is the home of the Cult of Kainus, a blood cult of the Raven Prince. Their massive temple, named the Festering Palace, is built right into the mountainside, where the cultists hang their kidnapped victims, living or dead, from meat hooks to be sacrificed in blood ritual to summon demons and spread curses upon their enemies. The cultists typically wear black robes with pointed, featureless hoods, devoid of even eye holes. The military arm of the cult wear grimy black armor with their trademark hoods.

====The Skaggar Dominion, Northern Wastelands====
Once a savage gladiator and a member of the High Council of Drakenos, Lord Skaggar was unpopular among the Council for his harsh temper and habit of declaring duels for the most minor of slights- always to the death. He is noted for his immense size, ominous spiked armor and twin dragonsteel broadswords, Agrun and Vekna, enchanted with flaming blades. His downfall in Drakenos began when he proposed a more expansionist agenda, claiming that Drakenos had more than enough military might to unite Ferrumgard under its rule. Rumors began to arise; whispers of plans to overthrow the Council and unite the hordes under one Emperor. Many claimed he consorted with the Raven Prince's demons and sold his soul for otherworldly power. The tension against him in the Council erupted one night, after a heated argument over his character. Skaggar accused the Council of being cowards and weaklings. Without warning, Skaggar drew his swords and cut down several members of the Council, wounding and maiming several others. He escaped Drakenos, slaying anyone in his way, and is said to have walked straight into the sea as a ferocious storm raged.

For several months, it was thought that he had gone insane and killed himself... until reports came of a hulking beast of a man in spiked armor walking right into the stronghold of a petty raider lord in the northern Wastelands, slaughtering almost everyone inside and declaring himself Lord Skaggar, Future Emperor of Drakenos. With the help of the surviving raiders (now his minions) and the black magic of the Raven Prince, he was able to amass an army and carve out a growing domain in the northern Wastelands. Ruling from the dreaded Keep of Thorns, the Skaggar Dominion proves to be a threat to Tartarus' unification ambitions and prospective Wasteland holdings.

====The Waste Kings====
To call these despots "kings" is almost a mockery of the term. Most are little more than eccentric brigands, often granting themselves meaningless titles of "Lord", "King", "God-Emperor", and the like with hordes of common waste raiders as their loyal "knights." Others are honest about their occupation and revel in their notoriety as feared and hated marauders. Those who do not settle in camps use makeshift forts or the ruins of ancient keeps as their strongholds and home-bases.