Southland
From The World of Shannara
The Southland is a region in the Four Lands that correspond with the compass point, thus being in the south of the Four Lands. It is largely inhabited mostly by the Race of Men. The deep south is not visited or talked about much in most of the novels until the rise of the Federation in the The Heritage of Shannara.
Contents |
Overview
The Southland is divided up into a few main parts:
- Lands South of the Borderlands
- Lands of the Rainbow Lake
- Federation Lands
Some would include the Borderlands in areas of the Southland as there are a large number of the Race of Man in Callahorn, yet the Borderlands is truly a separate area of the Four Lands.
The Southland is bordered on the north by the Rainbow Lake, Rappahalladran, and Silver Rivers, on the east by the Lower Anar of the Eastland and on the west by the Tirfing and Irrybis Mountains of the Westland.
Lands South of Borderlands
Battlemound Lowlands
The Battlemound Lowlands lie east of the Mist Marsh and Black Oaks, while being due west of the Lower Anar. To its north lie the Silver River as it comes out of Culhaven on its way to the Rainbow Lake. It is a barren land with small hills dropping into sharp, trenchlike valleys, full of rough ground.[1] The Battlemound Lowlands are a land no settled by people and traveled by few, home to Sirens.
Black Oaks
The Black Oaks were surrounded by the Lowlands of Clete to the west, the Rainbow Lake to the north, the Mist Marsh and Battlemound Lowlands to the east, and the Prekkendorran Heights to the south. It was a dense mass of forest running from the Rainbow Lake southward for many miles, separating the highlands of Leah from the Anar like a great wall.[2]
Duln Forests
The Duln Forests are the heavy woods that surround the human community known as Shady Vale. It lies on the northern end of the Southland, bordering on the North and South by the Rappahalladron River, plains leading to the the Irrybis Mountains of the Westland in the West, and Federation lands to the south. The woods are one of the features that separates the Borderlands from the rest of the Southland. The forest is very thick with many trails through the oaks and hickories. An old forest it has a large canopy that creates a very dark passage for those unfamiliar with the terrain.
Highlands of Leah
The Highlands of Leah are a series of forested highland hills located south of the Rainbow Lake. It is surrounded by the Lowlands of Clete to the east, the Rappahalladron River to the West, and the Prekkendorran Heights to the south. The principle city of any size in the Kingdom is the city of Leah. During most of it's history the Highlands of Leah was
Kingdom of Leah
The Kingdom of Leah is one of the few monarchies remaining in all of the Southland by the time of Menion Leah during the War of the Warlock Lord. In fact it was the oldest monarchies in the Southland.[3] , which rests in a series of forested highlands. In fact everyone from the Kingdom is referred to as highlanders.
Leah
Leah refers to the city of Leah. The city is bound by stone and mortar walls which make it a welcome haven for travelers and residents alike. The city itself is comparatively smaller than many of the major cities of the Southland or the border city of Tyrsis. The entry way to the city is full of many small shops and markets, as the narrow streets lead to Leah Mansion.
Leah Mansion
The Leah Mansion which is home to the royal family of the Kings of Leah lies in the center of the city of Leah. It is a stately old mansion screened by trees and hedges that bordered carefully manicured and fragrant gardens.[3] The ancestral home of the monarchs of Leah was "a wide, two-story stone building nestled peacefully amind a cluster of spreading hickories and small gardens. The grounds were screened away from the surrounding city by high shrubbery."[4] A broad park centered around a pong lay directly across from a small walkway fronting the home. [4] Tall iron gates closed off the Mansion from the rest of the city, though generally left ajar.
Lowlands of Clete
The Lowlands of Clete spread from the highlands eastward to the Black Oaks. The Lowlands where nothing more than a dismal treacherous moor traveled by very few.[2] The Lowlands are generally mist and fog shrouded that obscures vision and nearly completely block out the sun. Everything in the Lowlands appears beaten down by a perpetual cold and damp. What little brush and small foliage there, was twisted and dying. No humans or animals lived in the Lowlands, with nothing moving, and nothing stirring and no trails through this area. Once lost in the Lowlands, one was lost forever.[5]
Mist Marsh
Shady Vale
Shady Vale lies near the center of the Duln Forests. It lies in a valley where the Duln Forests stop and some of the slopes of the valley can be very steep and treacherous. Full of Men who generally live in the Vale and rarely ever leave. Mostly built of long, low structures, each containing only a ground floor beneath a slightly sloping roof. The roof often tapers off at one side, to shelter a small veranda on the home. They are mostly constructed of wood with a stone foundation.[6]
The valley is always very cold in the early-morning, even during the summer months. It is not till the sun rises above the rim of the surrounding hills that it begins to warm up. Being within both the hills surrounding the Vale and the Duln Forests, Shady Vale is well sheltered, both from outsiders and harsh weather.[7]
Ohmsford Inn
The Ohmsford Inn was in the Ohmsford family for many years. It was a large structure constructed of huge logs cut and laced on a stone foundation, consisting of a main building with a lounging porch and two long wings that extended out and back to either side. The roof was much higher than most of the family dwellings though of the common shingle roof. The main building was well light at night time to create a welcoming atmosphere though the wings where generally darker to allow the guests to sleep well.[6]
The lounging room was large, filled with high-backed chairs, benches adn several long, heavy wooden tables. A huge fireplace built into the center wall provides much warmth and light in addition to tall candles in the wall and on the tables. In the back were double doors leading to the kitchen, while along the right wall was a long serving bar. [8]
Lands of the Rainbow Lake
Rainbow Lake
Rappahalladran River
Silver River
Mist Marsh
Federation Lands
Dechtera
In the time of the Second War of the Races, Dechtera was home to the finest smiths outside the Troll nation. The city was sprawled across a plain between low-lying hills that ran north and south. Dechtera was an industrial monster, with a huge number of smiths and their stores, easily within reach from the other major Southland cities and set close to the mines that served it needs. It was large, far larger than any of the other cities that lay to the north, including the border cities There where homes and shops in Dechtera, but mostly there was furnaces, they burned without ceasing, grouped in clusters throughout the city. As such it was a city that generated an oppressive heat on a constant basis. Work going on in the city day and night, with the ring if hammers and anvil audible at all hours of the day and night.
References
- ^ Brooks, Terry (1977). The Sword of Shannara pp. 124
- ^ 2.0 2.1 Brooks, Terry (1977). The Sword of Shannara pp. 85
- ^ 3.0 3.1 Brooks, Terry (1977). The Sword of Shannara pp. 76
- ^ 4.0 4.1 Brooks, Terry (1977). The Sword of Shannara pp. 78
- ^ Brooks, Terry (1977). The Sword of Shannara pp. 88-89
- ^ 6.0 6.1 Brooks, Terry (1977). The Sword of Shannara pp. 11-12
- ^ Brooks, Terry (1977). The Sword of Shannara pp. 19
- ^ Brooks, Terry (1977). The Sword of Shannara pp. 13
| Places and Locations in the Shannara World |
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Borderlands · Eastland · Forbidding · Northland · Paranor · Southland · Westland |
