The middle child of the Widebarrow mountain states, Dern occupies the central peaks between Thorum's northern strongholds and Mez's nightmare warrens below. A kingdom defined by siege, the grinding generational kind rather than the dramatic. The Lyzine have been coming up from below for centuries. The Dernish have been pushing them back down for just as long.
For full political details, see the state entry.
Settlements
Dodi (Capital) — The capital clings to a defensive valley in the central mountains, built around the entrance to the oldest Dernish mines. Perhaps 15,000 people live here. The city is constructed in concentric rings: the outermost residential districts can be abandoned and sealed if Lyzine break through; the inner fortress holds the palace, the armories, and the deepest food stores.
Foster (Town) — A fortified town on the northeastern border where Dern meets Shyona. Guards the only reliable pass between the two nations. The town's 3,000 residents are a mix of Dernish soldiers, merchants, and Shyonan observers.
Lush (Village) — A small village of perhaps 800 souls, tucked into an interior valley that sees the most sun in all of Dern. The name is aspirational—Lush is merely less bleak than its neighbors. Families who've served their deep-debt sometimes retire here.
Geographic Features
Central Widebarrow Range — Less dramatic than Thorum's Steadfast peaks but more extensive. Below the surface, the mountains are honeycombed with natural caves, ancient mines, and Lyzine-carved tunnels. Deeper still, below the deepest Dernish shafts, below the Lyzine tunnels, in geological strata that have never been mapped, the Hestrube move through living granite. The Dernish know they are down there. They have long since decided to leave them to it.
Promisewood — A forested slope on the northwest border descending toward Avalon. Essential for timber. Named for the marriage pacts it witnessed when Dern and Avalon's royal houses allied three centuries ago.