The Wildlands are a vast and untamed region of plains, prairies, hills, steppes, and forests, north of the Empire of Fastheld, spanning a region between the Dragonpine Mountains to the north, the Northern Aegis to the south, and the Darklands to the west. The eastern Wildlands are as yet unexplored.
Though long assumed to be tainted with great evil derived from the Shadow following the construction of the Aegis and the great exodus of Shadow Mages that followed it six-hundred years ago, recent exploration has proven that claim to be somewhat inaccurate, though equally factual, albeit in a somewhat different way.
The Wildlands themselves are not evil, yet nor are they good. They are ruled by nature and her indifferent pragmatism to such concepts, and as such harbor sources of good and evil within their vast span of landscape.
The twisted marshes of Snake Tangle are thought to be cursed, and seem to come alive during various alignments of the moons, while the Ashlands are an utterly bleak and lifeless stretch of wastes that are best avoided at all costs.
The joint bulwark, citadel, and assumed city of Ebonhold rests to the far northwest, hidden within the depths of the Drakespine Mountains, and is believed to currently host a city filled with Shadow Magi and those that follow their unholy rule. However, those within have no desire to speak with those without, and so Ebonhold sleeps as a brewing storm of fell power for the moment.
The expansive freehold of Crown's Refuge, constructed by a combination of Light and Shadow magic in 625 ATA, can be found in the western reaches of the Drakesreach Sierra atop the Drakesreach Bluff. Here Wildlanders maintain a sanctuary that accepts all those who travel there with good intentions, existing as a source of safety and stability in a land of wild chaos.
The Jadesnake River - known as the Fastheld River in Fastheld itself - maintains an unusual south-north flow across the width of the Wildlands, flowing from within the Empire itself through the Dragonspine Mountains and beyond. However, as Ebonhold currently guards the river in the north, none have yet been able to sail through the Dragonspines to see what rests beyond.
The Azure Steppes flow in the west, playing host to lush blue grasses and a myriad of life and flora, while the equally vast Verdigris Forest thrives as a place of serenity and beauty, giving life and purpose to Crown's Refuge, though hiding a dark secret within its very heart.
The Northwatch Forest rests in the southeast, shielding the Stillwater Lake from the world around it, while protecting the ruins of the village of Northcrown within - a relic of a world before Fastheld and the Aegis.