Once the seat of the Thassilonian Empire, this land was brought low by Earthfall and remained wild for thousands of years, inhabited only by barbarian tribes known as the Shoanti and the nomadic Varisian survivors of Thassilon’s fall. In 4405 ar, Chelish soldiers drove the warlike Shoanti into the rugged regions to the northeast, while colonists adopted a tenuous peace with the native Varisians. It was at this time that the ancient frontier came to be known as Varisia.

Although no central government controls Varisia, three city-states have emerged, each of which could someday claim control over the region: Korvosa, a city of Chelish loyalists ruled by a monarchy but cleaving close to Cheliax; cosmopolitan Magnimar, where with enough luck and skill, anyone can rise to a place of power; and dangerous Riddleport, a city of crime lords and academics studying the remnants of Thassilon’s artifacts.

Varisia remains a true wilderness. Along the coastal reaches, hundreds of goblin tribes dwell in sea caves and thistle-thick woodlands. Farther inland, ogres and trolls hold court on rugged mountaintops and in deep forest glens. Yet the true lords of the wildlands are the giants, descended from the slave castes of ancient Thassilon, and their periodic raids against humanity make for constant and brutal reminders that this realm is far from tame.

Sandpoint

Founded in 4666 ar along the Lost Coast, just a day’s ride north of Magnimar, Sandpoint has grown into a rustic and prosperous town of just over 1,200 citizens. The town has dealt with a number of disasters in the past 5 decades, including several powerful storms, goblin uprisings, trouble with dragons, devastating fires, and deranged serial killers. Yet Sandpoint weathered these trials and emerged stronger after each one. Today, the town hosts several thriving industries (including lumber, fishing, farming, and glassblowing) as well as a number of unique businesses and entertainment venues. The town seems comfortable in its transitory position between rural charm and urban convenience, and is a healthy and vibrant settlement despite its slow growth.

Brinestump Marsh

Brinestump Marsh is a relatively small region, but it’s fantastically overgrown with vegetation. Given the frequent stretches of muddy bogs and snaking waterways, moving through the marsh is a tiring and frustrating procedure.

The marsh itself is bounded on its southern edge by a cliff that rises an average of 40 feet from the wetlands below to the moors above. Brinestump Marsh extends just over 2 miles at its widest
point (measuring from the southwest to the northeast). The wetland is a tangle of nettles, reeds, and other swamp plants often supplemented by larger vegetation—cypress, eucalyptus, oak, and willow trees mostly.

The wetlands is known to be the home of a couple of goblin tribes though their numbers have always been kept down by the marsh’s natural and un-natural dangers and their own in-fighting. Sandpoint’s self appointed defender, Shelalu also often makes trips into marsh to cull their numbers and she is feared boogey-man amongst the gobbos.

Brinewall Village

The colony of Brinewall was founded over 250 years ago in 4442. Construction on Brinewall Castle began soon thereafter, but funding problems and several disasters along the way slowed construction to a crawl. The worst disaster to strike occurred when the castle’s partially completed eastern wall collapsed into a cavern network below. Hideous demon-worshiping creatures known as dire corbies emerged from the now-exposed cavern complex to attack the colony, and final construction on castle was not completed until 4469.

After Magnimar was founded in 4608, Brinewall finally began to come into its own—trade picked up, and several important and powerful merchants, among them the Kaijitsus, took an interest in helping the town grow. But Brinewall never saw the success that visited Korvosa, Magnimar, and Riddleport, and finally fell to an enemy more swift and efficient in dealing death than the dire corbies, Nolanders, and Linnorm Kingdoms raiders combined. The oni of the Five Storms, working with allied ninja of the Frozen Shadows guild, swept in and slaughtered the entire population of the small village during a terrible storm. They then overran the castle itself and finished the task of slaying every resident within. The final battles took place in the castle donjon, where both commander Andril Kortun and Rokuro Kaijitsu were among the last to fall. The oni chose to make examples of these two, using dark magic to transform them into undead before they left Brinewall to its fate.

Rumours
The Soggy River Monster was seen again, this time by a fisherman on the New Fish Trail. He said it stood taller than a man, had white skin, and had a mouth that opened up all the way down its neck. It was eating what looked like a goblin on the far side of the river, which is why the farmer managed to escape.

The Licktoad Goblins have never been much of a problem before, but now that they’ve found all those fireworks, they seem braver, that’s for sure. Some folks say that they’ve even learned how to make them, and that they’re getting ready set Sandpoint on fire!