Geografia (Geography)

(Estratto dalle fonti raw locali; il testo originale è mantenuto in larga parte in inglese per preservare termini e formulazioni. Le note tra parentesi quadre sono riferimenti presenti nelle fonti.)

Geography

"The mountains that ring the three sides of the natural lands of the Empire are like the walls of a stout castle. These days, however, those walls are so thinly manned that the castle looks set to fall."
—Albert Kornhammer, priest of Sigmar[1a]

The Empire is a vast region at the heart of the Old World that consists of a multitude of landscapes and biomes. The domains that recognise Imperial authority usually encompasses the lands in between the three large mountain ranges that occupy the Empire's eastern, southern and western borders.[1a]

The northern border is usually defined along the shores of the Sea of Claws within Nordland, whilst the north-eastern border is usually not as well-defined. In theory, the border between Kislev and the Empire is often defined by the edge of the Great Forest and the Forest of Shadows. However, this has not always been the case, and perhaps the most well-defined border between the two realms is along the banks of the Upper Talabec River and the edge of the Forest of Shadows.[1a]

Within this large territory, the lands of the Empire are often further divided between several distinct regions with varying environments. The lands of the northern Empire usually consist almost entirely of large swaths of forest and uninhabited wilderness, whilst the lands to the south are comprised of fertile plains fit for large-scale agriculture.[1a]

Ramparts of Stone

The mountains that encompass the southern borders of the Empire is the Black Mountains, a range of mountains that branches out from the greater Worlds Edge Mountains. This massive region of treacherous terrain is a natural border that divides the Empire from the frontiers of the Border Princes. The most viable route through the mountains lies within a region known famously as Black Fire Pass. This pass serves as an important trade route for the Empire, as it follows the ancient road system that connects the city of Averheim with that of the Dwarfish capital of Karaz-a-Karak. The southern borders are also a frequent hotspot for marauding armies of Greenskin invaders hoping to plunder the lands of the Empire, with Black Fire Pass being the most obvious route. As such, the province of Averland is usually given the duty to protect the southern borders of the Empire from enemy invasions.[1a][2e]

The mountains that encompass the western borders of the Empire is perhaps the least treacherous of all the bordering mountain ranges. The Grey Mountains act as a buffer zone for the territories of the kingdom of Bretonnia and that of the Empire, although in the Bretonnian case, the entire Grey Mountain range belongs to the dukedoms of Montfort and Parravon respectively. However, such a claim is always disputed with the Dwarfs of the Grey Mountains, who built Dwarf Holds such as Karak Norn, Karak Ziflin, and Karak Azgaraz long before the founding of Bretonnia.[1a][2e]

There are about three passes that can be used to move through these mountains, which usually consist of the Gisoreux Gap to the north, the Axe Bite Pass in the centre, and the Grey Lady Pass to the south. Although these mountains are less dangerous than other mountain ranges, the Grey Mountains are known to have the fewest mineral deposits within the whole of the Old World.[1a][2e]

Perhaps the greatest and largest of these mountains lies to the east, within the towering peaks of the Worlds Edge Mountains. Considered by many to be the homeland of the Dwarfs, this mighty mountain range stands like a titanic wall that separates the civilised lands of the Old World from the horrors and warfare of the distant east. As such, it is undisputedly one of the most dangerous mountain ranges within the Old World.[1a][2e]