The Howling Hills are a ridge of craggy peaks that sweep from Middenheim at their western-most extent almost to Talabheim to their east. The tallest of the hills are bare and rocky, their plateaus an endless series of sodden moors covered in heather and coarse grasses, lending them a desolate aspect, while the lower ranges and deep valleys are wooded with dense and rainswept forest.[2a]
The Howling Hills were considered to be part of Hochland during the Skaven Wars of the twelfth century IC,[1a] yet are now part of Middenland according to maps of the 26th century IC.[3a] This reflects the shifting borders of the Imperial Grand Provinces over the centuries.
Geography[]
The Howling Hills are pitted and scarred, slashed by many ravines and a myriad of gorges. Many claim the gods simply dumped the remains of the Middle Mountains onto the plains. Indeed, the hills resemble a jumble of limestone and granite stretching across leagues of stone. There are no trees or bushes in this area, making it desolate and barren.[1a]
Along the entire length of the hills, the winds never tire. The hills derive their name from the dreadful, keening wail that this wind carries. Its terrible sound is loudest upon the bare peaks and takes on a low, ululating moan in the shallow dales.[2a]
Some say that it is not merely the whistling of the air that gives voice to the constant shrieking, for it as shrill and plaintive as the wailing cries of the damned, and sometimes pleas, piercing screams, and unholy threats can be caught amid its endless moans.[2a]
The eastern stretch of the Howling Hills is known as the "Howling Heights", the tallest peaks of the range. The area is home to scattered settlements of shepherds, none larger than a few huddled buildings made from rough-hewn black sandstone. The inhabitants of these villages are regarded by others as a strange and taciturn lot, their minds blasted by the ever-present winds, their dialect thick and uncouth. They are among the most superstitious people in all of the province of Middenland.[2a]
In this area lies the site of the legendary victory of Mandred Skavenslayer over the teeming hordes of the Skaven during the Skaven Wars of the 12th century IC. It was here that the ratmen were finally broken in a crushing defeat. This battle was so decisive that it caused the Under-Empire's ruling Council of Thirteen to abandon their war against the Empire altogether.[1a]
The Mandredsfeld, where the victory was achieved, is marked by a taint in the air, and bones, unnaturally whole after so long a time, still jut from the ground. Mounds created by the mass graves of long-dead Imperial soldiers litter the field. Despite the Empire's victory, the camp was ravaged by the Black Death shortly after the battle, and it is rumored that the dead do not rest easy there.[2a]
The western region of the Howling Hills is known as Räuberthal, for it is haunted by bandits and robbers, and is the haven of murderers who have fled to its creeks from hundreds of miles all around. Though lower than their counterparts to the east, these hills are equally windswept and blasted by the ever-present wailing gales that afflict the entire range.[2a]
Notable Settlements[]
- Middenstag, a fortress of the Knights Panther[4a]