RALAR REGION

The Ralar Region is a vast, ice-covered expanse on the Dark Side of VOI 700 D. Spanning approximately 80,000 square kilometers — roughly the size of the Czech Republic on Earth — this region is among the coldest and most treacherous landscapes on the planet. Unlike the Habitual Belt, where eternal twilight provides some warmth, the Ralar Region exists in perpetual darkness, with freezing temperatures dominating its barren tundras.

The region takes its name from Ralar, an active volcano located in the southeast, which serves as a rare source of geothermal heat. This volcano has shaped the environment in profound ways, influencing the shoreline of the Dark Sea Region and giving rise to geothermal caves that sustain unique lifeforms. The region's western boundary is marked by the towering Atrana Mountains, forming a stark border with the Asari Region of the Habitual Belt.

To the north and east, the Vazhak Region marks the true edge of the known Dark Side. This uncharted and dangerous land is notorious for unstable ice fields, deep crevasses, and deadly magnetic storms, making it nearly impossible to explore. Some claim strange anomalies occur there, but few who venture into Vazhak ever return.

To the southeast, the Dark Sea Region extends into the frozen abyss, covering an immense expanse of permanently ice-locked ocean. While most of the Dark Sea is inaccessible, the shoreline near Ralar Volcano creates a rare microclimate, where geothermal activity keeps small patches of water ice-free, supporting limited but unusual life. This makes the coastal waters of Ralar one of the few scientifically valuable locations in an otherwise barren deep-sea wasteland.

Due to its proximity to Exohuman settlements, the western Ralar Region is the most explored area of the Dark Side, home to the Exohuman settlement Firetown and the Federal Geothermal Power Plant, a critical energy source for Exohuman infrastructure in the Beta and Gamma Age.

The Ralar Region is one of the coldest environments on VOI 700 D, with temperatures ranging from -30°C to -70°C across its ice deserts, tundras, and glacial valleys. However, due to geothermal activity near the Ralar Volcano, localized temperature fluctuations occur, creating microclimates in specific areas.

Its borderlands—where it meets the Asari Region, Vazhak, and the Dark Sea Region—exhibit distinct climatic shifts, shaped by their geothermal, oceanic, and topographical influences.

The western border of the Ralar Region meets the Atrana Mountains, which separate it from the Asari Region of the Eastern Equatorial Section of Habitual Belt. While Asari experiences twilight conditions, Ralar is cast in perpetual darkness, making this transition zone particularly harsh. The key environmental factors include:

• Colder wind currents funneled through mountain passes, dropping temperatures rapidly.
• Ice-covered valleys where residual twilight exposure allows minimal warmth, creating slightly less extreme conditions than the deeper Dark Side.
• Katabatic winds, flowing from the high-altitude ridges down into the tundra, increasing windchill effects and making navigation hazardous.

The eastern frontier of the Ralar Region meets Vazhak, a largely uncharted and severely inhospitable expanse deep in the Dark Side. Since only the borderlands of Vazhak have been explored, its full extent remains unknown. Some scientists believe entirely different climatic zones could exist deeper within.

Key features of this hostile border region:

• Temperatures drop to -70°C or lower, with violent electromagnetic storms affecting navigation and communication.
• Unstable ice fields & deep crevasses, making long-term settlement nearly impossible.
• Shifting permafrost landscapes, with periodic ice quakes that alter the terrain unpredictably.

The southern border of the Ralar Region meets the Dark Sea Region, a vast, frozen ocean covering an unknown expanse of the Dark Side. While most of the Dark Sea is locked under thick ice sheets, geothermal activity near the Ralar Volcano creates a rare subaquatic microclimate.

Key climate factors:

• Volcanic activity keeps parts of the water ice-free, sustaining a unique deep-sea ecosystem.
• Extreme temperature contrasts, where the immediate shoreline may be 0°C to -10°C, but drops to -40°C or lower just a few kilometers away.
• Geothermal vents heat underwater currents, possibly supporting unknown marine life forms.

• Starry Mirror: The Starry Mirror is a frozen lake nestled in the Bilu Oruzi Mountains in the northwest of the region. On clear nights, it reflects the stars of the eternal night sky, making it a site of spiritual significance for the Native Tribes.

• Ralar Tundra: The Ralar Tundra is the dominant terrain of the region, consisting of endless ice plains, snow-covered ridges, and permafrost expanses. The tundra is barren, with only a few resilient lifeforms surviving in its extreme cold.

• Dark Sea: The vast, icy ocean that borders the region to the east. Due to the Ralar Volcano’s geothermal influence, the coastal section of the Dark Sea in the Ralar Region, called Ralar Bay, remain free from ice, creating an unusual marine ecosystem adapted to the darkness.

• Atrana Mountains: The Atrana Mountains — stretching roughly 250 kilometers from their northern to southern slopes — form a natural boundary between the Ralar Region on the Dark Side and the Asari Region in the Eastern Equatorial Section of the Habitual Belt.
• Bilu Oruzi Mountains: The Bilu Oruzi Mountains mark the northeastern border of the Ralar Region to Vazhak. They include the highest known mountain on VOI 700 D, estimated to be around 8,000 meters tall. Due to deadly climatic conditions, no Exohuman expedition has ever reached the summit.
• Ralar Mountains: The Ralar Mountains are a rugged volcanic mountain range in the southeastern Ralar Region. These mountains surround and include the name-giving active volcano Ralar, which has shaped much of the region’s geothermal landscape.

• Jumping Jack Flash: Located in the barren, icy expanse of the Ralar Region, Jumping Jack Flash is a 15-meter-high volcanic rock formation with a jagged silhouette resembling a leaping figure. Discovered by an Exohuman expedition in 2626, its origin remains a mystery. Scientists speculate whether it was shaped by natural erosion or if it is the remnant of an unknown civilization. The structure serves as a natural windbreak, providing temporary shelter for explorers in the unforgiving ice desert.

Despite the freezing temperatures and total lack of sunlight, specialized plant life has adapted to geothermal heat and bioluminescent ecosystems within the volcanic caves. Although the Peace Treaty has restricted focused Exohuman exploration in the Gamma Age, preventing further scientific expeditions, several resilient biomes have already been identified. Today, new discoveries can only be made through chance encounters — for example, along the Trade Route. The key biomes include:

• Ice-Adapted Fungi – Lichens and fungi thrive on glacial surfaces, surviving off minimal nutrients.
• Geothermal Mosses – Found inside the warmth of volcanic caves, absorbing nutrients from mineral-rich vapors.
• Bioluminescent Mushrooms – Species such as Luminofera dualis (Shika Me La) illuminate the underground ecosystems, sustaining cave-dwelling fauna.
• Deep-Sea Algae – Certain chemosynthetic algae thrive in the geothermal vents along the Dark Sea’s volcanic shoreline.

Though the tundra is nearly lifeless, the geothermal caves, Dark Sea, and volcanic valleys support an array of highly specialized creatures. As with the flora, the Peace Treaty has significantly limited formal scientific expeditions. Most current knowledge stems from older Beta Age documentation or accidental discoveries made during transit. Known fauna include:

• Glacial Apex Predators – Massive predators adapted to the tundra and coastal zones.
• Cave Dwellers – Blind and bioluminescent species thriving in geothermal caverns.
• Sea Creatures – Organisms adapted to the mineral-rich geothermal waters of the Dark Sea.

For a detailed list, see Known Wildlife of the Ralar Region

The Ralar Region, like most of the Dark Side, is sparsely populated due to its extreme cold, lack of sunlight, and harsh environmental conditions. The Native Tribes of VOI 700 D generally avoid permanent settlements here, with one notable exception: the Zark, a banned subtribe of the Honga. The Exohuman presence in the Ralar Region has grown since the Beta Age, primarily around Firetown, a settlement established near Volcano Ralar.

During the Beta Age, the Ralar Region was primarily inhabited by individual Exohuman settlers from the Free State of Settlers. Most of them were based in Firetown, working as employees of the Geothermal Power Plant or the Copper Mine near the settlement. In addition to workers, Firetown also attracted entrepreneurs, particularly in its Entertainment District, as well as gamblers and fortune-seekers looking for opportunity in the frontier town.

Since the Gamma Age, there are three distinct Exohuman factions in the Ralar Region:

• Legal Citizens of the Federal Confederation – Settlers who live under the governance of the Federal Confederation, primarily residing in Firetown and working in its industries.
• Outlaws – Criminals and self-exiled individuals who reject the Federal Confederation’s authority. They operate from hidden enclaves, geothermal cave networks, and nomadic groups, surviving outside official settlements.
• Prisoners of the Federal Prison – Convicts from all exohuman settlements are brought here to serve their sentences and put to penal labor in the Copper Mine and the Copper Plant.

• ZARK TRIBE (Geothermal Cave Dwellers):
• Population: ~350 individuals
• Short Description: The Zark are an outcast subtribe of the Honga, exiled due to past transgressions and extreme ideological differences. Unlike other Native Tribes, they have adapted to life in geothermal caves near Volcano Ralar, where they find warmth and limited resources. In the Gamma Age, the Zark have aligned themselves with the Jane Mendoza Gang, forming a close collaboration with the outlaw faction in exchange for protection and supplies.
• More Information: The Zark

• JANE MENDOZA GANG
• Population: estimated at 120 members.
• Short Description: A notorious outlaw faction, the Jane Mendoza Gang operates outside of Firetown’s jurisdiction, specializing in smuggling, extortion, black market trading, and drug trafficking.
• The gang have formed a close alliance with the Zark tribe in the Gamma Age.
• More Information: Jane Mendoza Gang

• THE DROP OUTS
• Population: Estimated at ~30 members.
• Short Description: The Drop Outs are a loosely organized outlaw gang, significantly smaller than the Jane Mendoza Gang but fiercely independent. They are known for high-risk robberies, particularly targeting Exohuman convoys, isolated Federal Confederation operations, and rival outlaws.
• More Information: Drop Outs

• LONERS
• Short Description: Loners are independent criminals who reject the authority of the Jane Mendoza Gang, or the Drop Outs. Each Loner operates alone, relying on personal strength, skill, and cunning to survive in the harsh conditions of the Ralar Region. Engage in unpredictable criminal activities, including contract killings, robberies, and high-stakes mercenary work.
• Known for their ruthlessness and lack of allegiance, making them dangerous and highly unpredictable.
• More Information: Loners

• FIRETOWN
• Population: ~5,000
• Location: North of the Ralar Volcano, near the geothermal plains of the Ralar Mountains.
• Description: Founded in the Beta Age, Firetown is the largest and only legal Exohuman settlement in the Ralar Region.
• More Information: Firetown

The Ralar Region is a high-stakes survival zone filled with environmental extremes, volatile alliances, and buried secrets. Dungeon Masters should highlight the scarcity of resources, harsh climate, and the sense of lawlessness that defines much of this frontier. While other regions offer structure and safety, Ralar demands resilience, improvisation, and moral flexibility.

Yet unlike the vast unknown of the Vazhak Region, Ralar is the most developed Exohuman area on the Dark Side. It is home to Firetown, a legal settlement connected to the Trade Route, the Federal Copper Mine, the Federal Geothermal Power Plant, and — since the Gamma Age — the Federal Prison. These installations provide physical infrastructure, but they also serve as touchpoints for ideological conflict, black-market dealings, and forbidden aspirations.

Since the Beta Age, Firetown — especially its notorious Entertainment District — has represented a place of longing, liberation, and escape for settlers across VOI 700 D. Stories of its pleasures, freedom, and rebellion against central control have echoed across the Habitual Belt. In the Gamma Age, much of the Entertainment District has been shut down under the restrictions of the Peace Treaty, but the emergence of the Shadow District — an unofficial network of underground clubs, black-market salons, and vice dens—has only added to its mystique. It is said that “everything forbidden flows through Firetown,” fueling dreams and paranoia alike.

The Ralar Region is also the home base of the Individualist Party, a growing political movement critical of the Federal Confederation and its tight regulatory grip on Exohuman society. In many ways, Ralar functions as the last symbolic stronghold of personal freedom, attracting dissenters, visionaries, and those who refuse to conform. Here, the lines between outlaw and hero, criminal and revolutionary, are constantly blurred — giving Dungeon Masters ample space for morally complex choices and faction-driven roleplay.

• Extreme Cold and Darkness – Players must manage body temperature, find shelter, and navigate in total darkness.
• Navigating Ice Crevasses – Unstable ice fields create natural traps, requiring athletic and survival skill checks.
• Geothermal Hazards – Volcanic activity can suddenly shift cave structures, causing unexpected collapses or steam eruptions.

• The Lost Expeditions – Exohuman teams have vanished exploring the geothermal caves. Their fate — and their discoveries — remain unknown.
• Cave Depths – Deep within the geothermal tunnels, uncharted ecosystems may hide ancient relics or undiscovered lifeforms.
• The Starry Mirror Legends – Some say the frozen lake is a portal to another dimension, or a site where spirits gather under the night sky.

• VOI 700 D
• Dark Side
• Known Wildlife of the Ralar Region

Neighboring Regions (Perspective Ralar Region to north):

• Asari Region (Western / Habitual Belt)
• Dark Sea Region (Southern / Dark Side)
• Vazhak (Eastern and Northern / Dark Side)